Vie to visit Vegas, from the vantage point of the Packers playing, but before then go acoustic with Garret.
— Who wouldn’t want to go to Vegas? Especially if you got there by rooting on a team that usually wins big. The Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt is again offering its special deal where a drawing for a trip to Vegas is held every night the Green and Gold plays. What a way to kick off the NFL season, (and the opponent is archrival Chicago in a noon Sunday game)! You must be present to win, but again, we’re talking the Packers playing here so why wouldn’t you want to be there on game day. The trip includes three days and two nights for two people, so bring your Packer bud with you.
— In what amounts to a debut, Garret and Embry, who comprise CrystalCreekFalls, are playing Dick’s bar and grill on Friday, Sept. 11 from 6-9 p.m. Note that’s Garret with one “T” while this infamous Friday has the number “1” twice. It might be seen as fitting that the duo of Mr. McPhae and Ms. Quinn are playing their gig at Dick’s, where the staffers wear shirts bearing what looks like a Red Cross logo to go with their pun of a slogan “Thirst Aid Station.”
— Numbers you should know: Twenty, sixty and two to reference the art metal band Tool. I should explain. This is the 20th year of the Art on the Kinni, held along the Kinnickinnic River on the White Pathway in River Falls, which will not only have 60-plus exhibiting artists, but live music on two stages, steering largely to folk and bluegrass. The event is Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
— The bassist for Ghetto Superstars, which played the Smilin’ Moose recently as part of their regular returning engagement, did so while seated and this fact and his girth evoked memories of the legendary Big Walter Smith, who used to play in the area. The band is comprised of a large crew, male and female, black and white.
— The Blackout Party at Dick’s, where the dance floor is closed off to any light with tarps at all ends, advertised that people could show up in glowing face paint, so they could, well, really show up. In fact, many of the dozens of patrons who came sported glowing T-shirts and such paint covering their arms. Just prior to turning off the lights, staff members spent time writing dancing instructions on the floor with colored chalk. If you weren’t there to take it in, or dance it off, don’t fret as this is a twice yearly event and you can hit it again in spring.