A Twin Cities singer who has often played venues in the Hudson area has advanced to the fourth and live round of The Voice, which is no surprise to her local fans.

OK, now Kat Perkins as an update has made it through the fifth round, too, covering Magic Man by Heart — a rock band led by Ann and Nancy Wilson that as a little known fact also got its start, in part, singing in Wisconsin watering holes decades back. There’s was the Howard Johnson’s lounge in Wausau, which was advertised in the local paper with postage-stamp-size ads sporting just their faces.

But not to digress, Perkins had changed her look, too, ditching the lip ring she’d sported in the earlier rounds.
One of her local fans, Thomas Bothun, said he would have liked to have seen more of the less is more in her new look — going back to her old trademark fishnet tights, short skirt and puss and kitty boots.

Bothun wasn’t surprised to see”Perkins cover a song by K.T. Tunstall to advance to the third round earlier in the month, since he had seen her perform this and at least one other tune by Tunstall a number of times with her band, Scarlet Haze. Over an almost ten-year period during which he’d seen her perform, that’s a lot of hits covered.
Bothun added he was a bit shagrinned to see that the Tunstall song selected included the lyrics “You’re Not The One For Me,” from “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree,” since in former days, Perkins had the habit of sometimes looking his way if she’d spot him in the crowd.
Perkins also had a habit of once in a while approaching someone like Bothun between sets and giving them a peck on the cheek.
That kind of interaction also made her popular with Bill Heffron, who attended concerts in Hudson for decades and later moved to New Richmond and is an active part of the local scene there. With the recent news, Heffron got a reminder from Bothun and others of late that he still owes them copies of an especially cool video of Perkins he shot (more on than later).
Bothun also said about that recent individual contest on The Voice, that it was noteworthy she triumphed while going up against a duet, not just a single vocalist like herself.
That upward movement was allowed, in part, because judge and coach Adam Levine, of Maroon 5 fame, seems to have a thing for Perkins, Bothun said. It was he who exercised his option earlier in the week to get her to advance, the last singer of the night to do so, by performing an improvised version of Journey’s Open Arms while wearing a sparkly black dress. Her sex-appeal was one of the things that initially gained her fame amongst Twin Cities and Hudson area audiences, and it was sometimes bolstered by singing in a catsuit that complimented her long dark locks, complete with tail, especially on or around holidays such as Halloween or New Years.
Perkins got as far as the third round on the strength of two Fleetwood Mac standards, the second contest of which also involved a duet. Both songs wowed the judges and they raved about her to the point of fighting over who would get to have her on their team. The first song covered, in live auditions, was by Stevie Nicks, Gold Dust Women, and Perkins’ long-held, wavering notes near the end served notice that The Voice had a frontrunner.
When the announcement of Perkins’ initial appearance on The Voice was making its way around downtown Hudson nightclubs in the weekend before the airing, patrons began digging up their old videos of her band playing local venues like Dibbo’s. Some even suggested trying to get them on You Tube.
One of those was Heffron, who walked into the front room of Dick’s Bar and Grill around 11 p.m. that Sunday and immediately began spreading the news to anyone whom he thought might be interested. Heffron said he was soon able to find a number of pieces of video footage he’d shot. One was taken of Heffron himself, as he and a friend dancing right in front of the Dibbo’s stage — with Perkins in the immediate background singing a number.
Chris Martin of Coldplay has been selected as a surprise celebrity coach and his musical style should be a good fit for Perkins, Bothun said. “She looked just giddy when she saw him (introduced).”
Perkins married her drummer in Scarlet Haze a few years ago, and took a few years off to work as a nanny in Edina, Minn., but the itch of the stage got her to come back, via a recent move to Los Angeles. Local followers had last seen her at a farewell Dibbo’s performance, but since then at times wondered aloud whatever had become of Scarlet Haze. But now “Kat,” as she is affectionately known, is back with more songs and even a few more tattoos — don’t tell Bothun’s mom that. She had said she was glad to see the lip ring go.
“I want to thank you for taking me to another level and believing in me,” she told Levine on stage. Another principal for the Voice, in laying the groundwork for things to come, said all the remaining contestants — and there are not many — all have different styles, but Kat is all rock ‘n roll.That even for a nanny, as Levine pointed out.

The reign of the player from Spain was definitely not plain.
When finding himself in Hudson on Sunday night, Amir-John Haddad of Spanish and German ancestry put on a show by playing his Oud, an instrument that drew comparsions to a lute and sitar.
He was joined on stage by veritable longtime bassist and singer Tom Davies, a friend who brought Haddad down to Dick’s Bar and Grill to see the Jeff Loven one-man-band. Loven played lead guitar to complete the unlikely trio of instruments, and they ripped through songs by Metallica (For Whom the Bell Tolls) and Aerosmith (Walk This Way), not to mention Dueling Banjos (without the banjo) and a couple of tunes from Carlos Santana (where the Oud was a much more probable fit). Loven is known for often bringing guest musicians on stage, usually those who are prominent in regional bands, and letting them steal the spotlight for a song or two. For Haddad it was more tunes then that, as he brought his fast, power-picking to the Metallica song, and it was often he who let loose a flurry of staccato notes, not Loven, who is known for just that.
That metal cover of a regular Sunday night song drew raves from even longtime concert-goers who have seen everything. “I know Jeff (is great), but this is the most fantastic thing I’ve ever seen,” said regular listener and occasional guest guitarist Dan McVeigh. He said that in the first collaboration of the trio’s series of songs that was a foreign style, it seemed the way the Oud was played, with its different scales and presentation of octaves, took a little getting used to by the other two guitarists.
Unlike those more conservative looking musicians, Haddad had flowing dark hair down his back, and truly looked like a rock star — and in addition to the long locks and olive skin tone, also had the short stature of the late heavy metal singer Ronnie James Dio. That’s the same kind of hair Loven had when playing with Davies locally and in the Twin Cities in The Kilowatts in the 1990s. Davies went on to other endeavors, such as playing backup for Motley Crue, McVeigh remembers. That newfound fan began greeting people who were coming in the door to hurry up, because they would not believe what they were about to see and the crowd kept on growing as word spread. Many of the patrons began videotaping so they would have a keepsake.
Haddad’s instrument had a clear, see-through body and its strings were arranged in a cone fashion as they tapered to the top, which flared off at a 45 degree angle. The Oud has no frets and its strings produce a plucky sound, since they are made of nylon, McVeigh said.
Haddad, who often plays with a full band and was in the area because of a pair of Minneapolis appearances, followed by a trip to Costa Rico, plays flamenco, oriental, fusion, rock, funk, metal and world music, according to his web site, which also shows him in various poses that could be right off of a metal CD jacket. It added that there are two types of Ouds, Turkish and Arabic, the latter is the most prevalent and features five doubles strings and bass.

As I look back at our often terroristic times, I see you don’t mess with the powers that be, whether they are federal, state or local, and lawmakers or law enforcement, or your partying days — or at least phone freedom to call your buds — may be cut short.
— With all the criticism of the National Security Administration this story, which was never before told, comes to mind. I used to hang with a part-time college student at Pudge’s Bar and talk about writing, and one night he told me he’d met the terrorist who had lived in the Twin Cities and took flying lessons so he allegedly could conduct an attack, and now has been put away for probably the rest of his life. We discussed the possibility of a newspaper article, since he and the terrorist by chance had ended up in the same study group. They never talked about politics or unrest, and the terrorist tried to do guy talk about sports but it was awkward. We agreed that if there was to be any story, it would not be about political agendas, but about what this guy was like — the student noted that one thing that stood out is that he was very easily influenced by other people. But still, the student at one point had a couple of men in black suits show up at his door and take him for a drive, showing him scenes along the way and asking him questions about what he had experienced in those areas. So, we decided to bunch the story, at least for a time, since (here comes the NSA tie-in) we didn’t want to get our phones bugged.
— Here’s another news item that also never got published, from another guy patron at the same bar. It seems that he knew of a situation on Cove Road along the St. Croix River where a neighbor had complained about people walking along the beach a stone’s throw from the water — and the issue occurred about how far from the water the land ownership rights begin. The matter was set to go to court, but again a decision was made not to rock the boat as far as comments on the proceedings, by the guy with the tip himself as he didn’t want to piss off people he had to live near.
— This story was told at Guv’s Place in Houlton, about goings on across the river. A group of people had a bit too much to drink, so they sent out a sober decoy to fake a stumble over to his car. While the local police focused their attention on that person, others in his party who were merely borderline were able to make their way home unscathed.
— Also at Guv’s, another conversation about being head’s up around the authorities: A patron said that when with a fellow cosmetology student in Oakdale, Minn., she got late to class for a compelling reason. She put in gas, then opened the trunk to get her purse and go in to pay. When she came back out, the cops were looking in her trunk. It seems that someone had called in a report of body parts stowed there. The actuality is they were mannequin heads used for haircut training.
— Yet another Hudson connection has been unveiled on The Voice, and she has totally rocked the house, and the judges, in the first two rounds with her version of Fleetwood Mac songs. Cat Perkins of the Scarlet Haze band has some people locally whom she would recognize while on stage and maybe even give them a kiss on the cheek between sets, while playing places like Dibbo’s — maybe even wearing a cat suit complete with tail. When news of her Voice audition spread, people like my friend Bill quickly went to their video libraries to unearth footage of them dancing to Cat’s vocal strains, with her shown in the background.
— Jeff Loven of one-man-band fame almost raised his star to an even higher level, but it turned out he was just too busy with his almost-every-night playing schedule to fit it in. The people from America’s Got Talent had contacted him about performing live his original song — although borrowing heavily from the likes of Metallica — called the Heavy Metal Polka. Jeff trades in his guitar for an accordian on the video, which was filmed showing him in German garb about two years ago at Mike’s Em Pour E Yum in the town of Hudson.
— Do do, do do, do do, do do, as go both the Twilight Zone theme song and others that are pertinent: A bartender at Guv’s says that on two straight shifts the song Tiny Dancer ran through her head for several minutes as she started work — then somebody played the Elton John ballad on the jukebox. Much the same, a patron at Dick’s Bar and Grill said that an obscure ’70s song playing on THEIR jukebox was her fave, to which my buddy Tom sitting the next stool over said he used to play it as part of the horn section back when he was in high school.

Some noteworthy people have died in this, the death of winter, and my computer is over a virus of its own, so here are the cold facts:

— Yes, Shirley Temple has passed on, and not from liver or kidney disease, I’m sure. To keep that from happening locally, a man at Guv’s Place in Houlton asked the bartender to take away a half-empty — of course we won’t say half-full — glass of beer, and he then ordered a Shirley Temple drink in honor of her death. That same night, there was also plenty of talk about Flappy Birds, the popular video game. It was abruptly recalled after a gamer was killed, and prices for phones with it still on were selling for thousands on e-Bay. My friend Joe put his phone up for sale at the cut-rate of $4,000 but had no luck, possibly because a bartender said in response to his eager description of the game, “Flappy Who?”
— Actor Harold Ramus also is dead, and it’s not from a hubcap chicken bone. However, it is true that Ramus co-star Bill Murray was a good friend of the late owner of Dick’s Bar and Grill, Fred Kremer, and going back years, either of the Ghostbuster actors would dine here when they were in town on business, such as with ownership of the St. Paul Saints. Once my friend Marcy noticed that it was Ramus at a table and when serving him a drink messed with him and asked to see ID. She then gleefully showed her co-workers in the kitchen. I’m guessing that the drink was the house brand of Lucky Dog; at least it was lucky for Marcy.
— Also at that tavern, it was first seen that the Perfesser from Gilligan’s Island also had died, renewing the old debate of Ginger vs. Mary Ann. A bit later at the Oscars, there was another show biz item with a local tie-in, the nominations from a film about ocean-going Captain Phillips (by an aging Tom Hanks) who fought Somali pirates (no models themselves), and had River Falls relatives who kept a vigil while TV news unfolded. Let it be known there was no such hottie vs. hottie debate this time.
— There were three forms of “Cash” at recent Jeff Loven, one-man-band shows, (and they were not down-payments on that “new car” he always gives away at trivia contests). Guest artist Dave sang the oft-covered Folsom Prison Blues while sounding eerily like Johnnie Cash himself, longtime patron Justin was the first person in recent memory to shout out the answer while sitting far away in the other room, and a couple, while getting some money at the outdoor ATM and not having their transaction be frozen, prompted me to say, “hey, are you getting some cold, hard cash?” Ugh. Almost as hard as how I accidentally bit my lip recently when quasi-slam-danced by a groupie while I sang.
— What’s with all these people from around Miami who come to Hudson at times when there’s weather they just can’t handle? A friend of mine was at Dick’s waiting to meet up with his new on-line girlfriend, who a while back had hopped a bus from Florida and was now on her way here, facing temperatures that got colder with each state line crossed. We joked that maybe he should go there, or that she might turn around and hop a bus back to the Orange State about the time she hits Ohio. (I later found out that is indeed where she is from). Happily, I saw the couple dancing downtown the other night, so I know she actually arrived, and there was teasing about if she could fit in with the Wisconsin drinking tradition, since is was said hotter temps thin your blood. Then, at Green Mill, a couple of women who I must admit were not really that juiced, joked that “you can’t 86 us, we’re Floridians.” Apparently they thought they wouldn’t make it far if trudging back to their nearby motel rooms. Not to be outdone, earlier in March a California girl who had hopped a plane to come here but didn’t think that she could just stay at the airport, asked if someone could lend her a coat. Since this is not the beach, better give her some layers of clothing too.
— The continuing cold had brought back memories of rare such temperatures last winter, when at one time snowballs shaped like hockey pucks rolled across the snowy sidewalk outside of Dick’s, blown by icy winds and leaving a long track. Inside I had seen on TV that there is a weather term for this, but being near last call, I am a bit fuzzy on the details. As far as another weather-related term, icebergs, there is no truth to the rumor that it’s been so cold there have been some of these seen floating down the (now frozen) St. Croix River. It is true that a man was seen wearing a costume downtown of a snowsuit decorated as a skeleton.
— On the same day, metro daily newspapers harped that a officially prescribed prohibition would be kept in place despite the cold weather on the river — you still have to take down your ice house. So just after midnight on March 5, I saw a snow-plow-pulled shanty being hauled down Fourth Street North after being towed through the intersection with Sommers Street. A couple of nights later, there was a snowmobile trailer parked in roughly the same spot while also being put on ice for the season.
— A contest at Bert’s coffee shop had patrons guessing what would be the first day with temperatures above 50 degrees, which turned out to be Monday’s 53. Some jokester had guessed July Fourth. My guess is he’s either a curmudgeon, someone so patriotic he thinks the fireworks will push the number over the top, or both.
— It’s late in the snowmobile season, but this being Wisconsin, here is (at long last) a seasonal news tidbit from a long winter. Patrons at Guv’s said there’s a sorely needed snowmobile trail that should be added to take the machines from the east part of the county and Somerset area over to Houlton. This would also take them up to the Guv’s parking lot, a favorite watering hole of enough people to make such a spur worthwhile. What followed was a long discussion of rules in various municipalities of where you can and cannot drive them. Being active snowmobilers, it was surprising that they didn’t know you can’t do such sledding in the nearby village of North Hudson, going to bars or otherwise.
— A sign along Interstate 94 announced a reduced speed limit in a far lane because of construction, but it was accidentally tipped so the arrow pointed almost straight down. So I guess that when disobeying that order and going straight to hell, the necessary speed is 40 mph. Reminds me of interstate construction near Roberts this summer, when the detour sign saying that the Barnboard bar and grill was still open for business was it also tipped in such a way. Don’t think you can get a beer while curbside.
— A recent sign outside the Village Inn in North Hudson said it all about its former owner: “We love you Wolffie.” It is the second time this winter that signs outside both the Village and Kozy Korner, across the street, have mourned the loss of one of their own after a death that was anticipated finally came. Customer traffic at the Village broadened recently as people came to share their condolences and stories, and word had it that there was to be a much greater volume of people at the funeral, wearing the requested Packer green and gold and honoring one who could be a bit abrasive but still lovable.
— Bartender Jaret told me that his girlfriend is well-enough connected to get prime-seating tickets that run a hundred dollars or two — and enable them to see Pearl Jam at their home base in Seattle as the last stop of their recent tour. As you might expect, he said the grunge group’s performance was awesome and in a second version of that conversation, I pointed out that the trivia channel’s question of the moment had an answer about one of Pearl Jam’s venerable albums.
— Also at Buffalo Wild Wings, a patron was extra-chatty in the bathroom, which was unusual since we couldn’t see each other, as there was a stone divider between our two urinals that was taller than the players the establishment shows in their NBA games.
— Sure to be noticed, since it is only a hop, skip and jump from the downtown Hudson “party zone,” was the emergency scene in the parking lot outside of the Spirit Seller, where there was a recent Sunday triple shooting. Around noon there were “police line, no crossing” signs out and a sole squad car to be seen — both on my trip to and back from County Market — but by the time it was time of night for Jeff Loven, etc. all that partygoers could see remaining was a single “tale of the tape.”

Who knows where the cold wind blows … But until the bad weather stops, weird things will continue to happen to local party-goers at their nightlife events.
— The PepperFest’s ceremonial pepper, which stands the height of a corn stalk, has again become part of the frozen foods. The iconic village vegetable sculpture was kidnapped by local ninja-dressed wannabes who asked a ransom for charity as part of an annual ritual, and is back where it should be, propped up to just above the snowbanks, which is a tall order, outside of the house of my neighbor Ron. He happens to be the PepperFest king. Since its return to its rightful place, the top of the pepper was first adorned with a impressive deer rack and hide to mark the hunting season, then the bottom with a big banner that said “Merry Christmas.” Since then, the hide blew off the top for a brief time in one of our icy windstorms.
— Speaking of ice, if you glanced to the north side of Coulee Road after a night out on the town, and saw what looks like a cascading snow sculpture wider than two garage doors, it wasn’t necessarily because you imbibed. The people at Casanova Historic Liquors and The Nova have created the icescape that is across the street, and their sign directs drivers to take a look at “the eighth wonder of the world.” Recently, a truck below the sculpture was scraping snow from the street. Not sure if he was making way for more viewers, or adding yet another layer of ice to the work of art.
— Part of the recent deep freeze was that fewer people braved the cold to get a beer. That was only true to a point, however, as my friend Rich pointed out on a particularly frigid night that there would soon be two busloads of 75 people each pulling into Dick’s Bar and Grill. (And that wasn’t even on a weekend).
— Despite the cold, the band Saving Starz really packed them in at the Village Inn in North Hudson, and guitarist Geno, who always has something to say, spent some time talking about things like how in extreme cold, beer can freeze before it even hits your lips. That was applicable because one of his cohorts, Jethro, had Packer tickets the next day on the 50-yard line, in a game whose temps would rival the Ice Bowl.
— The next day, Guv’s Place in Houlton was actually closed for business because of the cold, although the night before, as far as conveying the bar’s coming status, the bartender’s knowledge was a little “green.” (Sorry if that tropical reference hurts).
— Jeff Loven at Dick’s also drew quite a crowd, and the reason people risked near frostbite was the birthday of Brandon, a longtime worker there. A photograph of his face on a stick was a popular part of the evening, and one friend even sported a pair of the images — one in front of his face and another propped into his pants. For his part, Brandon said celebratory shots had a bomb theme, Jag Bombs and Irish Car Bombs (which could have the abbreviation of an ICBM missile).
— With the cold come certain (libation) advantages. The beer of the month at Dick’s had been, fittingly, Alaskan Amber, and Kozy Korner in North Hudson took a reverse turn and had advertized Summer Shandy. Across the way, Village Liquor in keeping with the season had their “Elf on the Shelf” special for two dollars off the top — is that off the price or the height of a typical elf?
— Love to see, shortly, what they give this guy: It goes to show, never leave your driver’s license on the car seat after a hit and run, even if it’s just with a building. That’s what one person did late last year, in the wee hours of a Saturday morning, when allegedly weaving and then driving over great big stump, then hitting the porch of the Octogon House. The person, wouldn’t you know it being from the Twin Cities, then allegedly left the scene. Police soon after made plans to take the person into custody, so the matter could work its way through the courts. Should be pretty easy to find, since they’ve got the DL — unless of course it’s a fake ID.
— Snippets from back in New Year’s celebrations: The cold theme continued, as a couple stood outside the Agave Kitchen and did not go inside for their extended kiss (they must be in the new infatuation stage). At Dick’s, the PDA continued as despite the limited room, there was a lot of twerking going on, (word to the wise, or not so wise, in tight quarters you have about ten square feet to dance with, so respect it. The guy ordering a drink in front of me, and I could only see the back of his shaved head, complete with ears sticking out, was a splitten’ image of President Obama. Lastly, a friend of mine said she had this opportune night to celebrate her 21st birthday, and sat on the curb to linger outside Ellie’s and (1) get my well wishes, (2) continue the B-day experience and (3) most importantly make sure her ride was indeed coming.
— And now snippets from the Christmas season: At Buffalo Wild Wings, there was a big, red and green colored mistletoe in the doorway to the back room, although no one seemed to be taking advantage. Shortly before Christmas Day itself, their was a Santa wandering aimlessly by himself down the sidewalk in downtown Stillwater (don’t know what he was doing). We do know what this other guy was doing, as Santa himself appeared to be a music lover and was seen taking in the band at Guv’s Place back in late November, the first such sighting of St. Nick this holiday. Around the same time, a deer was seen running around the shoulder on the main highway just south of Guv’s, alternately traipsing between the ditch and the edge of the road (could this be construed as Run, Run, Rudolph?) Lastly, an area holiday party played The Grinch Stole Christmas on big screen TV, then had, of all people, the Grinch himself come in the back door and give presents to the kids, who didn’t seem to mind the change-up. There was no immediate word on how many sizes this made this heart grow.
— And lastly at Buffalo Wild Wings, during the NCAA championship football game between the far-afield teams of Florida State and Auburn, there were some people in the house who didn’t look too local and just had to be alumni of those southern schools, based on how loudly they were cheering each small gain.

Now that its time for the winter solstice, it’s high time to do a wrap-up of what’s gone on as far as nightlife prior to when the snow arrived.
— A houseboat that cost millions ended up being grounded in the St. Croix just feet away from the cruise ship that navigates the river all summer long. The three-story boat had its lowest level submerged and run aground late one summer weekend, and it was the talk of Hudson partygoers walking nearby, some of whom spread the rumor that the owner could afford the ship because of a lottery winning. It took more than one all-hours attempt to get the boat righted and pulled over to the side of the dike road — where it has been since. Even the very expensive, successful foray had reportedly ended up bringing damage to the boat’s contents, as well as workers’ noses and elbows. A bartender friend from Dick’s said he saw all the initial activity and went up and down the street prior to his shift just to see if what was apparent was real. It isn’t clear just why the boat was there in the first place and how long it will stay moored where it is; it was supposed to be hauled down the Mississippi River for repairs months ago.
— My friend Brandy found out during a late afternoon phone call that she had won tickets to a Jack Johnson concert, near the front row as some would say, to be held that very evening! The radio station giving the tickets away demanded that Brandy show up before the end of the business day to fill out paperwork. What followed was a barrage of phone calls and driving excursions that reached the northwest end of the metro to take care of things such as child care. The good news is that, in the end, Brandy was able to go and see her fave in concert.
— A trio of guys who have been at the Green Mill at least once recently referenced going golfing on “the tour.” One of them said he didn’t really respect the ability of those who were on the tour’s “second tier.” But to top that, another added these affiliations have benefits that were shown when they met three members of the rock group Rush and hit the links with them. This led to getting concert tickets in a prime location, autographed photos that were taken — and the trio of golfers getting in a tightly packed limo with members of the acclaimed power trio.
— Also at the Green Mill, it’s Randy Vs. Mr. Rogers. The patron has lots of the actor’s classic T-shirts, and had heard that country star Keith Urban buys them for lots of money. So, he was about to make the call to the music great and see if they could do business.
— A late-night stop at Kwik Trip led to a renewed acquaintance with a Pudge’s bartender from around the turn of the millenium. Angela said that she since has been helping operate a ranch out near the Rocky Mountains that was breaking new ground with their methods. This was her first stop back in Hudson in years, and it only came by chance. Angela and a friend had been on a cross-country road trip with the aim of getting back to the ranch, and said that it was dumb luck that they didn’t trek back via La Crosse, and that they even pulled off the freeway here to put in gas. They were in the middle of an all-night, virtually non-stop trip.
— A karaoke cohort of mine named Cara had a chance encounter with David Cassidy of Partridge Family fame, and may have even gotten behind the mike with him. Cassidy recently was arrested for the second time for DWI, and Cara said that he is really a nice guy, and thought this to be out of character for him.
— The owner of Guv’s Place in Houlton a while back was runner-up as an individual at a national darts tournament in Las Vegas. He said it was distracting, although the crowd enjoyed it, for the dart-by-dart coverage to be displayed directly above the boards on a TV screen the size of an average living room. People from all over the world were able to watch the games transpire, and for his part, Guv was able to get pictures of much of it on his cell phone.
— Back on Black Friday, Yesna and a friend were sharing a soda at the Village Inn in North Hudson close to closing time to check their cell phones and see where the next shopping stop should be. They already had done a lot of store trooping, but wanted to extend it into the wee hours, and The Village seemed to be the perfect place to regroup — although most of the newest buys they were able to scope out were simply for toilet paper.
— By the way, there is no truth to the rumor that the football analyst wife of embattled Viking quarterback Christian Ponder, who took out their marriage license here in Hudson, returned to St. Croix County to seek divorce papers.
— While getting a haircut at one of those places that says their stylists can do guy talk and sports, I told the person cutting my hair about an experience I had with a competing salon. I told that stylist that I wanted my sideburns down on my ear only a little bit, not like Joe Mauer. She said, “Joe Who?” Kind of clumsy guy talk, for sure. As I relayed the story, the TV above on ESPN news ran this headline, “Will beards save the Red Sox?” That’s the World Series of guy talk.
— Lastly, some prominent downtown people have passed on in the last few months, amidst other deaths of note. Two men, who like models are known by just one name, Duncan and most recently Bones, are no longer with us after being regulars at places such as Dibbo’s and Pudges for years and years. Who can forget Duncan’s booming voice shouting out from the deejay booth, for example. The two men both served in Vietnam, and a little-known alleged commonality is that Bones thinks they at one time met up there, although Duncan always scoffed at that idea. As far as Bones goes, once back home he had many chance encounters with people whom he had known overseas and who served in the war, these verifiable.

Okay, sorry, but the Halloween minions haunted my computer, and you readers had to wait until now to get a rundown on the Hall of Fame, and Shame, descriptions of what costumes were worn the weekend after the holiday. (We’ve already covered the same turf on what was hauntingly happening on Oct. 25 and 26).
— We must start with the bartender at Dick’s Bar and Grill, off duty, dressed as a dead ringer for Prince. He even made his own guitar, and was surprised to find that actual guitar strings can be cheaper to buy than regular white string. (He didn’t try to compete with the band for the night, The New Skinny, so he stowed the Styrofoam instrument behind the bar until they’d finished their last set). And speaking of Skinny, it’s a good thing the lead singer Josh is just that, at least a little bit, because of a prank ala Legally Blonde. His bandmates told Josh they were all going to dress up as babies, but then showed up instead as clowns, and much to his chagrin, Josh was the only toddler on stage.
— But Ellie’s on Main has the most over the top costume-winner selection process, where the dance floor is cleared at 1 a.m. and the night’s qualifiers get to strut their stuff in phases while their numbers are pared down, all the while getting encouragement from the dee jay. He sometimes had to offer reverse encouragement for non-competitors to stay off the dance floor. Sometimes those in the contest strutted such stuff in twos or threes, and speaking of putting it out there, how about the more-than-lifesize (however you define that) condom who was dancing with a dispenser? Two zombies also joined closely together, with one replacing the body parts the other had missing. Also of “zombie” note were the patrons at Green Mill who were following the bartender’s cue on the Sunday nights — right before midnight — that fell before and after Halloween. They were keenly observing The Walking Dead, at least until their eyes fell out, OK just kidding.
— A patron leaving Ellie’s was dressed as a popular cartoon character — you’ll find out who in a moment — and prompted the comment, “Hey, I’ve actually found Waldo.”
— Waldo was actually going across the alley to Dick’s, where there was another condom or two that ended up being about seven feet tall. As one was trying to get under the doorway and stopped for a moment to pay cover, someone behind quipped “just push it in there!”
— At Woody’s in Bayport, which had their party on Friday night, a scene from Coyote Ugly unfolded, with numerous people getting on top of the bar and dancing. The costume contest winner was a Minion, who did not make quite a million, but did resemble the one-eyed Mike Wazowski of Monster’s Inc. in one unforgettable way. There also was the two-robot sex show, with silver feet made of cardboard boxes, a Marge Simpson beehive, also almost seven feet tall, and a man packing a six-pack, in a place about a foot below the abs. Sadly, the beer bottles were only about six ounces, OK just kidding again.
— After several days of costume parties, the award for the Most Out There dress-up goes to a patron at Guv’s Place in Houlton, on the first such night. He is missing about half of one arm due to an earlier actual accident, but used that to his (costumed) advantage by showing up as a zombie.
— Also of note is spa and boutique right downtown that did a banner business with professional-style face painting, especially on the first Saturday afternoon for costume parties held that night.
— And now, I must bid ado with the following quip. When I was leaving the last of the costume parties held in Hudson and around, I made the remark to the bartender, without knowing what I was saying, “Bye, I’ve got to turn into a pumpkin!”

Get Kozy with a big, bad Hudson Raider lineman, or speedy back or receiver, when the locals take on the former state champs in high school football — all through the fine-tuned work done by the staff at Kozy Korner to pull in almost any game on their TV screens.
The Raiders will be only two wins from a state title of their own when they take on Hartland Arrowhead at 7 p.m. this Friday. Hudson stills run the ball very effectively, but they have added a stellar passing game that makes it tough for any defense and racks up the points.
The Raiders got to this weekend’s state semifinal game for the second straight year with a 20-14 win, also shown at Kozy Korner in North Hudson, that featured plenty of action in the final two minutes — which had patrons around the restaurant and bar cheering.
With the victory, Hudson faces Arrowhead, which is 10-1, for the right to go to the state title game. The Raiders, also with just one loss, faced Arrowhead last year in the semis, as well. So belly up to the bar at Kozy Korner, consider the fish fry or wine specials, as well, and get ready for some football.
And, for a variety of reasons, you may find viewing the game at Kozy Korner your best local gridiron experience, according to Ryan, one of its longtime members of management.
“We think of ourselves as a sports bar, not a bar that has sports,” Ryan said, adding that they are tolerant of fans of other teams than those in Wisconsin. He cited, for example, two teams from the east coast, the New England Patriots and New York Giants.
He and his staff know the broadcast technology and are well aware of how to get games that are hard to come by, the ones that have fans pulling their hair out, and postseason WIAA games often fit that profile. Since some people are shy about asking, the people at Kozy Korner go out of their way to offer patrons the option of switching some of their many TVs to a different channel and game than the usual. Ryan said he goes around during game days and seeks out people looking about as if in search of something, and asks if there is any game he can provide. “We are known around the Hudson area for this,” Ryan said of the flexibility.
He and the staff are knowledgable about the sports they strive to provide, and an example is Badger and Big Ten women’s volleyball, where you just might find in the bartender a storehouse of information. Where all this data stems from he’s not completely sure, Ryan says, but it is typical of what you will find at Kozy. Many of the mainstays who are workers here played for the Hudson Raiders in years back, and they also have stories to banter over the bar. One of them even had the rare honor of tackling pro wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald before he moved on up. For other anecdotes, come down and visit on Friday night.
They will provide to their patrons the info on how to use the right technology to find games themselves, Ryan said. “We will share that information. We don’t hoard that stuff.”
And later in the year, if traveling through, you just might find the Badger marching band stopping at Kozy, in what has become an almost annual ritual. The people at The Korner long ago became quite Kozy with the bandleader and many others affiliated with the band. It stems from a few years back, when their pizzaria was housed inside the Village Inn across the street, and three or four stops were made there by the band to initiate the now decade-long process.
There are scores jerseys autographed by plenty of the Badger players, most of whom were Hudson Raider stalwarts before they moved on to the college ranks, hanging on the walls at Kozy, along with lots of flags of prominent state teams. People are amazed by the number of recent and not-so-recent big college players who hail from Hudson, and even those who took the next step, such as to play pro hockey. (Think the name Drewiske). Adorning the tables on which plates of Kozy’s food are served up, are team logos galore.

For the best of what’s happening in this, the ten days of Halloween, see Notes From the Beat and Picks of the Week.

Not to be a wuss at Halloween, Jess of Guv’s Place in Houlton returns to her typical outdoor nightmare scenes, as well as inside displays — and a favorite band, Saving Starz, is providing the music — at their annual Halloween party on Friday night, Oct. 25.
Patrons will see dozens of scary creatures both inside and out, as Jess is back with a vengeance after limiting things a bit last year. That was because work to the Stillwater bridge kept some people from getting to Houlton — and having the fright of their lives.
“I buy new ones each year,” Jess said of her lifesize monsters, then added to look around her. There are six new creatures this season, almost all of them bigger-then-life bats. One is positioned right where a lot of people order drinks, and it shrieks whenever there is a noise, (it’s doublely loud when somebody orders a double?). Various bartenders say these type of displays creep them out late at night before the holiday, but Jess is not dissuaded.
She noted that there are different themes each year, aided by the fact that so many monsters are donated to her by well-wishers, if I can use that term on Halloween. She put up the decorative creatures in phases starting as soon as September turned into October.
Then of course, there are Jess’ favorite, the creepy but amusing clowns, three of them by last count. One hangs over and surveys the people playing video poker, holding the sign “Carnival of Horrors.”
On Friday, two or three hours before their Halloween party starts, she plans to erect her 20-by-20-foot tent in the parking lot, complete with bar, then deck it out with ghoulish decorations. They include those who have been popular and eccentric, stand-up characters in the past, such as Uncle Charlie and Hazel the Witch, (yes I got the word order right, as the remedy Witchhazel, by comparison, would constitute a frightful brew to drink). For now, Charlie fittingly “is hanging around somewhere,” Jess said earlier in the week.
There are also frightening trees in the classic outdoor display, done up in a way that only Jess could do. Like in many cases, there are skeletal-looking hands with spider webs interspersed. Jess said she waits until the last minute, then takes the decorations down right away, to keep them from being stolen.
The decorations inside also are heavy on skulls, most bony and others with pealing, rotting flesh, as well as winged creatures. The ones with these appendages are often seen hanging from the ceiling, and the wings at times are large and draped like an indoor tent — sometimes with shredded ends for a more graphic look.
There is little actual blood or gore, and the mayhem that befalls some of the creatures is mostly suggested, rather than being too grisly. Such is the case with a smiling ape sitting inside an iron maiden.
Some monsters use their long wingspans to spread out banners that say things such as “Beware, enter at your own risk.” That one last season was draped over the entry to the back room.
However, noticably missing right away was a more-graphic-than-usual hallmark of last year’s display, an old man on a rack being electrocuted that sat in a corner where there now is a darts game.
About the only other place where there is a dearth of decorations, because of space reasons, is a new cooking area. A creature or two that were there had to be moved — to another graveyard? — when the installation recently ocurred.
Jess said earlier in October that much of her outdoor display might need to be erected under the cover of darkness, as a recent full moon stood watch up above to ward off evil spirits.
The outdoor end of things wasn’t put up last year, since the weeks-long repair to the Stillwater lift bridge at that time was limiting customer traffic.
But at this year’s party, the acoustic duo Saving Starz is back, with music starting at 9:30 p.m. There are various costume prizes at midnight, with a different theme established by judges each year to help them with their choices. Serving drinks will be shot girls, not from just any brew, but the ones from Pearl Vodka. And there will be a killer drink special on buckets of Budweiser, (make that one a Bud Fright?)