WHEN RUBBER HIT THE ROAD
The Progressive magazine and Wisconsin Humanities present
WHEN RUBBER HIT THE ROAD
A New Film by Fireside Productions
$5 admission at the door!
May 22 @ 7:00 pm
Thursday, May 22, 2025 at 7:00 pm.
The Progressive magazine and Wisconsin Humanities present
a special public screening of
WHEN RUBBER HIT THE ROAD
A New Film by Fireside Productions
Presented in honor of the film’s premiere on PBS Wisconsin on May 20th.
This special public screening will feature introductory remarks by journalists Norman Stockwell and John Nichols, Tony Sansalone of Wisconsin Humanities, plus filmmakers B.J. Hollars and Steve Dayton.
This new documentary tells the story of the departure of the Uniroyal Tire plant from Eau Claire, Wisconsin and a Midwestern city’s attempt to reinvent itself in the wake of America’s manufacturing decline.
Admission $5.00 at the door
In January 1991, Eau Claire’s Uniroyal tire plant employees received devasting news: after 75 years of manufacturing tires, the plant was scheduled to close. As the city struggled to overcome the loss of its largest employer, the former employees struggled to find their footing in a quickly changing world. What would happen next was anyone’s guess. But if the city hoped to survive, it was up to its citizens to figure out how.
When Rubber Hits the Road is more than a story about tires. It’s the story of a Midwestern city’s attempt to reinvent itself in the wake of America’s manufacturing decline. It’s a blueprint, too, for how a community can bounce back—when people commit themselves to embracing change.
Click here for a recent interview with the filmmakers.