The Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau has joined forces with The Hormel Institute, the Chamber of Commerce, Austin Parks and Recreation, Mayo Care Health Systems, several local businesses and of course, the Austin Bruins, to enhance the second annual Paint the Rink Pink into an entire weekend of fun events.

Paint the Town Pink is set to run Thursday through Sunday. Below is a list of events:

•Thursday: Paint the Gym Pink Austin girls basketball game at 7:30 p.m. in Packer Gym. Paint the Packer Gym shirts will be for sale as a fundraiser.

•Friday: Austin Bruins kickoff Happy Hour from 5 to 7 p.m. at Torge’s Live; The Spam Museum gift shop will offer 10 percent off all pink items Friday through Sunday.

•Saturday: The Austin Bruins Paint the Rink Pink hockey game at 7 p.m. at Riverside Arena. The game is the highlight of the entire weekend of events. Get your tickets soon, as last year they sold out. The Austin Packer Dance Team’s Winter Dance Show will be at 11 a.m. at AHS; The Fishing for a Cure Annual Ice Fishing Contest will be at East Side Lake from noon to 2 p.m. Cost for registration is $10 and starts at 11 a.m. Proceeds go to The Hormel Institute; Games People Play is giving 10 percent of all sales that day to the Institute’s breast cancer research effort.

•Sunday: Pink pancakes and Spam will be served from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at St. Olaf Lutheran Church.

We encourage you to get out and participate in all of these tremendous events that are planned to coincide with the Paint the Town Pink activities.

Many, many local businesses are participating through awareness and by displaying the four-foot pink breast cancer symbol ribbons in their storefronts. We thank Jeff Baldus of the Austin Chamber for those ribbons, and also Kim Underwood of Austin Park and Recreation for painting 90 of them. You will see pink all over town.

Buffy the Cow, over on 12th Street SW near the Mower County Fairgrounds main entrance, is sporting a pink scarf, thanks to a donation from Walmart. So is Brewster the Rooster at Dave Olson’s Apollo.

Anderson Memorials have outfitted their sculptures at their business with pink scarves. Belles and Beaus has their store windows full of pink dresses and fashions.

Literally, this town will be painted in pink in time for the Bruins second annual Paint the Rink Pink.

Besides the events and the offers listed above, these businesses have already given cash or product donations and we want to thank them: Ameriprise Financial, Austin Chamber, Austin Main Street Project, Flaherty Paint, Fox Electric, Oak Park Mall management, Proline, Sherwin Williams and Walmart. If you’d like to know how to donate to this event, please call me at 437-4563. The Hormel Institute will be sending acknowledgements/receipts in appreciation of cash donations.

All events are listed on our newly launched Austin CVB website at www.austincvb.com and click on the pink ribbon there.

Lastly, we would love it if you would visit the special coupon connection feature on our new website. Visit us at www.austincvb.com and check out all the specials that you can take advantage of. Just print off the pages there, and you are entitled to some great deals such as hotel discount rates for when you have incoming family and friends visiting this year. There are menu discounts from many dining establishments.

As always, you can find us at our new website, on our Facebook page as the Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau, here in our monthly columns, and on our weekly radio shows, the Austin Action Report on KAUS 1480 AM on Fridays with John Wright at 8:50 a.m.

Think pink. Wear pink. Support pink.