Name: Chippewa Valley Book Festival: History and Tales of the American Birkebeiner
Start: 2026-10-24
End: 2026-10-24

First Strike Paintball is Chippewa Valley's premier paintball facility. First Strike Paintball is family owned and staffed with knowledgeable and courteous referees. It is open year-round and it accommodates players with a heated field house during the winter months. The field is roughly 26 acres of woods with three smaller fields inside one large field, to fit the size of groups attending outings. First Strike Paintball's wooded courses are a combination of natural and man-made bunkers and obstacles.

First Strike Paintball

The Village of Lake Hallie has 18 beautiful pickleball courts available to the public. This exciting sport has been gaining momentum from throughout the Chippewa Valley and these courts are great place to catch a game or practice your skills.

Lake Hallie Pickleball @ Gower Park

The Graham Motor Museum is designed to be a distinctively unique automotive museum filled with cool cars, trucks, cycles, automobilia, and a fun place to visit.

*Marvels In Automotive Design* is the focus of our collection. Marvels refer to the exceptional vehicles on exhibit, be it cars, motorcycles, or trucks. Our collection explores and illustrates the creative design of manufacturers, custom builders, rodders, and everyday enthusiasts.

*Our Collection Within* are the artifacts that give character, perspective, and a sense of time to our exhibits. We include stories and objects about people and times when cars were designed, developed, and evolved.

Along with the Graham Motor Museum’s permanent collection, many vehicles are provided by fellow car enthusiasts through our *Enthusiasts Collection Project*, which was established to provide a venue for people to show their vehicles, automobilia, and history for all to see.

Dates and times for visiting the Graham Motor Museum can be found on our website. Entry is by appointment only and tickets are available for purchase through the website: GrahamMotorMuseum.org

Come Visit Us.

Graham Motor Museum

The Town of Union Conservancy is a large, wooded area featuring eight trails of various lengths and challenges along the Chippewa River. It is located off White Pine Drive just south of Crescent Avenue. While the Conservancy is a resource to locals and tourists, it's also a learning center to educate the public about the area's ecological, cultural and geologic history.

Town of Union Conservancy

Wheaton Park consists of 63 acres with a large portion being wooded and has many amenities to offer the outdoor enthusiast including: updated playground equipment, pickleball courts, tennis court, basketball court, gaga ball, ball fields, batting cages, and reservable pavilions!

For winter recreation, Wheaton Park has 1.5 miles of [snowshoe trails](https://www.visiteauclaire.com/things-to-do/outdoors/winter-recreation/snowshoe-trails/), a [sledding hill](https://www.visiteauclaire.com/things-to-do/outdoors/winter-recreation/sledding/), [ice skating](https://www.visiteauclaire.com/things-to-do/outdoors/winter-recreation/ice-skating/) rink and [snowmobile](https://www.visiteauclaire.com/things-to-do/outdoors/winter-recreation/snowmobiling-trails/) trailer parking with trail access.

Find a map of the park's trail system and directory [here](https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=15IcZ1M35NTuaOo8WQ5Umm-bbVIF-eCo&ll=44.89654130398708%2C-91.59251950000001&z=16).

Wheaton Park

This 63-acre park in the nearby town of Wheaton has 1.5 miles of snowshoe trails, a sledding hill, ice skating rink and snowmobile trailer parking with trail access. Sleds are also available for public use at the sliding hills, provided by a local Scout group.

The River Inn Bar is located three and one half miles west of Chippewa Falls on County Highway X (old Highway 29). The establishment has been in existence since the early 1940s.

The original bar was replaced with the current building as it stands today in 1968. Even though the old bar is gone it still holds many memories from the past, hardly a week goes by that someone doesn’t reminisce about the old bar or as commonly known as Sam’s place, and the way it was, in their day, and the happenings that took place there. Sam and Ester Rineck owned the bar for the longest period of time. Several others have owned the bar in the years since, most of which have had roots in the local area.

The current owners, Art and Sue Schroeder (also locals), purchased the River Inn on November 1st, 2005. Art works for a national construction company while Sue manages the daily activities of the bar. Family, friends, and great employees all lend a hand in keeping things running smoothly.

The River Inn Bar’s mascot will greet you at the door. This five-foot cast iron rooster has guarded the entrance to the bar since November 2005, when it was given to Art and Sue by family and friends as a bar warming gift when they purchased the bar. The rooster represents River Inn’s signature chicken wings, which are prepared and served throughout the week. It has also been coined as the River Inns logo, Home of the Big Cock.

The River Inn Bar has been a part of the area’s history for many years. It is a place where family and friends unite and gather in both good times and bad. Art and Sue along with family and friends hope to keep this tradition going. So stop out and see them, and don’t forget to check out the wings while you are there. Our restaurant is a great place for lunch and dinner and to watch all of your sports teams with family and friends. We have been listed as one of the “top ten best places to drive to in Wisconsin” by Travel Wisconsin.

River Inn Bar

Formally Apple Tree Inn, AVEnue orchard was established in 2007 by Ron and Shelly Knutson and family. Located just south of Eau Claire on Highway 53 this family owned & operated orchard offers 26 apple varieties throughout the growing season as well as 2 varieties of pears. Open 7 days a week, during apple season, from 9am-6pm from August- November. We offer pre-picked apples, pick your own, and fresh apple cider. We also carry a full line of canned products. We can our products in small batches using quality ingredients. Check out our varieties of jams, jellies, butters, sauces, and pie filling. Come for an hour or spend the afternoon in our quiet, family friendly orchard. Enjoy our picnic area, yard games, and animals.

AVEnue Orchard

Wander into this little country bar for a cold drink with pizza, burgers, sandwiches, and cheese curds!

Wander Inn Bar and Grill

Family farm established in 2015. Koehler Farms offers blueberry picking in the summer! They also have Dexter cattle and farm fresh eggs!

Koehler Acres

Located in western Wisconsin, Eau Claire offers sports planners a destination that's easy to reach, easy to navigate, and ready to host. Just 90 minutes from the Minneapolis–St. Paul area and within driving distance of Chicago, Eau Claire is well positioned to welcome teams, athletes, and fans from across the Midwest.

A versatile mix of indoor and outdoor venues supports events across a wide range of sports and competition levels, with tournament-ready fields, courts, ice facilities, pools, trails, and large-scale indoor spaces. Hotels, restaurants, venues, and visitor amenities are conveniently located throughout the community, making it easy for teams to get where they need to be throughout the event.

Visit Eau Claire's sports team works alongside event organizers to help bring the details together, connecting planners with venues, accommodations, local resources, and destination support.

And there's plenty waiting beyond the competition. Eau Claire's walkable downtown, local restaurants and breweries, miles of trails, public art, live music, family attractions, and the Chippewa River give athletes and their families more to experience between games and after the final whistle.

Eau Claire has the facilities to host the event and the destination experience to make the trip worth it.**** Bring the competition, bring the crowd, and come as you are — Eau Claire is ready to host.

Visit Eau Claire

The American Birkebeiner between Hayward and Cable, Wis., is North America’s largest cross-country ski marathon and one of the largest in the world, with more than 10,000 competitors annually. How did founder Tony Wise fuel its rise from humble beginnings, with just 54 skiers in 1973? What keeps skiers, from weekend warriors to Olympians, coming back each February despite the extreme, 30-plus-mile challenge through the snow and hills of northern Wisconsin?

Attendees will be inspired by the fascinating history of the Birkebeiner and its visionary founder — one man’s dream that became the pride of two communities and the talk of the Nordic ski world — as well as the spirit of the race.

Chippewa Valley Book Festival: History and Tales of the American Birkebeiner

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