This month I had the opportunity to attend an event that unfortunately I missed last year; The Banbury Art Crawl.  Thankfully, the event was such a success in 2010 that they brought it back again in 2011!  This event was held February 11-12 at Banbury Place in downtown Eau Claire. Many regional artists and small businesses participated in this event in the building that used to house the Uniroyal Tire Company.

The event featured a large variety of works for viewing and for sale by area artists, including but not limited to paintings, glass art, pottery, wood works, photography, and products produced by several businesses located in Building 13.  Music, dance and martial arts demonstrations also took place in the hallways and corridors of the building, along with a wine tasting and food vendors.  What a great event!  The turnout was so great and it’s looking like this event will take place again in 2012 and many years to come!

After the Art Crawl a group of us went to Stella Blue’s for dinner.  This is always one of my favorite restaurants to visit.  The atmosphere is warm and cozy, with wood floors, brick walls and great photos and memorabilia from the Eau Claire area.  The staff is very friendly and the food is amazing!  I usually get the blacked chicken with veggies and garlic mashed potatoes… but I got a little adventurous this time and tried something new.  Which for me is a big thing!  I had the Pasta Rockefeller – a pasta dish with chicken (you can also choose to have tofu, shrimp or sausage), spinach and mushrooms in a cream sauce.  It was excellent and may be my new ‘go to’ dish!  Add a glass of Malbec and it was the perfect meal!