This Weekend: The Eau Claire Hmong New Year (Hour 2)

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From the Civic Media World Headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin, it's the Todd Alba Show.

And now, pursuing truth wherever it may lead,

Here's your host, Todd Alba.

Across Wisconsin on the Civic Media Radio Network and streaming worldwide on the Civic Media app.

Good afternoon, everybody.

Todd Alba along with Mr. Aaron Zummer is our producer and engineer on the board.

It is six minutes past the hour of three o'clock.

Welcome into hour number two of the big program on this Wednesday, October 8th, 2025.

It is a great day to be a Wisconsinite.

And it is pump day.

That's right.

Welcome into the world headquarters, civic media, downtown Madison at the crossroads of state street.

And Fairchild, look at the old Sam Davison street cam for those watching on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.

Look at that blue skies here in downtown Madison.

Leaves of that kind of a golden brown, not golden color, golden yellow, I guess you might say.

Before people out there walking around.

Before the show Todd and I walked to go get some coffee.

Yes, and with the very blue sky today contrast very nicely with the Capitol building.

Yes, absolutely It certainly does so it's a beautiful day.

Hope you get out enjoy it and coming up the bottom of this hour For some of our listeners, it'll be the Brewers pregame show as they get ready to take on the Chicago Cubs game three of the five game series if needed

The Brewers are up two to nothing in terms of games.

They can clinch the divisional series this afternoon.

Pre-game show starts at 3.30, first pitch just after four for our listeners on WRCE and Richland Center, WISS in Oshkosh, WCQM in Park Falls, and WBZH up in beautiful Hayward, Wisconsin.

For those listeners on those stations,

You will be leaving our program at the bottom of the hour To go to the brewers pregame show and that is over the air terrestrial radio as they say for those listening on the stream or Facebook Twitter YouTube, whatever you will stay with our program Cannot wait.

We'll give you a well.

I guess it will be off.

We'll be off the air just as the game gets underway

Mike Clemens, of course, is there a great sports reporter.

He will have updates.

And of course, the final score right here on the Civic Media Radio Network.

So, exciting stuff.

Gonna talk about the Brewers here a little bit more in just a minute.

Also, coming up, we have a what's worse for you today, burials or cremations, and at the bottom of this hour.

If you wanna skip the pregame show, listen to the show here because of a very important guest.

from the Mung, Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce.

Have a special event coming up this weekend at the Chippewa Valley and pleased to have them here at 335 on the show.

If you're going to listen to the pregame show over the air, that's great for the brewers.

You could also catch our interview with Wisconsin Mung Chamber of Commerce member member via the podcast or better yet, watch the replay on YouTube or Facebook as well.

That's really the best way to catch it if you don't catch us live We're gonna do a little extended pregame show here for the Brewers if you're watching on the aforementioned stream got my October baseball Brewers t-shirt on

Our cubs are cubs.

Jeez.

Our brewers jacket.

Thank goodness.

I know,

right?

I was looking at something that was talking about the cubs on a piece of paper here.

Our brewers jacket as well.

And hopefully the the brewers can close things out against the cubs this afternoon.

Couple of audio cuts for you.

The Mike Clemens, our aforementioned great sports reporter who is at Wrigley this afternoon.

Now.

Quinn Priester is scheduled to be the pitcher this afternoon.

But here's, I was listening to radio this morning, as they say on another network because you like to dial around.

And Jeff Levering was on the radio this morning from Chicago.

And he used a phrase that you hear on CBS's big brother, expect the unexpected.

And I'm not saying.

that I know anything.

I'm just, I'm telling you what Levering said.

He just said, expect the unexpected when it comes to pitching for Milwaukee.

And I would not be surprised that they have priests or throw one pitch and then bring somebody else in, or maybe priests are only goes for an inning or two and they bring somebody else in, or maybe they surprise us all together.

Because, and Levering pointed this out, Jeff Levering, play by play for the Brewers, that in Chicago,

You can't see the bullpen, so you can't, the only way you know who's warming up in the bullpen is if they have a camera on.

But announcers or opposition teams, you cannot see the bullpens unless you're in there or unless they turn the camera on for the network.

I think it's on TBS this afternoon.

So I think that's an interesting thing to watch as we go throughout today's game.

And further on into if there is another game needed in the NLDS and hopefully the NL the championship series, which is looking like it'll be against Los Angeles.

The Dodgers won the first two games of that series in Philadelphia.

And now the Phillies are in LA tonight.

So hard to believe that the Dodgers aren't going to win at least one of the last three games there.

So looking like if the crew could round it out in Chicago tonight or tomorrow.

that they would face the Dodgers.

Here is what Quinn Priester had to say.

At least we believe he's going to be the starting pitcher this afternoon.

Here's what he told Mike Clemens.

And yeah, man, I'm going to be fired up.

I'm already starting to feel that anxious, that good nerves.

And man, like, yeah, no, I'm fired up.

Quinn Priester also went on to talk about what if, now we hope that the Brewers wrap it up this afternoon, but what if it goes into yet another game in this five game series?

I mean, we welcome it.

They know what they're going to get.

We know what we're going to get.

And it's just go to battle.

And we're going to keep punching back.

They're going to keep punching and see who comes out on top.

And like I said, I think if we play our style baseball and we execute the way we can execute on the mound at the plate, we're really confident in our team.

Quinn

Priester at the press gaggle, where Mike Clemens was at, was asked

How do you, after the first pitch, do you kind of know it?

Do you settle in?

Or how soon do you know that this is going to be a good or a more difficult game

for you?

Here's Quinn Priester.

Some games, yes.

Some games, no.

Some games, like you throw that first pitch and you're like, yeah, we're locked in.

And then some games, you throw the first pitch and it's a little arm side or you pull it or whatever and you take a deep breath and just get right back after it.

I think at any point, you know, you can feel like...

You can go back out for the second and be like, oh, I just struck out the side in the first, but now I feel a little bit off.

That's where it's like focus on over the plate, stop focusing over the rubber, stop trying to think of why it was so good just to keep executing pitches.

And then you start to lose like, oh man, I feel really good.

It's just, hey, I'm executing pitches.

Quinn Priester, who we anticipate right now is scheduled to be the Brewers starting pitcher this afternoon.

Again, the pregame show coming up on some of our stations at the bottom of the hour, first pitch just after four o'clock.

What are the underrated, perhaps Brewers of this run thus far?

William Contreras, great catcher.

Really, Pat Murphy calls in the manager, calls him the heart and soul of the Brewers.

Here's what Quinn Priester had to

say on Contreras.

I'm never not confident when I'm throwing because I trust 100% what he's calling back there.

I think very rarely, you know, a couple times a game, maybe, you know, I'm shaking to something I feel really, really convicted in.

But I mean, we're on the same page.

We've worked together.

I mean, at least I think 25 times, 24 times, something like that this year.

And, you know, I love having him back there.

I love working with him.

He's just an absolute competitor.

There was Quinn Priest right there.

Jeff Perry on Facebook watching says, Todd, what if Craig Council is listening?

You'll blow the pitching surprise.

Yes.

Yes, Jeff.

I'm sure Craig Council has the, uh, the Civic Media app on down there as the, as the game gets going.

Our very own Terry Barr also listening says, go Brewers says Monday night, Terry was there at am fame on Monday.

She said it was so loud.

It was awesome.

Grab some pocket pancakes, too.

Fantastic.

That's awesome.

Thanks, Terry.

I appreciate that.

Look, the admiration for Quinn Priester from the Brewers Organization is stark.

And Mike Clemens was there at this presser this week with the Brewers when manager Pat Murphy was asked about Quinn Priester's growth this season.

Hey, Murph, with Quinn getting the start, just what's impressed you about his growth this entire season?

Yeah, how rapid it's been.

You know, like this guy went from, you know, being a triple A pitcher for the last couple years to emerging as a real presence and giving his team a chance very often.

And just to see that happen right before your eyes, that's pretty special.

He's still a young pitcher, very young.

Murphy was also asked about playing at the friendly confines of Wrigley Field this afternoon.

Yeah, I've been lucky enough to be here a number of times in the last 10 years.

And I know how great this crowd can be and how impactful it can be, just like ours were the last two games.

So we've got a battle on our hands and we know that in the crowd will will inevitably play a role, you know, impacting the game.

One of the storylines of the game again pregame show coming up for some of our listeners at the bottom of the hour And I've talked about this a little bit before the show Craig counsel Manager for the Cubs of course former manager of the Brewers Former player of the Brewers his dad Craig counsel's dad worked for the Brewers Craig counsel grew up going to games at County Stadium New Bob Uker very very well close friends of the family and

Then Craig Council played for Pat Murphy, I believe at Notre Dame, when Murphy was either the main manager or the coaches at Notre Dame.

And then Murphy went and coached the Arizona State, I believe.

And then fast forward a number of years, and it was Craig Council who then hired his old manager, Pat Murphy, to come work for him with the Brewers organization.

So they know each other really, really well.

Here's what Murphy told Mike Clemens about Craig Council.

I mean, I know Too well What a great competitor he is his own career, you know, he was never a five-tool player But he found a way to win championships and help his team and you can't ask a teammate on his Marlins team or his Diamondbacks team that doesn't revere the the impact he had on those teams however young and however

in 2001 with the D-Bags.

I mean, they rave about it.

And he's right in the middle of it.

And then as a manager in the big leagues, I stood next to him for that many years and saw the way he washed off losses.

I saw the way he got teams ready to play.

So I have great respect for him and know what kind of competitor he is.

And I respect the Cubs team.

I think their team's really good.

Pat Murphy on Craig Council and the Cubs again the game pre-game underway here at 330 and the first pitch just after four o'clock on many of these fine stations.

It is coming up on 19 past the hour of three o'clock.

Time once again for what's worse.

Let's go.

Time once again for what's worse nothing to give away no prize money involved But it is your chance to have your voice heard in all ten news talk and sports stations on the civic media already network.

All right.

I'm not sure this timely Maybe not for this one.

Maybe not for this one Let's get right to the category the category today end of life decisions.

What's worse a burial or a cremation a burial

or a cremation.

855-752-4842.

855-752-4842.

You can also text us on the Civic Media app.

What's worse, burial or cremation.

Also, come on back.

I have a major announcement about a giveaway we're doing tomorrow and Friday.

You are not gonna wanna miss it.

It has to do

with the Green Bay Packers.

Come

on back to The All-Ball Show at the Civic Media

Arena.

All you Packer fans out there, football fans in general, we have a new movie coming out here later this month.

We had the two of the producers on our friends, Sean Hannes and Paul Gikoni Berry were on this show.

It's a great film.

I've seen the trailer.

I've not seen the film yet.

I've seen the trailer.

It's called No Packers, No Life.

It's about this group of avid Japanese Packer fans in Tokyo who make the pilgrimage.

to Lambeau Field in Green Bay for the first time and what that whole experience was like, how they view the Packers in Green Bay, how the people in Green Bay welcomed the folks from Japan, and it's premiering at the Marcus Theater next Wednesday down in Waukesha.

We are going to be there broadcasting the show live on Wednesday for the world premiere.

Former Packer Antonio Freeman and

George Coons are gonna be there as well.

And so hopefully have them on the show.

What the producers of the film have done, they're so gracious, they have given me three pairs of tickets for the world premiere of this movie at 5.30 in walkie-shot next Wednesday, October 15th.

And starting tomorrow, tomorrow, Friday and Monday in the three o'clock hour, we are going to have a trivia.

Contest

contest but actually trivia this

time it'll actually trip We're gonna ask you a Green Bay Packer trivia question And then the first person to call in each day with the correct answer wins a pair of tickets These are worth a hundred and forty bucks or so a piece to the VIP There's a reception you get to meet some forward Packers you get to to go to the movie see the filmmakers ask questions So we're gonna give away a pair of VIP tickets

to the world premiere of No Packers, No Life, starting tomorrow in the three o'clock hour.

So be here.

Do not miss it.

All right, let's finish up.

What's worse, burial or cremation?

855-752-4842, 855-752-4842.

Ollie, on the line in the Northwoods, Ollie, burial or cremation, what's worse?

Well, I'm gonna try to make this quick.

had my funeral all planned out at one time I decided that I would not have my casket up until everybody was sitting down because my husband always said I'd be late for my own funeral and they would just push me up after the funeral started and then I'd have a on the side of my casket I'd have a little

sign that said and no dad I didn't stop for a garage sale because that was my parents complaint was I wouldn't get there until midnight of the day I said I was coming because I'd have to stop

at all the garage sales on the way to their

house.

Ollie, that's fantastic.

You and I are very alike.

I've said the same thing.

I said, start my funeral 15 minutes after it's advertised because people say I'm always 15 minutes late.

So

I love it.

But now I've decided that I'm going to go with a cremation because it's my last best chance to lose weight and not gain it back.

That's great Ali.

I appreciate it.

Have a great day as well.

There's a vote for a burials are worse What's worse burial or cremation?

8 5 5 7 5 2 4 8 4 2 8 5 5 7 5 2 4 8 4 2 Jack in Merrimack Jack burial or cremation.

What's worse?

And I've always thought that You go Making a line so look at a dead person

was just about the most gruesome thing you could think of.

Right.

Well, I think that probably answers my opinion on that question.

Maybe I'm signed up to have cremation and have my ashes put into fireworks and have them fired off.

I figure if you're going to go to heaven, that's a spectacular way to go.

I like that.

I like that.

Being put into firecracker and firework and just blast it off.

That's good, Jack.

I like that.

Thank you so very much.

What's worse, burial or cremation, 855-752-4842, 855-752-4842 off the text line, by the way, it's mom, saying burials cost about double.

Do they?

I believe it.

So, well, I mean, you don't have to have big wood.

Well, a lot of them are very fancy, these caskets these days.

True.

And if

they're not, it's expensive.

And you gotta have a vault.

You gotta put it in a vault and...

All that kind of stuff, cremation, a lot simpler, right?

What's worse, burial or cremation?

K.M.

in Appleton says, if I had to be in a casket, I'd want to make the boards loose so when they lift it up, I flopped out.

Another prank.

Yeah

another prank.

All right,

very

good.

I do think they have more opportunities for pranks

Brett in Brown Deers as burial listening on WAUK by the way 100.3 are our new frequency in addition to 540 on the AM side now You can listen to a UK at 100.3 great signal for downtown Milwaukee there Brett and Brown Deers as burial is worse.

Whoops.

We got to go back there is our story about that Burial is worse

Leave the land for those that come after besides being buried freaks me out Well, yeah, you always hear those stories right about about this before embalming right now that you're embalmed You're not gonna wake up in a casket.

I mean if you do you're probably possessed Let's go quickly to Troy about Horrib Troy burial or cremation.

What's worse?

Burials worse, but since we're given ideas

I always said Halloween's my favorite holiday.

I'd like to be taken to a taxidermist have all my skin removed and then the kids can use my skeleton as a Halloween prop.

You want to be

taxidermied?

Yeah.

That's something else.

I have not heard that one.

Thank you, Troy.

I don't think I have either.

I mean, I do this for pets.

Like you could have your dog, your cat.

taxidermy Which that's interesting that'd be kind of creepy to have grandpa Joe standing in the corner for the real that would be very

creepy

Zomers, what's worse burial cremation?

I think probably burial for reasons other people have said like It's it's it can be creepy

PJ on YouTube says burial is worse because your body is taking up space on the earth after your soul has been vacant.

I don't know

The time will show on the civic media ready to work now 35 minutes past the hour of three o'clock of this Wednesday, October 8th, 2025.

Aaron Somers on the board playing some very interesting and good music.

Mr. Somers, uh, more on that in a bit, right?

From, uh, this could have to do with our next guest here.

Very pleased and honored to have our next guest.

He is the board president of the Mung Mutual Assistance Association in the greater Eau Claire area.

Lar.

Kong Zhang joins us via StreamYard from the Eau Claire area.

And Lar, thank you so very much for taking the time.

Thank you Todd and Aaron for inviting me on to the show too as well.

I appreciate it.

Well, it's our pleasure My sister brother-in-law live in the Eau Claire area and so I get up there quite a bit and I have an appreciation for how Entwined and how appreciated the Mung community is Especially in that part of the state and I know you have a special event coming up this weekend We want to talk about that a little bit But as we do with all of our first-time guests on this show lar tell us a little bit about yourself

where you grew up and how you came to be associated with the Mung Mutual Assistance Association in Eau Claire.

All right, a little story about myself, too.

There's a little background.

I was born and raised right here in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

Went to the local elementary schools here, high schools here, North High School, go north.

My dad came from Laos all the way to Chicago then came to Eau Claire and built our family here and the small tunnel Claire and has grown to a one beautiful city here that has accepted our community here.

It's explained to folks and I know a little bit but I'm certainly not an expert in this.

The Mung community is

has a rich history in Wisconsin and explain to folks what it was that made Wisconsin kind of a landing point for immigrants to come here in the Hmong community.

What drew them to Wisconsin and why Wisconsin?

Yeah, when the Hmong got its place or the Hmong diaspora, we got put into bigger cities first.

The Hmong families got put into bigger cities.

Like I said, my family

came to Chicago first.

And it seemed like it was a little bit too hectic for them because our background is in farming.

So Wisconsin in a small town, rural areas, Eau Claire, that was still a small town farming.

I remember when my dad, growing up here, my dad, they came here.

We're in the gardens.

We're helping farmers with their cucumbers and picking that for their

for their business, so for the farming business.

So I believe the farming business is what brought us to the smaller rural areas.

And correct me if I'm wrong, but much of the community or at least some of the initial immigrants were essentially refugees of Laos due to war.

Is that correct?

Definitely,

yeah.

We're displaced to helping out with the secret war.

It was in parallel with the Vietnam War too, but the Hmong was

uh had special tasks to help down American pilots help with downing uh shooting down uh communications with the communists and for being being in that role playing that part um that's when the United States pulled out that's when uh our Hmong people had a uh this person had a run to refugee camps and swim across run through the jungles

bring their family, whatever they can, to the jungles and then swim across the Mekong River to refugee camps in Thailand.

And that's where hundreds and thousands of Hmong people eventually died to as well.

I think it's an important story for our listeners to hear across the state because I think a lot of people understand at least tangentially the Vietnam War at a certain level.

But the role that the Hmong people had in Laos and the story of your community often goes

In my opinion, unfortunately, it's not the overlooked.

And the fact that that many people in your community at the time were just kind of, as you said, love to fend for themselves.

And then eventually, to some degree, helped as refugees have brought to the United States.

And I think that's an important historical point that more Wisconsinites should understand.

Definitely.

And I believe that I should be taught in all schools in Wisconsin.

And I know that the governor.

as passed a law to have the teachings of the Hmong in the school programs in the school classes because it's important sometimes if other individuals like my kids they don't really know who they are now they don't know they don't speak the Hmong language but it's important that it's part of our history it's part to know that it's good to know that the Hmong people was with the United States helping out the United States.

We're talking with Laura Kong-Zhong here from Eau Claire area.

He is the board president of the Mung Mutual Assistance Association.

Laura, talk to us a little bit about the Mung Mutual Assistance Association.

How did it start and what's its mission and role in the Chippewa Valley area?

Yeah, the Mung Mutual Assistance started in 1982 when the Mung people arrived.

Well, the first Mung family arrived here in Eau Claire in 1976.

And the first Hmong individuals arrived in America in 1975.

That's why we're celebrating 50 years in America as a big milestone.

But in 1982, Hmong and Eau Claire kind of got together and started the Hmong Mutual Assistance Association to help with the language barrier, to kind of help with finding jobs.

One big aspect was they were coming back from a warren torn country and there was

They didn't have anything to rely on.

It's kind of hard to even speak the language.

What they had was just clothing on their back.

So this association helped them learn skills to help them with jobs, language skills, go to school, and kind of helped them fit into the society in which they completely don't know anything about.

The association has been here for a long time and we really do help with community focus where we help with bilingual cultural tailor programs and support.

We have a broad reach of 1,300 individuals in the community too with helping with housing education services and we do also operates other programs too with sexual assault victims domestic assault.

We also have consistent community like food pantries in our association to as well So our services does expand more than just among community since we've been here, but We've come here to help other individuals that's gone through what we've gone through to as well

or speak with Laura Kong John from the Among Mutual Assistance Association in Eau Claire and

I have two god sons, they're half Salvador and their mom is originally from El Salvador.

And I think there are so many people with Sconsonites who, you know, they don't have just German white heritage.

They're from mixed families or what have you.

And in this state, it seems like we're very proud to have Oktoberfest and German Fest and Italia Fest.

But I think whether it's Latino community or the Hmong community, some of these other communities are not always celebrated enough in my opinion.

And I think there's almost, unfortunately, some withholding of culture.

I know from what you've provided us, you experienced a little bit of that growing up.

It was your dad.

He was the first Hmong elected official in Wisconsin, I believe, and he helped you kind of embrace your heritage.

Yes, most definitely.

My dad was, my dad's name is Joby Zhang.

He was the first elected official here in Wisconsin, maybe in the United States.

He ran, in other places, it's Eau Claire, Wisconsin, right?

So that's why I'm so proud and happy about Eau Claire being first for Monk firefighter, first for Monk principal, elected Monk principal.

first for among anchors, news anchors.

So there's a lot of firsts in Eau Claire here.

So where my dad was the first elected official, which proved to us and showed us that they gave us the confidence that about the community, the leadership and what we can do, there's endless possibilities.

I love this because then we take this show on the road We've done it from Eau Claire before it shift coffee and at the Pablo Center and other places and as I travel around me on group Wisconsin Southwest part, but as you travel around

It turns out that at the end of the day, we're just all Wisconsinites.

And if we could get past language or ethnicity barriers or religious barriers and just focus on as firefighters, educators, you know, we all are just the same.

And we all appreciate and love the same things.

And that's part of what makes Wisconsin great.

Definitely.

Like I said, I was born and raised in here.

I didn't go through all the wrong things that my my parents, they did.

I.

I've been each generation goes through different types of things where I was born and raised here and I was stuck in between two cultures.

Speaking Hmong and then at home and then going to school and then speaking English and then being proficient at Hmong but then when I want to speak at Hmong at school no one knows except the other Hmong students and it's kind of sometimes embarrassing for us to to kind of talk or show our culture and heritage at school but my dad

showed us that it was okay.

My dad was a big performer.

He has a lot of shows done performances for PBS Wisconsin through all schools and through businesses to kind of show and be an advocate for our monk culture and who we are and what we do and our playing our instruments to make sure everyone has to understand that we're here and we're going to be impactful individuals in society.

We, to your point,

Aaron, our producer, played some of the music you provided us on the way in, some of this great music.

And you have a celebration taking place here very soon.

The Eau Claire Mung New Year taking place in Eau Claire.

Tell us a little bit about that and how people could participate.

Yeah, yeah, definitely.

So one thing was that when COVID happened, right?

COVID seemed like it was a thing of the past, but it's not.

Ever since COVID, we haven't had a new year here.

until last year.

So last year was the first New Year.

It was, we missed out in five years of New Year's celebration.

And it kind of felt like there was a void in our community.

There was a void, especially in me.

My son was born during COVID and he has never experienced a New Year.

among New Year's celebration.

But for these among New Year's celebrations, it's a celebration of our elders, our ancestors, and our culture.

A celebration of a feast and the end of harvest for our community.

And it brings our community and everyone together to have feasts together to see one another from afar.

Like we'll have the old Claire New Year, but they'll have a Madison New Year.

They'll have the Walk New Year.

When we have our Eau Claire New Year, all the other surrounding cities will be coming to our New Year to celebrate friends, family and relatives and have a feast together, eat and drink together and celebrate with all these singing and singing instruments and are showing off our clothing.

And if you haven't seen our clothing, it's something so unique, beautiful, wonderful and beautiful.

you can tell someone with someone among the sins coming your way if you can just hear all the jingle of the coins hitting each other.

So that's something unique.

But our Eau Claire, Mung Nui year, it's gonna, it's something wonderful where it's happening at the Soniteg Events Center, which was just built last year in 2024.

It's Soniteg Center.

It's on Manami Street here in Eau Claire.

And it's happening October 11th and 12th.

It's happening this weekend.

So this weekend at the Sonateg Event Center in Eau Claire goes both Saturday and Sunday from 7am until 4pm and it's open to the public, right?

Emission to eight bucks?

Yep, open to the public.

Emission to eight bucks.

We'll have food trucks right in the front of the parking lot.

The parking lot, just be aware of the parking spaces.

The Sonateg doesn't have that much parking in the front, but we have

access to Monomony Street Parking and Carson Park.

We have buses from Carson Park to Park and Lab back and forth.

It's going to be awesome.

We have some sporting competitions happening in the fieldhouse as well as vendors in there.

And the fieldhouse is a big 100-yard football field there too.

And I got a break about it.

It's the eighth largest fieldhouse in NCAA.

It's one of the biggest event center in the Northwestern region.

Stay with us, Laura.

We'll pick it up on the other side.

Got to do a little business here.

We are speaking with Laura from Eau Claire about the month New Year happening this weekend at Chippewa Valley.

Stay tuned.

We'll wrap it up after this on the Civic Media.

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ABC CBS News, depending upon which of our great stations you're listening to, a check of weather, and then our great sports reporter, Mike Clemens is in with a sports report followed by another edition of the Maggie Dawn Show and Pete Schwabba and Night Light across most of these stations.

Now, on some of our stations, namely

W R C E and Michelin Center W ISS in Oshkosh W C Q M and Park Falls and W BZ H in Hayward Those stations will be carrying the Milwaukee Brewers taking on the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field this afternoon You could hear that over the air as they say terrestrial radio on those stations on the on the stream We can't stream the game because of

Major League Baseball owning those rights.

So on the stream, you'll hear the Maggie Dawn show up four o'clock But over the air of those stations I mentioned you will hear the Brewer's game go crew Hopefully they can wrap it up this afternoon against the Cubs down there in Chicago right now We're talking to Laura Kong Jong from Eau Claire He is the board president of the Mung Mutual Assistance Association talking about the Mung New Year coming up this weekend in the is it sonata

Is that how you say it?

Yes, I take sauna tag event center, you know Claire is gonna be going on both Saturday and Sunday 7 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon It is open to everyone and mission is $8 at the door kids 10 under as well as seniors 65 and older are free.

So it's a great chance to get out

and learn about the Hmong community, have some great food, enjoy some great music, and have a great time.

I mentioned my sister earlier, she lives up there in Eau Claire along with my brother-in-law and nieces, and Heather checking in on Facebook saying, the Hmong New Year is a fantastic celebration.

I have attended in the past.

I love when students wear their traditional clothing to school to celebrate.

She's a teacher in the Eau Claire school district.

Now, she teaches at Memorial, but she also has taught at North.

So she's also she's not just she's she's she's you know, not not too entrenched in one of them.

Not too entrenched in the crosstown.

Right.

Right.

Right.

Right.

Because you're a North graduate.

Is that right?

Definitely.

All right.

I'm a North graduate.

All right.

Well, she's taught

about anything else we need to know about the Hmong New Year law up there in Eau Claire this weekend.

Yeah, definitely like said the parking like it might be a little congested But just be patient.

We have busing from the crushing park parking lot to back and forth on the Sonateg as well and Just come in it's it might be a little shell shock if it's gonna be busy You're gonna see a huge stage a huge stadium Like benches and a ton of people walking around to the pool courts and everything But if you have any questions just ask around don't be shy.

It's open for everyone.

It's something unique

if you have never been to one.

It's something unique where this year we have closer 41 dance teams that are competing for a competition of Hmong dances.

If you haven't seen their tire and their dance routine, my goodness, last year I just wanted to give all the dancers some kind of prize, but we only have for a second, third, but the intensity and everything is just awesome there.

What you said earlier, I want to pick up on and and a little bit that that again through my former work in in politics my former boss toured the Long Center in Eau Claire.

I just find the community and the people so welcoming and so friendly.

And I think for those, you know, plain old white dudes or gals that grew up in Wisconsin, you mentioned earlier it was intimidating sometimes for you being a minority.

I would say sometimes for people that grew up in

not familiar, maybe people out there listening are like, well, I don't know, I'd feel weird if I went.

And that's not the case at all.

You want people to come because the more we understand each other's culture, I think the better we get along.

Definitely.

You know, like I said, that's how I do things too.

Like if I go to like, Oktoberfest, something where I'm not traditionally accustomed to, but.

I am going to go out on my norm just to go out and check it out and see it through to kind of learn about different cultures in our community.

Same thing.

We are more than welcoming.

And what better way to welcome anyone to come join us and we're going to be talking about our food, right?

What better way than food?

Food is the state's

international ambassador,

right?

Definitely.

So come and try our food.

Try our nava drinks.

Try our papaya.

Try our mung sausages.

There might be some stuff that

It's a little bit acquired taste, but when it comes to like monk sausages, sticky rice, pork belly, we're going to have a ton of variety of foods here.

So come on through.

Don't be afraid to ask.

We want to invite everyone to come and check it out and just try something new, a new experience and kind of like.

Wow, how come I haven't been here before

right?

Zomers has the on the Chiron there scrolling across the bottom of the screen for those watching on YouTube Facebook and Twitter For those that are listening over the air if you want more information just to get on the old Google or put in the old WWW and it's Eau Claire Mung spelled H M O N G New Year comm Eau Claire Mung

New Year.com.

You can find out more information there.

Laura, anything that we have not asked you yet, do you want to make sure people know either about the association or about the event?

No.

Like I said, just come through and come support our community here.

It might be a little bit overwhelmed, but I think they...

Uh, we're more than welcoming and want everyone to come see our culture, our rich culture and what we have to offer for the community.

And I know it's going to be a nice weekend this weekend.

You can go to the pumpkin patch, come back and then come grab a few drinks, a boba tea or another drink over at the New Year and grab some food.

Come check it out too as well.

Well, I can't thank you enough.

Laura Kong Zhang, board president of the Mung Mutual Assistance Association in Eau Claire.

Thanks for taking the time.

You're part of what makes Wisconsin great and we'd love to have you back another time.

Thanks a lot, Todd and Aaron, for having me on to us.

Well, we appreciate everything that you guys do for our community.

Thank you so much.

Have a great day.

Have a great event this weekend.

All right.

All right.

Thank you so very

much.

Thank you.

I appreciate Laura and I appreciate Trig V. Olsen, Senior Advisor at Lincoln Project, Pat Quightlow, host of Mornings of Pat Quightlow.

Quite low every morning from six until nine for being on the program.

Zomber is on the board and all of you for listening.

Brewers get set to take on the Cubs next on several of our stations.

On the stream of the rest of our stations, Maggie Dawn is next.

Whatever you're fighting for, whatever you believe in, do not give up.

Keep banging your drum and go crew.

We'll see you

tomorrow.

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