Fire up the Fourth, and give it a boost with the colorful tapestry of sight and sound of a local festival:
— On the Fourth of July itself, all kinds of people came out dressed stylishly in red, white and blue, dozens of them women sporting much more-so than other colors, the stripes of red and white. In fact, I only saw one such person dressed without these kinds of stripes.
— During fireworks on The Fourth, being viewed from the parking area of Guv’s Place in Houlton, there was a host of patriotic music being played from a single boom box, crossing all different genres. Later, about a flagstaff distance away, a man attracted attention for twirling Old Glory around at about the height of his midsection. As a side note, Guv’s has not been able to renew its lease, (a big boo to the owner of the property), and will close its doors later in July, workers said.
— A patriotic biker was like many vehicle drivers over the Fourth, propping up even bigger flags that waved in the back of their ride. Only this guy was just going about 23 mph, in spurts, through the Hudson to North Hudson crawl. He had slogans posted just below the flag, along the lines of Live and Ride Free. It’s just that at that speed, the breeze isn’t exactly going to blow through your hair.
— A Hudson Booster Days welcome sign was erected on the sidewalk in front of a Second Street boutique. The placard was so wide, about three feet, did it leave room for possibly tipsy people to make their way past?
— Near the band area, one guy was insistent on hitching a ride with the beer delivery cart, both on its front and back hoods. It’s unclear whether he had success in his quest for a lift. (After this web item was published, it came to light that there had been an altercation between a Booster official and others about allegedly unauthorized use of such a cart, called a Gator, near the end of a late-night concert. Ouch! I guess that puts some teeth it it, concerning the Gator.)
— A Booster beer tent bartender had stars sprouting from the antenni on her forehead, and had star-shaped lens on her glasses, to boot. Does this “starry eyed” look mean she might not quite see well enough to gauge whether people are over 21?
— The band Arch Allies was being talked up all over town on Friday night after the beer tents closed. Most thought they were great, with a qualification or two about the relatively new lead singer, and some patrons recalled the days of the band playing (many times) at the former Dibbo’s. At least one listener added the same accolades (mostly) about Uncle Chunk, Saturday’s headliner, and its new lead singer.
— Just a block-or-so up the street, the Dogg Haus eatery had on its sign announcing hours of operation that it would be open until 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. After Booster Days, the closing time listed reverted to 10 p.m. I guess that the Booster Days change was not registered in Dog Years.
— On the Thursday of Booster Days, more than a dozen costumed people from the St. Paul Winter Carnival, from the likely local Klondike Kate to guys dressed up like Mexicans and Cowboys, descended on Buffalo Wild Wings, just to spice it up even a bit more.
— Ryan Nelson of Kozy Korner in North Hudson and some of his comrades attended a World Cup soccer game, sitting in wouldn’t you know it, the front row, and were pictured on TV several times. Ryan said that they couldn’t see the main action as well as if they’d had similar seating up front and center in the upper deck, but they were up close and personal with athletes stretching out on the sidelines, for example. He added that it was a hoot when the USA team was on their side of the field for one half of the game, but then not the other half, and that it was the most interesting time they’ve had at any sporting event, and some of them have been prominent. Kozy held a viewing party for the Women’s World Cup final, and patrons were in for a treat, as USA raced to a 4-0 lead and went on to beat Japan, Ryan noted later while still sporting a string of beads.
In related news, a sign across the street from Kozy at the Village Inn said earlier in the week, prior to Booster Days kicking it up, “Hey Ryan Nelson, where’s UR bracelet? #BFFS.” Is there some inside joke that I’m not getting?
— News just in regarding American Sky Brewery in Hudson is that it has been bought by a brew company from Minnesota, and some facets, mostly in production, may be relocating. However, Sky employees assure us that the changes locally as far as entertainment will be minimal. The Hangar Taproom and bar will continue to operate and live music will continue on weekends, as the new management has scant experience with this part of the business, and band bookings are full through September and they also are always looking for new acts, workers said.
— Patrons going from such places, and others on the eastern end of The Hill, may find themselves negotiating the new 70 mph speed limit on Interstate 94. Just a word to the wise: Better drink about 5 ounces less alcohol than you formerly did in being under the legal limit, to compensate for what that extra 5 mph does to your reaction time.