THE HUNT IS ON! "Find the Downtown Dragons" is a dragon hunt for more than 30 dragons loose among participating downtown Menomonie businesses. (Photo via Facebook)

In a Where’s Waldo?-like fashion, downtown Menomonie businesses have joined forces to unleash more than 30 dragons for locals to search for.

Kicking off on Tuesday, Aug. 1, flat green dragons – each with a number – will be hidden somewhere inside more than 30 businesses. Here’s how to hunt: After finding a dragon at one of the businesses – if you can! – write down the dragon’s number next to the name of the business on the entry form. If you find at least 25 dragons, return your form to Downtown Menomonie Inc. (503 Broadway St.), C&J’s Candy Story and Scoop Shoppe (342 Main St. E), or Dragon Tale Books (216 Main St. E) before the end of Thursday, Aug. 31, will enter you in a drawing to win $20 in Downtown Bucks. Winners will be drawn Sept. 1.

Dreamt up by Dragon Tale Books owner Ann Vogl and brought to life in collaboration with Barbara Bauer-Chen from C&J’s Candy Story and Scoop Shoppe and Phil Lyons, director of Downtown Menomonie Inc., the “Find the Downtown Dragons” program is a way for folks to further engage with area businesses in a new, fun way.

The Downtown Dragon hunt will run Aug. 1-31 with the chance to find a dragon at these participating businesses:

• Anshus Jewelers
• Artysta Boutique
• BarbaLynn's Vintage
• Beauje's Salon
• Brewery Nonic
• C&J's Candy Store and Scoop Shoppe
• Chippewa Valley Irish Dance
• Dragon Tale Books
• Ember + Eve Co.
• Fiber Lab
• Fleet Feet
• Game Quest Gaming
• La Dee Dah
• Lifestyle Nutrition
• Log Jam
• Menomonie Theatre Guild
• Mike's Art & Design Supply
• Mood Boutique
• Patina Vintage
• Rize Nutrition
• Silver Dollar
• Simple Sports
• Snowy's Tobacco
• TC Vintage
• Ted's Pizza
• The Arena-Honky Tonk and Sports Bar
• The Raw Deal
• Toppers Pizza
• Town & Country Antiques
• Waterfront Bar & Grill
• Zymurgy Brewing Co. 

“As a bookstore, there is the opportunity to participate in a program called Waldo Local, where businesses hide a Waldo for people to find. I applied for Menomonie, but we weren’t selected,” Vogl explained. “But people were interested in doing something (like it), and I like dragons, so I proposed it to the Downtown Menomonie board. It has been in the works since May.”

Now that the hunt is upon us, get your friends and family together to start off on the Downtown Dragon adventure!