The new year was all about glamour, but first a report on another thing that was over the top, the response of four diehard fans at the back bar at Buffalo Wild Wings to the college football national championship.
The Four Horsemen, as is often the case at BDubs for such games, were likely from out of town and staying at local motels when judging by the way they watched with rapt attention even before the climatic final plays. Why would Hudson-area people care that much about a contest between two way-out-of-the-Midwest schools?
Right around the time of the final-second game-winning play, when a football version of the pick and roll was run by receivers after being dialed up by their coaches, the bartender fitting shouted out “last call.”
The four men, now having done enough shouting out themselves, one at a time quietly exited.
At an earlier extravaganza, dress styles for New Year’s Eve were heavy on sparkle and glitz, while still respecting the rather cold temperatures, as only one bare midriff was seen and there were a few women who didn’t wear a coat, so as to show the slacks and blazer combo underneath.
Noteworthy was the Pudge’s bartender who while having the night off, hit the town as The Lady In Red. That was the color of her patterned dress, with even brighter high heels to match. On Halloween weekend, she’d sported a similar slinky dress, this time glittery silver. It’s fitting that 24 hours later on Sunday night, one of the miniature cars given away in his trivia contest by one-man-bander Jeff Loven was, of course, fire engine red.
Although there were exceptions, most places were packed to the gills for at least part of the night, and around 1 a.m. there was a line about two dozen people deep waiting to get into the Smilin’ Moose.
With this new year’s their was no more redux of what I saw previously at the now-closed Ellie’s on Main, when a very late night partier danced with hands on the floor and her feet firmly planted about five feet high on the wall. Someone at their friendly rival Dick’s Bar and Grill tried a version of this, but was not nearly as effective.
On new year’s at the Village Inn, listeners and the close to a dozen dancers who stepped forward were entertained by a much older guy wearing a party hat and really Old School rapping out (is that a real term?) He even kept up the fast pace of the song, despite his age. Earlier in the year, there was a guy who fit onto the category, Who woulda thunk it? Bill, a former North Hudson man said that in his new stomping grounds of New Richmond, much to his surprise, he encountered an Andersen Windows retiree who also was killing it in karaoke. Usually, this is a Sinatra wannabe, but this former foreman who was partly management was doing none other than The Boss. The conversation then switched to open mic nights, and Bill recalled the most recent time he heard me sing in that manner — which was back in the heyday of the former Dibbo’s. Bill quickly added that in his extensive video library, he’s quite sure he has some footage of me on stage from those days.