Fun, fun, fun rises from this annual Affair and its accompanying music, and that’s not just a bunch of blustery hot air.
The Hudson Hot Air Affair is all about revelry, and there are some music and nightlife activities lesser-known than the balloon launches that this year go far toward that end. So with the entertainment emphasis, it’s fitting that this year’s theme is “Silver Screen.” Here are some of the activities:
— The Hangar Taproom of the American Sky Brewery on Swasey Street, south of Fleet Farm, has bands that promise to make the trip through the industrial park worthwhile. On Friday from 6-9 p.m. are area favorites the Tommy Bentz Band, which specializes in, amongst other things, pop-meets-rock takes on Beatles songs that have won them acclaim. On Saturday from 5-8 p.m. is Joe Carey, who along with his band feature a unique guitar playing style that began forming in, literally, a garage when Joe was a preteen. He even plays virtually all the instruments on one of his CDs.
— Downtown, Urban Olive and Vine has Jazz Savvy on Friday evening and Quinn and Meyer on Saturday, starting early at 6:30 p.m. — at about the same time as the Friday torchlight parade set for downtown. Jazz Savvy gives a sound you might not expect to hear locally, steering away from the usual jazz standards to give the audience an experience that is different every time, its members say.
Quinn and Meyer, a male and female combo who have great range in their voices, mix in a little mandolin and harmonica with song selections that include old time and folk music and also go far from the usual, with some of their cover songs being lesser-heard versions of songs from other artists. One thing that makes them unique is that they frequently switch instruments back and forth, including all of the ones adorning their stage.
— The American Idol connection to Hudson, in its multiple forms, lives on. Idol finalist Reed Grimm, in addition to family members Jennifer and Trey, will perform an empty bowls and concert for charity at Hudson High School auditorium on Saturday. There will be an empty bowls homemade soup for goodwill donation from 5-7 p.m., with music from 7:30-9:30 p.m. with proceeds benefiting Youth Action Hudson and Hudson SAFE. Concert general admission tickets are available at County Market and Family Fresh Market.
— Rounding out the music options connected with the Hot Air Affair are deejay music at Dick’s Bar and Grill on Friday and Saturday starting at 10 p.m., which gives a chance to mingle with the pilots, and karaoke in an intimate setting at the bar at the Hudson Bowling Center on both nights, a venue not far from the Moonglow or Field of Fire that’s Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
— A Taste of the Flyway Silver Screen Edition, a sampling of spirits, wine and beer, along with decadent chocolates and artisan cheeses, is Saturday from 7:30-10 p.m. at the Hudson House Grand Hotel. Sponsors are 45th parallel Spirits, Villa Bellezza Winery and Pitchfork Brewing Co. All these are from the St. Croix and Mississippi River Valleys.
— Other noteworthy Hot Air Affair events are balloon launches at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and at 3 p.m. on Saturday, and smoosh boarding at 1 p.m. Saturday. All are at the Rock Elementary School grounds.
— For a different visual and otherwise sensual experience, check out the sixth annual Sexy in the City Ladies Night Out at Woody’s in Bayport on Saturday starting at 6:30 p.m. There are about a dozen vendors from area businesses such as boutiques, a deejay, drink specials, prize giveaways and sampling of wine and spirits.
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February 6th, 2014
Ice, ice baby! The weather’s impact on local partying has been more than just vanilla
February 5th, 2014Who 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.
February 1st, 2014
Maybe Sunday is more “super” than the football regular season.
Super Bowl weekend is here, and an event at Ellie’s on Main allows you to score as much food and drink as Peyton Manning scores touchdowns. For $50, you get all you care to eat and drink for the duration of the evening game, which should go on longer than usual with two pass-happy teams. You can order anything off the menu, plus specially made chicken entries, both barbequed and regularly fried, now that we’re past the regular season. And then there is that regular, more-for-your-money Coors Light special, as well as $2 wild cherry bombs.
All this brings to mind some of the sublime moments from the pro football season that have occurred at area sports bars. One guy even came all the way from Brooklyn Park, Minn., to take in a Packer-Viking game at Guv’s Place in Houlton. Then late in the fourth quarter, two fans were sticking it to each other and debating if the Minnesota kicker could hit a pretty easy field goal in the late-season bad weather, or if it would be more of the same across-the-border, woe-is-me result. The rub is that both of them are Viking backers.
In the first of the two Black and Blue Division games, bartender Josie at Woody’s in Bayport was sporting a sweater with Viking colors. She said that being a Packer fan in a predominantly Viking bar gives her that privilege. For what reason? “I’m a girl, I can wear purple,” she told some patrons.
And speaking of Woody’s, if you have too much “spare” time during the game, why don’t you “frame” it with Super Bowling there? Warm-up and draws for partners starts at 1:30 p.m. The pairings are one high and one low average and all skill levels are welcome, so as they also say about the Big Game, anybody can be a winner on this given Sunday. There are drink specials, and snacks and appetizers for bowlers after they finish. Entry fee is $15.
January 24th, 2014
They all have been around for a while, and will continue to do so …
— The five-piece, female fronted band Generation, which has been playing for at least two decades, will perform at the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt for the first time in a while on Saturday night, Jan. 25. They describe the musical numbers in their play list with these numbers, “90 percent country, 10 percent classic rock.”
— The first in a series of frozen bean bag tournaments around the area will be held just in time for a mix of warm and cold weather, and even some snow, depending on exactly when in the weekend you’re talking about. This one is set for Kozy Korner in North Hudson on Saturday afternoon and is being held in conjuction with Hudson Rotary as a charitable benefit. For a nominal entry fee, you get to toss the bean bags in hopes of winning cash prizes and enjoy special drink prices.
— Bo’s N’ Mine in River Falls is marking the birthday of a couple of their longtime stalwarts, even though they aren’t that up there in years, with a night of music and specials, also on Saturday.
January 17th, 2014
It’s time for a Run and also Runnin’ with it.
— It may only be a block, but it promises to be cold, with a bit of snow to run thr0ugh. The annual One Block Run to benefit the fight against Cerebral Palsy will go off at noon Saturday, Jan. 16, at the Dike Road near downtown Hudson, and as has been the case in some past years, the glasses of water grabbed at the halfway point just may be frozen. But led by the llama mascots, dozens and dozens will again brave the elements, then return to sponsor Dick’s Bar and Grill for dozens and dozens of prize giveaways and what’s always quite the party.
— The band Still Runnin’ returns to the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt on Saturday, playing often up-tempo country rock and related styles. Their show at the Willow during the Halloween party had this as a highlight in my book: An amped up version of Old Time Rock n’ Roll by Bob Seger featured an intro with chunky chords from a keyboard that sounded much like the lead-in to doo doo doo Heartbreaker by the Rolling Stones. So Runnin’ rolled out the Rolling Stones and ran with it. Good company.
January 11th, 2014
There’s at least one good party option this weekend to “spur” you on.
— Guv’s Place in Houlton is getting back into hosting bands more frequently — often in the form of duos and soloists — and this Saturday night, Jan. 11, continues that trend as pop-rocker Christy Sperling takes the stage for her first show there. Look for her to play additional shows at Guv’s in the next month or so.
— When he’s not giving lessons on various types of guitar picking, Kyle Kohila also plays Guv’s and other venues quite often, and a highlight for me of his most recent performance there was taking on a non-electric version of You Shook Me All Night Long by AC/DC, followed by a rocked up version of Folsom Prison Blues by Johnnie Cash, and then giving a slide guitar feel to Pink Floyd’s Mother. Koliha was at Guv’s at both the end of November and the end of December, and expect to see him more there during the New Year.
— A Hudson-based hip-hop manager says his shows have been drawing well in the New Richmond area — once even bringing so many people into an Amery venue that it effectively doubled that berg’s population number for a night. He also says to watch for shows in the immediate Hudson area, and adds that his crew already rapped at Uncle Mike’s for a night. While I was being told this, on the back patio of Ellie’s on Main, a couple of his stalwarts broke into a makeshift concert of a song or two, using their thumping voices.
December 31st, 2013
Among all the noisemakers and party hats to choose from this New Year’s Eve, here are some of the more interesting options:
— With clothing-of-the-decade themes all the rage, but too often focusing just on the ’80s, Kozy Korner in North Hudson is having a ’70s vibe for costuming at its party, although some of the staffers were not sure exactly what such a theme entails.
— The band Thirsty Camel, a trio that is led on the drums by the owner of Season’s Tavern, will perform at the North Hudson venue on New Year’s Eve.
— Brian Naughton will bring his blues band to Dick’s Bar and Grill for an early evening show, followed by a night of deejay music. In all it’s about seven hours of tunes.
— When the whole last five days is taken into account, there is even a greater amount of music at the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt. Pushing that figure over the top is the Mayer Brothers Band on New Year’s Eve, the third music act their in five days.
— Speaking of blues, Pudge’s Bar got a jump on things with an early evening show on Sunday, with Willie B. Blues, an act that is billed as “check out the frontman.” We hope you did.
— But some of the fun and games, are indeed games. A bartender at Village Inn in North Hudson said that she has the night off and is going to a Wild game. “My friend knows the dentist for the Wild,” she said. What, you mean hockey players need dentists? Meanwhile, one of her co-workers said that this was her last night — she’s jumping ship for Florida, and getting rid off a different kind of ice.
— Speaking of the Village, they will have the band Rewind on the 31st. Their flyers feature drawings of music notes that are twisted in shape to give a certain edginess.
— After all the fun the previous night, be certain to get up in time to stop by Kozy Korner prior to the noon kickoff wearing Wisconsin Badger Red attire (adding to the colorful, signed jerseys already adorning the walls) and get a free drink — one of the last chances for this great offer this football season. The Badgers are slim favorites on New Year’s Day in the Capital One Bowl at Orlando, Fla. They face South Carolina.
December 28th, 2013
There is still nightlife to be found, in the form of bands in a number of places, even though New Year’s is not quite here. So trade in those contest-worthy ugly sweaters for Christmas gift sweaters, look holiday-ish and come on down.
Leading the way is one of the first times around in the Hudson area for the revamped Ten Mile Creek. After shows in recent months in New Richmond, S0merset, Osceola and Boardman, the band with country and other stylings, “smooth jams and smoother harmonies,” comes to the Willow River Saloon on Saturday night, Dec. 28. The band added a veteran drummer, Nancy Long, in summer, and a guitarist and vocalist providing some of those smooth harmonies, Sharisse German, (a daughter of one of the band members), about this time last year. So as one of their fans put it, come down for some “dancy dancy” on Saturday night.
December 21st, 2013
The ugly sweaters from last weekend didn’t disappoint, and even got down to natty leggings and shoes, but there is more to come …
Woody’s in Bayport has its ugly sweater contest this Saturday night, Dec. 21, and judging from the photos posted on the bathroom doors, of staff and patrons in their clothing from the previous year, there can be beauty in ugliness. There will be prizes for “best” bowling league attire at 9 p.m. and one you might really want to hit, similarly outlandish garb by patrons at 11 p.m. All this is encouraged by various “loopy” drink specials and appears to be working, as what a bartender said was certain to be hideousness was already on display by 1 p.m. (I told her that being hideous is in the eye of the beholder, and added that this phrase was coined by a failed fashion designer).
By the way, ads in recent circulars from the likes of Staples and Goodwill say they can be your ugly sweater headquarters, and the nerdy guy on one of the covers proves that point. So does the necktie worn by “Sketchy” while working at Green Mill, which shows a positively glowing Santa adorning, and/or adorned by, an-over-the top streetscape.
But not all Santas were bad Santas, as far as fashion. Earlier in the day, they were yucking it up with children and getting their toy lists at both Dick’s Bar and Grill and Kozy Korner in North Hudson. But as they say, that’s just for the kids.
We have snow, so as far as prior seasons’ highlights, here goes
December 21st, 2013Now 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.