Fans take their football seriously, which when combined with other local attractions setting the stage, has meant there’s plenty of acrid activity of all types locally. (For a running listing of these things, visit this web site over the next few days, and also see its Picks of The Week Department for things to do outside of Minneapolis):
— And we all thought Philly fans could be Surly, even before they took in some of those brews over in the metro, but in a former time also, before the NFC Championship Game aftermath brought it to light, the wrath was targeted at an (also mildly misplaced?) Purple Person. A time-out was required at the old Guv’s Place in Houlton, right across the river from Viking territory, when an early-season punch was thrown by a Packer Backer during their game against the Vikes, as told by the recipient of the smackdown. I guess that’s why to this day, the two-sided sign shows players from both teams shaking hands, but one on crutches (from a punch?), with the gridder shown as being injured flip-flopped, depending on which part of the sign you were looking at.
— The Hudson Buffalo Wild Wings was hit from three different places, including the Hudson Hot Air Affair and a big annual youth hockey tournament, not to mention the Big Game, like so many local venues last Saturday — as for the first time in years, both morning balloon launches went up, a seeming-to-be good omen. A server said that that when things picked up at her place of work, she had been waiting to go on break for 90 minutes but couldn’t, since a family was lingering at their table. Such long visits were typical in local establishments, which makes one think they were from the ballooning event — timed between its many activities — and not Super Bowl visitors. Yet.
Midday on Saturday, parking spaces for grill and bars were full everywhere around Hudson, with the occasional stall empty because again, people would stay for much longer than usual and occupy a prime location with their car, before bolting to the next activity and leaving the space empty.
— On Sunday night, there were so many strange hangers-on that they just had to be from out-of-town, said a downtown chef. Not viewed as so inhospitable a few weeks earlier was a tip left at Pudge’s, and missed out on from the source of my information because she ended up serving rather than bartending that day, to the tune of $550 on a $30 tab. Such workers are hoping for repeat performances when the biggest and most monied Super Bowl clients arrive in the Hudson area later in the week.
— Also looking to take advantage of the increased customer inflow is local pop and country star Chaunte Shayne, who has landed a gig at the Twin Cities International Airport on Feb. 5. A footnote, as talked about over coffee at the Village Inn early Tuesday morning, is that flights were so booked full there that people were taking their private planes to airports in Duluth and La Crosse — noteworthy again by being one place in each state — then getting however they could to the Twin Cities.
— A Mallalieu Inn placard over the door references the 14th Super Bowl with a theme that has Packers written all over it. Elsewhere in North Hudson, The Village Inn was known for an oversize photo of Coach Mike Holmgren being hoisted on the shoulders of various Packers after the team won their Super Bowl.
— The Hudson Green Mill was already Super Bowl full almost a week in advance, to the point where the manager was too busy to talk, even for a moment, and said this overflow likely would not change throughout the week. And no one I talked to disputed the idea that even at that point, when getting on I-94 and heading on down the highway to Eau Claire, there were no motel rooms left to be found there either. (What there was already had been going for $500 a room in Hudson, I was told by someone who got left out in the cold).
— I know from my time as essentially a bureau person for the Pioneer Press way back when, that on occasions where there was a late evening event or meeting, time was crucial to getting stories (or more likely photos, as a space could be held open for a bit longer) to the copy desk right after 9 p.m. This appeared to be the quandary editors faced when there was the media day (night?) and Prince musical tribute late on Monday. There were photos galore slapped on those pages, and I found myself combing them for any inclusion of an acquaintance to whom I once gave a lift home, again back in the day, a former guitarist for Prince’s backup band. No luck spotting him.
— The Super Bowl has brought an extra presence security all over, and also prompted the local police to step up patrols on certain nights, as the revelry has brought with it a certain amount of stupidity. The height of stupid criminal activity was seen on Tuesday night in downtown Hudson, as a car was pulled over and found to have dozens of “bricks” that local cops laid out on the sidewalk, but there might not have been quite enough light to see them because the car only had one working headlight! These guys might not see the light of day for awhile.
— With the onset, finally, of some warm weather, a woman at The Moose was sporting two of the lowest-cut bare shoulders I’ve ever seen. But not low enough to allow a wardrobe malfunction.