WAUSAU — The Greater Wausau Chamber of Commerce will host its 111th Annual Meeting at the Grand Theater in downtown Wausau on the evening of Thursday, September 21. Journalists Deborah and James Fallows will be featured during a program beginning at 6 p.m. The Fallows are the authors of the 2018 national best-seller ‘Our Towns: A 100,000 Mile Journey Into the Heart of America.’ The book inspired a 2021 HBO documentary of the same name, available for streaming on HBO Max.

Since 2013, the Fallows have traveled to small communities in every part of the country. These communities have faced economic shocks, political crises and other serious hardships. Each place they went, they talked with teachers, business creators, mayors, religious leaders, students, artists, architects, librarians and others involved in shaping their community’s future. As they traveled across the country, they saw the emerging pattern of American reinvention.

“The Fallows are helping communities understand the transformation needed to exist as places which are economically competitive.” said Dave Eckmann, President and CEO of the Chamber. “We hope that their visit to our community may even lead to a feature on Wausau in their next book.”

The presentation by the Fallows will be preceded by a VIP networking event to be held in the Great Hall adjacent to the Grand Theater from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. This event will feature hors d’oeuvres and a cocktail reception with the Fallows. This networking event is open to both members and non-members for $50. For more information or to register, visit WausauChamber.com.

The event will also include the introduction of the Chamber’s new Chairperson, Owen Jones of Tommy Docks Products LLC, and new members of the Chamber’s Board of Directors.

The presenting sponsors for the Annual Meeting are Marathon Cheese Corp and Northcentral Technical College. Ruder Ware LLSC and Wisconsin River Partners are the supporting sponsors for the event. The Performing Arts Foundation Inc is the venue sponsor for the program. Additional sponsorship opportunities are available. Those interested in becoming sponsors for this event should contact Brian Otten at 715-848-5947 or [email protected].

About the speakers:

Deborah Fallows is a writer and linguist. She has written extensively on language, education, families and work, China, and travel for The Atlantic, National Geographic, Slate, The New York Times, The LA Times, and The Washington Monthly. She has been a fellow at New America and a senior research fellow at the Pew Research Center.

James Fallows is a longtime writer for The Atlantic magazine. He has reported for the magazine from around the world since the late 1970s, including extended assignments in China, Japan, and Southeast Asia, and within the United States in Texas, Washington state, and California. He has written 12 books and won the American Book Award, the National Magazine Award, and a documentary Emmy. He has also done extensive commentary on National Public Radio. He now hosts a Substack site, called Breaking the News.