Rhinelander Kiwanis Club’s 26th annual Winter Escapes extravaganza is slated for Saturday, March 2, at the Northwoods Banquet Center (formerly The Taj) in Rhinelander. Since its inception, the annual fundraiser has raised more than $280,000, all of which has gone to area youth and community organizations and projects. The grand prize for this year’s gala is $1,500 with a second prize of $1,000. The raffle drawings and casino style gaming start at 6:30 p.m. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Only 500 raffle tickets are sold and all 500 tickets are drawn during the course of the evening.

Raffle tickets remain at $35 each and are available from any Kiwanian.
Projects funded by the Kiwanis Club with money raised from Winter Escapes include the purchase and installation of Pioneer Park playground equipment, the hiking trail at the YMCA and the remodeling of the handicap training kitchen at Headwaters Inc. Last year’s major project was construction of the lighted outdoor basketball court at Central School. About 75 percent of the funds raised are used for youth services, including the YMCA Strong Kids campaign and Hodag Run, scholarships to RHS seniors, the Oneida County Health Departments prenatal programs, Headwaters Birth to 3 program, Family Resource Connection, many youth sport organizations and more. The balance has gone to support community organizations like WXPR, the Rhinelander District Library, Rhinelander food pantry, and others.

Dave Havel will again be the master of ceremonies. The last ticket drawn will win the grand prize of $1,500 and the next-to-last ticket selected will win $1,000. Ten tickets drawn throughout the evening will win $100 cash prizes each. In addition, almost a third of the raffle ticket holders win cash or merchandize prizes donated by Kiwanis or local businesses. There will be an auction and raffle during intermission, which will include a kayak donated by Aspirus, a handcrafted ultra light fishing pole from Carl Beauchamp and other great donated items. Silent auction items will also be available.

Free soft drinks, beer and food will be served throughout the evening. Casino-style games of chance in which participants can win money and prizes will also be ongoing.

Club members are in the process of soliciting prize donations from local businesses to help support the fundraising effort. Businesses wishing to donate Winter Escape prizes or individuals with questions about purchasing a raffle ticket may contact Romelle Vandervest at (715) 362-8780 or Lois Godawa at (715) 369-3000.