Back patios are the place to plunk down, whether at a table or in front of a video game:
— The Smilin’ Moose finally has its big back patio, both upper and lower levels, open for patrons. The upper portion, which has a great view of the St. Croix River and a lot of tables with big umbrellas over the top, has been available to customers for the past weekend or two, and was well attended. The lower level was supposed to have an official opening of sorts on Wednesday, but because paint and stain was not yet dry, it was pushed back to Friday, Oct. 2, staffers said.
— The largely acoustic duo of Garret and Embry, who comprise Crystal Creek Falls, are back playing Dick’s bar and grill on Friday from 6-9 p.m. They were about to make a joint debut last month, but Garret ended up going it alone when his songmate had an earlier-in-the-day medical emergency and had to postpone her end of the show. This is your chance to catch them both at once, and take in jointly their male and female stylings.
— With fall set to arrive, and the cool weather coming and going, this might be your best remaining chance to play some video games outdoors — or at least on the back patio at Ellie’s. If that doesn’t fit into your plans this weekend, however, note that Ellie’s always puts up some potent heaters out back that can keep you toasty warm even if you are a few feet away, like the distance between you and the minions you are fighting on-screen.
— You may remember acoustic guitarist and singer Dave from the intimacy of those old Twisted Grille open-mic performances. He says that feeling is brought back when he plays gigs up north in The Sticks, his favorite spot to croon. He also said that he’s getting the band back together, so to speak, by joining forces with several other longtime Hudson-based rockers, such as from the former band New Skinny, and putting in place a new quartet.
— It was touch and go at first, but in the end the Beer Stein Challenge, well, met the challenge and attracted a fairly good crowd, which tended to run together in big groups, when it was brought by specialty beer makers to Kozy Korner in North Hudson and the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt. The events last weekend featured big beer mugs that winners would hold just the right amount away, at arm’s length, as a display before quaffing. They also featured the Sam Adams Girls, complete with their Octoberfest finery. Pub owners said they would likely do the event again, a few months down the line, but would want to shore up a few details.
And, at the Willow this weekend, things will rock out even more than usual, with the slightly harder sounds of Full Tilt on Friday evening and especially, Roughhouse on Saturday. They’ve been doing such music for years as part of a variety of lineups, this mixture of local lads and ones from the Twin Cities.