With the dead of winter coming, here are some ways to heat things up, but you need to act now before spring is sprung:

— You never know what you might find lying on the sidewalk, and it could have similarity to what you see positioned on the newsstand, on the cover of Sports Illustrated. All the good looking people who work at the Agave Kitchen posed as if dressed to kill for an oversize 2016 calendar-type poster, and there was one setting on the curb that I picked up, in addition to ones available at the front bar. On it is someone who bears a strong resemblance to the model on the SI swimsuit edition cover from 2015, (you can still get a copy if you hurry). I don’t want to embarrass her by naming her; lets just say that because of her rock dancing ability, she has gained the same nickname as a former Wisconsin Badger running back.
— Another “offer” of sorts, which was posted a while back (unofficially I’m sure) at the Smilin’ Moose over the top of the ATM machine and also expires soon, was for not their food but that of a Mexican restaurant in the Twin Cities. It cited E. Cocina and its drink specials and free guacamole and queso. This opportunity was said to expire Jan. 31.
— This offer will go much longer, until Christmas Day, 2016, at least if you live in the right place. Patrons at Buffalo Wild Wings can enter a drawing in which $500 is given away each week, but not if you’re one of those put-upon people who happen to live in some parts of Canada. Specifically, if you cross the border near Buffalo itself and venture into Quebec, you are not eligible, and you also aren’t if you have not “reached the age of majority in your jurisdiction at time of entry.” That’s enough of a mouthful to make you want to speak French.
— Think your holidays with relatives were bad? A TV trivia mention at B-Dubs threw out there the possibility of “Christmas at Simon Cowell’s place.” It could indeed be “udderly forgettable. I’d rather listen to chalk on a blackboard.” Such sentiments about Simon also were expressed in the mens bathroom at Kozy Korner in North Hudson, along with references to Sick Puppies and Crappy Zappa (a redux from the former Mudd’s and Sudd’s bathroom poster). Hopefully, the grinchlike music judge won’t be that hard on some of the servers/birthday singers at B-Dubs, who in one case needed to either get in a better key or tone down the volume. But it still was entertaining.
— A friend of a friend is said to look just like the mascot of the recently playoff-ousted Vikings. He said people come up to him and ask, mistakenly, that their picture be taken together, and allegedly even a movie crew from NFL Films put a message on his windshield offering a photo shoot, but it got rained on and he couldn’t make out the phone number to call back. More Minnesota bad luck!
— Good For Gary played The Moose last Friday, but the way their band was listed on the sign out front was a bit mysterious. For space reasons, the sign said Good Gary, with the middle word omitted, which implies that they were indeed good as far as musical ability. Which brings me to another such point as far as names. One of the doormen early on regularly addressed me as “pimp juice” when he would give me a wrist band. Not being that into hip-hop and rap, I finally asked him what that meant. He said the reference was from a song by Nelly, and that it was a good thing. Hip-hop and rap? That would seem to befit The Moose.

With Santa already having passed over, here are some snippets about songs, Christmas stockings, and shopping and such:
— This is the saga of the dueling Christmas stockings, with teasing going back and forth about one person’s pinball prowess, as the two socks were posted next to the machine at Dick’s Bar and Grill. The stockings are all over the bar for charity, but these had followup thoughts that went beyond just the names on the top cuff. The bottom line was to check back on recent scores right after Christmas. (Shortly after that, one of the two had cried uncle and had been taken down). One other note about a creative signature on a cuff; it was given the name “sotally tober.” I tend to doubt it.
— One of the bartenders at Green Mill said she was doing some holiday shopping and had what I’ll call the 3M, a “minor mall meltdown.” Must have made good tips the night before.
— On the Walnut Street sidewalk following one of the recent dustings of watery snow, fewer people then usual were out, and there was a single line of footprints that “walked” westward past the marquee at the Agave Kitchen, then turned into the alleyway. Pertinent, I thought, since I had just seen a documentary about Bigfoot earlier that evening and recalled that there have been sightings near Eau Claire. Hudson has been known to get people from that area coming over to party.
— Maybe this was one of those. When walking down the sidewalk outside Hudson Cigar around midnight, someone asked me for a light. To which her friend said, “Don’t smoke. Don’t you know it’s 2015?” Or soon to be 2016; a new year and maybe new laws. Write your legislators? Or maybe bum a light from one of the guys who sometimes sit in front of the cigar shop and enjoy the early evening tunes from the nearby Smilin’ Moose? But they’re probably not around with this cold weather we’re having. But I digress…
— A van, or was it a party bus, was seen going downtown with a big, more than foot-wide, bow on its front bumper. It may have even covered part of the license plate. Better not do that, even if it’s the holiday season and you’re just spreading Xmas cheer.
— My nephew Isaak has gained some prominence doing composing of electronic music as a deejay. A holiday celebration in the north metro was curbed just after 9 p.m. so the high school sophomore could do his thing at a downtown Minneapolis club. His father needed to go with him since he would otherwise not be able to be in the club because of age. Isaak also did a performance at a family wedding in summer, aboard a big boat on the St. Croix River.
— One more summer reference, with a fall sequel. When a film crew reportedly showed up at Big Guys BBQ roadhouse, it was not the first time that a local barbeque joint received high praise, from the likes of Guy Fiera. In summer, in episodes to be aired later on his Diners, Drive-ins and Dives show, he profiled an “independent restaurant serving up comfort food,” that being Bayport BBQ. Fiera spent two days at the deep blues and Texas-style BBQ establishment, with one big room solely for eating and another complete with patio for blues performances. The music of Crankshaft and Javier enhanced the experience. Also from Fiera, a few months before that, was a similar visit to Smalley’s Carribean BBQ in downtown Stillwater’s north end. Smalley’s also was named among the top five of its ilk across all of the Twin Cities by The Growler, an industry publication.
— By the way, blues sessions by Fattenin’ Frogs and the Scottie Miller Band, marked the last chance for locals to see such acts, on Dec. 12 and 18, prior to the principals at Bayport BBQ taken their annual extended holiday vacation starting Dec. 21.

With Packers viewed to be back on track, such success just might be enforced by the sexy “Crue” cop who sauntered in days later, flashing (her badge):

— When Packer quarterback Aaron Rodgers cast his game-winning touchdown heave with time expired in a recent Thursday contest, the responses around town were, so to speak, uniform. A Green Mill patron uttered in simple disbelief, “shaddup,” which was followed by the bartender, in a Rodgers jersey no less, saying “I almost peed my pants!” Too much (now postgame) commentary.
Meanwhile, the Village Inn in North Hudson was said to have “exploded” in cheers at the time of the win, led by some people who say they usually don’t get that boisterous. Bartender Anna, who was still beaming a couple of hours after the final whistle, disclosed at that time that she’d, gasp, been a Viking fan before starting work at The Village.
— A trio of people walked into Green Mill, one dressed as a sexy cop, to the point that her badge got noticed. She said the garb was, fittingly, from going to a Motley Crue concert, one of the band’s last before calling it a career, and that she and a friend were brought up on stage. Oh yeah, the concert? “Everything was awesome,” she said.
— Thus far, there have been only two winners among the dozens playing the “35” board game at Green Mill, which has patrons winning if their designated NFL team gets exactly that many points. According to Randy, one of the regular players, this isn’t as easy as it sounds, as it almost always involves scoring exactly five touchdowns — if there is even one field goal, not to mention a safety or missed extra point — you have about as much chance to win as the Vikings when Christian Ponder was quarterback. (And oh, as a late addition, the season’s recent week 13 appeared to be lucky as there was a third “35” winner at The Mill).
— When the insurance commercial featuring the band Europe and their song Final Countdown was discussed at Dick’s Bar and Grill, the song just like that was played on the jukebox. The group shooting darts at the time referenced the fact that in the ad, the time to cook a burrito was being counted down, and that this might translate to the pizzas that were in the cue at the time. Just like that, the pizza making cooker dinged to signify that a pepperoni laden favorite was indeed done. Was this psychic pizza or mystic pizza? You decide.
— Along those lines, this series of observations about TV by Steve at Woody’s in Bayport, who apparently has too much time on his hands to spend there (while he could also be hunting): An on-tube family could be seen living off the land and in rags, but they have the money to use a barge and the needed vehicles to get all their equipment there. Their kids are seen wearing designer T-shirts, but where are all the malls? Stuff worth thousands of dollars is left behind in storage, so why not sell it instead of letting the unit go? And, this being the kicker for someone from Minnesconsin, can reality show stars in some remote areas of states, and needing to eat, hunt deer for all 12 months, even if they don’t have a license?
— There is Curry in the house at Green Mill Grill and Bar, in more ways than just flavoring food. As the Golden State Warriors are making their record run in terms of consecutive victories, a patron wore a jersey about the pro basketball team’s star guard by that name, as both kinds are hot. Just so happens that Stephan had scored 44 points on that particular night. Maybe its a good thing the deadeye shooter isn’t named after any of the parsley, sage, rosemary and tyme series of spices made famous by a Paul Simon song. (Particularly the rosemary. But possibly better, The Time). And as another late addition, the Warriors streak was snapped by none other than your Milwaukee Bucks, using their long arms like antlers to get in the faces of Golden State three-point shooters.
— What to do now if you’re Dennis4Tennis, the area’s most persistent netminder, since there was a Thanksgiving snow and the courts had been covered? You bypass the Twin Cities and accept a gig in Fargo, where there is a big indoor tennis center. This fits in well, also, because of an event there featuring one of his environmental causes, not to mention opportunities for a night on the town. He met up with one such colleague from the Hudson area, by chance, in Fargo and they took in a favorite tribute band, patterned after the 100th anniversary of Frank Sinatra’s birth. Except that the singer was Korean. That considered, he’d better stick to radio and not do videos.

It’s the time of year for jerseys, jerky and turkey, as the guys hit the woods to dress up deer, and the Deer Hunting Widows dress up in many other (and lesser) ways.
— There were almost twice as many Viking jerseys as Packer ones worn by Sunday late-night patrons downtown; maybe a party is the best way to forget a two-touchdown loss to the Pack. One of the Minnesota-friendly fans looked like a younger version of Jared Allen, although his sweatshirt and cap advertised a national forest located Out West. He and another fellow with equally long hair, like a backwoodsman, soon got up and danced much like the Viking cheerleaders. One of the bartenders wore a safe choice that was in-between loyalties — a Brett Favre jersey patterned after his Viking days. Meanwhile, late off-sale at Pudge’s was steady, presumably because Viking fans were getting ready to drown their sorrows, (we assume back home).
— The Big Game also played out big at Green Mill, where there was a good turnout and full bar for the Border Battle (Packer Backer?) buy-one-burger, get-one-free promotion held at this more-than-just-a-sports-bar, said bartender Shavon.
— There are a lot of bachlorette parties where the dressing is over the top, so why should it be any different on the week of Deer Hunter Widows? Such credence was given to a group who recently went (sarcastically?) in blaze orange, and shortly afterward were topped by a crew in metallic covered wigs.
In the past, there have been masked women, flappers from the Roaring Twenties, retro rockers from the Eighties, and everything between. Then there were the tutus, with very tiny hats for accessories, along with leopard shirts, (but dresses as you might guess on the bride and maid of honor).
And, in the spirit of the deer-shooting week-or-so, a trio had shown up at Buffalo Wild Wings in hunting fatigues, and considering that it was a rare slow night, they made up 20 percent of the patronage.
All of which leads up to a zinger. A group of one-soon-to-be-wed women made their way through the Smilin’ Moose a while back led by the obligatory huge artificial penis, and while that is not that unusual for such parties, what made it noteworthy was that coming in shortly behind them was a group of guys with an even bigger doll with a similarly proportioned artificial vagina. Both were bumping up against patrons. Maybe those two plastic units, and possibly the people carrying them, should hook up? These two pieces could get together for a piece.
— Bartender Sue at The Village Inn in North Hudson likes to talk about wildlife art, both the photos she takes of the birds and bees, etc. that abound in her back 40, as an alternative to hunting, and the ones she could take from what she sees from her perch at The Village. Although she adds there might not be enough film in the land for that. As Sue was saying this, we all watched on the big TV stupid turkey tricks, such as them messing up as they feed themselves — I guess that’s why they call them turkeys.

Hail to the Cubbie backers both locally and a bit farther away, as they and other Chicago sports fans belly up to the bar
(s), although they might have some competition for getting their game on the main screen.
— There have been some Cubs fans, who also are friends of the bartenders and therefore have some pull in determining what sports channel is turned on, taking in Chicago postseason
baseball games at Dick’s Bar and Grill. When the Cubs got blown away by the Mets, and again, fell one step
short of a World Series berth, those guys were devastated, but hey, being fans of that team they said they are
quite used to it. (As an aside, the thing the whole group said they’d found more enjoyable is there occasional
trips straight west  across Illinois to Iowa, in large part because of their notorious strip clubs).
Across the way in St. Paul — think of it as Hudson West — the fans at the Bears Bar that also is notorious
for showing some skin, Alary’s, found the Cubs appearance to be enjoyable while the ride lasted. The infamous
bar has had its share of workers from western Wisconsin, and one of the latest hails from New Richmond and at
one point shared stories of favorite venues with some Twin Cities patrons, who also are very familiar with St.
Croix County. The server said that her best fave is JJ’s sports bar and grill in Hammond, and she got no
argument from her beer-swilling patrons.
The longtime owner of Alary’s and its namesake, who played for the Bears decades ago, recently passed away, and
the newer management types say there will be changes made, such as drink specials. But what everyone, or at
least that often-referenced 49 percent in the population, wants to know is will those comely bartenders still
serve in bikinis.
— The bricks have been laid, in the downtown and on The Hill. At Buffalo Wild Wings, a hallmark of the recent
fullscale renovation is that one long wall, all the way up to the ceiling, has been redone with brick covering,
giving a homey appeal, as is done with the presence of lots of booths rather than high tables. Fitting is that
across one of their even bigger TV screens the other evening, was a simple headline saying, for whatever
reason, “brick by brick.”
Likewise, the ongoing renovation at Pudge’s, in this case of the complex’s northern parking lot, shows a
similar length of brick, or should I say stone. That’s because in this case that like B-Dubs also involves an
east wall, the pieces are bigger, much like concrete blocks, and the wall goes on for the same length as at B-
Dubs, although not the same height. The Pudge’s front door is now reopened following adjacent renovation that
had it shut down for a time, and bartender Whitney marked the occasion by taking a photo of the first patron
coming through. From the back of her post behind the bar, and across from it, new decorative effects had been
installed or re-exposed that include old-time foil wall covering, which meant the announcement of the specials
of the day have been shifted over to the location that had been the front window, now blocked.
The latest change is on the north wall and a portion of the west wall, where police-line-yellow-tape is
strapped to hold up whole sections of plastic tarp, with “caution” written in two languages. A big TV also has been at least temporarily relocated.
Just above the windows that had formerly been part of an art studio just to the north — a building that has
been slated for a winery to have a synergy with Pudge’s — are now signs that say Negret Wine Co.
Yet another downtown venue noted for its stone, this time bigger, as in boulders that fit in a stylish way
around a bar, is the lower patio at Smilin’ Moose.

Shifting gears, some things are signs of the times, and others are from a bygone era.
— An area auto body shop has had an odd choice of beverage in their vending machine — a couple kinds of beer
in a can. I was curious about whether you could buy beer in this way, potentially, 24 hours a day, so I stuck
in a few quarters but they did not take. Apparently this machine is a holdover from a long bygone period. But I
still must say, only in Wisconsin would you find this.
— Two more local bar and grill stalwarts have passed on, Denny McGinley and Kevin Smith, and their passing has
not gone unpublished on the marquees of various venues. Kozy Korner in North Hudson described patron Denny as
the man, myth and legend, and added about Kevin, the longtime operator of the Sports Club in Hudson before
being afflicted by a stroke, “Heaven received another angel, RIP Kevin.” The signs continued at the Agave
Kitchen, with the message: “Goodnight supper club legend Mr. Smith.
— As a last ode to Halloween, a singer with the One-Man-Band was wearing “boo” socks that were noticed by Jeff
because of the accompanying tennis shoes that are much like his in color and style, and also were pointed out
from the stage by the other singer at the time, Tracy.
— Since it’s fall, kudos for Stone Tap for placing outside their door a place to sit on, not benches, but a
good old-fashioned hay bale. You expect to see lots of potted flowers on main street, but not this.
— This T-shirt says it all when being worn at Dick’s Bar and Grill when it hosted a ravenously attended season
premier party for the Walking Dead series, right after airing of a Green Bay football game: “If the Packers or
The Walking Dead are on TV, you are not allowed to talk to me.”

Some of the other, later arriving, sites you can see around local establishments include:
— The Village Liquor Store in North Hudson suggests on their sign that they are the place to go for “Halloween boos.”
— The big moose head high up above the fireplace at, of course the Smilin’ Moose, is covered by a large sheeted ghost, and I’m assuming that means this actually Minnesotan beast is actually extinct.
— “Are you gonna go (carving) my way …” A youngster gained an award for crafting an image of rocker Lenny Kravitz out of a pumpkin, and that led to a part-time job offer in design, says a relative here from Ohio.
— A local server with a five-year-old who I’ve known for years and who still likes to go out when she can said because of his age they would “be tricking,” when I thought she had stated they’d actually “be retreating” from the holiday and its revelry. That just didn’t sound right, since the conversation was at the curved end of the bar at Dick’s.
— The band at Dick’s, one of many playing around the area on Saturday, will take on a different tack as far as time. The group The Way Out will perform from 7-11 p.m., it says on the big annoucement board at Dick’s. Usual band times, more typically on a Friday, have been 6-9 p.m.

Getting on the red-eye, and a wink for the camera eye, and the digits of a sliced guitar picking finger, (unless it’s Finger 11).
— You don’t want to be bleery eyed in front of the camera eye. That was a possibility when a North Hudson server closed up on a recent weekend, and had to leave for a locale in the northern part of the St. Croix Valley and get there for a photo shoot the next day at 6:45 a.m. She indicated with a certain glee that the shoot, with a female friend, was for a magazine specializing in specialty vehicles. We hope that all will see this as special, or at least a babe mag-net.
— The Black Sabbath guitar work of Tony Iommi, in particular the fact that he lost the tips of his fingers and that allowed his sludgy style to come forward, was discussed at our table recently. Jeff Loven, who has guitar wizardry of his own, was playing at the time, and just happened to come our way and show us the injured nail on his index finger, which was black and almost all the way removed at the base (not bass). It hurt, he said, but he still was forging onward, just as Iommi did when they were negotiating all the quirks of Ozzy Osbourne. All of which made us discuss Iommi even more.
— Singer guitarist Kyle was one of the specially hired performers on a yacht on the St. Croix River over Labor Day weekend. I wonder if he gave any of the partiers lessons on how to play classical guitar, which is a big part of his day job? Or monetarily, as he once regaled the bartender at Dick’s Bar and Grill, how a buddy made a killing buying and selling a significantly large set of up-and-coming electronic games online, only to have the transaction killed because the host thought the volume and subsequent cost were too out of line to be legit.
— The other night at the Smilin’ Moose, the long blonde locks of one of the patrons was being braided by, of all people, a guy who sported mostly quite different facial hair and also a buzz cut would not exactly make him an expert on the subject. A better choice might have been the guitar player with dreadlocks who had taken the stage just a few nights before.
— Speaking of taking the stage, with rockers the Danger Rangers playing in River Falls the other night, this might be the time to indulge in a Texas Ranger drink, which as a special has been much advertised locally. It combines Dr. McGillicuddy’s, cherry style, and liquid ice. So the sign suggests becoming cheery with all that cherry — but not necessarily a full-fledged groupie.
— A friend of mine says that she puts all her loose change in a 64 ounce beer can, which now is about full. She must have filled up on the brew back at the start, to empty the container so it could be filled again. And this didn’t have to be done by bellying up to the bar, which would cost some of those bucks, it could be taken care of in the comfort of her own home.
— Seen locally on the wall was an oversize photo of the Hudson Fire Department members, in quasi-beefcake calender style. At least they had straps over their chests, on account of the overalls that are part of their gear. Is this what artists call realism?
— Some patrons said that one of their favorite rockers, Ted Nugent, owns land near Houlton. I guess it must be an expanse for hunting, although not quite as gonzo as places in the wilderness, say such as north of Hwy. 8.
— There were two sprigs of flowers sprouting from the cracks in the sidewalk next to, note the name, Stonetap. And about 20 yards up the block were all kinds of plastic cover wristbands discarded in and around a waste disposal bin. That synergy brings to mind some of those tacky plastic flowers that you might buy, prior to going out drinking for Happy Hour, at a REAL discount store.

Signing on for songs, and some of the big NFL money that you might want to get your fingers into.

— The TVs at local sports bars reported that a pro football player who had a finger amputated after a fireworks accident had not yet signed his contract. Is that any wonder, that he would have difficulty “signing” his name with a finger missing? The offer was referred to as a “franchise tender.” I guess that his hand was, drum roll please, too tender to sign.
— A recent alternative music fest in Somerset sported seventy-or-so bands on several stages. Or, you could say that would be the number of singers signing on for “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son,” plus several more, (apologies to Iron Maiden). All I can say, to suscinctly invoke Zep, is that’s a whole lotta attitude.
— Heading the list of recent bartender departures, at places that include the following reference to Green Mill, is the longtime drink-pourer Bobbie. On staff there also for the last few months has been Billie Jo. All we need is a Betty Jo to make this seem like Petticoat Junction. OK, maybe that’s not something to strive for.
— The city of Hudson concert series on Thursday nights recently featured an Elvis impersonator, and a longtime (since preteenager) fan of the Graceland god, attended and like quite a few others bought a T-shirt, which apparently made some older women misty-eyed. He did have one concern, regarding the performance of an American Triology, which featured a youngster walking around waving a flag, which he thought that in these times was a bit over the top. One other thought he had, was that if you are older then the artist involved, than you are a “tribute band” rather than an impersonator.
— On another big recent music night, a man was seen playing guitar along the main drag sidewalk near the cigar store in hope of getting tips. He said that he’d done the same thing at River Falls Days. An odd twist was that he swapped a tip dollar or two for a cigarette. On a trek I did to Eau Claire, where I went to college long ago, I saw three such acts on Water Street — two duos and a solo singer.
— On Twin Cities radio station 93X, a comment was made concerning Rock Fest on the other side of Eau Claire, that they were playing a certain song, “so you don’t have to go to Wisconsin.” (Would that make it, as a notorious regional heavy metal song would have you believe, that this was a Wisconsin Death Trip?) I guess they’d rather keep concert-goers in the Gopher State for the simultaneously staged Moondance Jam, (oh wait, that would be a competing radio station).
— The British are coming! Or are they? It just so happened that on the afternoon of the Brit Fest car show on Walnut Street, I saw a classic car on Interstate 94. Alas, it was actually a 1964 Ford Falcon Sprint, not a Brit mobile. But then days later at the Smilin’ Moose, there were not one, but two groups of guys from England having a couple of brews, one of them looking much like Hugh Grant, (even the poofy hair was the same!) Then it came to light that one of the men actually might be from Sweden, the second time in a month that someone from that country has noticeably graced downtown Hudson. British vs. Swedish? At least both are from The Continent, and each from the upper part, no less.
— The smudging in North Hudson didn’t end with the Vulcans at Pepper Fest. On a following Thursday night at the Village Inn, during a combination of karaoke and bartender Devon’s birthday party, some of the mainstays celebrated by rubbing cake all over each other’s faces. Is there a song about this?
— A a recent Friday high school football night, the parents of the team opposing the Raiders, from Arrowhead, were said to have hit the downtown in droves after the final whistle. Might that have anything to do with the game’s outcome?
— Jeff Loven on a recent Sunday brought in an (occasional) second person to comprise his one-man-band act, a longtime musical cohort from way back, bassist Tom Davies. A friend Dan, who brought up that Davies had even played with the likes of the notorious band Slave Raider, went musically nuts over the collaboration.
Between sets, solo singer-guitarist Garret brought another notch to it, doing Machinehead by Bush. That’s a challenge for an acoustic performer. That reminds me of a Christian music fest a few years back at the Lakefront Park band shell, where a guitarist I photographed for the local paper was wearing a shirt that said simply Bush. I had to wonder aloud in my cutline, is that the band or the then-sitting president?

One was shot during heroism, another’s valor took much longer, and you could only see it at Buffalo Wild Wings if your timing was right.
— A man at The Village Inn chimed in on the “Batman” shootings in Colorado, where a couple of his relatives were some of the first ones shot at with guns. This is timely because a recent court action put one of the shooters behind bars for life. One of the members of his family managed to protect another from death by draping himself over them but still, one got bullets in the leg. The main heroic figure, though, went on to save others.
— A highly billed, Ultimate Fight night broadcast ended up going much longer than forecast when some of the bouts were slow in completion. The TV fight package, as viewed at Buffalo Wild Wings and other venues, for that reason did not wrap up its airing until after bar time. That was especially challenging for a very packed B-Dubs, since the establishment closes down earlier than most, at 1 a.m. It did mean, however, that they had a full house virtually all the way to the end.
— Some of those people, however, had to do without their Wings for about four days when the place underwent an extensive remodeling, which had workers going night and day. Two of those stalwarts, who are almost always there near last call, had to find other digs for a day or two. Myself likewise. We all ran into each other at a logical replacement across the street, that being Green Mill. The two women noted that they’d been seeing the dumpsters, so knew it would be pointless to trek over there. That didn’t keep one of them, though, from spreading the closed window awning with her fingers and looking through, just to make sure.
— Just prior to the remodeling shutdown, a worker was placing a sign across an archway, and that meant a ladder was temporarily blocking the main exit. I said to him that there was no way I was walking under it, as that could bring seven years of bad luck to myself and possibly my team, (probably if they are the Vikings?)
— Bartender Darren at the Village Inn replicated the actions of Kelsey at Agave, a fellow Canadian, and returned there to visit family recently, getting back just in time to play in multiple softball tournaments in multiple venues, (his mates just kept calling with late-breaking schedule changes). And after that is said and done, he has to work all Pepper Festival weekend, he stated with just a touch of a grimace. As the sign at the Village says, celebrate “the madness” here. As Darren told me this, a woman came up to the bar wearing a scarf around her neck that just might have (accidentally) been like Pepper Fest colors.
Just like at a place he worked before, Green Mill, where the Canadian parents of a Twin Cities network anchor, from KARE 11, came in and they all celebrated.
— The Kozy crew was out in downtown Hudson, all decked out in bright colored T-shirts that included blaze orange, to celebrate what one of the shirts said was: “The first anniversary of the second annual Hillbilly festival.” Again, is there an inside joke that I’m not getting? What I do get is that the suit-and-tie shirts, with the tie painted on, might not suit everyone.
— You might find it advantageous to quiet down a little bit! Part of the whole idea of trivia is to guess answers before your opponents at the same bar, so don’t go loudly showing out the Buzztime answer and giving it away well ahead of time, like was happening at Buffalo Wild Wings the other night, before the remodel gave way on the many screens to B-Dub TV.
— Rarely since the ’80s have I seen a couple of guys, in the same room at a bar, with the same really tight, form-fitting T-shirt that shows off their big pecs and biceps. Might they be members of the Minnesota Vikings, such as a group of very prominent linemen, one whom had been voted all-pro, who showed up at Green Mill back in the days when their running game was primo? And you know, the parents of one of their cheerleaders were at The Mill recently, (OK, I know there are rules against fraternizing, but isn’t that type of thing why some athletes and others come to Wisconsin?)
— The other night at Dick’s, a guy with perfect blond and coffed hair said, prominently, that he was from Sweden. A bit later, my self-described “artistic” dancer friend added that, since there was no one around to dance for presently, that maybe the Swedish Bikini Team would happen by. Coincidence?
— On the Saturday night of RiverFest, the city was crawling with older folks, some of whom seemed to easily loose track of just where they were, and where the rest of their party was. One woman, however, was right on top of an important matter, adding that she had worked in a bar for 17 years and knew what to do to get served just like that. She must have been onto something, because right at that moment both our drinks came.
— A bigger-than-usual bus, with a trailer behind it, was part of the Sonshine Festival entourage that traipsed back through Hudson from Somerset. That bus was even bigger than the ones you’d seen from OzzFest in years past. There also were smaller trailer-trucks, but hey, not all of these guys are big league rock stars.
— With the prominence of other area festivals that weekend, the downtown scene picked up considerably right after midnight on the final fest day, although it varied by venue. A bartender at the Village Inn in North Hudson said that when he was working an earlier gig on The Hill, set-up workers would come-in all during the week before the extreme mudder fest and party until close, then go back at it the next day. They were not needed during the fest itself, but would show up for tear-down, and partying down, very late in the weekend. A whole bunch of wedding parties came into The Village earlier in the evening, and considering the fact that just up the road was a Christian music fest, maybe that is not surprising.

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.