Chippewa Falls may see Renaissance
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BY ROD STETZER rstetzer@chippewa.com
Wednesday, December 22, 2004 10:28 AM CST
If plans get off the ground, Chippewa Falls will soon have days and days of knights and knights.
A group proposing to hold a Wisconsin Renaissance Fair on a permanent basis in Chippewa Falls approached the city council Tuesday about buying part of the old city landfill property.
"We need 60 to 100 acres to build basically a medieval village," said Shane McVey, president of the Wisconsin Renaissance Faire. Also planned is a campground on the site.
The group's intention is to hold a fair similar to one that's held in Shakopee, Minn., said McVey, who lives in Eau Claire. All five of the project's backers live in the Chippewa Valley.
He said his group held a smaller fair in Black River Falls in 2004, and they were looking for sites from Black River Falls to Menomonie. McVey said Menomonie was the favorite until he met Chippewa Falls Mayor Doug Sandvick at a recent function.
Having highway projects such as the Highway 29 bypass nearby made Chippewa Falls attractive, he said.
"It looked like an opportune spot where we can tap the Twin Cities market," he said.
For next year, the group would like to run the fair on weekends in June from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. It is projecting 20,000 visitors.
Taking the average of $142.71 of what Chippewa Valley tourists spend, McVey said the estimated economic impact of the fair would be $2.9 million.
By 2009, the group is projecting 100,000 visitors, creating an economic impact of $14.3 million. And McVey said the fair by then would be running throughout the summer.
It will take time to build up the number of employees at the fair, said K.C. Noble of Fall Creek, vice president of site management for the group. But after some years the fair would eventually have 70 actors, 100-150 site or food service workers, and have another 150 people showing arts and crafts.
McVey said the group is looking at city-owned property east of the old city landfill. The property is south of the existing Highway 29 and west of Highway 53.
But he said construction would have to start in March for there to be a fair in 2005.
Noble said a small city water tower could provide water to the site, which would have portable toilets. Large holding tanks would be installed for the campground, he said.
Police Chief Joseph Coughlin said a shooting range for law enforcement officers is nearby, but is generally used on weekdays.
McVey said other sites are possibilities, but the former landfill property is the group's first choice.
City Attorney Julie Anderl said the city would first need to get an appraisal of the property.
Reach Rod Stetzer at rstetzer@chippewa.com.
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