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It’s not folly to have a holly, jolly Christmas in atypical ways, such as these:
— Is there a theme here? Car racing fans might think so. Diesel Drive plays Maverick’s Corner Saloon in downtown River Falls on Saturday night, Dec. 20. Another largely country and aptly named group, Mitch Gordon and the Unleaded Band, took the stage at Maverick’s last Saturday. And to continue this naming trend, in a reverse way, the group High Octane has also played recently, at the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt.
— Also, don’t get sidetracked from some of the holiday revelry that’s more traditional. There will be the annual horse drawn wagon rides from 5-7 p.m. on Saturday, starting from the Sidetrack Saloon and Grill in downtown Roberts. The pickup and drop off will start there at 5 p.m., and allow patrons to view the local holiday lights. You can also rock around the Christmas tree while at Sidetrack, with the open jukebox from 8 p.m. to midnight. Also on tap are hot drinks, snacks and even stuff for the kids.
— Here’s another way to celebrate, with food that will stick to your ribs more than Christmas cookies, and can be had even earlier than the start of the main holiday. Season’s Tavern in North Hudson is taking what the staff concurs is the unusual step for a grill and bar of offering breakfast on Christmas Eve day, Dec. 24. This atypical feast begins early, at 9 a.m., and runs through brunchtime and lunchtime, with the hearty fare continuing to be offered until 1 p.m.
— Garrett, who works at the Smilin’ Moose, has stood in musically with the eight-piece Bad Habits Brass that played the Moose a few weeks ago. He also has set up a chair, played and sang at Dick’s Bar and Grill on Sunday nights while Jeff Loven went on break, showing his creative side with wide-ranging vocals that careen up, down and around.
— A new bar-based sport played on a rink is coming to the area soon, and its fans hope it will spread and go viral, if not global. Its called body ball, and flyers promoting it show two competitors with their torsos covered in puffed up, plastic balloons, making them look like jellyfish. The flyer said that — unlike soccer — this new sport is hilarious, but added the promoters still have to figure out most of the rules and regulations. No word yet on exactly how the game is played, or for signup purposes, how many people need to be on a team.

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