On Sunday late afternoon, which as you will see shortly is fitting, it’s the epitome of cool at Muddy Waters in Prescott with Reverend Raven and the Chain Smokin Altar Boys. How so? Many different ways to bring the blues. So lets start from the top. Reverend Raven, the light versus dark theme harkens back to the day of the late blues-gone-metal legendary signer/songwriter Ronnie Jame Dio. Chain Smokin? How bout another hard rockin’ act, Motley Crue and Smokin’ in the Boys Room? An altar boys? How do you think Axl Rose, part of the reason for the name of Gun’s ‘N Roses, got his start, and in the choir too. And the spelling of altar? How about the quasi-Christian rock band, back to the premise in the lead line, Alter Bridge, which had to choose how to spell that lead word in their (disclaimer) band title. How do all these influences and inferences (even if I am the only one making them?) come together? Check them out from 4-8 p.m. to see and hear and say, as I’m assuming they/you have to get back to evening Mass! And then of course there is also, nationally, the Rev. Horton Heat …
And back to the days of Hudson, in the summer concert series in Lakefront Park, there is Ted Yoder (and not yodel, tonight) and The Toonies (and not the LeBron James movie version, on July 20 as a part of St. Croix Riverfest). Going back to days of yore, where I had to encounter again, in the same week, the creative spellings such as they were.

Of any weekend in summer, the one right after The Fourth is the one that traditionally tanks in Hudson. That is because both River Falls and New Richmond have their city festivals on that same weekend. But wait, this is an atypical year, as Fun Fest (did I accidentally type Fund Fest?) in New Richmond is the Friday-Sunday right after The Fourth, and River Falls Days, in of course River Falls, is the Friday-Sunday right, right after The Fourth, that being this weekend, starting July 16. (In either case, there might be some token Thirsty Thursday – wording intentionally chosen because of beer garden considerations — thrown in). For a bit more on River Falls Days, as in today, see the Picks of the Week page.
If Hudson can weather that storm, it has truly arrived, and the rest of the summer should be just balls to the wall. Mike’s Ride Share had told HudsonWiNightlife, it already has done just that.
Starting by taking by storm, the extreme heat for the last half of Booster Days, which reached almost 100 degrees. And in many cases humidity to match. On Sunday, the only people in the crowd for a name band – barely 100 fans — were all huddled under the shade of three tents. Simply no one else was there. The singer even said from stage, its 97 degrees, hang in there with us. But few did.
But by accounts I have heard, Friday business was spectacular. The only hope in the last two nights of Booster Days, was the band Rhino, which went on when temps were almost like those down in Africa, Doing The Things We’ve Never Had. But this band minus the horns – sorry — had the advantage of playing into the cooler side toward midnight, and for that reason I’m guessing that the best business of the fest on Saturday night, was quite late.
And Fridays will rarely be as good as Saturdays — which makes the Booster Days success really striking — as people typically are getting rested up for later in the (in this case long) weekend. There is always that ebb and flow to band attendance.

The Fourth had come to the fore, but there still are U.S. Flags galore. And what follows is how they today wave, as banners.
Some are up and down propositions, like the fingers of Jimi Hendrix all along his guitar neck while ripping through a new wave of The Star Spangled Banner. Or like the team of two guys living in a small condo that is even more decked out with the Red, White and Blue come this last holiday, and back when there was Memorial Day, as they had their almost two dozen out in the front of the floral-fantasy garden that is right at the edge of the right-of-way. Between celebrations they were taken down en mass and yes, Flag Day got missed even though it’s, indeed as the song says, “An Emblem Of The Land I Love.”
Things were showing up big in places you might not expect, like way big, way atop a flag poles sprouting from the middle of nowhere — or at least only the convergence of strip malls. Moving out toward Eau Claire, bookends became the new normal for flags, when it came to things like small garden carts, both ends of a mailbox, and especially the Hudson Post Office, on either side of a series of three counters. Or like post-its on those postal mailboxes.

— News break: This post can lead you into a virtual Street of Dreams! See how the spinning Greek god for the Bucks was seen taking the lead in the four different scenes of an actual dream, chronicled in the Uncategorized department that’s a title befitting all good dreams, on his predicted ‘half-Chamberlain’ —

Other new, go-to flag places sported tri-colored board strips, were hung in front of an old dingy window and really upstaged it, took up the full frame of a door-frame, and adorned a big ol’ Trump For President billboard-become semi-trailer that could be argued for or against, had outlived its usefulness. But don’t try to box that in, as that could never be said of a group of small flags in a very small yard, with a big Old Glory reaching upward from their midst. And even bigger, if not in the height typical of a flagpole, was the short-and-squat silo the size and roughly the shape of a flying saucer that stored a bit smaller Stars and Stripes.
Some neighborhoods took up the slack for their counterparts, by having like-minded patriots boast a full-fledged flag regimen in an entire block, or just maybe two, and the greatest notice could be taken when of ten houses around a big circle and then moving toward a busier street, eight of them flew Old Glory. To wrap up this big roundup, there were flags that took differing approaches to the display of the 13 colonies, one in a great big circle that was like a clock with its hands, plus one.
More soon on other Star Spangled Striped Banner supplements that remain in the air even as July progresses forward.

For the lovers of summer festivals, Hudson Booster Days in the park is back after a hiatus in 2020, and although this year has a scaled back lineup, it still pulls its weight in band names, with the likes of Rhino and The Chubs and Bigly, which still rock out with high energy despite sometimes being a bit on the portly side, as classic rockers.
Rhino, as the lead headliner for the fest at 9 p.m. Saturday, is part of what could’ve been characterized as The New Wave Of Metro Cover Bands. And with that outback band name, you gotta give a whole lotta love to the Aussie style hat.
And more to love is in their song list. Included are the old and new of what combines for quite a bit of sampling, All Summer Long and Sweet Home Alabama – indeed both of the bookends are on their play list — and Angel is a Centerfold by the J. Giels Band. This choice is as refreshing a change as that fresh-faced siren herself.
The light and sound show for Rhino, a danceable and broadly speaking Top 40 cover band that encompasses all styles, is something to see, as is the sheer size of their stage – and the band shell can accommodate it — for this big band.
The other two headliner acts are the Shalo Lee Band, (she’s an Americana and southern rocker from River Falls who also includes All Summer Long to set the stage for Rhino), from 9 p.m. to 12:30 on Friday, and Bigly, (they throw in soul and funk and maybe even a little rap and vox), from 7:30-11 p.m. on Sunday.
Opening acts for all three evenings are: The Chubs on Friday and the Fire Water Gospel Choir on Saturday, both starting at 5 p.m., and Audio Circus, at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. Noteworthy of the openers are that the Chubs have held their weight as a “premier variety band” for more than 30 years and that means they’ve seen all kinds of variety to pull from, Audio Circus has been a fixture at Ziggy’s and Smilin’ Moose even before this latest gig, and even more variety of themes is added to the fest because the Fire Water Gospel Choir is just one more act in the new revival of live music.

— News break: As The Fourth of July weekend is now here, and on its heels Father’s Day, things can get a little hairy … so for a lighter look at the holiday(s), see The Notes From The Beat department. Or the end of this post down below. You get to choose. Because you are an American, God Bless Us All —

For another musical avenue, Bridget Kelly brings her blues, rhythm and blues and Broadway talents as a (defining voice) singer/songwriter — and having collaborated as a writer with some lofty names — to Muddy Waters Saloon in Prescott on The Fourth itself, from 4-8 p.m.

But before then, people are said by every Tom and Dick and Harry on the TV News to be Heading Out On The Highway like never before on a U.S. holiday, as the grand old reopening opens further. Even the said-to-be-higher gas prices cannot stop Patriotic Americans from doing what they do. And we are not just talking about going up north to the cabin, or parts beyond, although there is definitely that also. Ask my new buddy Mike, and he’ll tell you, with just the right amount of detail, that his more-and-more popular ride share business saw a brief hit on the Friday before the weekend of the Fourth. Simply put, everyone did their cabin thang then, when they could, so they would have the whole next weekend free for Booster Days. Hudson has expanded its always-on-the-Fourth fireworks to July 3, which used to be just the realm of the newly departed Stillwater, so with little of such to be seen in western Wisconsin during the whole shebang — you would have to travel to the likes of Woodbury — Hudson is again, again, the only game in town(s). And to ye not yet road-weary travelers, the next weekend is when River Falls and New Richmond make up for their fireworks deficit with THEIR big summer festivals, and Hudson is annually the victim of these north-and-south bookends. So we will not be stepping on the gas until mid-July or later. And you can see “Rhino” without bolting across continents (see above).

The owner of Mike’s Ride Share wants you to have a plan to get home. And don’t wait until last call. (Don’t just zig and zag when leaving Ziggy’s. But be sure to untap The Tap this weekend, so see the post below, tacked on the bottom of this one).
Then call or text Mike for reservations, beforehand if you wish, at (763) 242-5685. And to aid the process of getting to a motel, don’t be afraid to ask your bartender, as Mike knows them well. Or just call from home.
To Mike this is more than a business, it’s a widespread community need for safety. Mike was “driven” to establish his rideshare service by seeing that people have a good time –in and out of his vehicle — then arrive home safely, not endangering themselves and others. That may entail a ride to one of the several hotels in Hudson and Stillwater, Mike’s base, that consider his service their primo pick for transport, and have him set up to be people’s “personal driver,” and tell their customers so. That’s whether they are from western Wisconsin or the Twin Cities, or outstate Minnesota, or wherever. Recent groups served by Mike’s Ride Share in the Nissan Altima were all the way from Owatonna, and a wedding party from Michigan. Aiding public safety and leading by example knows no state or geographical boundaries. The essence of the job is to get referrals – from going above and beyond to build repeat business and shout-outs from the people driven, or especially the hotels — and take care of the needs of those like you and, if you choose, friends and family. Even that nice, and/or partying, couple you met and you share the lift to the hotel on the hill. This really rivals Lyft, say the repeat customers of Mike’s Ride Share.

— News break: Mike gives plenty of ladies a lift, and he also lifts the spirits of those at Hudson Tap, five lovely ladies (read about them below) behind the bar while he does networking with mutual customers in this, what he calls his second home. But for more of this theme, see Luck Be A Lady Tonight and the band on Saturday night at the Wild Badger in New Richmond. In the Picks of the Week department —

There’s fantastic flexibility here, and everybody wins. Mike is passionate about constantly networking and communicating, building rapport and relationships – gaining referrals 101 – and this is person by person, fare by fare, group by group. It’s something like this: Unlike many of those who are cabbies, and for them conversation and making the ride interesting is the industry equivalent of cartoonish engineers Wally and Dilbert, Mike can tell tales from being on the scene much longer than most, in what can be an in-and-out employment game. Safely said, any banter that a rider might engage in can go beyond the depth of Packers and Vikings, although at Mike’s Ride Share that is fair game, too, if you wish.
Without Lyft or Uber, many people are as much a fish out of water as a walleye angler in California. But wait a minute, that would be Mike. ”If you want to talk fishing, I guess that would be OK.” Or more than just OK, with apologies to Lynyrd Skynyrd . He’ll wow you with stories about 30-incher trophies on his wall, while bearing the true colors of being a uniformed driver, these days also fulltime with FedEx Express. And then he’ll pop back at you, tell me your experience of the Sky Blue Waters…
“I don’t cancel rides have reservations and keep people updated on my status. It’s a worry-free, no-hassle experience. I will give you all the insight and recommendations in the area … Leave it to Mike,” says Mike.
He loves to pump his referral base using local clubs, chiefly Hudson Tap – say longtime server Amanda sent you – and that shows how personal it can be, in a good way. And The Tales Grow Taller On Down The Line, as Mike will talk with riders about his fave ’80 bands, Def Leppard, AC/DC, and even Heart, which few people know got a start right in Wisconsin, and not the Milwaukee end. And then there is that Motley Crue connection, for a later time.
But for now, call Mike’s Ride Share, who is fast becoming a friend of HudsonWiNightlife, at (763) 242-5685.
But wait. Mike’s Ride Share is all about being thorough. So here are some added things he wants you to know.
He re-emphasizes that he’s all about communication and relationships, and making a plan before the 2 a.m. witching hour. And also know that there is no Uber or Lyft in the area, partly due to what’s been ordained by the City Fathers. “You can’t just get a ride at a moment’s notice,” he says. ”Mike is the main driver in the area and you have to call or text him at least 30 minutes in advance, at least 30 minutes notice.”
It is in the best interest of all to avoid ASAP requests. “I want to reduce the 2 a.m. people who are looking for a ride with no Uber or Lyft around,” Mike says, and cabs are way too pricy. With that said about the Johnnie Come Lately drivers, Mike is one of few who would do late-night rides to places like the St. Paul, Hastings or Cottage Grove areas. Woodbury is one of his hubs. Plan ahead for those extra rides.
And those connections … “Mike recommends the number one place to eat and drink is Hudson Tap. Go see Amanda, Liz, Casey, Sidney and Baily. The Hudson Tap staff makes the place like a family environment,” says Mike, who considers The Tap his second home.
Hours are Friday from 5 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. and Saturday 3 p.m. to bar close, although they may be expanding. Stay tuned …
Again, plan ahead, be safe and make reservations with Mike. At (763) 242-5685. That’s the trifecta of listing phone numbers, or should I say power trio. Or quartet. So read below …

(NEWS FLASH)! There’s a favorite band Mike of Mike’s Ride Share loves to twist and shout about, and he might need a megaphone now that Booster Days is fast upon us. The story starts with another fave of his, five bartenders over, Hudson Tap, then moves from there.
Long before The Tap was tapped, but there was still Hudson veteran Amanda serving at a bar, but across the way, there was Ellie’s, the first bar and grill at that location in the downtown. It had housed many ventures at what’s now the completely redesigned Hudson Tap, where I used to spend some of my nights with beautiful blonde Kara doing weekly killer karaoke – I also stand in on lead locals with a rock band and am actually on-stage next to that smokin’ lead guitar, not just that scribe sitting in the back. Anyway The Crue was our crew, and you don’t know how good their lyrics are until they pop up on screen. Want the real lowdown on Shout At The Devil, or other (possibly misunderstood) songs? Since the scene has long since lost track of Kara, you might – and here’s the point behind this bit of long-wind – ask Mike and he’ll surely have something to say, if a fun yet insightful way. Also as far as The Crue, have Mike give you a ride up to North Hudson and Guv’s Place to confer with the not so Motley stalwart Jess, the wife of Guv, who considers herself not only the band’s biggest fan in the area, but indeed the known world!! Unless she’s on the Night-Train to see Nikki!
But for now, its Booster Days and check out the way Ellie’s of long ago, followed by other ventures, has morphed its design into Hudson Tap; this is like comparing the Old School field of those Vikings, to the Metrodome and beyond. And of course, especially for this weekend, check out the rest of the story — of music and where to see it.

Cherry Event Decor, based out of Stillwater, serves the St. Croix Valley by helping you get your graduation and birthday parties, wedding and other special events and milestone celebrations done up just right with visual appeal.
The flyer they mail to potential customers like you shows creative things from a big arch over a big pool, almost like what you might see in St. Louis, to another with balloons by the hundreds over a large festive space, and another formed completely by star-shaped balloons. One other takes a similar approach but features three curves of an S-shaped pattern. Lastly, there was a multi-level light show worthy of a small rock concert. So Cherry truly provides cheer.
Owner and operator Nick Cherry notes that they are a family-run company, and he is taking over most of the reins from his father, Robert Cherry, a name you are likely to recognize. The company has been in business for decades, since 1989, garnering experience on how best to do these things in a way that transcends the fickle whims of fashion and style.
There is a second part of the business, Cherry Visual, which can supplement the first, with photography and videography to enhance the above-listed functions, and also personal shoots, family photos, promotional videos, and most anything else you might want recorded. As they say, “Where your vision becomes reality.”
You can reach Nick at (651) 233-3700 or at nick@cherryeventdecor.com. See their website at cherryeventdecor.com.

This finally now is the time of the season for grilling, since we have Father’s Day, graduations galore and then the Fourth of July
So what is a dad to do to really stand out from the crowd? Grill like you mean it, and dad means it.
He just might need a little help.
So here goes: Get all the things that go into a Chicago style hot dog, and dress it up with brats instead of the basic frank, and that can range to Italian and Polish sausage, or both on the same bun if it’s big enough and the Wisconsin’s Best, Cheddar-wurst. That leads into other cheeses by the boatload, and I recommend Pepperjack. Why? It also lends itself to hot peppers, per se, of all sorts, such as red hots and sweeter ones, to go in with the mix and match of other types of which you typically think. Even a bit of favorite, bell pepper – take full advantage of the four colors –which can add a nice presentation and new taste twist, especially with hot peppers of a similar overall flavor. Like the wine that pairs best with a given entrée? OK, that’s overextending the metaphor. Or to back up, a pinch or two of parmesan or Romano, just don’t overdo it. And there are more types of mustard out there than even craft beers, on or off the brat.
But of course, dad is more than dogs. He loves his steak, and while we don’t want to ruin a porterhouse by killing it with sauce, there is that sirloin factor. So in comes BBQ sauce, but which one? You don’t have to choose! Put two or three together in separate but equal strips, or in the form of a target. But then you have to choose a Bullseye! Get it The rub here is that you can make your own, as I have said before.

— News break: Hey, even dad loves (sorta) certain sultry styles. See the post below for a primer, and actually only a starter, on what styles have re-risen to prevalence during the pandemic —

What’s sitting in the bowels of your fridge, and not fudge, just might mean you can thusly afford a more expensive cut of meat, and still save a buck. This can take you from your ketchup base – yeah, you read that right – and add brown sugar or regular sucrose, or both, depending on the level of tang vs. tart, smoky vs. spicy, that you desire. You can also add in, just a bit, of worchestershire sauce, or vegetable oil, or dark corn syrup. Spice it up with things like mustard seed, garlic, maybe even a bit of chili powder for the brave dad. Try things out and when you hit a home run, add a bowl of it on the side for good measure, use by those measuring your success – and spoken or not, they do.
And for cuts that dweedle down toward the level of your basic burger, you can dress that up, too. Carve an inch-thick cut like prime rib, or thin layers like roast beef. The merits of texture anyone?
And for what is needed that is not lurking in the back or your fridge and hiding behind the OJ, we recommend Family Fresh Market in River Falls and New Richmond and other locations. So let’s go to The Market, to evoke an Old School term a Greek friend of mine used to throw out for consumption There is meat and there is meat, but the particular specials listed in the Family Fresh shopper that expires at Two Minutes To Midnight before Father’s Day are unlike those anywhere else in a two-county area. To wit: Boneless beef top sirloin steak, or boneless beef tenderloin for $6.99 a pound; pork baby back ribs, or fresh whole boneless pork tenderloin, $3.99 a pound. And drizzle some of your leftover homemade BBQ sauce over in-husk, bi-color sweet corn for a whopping lack of dollars, eight for two bucks. And there is $5 off rotisserie chicken, for a sauce/butter combo on the brown skin.
You can make this a late one-stop dad’s day shop with sales on lawn chairs and such, sun care items and bug spray. And to really get at the meat of things, so to speak, there is a Price Freeze special through July 17 on sauces, or sauce ingredients galore.

When the bars opened and reclosed, women got their game on, and their rocks off, from being cooped up at home in their PJs, and when they went out again, they did it up big. Or small.
At the start, stir crazy thusly led to a big-time baring of skin — from mere inch or two to a full foot where the abs are — when there was an opp to open up with their style. This trend was followed by another a few months yonder, really stretchy leggings and tight fitting jeans that accomplish much the same purpose in a way maxed out with those with thin legs. And when spring came around, it was back to the bare basics of big rounded booty. More on that later.
The most recent out-playing of style was a woman out at the later end of things who held court at the newly popular for all kinds of people — read into that what you want — Hudson Tap, who had the exact same flesh-toned color on the big three: Partially bare midrift, short skirt and longer leggings. She more than appreciated that this was noticed, when she approached the bar rail, and added that she threw the outfit together in only five minutes. “That’s impressive,” I noted. Ask that your boyfriend be a man and also notice.
A followup at the also newly more-and-more popular Starr’s Bar in North Hudson. A bartender who had the same type of scaled-back fashion — with even more flesh tones, or something approximately like that, with cloth not skin — in what I also saw, with a slightly different take, on a why-we-are-the-most-wonderful-on-the-planet (or at least the metro), flyer-based update from the school district and featuring one of their older students, as they have their style statements, too: A few-only blue jean rips, carefully placed to be full-central on thigh or knee or calf, that had a lowerlying (friends in low places? Nah …) secondary layer of whitish-gray barely-threadbare fabric. That meant there was indeed not even a centimeter of skin to be seen, since it was so thusly well positioned. Gee, there have been more slightly fleshy fashions from a few actual in-school students, as in juniors-to-be seniors, so they have another year to get their fashion right, and have another shot of actually dancing at prom. But back to the bartender and the rare-these-days slits that do not show any pink or tan at all, she also had the jeans that were cut-tight to a length just above the ankle, (or on the shin?), hawking a newly popular boot-friendly style, so combining the best of all these things?
A friend notes that with her “pink versus fuchia” predaliction, such skin tones and the bare-midriff-style that it entails, in a way not seen in this millennium, forms a function of the fact that so many of All The Fine Women have been stuck indoors for way too long. They are now are out and kicking up their heels, even if not on the dance floor. Good things come to those who wait.
The differing ways sexy plays out cannot only be seen as bare-midrift, but also every slit, crook and cranny around those cuts below, As We Still See On Jeans Down (Almost) To A Person. There are many styles at play here, but one thing they have in common is slicing to meet a designed purpose and garner attention, (if only subconsciously, as is the case with so many of the motivations these days). Add to that a high rise above the navel and even what used to be called high-water pants, these days clinging tight at first height to the ankle and an inch to two above. And those inches make a difference, even moreso on the upper body. The message that is being sent depends in large part how high up the thigh slices will be made, and how this reflects on the degree to which they’re willing to go, with what is described in the following paragraph. Or maybe such micro-managing of written thought means nothing more than with All (Or Many?) Of Those People who wear big crosses hung from a necklace, if for no other reason to be read-into-it than style.
The triumph of style? Here are cool variations of the theme we have seen: Big Cuts across both knees, (and it was rare but not unseen that they differed in size, more than slightly), a range of up to six cuts across the thighs, a combination of the last two with some sides more revealing then others, ripped Gaps that rapped around to the back of the leg, Cuts that in total were more than a dozen, and those that were placed more like … ahem, toward the upper parts of the pants. But if too riske, there could be strings, like a string bikini, to cover a scant part of the skin in question. Or thicker tears in back, vs. the front, even if just calf high..
Of course there is the jogger factor, and people who were early and buff and fast, or all of those, took over the side of the street. I saw one with great abs starting later in the morning crossing the Lake Mallalieu bridge with quick stride, and my Modest Mom said she didn’t care for that at all. But it turns out she wasn’t talking about that almost foot of near bronze … but the dog who was jogging with her in tight tandem. Even though the morning frost was only recently gone, there first was the often seen shirtless harrier, or just what could’ve been seen as such via a stretchy tank top, both of these also witnessed while geese streamed toward Lake Mallalieu. But without these sparse exceptions, it would have been a fairly normal season before 2020.
But for now, we have as the taker Big Booty, as maybe a antithesis to showing skin. Its prime virtue, the way I see it, to resurrect the Kim K’s, is that the formerly dreaded hip bump is now masked in a way by the tightness that’s displayed Up and Down and Baby Right Round. That inch or two higher and lower is higher by an overall broadening appeal, spreading it out for posterity. Very sexy friendly, in a way you would not have not seen in late winter.
More of how this continues to play out, especially since the dead of winter, in coming posts.

They are so bad, they’re good. By all accounts, very good.
The six-member Bad Girlfriends band may be a bit of a misnomer, as they are half male and half female in their composition. No Matter. That’s the rub. And that’s what makes them truly special, as they share duties that even include the guitar playing, and you just don’t see that very often.
The band will blow up The GasLite bar and grill in Ellsworth on Saturday night, fresh off of a killer show at Pea Soup Days in Somerset, so check out the Three Blondes and three boys (as opposed to Four Non-Blondes).
This is the diversity brought to the table: There is Suzy on vocals and keyboards and most importantly guitar, Deb on lead vocals, Laurie on bass and fiddle-playing that’s been raved about as exceptional, Tom on bass and vocals, Tommy D on vocals and guitar and harmonica, and Pete on (again) guitar and vocals.
They take the stage at 8:30 p.m.

I was just thinking about the song Question by the Moody Blues. All is much like dad at his best and not so best. So read on from front and center in this web site for the that apt, I think, take on dad, you know the kind we all have. And oh yeah, he reminded me that I haven’t posted something recently under the heading Where Did You See It? As in which nightclub. Maybe since Mother’s Day? Ouch! He gave me until the next business day, or he’ll ride my butt. That’s Dad. The ultimate worker himself. Love ya dad!
(I did get that quintessential question in, it turned out, just a couple of days late. So if you will, Fool, fool, look for the answer, in that department of the jester and roadie).

The band Critical Mass marches through Ziggy’s on Friday, June 11, and if you miss this music and more don’t have a cow but later maybe eat one too, as there will be another shot at all things festive this next weekend and not just Sunday. And we all know what we’re talking about here, because many dads will let it be known – then insist they didn’t.
Why this early with this post? Yes, dad can have the patience of a saint with all of us, but when it comes to grilling out, he just can’t wait another week.
And does not dad on Dad’s Day truly love a group that can swing more firmly than most through country-rock bordering regularly on classic rock and more — think La Grange for starters? (Written while popping in to see him on Grange Avenue). And those at-times progressive rants just might lead him to critical mass, as can with a certain girth, all the extras he puts on his brats when he a bit slowly works into the groove, then really hits it. Then goes bowling, but only on special days these days, to wear it all off, from the “spare” ribs anyone?
So, not to challenge your expertise – know better than that — but coming soon to these pages are some tips/musings so that you won’t be grilled by your guests with the ultimate for the same-old, same-old – ugh, another hot dog? Unless it’s a Chicago style hot dog on steroids met with numerous and creative condiment additions and substitutions –slather on more than one differing but related sauce to make it the spice of life — and also met with the many kinds of meats gleaned from the Germans. How is cheddar-wurst on for size, literally, and definitely not just on the side, for such a treatment? But I am getting ahead of myself.
So, there is a cure that includes anything you can grill and dress it up further, that’s both specific and many times over, so stay tuned.