Variety of venues is viewed the spice of life, and don’t forget pizza for a venerable cause

From acoustic at Afton Alps and other attractions, to breakfast appetizers, you can hit a diverse series of events in the coming days.
— A local man recently hitting the music scene, and forming an acoustic duo with his female counterpart, says his goal for the winter season is to play about one gig a week — at different venues, for the sake of variety. With that in mind, Garret will play Afton Alps this coming Tuesday, Jan. 12, from 6-8 p.m. at Paul’s Pub, the main stage area for that ski-based attraction, then follow up with performances around the area, including River Falls. He adds that because of a change in policy, patrons do not have to pay a cover to get in and watch the band, like if they were to be using the ski hill.
— This new year’s holiday, and post-holiday season, is all about you and your honey celebrating edibles such as entrees and appetizers in twos, which is why breakfast offered at the Willow River Saloon/Carbone’s in Burkhardt is so applicable. You can get two eggs, two slices of bacon, two sausage links and hash browns for $2 on Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to noon, not to mention their daily specials, which include the 2 for Tuesdays, namely two pizza sandwiches for $8, two small pizzas for $16, two medium pizzas for $18 and two large pizzas for $20, all pizzas being one topping. (All these references to “two” made me consider substituting the words “couple of,” but you get the drift.) On the flip side, eggs withstanding, the counterpoint this weekend at night is the music of Full Tilt on Friday, Jan. 8, and Fiddlin’ Johnnie on Saturday, Jan. 9.
— And there is more at The Willow this weekend, sandwiched between the times when the two bands play, that being an benefit event that’s noteworthy on many fronts. It runs Saturday from 3-6 p.m. and is for Mike Miller, the long-time sexton at Willow River Cemetery who is father to nine children in a blended family, (his wife’s mother died last fall to increase the loss), and also is a long-running member of the North Hudson Pepper Festival community. It is a group from their board that set up the event, which features a silent auction and, of course, a spaghetti and pizza dinner for $10 a person to aid the cause. Miller, who hopes to be well enough to attend, for a long time has battled myriad medical conditions, one of which would lead to another, as what could go wrong would. The problems started with gastrointestinal woes that were a combination of colitus and a nasty infection called C-Diff.
— On a lighter note, this Sunday is the back-to-back playoff times for the Vikings and Packers, starting at noon. While many a venue is offering specials, Pudge’s hopes to take advantage of their position of first bar over the border by already advertising its drink specials on a marquee outside on Thursday.