(If you can’t wait until closer to the end  of the month to have the music in you, check out this web site’s Picks of the Week department for a primer on how to make like a rock star and win Bungalow Idol).

While the Hudson Hot Air Affair has a big blow up with the requisite ballooning activities, it also features a wide range of music downtown, in differing styles, and it all follows the Super Bowl theme. (The local event has been moved up a week, to Jan. 26-28, because of the big game in Minneapolis.
The following is a primer for Hot Air Affair music:
— A signature activity is the Taste of the Hot Air Affair, Touchdown Hudson XXIX Edition, with local rockers Boondoggle providing the music. (They will tone it down for this gig so people can converse). The times for this opportunity to sample all kinds of good stuff is 7:30-10:30 p.m. on Saturday. The Boondoggle genre is “variety country/rock. We play music by Elvis, the Beatles, the Stones, Skynyrd, Led Zeppelin, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Dwight Yoakam, and anything and everything around and in-between.” Moreso than almost any band, they cover the gamut of five decades — the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and even the 2000s.
Band members — some local people you may know — are Brent Ackley, Dawn Budrow, Jim Ehlers, John Wolf and Nate Dahl. Their hometown and continuing onward, current location is western Wisconsin, namely St. Croix County. “We like music with good harmonies, dancing beats, lots of telecaster “twang” and hot guitar solos,” they say.
“Boondoggle has been terrorizing the region with loud rock ‘n’ roll and badass country music since 2002,” members say, “playing our version of hundreds of popular songs over more than 200 gigs.” For this gig, they have turned done the volume, so to speak.
They list their band interests as rowdy bars, bachelorette parties, dancin’ fools, wedding dances, barn dances, guitars, cadillacs and cold brewskies. To further the humor they say that they are “just one hit shy of being a one hit wonder.”
— On Friday night, starting at around 9:30 p.m., is the group Junk FM at the Smilin’ Moose. They fire off partygoers’ favorite songs with unexpected twists and surprising changes of pace, sporting a song list as diverse as you will find. They say that on more than one occasion fans have confessed: “Junk FM RUINED some of my favorite songs – when I hear the originals all I can think is ‘I like Junk FM’s version better.’“
With genre-bending mashups and juxtaposing styles, Junk FM just wants to see how ridiculous the dancefloor can get over the course of the night. From Garth Brooks to Lady Gaga in one slamming step, simultaneous Eminem and Green Day, Cee Lo Green meets Rod Stewart, all while stealing your drink!
— But rock music is not all there is at the Hot Air Affair. Anne Deming takes the stage at Urban Olive and Vine from 6-8:30 p.m. Friday. “I write songs and tell stories with my guitar,” Deming says, adding that this is a common genre, with solo guitar plucking being typical, but critics say she also has a voice that carries her to the top of this style.
Seductive and confessional are the adjectives that come to mind when describing these songs. Dealing with life, love, and accompanying emotions, Deming is said to have a voice that comes close to, and stacks up favorably, to a more angelic Natalie Merchant. Standout tracks include the blues oriented “Not The One” and “Talk Me Down,” as well as “Bring Me Happiness,” a gospel-flavored number sung a cappella.
— Also at that Urban Olive and Vine venue, at the same time frame on Saturday evening, is the duo calling themselves Quinn and Meter. Pat Quinn and Peg/M.Etta Meyer perform a wide range of music, including folk rock, traditional and contemporary Irish songs, a few standards and pop favorites, and original material.
— There also is DJ music to dance to on both Friday and Saturday nights at Dick’s Bar and Grill, featuring Ben Michaels, who has been known to throw in some multiple-song mixes, and at The Moose on Saturday, with one of their revolving group of DJs, who always draw a packed house. Both venues have a series of TV screens with videos running in tandem with the songs, adding to the experience.
— Lastly, you can find karaoke at the Hudson Bowling Center on both Friday and Saturdays nights, a two-fer trend that has been rolling out the tunes in that manner for years.
For more information on non-music activities at the Hudson Hot Air Affair, check out the latest edition of Hudson Neighbors magazine, which just hit the bookshelves and mailboxes.

The frigid temperatures on New Year’s Eve had a definite chilling effect on fashion, bucking the trend in recent months of women dressing down — meaning some had been showing a little more skin, to the point of sporting bare midriffs again.
On this night, however, it wasn’t until about 1:30 a.m. that I saw my first little black dress, on a woman coming out of the Agave Kitchen, as there were very few skirts to be seen anywhere, unless they had thick leggings underneath. More popular, and perhaps a bit warmer, were blouses and legwear that were gold-foil and metallic-glitter dominated. A different twist was the head-to-toe seamless garment of a woman at Dick’s that had a similar gold glow, but was much more sleek and thin-fabriced.
My vote for the best use of what is mentioned above, is a woman who did indeed wear a short skirt, along with black boots, but one leg had black tights and the other gray, along with a plaid sweater. As they ducked out of Pudge’s and headed north, she complained that she was so cold her legs and face were frozen. The answer: They hopped to it and headed for entry into the Hop & Barrel brewery just up the street. They perhaps should have been joined by some of the Twin Citians, who were much more abundant than local regulars on this night, and were out on the street without coats.
But when it comes to outrageousness in style, you can’t beat the Smilin’ Moose. In the back end of the dance floor, there was a woman showing off her belly, with the word “chaos” written twice on her upper shirt, one time for each breast. A short distance away, another patron was attracting attention for the look on the other side of her dress, a backless style that ran all the way down to near her tailbone. More traditional there was a guy decked out in a three-piece suit that made him look like he might be just coming from church, except that his stylish buttondown shirt was black. The place was packed to the point that one section where there normally are almost a dozen tables, had them all removed to create more space. Across the way, someone was trying to negotiate her way through the packed dance floor while carrying a tray of shots. Good luck with that. That also was needed by the person crossing the street to get to The Moose while using a walker. Better luck with that outside than in.
But back to Pudge’s. A crew of almost a dozen people there lined up for the biggest selfie ever — OK, they did get someone else to take the shot for them. Just ask the guy on the end who for some reason was pointing at the back wall when the flash went off.
On the topic of photo opps, a woman at Agave had a tight belt around her waist that accenting her celebrity look-alike status. Namely, it made her booty appear to have the same shape and size of Kim Kardashian.
Lastly, I encountered a Minnesotan at around 2 a.m. who was concerned about her having time for last call. Uhm, no problem, since this is Wisconsin, where bars can stay open on New Year’s Eve until its so far into New Year’s Day that none of the drinkers can remember New Year’s Eve.

— Paddy Ryan’s in the town of Hudson is celebrating their one-year anniversary of being under new ownership on New Year’s Eve with often unique food choices. They are prime rib dinner (queen or king cut) served with hash browns and grilled asparagus (you can add sauteed shrimp for one dollar each) and the refreshingly different seafood stuffed ravioli (five jumbo ravioli stuffed with shrimp and lobster) served with a white alfredo sauce, and a side salad. “We are a scratch kitchen where everything is made fresh. Comfort food at its finest; large portions,” they note.

— Also comforting is the plan on Fox to have as part of its rockin’ eve a Sweet Caroline singalong with numerous artists, which reminds me of a few year’s back at the one-man-band show at Dick’s Bar and Grill, when a regular feature was to bring up a local trumpeteer and have such a rendition of the Neil Diamond song made famous for being given this kind of treatment. Both the old Jeff Loven version and the Fox broadcast have this in common — being done on Sunday nights right around midnight.

— Also giving various choices is the West Wind Supper Club in River Falls. There is a prime rib and seafood buffet — you get both — so you can determine your portions, as well as a special dinner menu with all sorts of meaty options. And for those who intend to make a long night of it, the West Wind offers choices as far as time also. The food is available from 4:30, all the way up to 9:30 p.m.

(For a late take on the last of the holiday happenings, see a roundup in this web site’s Notes From The Beat department).

Since New Year’s Eve falls on a Sunday, many venues are not doing something special, but the ones that are will go whole hog with meats, up to a pound’s worth, not to mention the party atmosphere that goes along with this late night. The dinners are each about the same price, the only difference being which meaty dishes (plural) are your faves.
So, we at HudsonWiNightlife.com are recommending one venue in each locality, which is not premeditated, or pre-planned, again just based on the meat.
— At Seasons Tavern in North Hudson, featured is their signature walleye, but much more. A party of two can select from two entrees each, steak filet and lobster, or steak filet and of course that walleye — either blackened, grilled or fried. And there’s more meat to start things off, two walleye cakes with bearnaise or shrimp cocktail. Add to that a baked potato, house vegetable, and a house salad with choice of dressing, and the dessert to share — chocolate lava cake or hot chocolate cheesecake, and you have the start of a party! This dinner for two is $70. Reservations are encouraged.
— The Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt is where the ribs rule, whether being the choice of a 14 ounce prime rib or ribeye steak, and also jumbo shrimp, (substitute lobster for $10). There’s also potato, salad, bread sticks and champagne, not to mention the obligatory toast with complimentary champagne at midnight. Featured band is The Strangers, a downright local group that’s a holiday tradition at The Willow, playing their classic country music — they are also on for Saturday night — and the creative featured drink(s) is the champagne margarita, as a special. Cost for the dinner is $37.95.
— Also in the category of “we’ve got the meat,” is the Bungalow Inn in Lakeland. Offered is a grilled, 12-ounce ribeye steak with port wine demi glaze, two poached shrimp prawns, buttered asparagus (great vegetable pick) and choice of potato, all for $36. There is a champagne toast at midnight, and starting three hours before that is the music of Gary LaRue. He is the master of the Rat Pack tribute, and really looks the part, covering not only the best of Frank Sinatra but other artists of his ilk and day, and he’s been here before at The Bungalow, for the holidays or otherwise. Can you think of a better way to ring in the New Year?

— If you can’t wait until New Year’s to party, consider checking out the CD release party for Sweet Trouble, by local pop and country songstress Chaunte Shayne, at Johnnie’s Bar in River Falls on Friday evening

Its a happy holiday with friends and their party atmosphere, and along with that, did I mention beer pong?
— All I want for Christmas is to see my friend Jahnna Randle on the Steven Colbert show. I was showering when a call came from the living room that the model, actress, writer and director who now lives in L.A. was on the late night talk program! Turns out the guest was William Macy of TV’s Shameless, and he was talking about being “discovered” by someone named Jahnna, not a common name, who got him a gig on ER back in the 1990s, one where he was most known for showing his butt! That’s not my friend, who distains nudity on the tube, but someone else by that name. Still, I had to be all ears for a few minutes to be certain. But way back in the ’90s, my Jahnna would have been aged, well … OK that’s a little creepy!
— Pong is the game this season. At the all-night Freedom Value Center in North Hudson, they have not only the typical holiday treats available for purchase, but in the same display area the gift of beer pong. That is, the colored and labeled ping pong balls available for purchase as a six pack (fitting), or just a refresher in a pack of two, along with about a dozen cups.
— My bartender friend at the Village Inn and I had a disagreement about holiday cooking. I get a bit befuddled in having to juggle making a number of dishes at once, but Sue said that when she’s all-in, she’s all-in. We joked that when she says cooking “whole hog,” she really means whole hog, as in serving the whole thing. And that should be more likely this Christmas, as she has a few rare days off.
— Don’t check my social media much while at a sports bar, but once in a while … The silly subject line on a search-for-housing email was “Santa’s Ho-Ho-Home is on Zillow.” I didn’t know the Jolly Old Elf was running a house of ill repute!
— Going to see A Perfect Circle proved to be a great holiday present — even if you don’t remember the whole deal that well because of, what should I call it, a possible enhancement. A friend received a gift of a ticket to the concert, and free transportation there, but it was the third part of the present that made her even more warm and fuzzy, with a candy twist. Infused into a few chocolates she was given were some special mushrooms, and although she said this isn’t something she normally does, she went along with because, you know, they were going to go see Maynard, which makes it just special.
— The sign at Kozy Korner says: “Help wanted. Apply within.” That’s much like the old Edgar Winter Group song, all answers “come from within.” And how does this relate to Christmas? With my name being Joe Winter, I have joked about being related to Edgar Winter and Johnnie Winter, to the point that I once got my dad, John Winter, a Christmas gift CD from the latter. He didn’t get the joke.
— An Aaron Rodgers lookalike was wearing a Santa hat the other night. You’d think he’d portray instead the Christ child, as both have been praised as Messiahs, in their own way.
With that said, happy holidays from HudsonWiNightlife!

Belle Vinez near River Falls offers for 12 months a year — unlike hardly any other local and regional wineries — their specialty wines made from northern grapes, along with brick-oven pizza, frequently music for ambiance and a family friendly and relaxed style. So you won’t be left out in the cold if you want to indulge in their one-of-a-kind wines, homemade pizza and appetizers when it’s not in the growing season.
So try them out this Sunday, along with a visit by Santa and the opportunity to join in a toy drive — and thus gain a free glass of wine — as well as other holiday traditions tied to a totally Tuscan treatment and toys for the tots taken in by Turningpoint.
The following is a Q and A with Karalee Dunham of the Belle Vinez marketing department, (and yes, they have gotten prominent enough to have such a special division).

(Was it decided right away that Bella Vinez would be open all 12 months? And what will patrons encounter in winter?)

“The winery has been open since May, 2015, so this was our third season open. It wasn’t decided right away that we would be open year-round. It wasn’t until after we went to multiple township meetings to be approved that we determined that to be the case. It was a big step for us! Now, we do have season hours that change in the winter but it gives our customers the ability to enjoy a brick oven pizza and a class of wine throughout the entire year. Not many wineries in this area are open all year and we think that this brings a big benefit for our customers. They are able to come into a Tuscan ambiance, relaxed establishment. Sometimes we have live musicians that come and play in the summer and winter months for our customers to enjoy while sipping on their favorite Belle Vinez wine. We also host other events in the winter like A Belle Vinez Christmas, where we have a Santa visit, a toy drive, and other holiday activities to enjoy. New Year’s Eve is always a big event for us because spaces fill up fast for our special menu we offer.”

(What are some of the favorite products you have to offer and what makes them so, and how to you meet the challenges of growing them in this climate?)

“Our favorite products we have to offer are our wine that we blend on-site, and our homemade appetizers and pizza that is cooked in our imported, wood fired, brick oven. Customers love the taste of our wood fired pizza that is unlike that anywhere else. Our wine is our sweet spot, as we blend our wines with Northern Grapes and grapes that we import from the West Coast. This gives our wine a unique blend but also familiar names and tastes of the wines you have on your shelf at home. We also just released a new line of wine, Truth North. These wines are made from all northern grapes to give our customers a taste of what we are growing in our backyard. We also have different tasting options available to sample the wines to see what you like, (or don’t like) before choosing a glass or bottle. You’ll notice while doing a tasting, is the unique way we do our labeling. Belle Vinez is family-owned and family-centric. Therefore, every bottle label is a picture of a Zimmerman family member in a small life moment that has been redone by an artist and made into a label. The back of the label then explains what was happening in that image, because it is all about life’s little moments that make up the importance of both life and family.”

(What are the related activities that will be offered this Sunday, and how do they fit in with sipping some wine, and being family-centric?)

“On Sunday, Dec 17 from 2-5 p.m. we are hosting A Belle Vinez Christmas where we will have Santa at Belle Vinez and a Toy Drive. We are partnering with a local charity, Turning Point, to bring toys to them to give to their families in need. If you bring a toy to the toy drive you will receive one FREE glass of wine. Find a full list of donations at www.turningpoint-wi.org/2017-holiday-program.html. Along with the toy drive and Santa visiting Belle Vinez, we will be having a craft and cookie station, hot chocolate for the kids and a mulled-wine for the adults. Our tasting bar and full menu will be available as well to sip on some wine and enjoy a pizza to celebrate this jolly time of year.”

(How important is music to the experience? Is there a particular style — and volume — concerning the music you like to have? What are the other types of food and ambiance that are present at a typical tasting?)

“When we have music in the summer or winter, usually once to twice a month, it really adds to the experience at Belle Vinez. The soft sounding, acoustic musicians that come and play bring a relaxed, pleasant tune to enjoy while sipping on a glass … or two of wine. The music adds just enough to the room or patio to enjoy, but also allows you to converse with those who are with you. Besides our famous wood-fired, brick oven pizzas, we have amazing appetizers that are sharable with your friends and family like our spinach and artichoke dip, stuffed mushrooms, cheese and charcuterie plate, bruschetta, as these are a few of our customers favorites. We strive to bring Tuscany to the Midwest in our ambiance and architecture. This is apparent as you walk up to our entrance, noticing our stone brick building and large piazza overlooking the multiacre vineyard.”

(Are you soon rolling out some more products and what separates them from the rest of the wines that are out there?)

“We are always taking our customers’ feedback and improving our wines to their preferences. We then tell our winemaker what the customers think and he changes it accordingly so satisfy our customers taste buds. We will be releasing our new vintage of Reminisce any month now. Our winemaker and family made, wine bottling team, are making the last touches on individually labeling each and every bottle.”

Winter hours are Friday 4-9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Summer Hours are Thursday 4-9 p.m., and Friday through Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
“We choose to be open on the weekends only because that is when our customers are making their plans and trips to visit wineries. We also want to give our customers the opportunity to visit us even in the winter, when most wineries in the area are closed.”

Bars were hopping on Thanksgiving Eve, packed shoulder to shoulder with both chatty students home from college and sometimes quieter older types, Wal-Mart right before midnight was having employees instructed to do a last flurry to prop up signs on pallets saying “not available until 6 p.m. Thursday,” when they would reopen, managers themselves were actually getting on the phone at liquor stores and tap rooms, but then saying they were too swamped to talk for long, and The Hideaway smokeshop was making last plans to make public for the initial time their Black Friday specials.

With all this activity, I’m thankful on this holiday for people I saw for the first time in a long time as they were out and about, in particular a tall beauty who walked over to say she and her BFF now both work at Hooters on the other end of the Twin Cities, after other quite similar gigs much closer-by, so they’re not present much as patrons in downtown Hudson anymore.
— The first ugly sweater of the season was seen on Nov. 17, as a woman decked out that way, from head-to-toe PJ style, was getting her ID checked at the Smilin’ Moose door. Despite her garb, they let her in. Also let in was a friend of mine who is doing quite a bit of globe-trotting on his new job, and who despite being new to the company won the Halloween costume contest — he spent $200 to win $30 — but that wasn’t the point. He now has his sights on winning the company ugly sweater contest at the company party, too. If that will eventually be part of his legacy, he’s fine with that, because as he said jokingly, this is war! (One wonders what his overseas clients would think of his lack of wearing a three-piece suit).
— A friend had a rare night out for music right before Thanksgiving, and her son would not be home for this holiday, as he was conducting military business far afield. That man made national headlines a few weeks ago, she said, when he helped fellow soldiers come away unscathed after being surrounded by a dozen enemy boats in Iraqi waters.
— Despite being the rhythm guitarist, Malcolm Young was featured prominently in an AC/DC video clip aired by deejay Ben Michaels at Dick’s Bar and Grill on Thanksgiving Eve. This was the first real chance to honor this founding member of the seminal hard rock band, who died last Saturday at 64, and whose face was resurrected on the clip by showing him doing of all things background vocals. (Brother Angus Young is more the public face of the band, and also is the one more typically shown, in his mocking schoolboy outfit, as he plays the lead guitar, then Malcolm even though the latter was the band’s main songwriter, not slowed much by the dementia that was the cause of his death). The deejay gave the video piece a couple of sentences of buildup, but it wasn’t audible enough to tell if this was praise of the older Young, for a change, or just a standard song intro.

A last Halloween round-up, if you will indulge me, and it involves rounding up some timely satire on the local scene.
One of my bartender friends was wearing a Star Wars shirt midweek, after earlier being out — and I’m pretty sure I’ve got the right person, although for obvious reasons I could not see his face — dressed head-to-toe as a Storm Trooper. Also word has it that Yoda — doing yoga on a bar stool — tried fakingly taking cover charges at the door, like so many tipsy women who think they’re being original, but was too short to reach up for the money; just kidding. All this goes hand-in-hand with the idea floated to turn the old Dog Track into a Star Wars theme park; again just pulling your chain. It will actually now be the home of the fittingly named River Hounds — might that more pertinently be called Rover? (See the back story on this a little further down) — a name that was taken since the Flying Fish already exist out of River Falls. That’s noteworthy since the brother of my bartender who also shows frequently, Rich Metzger, who actually had an NBA tryout with the Portland Trailblazers, recently was named at halftime to the UW-River Falls Hall of Fame for athletics, a school where he rewrote the record book. Both brothers could dunk at an early age, it’s also worth noting. And as far as that Rover reference: Back in my days with the Hudson Star-Observer, I accidentally had a typo in a story that called a business Rovertown, not Rivertown, (what, me a typo?) The business owner was none too happy and wrote my boss to say, “The only dog around here is Joe Winter!” Rim-shot!
Again, right after Halloween the costuming went on, in this case invoking another movie that’s old enough to have been around more than most bar patrons who are newly legal. This one was Mrs. Doubtfire. Maybe pouring down a Fireball after a (doubtful) day trying to win back those kids? They might soon be able to join him/her, as The Badger State politicians, led by a Tavern League ex, has floated a bill to drop the legal drinking age to 19.
That might answer a problem. Playing the part of bar and grill managers (or wait, they actually are), were the Four Horsemen of the A-Crop-A-List, so dubbed because one of them has been sent to the north suburbs to right the ship of an outlet there by making it a more friendly place to imbibe. Fittingly, they found their way to Dick’s, and like “Grayson,” battling the Joker or the Riddler, were planning strategy in a hands-on way. Hats off to them and their quest.
Lastly involving All Hallows, a guy walked into Dick’s who literally could have been Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean, dreadlocks and bandana and all. This was not his costume, rather his 24/7 appearance. In the same block, however, was a costumed Pirate figure that also was deadeye. I asked a friend with a drop-dead crush on the lead pillager in the “Caribbean” movie what she would’ve done if seeing him. Not to be redundant, but she explained: “I would have gasped and gone up to him and said ‘you’re Johnny Depp!’ Just awesome …”
Going deep, the Packers did it against the Bears, who turned out to be cubbies, but not the Lions, who weren’t really kittens after all, despite the preview sign at Kozy Korner that said: The Lions haven’t returned to roaring again.
But beating their chests in the NFC are the Minnesota linemen, who have given much better protection to QBs these days. Unlike the quip made to my bartender friend Matt, when I accidentally got in his way just as he rushed to get behind the bar rail and pour a bar rail drink, as I told him, “I’m running interference better than the Viking offensive line.” He corrected my commentary.

(Actually, scary is now old news, and country is in, as that form of music takes precedence in the second weekend of November and moving forward. For what to see in the area, check out this web site’s Picks of the Week department).

You would have to be a (post)-Halloween novice, not to notice that its a novelty for nasty hauntings to continue, well into November.
So don’t put those Halloween costumes away just yet, as there are more scary deeds to be done, such as attending the “after party” with prizes for the haunted holiday at the Village Inn in North Hudson on Saturday, Nov. 4. This proves that Halloween is an observance that does not end with the end of October, much like having the extended birthday 30-day month that many people celebrate.
There will be a deejay/karaoke from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the Village, by the name of Ryan (he’s been there before) and word has it, although we’re not sure, that he doesn’t go by the last name of Secrest. To help you get your courage up, and (costume/song) game on, groups of people can get 96-ounce hoppers of sponsor Michelob Golden Light, which is billed on many coasters as The Gold Standard, for only $20. And of course, there are costume prizes, to see if you have what it takes to take home $75, or other cash awards. That judging will go on at about 11 or 11:30 p.m., depending on the number of people who strut their stuff vocally during the karaoke.

Across the pond go a group from the Land of 10,000 Lakes. With the Most Important NFC North Division Game Of The Week taking place in London — and some local people making the trip over the sea — I recall the time when a patron at Guv’s Place was telling about the time when the then prime minister across the pond, Tony Blair, who was a business associate of a business associate, sent him two special-species pheasants that had been shot in a hunt as a gift, to be used for cooking. Word was that he was initially going to be in another such pheasant hunt prior to the Vikings game, but it’s hard to shoot at them in the dark. (Wait, that 8:30 a.m. start was our time, not theirs).

That didn’t keep the Hudson Buffalo Wild Wings — to name one mostly-night venue, and an unlikely one at that — from opening their doors right before game time on Sunday, although not in time for very much pregame coverage. And we have to keep in mind that London is not far away from the area where the original Vikings — the ocean-going kind, not the sports team — had initially set sail hundreds of years before football was invented.
Speaking of the Vikings, their horned logo and colors are present on a special issue of cans of a name-brand cola, but the rub is that you can’t get the special price in Wisconsin. It says so right at the bottom of the ad, although in fine print. At press time, neither Coke or Pepsi had claimed responsibility for this brutal attack on Cheesehead wallets (just kidding).