— Now that December is here, its again time to ring in some good cheer (possibly) with the now annual holiday tradition of ugly sweater parties. First off is a low-key affair with mostly regulars — although you can bring an item for the Hudson Backpack program and get a prize as well as happy hour prices from 9 to close — at Kozy Korner in North Hudson on Friday, Dec. 4, but it gets bigger from there. Shiner’s in Lakeland has theirs the next day, on Saturday with an 8:30 p.m. start, and if that sweater isn’t cozy enough, you can also rub elbows by the bonfire near the patio. Plus, there will be a grand prize for the ugliest such sweater, even if its not that warm.
There will also be music to dance to and get your (inner) nerd on, by “Just The 2 of US,” a husband-and-wife team all the way from Kansas City who play jazz, blues and R&B, (I bet he won’t get away with wearing an ugly sweater).
— The month at the Smilin’ Moose features bands on the first three Friday evenings that are frequent performers there, starting with Cherrygun, followed by Uncle Chunk, and then Smokescreen, each having a slightly different take on mostly pop songs.
— Not all the bands playing locally are from the Twin Cities area. Hailing from central Wisconsin and playing all around the Badger State is Lonesome Red and the Blue Strings, and they will bring to Maverick’s Corner Saloon in River Falls on Saturday night their sound of various strings. They include upright bass and have a mix of country-americana-bluegrass.