While the staff at Seasons are as “Italian” as anyone in backing the traditions of Pepper Fest, they offer North Hudson alternatives as far as food, drink and fun.
Granted, there is Italian fare aplenty at Pepper Fest, and also at Seasons, but man does not live by that alone. On Saturday, Season’s puts on its Wicked (Buffalo) Wings Challenge, where you can test your where-with-all to consume a variety of the wings — and have a bit more time to complete the task then during spaghetti and hot pepper eating contests across the street, which although largely similar have their own appeal.
You also might try the noteworthy walleye entrees at Seasons, when combined with sauce give a food variation to cool your palette.
While the music at Pepper Fest doesn’t start until evenings, a versatile band begins at Seasons at 3 p.m. Saturday. This means patrons can listen to some live tunes while enjoying appetizers, as an alternative to eating contests next-door that just might leave you queasy.
Two of the three majorly-striped pedestrian walkways on the main Hwy. 35 intersection that needs to be negotiated, lead directly to the curb-cutout that’s the entry point to the large parking lot at Seasons. It’s probably easier to get to the restaurant and bar — as a patron — than the festival itself.
There’s ample vehicle parking for Seasons patrons, including a big overflow lot, on this weekend where some people walk for blocks to get to the Village Hall park and places nearby. They also can set-up their remaining parade seating after indulging in breakfast or Bloody Mary’s.
To that end, Seasons and some other venues have Pepper Fest buttons on sale for only $2, a savings of a buck over the price at the gate.
And especially if you’re a first-timer from out-of-town, Seasons bartenders and wait staff can tell you about the history, heavily loaded with community Italian lore, of the building in which you are a patron. From the varieties of past decor, which also include the newer log-cabin-style motif, to the past owners, this is something to be regaled in.
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August 12th, 2015
‘Fight the good fight,’ whether in a held-up theater or in the ring
August 11th, 2015One was shot during heroism, another’s valor took much longer, and you could only see it at Buffalo Wild Wings if your timing was right.
— A man at The Village Inn chimed in on the “Batman” shootings in Colorado, where a couple of his relatives were some of the first ones shot at with guns. This is timely because a recent court action put one of the shooters behind bars for life. One of the members of his family managed to protect another from death by draping himself over them but still, one got bullets in the leg. The main heroic figure, though, went on to save others.
— A highly billed, Ultimate Fight night broadcast ended up going much longer than forecast when some of the bouts were slow in completion. The TV fight package, as viewed at Buffalo Wild Wings and other venues, for that reason did not wrap up its airing until after bar time. That was especially challenging for a very packed B-Dubs, since the establishment closes down earlier than most, at 1 a.m. It did mean, however, that they had a full house virtually all the way to the end.
— Some of those people, however, had to do without their Wings for about four days when the place underwent an extensive remodeling, which had workers going night and day. Two of those stalwarts, who are almost always there near last call, had to find other digs for a day or two. Myself likewise. We all ran into each other at a logical replacement across the street, that being Green Mill. The two women noted that they’d been seeing the dumpsters, so knew it would be pointless to trek over there. That didn’t keep one of them, though, from spreading the closed window awning with her fingers and looking through, just to make sure.
— Just prior to the remodeling shutdown, a worker was placing a sign across an archway, and that meant a ladder was temporarily blocking the main exit. I said to him that there was no way I was walking under it, as that could bring seven years of bad luck to myself and possibly my team, (probably if they are the Vikings?)
— Bartender Darren at the Village Inn replicated the actions of Kelsey at Agave, a fellow Canadian, and returned there to visit family recently, getting back just in time to play in multiple softball tournaments in multiple venues, (his mates just kept calling with late-breaking schedule changes). And after that is said and done, he has to work all Pepper Festival weekend, he stated with just a touch of a grimace. As the sign at the Village says, celebrate “the madness” here. As Darren told me this, a woman came up to the bar wearing a scarf around her neck that just might have (accidentally) been like Pepper Fest colors.
Just like at a place he worked before, Green Mill, where the Canadian parents of a Twin Cities network anchor, from KARE 11, came in and they all celebrated.
— The Kozy crew was out in downtown Hudson, all decked out in bright colored T-shirts that included blaze orange, to celebrate what one of the shirts said was: “The first anniversary of the second annual Hillbilly festival.” Again, is there an inside joke that I’m not getting? What I do get is that the suit-and-tie shirts, with the tie painted on, might not suit everyone.
— You might find it advantageous to quiet down a little bit! Part of the whole idea of trivia is to guess answers before your opponents at the same bar, so don’t go loudly showing out the Buzztime answer and giving it away well ahead of time, like was happening at Buffalo Wild Wings the other night, before the remodel gave way on the many screens to B-Dub TV.
— Rarely since the ’80s have I seen a couple of guys, in the same room at a bar, with the same really tight, form-fitting T-shirt that shows off their big pecs and biceps. Might they be members of the Minnesota Vikings, such as a group of very prominent linemen, one whom had been voted all-pro, who showed up at Green Mill back in the days when their running game was primo? And you know, the parents of one of their cheerleaders were at The Mill recently, (OK, I know there are rules against fraternizing, but isn’t that type of thing why some athletes and others come to Wisconsin?)
— The other night at Dick’s, a guy with perfect blond and coffed hair said, prominently, that he was from Sweden. A bit later, my self-described “artistic” dancer friend added that, since there was no one around to dance for presently, that maybe the Swedish Bikini Team would happen by. Coincidence?
— On the Saturday night of RiverFest, the city was crawling with older folks, some of whom seemed to easily loose track of just where they were, and where the rest of their party was. One woman, however, was right on top of an important matter, adding that she had worked in a bar for 17 years and knew what to do to get served just like that. She must have been onto something, because right at that moment both our drinks came.
— A bigger-than-usual bus, with a trailer behind it, was part of the Sonshine Festival entourage that traipsed back through Hudson from Somerset. That bus was even bigger than the ones you’d seen from OzzFest in years past. There also were smaller trailer-trucks, but hey, not all of these guys are big league rock stars.
— With the prominence of other area festivals that weekend, the downtown scene picked up considerably right after midnight on the final fest day, although it varied by venue. A bartender at the Village Inn in North Hudson said that when he was working an earlier gig on The Hill, set-up workers would come-in all during the week before the extreme mudder fest and party until close, then go back at it the next day. They were not needed during the fest itself, but would show up for tear-down, and partying down, very late in the weekend. A whole bunch of wedding parties came into The Village earlier in the evening, and considering the fact that just up the road was a Christian music fest, maybe that is not surprising.
Fly like an eagle, hundreds saw it unfold in memory of ‘amazing four’
August 11th, 2015
A fly-over, circular fashion, took place at the memorial service for Dan Ortner, the pilot in a plane crash that tragically killed himself and three others, two of them children. Flight seemed to be the theme of that Monday night, as when the crowd gathered outside of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church to see the jet go, they first were fittingly buzzed by a wayward sparrow that flew just a few feet over their heads across the length of the assembly.
Later that evening, when I was leaving the house to go to a block-party turned extension-of-the-memorial that took place in the Cherry Circle cul de sac, a small bat buzzed me. Still later, dozens of balloons were let go in Dan’s honor, some big and some small, but they all eventually looked just like pins of light as they rose in the night sky. The cul de sac portion of the night was almost as well attended as the earlier service, with enough people there to fill several 747s.
Also dying in the crash were Eric Larson and boys Matthew and Michael; the memorial for them was held at the church three days earlier. The memory of the four has lived on, for most cases for over a week, in the signs on places that included haunts where the adults used to hang out. At the Village Inn in North Hudson, where Eric’s wife works as a bookkeeper, the sign simply says “Community Heartbreak.” Across the street at Kozy Korner, the moniker on the marquee read, “Word Can’t Express How Heartbroken We Are.” At Season’s Tavern in North Hudson, the well wishes were a simple “With You.” On Agave’s sign, there was a recitation of the first names, and at The Nova was the longest of the messages, starting with “Our Community Will Stand With These 4 Amazing Men ….”
— Planes and Automobiles, but no Trains. There have been some interesting former cop cars out on the street at night, as law enforcement meets up with the public in a different than usual way.
A State Patrol vehicle parked locally had only its front half still painted in the traditional blue colors and shield logo on the door. The back half had been turned into the yellow color and decals that go with, of all things, a taxi cab. Granted, this was last month, but at that time there were still some lights across the top of the vehicle, and on top of them was a “taxi” globe.
Oddly, in the same neck of the woods, one can still see parked late on the street what appears to be a former police cruiser, painted black except for some white doors, and turned into a private vehicle.
And then at Historic Casanova Liquors, things got even more historic, with a police vehicle parked in the lot that appeared to be from the Capone era — you’d think that was the now resort that’s Up North where he used to hole up. This car had only a small single light that used to flash, and it was set off to the side on top of the roof.
August 11th, 2015
There will be some runnin’ and rockin’ by bands all of this weekend:
— There is a rare opportunity at the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt this weekend, as the same group plays on both Friday and Saturday nights, Aug. 14 and 15. The music, with their fitting band name, will be Still Runnin’ on until the wee hours of Sunday morning. Still Runnin’ plays a lot of country and country rock, but also steers into classic rock and pop on its long play list that includes dozens of songs. (Unfortunately, this “double trouble” option was shortlived. As a late addition, the Twin Cities band Touch Tunes has been added as a last-minute replacement to Still Runnin’ for Friday night).
— The Border Battle thingee kicked back into gear already at Green Mill a couple of weeks ago, where a woman who was with four other people, had a shoutout done on her behalf, “there’s a Vikings fan here,” as if that was that unusual. The woman then stretched out and waved over her head a purple keychain strap. The next night, some similar banter happened. Maybe one must invoke the sign at Agave (self-serving?) that basically offers counseling to “delusional” Viking fans. Maybe some of those were present on Sunday night after Minnesota beat a Pittsburg team the rested some starters, 14-3. A quick check of the downtown afterward revealed only two Vikings jerseys being worn, (and it should be pointed out that there were that many shirts for backing even the rapidly fading Twins).
The Packers, in turn, are scheduled to take on New England and their deflated balls on Thursday. Be at the sports bars for the 6:30 p.m. start.
— And of course, in what’s become a tradition, it is the Dweebs playing Pepper Fest in North Hudson on Sunday night (enough said). Other music is by country act Buck Tucker on Friday night, rock and pop by Rhino on Saturday night, and Trandy Blue starting at 4 p.m. Saturday in what’s billed as beer garden entertainment. Hey, this combines the Pepper Fest and beer, so I don’t think entertainment will be in short supply.
August 6th, 2015
This weekend, it’s The Truth, and not just Kyle’s Two-Chord Truth, or in a quasi or rumors type of way.
— The band Truth & Rumors, consisting of a female lead singer and three guys on instruments, specializes in rock-a-billy, roots music and blues, and they will play at the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt on Friday evening, Aug. 7. In case you want to know more about what they might play that night, there are available on online web sites 17 cover tracks and dozens of photos. The group also plays fairly frequent gigs at another inn, The Village, in North Hudson.
— The band Quasimofo, playing at The Village a few Saturdays back, had some of the most funked up jazz you will ever hear. It was largely and crazily keyboard fueled, and during a several-minute run, the man seated behind the electric piano had to stand on two occasions to belt out his groove. Look for them at various places in North Hudson, including Season’s Tavern, throughout the year.
— The lead singer of Smokescreen, which played the Smilin’ Moose recently, bears a resemblance to another vocalist who has had a look-alike around town in recent times, Scotty Ian of Anthrax, (you have to look a bit with your creative eyes, as the Smokescreen singer has a longer not stringy beard, but overall, this is not just blowin’ smoke). As far as the band’s lead guitar, they have a ways to go before cranking it up like Anthrax, but featured some pretty creative textures to their riffs, on “Centerfold” and also with the grinding treatment given to the last part of “Walk This Way.” And also give them kudos for going beyond overplayed classics, when diving into “High Infidelity” by REO Speedwagon. That last choice really got the attention of my good friend Tom, who said he has all their albums.
(As far as these look-alikes, I swear, singer Ian of Anthrax walked into Dick’s Bar and Grill a while back with reality TV star Bruce Jenner, who — since then — has become Caitlin. Maybe they will be there amongst the dozens displaying at the Brit car club show that goes on 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, on adjacent Walnut Street).
July 31st, 2015
Good things in store this weekend, both big and small:
— The Big Canadian is heading to, we hope, even bigger and better places. Bartender Kelsey, a stalwart at the Agave Kitchen and prior to that Dick’s Bar and Grill, is the guest of honor at a farewell party in his honor at Agave on Sunday night, Aug. 2. Is this the event of the day, if not the season? As the Agave marquee put it, #Canaduh.
— It’s now way past knee-high, which means it’s ready for the picking, and we’re not talking just fiddle music, although there might be that, too. The annual corn and chicken feed at the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt is also Sunday, starting earlier and running from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., or whenever they run out, which might be sooner rather than later when it’s this tasty. Proceeds go to the town of St. Joseph Fire Department. As far as that other kind of picking, there is music by Drop Tailgate on Friday evening and Strangers on Saturday evening.
— There are a lot of groups with whiskey in their name, but try this one on. “Whiskey Stone” is not only a band that plays the Smilin’ Moose on Friday night, but also small soapstones that are added to bourbon in place of ice, to keep the spirit chilled without diluting it. As the members say about both, they’re never watered down, which is why Whiskey Stone calls itself the region’s most exciting new country and rock variety band. One thing to get excited about is that there set list includes about 40 different bands, with very little duplication.
— There are about eight different bands from each of Wisconsin and Minnesota during the Border Battle Weekend at the Somerset Amphitheater, on you guessed it, two different stages, as well as many craft brews and of course, camping. The festival goes July 31-Aug. 2, and get tickets as soon as possible via their web site. One band Hudson concert-goers may recogize from playing locally is Sans Souci, even though they hail from the Minnesota side. The fest bills itself as, “This is all out war … if your definition is a hell of a party.”
Skies and dance floors blackened, so bring on drinks by candlelight
July 27th, 2015For the third time since year 2000, Hudson nightclubs have successfully met the challenges that go with doing business when the power goes out during the peak time on a weekend.
Sometimes, one thing ebbs while another stays on, depending on just where there’s something like a lightning strike and what area on the electric grid is effected. For instance, in the latest occurrence, the dance floor darkened at Dick’s Bar and Grill, but somehow the disco ball kept spinning and flashing. I guess that truly is “Dancing in the Dark.” Sort of.
Likewise at Pudge’s, where only one of the two main rooms went black, but a few signs touting specific drink brands remained functioning. Hence the rumors of a lightning strike nearby — and just where and how far away — kept flowing just like the tap beer.
Up the street, city crews responded quickly and put up stop signs where traffic signals had failed. After last call came and went, but rains still threatened, a motorcycle remained parked largely alone on the main drag. Wouldn’t want to be that guy (or gal). As for my car, there was a big branch tucked under the trunk, which promptly blew away after I nudged it into the street. This same wind earlier had effected a daytime concert outdoors in North Hudson, where much of the sheet music suddenly blew away. As it was, just after bar time, a friend from Hastings, Minn. said that he watched the “fireworks,” read lightning flashes, for a while from Lakefront Park near the dike road sign until the storm passed, so he would not have to drive home in it.
On one of the earlier instances, the ways bars kept the drinks flowing had even included making flaming rum drinks, all the better to see you by.
One women even came back into Pudge’s, after having left minutes earlier, and jokingly asked if anyone had “seen” the jacket she’d left behind. Staffers were able to find it, thanks in part to some candlelight that was well placed, as their just weren’t enough wicks to go around. Accurately tipping and paying for drinks proved a little more challenging, except when it involved the aformentioned rum drinks. Think of Captain Morgan, God forbid, as the guardian of your treasure.
Alas, the electricity came on right before closing time, and since clocks had been off for roughly two hours, but not on the head, patrons were in a somewhat of a quandry about just how long they had to finish that last drink.
July 24th, 2015
When one front door closes, another opens, to a brand new place.
— Yet another large-scale local remodeling project is taking wing. Buffalo Wild Wings is closing to do this mega-makeover at 11 p.m. Saturday, July 25, and reopen the following Thursday — when they invite you to join them for a brand new experience. These are what the sign on the front door calls, “exciting times.” It adds that for more information, “check with a team member,” because you don’t want to have to go too long without seeing your favorite sports team members in action. As it was, crews with lots of equipment were already on scene at 10:50 p.m. Saturday.
— It’s last call, literally, until fall. In another big change occurring this weekend, Guv’s Place in Houlton is using huge drink specials to celebrate its customer appreciation day, going strong all day on July 26. The previous day, and it just wouldn’t be Guv’s without this, is a beanbag toss tournament. Guv’s then plans to reopen in North Hudson in early October.
— Draft parties for things such as the NFL have been all the rage for the past few years, but now there are even pre-draft parties. At Buffalo Wild Wings, they note that all you have to do is give them a call, meet a couple of qualifications, and they’ll mail you a kit complete with draft boards, B-Dubs paraphernalia and special food offers so you can have your shindig there, (they add that they’ve been doing draft-related parties since they opened quite a few years back). Across the street, Green Mill also is having such parties, and offers a contest where you can win free bonus cards, large pizzas and wing samplers and soda for when you hold your party. There are of course lots of official rules listed, among them that your likeness, etc., can be used by Green Mill for promotional purposes, and if you really draft well, why wouldn’t you want to share that with the world?
— Based in Minneapolis, but having shared the stage with bigtime bands that hail from all over the place, Almost Famous plays the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt on Friday, July 24. The band consists of past and present musicians from Austin Healy, Wicked Sensation, Rad Company and Thieves Carnival. Just formed, Almost Famous has opened for numerous national recording artists that have many different styles, such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, 38 Special, Jason Aldean, Molly Hatchet, The Outlaws, Georgia Satellites, Marshall Tucker Band, Leon Russell, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Little River Band, Black Oak Arkansas, Blackfoot, Foghat, Loverboy and Quiet Riot.
Duplicity in music dished out by Donovan and Garret at Kozy grand opening
July 17th, 2015Here’s to doubling your pleasure and more. Kozy Korner in North Hudson is again celebrating its anniversary of opening that took place several years back, and the pizzaria, restaurant and sports bar is offering not one but two music acts. And on the tournament end, there are also bean bags as well as bands.
The sign at Kozy says this about timing of it all, which goes on virtually all day Saturday, July 18: “Beanbags start 1. Garret sings 4. Donovan sings 7.” And beers and other things to your taste until 2:30.
The music acts might be considered the dynamic duo, as they reportedly sing a lot of the same songs, in much the same style. Garret, for example, as a solo act is known for his voice, backed by guitar, that careens widely up, down and around but is never quite out of control; dare I make a comparison to Robert Plant?
Donovan hails from Stillwater, and has forsaken the Logjam mega-fest that is there this weekend to be with, and play for, the Nelson clan at Kozy that he knows well.
It’s summertime, and the Somerset music is easy, but not the ‘mudding’
July 16th, 2015It’s a sweetheart of a deal; two summer Somerset-area festivals, mostly music but also maxing out on muscle, and singer Amanda back at a place close to her, as Huey Lewis would sing, heart and soul:
— I must reference again, three hearts for a sweetheart! Jawsy featuring lead singer Amanda will be back at the nightclub where she formerly bartended and sang, Dick’s Bar and Grill, on Friday evening, July 17, starting around 6. A chalkboard sign at Dick’s announcing the gig had a trio of Valentines-style hearts colored around her name.
— There are two large-scale events in the Somerset area all this weekend. One is the Sonshine festival, which features all forms of Christian music. The Somerset mega-music-marathons follow in the footsteps of OzzFest, which attracted as many as 40,000 fans and you might be surprised to know gave strong credence to secular bands that are unusually spiritual, especially on its main stage. Sonshine’s main headliner, Skillet, follows to a great degree in that metal tradition. Like most previous festivals, Sonshine also will have multiple stages, each devoted to a particular genre largely defined by instrumental style.
The fest starts in earnest on Thursday and runs until late-night all weekend at the Somerset Amphitheater, which is known for its music friendly bowl shape that works well with all those stages on the east side.
— Also expected to draw many thousands of spectators is the nearby Tough Mudder competition, part of a national circuit whose miles of obstacle courses, for an example, are even much more intricate then some of those old school metal concert stages (am I sensing a trend?) These extreme athletes will hit the Game Unlimited Hunting Club just east of Hudson along County E for most of the day Saturday and Sunday, and fans should get there bright and early, since upwards of 15,000 are expected at the 900-acre club. Officials say the event brings in between $2-10 million to the local economy, and this would buy a lot of celebratory victory beers at local establishments. See websites for details on both these events.