Whether you want to have a taste or two or maybe more, sample an entree or two, and a listen to a band or deejay or two, Hudson and the surrounding area has you covered. (Below is a primer for what’s happening locally on New Year’s Eve, and for a further rundown on other area events, see this web page’s Picks of the Week department).
— At venues all over the immediate area on New Year’s Eve, there will be samplings of the latest Hudson-based distilled spirit brand, known as Demon Rum.
The crew giving out a taste will spend a whirlwind five hours hitting at least seven different area bar and grill establishments, one of them more then once, to let you know why you should say the devil may care and occasionally indulge in this newest “sinfully smooth” local rum, (which also is expected to go national not long after the New Year’s celebration). Other variations will likely follow this initial version of premium spiced rum, a creation of local residents Wayne and Barb Karls, Jeff Warren and Tami Sherman that was several years in the development and is already available at most area liquor stores and taverns.
The sampling crew will start at about 8:30 p.m. at the Smilin’ Moose Lodge Bar and Grill, (which by the way will offer several deejays throughout the night), then move to Stone Tap. They might split into groups and hit other places downtown as well, such as Dick’s Bar and Grill, which also will offer multiple music acts, and spend a total of about an hour in that area of Hudson.
Then from around 9:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., the crew will head north to the Village Inn and Kozy Korner and then Guv’s Place. After North Hudson, they will hit Big Guys BBQ for about two hours until 12:30 or 1 a.m., then be back at the Smilin’ Moose until wrapping up around 1:30 a.m.
Other venues also can join in on the New Year’s Eve sampling fun. Call the Karls at (715) 531-1456.
— At Season’s Tavern in North Hudson, it’s come for the food and stay for the music, although both are good reasons to celebrate on Dec. 31. And into Jan. 1.
The sign outside says it on both sides: New Year’s Eve dinner for two. And live music.
This establishment, which has now been in existance for several years, offers dinner for two people for $70. Entree choices this New Year’s at Seasons are very similar to what they have been during, well, other such seasons, and the tried and true include choice of a filet with either lobster or their signature walleye (of course), with baked potato, and house vegetable and salad. For the appetizer, as the theme recurs, share two walleye cakes with bernaise or two teriyaki chicken skewers over citrus cole slaw. And then for dessert, share four-layer chocolate cake or New York-style cheesecake.
All this since after all, people will be going late and may need something extra hearty to sustain themselves and continue into the wee hours.
Then, starting about 9 p.m., is one of the longest running house bands in the area, and at Seasons we are of course talking about tunes from the likes of the Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd by Thirsty Camel, which has been playing around the Twin Cities area for years.
In their most recent North Hudson performance, with the dance floor filled for a Halloween show, the largely barefooted band was heavy on playing The Stones, and the prominence of the rhythm section showed through, led by the thumping of the bassist who looked a lot like comic Mike Myers. (Thirsty Camel is only a trio — they have only so many humps — and although vocals may be shared and this is the perfect time for a holiday choir approach, they aren’t likely to have enough singers for the opera-style Bohemian Rhapsody). They did however, pull off an impressively well-done vocal arrangement to, you guessed it, the difficult Stones song Miss You, complete with the whooping in the chorus by all band members. Parts of the song, also, were made vocally their own, especially by the lead guitarist.
Call for reservations at (715) 386-8488.
— One of the longest established places in downtown Hudson to dance to hip-hop, rap and other urban music, along with some pop, country and rock on New Year’s Eve, is Ellie’s on Main sports bar. It will continue to spin the tunes as long into the morning as the audience participation warrants it, managers say. There will be ongoing prize giveaways throughout that time, and a champagne toast at midnight.