There is still nightlife to be found, in the form of bands in a number of places, even though New Year’s is not quite here. So trade in those contest-worthy ugly sweaters for Christmas gift sweaters, look holiday-ish and come on down.

Leading the way is one of the first times around in the Hudson area for the revamped Ten Mile Creek. After shows in recent months in New Richmond, S0merset, Osceola and Boardman, the band with country and other stylings, “smooth jams and smoother harmonies,” comes to the Willow River Saloon on Saturday night, Dec. 28. The band added a veteran drummer, Nancy Long, in summer, and a guitarist and vocalist providing some of those smooth harmonies, Sharisse German, (a daughter of one of the band members), about this time last year. So as one of their fans put it, come down for some “dancy dancy” on Saturday night.

The ugly sweaters from last weekend didn’t disappoint, and even got down to natty leggings and shoes, but there is more to come …

Woody’s in Bayport has its ugly sweater contest this Saturday night, Dec. 21, and judging from the photos posted on the bathroom doors, of staff and patrons in their clothing from the previous year, there can be beauty in ugliness. There will be prizes for “best” bowling league attire at 9 p.m. and one you might really want to hit, similarly outlandish garb by patrons at 11 p.m. All this is encouraged by various “loopy” drink specials and appears to be working, as what a bartender said was certain to be hideousness was already on display by 1 p.m. (I told her that being hideous is in the eye of the beholder, and added that this phrase was coined by a failed fashion designer).

By the way, ads in recent circulars from the likes of Staples and Goodwill say they can be your ugly sweater headquarters, and the nerdy guy on one of the covers proves that point. So does the necktie worn by “Sketchy” while working at Green Mill, which shows a positively glowing Santa adorning, and/or adorned by, an-over-the top streetscape.

But not all Santas were bad Santas, as far as fashion. Earlier in the day, they were yucking it up with children and getting their toy lists at both Dick’s Bar and Grill and Kozy Korner in North Hudson. But as they say, that’s just for the kids.

If you think Friday the 13th is ugly, look at some of the sweaters that are about!

— Dick’s Bar and Grill is celebrating this Friday by making it lucky — this from the home of the Lucky Dog house beer. Tonight’s Lucky dart tournament, with of course a luck of the draw format that is double elimination, starts at 7:30 p.m. and you can still see a bartender for entry if you hurry. That $10 entry fee also gets you a drink token, and selected snacks from Dick’s menu, which I must say can be highly creative. There also are cash prizes for best shooting,  random drawings and the gift basket giveaways that are always popular during the holidays. The game of the night is 301.

— For the second straight year, ugly sweater contests are all the rage. The season started with an informal one at Kozy Korner in North Hudson on Dec. 7, which later saw the natty attire flood into the downtown. On Saturday, Dec. 14, there is another obtuse sweater night, with the participants going the Old School Hudson party route by starting at Pudge’s Bar and working northward up Second Street. It is was started by some people who prompt me to evoke Charlie Brown and his infamous sweater with the bending line at the bottom; with that reference, I’ll get back to the subject and introduce to you someone I’ll simply refer to as The Little Redhaired Girl and her friends, who are the organizers and invite you to join in. You may even see a Christmas Tree themed sweater complete with lights, ala Linus. (Please note that the organizers of this informal pub crawl did not authorize my use of the Peanuts references and are not responsible for who might show up in what).

— All these contests remind me of the beanbag toss tournaments held at, and filling up, the parking lot at Guv’s Place in Houlton, and the fact that someone actually complained about the one last fall to the St. Joseph Town Board! I never thought someone could be so namby pamby, but it goes to show that it’s never too early to be a Grinch. Look for more such tourneys in the new year, possibly as early as spring, since ice on the boards make the bags slide off. They’ll simply have to be stored overwinter by patrons, although one noted that she has some mice that gnaw holes in her bags. All this extra time will help the selling of custom beanbags by Wayne, who has his poster on the bulletin board at Guv’s, although they are a bit pricey.

Weekend events offer a chance to honor some people we miss, by having some fun, just the way they would have wanted it:
— On Saturday afternoon, Dec. 7, a fourth annual dart tournament will be the highlight at the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt, “in memory of our passing team members,” Dan Anderson and Tom “Blackie” Bednarek. “One of them is my dad,” said Chad Bednarek, adding that the men were into darts with a passion, and also valued the companionship that went with it, and the opportunity for everyone to just have some fun. He added they are sorely missed. The format is luck of the draw casino style, with signup at 11 a.m. and the first darts thrown at noon. There is a $10 entry fee and darts isn’t all that’s being offered; there are also raffles, silent auction and toy drive. Toward that end, proceeds go to support Toys For Tots.
After the benefit wraps up later in the afternoon on Saturday, you might consider staying for the evening’s band, The Flashbacks. The acoustic duo Saving Starz takes the stage on Friday night.
— If you’re tired of all the holiday hubbub, kick back by renting one of the six Fast and Furious movies, starring Paul Walker, who died in a recent car crash. What you might not know is that Walker has strong ties to Hudson. An up-and-coming young actor named Alex Neuberger, whose family lived in Hudson for many years before moving to Woodbury, Minn., was Walker’s co-star in a mob flick, Running Scared, that was filmed largely in Europe and put both of them on the map. Walker vowed to stay in touch and come here to do things such as snowboarding. While Walker then did many action movies, Alex followed by playing the canine’s owner in the Disney version of Underdog and also has done a lot of modeling. The family still has many relatives in Hudson and the immediate area.
— Bars such as Guv’s Place in Houlton and Woody’s in Bayport were hoping people would get out of the recent cold and winter doldrums by celebrating Repeal Night. What’s that? The places offer Batch 19, “a pre-prohibition style Lager,” and there were specials Thursday to commemorate the rolling back of that decades-ago ban on alcohol. Speaking of such things, Dick’s Bar and Grill has posted information saying it’s the oldest continuously running bar in Wisconsin, dating back to 1860, because it never closed due to prohibition. Does J. Edgar Hoover know about this?

There is lots of music to be thankful for over the holiday, and much of the rockin’ starts out early in the evening:
— A band that is relatively new to the area, Moonlight Mirage, brings its variety dance band music to the Village Inn in North Hudson on Saturday, Nov. 30, starting at 8 p.m. They are constantly adding new songs, and those you are likely to hear include those by the late Amy Winehouse, the Foo Fighters, Little Big Town, Kesha, ELO, Katrina & the Waves, and the B-52s.
— There is a doubleheader of the band Practical Goods this weekend, Friday at Dick’s Bar and Grill from 6-9 p.m. and Saturday night at Guv’s Place in Houlton. The married couple, who hail from Hudson, play all kinds of venues including wine bars and fairs and festivals all around the St. Croix Valley and Twin Cities metro area — and even in Austin Texas. The duo features original music by Sarah Van Valkenburg and also “red dirt” Texas country as well as other country music styles, and mixes in Americana and some rock.
— Singer and guitarist Kyle Kohila also played Guv’s on Wednesday, Nov. 27, and his sets included an acoustic version of Shook Me All Night Long by AC/DC, as only he could do it, followed by a rocking out take on Folsom Prison Blues by Johnnie Cash, and then a tune that smacked of slide guitar in Mother by Pink Floyd.
— Various venues were closed for Thanksgiving Day, but some were operating on a kitchen-only basis, most notably the free sloppy joes at Kozy Korner in North Hudson. Also, the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt offered a complete turkey dinner, as well as the band The Mayer Brothers on “Thanksgiving Eve.”
— Dick’s had a deejay extravaganza on Thanksgiving Eve, and it featured a rare all-request night.

Hear’s the Skinny on how to get a load of pre-holiday fun, feasting and dancing.
— After a while now, the New Skinny is back at the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt on Saturday night, Nov. 23, and after spending as much time as busy family men can in rehearsal, they’re continuing to unveil a bunch of new songs. That’s according to Rick, the bassist for the eclectic band, who noted that these new ones cover the gamut of the styles they perform, which involve rock tunes that are not overly hard in tone.
— It already is holiday donation time, and at Dick’s Bar and Grill you can get into the spirit by literally buying spirits. These come in the form of the beer of the month, Finnegan’s Irish Amber, which will cost you $1.95 before 10 p.m., with all profits going to feed the hungry. So, why not involve another holiday, Thanksgiving, by coming early to Dick’s next Wednesday for the Thanksgiving throwdown, dance to deejay music and support a good cause all at the same time. After all, it typically is one of the biggest party nights of the year, especially for deer hunting widows and returning college students, as you can drink until you get your fill, then hours later stuff yourself with turkey.

Now that Halloween has gone bye-bye, the main event for this weekend is the annual customer appreciation celebration at Dick’s Bar and Grill, otherwise known as Lucky Dog night, after the house variety of beers. The band Less is More will play during the Friday, Nov. 15, gala from 6-8 p.m., but you’ll want to stay longer for the specials of free appetizers and — as is fitting — the $2 Lucky Dog beers and “more surprises.” Even the mascots at Dick’s, the llamas, can appreciate that.

The Raiders have no regrets, as is right regarding the rock band Regret.

— Kozy Korner in North Hudson is your headquarters for Hudson Raider football when they use their potent offense to continue their march through the ranks of the state playoffs, with a game at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9. There is a free drink waiting for you if you arrive by gametime and wear a football jersey. The staff will cut you a little slack if you’re a bit late and miss the opening kickoff or the first play or two. They are even nice enough to look the other way it you don a jersey that is not of the Packers, Raiders or Badgers, such as one from that awful team that plays across the river. Just don’t wait until halftime to show up and listen to the Raider play-by-play, against a squad they also faced last November, from announcers who have become fan favorites. For bonus coverage, the Badgers can be watched as they take the gridiron at 2:30 p.m.

— For something different than football for your Sunday night, the band Regret takes the stage at Shooter’s in downtown River Falls. They hail from the burgeoning hardcore punk scene in Minneapolis.

Costumes and carving aplenty this weekend:
— The Halloween costume party at Ellie’s on Main is “so cold, it’s scary,” with the proverbial Silver Bullet making things interesting on Saturday night, Nov. 2 — $4 Coors Light in 24 ounce cans while supplies last. And that doesn’t even mention the prizes, at any event where the ratio of dressed up patrons to those not in attire is as good as you will find. They will gather on the dance floor, with spectators lining the aisles, at 1 a.m. to vie for a $100 first prize, $75 second prize and a $25 third. And there is a raffle every half-hour from 9-11 p.m. for a $10 bar tab.
— At Dick’s Bar and Grill on Saturday night, Nov. 2, the New Skinny plays music and with a name like that makes one wonder what a perfect costume could be like. They bill their costume party as a Halloween Extravaganza, with dancing going on in a room with, count ’em, 55 big paper pumpkins hanging from the ceiling along with skeletons and two disco balls.
— On Friday night, Nov. 1, Woody’s in Bayport has theirs titled as a Halloween Bash, with a whole bunch of prize opportunities for costumes. Leading the way is $200 cash for best costume, and a $100 gift card for second and a $50 gift card for third. Prizes also are given to the three qualifiers at 10 p.m., 11 and 12. The big prize is given at 12:15.
— Green Mill has a pumpkin carving contest where you can bring yours for prizes given — in the form of cash and bonus points — at 6 p.m. on Halloween. Kids also eat free on that day.

Halloween parties with costume contests everywhere, some with bands as well. (Just ask mom):
— Since the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt is in the same building as Carbone’s, you can arrive a little early to their Halloween party on Saturday night, Oct. 26, have some pizza, then go dance it off and possibly claim one of three cash prizes in their costume contest. The band Still Runnin’ will provide diverse sounds and encouragement to those who are dressed up to strut their stuff, and get some cool stuff, namely monetary prizes and drink specials.
— Mom truly knows best, even on Halloween. She will be the main one to select nominees for prize-winning costumes at the Kozy Korner Halloween party on Saturday night, picking out the top three or four dressed-up people, who then will be given a chance to strut their stuff for a $100 prize for best costume, and gift cards for second place. Judges at the North Hudson grill and bar will gauge the crowd to determine exactly when to hold the selection time, but it will be around 11 p.m. The party officially begins at 8 p.m. and goes to close. “That’s gives people a good three or four hours,” one of their openers said about the chance to be seen. There will be Happy Hour all night and free jello shots.
— Across the street in North Hudson, the Village Inn will have a zombie theme and costume prizes at their Halloween party on Saturday night, which will also feature the band Rhythm Roosters. And also in North Hudson, a mile to the south of the other events on the main drag, there is a party with prizes for costumes slated at Seasons Tavern. So, if you are a dress-up professional who wants to hit as many parties for prizes as possible in a short time — and we know you guys are out there — this Saturday might be just the thing for you.
— This Saturday is also the last chance to walk the Dreadwood Haunted Forest at the County E paintball course northeast of HUdson, and perhaps visit one of the consoling psychics on hand as you exit their maze. The forest is so spooky that a flyer takes 106 words to describe all the necessary precautions, medical and otherwise, for walking this fright fest. Tickets are $12, with $2 off if you bring a canned good or non-perishable food item. A portion of the proceeds go to charity. All visitors in line by 10:30 p.m. will be admitted. But if you go, keep in mind their motto: “No hayrides. No escape. No mercy.” For more information and directions, call (651) 224-3003 or visit info@dreadwoodhaunt.com.
— River Falls is also haunted. The Corner Saloon is having the band Haunted Wisconsin bring-in their hard rock sounds for a concert on Saturday night.