By Lindsey Rothering —
Main Street of Menomonie Inc. hosts their “Witches Night Out” event on Thursday, Oct. 23 from 3 to 8 p.m. “Witches Night Out”, the final event of the year in their Ladies’ Night Out series, encourages members of the Menomonie community to support local businesses, and gives shoppers a chance to win over $1,000 worth of prizes!
While many University of Wisconsin–Stout students may believe that events like these are only for local residents, the event is for all members of the Menomonie community—including students. Executive Director Brenna Long explains, “You are a part of the community, whether you live on campus or close by, we want to encourage everyone to come down.”
And with 29 businesses in downtown Menomonie participating, all community members will find something worth checking out. The types of participating businesses are almost as varied as the customers they will attract. From clothing stores to chocolatiers, friends can “shop, snack and socialize”—just as the event poster promotes.
With each participating business touting a “Witches Night Out” poster and decorative pink purse in their window, identifying shops that are a part of “Witches Night Out” is easy. Another perk with this event is that with each business that you visit, you can register to win prizes. “There’s a whole range of prizes,” Long elaborates. “Anywhere from coffee items to a purse to different decorative items.”
Each of the $200 prize baskets are currently in the front windows of La Dee Dah boutique on East Main Street, with many that would have any college student interested in: from an Acoustic mug and gift card to pint glasses, and more. Attendees are also encouraged to dress up for a “Best Dressed Witch” contest, a new feature this year.
If finding and checking out all 29 businesses in five hours seems daunting, don’t worry, you do not have to visit them all. Long clarifies, “You can visit each business individually. It’s recommended that you visit them all because it ups your chance of winning and it’s fun to stop in every business, but it’s not required.”
With 2014 marking seven years of ladies-themed events, it’s no surprise plans are already underway for 2015. As for you gentleman wizards out there, sorry! There are no concrete plans for a Guys’ Night Out, but hopefully you can find some nice witches to accompany.
For more information and a full list of participating businesses, please visit www.mainstreetmenomonie.org