Dear (Contact First Name),
Do you have cabin fever yet? Well, the St. Patty's Day parade is just the remedy for what ails you. Bring the family downtown and celebrate with a parade and dinner at one of our "hometown" places. You'll find friends, get out of the house, and remember why we are a hearty bunch of Northern Wisconsin people.
See you at the parade! The Editors P.S. If you have someone in your office or store who doesn't get our newsletter, sign them up in our "join our mailing list" box half-way down the newsletter on the right-hand side.
|
|
St. Patrick's Day Parade and Events
 |
Our own Leprechaun,
Jay Anderle
|
Mark your calendar
St. Patrick's Day Parade is on Saturday, March 15, at 1:30 p.m.
To learn more about it or to get involved, please contact Jack Winkler (715-369-3030) to participate in the parade or pub crawl.
Downtown Specials
Pat's Tavern and Grill, "Party Headquarters for St. Patrick's Day": Barrels of Green Beer after the parade and Good Times Karaoke
Bucketheads - Celebration
Sacketts Bar & Grill - Karaoke at 8 pm
|
Mainstreet with Maggie
 | | Sally Latimer and Maggie Steffen |
Although it's still cold and white out there, Downtown Rhinelander Inc is heavy into planning its summer projects and events: the Hodags, the flower baskets, the car show, and PotatoFest, just to name a few. All these activities are done to help the downtown businesses in some way and/or to involve the community.
Right now, I want to talk to you about PotatoFest and community involvement.
PotatoFest is for the community...to enjoy or to benefit from. DRI believes that any local group, club, church, etc., can and should get involved with PotatoFest.
- A group can provide the many and much-needed volunteers to help DRI run the event.
- A group can come up with an event that they run themselves and gain some financial benefit from, while adding another attraction to the day (e.g., the YMCA and the Couch Potato Race).
- A group can serve as a vendor and sell food or merchandise, raising money for its causes.
A three-member team from Oneida County Leadership has taken on the project of getting groups involved with PotatoFest. If they contact you, please meet with them. If you'd like them to contact you, give DRI a call at 715-362-7374.
PotatoFest is for the community!
DRI Executive Director
|
DRI Committee News
Design
Pat LaPorte, Chair
- The committee is beginning to work with City and Vierbicher engineers after receiving the planning grant for the 2016 streetscape. Look for a public meeting in April to begin the dialogue with downtown business and property owners.
Economic Restructuring
Ray Burgan, Chair
- We're working with Nicolet College and the Oneida County Economic Development Corporation to determine the viability of a business incubator for Oneida County.
Sally Latimer, Acting Chair
- Most of our time is devoted to planning for PotatoFest and getting out our newsletter each month.
- We're still looking for someone who has marketing experience to assist us in social media.
Sandy Buss, Chair
- The PotatoFest team is working behind the scenes to gather support material for another successful PotatoFest. Volunteers are needed for many of the fun events. Call the DRI office 715-362-7374 to help out.
|
|
New Businesses in our Downtown
This section features new businesses who are locating downtown.
|
Imaginuity
Play with a Purpose21 S. Brown St., Rhinelander
by Sally Latimer
 | | Kay Hatch, Owner of Imaginuity |
Playing is what Kay Hatch is about. The new toy store on Brown Street is chock full of wonderful classic games and prototypes of new games about to become the next "big thing" for Christmas 2014.
Kay's enthusiasm for her new Rhinelander store is contagious. Her first toy store started in Minocqua when she bought out the Whoops store in 2010. Since then she has leased a seasonal store in Manitowish Waters and now has landed in Rhinelander. She loves the space and has made this store her "hub."
Just back from the toy trade show in New York, Kay is excited about her new stock. Her eyes twinkle when she says, "we have new games coming in every week," such as "Swatto," a lively flyswatter game, and favorites such as new versions of "Zingo." While I was in the shop I couldn't resist purchasing a "Waboba" a ball that bounces on water.
Stop by and meet Kay and her staff. I guarantee you will discover one of your old favorite games back in vogue in a new package.
|
|
|
|
|
SAVE THE DATE
This is just a sample of many events going on downtown. Call the specific shop for more details.
|
March 3
|
Rhinelander Pub and Cafe: Mardi Gras in March-live music and special menu
| |
March 3-8
|
Forth Floral: Orchid Show and Seminar. Call for details.
715-362-7600
| |
March 3
|
Rhinelander Library: Dr. Suess Birthday 5:30-7:15 PM. Call for details. 715-365-1070
| |
March 8
|
Hext Theatre: Conceal and Carry Class 9am - 3pm
| |
March 14
|
Hext Theatre: On the Spot - improv comedy
| |
March 15
|
Sew Smart: Celebrating National Quilt Day
9:30 am - 3 pm
| March 15
| St. Patrick's Day Parade 1:30pm on Brown Street.
|
|
Message by DRI President
Mark Gutterer,
Rhinelander Cafe & Pub
Lets turn downtown upside down!!!
Often we spend time thinking about what needs to be done today, tomorrow, or next week. Sometimes we spend time to plan for the next month or even next year or two....DRI has a need to also think about the future. What will things look like ten, twenty, or thirty years from today?
Decisions we make today and over the next year or two will impact the future vision...what can we imagine, how will we our district be perceived how will we be different than other places? DRI needs to imagine this future and prepare for it, and you can help, contact Maggie or any DRI board member and help shape the vision.
Your President,
Mark Gutteter
|
|
Congratulations to Jeremy Brockman who has won the January prize in the I Buy Local Consumer Punch Card Promotion.
Brockman won gift certificates totaling more than $100 from the following local businesses: A' la Mode Ice Cream & Coffee Shop, Forth Floral, Hodag Express Lube, and Rocky's Roadhouse.
Consumer Punch Cards are available at any of the participating I Buy Local Businesses. For $2 you can purchase a card, of which 50 percent of the proceeds go to local non-profit organizations. Each card has a place for 10 punches. When you make a purchase at a participating I Buy Local business, they will punch the card for you. Once you have 10 punches, you can turn in the card to any participating business to be entered in the drawing for our monthly prize.
There are 25 businesses participating in I Buy Local. Look for the logo when you shop. The program's goal is to show support for our small and locally-owned business community. These local businesses are the pillars that make Rhinelander a strong community.
For more information about the program or the Consumer Punch cards, call the Chamber at 715-365-7464, or Downtown Rhinelander at 715-362-7374.
|
Stay Connected
 
|
 Volume 3 Issue 3
Downtown Rhinelander, Inc.
Maggie Steffen
Executive Director
26 N Brown St
P.O. Box 1638
Rhinelander WI 54501
Phone 715-362-7374
Fax 715-362-7340
msdri@frontiernet.net
|
Taste of Chocolate winner Jacqueline Gruber of Rhinelander
|
|
|
|
|
Thank you to these businesses and the employees that made it all happen: