U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., will make a return trip to Vermont next month, though this is not necessarily a makeup visit for the one thwarted by bad weather last month.

McCain will be the special guest at the Vermont Republican Party fall dinner Sept. 17, an event GOP Chairman Jim Barnett hopes will bring in $50,000 from party faithful.

McCain was supposed to come to Rutland on July 22 to campaign for U.S. House candidate Martha Rainville, but stormy skies prevented his plane from landing. Rainville said she hoped to have McCain back for another visit.

The Sept. 17 appearance is a different kind of visit, though. Barnett said he's been working with McCain's people for about a year in an effort to bring him here for the annual dinner. Instead of being open to the public, this is open to those who pay at least $100. Instead of campaigning just for Rainville, McCain will be surrounded by the whole party. Around the same time, McCain will be in nearby Loudon, N.H., campaigning for the presidency while cars zip around around a track.

Rainville is glad to have him back and showing her support, campaign spokesman Brendan McKenna said. Whether she will get her own McCain visit is unclear, though.

- Terri Hallenbeck