Rhinelander’s connection to Hodags begins over 130 years ago in 1893 when lumberman and surveyor Eugene Shepard wrestled a lumberjack tall tale out of the logging camp bunkhouse, and introduced the creature to the public in an article about the attempted capture of a Black Hodag. He showcased a LIVE Hodag at the first Oneida County Fair a few years later in 1896.
What followed were some of the earliest Hodag related events, as Shepard staged sideshow spectacles and drew visitors to Rhinelander to see what he claimed was a captured pine beast. These showings, especially during fair time in the late 1890s, marked the first time Hodags became something people could experience in person.
Even though Shepard’s Hodag was found out to be Northwood’s folklore, it didn’t stop Rhinelander from embracing the creature as their hometown calling card, as it’s legends and stories were woven into the cultural fabric of the community. Over the decades, Rhinelander, the Home of the Hodag, would feature many events using Hodags as their theme.
The Oneida County Fair carried that connection forward. By the 1940s and 1950s, the fair itself was widely known as the “Hodag Fair”, reflecting just how closely the legend had become tied to the event. The name showed up in promotions and press, reinforcing that the fair remained one of the central places where the Hodag identity lived on in a public setting.
The Hodag cross country snowmobile marathon emerged as a winter event running during the 1960’s. This event brought the Hodag into Northwoods winter culture, connecting the name to endurance racing and drawing participants and spectators during a time of year when most Hodag activity had traditionally slowed down.
Hodag Holidays defined much of the 1970s. These were large scale, multi week community events that typically stretched from mid June through the Fourth of July. The schedule included parades, concerts, canoe races, powerboat races, arts programming, and fireworks, turning the Hodag into the centerpiece of a sustained summer celebration across Rhinelander.
Hodag waterski shows were a featured part of the Hodag Holidays schedules, with regular performances on Boom Lake. Those shows outlived the Hodag Holidays era and have continued into the present day. They remain one of the most visible and consistent Hodag themed activities in Rhinelander, bringing crowds to Boom Lake at Hodag Park during the summer months.
The Hodag Wedding, held in 1985, stands out as a unique community event. It personified Hodags and turned them into something interactive that people could attend and take part in. The publicity stunt was complete with a parade, and marriage vows at Hodag Park between Holly and Harrison Hodag!
Of course, there’s the Hodag Country Music Festival began in 1978 and has become one of Wisconsin’s most recognized summer events. The longest running outdoor country music festival in the nation in fact. While centered on live music, it has carried the Hodag name forward on a much larger scale, drawing thousands of visitors to the Rhinelander area each summer and hosting the biggest names in country music over the years.
And finally, Rhinelander has Hodag Heritage Festival today, which brings all of it back to where it started, among the pine trees, in the storytelling, and in the community that chose to keep it going. The 6th annual Hodag Heritage Festival takes place May 16, 2026 at Pioneer Park in Rhinelander, placing the celebration right in the same historic setting that has carried this story for generations. It’s a continuation of something that has been built over more than a century. Hodag Heritage Festival ties all of Rhinelander’s Hodag history and heritage together for a fun day of events drawing people from all over the country.
In the Northwoods, Hodag stories didn’t just fade after the hoax was up . It became something people could gather around, something worth keeping, and something worth celebrating. And the best part? Everyone is invited to join in the fun.
What other Hodag themed events do you remember?
You can read more in depth history about a few of these events in previous A Northwood’s Moment in History articles:
Hodag Wedding
www.wxpr.org/podcast/a-northwoods-moment-in-history/2025-05-07/a-northwoods-love-story-the-hodag-wedding%3f_amp=true
Hodag Cross Country Marathon:
www.wxpr.org/podcast/a-northwoods-moment-in-history/2023-01-04/the-ladies-of-the-first-hodag-cross-country-snowmobile-marathon
Hodag Heritage Festival Website:
www.hodagheritagefestival.com
Source: Newspaper Articles 1893-2026, A Northwoods Moment in History articles, WJFW Connecting the Dots.
