Rise up and listen … about just how that big head arose on that beer:
– Rizer, a classic rock and blues band that will play the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt on Friday evening, Feb. 26, has a long history that dates back to a group called Wire that formed in 1969 in Hastings, although it also has members who are more local. Through the years the name changed from Wire to Storm to Sunrise, and finally to Rizer, to make Hastings in recent times the Land of the Rising Sun, so to speak. Regardless of the name, the band has rocked thousands of weddings, clubs and other events over the years to the delight of tons of fans — maybe as many as the entire population of Hastings. Rizer’s talented musicians still bring a great show wherever they play, and you might recognize some of their local names from this and other bands, namely Paul Gavic on guitar and vocals and Charles Huntley on keyboards and vocals.
– Have fun, drink beer and learn all about it during The History Happy Hour, which is part of the Wisconsin History Tour, an effort criss-crossing the state and spending a fair amount of time in Hudson. Join author and State Historic Preservation Officer Jim Draeger at Dick’s Bar and Grill at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25. Yak it up over a Wisconsin-made brew, decorate your own beer labels and learn something new about Wisconsin’s beer history. Signed copies of Draeger’s best-selling book, “Bottoms Up: A Toast to Wisconsin’s Historic Bars and Breweries,” will be available for purchase. Wisconsin Historical Society Members get a free drink.
– Mel Travolta may not be as wellknown as his namesake, in part because he has not played nearly as much in Hudson as lots of other bands, and his act appears to be to a large degree an unknown even amongst the staffers at Dick’s, where he will play Friday evening, Feb. 26. All of this does really make you want to check it out and see what it’s all about. I joked with one of the servers, who craves heavy metal bands, that maybe he has opened for his beloved Slayer? (Seems unlikely, too acoustic). Then with another, that maybe the jukebox was at that moment rolling out some Mel Travolta? (It actually was a group called Yelawolf).

They turn up the heat in events this weekend, whether cooking chili or after selling it at the store.
– He knows his grocery produce and also provides the meat to help produce classic, contemporary and southern rock for the Hudson band Buck Tucker. That’s Dana Glade of County Market management that is on the guitar and vocals. You have seen him in the canned goods aisle, now see him live on stage. The band plays the Willow River Saloon on Saturday evening, Feb. 20.
– Kids love chili too, but this is now a full-fledged adult cooking contest. The event at Emma’s in downtown River Falls is now in its 21st year, and a sticky note alongside the announcement notes with tongue-in-cheek that it is now, finally, fully legal. As of Wednesday, there were 17 entrants, and if that equates to one per calendar year, it’s only one digit off the age of majority at the time the contest started. A bartender boldly predicted — like Namath did in a Super Bowl that was much more entertaining than last week’s — that he’s a lock to win the Saturday, Feb. 20 contest, even though his recipe is fully vegetarian. Patrons can sample the chili and that will tell the tale. Everything gets going at 1 p.m. Fee is $5.
– This is again, not once but twice, the case where a name says it all as far as the type of entertainment you’ll see: At Juniors in downtown River Falls, the River Falls Community Theater will conduct One Acts & Apps the next two Fridays, with 7 and 9 p.m. slots each night, featuring first Mike Munson and then Mike Gunther and Gabe Roy.
– Here is a chance for twice in two days, and at the same times, to show what’s in one of the cases some Badger State hospitality to a brew with connections to both Border Battle states. Barley John’s product will be served at the Village Liquor store in North Hudson on Friday, Feb. 19 from 4-6 p.m. Exactly 24 hours beforehand, at the next door down, Kozy Korner will offer a free wine tasting. Barley John’s has a brewery in New Brighton, but recently moved many operations to New Richmond, which was met with a howl “over there.”

Even Cupid could agree that there are other ways to mark Valentine’s Day then putting an arrow — or dart — through her poodle-sweatered heart.
– For something different and even non-traditional on the weekend of Valentine’s Day, consider the back to the ’50s party being thrown on Saturday night at the Village Inn in North Hudson, suggests the stalwart bartender who will be on duty and has invited friends from the Twin Cities. In fitting with that theme, poodle skirts and leather jackets are encouraged but not mandatory. There will be karaoke (bring on your best Elvis), milkshakes, burger specials, Best Damn rootbeer floats and $2 Budweiser and Bud Light cans.
– Cupid is not necessarily the only one to put an arrow through your heart on this Valentine’s Day. Okay, it’s actually a dart and actually is on Saturday, the day beforehand. Dick’s Bar and Grill is offering a Sweethearts darts tournament for couples on the 13th, with things getting rolling around 1 p.m. There is a $10 entry fee. With Valentine’s Day being on a Sunday, many offerings are being held the day before, but Dick’s is among those to have another festivity, their crab leg feast, on both Saturday AND Sunday during kitchen hours.
– The Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt ups the ante and has a trifecta, a fish fry on Friday and then on both Saturday and Sunday, featuring steak and lobster tails or jumbo shrimp along with a complimentary bottle of champagne, dessert and (being a largely country venue) “all the fixin’s,” all for $89 per couple. Call (715) 386-5885 for reservations. Then work off that meal by dancing to the varied tunes of Armadillo Jump on Friday night and East River Rock on Saturday.
– While at Dick’s you might want to consider getting ASAP an Upper Peninsula Ale (UPA), rather than a India Pale Ale (IPA), which is said to be an American Pale Ale (APA) brewed just for the north(woods). It is curious though that its flavor is described as, in part, like citrus. I didn’t know they had that kind of fruit grown way up north.
– Longtime luminary GB Leighton makes his way back to Hudson with a winter tent party on Saturday night, to cheer on ten years of business at Pier 500, rockin’ the First Street end of the downtown in the nextdoor municipal lot.

– They are notably new to Negret tonight! Twin City Lights is a multi-cultural, multi-instrumental group of musicians living in Minnesota, and currently performing their acoustic, folk rock around the Twin Cities. They will be making perhaps their first Hudson area performance tonight at the Negret Wine Company from 7:30-8:30 p.m. One of the noted musicians in the band, Mateo, is the son of Vincent Negret, winemaker and founder of the establishment. Another band will also perform, in addition to Twin Cities Lights.

You can guess that a restaurant that specializes in all different kinds of walleye would be a go-to place for the soon-to-be celebrated Friday fish fry, carrying on a North Hudson tradition at the same venue that dates back to the 1950s.
The fish fry at Seasons Tavern is perhaps the highest rated in this area online — indeed, under that heading one woman raved about the walleye and scrambled eggs with tavern fries, and lamented not ordering a Bloody Mary to go with it, (yes, Seasons does even have walleye options for breakfast). All for what was listed as a midrange price.
Only North Hudson as a whole was given a slightly higher, five-star rating for fish fry, and Seasons no doubt contributed to that score.
“As for the reviewers… YES! We are proud to be viewed as the top fish fry in the area,” owner Brad said. “We are motivated by the support that we have received and are challenged to continue to live up to expectations that people have for Seasons Tavern.”
The restaurants at the site at Monroe and Sixth Streets North, under several different names and owners, go back several decades. With the Italian/Catholic roots, both in the North Hudson community and the restaurant, they were among the first in the area, or even the Cities, to offer fish on Fridays. All this clamor started with the first predecessor to Seasons, (Sam’s for several years), at the same venue from decades back, which had a renowned fish fry for only $3.95.
“It wasn’t talked about much like let’s go to a Friday fish fry,” said Dorothy, a longtime North Hudsonite who was working in the Cities at that time, but did go to Sam’s because at that time the village was smaller in population, everybody know everybody, and they were well acquainted with the staff. “It was great food and it was friendly and comfortable, and we knew the servers.”
So that is a tough act to follow, or replicate, but Seasons might be the ones to pull it off. Brad has been in the business of providing fish fries for 25 years, first at other restaurants and now at Seasons for the past several years, so he has the expertise that comes with experience, and has honed those skills.
“I am proud to be the new ‘torchbearer’ of the location…. Although I have a long way to to receive that honor (in my book anyway),” Brad said. “I look forward to being able to occupy this location for a long time to come.”
And continue to help put North Hudson on the culinary map, even as far as the Twin Cities are concerned.
“My personal experience of serving a Lenten Friday fish dinner, whether it be walleye or a fish fry, has shown me how much people like fish! I will always strive to put a better piece of fish on the plate, and share that passion with my employees,” Brad said.
Seasons serves cod for the fish fry. “The choices are broiled or deep fried in a beer batter,” Brad said. “As for the walleye…. We serve it in many different ways (breakfast and dinner) and will continue to be creative with the dishes it is prepared with.”
He says another requirement for being successful with fish fries is being adaptable, and changing things up in short order when it will help meet customer needs.
The best fry is an all-you-can-eat event, including battered and deep-fried cod or pollock with fries and/or cole slaw, a Twin Cities food columnist suggested. Memory brings her back to the restaurant in North Hudson, Wisconsin, years ago, she wrote online. (It is interesting she felt it necessary to put Wisconsin at the end of her statement, since the Twin Cities media not only seems to include the Hudson area as a part of the metro, they seem preoccupied with it in a Border Battle sense).
And so, the presence of the best food is included in that tug of war. “I couldn’t wait to go with my Mom and Dad to the Friday Night Fish Fry,” the columnist said.

If the dog is blind, can he see the Fat Tuesday beads? Find out by checking out upcoming events:

– They say dogs are very loyal, and this is especially true of the band Blind Dog and their sticking to it as far as specializing in modern rock. They play at the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt on Saturday, Feb. 6. Of Blind Dog’s 59-song play list, there are only a few that steer from that approach, and those tend to be southern rock that steers toward regular rock, (think Lynyrd Skynyrd), and pop that leans toward rocking out (such as Blink 182).

– Fat Tuesday these days is somewhat of a forgotten holiday, but on Feb. 9 at Green Mill, from 4-9 p.m., they’ll strive to make it bead-worthy, with food and drink specials that include $4 Hurricanes, and the chance to get a $25 gift card by guessing the number of beads in a jar. There also is a buy one, get one free offer for short Miller Lites. The online coupon for that specifies that the free beer is only available to the person who orders and consumes the first beer. Gee, that must mean that I’m not the only one who is one-and-done, and just maybe might give away that second drink!
A guy you might see is an occasional patron who lives in the southwest metro but says he comes all this way to partake in the local Green Mill specials. It was pointed out to him that there are other Green Mills along the route he travels, but his preference is the one here in Hudson. All that gas, just to save some green!