October means a lot of things to people but the one thing they all think of for this month is Halloween.

As in the years past Downtown Rhinelander Inc. and the good people of the downtown will once again hold the downtown Trick or Treat. It will be Saturday, Oct. 26 from 2 to 4 p.m. All participating businesses will have an orange pumpkin in their storefronts. DRI is in the processing of creating something special for that evening. Stay Tuned.

I have a great offer to you for Halloween this year, The “Haunted” Hodag Howl.

Last year Downtown Rhinelander Inc. took our Hodag Auction and made it a community party. This year we’ve created a Halloween Costume party/auction. This fundraiser is being held Saturday, Oct. 26 at the Quality Inn. It is starting at 6:30 p.m., with the auction at 8 p.m. The ticket price is still the same as last year, $15. The evening consists of hors de oeuvres, cash bar, raffles, games, music, dancing and or course the auction. Come in costume and you will receive five free raffle tickets.

Our Hodag program was slotted to be a little different this year.

First, we asked our sponsors to sponsor the program rather than a Hodag.
Thank you to Ripco Credit Union, Trigs, Northwoods National Bank, CoVantage Credit Union, Walmart, Heck Capital Advisors, Superior Diesel, Rhinelander Honda, Northwoods River News, Bucketheads, Friendship House, Journal Communications, Rhinelander GM-Toyota, O’Melia Inc. and O’Melia Schiek & McEldowney S.C.

Another change, we made them “minis”. This smaller size allowed some artists to participate who could not do so before because of the size and not having room to paint them. It also will allow more people to have a place to put them. This size is perfect for a garden or by a pond. They also fit pretty well indoors, both for businesses and homes. And finally, because of the size, they will be more affordable.

Due to circumstances out of our control, the mini Hodags did not arrive until about a month ago. They are still being painted as we speak. This means that those of you who attend our event will be in on the reveal of the very first Mini Hodags. There are ten but we will only be auctioning off five. The remaining five will be displayed throughout downtown during the winter and spring with the hope of being joined by more Hodags next summer. This is one event that you won’t want to miss for so many reasons.

Maggie Steffen is available at (715) 362-7374 or email msdri@frontiernet.net.