The Eau Claire Hmong New Year committee at a recent planning meeting.

Working at Volume One has given me a taste of what’s involved behind the scenes to create a successful event. While my role is typically confined to humble tasks like handing out programs at Best Night, putting up the tent at Sounds Like Summer, and patrolling for trash at Food Truck Friday, it’s clear that it takes a large coordinated effort to pull off an event that attracts people, keeps them happy, and makes them want to come back again next year.

I was excited to learn recently that one of my favorite local events, Eau Claire’s Hmong New Year celebration, is slated to come back this fall after a five-year hiatus. I got the tip from Volume One’s own video producer Ma Vue, who is part of the committee organizing the event. Like a lot of events, the momentum that carried the Hmong New Year forward for decades was derailed by the pandemic, and now a group of volunteers are working together to restart this important community tradition. Based on my experience, this effort will inevitably take a ton of organizational effort, a huge amount of work, and more than a little bit of money.

During the course of writing the article about the event’s return (which you’ll find online and in our latest print issue), I learned that next year will be the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the first Hmong immigrants in Eau Claire. Over the course of half a century, these individuals and their descendants have become an integral part of our community, and it would be fitting if the community came together to ring in this anniversary year by making the Hmong New Year’s revival a roaring success.