To set the tone, not yet midnight now, but still the bang of dozens of fireworks high across the semi-scorched lawns, first a line of one pop then sets of two, staccato. I reference the midsection of the epic 18-minute song of human folly and crashing British airflight “Empire of the Clouds.” This combo of consistency and chaos could in many ways mark the tenure of this Fourth of July holiday.
— But wait. There’s more! Another holiday of sorts. In short order is Fun Fest in New Richmond and River Falls Days, (and OK you partiers know what city, obviously, that is in). So it all gets going with another act new to HudsonWiNightlife, Chris Kroese, in downtown New Richmond later today, that being Thursday. And all the things like carnival rides that are going on before and after his show. (Having, the downtown location, being back there, appears to be a big deal). And you know I could not get off on such a (celeb?) ceremonious celebration without a joke. Chris Kroese may sound in name like the Old School rap and/or hip-hop act Kriss Kross, but I have it on good authority that he is different, being a one-man show and more versatile in song selection. And less than 25 miles south — as the Crow and that’s not the old rock band flies, and unfortunately there is no straight Highway Star shot — but you still may want to hit the road and take in both, and not snuff the stuff in River Falls. Its amazing what a not so little ol’ state, but not Texas, tourism grant will do ya. So for much more on what’s going on at both these ends of St. Croix County, see my little ol’ website as the weekend approaches. —
The full-on city fiesta would be the next night. Still way in a front corner of the fourth room at Dick’s Bar and Grill, what, a Mexican food table, on July Fourth of all days. Lack of brats? And a lady across the pavement, staring straight and unwavering at the storefront in front of her. She’s who we all know, shining white light, searched for glitter if not gold??
The Sub House threw it back, with the three colors represented in mongo form five of the eight sandwich ingredients, and even brings farmer’s fruit into the fray to meet our (fickle?) appetites.
Another S word, Schneiderman’s I believe, said white glove treatment would be applied to all furniture deliveries, good color choice. The queen might do that with her expectations. And I won’t go into the man, I think, seen twice in a week roaming the streets of New Richmond, and cutting through the bars too, wearing a huge White Rabbit head.
This is one of three when it comes to the red, white and blue: Different folds of clothing in different places sporting all the colors, stretching as trendy various ways up and down and sideways, scant bits of skin between. Thus they incorporated an off-white tone; also present in hair of both a clerk and store patron, blueish tints added too.
Days before The Fourth, a tall blond was sporting a top of all those primary colors while at the bar and getting (a Pabst?), and I was going to complement her on the blouse choice, but then she abruptly took it off! It’s OK, as there was a dark blue camisole underneath. She would need that, because of the sheer sweat of fast dancing and her crazy hyper energy, and being swung over the shoulder of a friend with ceaseless flexibility, and that was shown her to be very lithe as well.
— Avenged sevenfold? (And more of my slaps at the quirks of our culture?)
That’s about how many cities with their storms, late in the get-going, cancelled their fireworks displays on the other end of Wisconsin. They made up for it here with a second appearance in the same number of days of across-the-street staccato.
But you couldn’t go there anyway, with a combination of flight cancellations and not enough flight attendants and flight overload of traffic. And get angry at the captain? Fight or flight?
Now the joke: With the rush to just get out and go … anywhere … in post-pandemic panic, we may be reaching a point where a plurality of the U.S. population is in the air at any one time. In the standard coach seats toward the back, they may have it over First Class when it comes to the often fading respect of Social Distancing, and with a greater number of planes and their people inside criss-crossing the country, that distinction may be crucial. —
Even weeks before that, Sam’s Club or such showed a blowup doll that was Uncle Sam, just past the checkout. And on the ride over, there was a second simply Sam, this time tethered on either side so he could not be taken away as written above by any Brit in post-colonial rage. Next to him Mickey Mouse in a Star Spangled uniform was not so lucky, being flattened to the too short grass.
Or a lone flag sitting by itself on a pole next to a tiny pond — and the only thing noticeable in the barren field all around.
Another wore the colors all, if you include a couple of denim pockets to constitute white. (More tints during this season: A thigh-high pink and yellow garter had much more height in front than back. But another’s outfit had all shades of blue and green, angelic but not algae). So the jeans give shades of red and blue, complete with a bit of off-white.
Not too many were around to appreciate it, being at cabins or house-based celebrations. The bars were manned with their crowds more like a Wednesday. At the Boosters Day band in the park on Friday evening, I saw a whole two people I recognized, as the homie crowds have changed around, although there were groups of people scattered throughout.
Brick’s Pizza up the way was an exception, with a full house.
And just where are, off the shelf, those Boston baked beans. A nice older lady helped me find them. Yes there is a story here, and starts Out East, far further then into Wisconsin, angling toward its center, to buy fireworks.
— Do I know beans about beans? —
My friend from Boston, now moved to Minnesconsin, wouldn’t get to experience the annual million-viewed Boston Pops plus fireworks at their historic band shell, so I thought this could fill the silence like a muzzleloader of old.
So I checked the shelves fore and aft, and found everything that included even a Dr. Pepper flavor with beans.
I asked the nice lady, are not Boston Baked Beans a staple of the genre? Unless overindulged? But at the last, there was a can or two, buried in the bottom corner. And even New England Clam Chowder as a second choice. And lastly, a $2 sprinkling of pop rocks. Will the package box fit it all?
Plenty of pastel chalklines on the pavement have regularly been shown along East Sixth Street, for the moment taking shape as a U.S. flag in order to take up a square of concrete, and the form of holiday wishes and a fireworks buildup. But across the street, there has been a less charming greeting that borders on bullying. Since taken down. In the 400 block, a nice lady accepted a compliment about her making her yard beautiful, several ways over with flowers and the like. She added, nothing too tough, since all the green ornamentation could be found setting in wait in a nearby woodlot.
Harder to arrange and keep straight was likely the mouse ears playing off angel wings beneath.
Another outfit of similarity, daughter and mom, was nearly matching in its size, shape and color its hundreds of floral figures. The pose both took, standing next to each other at the bar-rail, further showed their resemblance.
So some would say, how dare you wear, or maybe even carry, a U.S. flag, or there will be (less than subtle) warfare, that being something they will not acknowledge this. But you can drape it over a casket. I won’t even start to quote the seminal punk band Black Flag, though they do back further than the rise of such thought.
In a gutter next to a main drag sidewalk, a big Fireball bottle could thus have used a firewall.
It was bring me some water, to revisit earlier in June, when edging as close as we have had to 100 degrees, and workers spread out 18 boulders of mostly the same size between plants and thousands wood chips, prior to another approaching holiday at the New Richmond Post Office. Your tax dollars at work. In a good way.