Get a Sneak Peek at Discover Wisconsin’s Brand-New Menomonie Episode

Tom Giffey |

Viewers in eight states will be treated a four-season look at the city of Menomonie in a soon-to-air episode of the long-running tourism series Discover Wisconsin. (Or you could watch it above!) The program’s hosts, Mariah Haberman and Collin Geraghty, take viewers on a rapid-fire tour of everything from fast summer night at the Red Cedar Speedway to winter evenings in the historic Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts to spring lambing season at Govin’s Farm.

“This city brings the excitement of a college town and the charm of the northwoods together,” Haberman says during the episode. “It’s fun, it’s eclectic, it’s beautiful, and it’s all year long.”

The episode will premiere on a network of broadcast and cable stations the weekend of Jan. 18-20. In the Eau Claire area, it will be shown on WQOW-TV (Channel 18) at 5pm on Sunday, Jan. 19. A free viewing party for the episode will be at 3pm on Monday, Jan. 13, at the Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts, 205 Main St. E. And if you just can’t wait that long, the episode is already available online at DiscoverWisconsin.com.

Dustyn Dubuque, executive director of Downtown Menomonie Inc., said the episode emphasizes how much there is to do in Menomonie no matter what the season. For example, the fall segment features the annual Ladies’ Night Out in October, which brings crowds of women – many decked out for Halloween – to visit the unique boutiques that downtown Menomonie offers.

Jake’s Supper Club
Jake’s Supper Club

The episode begins by showcasing warm-weather activities in Menomonie, including dining outdoors at Jake’s Supper Club, the annual Lake Menomin Water X event (which features snowmobiles – yes, snowmobiles in the summer! – racing across the open water of Menomonie’s landmark lake), and watching dirt-track racing at Red Cedar Speedway.

“You better be prepared for a noisy environment,” Haberman says during her visit to the racetrack. “You’re going to get a little bit dirty. But that energy, that excitement in the air is so palpable. If you really want to experience Menomonie and what it’s all about, this is such an iconic part of this city.”

The episode also highlights UW-Stout, Whispering Emerald Ridge Game Farm (where you can shoot sporting clays from inside a heated lodge in the winter), the Mabel Tainter Theater, disc golfing and ice fishing, Tanglewood Greens Golf Course, Zymurgy Brewing Co., and Govin’s Farm, where springtime visitors can cuddle with just-born critters. “I would say this is one of the more authentic and integrated farms that I’ve been to where you really are seeing actual things happening in real time,” gushes Geraghty, one of the hosts.

Discover Wisconsin – which has also produced episodes on Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls in recent years – sent crews to Menomonie numerous times last year to capture all four seasons in the community. “I hope we get more tourists from this episode,” said Maya Canon, program coordinator for the Menomonie Area Chamber of Commerce, which collaborated with Discover Wisconsin to create the episode. “I think it shows how interesting Menomonie can be.”

Best of Menomonie is brought to you by:

Westconsin Credit Union

Explore Menomonie

University of Wisconsin Stout

Best of Menomonie is brought to you by:

Westconsin Credit Union

Explore Menomonie

University of Wisconsin Stout