Courtesy Mabel Tainter Theater
To the north, in Chippewa Falls, the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewery has free tours every 30 minutes, every day of the week. Samples of its beers, Leinenkugel’s Honey Weiss, Classic Amber, Summer Shandy and other favorites, are also free. Few leave empty-handed after a stop in the gift shop, where a football-shape beer glass and a Leinenkugel’s stadium cushion are current best sellers.
In Menomonie, 30 minutes west, the Mabel Tainter Theater is the show.
“The pictures don’t do it justice,” said Amy Reise, executive director. “When I first stepped into the building, it took my breath away.”
The Mabel, as she is called by those who know her best, is at the center of what Reise calls “a sweet little arts scene” in a town of 16,000. “Everyone in town has been on the Mabel Tainter stage,” Reise said.
The 1890s theater’s formidable stone facade is a contrast to the gold-drenched interior; the 250-seat theater reflects the Victorian era and all its fancy trappings. A renovation in 2006 brought the theater’s technology into the 21st century.
In addition to community events and its own performing arts season, the Mabel welcomes bookings from meeting planners, and it expects that part of its business to grow with the recent addition of a liquor license.
