The chili and country music make for a hoedown, with the Vulcans adding another layer, and in other places you might not want to drink that bucket of beer too fast, because there are numbers to crunch:
— The Village Inn in North Hudson will mark its 11th anniversary under its current ownership on Saturday, with homecooked food and music by the group 2 Mile Final in what’s being billed as a hoedown. The music group features three different vocalists on lead, so they say they can cover almost any song. They will play country and something that’s a term you don’t hear much anymore, southern rock, from 6-10 p.m., with karaoke to follow. (A longtime local stalwart at events such as these, singer and guitarist Kyle Kohila, was a late addition to play the early afternoon). There will also be an all-day chili feed, and among those attending will be those pesky Vulcans from St. Paul, who have a strong connection to the current owner, Leigh Halvorson. But these things are not all that’s offered gratis. Miller Lite drinks will be available for free from 5-6 p.m.
— Other NFL offerings go by the numbers. During those times, Buffalo Wild Wings features five 16-ounce aluminum cans of Budweiser products for $18. Downtown at Dick’s Bar and Grill is one of the places with a largely similar offering for Packer and Viking games, buckets of the fittingly named Lombardi Golden Ale for $10.95, and pitchers of Surly Furious for $11, just in case your team loses and you get a bit hot under the collar. Dick’s also has five Buds in a bucket at a cheaper price, those being in bottles, and free shots given each time one of those teams scores, not to mention their regular deal of five bottles of beer in the aformentioned bucket for a special price.
— Also at Dick’s is a new acoustic music act on Friday evening, Joel Kachel and Pocket Change. Joel’s producer has worked with artists from Miles Davis to Colbie Caillat and his song “Crow” has received multiple awards and won him a number of songwriting competitions. He has toured nationally and internationally, although originally hailing from a place much closer to this area, that being Woodbury.