Bring the ring, or a drink token, and they will come …
It’s now old news that Viking quarterback Christian Ponder came to Hudson with his squeeze, ESPN reporter Samantha Steele, to quickly get married at the government center and then hightail it back into the Twin Cities for practice. What you may not know is that it isn’t the first time a pro athlete has come to Hudson to have some fun, while at the same time be under the radar. Who do they think we are, rubes who don’t recognize the faces of journeyman second-string athletes with less than stellar ratings? Granted, it did require some of the workers to take a look at the signature before they realized who he was.
With that said, the ceremony was held just a few doors down from the offices of a couple of county government workers who I see downtown on occasion when they’re out dancing. But unlike other celebrities before him, Ponder apparently didn’t stay around to enjoy the amenities of our fine community and mingle with such people.
All this ballyhoo meant that the sign outside of Kozy Korner in North Hudson had well wishes for “Samantha and Christian Steele.” Read into that whatever you want. That’s apparently what was behind a Twin Cities news station coming over and doing a brief interview with Kozy’s owner.
A patron at Guv’s Place noted that last-name switcheroo, and said that the bartender, Jaime, looks a lot like Samantha and even compares favorably, with her flowing blonde locks and darker highlights.
A former regular downtown said that when he lived in Madison, he saw then-Badger offensive coordinator and future Viking coach Brad Childress getting cozy (that’s with a ‘c’ not ‘k’ at the start) with a woman who wasn’t his wife in the parking lot of a Madison golf course. I’m sorry, but even with alleged antics like that, the guy still looks a little too mousy to pull off his tough-guy persona.
Vikings aren’t new to Hudson establishments. Pro-Bowl caliber offensive lineman Chad Hutchinson, one of those people who protects quarterbacks like Ponder, was once seen at Hudson’s Green Mill with some of his (line?) mates. A worker at Green Mill who is a source of mine couldn’t confirm, or deny, the report.
A pair of former Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders have at one time called Hudson their own. One worked at Pier 500 back when it was known as Sunsets, and frequented Dick’s Bar. I met another when she was up here at Dick’s, and taking some time to re-evaluate the relationship she had back home. At the same time, she took in a Packer-Cowboy playoff game.
Speaking back again of wedded bliss, my friend and bartender at Dick’s named Michelle Brown sometimes jokes (I’m assuming) that she’d love to marry her big time sports crush, Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers. That would make her married name Brown-Braun. And I just had to pop the question of where, Brownie, would the two of you tie the knot and go on a honeymoon? Anywhere far, far away, she said. (Presumably a lot farther than driving from the Twin Cities to Hudson). And also, it would have to be very warm. (OK, that’s a choice very unlike that of Ponder-Steele).
Other pro baseball players could at one time be seen in Hudson. Owner Michael at Pudge’s Bar says that Twins pitcher Jack Morris used to come in quite frequently and have a drink. That’s possibly because he had built a mansion just south of here along the St. Croix River bluffs.
And don’t forget another star pitcher who’s lived in Hudson after retirement. That’s the record-breaking Jerry Koosman, of New York Mets’ fame.
Lastly, we go to hockey. Famous skater Neil Broten, who has friends in town, was known to tip a few at Pudge’s shortly after retirement, and a youngster named Cory who later starred for the Hudson Raiders was treated, if that’s the right word, to a stitch-up-quick technique by Broten. The youngster had gotten a bad cut and Broten aided him in the Gornick Arena locker room so he could get back out on the ice.
Working out of the same facility, the original owners of Total Hockey at least once brought clients — former NHL stars who were considering the start-up of such training centers across the country — to Dibbo’s to listen to a band while they talked business.

The terms that describe the musical acts at the Bayport BBQ, another area establishment that spins quality tunes, are as varied as its sound.
This club in an unlikely locale is self-proclaimed as a deep blues juke joint, although the City Pages out of Minneapolis-St. Paul also has done some proclaiming, dubbing it the area’s best blues venue in 2012.
That the kind of high praise you may see around the area for themed establishments, and in Hudson they include San Pedro with their trademark Caribbean food, and just down the block the Winzer Stube with its more-authentic-than-usual German cuisine.
But back at the Bayport BBQ, they feature national acts that play live when they come through the area, and are on stage various nights of the week, depending on their travel schedule, although usually its on a Friday or Saturday night. There usually is music twice a week, featuring blues played as an outsider, with alternative twists that might be considered obscure by those who don’t know the bands, owner Chris Johnson said. They are influenced by the northern Mississippi sound, and roots music. If you also like Americana, folk, bluegrass and rock, this might be your club.
“The bands are influenced by this raw kind of music,” Johnson said.
The club held their second anniversary in mid-October, with a 1980s rockabilly artist, Tav Falco’s Panther Burns. “Among those who know him he’s legendary, although with others he’s rather obscure,” Johnson said. The band, which has been led by vocalist and multi-media artist Falco since 1979, also features a psychedelic twist.
Other noteworthy players who have performed at Bayport BBQ include Alwin Youngblood Hart, who is a Grammy Award winner, and Kenny Brown, a slide guitarist who has played with well-known bands.
Then there’s the Rev. John Wilkins, a Gospel musician, whose father — also a reverend — originally did “Prodigal son,” which was covered by the Rolling Stones on their classic album “Beggar’s Banquet.”
The establishment was a fancy French restaurant, the Bayport Cookery, but then sat empty for about a year at its location just east of the main drag on Fifth Avenue North in Bayport. Now reinvented as the Bayport BBQ, the building has a multi-faceted storefront and interior, with more than one patio amongst its several distinct rooms, complete with large fireplace for ambiance. It is an intimate setting, with 60 seats available indoors, and more outside. A wall along the hall leading back toward the kitchen is adorned with dozens of photographs of artists who have performed at Bayport BBQ.
Johnson said the bands that play here are all the music that interests him, and he knows hundreds of artists, adding that each year he hosts a deep blues festival.
This may also be a case of come for the food, then stay for the band. The establishment has BBQ Texas style, made in the manner of dry rub with sauce on the side. It’s their own specially made sauce, placed on oak log smoked meat.
They also make their own bread fresh each day, stemming from the fact that Johnson was a baker as a young man, and the quality of the sandwiches is well-known, he said.
Meals are served Wednesday through Saturday, and this is not a late-night place, as they serve until 8 p.m. and music usually is on from 8-10 p.m.
For information, call (715) 410-1116, or (651) 955-6337.