Hudson Wisconsin Nightlife

November, 2013Archive for

Saturday, November 30th, 2013

There is lots of music to be thankful for over the holiday, and much of the rockin’ starts out early in the evening:
– A band that is relatively new to the area, Moonlight Mirage, brings its variety dance band music to the Village Inn in North Hudson on Saturday, Nov. 30, starting at 8 p.m. They are constantly adding new songs, and those you are likely to hear include those by the late Amy Winehouse, the Foo Fighters, Little Big Town, Kesha, ELO, Katrina & the Waves, and the B-52s.
– There is a doubleheader of the band Practical Goods this weekend, Friday at Dick’s Bar and Grill from 6-9 p.m. and Saturday night at Guv’s Place in Houlton. The married couple, who hail from Hudson, play all kinds of venues including wine bars and fairs and festivals all around the St. Croix Valley and Twin Cities metro area — and even in Austin Texas. The duo features original music by Sarah Van Valkenburg and also “red dirt” Texas country as well as other country music styles, and mixes in Americana and some rock.
– Singer and guitarist Kyle Kohila also played Guv’s on Wednesday, Nov. 27, and his sets included an acoustic version of Shook Me All Night Long by AC/DC, as only he could do it, followed by a rocking out take on Folsom Prison Blues by Johnnie Cash, and then a tune that smacked of slide guitar in Mother by Pink Floyd.
– Various venues were closed for Thanksgiving Day, but some were operating on a kitchen-only basis, most notably the free sloppy joes at Kozy Korner in North Hudson. Also, the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt offered a complete turkey dinner, as well as the band The Mayer Brothers on “Thanksgiving Eve.”
– Dick’s had a deejay extravaganza on Thanksgiving Eve, and it featured a rare all-request night.

Saturday, November 23rd, 2013

Hear’s the Skinny on how to get a load of pre-holiday fun, feasting and dancing.
– After a while now, the New Skinny is back at the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt on Saturday night, Nov. 23, and after spending as much time as busy family men can in rehearsal, they’re continuing to unveil a bunch of new songs. That’s according to Rick, the bassist for the eclectic band, who noted that these new ones cover the gamut of the styles they perform, which involve rock tunes that are not overly hard in tone.
– It already is holiday donation time, and at Dick’s Bar and Grill you can get into the spirit by literally buying spirits. These come in the form of the beer of the month, Finnegan’s Irish Amber, which will cost you $1.95 before 10 p.m., with all profits going to feed the hungry. So, why not involve another holiday, Thanksgiving, by coming early to Dick’s next Wednesday for the Thanksgiving throwdown, dance to deejay music and support a good cause all at the same time. After all, it typically is one of the biggest party nights of the year, especially for deer hunting widows and returning college students, as you can drink until you get your fill, then hours later stuff yourself with turkey.

 

As viewed by minions, there were many condoms and others in costume ‘pushing it’

Friday, November 22nd, 2013

Okay, sorry, but the Halloween minions haunted my computer, and you readers had to wait until now to get a rundown on the Hall of Fame, and Shame, descriptions of what costumes were worn the weekend after the holiday. (We’ve already covered the same turf on what was hauntingly happening on Oct. 25 and 26).
– We must start with the bartender at Dick’s Bar and Grill, off duty, dressed as a dead ringer for Prince. He even made his own guitar, and was surprised to find that actual guitar strings can be cheaper to buy than regular white string. (He didn’t try to compete with the band for the night, The New Skinny, so he stowed the Styrofoam instrument behind the bar until they’d finished their last set). And speaking of Skinny, it’s a good thing the lead singer Josh is just that, at least a little bit, because of a prank ala Legally Blonde. His bandmates told Josh they were all going to dress up as babies, but then showed up instead as clowns, and much to his chagrin, Josh was the only toddler on stage.
– But Ellie’s on Main has the most over the top costume-winner selection process, where the dance floor is cleared at 1 a.m. and the night’s qualifiers get to strut their stuff in phases while their numbers are pared down, all the while getting encouragement from the dee jay. He sometimes had to offer reverse encouragement for non-competitors to stay off the dance floor. Sometimes those in the contest strutted such stuff in twos or threes, and speaking of putting it out there, how about the more-than-lifesize (however you define that) condom who was dancing with a dispenser? Two zombies also joined closely together, with one replacing the body parts the other had missing. Also of “zombie” note were the patrons at Green Mill who were following the bartender’s cue on the Sunday nights — right before midnight — that fell before and after Halloween. They were keenly observing The Walking Dead, at least until their eyes fell out, OK just kidding.
– A patron leaving Ellie’s was dressed as a popular cartoon character — you’ll find out who in a moment — and prompted the comment, “Hey, I’ve actually found Waldo.”
– Waldo was actually going across the alley to Dick’s, where there was another condom or two that ended up being about seven feet tall. As one was trying to get under the doorway and stopped for a moment to pay cover, someone behind quipped “just push it in there!”
– At Woody’s in Bayport, which had their party on Friday night, a scene from Coyote Ugly unfolded, with numerous people getting on top of the bar and dancing. The costume contest winner was a Minion, who did not make quite a million, but did resemble the one-eyed Mike Wazowski of Monster’s Inc. in one unforgettable way. There also was the two-robot sex show, with silver feet made of cardboard boxes, a Marge Simpson beehive, also almost seven feet tall, and a man packing a six-pack, in a place about a foot below the abs. Sadly, the beer bottles were only about six ounces, OK just kidding again.
– After several days of costume parties, the award for the Most Out There dress-up goes to a patron at Guv’s Place in Houlton, on the first such night. He is missing about half of one arm due to an earlier actual accident, but used that to his (costumed) advantage by showing up as a zombie.
– Also of note is spa and boutique right downtown that did a banner business with professional-style face painting, especially on the first Saturday afternoon for costume parties held that night.
– And now, I must bid ado with the following quip. When I was leaving the last of the costume parties held in Hudson and around, I made the remark to the bartender, without knowing what I was saying, “Bye, I’ve got to turn into a pumpkin!”

Friday, November 15th, 2013

Now that Halloween has gone bye-bye, the main event for this weekend is the annual customer appreciation celebration at Dick’s Bar and Grill, otherwise known as Lucky Dog night, after the house variety of beers. The band Less is More will play during the Friday, Nov. 15, gala from 6-8 p.m., but you’ll want to stay longer for the specials of free appetizers and — as is fitting — the $2 Lucky Dog beers and “more surprises.” Even the mascots at Dick’s, the llamas, can appreciate that.

At Kozy Korner, their staff’s attentiveness and techno edge gets you all the games, such as Raiders on Friday

Friday, November 15th, 2013

Get Kozy with a big, bad Hudson Raider lineman, or speedy back or receiver, when the locals take on the former state champs in high school football — all through the fine-tuned work done by the staff at Kozy Korner to pull in almost any game on their TV screens.
The Raiders will be only two wins from a state title of their own when they take on Hartland Arrowhead at 7 p.m. this Friday. Hudson stills run the ball very effectively, but they have added a stellar passing game that makes it tough for any defense and racks up the points.
The Raiders got to this weekend’s state semifinal game for the second straight year with a 20-14 win, also shown at Kozy Korner in North Hudson, that featured plenty of action in the final two minutes — which had patrons around the restaurant and bar cheering.
With the victory, Hudson faces Arrowhead, which is 10-1, for the right to go to the state title game. The Raiders, also with just one loss, faced Arrowhead last year in the semis, as well. So belly up to the bar at Kozy Korner, consider the fish fry or wine specials, as well, and get ready for some football.
And, for a variety of reasons, you may find viewing the game at Kozy Korner your best local gridiron experience, according to Ryan, one of its longtime members of management.
“We think of ourselves as a sports bar, not a bar that has sports,” Ryan said, adding that they are tolerant of fans of other teams than those in Wisconsin. He cited, for example, two teams from the east coast, the New England Patriots and New York Giants.
He and his staff know the broadcast technology and are well aware of how to get games that are hard to come by, the ones that have fans pulling their hair out, and postseason WIAA games often fit that profile. Since some people are shy about asking, the people at Kozy Korner go out of their way to offer patrons the option of switching some of their many TVs to a different channel and game than the usual. Ryan said he goes around during game days and seeks out people looking about as if in search of something, and asks if there is any game he can provide. “We are known around the Hudson area for this,” Ryan said of the flexibility.
He and the staff are knowledgable about the sports they strive to provide, and an example is Badger and Big Ten women’s volleyball, where you just might find in the bartender a storehouse of information. Where all this data stems from he’s not completely sure, Ryan says, but it is typical of what you will find at Kozy. Many of the mainstays who are workers here played for the Hudson Raiders in years back, and they also have stories to banter over the bar. One of them even had the rare honor of tackling pro wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald before he moved on up. For other anecdotes, come down and visit on Friday night.
They will provide to their patrons the info on how to use the right technology to find games themselves, Ryan said. “We will share that information. We don’t hoard that stuff.”
And later in the year, if traveling through, you just might find the Badger marching band stopping at Kozy, in what has become an almost annual ritual. The people at The Korner long ago became quite Kozy with the bandleader and many others affiliated with the band. It stems from a few years back, when their pizzaria was housed inside the Village Inn across the street, and three or four stops were made there by the band to initiate the now decade-long process.
There are scores jerseys autographed by plenty of the Badger players, most of whom were Hudson Raider stalwarts before they moved on to the college ranks, hanging on the walls at Kozy, along with lots of flags of prominent state teams. People are amazed by the number of recent and not-so-recent big college players who hail from Hudson, and even those who took the next step, such as to play pro hockey. (Think the name Drewiske). Adorning the tables on which plates of Kozy’s food are served up, are team logos galore.

Saturday, November 9th, 2013

The Raiders have no regrets, as is right regarding the rock band Regret.

– Kozy Korner in North Hudson is your headquarters for Hudson Raider football when they use their potent offense to continue their march through the ranks of the state playoffs, with a game at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9. There is a free drink waiting for you if you arrive by gametime and wear a football jersey. The staff will cut you a little slack if you’re a bit late and miss the opening kickoff or the first play or two. They are even nice enough to look the other way it you don a jersey that is not of the Packers, Raiders or Badgers, such as one from that awful team that plays across the river. Just don’t wait until halftime to show up and listen to the Raider play-by-play, against a squad they also faced last November, from announcers who have become fan favorites. For bonus coverage, the Badgers can be watched as they take the gridiron at 2:30 p.m.

– For something different than football for your Sunday night, the band Regret takes the stage at Shooter’s in downtown River Falls. They hail from the burgeoning hardcore punk scene in Minneapolis.

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