Three nights before the actual witching hour of Halloween, a typical fashion, numerous nightclubs in the Hudson downtown and surrounding towns already get going with costume contests that typically bring in thousands — in numbers of both partiers and prize money.
You’ve heard this from me before, but it bears repeating. Barely. But verily.
This has been a Hudson tradition for decades, and involves both diehard locals and hundreds from the Twin Cities, often flocking in by boarding ghoul-friendly, glowing party buses. The pandemic ebbed it for a while but did not kill it. People hit the area discount stores in advance, not just to get candy, but to get their gear and makeup, which some see as an investment — but some killer costumes, albiet with variations, get resurrected every year from the closet, just with the fake blood added in front of the mirror each annem.
The timing of the pre-holiday costume parties each year, which can be on more than one night, or sometimes even on more than one time in a given night, is determined by when Halloween falls. For 2023, having them all on Saturday, Sept. 28, was an easy choice. The exact timing of when the winners are chosen varies by venue, and some of the annual pros make it a point to check out as many parties as they can, and rake in the most dough. Some such partiers also frequent places not having costume parties — and the hosting of such can be touch-and-go post-pandemic — and rather just music, simply to be further seen.
Some of the bigger money parties have put on such a show since before this Millennium, although the timing of when winners are picked and exactly how much money they will take home sometimes doesn’t get finalized by venues until later in the week, right before the ballroom blitz.
The shining star each year is the Smilin’ Moose, with prizes for first place in the range of $500. (Most of the others around town are mid-range of that as far as what they give away). The Moose often places in the back deejay area a stage, large another so it could house a full band, raised several feet above the floor, and on it parade the finalists, thus gauging the cheers of the crowd as they are introduced.
Kitty-korner a block down at Dick’s Bar and Grill, they have their accompanying music deejay really get into the act of chatting-up with spooky banter those in the costumed crowd, often breaking them down into semi-finalists prior to picking who is best. Like some other venues, there can be distinctions made for those who are things like most original, male vs. female costumed customer, or even doing haunting as a couple. The chosen one or few will be named at midnight, the most common but not only time for such local venues.
Decor galore …
At Hudson Tap, the treat are themed drink specials at 20 ounces for $4 made up of — not necessarily Bud — but Bloody Light beer drafts, as well as bloody-well shots. And some of the best decor for the holiday you will find. Here you will see many wicked wonders, including a spider the size of more than four footballs complete with webs, stretching gingerly but in black over the top of four Wisconsin beer brew caps the size of basketballs. There is another pink spider, as it could of bitten Barbie, behind the bar. In back a large ghost hangs, and up in the front a smaller one bearing big black boots. And scores of skulls, all in dangling downward lines, and many other spooks aplenty. At a small front window is a bit bigger ghost with arms waving, yes, up and down in triplicate.
Their specials scene could be seen as the nightime version of Bloody Mary’s.
Places midstream in the downtown like Agave Kitchen, together with its upstairs Bullpen Cantina — although they could go boo and kill it off this year! — thus have often followed the cultural surge and gone to having a vote done, even if cast later, via digital submissions. So if you are in the area …
Over at The Empourium, in the town of Hudson, they replay the old trick for treaters of having that night’s band, still to be finalized so check their Facebook, (its actually 8 Foot 4, Frankie kinda height), dressed up in costume while they play in that big, multi-tiered dance-area venue. The Monster Mash? Heard that sung at karaoke on the eve, and it was killer. Didn’t recall that the lyrics, beyond just the chorus, were so clever.
A place to start is the Bungalow Inn, just across the St. Croix River in Lakeland, since their costume contest judging is early, at 10:30 p.m. Participants must register by 10 p.m. and be present when winners are announced at 11 p.m. Also different than most of the other venues having contests, the Bungalow is presenting a band called The Drive, featuring the “coolest” music from the ’70s and ’80s — a different “time signature” then most — in their supper club format that often caters to a bit of an older crowd. The Bungalow after being off for a bit with their music, is kickin’ it again.
And you could get an even earlier start. The costume contest at what has been known as Bobtown Bar in Roberts get going at, get this 8 p.m. It now is under new ownership by a man you may know from back in the day as a stalwart, behind the bar, at Dick’s Bar and Grill in neighboring Hudson. For the pleasure of showing up early, at this village, you could collect a $100 prize.
Things start on Friday too …
Down south, to get going even sooner, in two ways, at the GasLite in Ellsworth, get your groove on already on Friday night, starting at 8 with music that can lead to a costume winning way, and that’s not gaslighting. This is a birthday party, in addition, so a combo — two different ways to party — concerning the Alex Zachary Band, and haven’t hit them on this site for a while, that does their opening number right around the time of the costume get-go. But hey, a bassist also on vocals? Could be the reincarnation of Lemmy!
The scene spreads into North Hudson, as well, where the Village Inn takes command with their contest, as dollar amounts can’t rival The Moose, but remains another very spacious place to hit and show off your goods.
Also a bit off the beaten track, and rounding out the mix, is the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt, know for their weekly bands that play mostly classic rock, and country of that era, in an appropriately fall-themed wood-hewn atmosphere. So dress accordingly?
There are certain kings and queens who show up in slightly different versions of the same iconic costumes, year in and year out. There are two standouts, from what I’ve seen since the 1990s. And they are not always the prototypical Frankie or Dracula. Creativity goes a long way in winning these contests.
One is, almost literally as the law will allow, Lady Godiva — but don’t pigeonhole her as that character or she just might cast a spell on you. Another is a man who is authentically in a shower up to his nose-high spray nozzle, but with curtain around him from neck down. Do we see a theme here?