Masthead
Volume 1 Issue 3 April 2013
In This Issue
Volunteer Opportunities
Hodags on Parade
DRI Committee News
Meet the DRI Board
Quick Links
Website under construction

[email protected]
 
Like us on Facebook 
DRI April Events

DRI Meetings
 
 8th Organization 1p.m.
 9th Design 8 a.m.

 9th Economic
       Restructuring
       11 a.m.
10th Promotion 8 a.m.
10th Parking Advisory
       5 p.m.
17th Executive Comm.
       5 p.m.
24th DRI Board Mtg.
       5:30 p.m


Volunteer Opportunities

Downtown Rhinelander, Inc. is here to promote and help the downtown.  This can be accomplished with the help of the community.  

 

If you have an hour or two each month your volunteerism would be appreciated.

Here are some current volunteer needs:

 

Office Move to street level location April 5th 
Office Assistants

Watering flower baskets
Weeding Plaza or Triangle
June Car Show
  Setting up tables
  Setting up roadblocks
  Setting up tents 
  Registering cars
  Assist parking of cars
  Work in Hospitality tent

  Clean up at end of show

  

Thanks for supporting DRI please call 715-362-7374 or email [email protected]  

Join Our Mailing List
Click this box to add your name to our mailing list.  And send this newsletter to your employees so they can add their emails.
Blast from the Past 

This month:

Although people found their way around the rule, during Rhinelander's first five years every piece of property sold had a restriction against ?????

 ***********

March's answer 
Four years after the Village of Rhinelander was established, the community had 2? 
     c. banks

 

DRI Board Members
Executive Officers

President  

Mark Gutterer

   Rhinelander Caf� & Pub

Past President

Sally Latimer

   Winifred Photography

Vice President  

Michelle Smith-Grage

   Lattitudes

Secretary  

Kurt Hildebrand

  Carpetiers Carpet One 

Treasurer  

Ray Burgan

   Former business owner

Committee chairs

Design, Pat LaPorte

   Inside Story

Promotions, Open

Economic Restructuring  

Dan Kuzlik, UW Superior  

Organization, Joan Belongia

   Former business owner

General Board Members

Pat Deau, Pat's Tap

Ken Juon, ArtStart 

John Mason, Elbo Room  

Chad Novak

   Peggy's Emporium

Mark Pelletier, City Council    

Executive Director  

Maggie Steffen 

Ex Oficcio Members   

Mel Davidson, Oneida County 

   Economic Development

Sandy Kinney,  Nicolet College

Lara Reed 

   Chamber of Commerce

Kim Swisher

   Rhinelander School Dist.

Masthead
Volume 1 Issue 2

Downtown Rhinelander, Inc.

Maggie Steffen
Executive Director

21A South Brown St
P.O. Box 1638
Rhinelander WI 54501

Phone 715-362-7374
Fax 715-362-7340
downtownrhinelander.com
Next Month's News
  • ER Open House 
  • Volunteer Celebration 

SAVE THE DATE
Downtown Events

April 10 Chamber's
         Volunteer Training  
April 12-19 ArtStart
           reopens
April 22 ArtStart 3rd annual
            Sustainability Fair
May 4 Chamber's
Girlfriends Getaway
May 18 DRI Tour of
 Available Properties
May 18 Historical Walk of   
Homes
May June 8 Car Show & Art
        Fair
June 29 YMCA Hodag Run
            & Chamber Hodag
            Block Party  
July 4  Parade
Aug 2-4 Oneida County
              Fair 
Aug 7 Redikulus Dae
Aug 17 ATV Pull
Aug 31 PotatoFest
Oct  26 Trick or Treat
TBA     Hodag Howl
Nov 22-24 Holiday Open                       House
Nov 29 Tree Lighting  
Downtown Architecture

Each month we will show one downtown architectural feature to see if you know on which building it is located. 

Answer next month:
March photo was at the Hilgermann Building

Mary Fortier, Maggie Steffen, Stephanie Schroeder at Oneida Cty. Senior Center Madhatter Tea Party.
Greetings!

Welcome to downtown Rhinelander's April newsletter.  Spring is here according to the calendar, but looking out my window it sure looks like Old Man Winter has decided to stay a little longer. 

 

Yet businesses are busily preparing for warm weather by getting their Spring merchandise out - sundresses, bicycles, sandals, seeds for vegetables.  They know Spring is peeking around the corner.    

 

"April hath put a spirit of youth in everything."

William Shakespeare 

Spring is on the Way
 
The Flower Baskets
are being planted 
Each spring our partner Forth Floral and the Master Gardeners plant the flower baskets.  At the same time we look for people to "Adopt A Basket".  The fee for sponsoring a basket is $100.  The money covers the flowers, staff to water daily and gas for the loaned truck.
 
The flowers have become a hallmark of our downtown each summer.  Please help us out by sponsoring a basket this year.  

Hodags on Parade off to a good start 

 

 

Although in its fifth year there is a difference.  The difference is the size and number of hodags. There is one large and 10 mini Hodags - 3'long by 27" tall.

 

But don't let the size fool you. "Concrete Products Inc of Rhinelander will be designing and donating the concrete pedestals for the 10 Mini Hodags."

  

Sponsors have been secured- businesses, organizations and individuals have assisted in the cost of development, decoration, placement and maintenance of each of the hodags- but more would be appreciated. A program sponsorship costs $500.  

 

Contact Maggie at the DRI office, 715-362-7374 for more
information.   
Diane Dodge at the Business Expo

 Downtown Merchants participate at Business Expo 

A number of downtown businesses took part at the Northwoods Business Expo sponsored by Rhinelander Chamber of Commerce which was held recently held at Rhinelander's JWMS.  Among those attending were: 

By Request Web Designs, Diane's Frame Shoppe,  

Frontier, Northwoods River News, Park City Credit Union, and Sarkauskas Investments.   

St. Patrick's Day Family

 

 St. Pat's Parade

by Dick Timmons 

St. Patrick's Day Parade Was a Success

A "cold" success.....but never the less it was successful. The crowd was smaller than last year's but the parade itself was larger.

 

Jack Winkler the parade organizer and coordinator had several suggestions for an even better parade next St. Patrick's Day. The committee would like to explore the idea with the City about wiring speakers along Brown Street and broadcast Irish music.

 

ArtStart Reopens for the Season 

68 S. Stevens St.  

April 12-19. Opening hours are Thursday: 11am-5pm,  

Friday 1-7 pm, and Saturday 11am-5pm.

 

Modern Spanish Prints, 1952-1987: Mero, Picasso, Tapies

    This collection is on temporary loan from New Visions Gallery. 

    

Third Annual Sustainability Fair

   Earth Day April 22, noon-6pm   

You are invited to attend this important-and fun-event where you can visit exhibitor booths, enjoy refreshment and listen 

to some great music.            

Mainstreet with Maggie 
by Maggie Steffen, DRI Executive Director

 

There is a new face at Downtown Rhinelander Inc. As our organization strives to do more and do it better, we have added another part-time staff member. Patty Francoeur is really not a new face as she interned with us last summer, through Nicolet College. She already knows how DRI works. She has worked with our members, our community and on some of our events, so she has been able to step right in.

Welcome Patty!


What's Up Mark? 
Message by DRI President Mark Gutterer, owner of Rhinelander Cafe &  Pub
Mark is on the road and will be back next month.

 

"April is a promise that May is bound to keep."

Hal Borland

Annual Report
Each year DRI provides an update of their business for the prior year. The annual report is now available for your review by clicking on this link. The annual audit has certified our financial statements.  This report is available for your review in the office. 

Thanks and Gratitude

 

Thank you to the Rhinelander Public Works Dept. for the tremendous job they did in plowing the downtown streets, but also removing the snowbanks on sidewalks by the next day. Downtown businesses were grateful that their customers were able to access them much easier.

-Dawn Rog 

 


DRI Committee News... 
Design 
by Pat LaPorte, Chair  
  • The Design Committee has been focusing on signage in the downtown area. Due to the historical nature of our downtown area, there are certain types of signs that fit with the historic characteristics of our downtown.
    The committee is designing a packet to help businesses with their signage options.  
  • Seeking flower basket watering volunteers is still a priority.    

Economic Restructuring

by Dan Kuzlik, Chair  

  • The Economic Restructuring Committee is planning an Open House of available downtown properties for the purpose of allowing interested parties to view all of the properties available.  Date for the open house is May 18.  More information will be coming in the May What's Up Downtown Newsletter.
  • Welcomed a new member, Joe Flanders, to the committee. 
Organization:
by Joan Belongia, Chair
  • This newsletter is one of our main areas of communicating downtown news to you.  Please forward this newsletter to people you know who would like to keep informed on current news of downtown Rhinelander
  • We are compiling our list of volunteers of 2012 to prepare for our Volunteer Recognition Event. 
  • We continue to update our email contact list

Promotion:  

  • We are continuing to work on the Signature Event of PotatoFest.  Our next meeting April 16 at the Starks UW Ag. Station 10 a.m. is open to all who are interested in being part of this community-wide event.   
  • Look for an announcement about our Open House to celebrate our move to ??? Brown Street.   
Send this Email to a friend so they can  
find out   
What's Up Downtown
Rhinelander
   
Kurt Hildebrand

Meet the DRI Board of Directors
Each month a board member will be featured.
Kurt Hildebrand
  

Kurt grew up in Rhinelander and has lived here all his life except four years when he was a student at UW Madison. Kurt is a 4th generation Hildebrand with his great grandfather establishing his business in Rhinelander circa 1883.

 

In 1954 Kurt's dad, Thomas with his brother-in-law, began Carpetiers located on Stevens Street and later moved it to Brown Street. After college graduation with a degree in History and an adventurous trip south with a friend, Kurt returned back home. Since 1977 he has worked in his father's business, and is now the owner. Kurt moved Carpetiers to its present downtown location next to the Rhinelander Caf� and Pub.

 

He has three children, Andrew, Zach, and Molly. Zach is currently working with his dad at Carpetiers. Kurt loves to golf and boat in his spare time which is not much as he works six days a week. In the past he was an avid downhill skier which he still enjoys along with xc skiing when work permits.

 

He's a member of the Chamber of Commerce, Rhinelander Country Club and Parking Advisory Board. He has been a DRI board member since 2006 when Downtown Rhinelander Main Street began, getting involved due to the parking issues which were taking place at the time. He is currently secretary on the DRI Executive Board.

 

According to Kurt on why he got involved with Downtown Rhinelander Main Street Program, "We were going to lose property value. I had a big investment in downtown and needed to protect it. Downtown Rhinelander is a "community" which has nice places to have lunch, a place where you get to know everybody, and don't need to drive far for good parking.  Downtown is the center of the community.  We just have to keep it up.  That's why I am on the board." 

Severe Weather and Disaster Preparedness
  by Gregory MacMorran


Spring is around the corner and that means the development for severe thunderstorms and tornadoes.  April 15th-19th is known as Severe Awareness Week. Are you prepared? Do you know what to do if severe weather or a tornado hits our area?

 

A Tornado WATCH means: conditions are favorable for the development of severe weather or a tornado. A WARNING means: a severe thunderstorm or tornado has been sighted by weather spotters or on radar.

(Things you need to know)

*How do you prepare for a severe thunderstorm or tornado?

*What to do when a severe thunderstorm or tornado is issued:

*Signs that a tornado is approaching the area

*What to do after the storm or tornado passes

*Knowing how to take these appropriate actions can help you  prepare and keep you safe.

 

Greg is presenting a class on Wednesday 4/17 from 5:30 to 6:30 pm at Rhinelander High School.  Class fee is $5 per person. Email Kim Swisher  [email protected] to register. 

"April is the cruelest month." 
                     T.S. Eliott
 
10% off all Wine for April  
 House of Spirits   
Just bring in this coupon or mention you saw this ad in
What's Up Downtown.
We would love to hear about your downtown news. Please contact us with any information regarding downtown at [email protected].
Joan
Joan Belongia, Editor
Sally Latimer, Editor
Downtown Rhinelander, Inc.