(A local Irish pub went well beyond St. Patrick’s Day, and even the Fourth of July, to be a Corn Beef and Cabbage Savior for a bunch of nursing home residents who kept all that revelry going, with the approach of Labor Day and the fact that Paddy Ryan’s will be laboring for all of us then too. Read the lengthy account, filled with superlatives, in the Notes From The Beat department).

The fairest of the fair, music-favorite-wise are fairly local, does that sound like a fair assessment?
Sound Exchange, an a capella group out of Minneapolis, is the exception, but they bring a very fresh sound to the St. Croix County Fair this weekend. Blue Moon Drive is quite country and they play a lot locally, and that makes sense because by and large they are local people. That is also true of rockers Fourth Degree, as each of these two bands have at least one musician, or more, hailing from St. Croix County. And of course there are The Memories, longtime stalwarts of the fair and coming from just down the road in Boyceville and the immediate area, and we definitely cannot forget The Whitesidewalls and their signature doo-wop sound, as both these groups just keep on rollin’ and rockin’ and rollin’ as they have for decades, with the annual Glenwood City event, right in town, being a top spot.
— Sound Exchange is a mixed contemporary quintet that features soulful ballads, blistering rock anthems, jazz standards and chart-topping singles. They bring sure-to-dazzle harmonies and wisecracking audience interaction to every show and do it with joy and humor. Saturday at 2 p.m.
— Another five-some with its foundation being this area’s own RJ Feyereisen behind a great big drum kit, and backed by a bountiful bass as the second part of the rhythm section, Blue Moon Drive gives what you would expect them to offer and mixes in some traditional country that in total spans part of two millenniums.
— Known for Vegas-style performance and vocals, Fourth Degree of Hammond provides a variety of more than 300 songs from Sinatra to Santana, along with ’60s to current pop hits. Singing and playing to the crowds, “Lawrence” honors requests over and over so everyone has fun and dances the night away via, again, hundreds of dance tune favorites. Thursday at 8 p.m.
— Since the Whitesidewalls had their genesis more than 45 years ago, their Rock ‘n’ Roll Revue has been the Midwest’s top 1950s and 1960s doo-wop and show band of light to moderate rock and roll, with a loyal fan base that continues to grow and show support for their fave five-member group. And they even still have most of their hair. Friday at 7 p.m.
— The Memories have a similar tenure of experience in the region, although not a quintet like the others, but 44-plus years later are still going strong with their light and tight harmonies. This of course goes back to the days when most rockers had not even started finding their sound yet, and all that time the melodies were being honed and not becoming just the stuff of memories. And at the fair? They’ve performed 32 years and counting. Saturday at 8:15 p.m.

Booster Days and the after-fest party at local bars opened with both a bang and a fizzle, depending on what location you were referencing. But next-day, come early afternoon, everyone was getting ready to pick up the tempo again, as boats were lined all through the St. Croix River as the best place to watch the fireworks, with not a lot of space between — despite high-water restrictions that limited access via boat launches. Then an ambulance came roaring past. The Fourth of July and a mishap? Nooo, really?
Back to First Street in the hub of it all, the guy in front of me in his car by the main intersection — you know, the one by the perpetual Rotary Club cool car for raffle — was waving his arm eastward with a glee that seemed out of place. I eventually decided to pass him, thinking he might have a stalled vehicle. I looked back and he still grinned broadly. Questioning, I turned up Walnut Street to get to the main drag, and saw that despite signs, there was no road construction. Then it hit me, this do-gooder was trying to warn me and others about the impending traffic jam ahead by the Phipps Center For The Arts. Lastly, the 15-minute parking spaces mid-day on The Fourth were being mostly honored by drivers, even those from Minnesota. Later in the weekend, not so much. But later when the rain started sprinkling, it brought out the plastic ponchos and umbrellas, and even despite the warm weather, a full-fledged parka. Some people, but not a large amount,  setting out blankets for the Saturday parade, were ahead of the game, but they then got rained on, and these showers no doubt rinsed away the sometimes coy “ads” that have been drawn up in chalk on the pavement. Such rain-relief garb could also be seen worn by the street musician halfway up Locust Street. And across the way at The Postmark Grill, there were two levels of protection, the lower big umbrellas and the even bigger upper awnings. There was something much like this unveiled at Pier 500, right next-door to the Booster Days fest itself.
— The flag hoisted in the back of a truck revving through North Hudson had a pole that was, I swear, 15 feet high, and we presume the flag itself contributed to that reach because of its 50 stars, added as the country grew, that were flapping at times upward in the breeze. Talk about the possibility for wind lag, but after all, this was The Fourth. However, in another mile there would be the railroad bridge on the other side of Lake Mallalieu, which can’t accommodate a vehicle more than 13-feet, 11-inches in height. To anti-quote Colin Kapernick, Why didn’t we just stay with having 13 stars?
— When talking about sports cars on holiday, although still being put into service and driven, there were a couple of them so small and sleek where … well … let’s just put it this way, you could probably fit four of them at once under that railroad bridge. Two more of them could be seen in that vicinity the next day, one cruising north, and the other south to Booster Days. And then there were those two that were totally decked out in big decorative decals, but only on the front hood. As a gift, like Doubling Down after Dad’s Day.
— The eagle decals were spread all over town, on two Cadillac-like cars that were again, longer than tall, one bird being the centerpiece with long wing-like extensions that actually were stripes from one end to another, and the other with those stripes going the whole nine yards in width, literally.
— Booster Days isn’t the only game in town attracting people to and from Minnesota. One of the biggest golf tournaments in the Twin Cities in years is being held this weekend in Blaine, and front and center through it has been Minnesconsin’s own Tom Lehman. You read that right, both states. You see Lehman designed the championship-style Troy Burne course just south of Hudson, as well as having such a hand in the course in Blaine. It seems to have worked, as he was well under par early on and in contention. But this tourney is big enough that yes, you might see others than just Lehman here in town. So if you are dancing at Dick’s and happen to see someone wearing a very natty checkered beret …
— Another game in town, via the wonders of satellite TV, is the World Cup. The last time around with such soccer, there was a guy at Buffalo Wild Wings who said he saw his face on the big screen above five times. That’s about as often as you’d see the goalie pictured front and center.
— Also about TV, Judge Judy has now sentenced herself to retirement, according to stuff I read online, which may or may not be as accurate as a court docket. And that’s questionable too, Reminds me of an episode where a defendant, maybe bolstered by liquid courage gone awry, called her ma’am and sir in the same sentence. Maybe hit the strip club if you can’t tell the difference. Can we recommend the new and much improved Cajun Club, which is only a quarter-mile up the highway from one of the best places on the Wisconsin side to view the “flashing” show, and take in another such show and keep the party going after the Stillwater fireworks, if you pass on the even nearer Next Stop Bar, a pattern that was evident again on Thursday night.

Its strong on country, as you might expect, and as far as the numbers game, the music groups are seven in total, and steer away from the soloists and duets that have been popular for largely cost reasons for a few years at many local venues. But Booster Days 2019, like other years, is played at the spacious Lakefront Park band shell, a far cry from the summer patio scene, so you’ll see a lot of five-member lineups, with the Sunday finale breaking from that course: The music starts Thursday, on July Fourth itself, and runs through Sunday.
The lineup includes The Chubs and Yam Haus on Thursday evening, Bigly and Stone Daisy Band on Friday, Wicked Garden and Rhino on Saturday, and Miller Denn and Ditch Creek Dixies on Sunday, at 1:30 p.m. The rest of the bands start at 5 p.m. if they are the introductory group, and 9 p.m. if they headline.
This Fourth holiday should come first:
One of the main sponsors of Booster Days and its music, the number of bands of which is even greater than usual because of the Thursday timing of the July Fourth holiday, is the Family Fresh market and grocery store on Coulee Road. They say they feel such backing of the local community through festivals such as these is vital, especially these days when some view the times as somewhat tumultuous and so being patriotic as Americans is all the more important. That is why it is even more crucial to take some time and fully celebrate the holiday that marks our freedom.
Family Fresh can help toward that end, by supplying you with items that help make things festive to go along with the music, such as inexpensive but prime cuts of steak to grill, not to mention ground beef and hot dogs that are also very affordable and are in packs that will keep everyone happy, no matter the size of your party. Plus, you’ve hardly walked in the door and you can see great prices on specialty brats and hot dog buns, lots of condiment options to put on them, various chips, and even everything you need for S’Mores if having a fire pit up at the cabin, (with festive flags positioned all through the display). And at the enclosed Caribou Coffee store off the the right side, you can get your growler and with it comes a free refill of any size, plus an additional price off you’re seniors (if you’re treating granddad and grandma on this holiday, as they have seen the many ways our patriotism has played out positively over the decades, as they love all this food and drink stuff, too).
The Boosters bring it, and busta move:
The bands at Booster Days are, two each day except Sunday, in order of appearance:
— The Chubs call themselves a cohesive group of classic rock musicians from different generations, who play a wide variety of styles in that genre and beyond, which is what you want when trying to reach a broad audience such as at Booster Days. And they wander well into Cheesehead country with their performances, way beyond the Booster Days turf, so they know what we like here.
— The Chubs are followed up by local and regional rockers Yam Haus, a group of young artists who took The Valley and its festivals, especially in summer, by storm a couple of years ago and have been building a loyal, local following through frequent gigs in the Hudson area, mostly, and beyond. A combo of classic and closer-to-current rock that’s not unecessarily hard, although there might be a long Deep Purple solo mixed in. The onstage banter can be very entertaining, and wittier than you might expect from such a young crew.
— The members of Bigly came to this point after service in various previous bands in the region and they play all different styles of tunes, up to and including funk and soul. Like Rhino, they have a sense of humor, as is shown by their online bio that references some disco songs in their mix, then backs off it, saying they are just joking. But they seriously get after their funk interpretation of Sweet Child of Mine by Guns ‘N’ Roses.
— The Stone Daisy Band is through and through country, traditional and vintage, modern and slightly crossover, and all sorts of tunes that touch upon the genre. For example, just know that the first song listed on their set list is La Grange by ZZ Top. Also, the drummer has been up and down and around with various acts. (And the band’s main web site photo looks like it could have been taken in virtually any farm field in western Wisconsin).
— Wicked Garden gets more specific with its sound, down and dirty and gritty, covering the grunge power groups that filled the top 100 charts in the 1990s, such as Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots (hence the band name) and Alice in Chains. They also cover several grunge-influenced bands from today, such as Tool, Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age.
— Lots of bands say they are high energy, but if longevity is any measure, Rhino truly brings it. That quality, and a sense of just plain fun, is demonstrated by their “everyman” band photos online, one of which shows a member — their are five of them, like many groups at Booster Days 2019 — blowing bubble gum. I guess they can walk, play and chew gum at the same time. The guy in the Aussie-look black hat has always been cool.
— Miller Denn joins the Ditch Creek Dixies to wrap up the fest, and they steer more toward the traditional country, and that painting of a big steer in the background of a main photo shows you what you’re getting. The look of the costuming by the two blonde haired “Dixies,” who must be simply in their teens or just past, bears this out.