What a difference a year makes! Last March for St. Patrick’s Day, we were all enjoying almost 80 degrees and sunshine. This year, a fresh batch of snow blankets the area just in time for the holiday. If the winter weather has you itching to get outside and start working on your spring and summer projects then you are going to want to mark your calendars for the 2013 Hodag Home Show so you can plan which projects to tackle first and which businesses have the products and services you need. The 2013 Hodag Home Show will be held on March 23 and 24 at Rhinelander High School. The show is sponsored by the Chamber and NRG Media.

The list of local businesses participating in the home show spans from construction companies, to health care companies, to the options to finance or insure the projects you have on your list. Not only can you find what you are looking for at the Hodag Home Show, but all of the vendors are local businesses from the Northwoods. You don’t have to head to the big city to find what you need. You can find it locally and help support our local business community and local economy.

The home show not only includes the businesses and vendors you need to get your spring projects completed but we also have a full line up of entertainment and demonstrations for the weekend. At the top of each hour we’ll have a different demonstration option in the commons area at the high school. The list includes a demonstration from the Rhinelander High School Sho-Dags, Rhinelander Police K-9 Drago and Sergeant Anglea Mertz, TLC Dog Training, cooking demonstrations with West Bay Camping, Rassmussen College and Tunesmith Academy. We’ll also have an area specifically for the smaller handymen in your home where volunteers from Home Depot will help kids build their own projects to take home. So while you browse the awesome selection of businesses, mix in a little entertainment for the whole family.

The weekend also includes plenty of food and door prizes as well. Everyone who walks through the doors gets a raffle ticket and will get entered into the drawings for the great prizes provided by the many vendors at the show. Here at the chamber, we are excited to have an awesome sponsor and partner in NRG Media and you’ll hear some familiar voices all weekend helping to hand out all of our door prizes.

Other activities to check out will be our booth with Volunteer Wisconsin. This organization will have information about getting involved and volunteering in our community and we can even get you signed up on site for the online system. If you are ready to volunteer on the spot, the Northwoods Community Blood Center will be holding a blood drive all weekend as well. Plus, we’ll have tickets for Hodag Hops and Vines on sale at the school so you can be sure to purchase your tickets for this April 27 Beer and Wine Tasting Event at the presale price of $20 and save on your admission to our next great event in Rhinelander.

We are so excited that the home show is just around the corner. We think we have some great vendors, entertainment, food and even some new options available for this year’s show. We can’t wait to see you at the 2013 Hodag Home Show where you’ll find all you need for a happy home inside and out!