‘Bikes & Burgers’ joins Art Fair on the Courthouse Lawn and the Rhinelander Car Show

By Eileen Persike
Editor

Downtown Rhinelander streets looked a bit like the Wild West this time last year. Brown Street and its sidewalks were torn up, the unpaved streets closed to traffic – forcing the annual Rhinelander Car Show to find a new home, landing behind the Oneida County Courthouse on Baird Street.

Next weekend, there will be motorcycles lining a newly paved and revamped Brown Street for the first annual Bikes & Burgers event, sponsored in part by Downtown Rhinelander, Inc.

“We learned that the car show was not coming back downtown,” said DRI member and co-organizer Michelle Smith-Grage. “We decided that we needed an event that would complement it that would bring people into the downtown on the same day. We thought motorcycles would be a nice add-on to the cars.”

To promote this first-year event, bike registration is free and there will be “people’s choice” awards to the top three favorites.

“We’re getting a lot of support already,” said Will Roffers, a DRI member and co-organizer. “I think it is something that can grow in the future.”

Smith-Grage said they are encouraging downtown bars and restaurants to feature a burger that day as well.

Since DRI lost much of its funding with the dissolution of the Business Improvement District in April, 2015, the organization has had to think out of the box.

“We’ve had to go to a more grassroots organization because we don’t have the funding to do events in quire the same way as we did before,” Smith-Grage said. “It’s been great – more of the businesses getting together, putting our heads together coming up with events and ideas that will help all of us.”

Bike registration is 10-11 a.m. at the intersection of Brown and Davenport Streets; bikes will be on display 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with music by the Chillbillies to follow.

Art Fair on the Courthouse Lawn

The annual art fair will take place June 10 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on the Oneida County Courthouse lawn and on Davenport Street.

“We have such a wonderful variety of vendors,” said Rhinelander Area Chamber of Commerce event and program coordinator, Lauren Sackett. “Currently we have woodworkers, furniture makers, jewelers, sewn works, photography, metal art, painting and more.”

The Rhinelander Community Band will perform between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m., and several vendors will be selling food, including the Rhinelander Lions Club.

Rhinelander Car Show

The 20th annual Rhinelander Car Show is held in conjunction with the art fair, for the second year, being held behind the courthouse on Baird Avenue.

Show car registration opens at 7 a.m., with the show open 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Trophy winners will be announced at 2 p.m. More than 200 cars are expected to be on display.

Contact the Rhinelander Area Chamber of Commerce, 715-365-7464, for more information on these events.