A metal statue of two ecstatic dogs riding a bicycle, their eyes wide and tongues lolling, begged for photo ops along Barstow Street. So did the statue of a Great Dane high-fiving passersby at Phoenix Park, and a gold-crowned therapy dog created from recycled bicycle parts on Water Street.
On a recent mother-daughter weekend to Eau Claire, Wis. — 90 minutes east of the Twin Cities — my mom, Lyn, and I found ourselves repeatedly drawn to dogs, even without our own in tow. We devoted an afternoon to admiring the nation’s largest rotating sculpture walk before splitting a classic Friday night fish fry with a side of monster cheddar curds. In America’s Dairyland, we had to cap the day with ice cream, too.
We enjoyed cones while watching a copper-furred Vizsla dog snap thirstily at bursts of water shooting from the color-changing fountains outside Pablo Center at the Confluence, the $51 million event venue. Kids shrieked, water splattered, and wild roses bloomed along walkways hugging the Chippewa and Eau Claire rivers, which meet at this scenic spot.
The next night, we found a burger farm in rural Mondovi, about 25 miles south of Eau Claire. Together Farms tucks into a valley that filled with festive visitors as the evening light illuminated a meadow where milky-white cattle grazed.
Together Farms opens a few nights a week, serving burgers and hot sandwiches through summer and early fall (until Oct. 6 this year). Diners gathered at a picnic pavilion and open-air tables facing a pond, pasture and woods. Kids and parents played lawn games and explored a playhouse, gathered around a lamb, and listened to the duo Thistledown singing and strumming on mandolin and guitar.
Together Farms near Mondovi, Wis., hosts Burger Night four nights a week through Oct. 6. (Lisa Meyers McClintick/For the Minnesota Star Tribune)
We sipped on a pomegranate craft beer and watched the two farm dogs. A chipper little dachshund beelined for my mom, whom I’ve nicknamed “the fairy dogmother.” Within minutes of our sitting down with an olive burger and a pulled pork sandwich, the dachshund parked between my mom’s feet and gave a little yip.
The dog turned its head as if giving a dismissive “Pffftt!” when offered a French fry. It knew to hold out for protein. As we offered a few handouts, kids excitedly tossed their uneaten food over a gate where happy pigs jostled for leftovers. Nothing went to waste.
We lingered before making our way back to Eau Claire’s art, museums and cafes. When I asked my mom about her favorite meal of the weekend, she said, “The farm.” With an endearing dog at her feet and good food at the table, it felt a lot like home.
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