You care to talk about New Years Rockin’ Eve as far as a tradition? Rapidly reached that marker is Gary LaRue at the Bungalow Inn in Lakeland, with a crooning style that smacks of singers like Sinatra but is still all its own. Combine that with drink specials that are also all their own, and vintage wines, and you have the makings of an Eve that rocks without being out on the coast.
With the Wild Badger in New Richmond, there is music that gives you double or triple the sound, when it comes to names. The party is with Michael Paul and DJ Stacy goes on to 4 p.m., and there are also the party favors and other such offerings at midnight, like lots of other venues but more prominent. And on addition is a reserve ride home by calling (715) 293-2755, so you don’t necessarily need to watch your Ps and Qs so much once 3:30 rolls around.
Kozy Korner in North Hudson never has a closing time, so the party rolls on into the next day. And you want breakfast? Its available all that time, starting at 2 a.m., meaning that you can gets your eggs over easy and much more while rocking hard in such a way for the equivalent of the time of a football doubleheader.
Get to Fiesta Cancun early, as they are not so much the late nighters as some, but it will be worth it for their unique Mex styled drink specials.
For another kind of ethnic themed party check out the Spanish, Cuban and Latin influence at Pedro del Este. And its hard to miss the big urban ambiance provided when serving their small plate specials, which was mainly responsible for introducing that concept to the Hudson area and will not make you so stuffed that you can’t party all night.
For a total adult fare experience, hit the Cajun Club in Houlton to top off your eve and there just might be a lady named Eve ready to go her thing with you in one of their newly remodeled VIP rooms.
And for something also different, hit the roaring ’20s party at the Corner Saloon in River Falls with music by Abel starting at 10 p.m. Formal attire is encouraged and be careful not to spill on your lapel, as there are shot and drink specials all night.

The sights and sounds of the New Year can be maxed out with a fireworks display courtesy of Venture Fireworks, here in Hudson, in many different forms because of the wonder of sparkling snow — so forego the little black dress, get your coat and also gloves, and celebrate in a different type of way.
The crispy temperatures should be just right to make that snow glitter and glissen, reflecting itself in an additional kind of way, as they shine when fireworks are lit off, and the glow is maximized. And consider shooting something off over the frozen St. Croix River for added effect. They don’t offer that in the Cities. And there’s the festive aspect of the smell of newly shot off powder, to invoke an other sense. And Venture Fireworks is close by and conveniently located in the the industrial park just off of Interstate 94 by the truck stop.
But wait, there’s more, a third sense, and this one’s a biggie. There is the near sonic boom consideration when the bang bounces off the new fallen snow, to add to the experience, and it has various sounds and degrees, like the difference between treble and bass (insert the river effect again). Doesn’t this all make a case for doing this option as a last minute Christmas gift?
And the price is nice, too. Other vendors give you a two-for-one rate, which may be more than what you really need. Venture Fireworks gives you a great rate for those several things you really want, and choose the package that has more if you need, without the boilerplate stuff. And there are deep discounts — of at least 10 percent — on considerations that can fit almost anyone’s situation. And Venture Fireworks is open long hours between the day after Christmas and New Year’s Eve, and also by appointment in many other times of year.
If you trek three minutes up the freeway after crossing the St. Croix River, you can exit to get stuff that goes boom in the night and be back there in the time it takes to play a few favorite songs on the radio — then have your own party either on the water or in other wide open spaces of western Wisconsin.
So if you plan such a fireworks display soon, a prime place to consider is the longtime, locally owned and operated Venture Fireworks in the town of Hudson. Whether your party is big or small, celebrating the loud bang or the subtle pop, their staff that’s studious about the many fireworks they sell is waiting to serve you.
Venture is unlike other Hudson fireworks stores in that they have a very full staff and are much easier to find, being just a jaunt off the freeway rather then congested miles off of it, and offering a greater volume of choices as well. It is also a cut above, in a different manner, then those further down Interstate 94, as that requires people to trek all the way deeper into Wisconsin for a big box store. As far as gas and convenience, Venture Fireworks gives you more bang for your buck — a mid-summer night’s dream, also as an option, because you don’t want to wait when there is that sparkly feast for your eyes and ears awaiting, in addition to the coming of the current mid-holiday celebration.
They are open seven days a week until 9 p.m., so if you want to get some fireworks — even close to the last minute — this place is for you. And if you want to get a jump on things, they open in the morning. And as they say “we offer all the good stuff.”Venture Fireworks is conveniently located just off of Interstate 94, a jog north on Exit 4, just three miles east of the border with Minnesota. That border, a veritable lake of water, can make flashy reflections in summer too, as July Fourth comes around. Jeff Osbeck of Venture Fireworks is a longtime Hudson resident, so he knows a thing or two about them. He says how they are different from the big box stores for fireworks is the friendly and knowledgeable staff, who will steer you in the right direction to have a fun, safe and hassle-free experience.
Osbeck heard such high praise from a couple who recently got married. The wedding gift of fireworks he gave them created memories beyond the usual household items that are typically received. It was such a hit that a phone call was received from a long distance away on the wedding night, to say that the extra visual effect had made their celebration truly extraordinary.
There are military and cash discounts available, each at 5 percent. Venture Fireworks can be found at 631 Commerce Drive, Hudson, WI 54016, just north of Interstate 94 off Exit 4 in the town of Hudson. Contact them at (715) 386-8757, or at www.venturefireworks.com, or on Facebook. Please mention this article if you patronize Venture Fireworks.

Given the recent snowfall and the fact that we have dealt with a couple of holidays in a month, with another one coming later this month, and all of them are merging together, the occasion that a huge snowman has been built in back of Guv’s Place in North Hudson, is underscored by the proprietor Jess being petite and about half the size of that new creature back by the snow volleyball courts. (So its the perfect time to slot in the promised third installment of Halloween/Christmas coverage, the often tongue in cheek Ghost of Halloween Future). And if that reference is not timely enough, we offer the holiday merging play at the Phipps, Blythe Spirit.
–The layout of a big Halloween display on the way back from Starr’s Bar is much like the nativity of olden days, front to back and side to side, with a centerpiece. One wonders whether their although creepy intent was not to entertain but evangelize. Black Sabbath’s n.i.b., short for Nativity in Black, anyone? Or the cooly bespectacled Men in Black, m.i.b., the video of which is on sale now, but hey, you think HudsonWiNightlife is anywhere near that coool? Got to go to the Big Box Store! b.b.s.)
— The homeowners on the Hudson to North Hudson crawl (pub style yes, but also other varieties) always put forth some form of brightly bulbed decoration, to be there for the late-night people and their continued entertainment, after the music and right after Halloween, not prior to it. And the creative color scheme includes, in a way to allow two holidays to merge, hundreds of just-placed orange lights framing the roof edges of taverns, other businesses here and farther afield, and more residences, rural and city. There were a half-dozen roof edges at a single spot, in some cases, and one might surmise that they are there to help Rudolph with his guiding factor, be the lights orange or a single red, and timely in the way that this indeed is part of the rush to Christmas, just like shopping, although the reindeer component is still a few weeks away. Much like the fact that merchants were already pushing Xmas-gift type items before Halloween even arrived.
— During trick-or-treating time, the historic Third Street district was seriously, closed off to through-traffic by cops and if you wanted to get some of those king size candy bars the people there offer (screw the fun size) you would half to do most of it on foot while escorted by police. You would also have to have the recommendation of two former employers, a green card in some cases, a letter from your attorney saying you would hold everyone harmless to possible liability from accidentally tained candy, and lastly, take a drug test showing you were not under the influence of extreme chocolate and its sugar.
— I saw some bright horizontally striped, quasi-pylons, sitting in the median of a construction zone, and the way they were individually stacked reminded me of a bunch of Dr. Suess hats, planted in the ground, although the look was like the good doctor had been, gulp, beheaded. Cindy Lou Who was aghast, and organized an on-site ritual remembering her former nemesis to go through the end of the year.
— It has been two decades since there was a Wiccan national conference held in a great big farm field near Hudson. Double that for meeting again here and you have 40 years, with the requisite Biblical number at sway, and I’m not quite sure how that interfaces with the theology in a Christian holy book.
In fact, I was able to write a story I was also able to resell, by interviewing attendees after the fact, at Denny’s of all places. I was not allowed on site for the conference, since I veer toward Catholicism and there has been such a tradition of persecution by that group, that actual Wiccans that were there wouldn’t feel comfortable going through all their rituals with a Christian present. So what form a persecution took place, at uhm at that place? Greasy Denny’s bacon and eggs.
— It was the colors meeting, on Black Friday and with the beverage Lululemon (to be bought for drinks to get unstressed from shopping), rather than lemon drops, falling from sky.
— There are a lot of Stillwater ghosts, and they really come around for their 15 minutes of fame once a year. In fact, some of them get to strut their stuff in a pair of ghost tours — one of which keeps you in town and one of which exits the big downtown parking area stage north. Could they go to town, so to speak, and save lots of money by combining their marketing efforts? Let’s get Scrooge on the case.
— Screw Halloween. On Nov. 1, if you’re Lutheran, you have Reformation Day, which was celebrated with a big musical to-do locally. And there’s a fringe group, The Spiritual Awaking Church, that wants after hundreds of years to have another reform, of all kinds of spirits, and carry the holiday on until the next pagan ritual pops up that can be co-opted.
— When the campaign got going, there were a pair of mug shots below the fold of the Star-Tribune. One was of Donald Trump and the other of another obscure head of state. And not only did these look-alikes have the same facial features, they had the exact same bad hair! My guess is that the Halloween karma dictates that they share the same cell in hell, condemned to crack out executive orders for eternity.
— Tried to recharge an old phone, in a desperate attempt to take some Halloween photos, only to find out that it had expired. How old is that kind of phone, in phone years, I asked. “One of the first made.” Kinda like vampire years. Except in the long run, those creatures keep going, and going, and going … Better battery for that old phone?
— The news a while back was that hoidy toidy Edina led Minnesota and the surrounding area in OWI arrests. Must have a lot of stress when deciding how big a boat to buy, and now that we’re past Halloween and you can’t go as The Skipper and Gilligan, its time to get out your charge card. Step up to the St. Croix River instead? And as far as western Wisconsin law enforcement, they feel that the Edina cops are reigning in on their turf. So they plan for, on New Years, a cop on every corner. And if you got stung: “Dying in a den in St. Croix. Why’m I here? Can’t say.”
— Metro news was made when a longtime rock musician established a charity to help downtrodden people, especially those in the music industry, and there are a lot of them, judging from the tenuous financial status of some local players I know. Dredging through my memory after a night out with some of these people, I thought it was Tim Mahoney, who I’m guessing was in the mode of providing bologna sandwiches, (I apologize profusely for that bad play on words, which just might be a bunch of baloney, with the good intent of the sponsor). But seriously folks, everyone despite your status, accept the well wishes of HudsonWiNightlife for a wonderful Thanksgiving! Posthaste.

(And they are led by yet another lovely lady, a doe among the bucks as the hunting and holiday weekend continues, so top it off with some music as well. Take in the Drop Tailgate country band at the Wild Badger on Saturday, and read all about it in the Picks of the Week department. And check in there for even more ongoing Thanksgiving sweet!)

As a rapper might shout, “Three lovely ladies and a hag.”
And that hag has been getting services from more minions that even the tall spy guy in Despicable Me. (They took over my computer for an avenged sevenfold number of days, that being a bit more in actuality because of being in minion time — and invoke the Minion Union, sorry, bad joke — so its only now that the full moxie of the Moose could be unfolded by this writer).
So a Halloween night at the Smilin’ Moose, the king of area costume contests, came to bear! With the Ghost of Halloween Past, see further down in another post, cheering.
The winning entry, in a return engagement, was the golden through glitter Medusa who had snakes fashioned from rope that hung all the way down to her hips. This repeat performance a Medusa is actually a beauty, and has been going on for several years now, and the winner has cornered the market in winning contests, despite the fact — to carry the metaphor further — that she’s no spring chicken.
That would be the species of the young woman, obviously a gymnast not long ago, who had all frenetic the how-low-can-you-go moves and still had the athletic dexterity to turn and twist while rapidly going down and twerking. Her costume is another sports reference, looking much like just a basic volleyball player and still getting lots of applause while on the dance floor.
Less applause for the couple who, to have a full face, had half a mask on the left cheek (she) and half on the right (he). However, before the judging could begin, he took off his half mask because one side had gotten way too hot. Some non-rotating planets had the same problem in the solar system’s contest.
Getting more technical and setting the place alight, were the electronically and rapidly flashing via dozens of lights each, Mickey and Mouse Mouse. There was no part of them that wasn’t glowing, except maybe the tail.
And then there is the hag, more specifically a disabled witch with the teeth to boot. When see was able to make her way onto the waist-high judging table, with a little help from her minion friends, the applause was as loud as for most of the Friday night bands. She was carrying a baker’s dozen (poison?) apples, which were donated of course to her victims, not eaten herself, and a lot of lovelorn lads threw a buck or two her way to sample her fruit, so to speak. One got more personal with his donation, but stopped short of stuffing it in her shorts.
News from elsewhere in town:
Last seen in the costume contest scene where the more geriatric members of KISS, although showing as much face paint as that green witch, and they still felt like they had game enough to flirt with a nun. Oh, the trials of the clergy, as one local priest was recently defrocked, and his views were a little out there. He insisted that KISS stands for Knights in Satan’s Service. He prefers George Thorogood, although he’s no saint himself.
Then there was another kind of service. I wore a literal Big Head around my waist and two women, you know, gave it head, (no its not that bad, they just each took a side of my body by my pelvis. Would Elvis approve?).
The kids would when it is for Candy O-nly. But fifty-five of them did visit our Halloween House on that night, and that’s not the only thing that was streamlined. We were behind ourselves, as far as throwing cool stuff around the roof and yard, in a way where skeletons move and so do I. For this year it would only be a mass graveyard wrapped abound our large porch. Kids still loved it, but overnight our Thing, a hand that had dispensed candy, got gnawed down by a squirrel or raccoon. (Do the latter always get the bad press?) Ask our neighborhood, who didn’t get a single trick-or-treater! Maybe it was the presence of their skittish small dog, who couldn’t seem to choose whether to be Kujo or Cuddles. I encountered downtown a man who was released from jail a few days ago, and he told of a broken light fixture that appeared, before further inspection, to form skulls on both sides. Sitting atop these was a big floppy hat, or so he said it looked. Getting up and moving closer was what looked like ET. But while only a couple of steps away, it was all a mirage. OK … Lastly from that source, there was the usual lockdown that occurs daily, and the TV show in the general sitting area appeared to be showing, well, a lockdown. Followed by “Cops.”

The hauntings started early and went on and on and on, incorporating two different weekends, and giving an opportunity and no doubt a hangover:
So, in the Spirit of this week-long-or-so scare brought by the the Ghosts of Halloween Past, Present and Future as pertaining to the Hudson area, and we’ll give them a week or more to play with (sound like the Addam’s Family?) we now offer this three-straight-day (starting now) on the web site play-by-play:
The Halloween ongoing celebration could have as many manifestations as there are minions.
But first something more timely, would HudsonWiNightlife do that, a few updating bits about Monday, which was Veteran’s Day. Our favorite former prominent U.S. military sniper who can now talk after OK from his bosses — not including the sitting, and that’s most of what he does, president — and reporting after being back from the Third World, joins his new-found squeeze in sporting their do’s around town. With that hair, he is into all colors of the rainbow now that he is finally allowed, with Mohawks showing the pattern with various lengths and places of buzz cut A cool fashion statement, and I have to say the local cops might want to go over the top and emulate this superior style of cut, not prominent with them now, but sexiness sells and it would help them get on “Cops.” And with employment with the Georgia sheriffs, although bad styles are their calling card. But his new lady friend started with a cute blonde, total pixie look that was noticeable by its difference from the rest, with Hollywood-like pink bows that incorporated lots of hair on each side, that spread over time, to the rest of their folicles, and then was replaced again by a standard blonde look. My words cannot describe the ways both those haircuts are different from the rest that’s out there. “Bones” had no such claim to fame before he died after never really getting over his stint into Vietnam, but in sharing the old stories at Pudges for years, he loved to invent dozens of fictitious (or are they?), creatures lurking in the late night downtown or the St. Croix River. One such unavoidable example involves something that is an actual item on a downtown menu, called Tres Leches, if I spelled it right, as I am not French. Bones would have said that this was referring to his go-to-joke-creature, tree leaches, which were allegedly harvested in bulk for this and many nightly specials. I will throw in a reference to my friend, simply known in many of our circles as Walker Girl, who knew the Wisconsin governor well and got that quasi-joking nick-name in addition to having been in the military with her ex-husband. If jumping off the helocopter at the nearby hospital and trekking to places like Green Mill for a Monday mostly-free meal, with proper US ID of course, do both ends of a couple get the special? Based on any experience this web site has, we’ll let you know. Maybe they just got a free chocolate “drowned” dessert, need emergency services, maybe from their past buds, to attend to them? And that crew just might have been at the Buffalo Wild Wings in-between establishments where they have been known to often do carry-out. Maybe like the guy at the Army Recruiting Center as part of the strip mall that has been seen leaving his office quite late after a long days work, and might have to go one westernway place or another to “unwind” with Veteran’s Day specials. That situation might be allegedly less urgent than that those of some veterans seen at major highway interchanges, saying they will work for not food, but get this, their medications.
And maybe looking back a bit, but with Halloween on the cusp and then also glancing forward as well, (the Ghost movie motif), that “vegie” shirt should be hiddened by fog, in several of obscure instances that are connected to “boo” but range widely:
— The big ol’ fog machine at Dick’s Bar that’s there for 52 weeks, like so many old rock concerts, has been billed as the best in the Hudson area, much like that which was the dominant factor in the wee hours prior to the Frost Your Nuts Run; good luck as approaching the midst interchange of regional Hwy’s 35 and 94 in Houlton.
— And with highway (sorry but really a holiday, and high energy movie) minions, there just may be child labor laws, although a spy occupation might constitute an exemption, kinda like when kids spend most of their day video gaming. But what, was Bob the Tomato really Elmo, as I was wearing the former on my shirt on several times out recently, both official and non-official? And are both TV series depicting characters that young, and is their a range: That appeared to be the missue of bright red creatures that was on the mind of a young girl as she crossed paths with me on the sidewalk just outside of Starr’s Bar, and asked scores of pointed questions about the duo of Big Red. Also, I led the list as far as what’s acceptable for the weather, (my old ’80s shorts and rock T-shirt in an old ’80s band).
–Amongst the ghosts and monsters hanging from the ceiling, there is an entire skeleton rib cage at Guv’s Place in North Hudson. Might the large-size point to a huge moose that has followed rivers south? And just maybe the donor is the one whose antlers are displayed at the Smilin’ Moose (Would those dismemberments cause one to smile?)
— Is it Possible the Blue Bunny ate too much? That looks likely on the rabbit mascot’s display for ice cream at many late night spots, if you would want a carry-over binge to the sunrise, and thus get the same blown-up, distorted face as your host on haunches.
— It was kiddy cool and less scary masks, and looking like a skull in their various features, at some Locust Street businesses and their night-before-Halloween, walk up the trick-or-treating mini-hill. Blocks over, places kept their cool and stayed as a theme with their big steel-brewing-vat services, such as those at Madison Avenue in south Hudson and Swingbridge Brewing in south River Falls (hope they get all their rent issues totally taken care care of in the time it takes a skeleton or ghosts to breath (no lungs, get it?)
— The fall leaves gave very bright colors well beforehand, and they seemed to stick more than usual to the way-over-the-top blood red (fitting for the holiday?). An extention of that is the multi-colored Maple just down the road from Season’s Tavern, which has been known for the tree on its sign that incorporates red, gold, brown and green colors, and fits the picture.
— This is a question of Why Now, as it translated to some spraying of scary bubbly. I got my late-night soda from the cooler, brought it 12 steps (I’m assuming) to the counter without a drop being expent, but then it started spraying the liquid all over the back area by the clerks, like champagne. And what minion might have prompted this?
— The tip-top spider webs that abound can be seen best in the windows at Dick’s Bar, but again, there is just one window missing coverage. Could this be an opportunity for Andersen Windows in Bayport?
— Then, the broad web lawn decoration reportedly made by spiders, being erected just before darkness, showed a lot more veiled coverage then all of the women still walking their dogs past, as the sexiness of summer held off a little longer. But there’s more to it as the same duplex featured lighted a smiling pumpkin along my late-night walk, making a complete face across an entire two-door garage, the earliest decoration I had seen, think well more than a month ago, with carved-version pumpkins as eyes. And you gotta love this, during the day you could see a white skeleton fished with a white rod and real. For white bass? Just how would he eat these fish, being bones with no stomach?
— Does that top this candy corn reference? A house on the main drag between Hudson and North Hudson, which is slow mo for most motorists locally, so they can get an eye-full of the sights, has those same colors depicting a different entity from the aformentioned “candy” reference, that being a well-framed, hair-falling across the sides of cheeks Goldilocks lighting around a porch.
— Let’s just call him “J” as his full name doesn’t seem to be known, but he is a local guy supplying all the dozens and dozens of frequently refreshed pumpkins in patches for local Family Fresh stores (note that’s plural), just a couple of months ahead of the time when the longtime Hudson grocer was slated to be closing in mid-November.
— What was this beastie in our laundry room, on a closeline that nearly hit me in the face? It was a washcloth dangling like a dark red bat. This is a repeat of a story, although not breaking news, when there was an ACTUAL opposum, although deranged, living high off the hog by hangling face-down from that same place.

(Just a followup aside, to continue into your holiday and post-holiday plans for tunes and drink specials. All these venues in this raft of Halloween coverage have ongoing specials that kick butt as far as their costume parties, but also continue it forward into the week and beyond with their ongoing day-to-day holiday specials and great bands. Check out the last two entries on the home page, and also last three into the Picks of the Week category, for these cool opportunities such as local music, that will recur frequently and continue into November and well beyond — into the Twilight Zone?)

Had too much of the kids being “energetic” from boatloads of sugar gained by trick-or-treating? Here are some ways you can get away from all that and reward yourself later on with more adult-type fun:
— The big front room at BX Mexican cuisine looks a bit like many other tasty food places that are authentically Mexican themed, and all of that’s very much a compliment, as many people say the margaritas that are regularly on deep discounts are to die for. But in addition the main River Falls moves can be shown on the dance floor that operates in the back area, in what is kept in a separate space and has been a best kept secret to the average person before they drop in off the street. Although you may want to get there earlier, the establishments that have been housed here over the years, have looked to the sizeable back room as a popular way to wrap up your night out, almost like the handful of storied sprawling bar venues across the country that make you weave your way to the back, not knowing what to expect, but being deeply rewarding once you get there. As for Halloween night, it will be populated by somewhat younger ghosts and witches, as BX Mexican opens its doors to the back to an 18-and-over crowd as part of a regular Thursday night offering.
— The acoustic duo of some longtime area residents, Dan and Brad, is only part of the Halloween night draw at Pedro Del Este. As their servers say, there will be fantastically over-the-top libations of all types — and did we mention that the kinda wild revelry goes for their topped-off food too? If you want the real deep dirt, so to speak, of what’s going on here, check out the dozen or so cool chalk slogans, a benefit for their comedic value alone, that form a line on the sidewalk leading from the main drag up to Pedro Del Este and let you know even more of what the draw is.
— At their relatively new haunt, the Cajun Club has decked out dancers and digs and design, and they are showing it off with dancers dressed for Halloween night — in what little clothing they will have. And there are great specials in what constitutes a new twist, in both bar areas — one has been added in the dance hall itself to supplement the longtime separate sports bar facility in the south wing — for drinks and the kind of entertainment you will only find in the St. Croix Valley at The Cajun.

Its the bucket brigade when it gets to the sheer number of Halloween parties that begin this weekend, and there’s still time to cash in all in one Saturday or begin more of a week’s worth:
— Its been a new era for a storied history, as what is currently T-Buckets near Somerset on Saturday will again unveil the new side of them as it continues to unfold, with music in the form of a deejay and karaoke and also costume recognition. In former days you might have even had a runway to show off your costume. It had been a bit since the new owners had brought in bands, so better to tip your costumed hat to them this holiday, and at the same time try out the relatively new digs. Costume judging is at midnight and the karaoke experience starts early at 8 p.m. and there are snacks aplenty. So this is a full night of tunes.
— This has gotten a particularly first, we think, for all of western Wisconsin. The zombie drop-dead pub crawl incorporates all of the places in Hammond, becoming the only place to do such things in the Twin Cities area. And better yet, they all are in a few block radius, so there is less chance for giving any of those zombies a foothold to, well, eat your ankle, and hamper ways to get away from them. The day(s) where you really have to take care of that is Saturday/Sunday.

— The Wild Badger in downtown New Richmond has really jumped into the musical fray, and it will be shown by welcoming in a Halloween way the popular area band Sunday’s Regret, in an event that shows promise, despite its name, although being held prior to the holiday on a Saturday night. They are largely country, but a little bit (or more) rock ‘n roll. The reach of their popularity shows in that they traveled all the way to Ohio and recorded a YouTube video of Billy Idol’s Rebel Yell, deftly pulling off the slightly twangy and somewhat plucky rock guitar intro, as well as the screaming vocal attributes. When people comment on the band, two words keep popping up “party” and “wild,” so enjoy. And they will be back again regularly to the Wild Badger, and other area gigs, so you can catch them then also. And you just might see an update on this web site about their recurring gigs.
— And you thought the Stones have been around for a long time. The decades-long house band that has a member, owner Brad, at Season’s Tavern in North Hudson, Thirsty Camel, will bring to the show their frenetic way they attack their instruments, perfect for Halloween, and still keep the sound tightly under control. (And they do cover the Rolling Stones). The band will take a set break and ask you to give it up for all those in costume, and every year there are quite a few, and have them vie for a contest with prizes.
— If you want the primo in Halloween decorating at stores, and the wide range of different types of specials front and center as you come in the store to go with it, much more than just candy although that is a part of it too, you need to check out Family Fresh in Hudson. All of the aisles as you come into the store have many multiples of scary/spooky characters, and to top it off, there are dozens and dozens of pumpkins all around from a local grower, in that case much more than what is simply being sold. So courtesy of Family Fresh, you can be your one stop spook shop.
— The spirits all come out, and joins others, in the haunted brewhouse offered by Hop Barrel on Saturday through 11 p.m. The online promotional cartoon adds to the appeal of the comedic but mostly haunting affair, with spider webs strewn all over the page and its brewing metal of pipes and pieces and pressure gauges to get the quality just right, and the silly spider who we just have to assume is a brew master or at least his assistant. And of course there are some bottles positioned at the bottom, as this indeed puts the brew end in brewhouse. And in a particular transaction, its Nick at night, as a buddy of mine says he feels honored and humbled to have his own specially made beer featured for an entire week and patterned to take advantage of the Halloween holiday.

— Not to pad, but if you want to experience the true and authentic Irish-based traditions that would eventually lead to what is today Halloween, you can check out Paddy Ryan’s in the town of Hudson during this holiday. This goes back many centuries, a lot longer than even your average vampire’s life (or death), but the traditions we’re talking about are as fascinating as they can be somewhat graphic. Perfect for this time of the season.

It became Quick Six, not quite times ten, but for several others ironically celebrating with a quick fix on the same otherwise slow night, it was also time to get singing You Say Its Your Birthday, and the traditional song is always a part of it (hopefully there won’t be that unfortunate soul who feels an obsessive need to harmonize, “and many more.”)
— As these things go, at least I’m just the other side of 60. And a bartender friend said that rather than my just turned 58 years of age, I look 56. (Some have said more like 40, when I have my literal grayish beard — or is it white — shaved off). Be that as it may, I ran into old friend Stacy on my birthday weekend — as an aside she looks just like Kate Hudson, really, but a younger version as Kate has had more than a few additional birthdays. Stacy said it was not only her birthday that day, but that of three of her friends who also were celebrating there, not to mention a fifth birthday girl at the other end of the bar. They made up a full half of the patronage that night. Stacy wanted to make this an announcement, so she stood up and clinked her glass, (but make no mistake about it, not for a birthday kiss, I’m too old). But there’s more. The next night it was Jeff Loven’s birthday, so he had a sub musician come in, and there was even one more birthday girl who ended up getting thrown in the mix. The antithesis to all this celebrating is Matt, who is a very good and valued friend of Hudsonwinightlife, who has proclaimed that now turning 40, he is done forever with birthdays, even if there is a party involved.
Ditto with my dad, who whom I made some tentative plans to swoop up mom (who is more into music and loved a past karaoke night with me, and even wanted to stay in the crowd when I was ready to call it a night) and celebrate his birthday with a downtown band. It fell short because everyone needed to get to bed early, and mom said, if you had made this offer 10 years ago … But she is well versed in Bruce Springsteen, for example, whereby dad has never even heard of Ozzy Osbourne and for a long time considered all this Devil’s Music — he particularly didn’t like Revelation (Mother Earth) even though being a Bible Thumper — and mom, being the stereotypical German, felt obliged to follow suit when voicing her opinions. So when they come for MY birthday, its usually just stay home and forsake the local festivals as everyone took a nap, there was no going to any kind of harvest fest. An end note: When the noted local musician, the late Jeff Johnson, who even got a lot of mainstream national airplay over decades, said he wanted local celebrities to sing on his concept album and I was asked, and I told my dad I was flattered by the invite, and he shot back that they’re probably just a bunch of potheads. I said I didn’t know these musicians that well, just sing or song or two with them, and I don’t know what they do backstage! But I told dad, I didn’t respond about what I was going to do going forward with this possibility, just considered it nice to be in the same company as, say, my old friend Rebecca Kolls. And even though Jeff said he had written a song especially for me to sing, I wasn’t quite comfortable as being characterized as a “local celebrity,” although I’ve heard that term used many times since.
— And the new, sorta, car shows go on, and will surely be put on substantial display at one of the latest organized gatherings. There was the bumblebee with a flair of black flame, another car where the exact color ratio was a bit checkered, and then one more where yes, the base color was yellow, but there were literally hundreds of small decals decorating it up. And lastly, there was seen a bright neon car that could without winter coming be one of those environmental thingees not much bigger than a golf cart — even though that was often seen — that also had a burst of flame on the side door. And among others, would they be at the recent Willow River Car Club show in the town of Hudson? That recent Saturday had showers but only scattered, and a rain date was listed for the following day. Hopefully between the two …
— The Surly brew production area is open 24 hours, it was announced. They say that they’d prefer to be open 25, and would use that time to brew more beer. I think the Wisconsin drinkers made that a given — as they love their Surly without hopefully getting surly — or for sure the fact that there is a dark beer patterned after First Avenue in Minneapolis, touted at Darkness Days in Somerset, that is available even in the Badger State (insert geography references).
— Again about that eye-sore one-room wreck of a house on Monroe Street in North Hudson. Workers finally appear to be working overtime to put a finish to it getting rehabbed. Hence the big concrete pouring truck that blocked the entire street. If you wanted to make your late-night run from Season’s Tavern over to Starr’s Bar, as that would be the logical route, as if you’d be sober enough to micro-manage such details, you’d be screwed, to make another construction reference.
— A few days before the recent glimmer of snow, it was goodbye to the summer miniskirt. The exception might have been the blonde in a short skirt that showed off tattoos on both legs, which she freely displayed, especially to a newfound friend who was wearing more fittingly sorel boots, and was flanked by others with less-over-the-top-winter-coming foot gear.
— Lastly, village crews were seen posting a great big raft of directions onto the stop sign detouring Pepperfest parade breakdown crews to follow that advice. Only yards up the way was a great big hill, enough so that the typical “dangerous hill” sign has been posted just ahead of them 24/7. That’s a bit of knowledge that might have been more useful the next day, as we were moving into fall with festivals, especially if you’ve been imbibing a little too much in those funny peppers, oh sorry, that might be funny mushrooms (vegie of choice).

(For more updated information on how football colors our worlds on Sundays, and sometimes, Monday, Saturday and Thursday as well, see the Notes From The Beat Department).

Summer yields to fall, and football in this Sunday’s Real NFL opener for locals, as the entertainment options are in flux as seasons change:
— When do two join as one, which is especially poignant considering that its a Border Battle NFL weekend for WI and MN? Its Minnesconsin, and that particularly named brand of local craft beer. The big flyer (almost as large as a beach blanket as a last summer reference) on the window at Hop and Barrel shows its monsterly mascots, one from each state, flanking the Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers and connected by staples to their noses.
— This special is the Hot Ticket, for what else in Wisconsin, as all things are better with beer: Spice up your game day at Buffalo Wild Wings with not just their signature brewery “red zone” sauce, but also hot Nashville chicken and hot southern chicken, as well. But get them fast, before your team is out of playoff contention.
— This is a pitcher that, it seems, is more than just a pitcher: All day Sunday and during NFL games on Monday and Thursday, is the $5.99 pitcher for 48 ounces of Coors Light at Green Mill. Just to stick it those mountain climbers, the house claims an exemption for Denver Bronco fans (just kidding).
— Catch the order here of teams listed top to bottom, which tells the Border Battle tale via a sports sign at Season’s Tavern in North Hudson: First up are Brewers, then Packers, and Twins and finally Vikings. Fitting?
— And its that time of year again for the good ‘ol GM as I call it … A woman at Green Mill said that yes, hey, its an initial weekend of Packer football and how does this affect my life. What followed with the other patrons at the bar was a NFL team-per-state, almost, lesson in geography per stadium.
— The music at this weekend’s Bacon Bash in River Falls will be much like some of the more fatty varieties of that meat, not as tasty as it could be but still something you will like if you are a long-time fan of the tried and true and at this point in their careers, predictable. Most of the bands are some of that and in bacon terms are “boiler” plate, like the veterans of the local scene Tommy Bentz Band and Everett Smithson. But since this is a meat fest, you have to love this choice of band names, Little Wing, on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. You also have to love the pig photos/art work, and the live radio broadcast of the big NFL game of the day.
— Better to vape too late than not vape at all, as there was a Friday the Thirteenth themed super special at places around town, and people I know will vouch for its value with various and varied vape varieties being vaunted. The observance is rumored to run into the full weekend, all day and into the evening, for you stoners who are just getting up. So why am I first reporting this now? Call it being superstitious, but I have a fear of publishing much of anything on the Friday the Thirteenth holiday. So its today, and to mention an industry buzz phrase, the whole thing could still be “flaming” onward.
— To combine a pair of weekend observances, the guy right in back of me in line at Freedom Value Center, sporting a Packer shirt, looked just like one of the stoners in one of those Bill and Ted movies. To his credit as far as being astute, he saw that I was carrying only one item and reiterated that I should go ahead in line. Guess he hadn’t smoked his joint first.
— This Saturday’s Prairie Burn music festival at the forever-venue band shell in Lakefront Park has nine acts, the most noteworthy among locals being Reed Grimm. (No truth to the rumor that opening for them is the Grim Reaper, which rolls off the tongue much like the local guy’s name if you can for the moment be dyslexic), by Blue Oyster Cult.
<From the vault>
— There is still no word that if after the recent concert at Treasure Island, Kid Rock made an appearance in River Falls, much less on his way to”summer-time in Northern Michigan.” That’s where you might have found him, in RF’s Emma’s Bar, back in the day. His then squeeze, James King, partied at one time way back with her good bud, RF supermodel Frankie Rayder, and yes, they both have the masculine sounding names. Also no word if Van Halen — again repeating history — partied down for several days at the Afton House Inn after their recent gig.
— Hey buddy, the classic British car show was last month. Or maybe it does fit. He was seen at the host venue, Dick’s Bar, wearing more then just a kilt, but the whole enchilada, so to speak, of bagpipe-player attire.
— Hey Carmen, the maiden herself, how was that Iron Maiden concert you saw in the Cities? I will have to say that Bruce probably cranked out Run To The Hills better than Carmen has seen me sing while she’s  waiting in the wings, much like being backstage, even when I brought down the house. At the moment, I’m flaming with song much like the Wicker Man; I’m sure Carmen knows the reference to that long forgotten classic, a staple of mine lately and rediscovered, if only by me, so lets Go Blondie!

If you are Season’s Tavern, put up the tents and they will come, in many cases foresaking the Pepper Fest across the street and doing their socializing during much of the time that weekend at the historic Season’s venue, as they have for years. And you can bet they’ll be back in as autumn unfolds.
It has been a tradition for many people for the course of the last decade to spend a few hours, or more, at the Season’s decked out parking lot before going over to Pepper Fest park — or just staying at the grill and bar for the entirety of the fest weekend. On Saturday afternoon, there is the famed house band playing that has been around the region for even longer than the Season’s tenure, Thirsty Camel, and their wicked wings challenge, a food-fast-chuck-it-down annual competition that rivals the eating contests that are kitty-korner across the street. As they say at Season’s, with more than one meaning, beware if you are a chicken. And people check them out during the parade too. And if people tire of the Pepper Fest music, some of it boilerplate, or the Sunday coronation, you now know there is a option, which indeed is ongoing — much like the fall colors shown on their sign — because of all the amenities offered by Season’s. And those who swear by Season’s will be back, so stop in and see what all the fuss is about.
<The festival preview unfolds>
It was early Saturday morning of the Pepperfest at the Season’s lot, and the six long tables under the menagerie of tents was already full, and there were a dozen people clamoring to get quickly through the line and obtain the refreshments available at a kiosk set up just for the day. A woman stopped enroute to smell the flowers, and possibly peppers, next to the sidewalk. “Damn,” she said, and that says it all about the ongoing hoopla. She was passed by a guy holding a takeout container, again maybe with peppers, just exiting the Season’s area, even though it was not yet lunchtime.
Two Season’s this-weekend-annually regulars under the tent framed what it is all about and what keeps them coming back. Robert, who has done this for years, said that its largely the people, staff and patrons, who are available for both quick chit-chat and also longer conversations, as well as the food and drink, and just the overall ambiance of both a party and at-ease just hanging out that brings them back. He always makes it a point to stop at the Season’s lot first, and foremost, for a few hours before venturing across the way, and stressed that this before-and-after pattern is intentional. He noted the rationale behind having such as fest, raising much-needed money for a North Hudson school, and seeing a need and just getting it done, and he is gracious about contirbuting to the effort. And Season’s can relate to that, being community minded and just liking to be part of such an effort. And at the other end of the three tents, closer to where the band was setting up, Jim said he has been an area resident for, count ’em, 26 years first in North Hudson and then in the past several years Somerset, but Season’s back in North Hudson has always been Pepper Fest weekend home, and return visits. He even recalls days with Brad, the owner, back on Grand Avenue in St. Paul when that was the gig he was running. These situations mean your name gets around, as Season’s fame is spreading. A mutual friend, Jeanie, who has worked at McGoverns Pub on West Seventh for about that amount of time, knows Brad from back in that day, and the mention made her face light up. They both speak very highly of each other, both personally and professionally.
<Pre-Pepper Fest planning>
All this doesn’t happen on a wing and a prayer, not even the wicked wings challenge. Or does it. Brad and his two bandmates were on the patio Thursday evening and I asked them if they were doing some pre-concert prep as far as things like song list. The answer? No, we have played for decades starting in Minneapolis-St. Paul, and that longevity has meant they can make their tight-played but still-full-of-flourishes sets come about like clockwork without a lot of kibbitsing. Meanwhile, inside in the main restaurant area, a server at a specially-all-set-up-booth for just this weekend thought this whole shebang was worth a lot of publicizing. “Cool,” she summarized.
— Meanwhile, if you wanted to get around the immediate area (read, a few blocks worth, and beyond), flag down the — you read this right — bicycle, on the very front end, converted into a rickshaw that can get you around also. Other rides are available, as well, but this has got to be the coolest. It has Christmas-tree lights flashing on the top cover, and showing a bow to the best of newer aspects and technology, a comfy seat where you sit. Thing your favorite easy chair while getting around and sort of being chauffeured. Contact Shawn Gary, as he is back new in the area, at (612) 701-9664.
<And the fest preview takes center stage>
As the parade and beyond wrapped up, there was a (magic) bus, school bus that is, going up the way toward Fourth Street as the Pepper Fest stars took center stage. A bit later, there was another big vehicle hauling butt and carrying a porta-potty too, what gives with that?
These thingees were trekking past the place known around North Hudson as the ultimate man cave, but it has been shut down for a while by the proprietor for health reasons. So at the annual Cherry Circle cul de sac party, that was part of a preview for Pepper Fest during National Night Out, had the party center replaced — and put up in short order — by some new to the neighborhood, a floating bar rail as wide as such a truck.
The Freedom Value Center, of course, was at the center of things, and while waiting in line to pay for gas, the guy in front of me pointed out a great deal opted for by the guy in front of him for — go figure — beer now in 30 pack, that’s 2.5 dozen for only about a dozen dollars. I told him, the guy in front of me not the patron in front of him, that it was my guess everybody’s stocking up for the Pepper Fest weekend. There at first was no reaction for that one comment, he kept looking straight ahead, but then he opened up. He said their work crew is from Minnesota, so they always get the cheap beer while doing jobs here. I guess that means Spotted Cow is not on the grocery list. So, I said, you must be familiar with Pepper Fest, and the elixer to wash down those hot peppers, and I got only a glimmer of a smile, then turned his head a bit. The next day, a T-shirt worn by, again, by the guy in front of me, said “Our State has been outdrinking your state since 1848.” Funny.
It then was noted that in the good ol’ U.S. you can get beer cheaper than milk, and not just in Wisconsin with it being the Self-Proclaimed, or did I just proclaim it, King of Beer (screw Budweisier and its state of origin). Cheese is another story. What a country. Or is that so, or such a good thing?
Spoiler alert. I know that there now are at least seven spots in the village where the cops sit while trying to give out tickets. That is the word to the wise for all those people from Minnesota, but I am not going to give those locations away, as we need the revenue.
Up a ways, there was a Kozy Korner kiosk, or actually a float, being assembled, but in a way that compared to other years, was more over the top, and Freedom was not to be outdone via hosting their sweet corn stand.
Not in this case the peppers of choice, Kozy’s contraption this time even had a roof, which just might have been needed for the rain that also disrupted the viewing of the first Packer Preseason Game, for those venues without the Sunday Ticket and trying to get it by dish. And down one block toward the river, a crew looked like they were dismantling a stop sign, when in fact they were erecting a detour sign in conjunction with the parade.
But the earliest activity in the week was at the house that hosts dozens of people each year for a huge yard party, and it also was erected in a hurry, in a matter of hours, with cars up and down the street that would have to be moved by two days later for the parade route. Again rain considerations.