Daddy's Christmas Angel

Friday, April 20, 2012

A to Z Blogfest Around the World in 30 Days -Rhinelander WI

Hodag in Rhinelander MMSikes
For the "R" in the A to Z Blogfest, the Passenger to Paradise has chosen Rhinelander, Wisconsin for her Around the World in 30 Days. Last summer, in a whirlwind tour of eastern and northern Wisconsin, she visited Rhinelander and discovered the Hodags there.

Of course, the Passenger had never even heard of a Hodag before. She learned this is a creature of folklore devised to give the town a mascot. This strange little creation, designed in a number of forms only limited by the imaginations of the artists who make them, is said to inhabit the local woods. Needless to say, the Passenger did not go hiking to seek any of them out. She did photograph a few of those that decorated the lawns of public buildings.

Another Rhinelander claim to fame is that the town had the first "comprehensive rural zoning ordinance in the United States." Adopted May 16, 1933, this became a model for land management in other Wisconsin counties and communities throughout the country.

The Passenger enjoyed her visit in Rhinelander which included a stroll through the downtown streets and a visit to the Oneida County Courthouse. Have you visited some of the pleasant rural communities in the mid-western states?

8 comments:

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Monti .. the Hodags must be an interesting creature of folklore .. and I too wouldn't have wandered off --- just in case!

Interesting area - and no I've never been .. cheers Hilary

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

A hodag looks like a gecko exposed to some really bad chemicals.

Notes Along the Way with Mary Montague Sikes said...

Thanks, Hilary. The artists have invented a very homely creature. Just shows what imagination can do.

Notes Along the Way with Mary Montague Sikes said...

Alex, sort of. Hodags take lots of imagination on the parts of both the artist and the viewer.

Leovi said...

Yes, a beautiful and fantastic, I had never heard of the Hodags, I do.

Notes Along the Way with Mary Montague Sikes said...

Thanks, Leovi! I never heard of Hodags until last year!

Chuck said...

I had heard the word Hodag before but never knew what it was...thanks for clearing it up!

Notes Along the Way with Mary Montague Sikes said...

Thanks, Chuck, for stopping by. Your Texas Rangers are doing great. Best record in baseball! Yeah for them!