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Yes Virginia, Halloween is on a Wednesday, but you can also dress up, or down, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday

Yes Halloween is (unfortunately) on a Wednesday, which might typically put a damper on holiday costume parties at bars, but happily and creepily it has not turned out that way. There are parties to be hit all over this weekend, and the following is the spread-all-over-time primer on only the best haunts to go to and maybe even more importantly on those days that are bookends, you can max out if staying in costume and in character for more than one or two days. If not specified otherwise, the parties are on the more typically scheduled before-Halloween Saturday night. Friday its Guv’s Place and the Village Inn across the street in North Hudson, and the Bungalow Inn in Lakeland, and on Sunday night, which will not be a day of rest, Pudge’s does the trick.
— The name on the marquee at The Village Inn in North Hudson says it all: Feature boos, band and booze. The band is a transplant from Chetek called simply Sage, and its always good to see western Wisconsin talent, not just the proliferation of cover bands coming out of the Twin Cities. Bartender Sue is from that area and she kept the arrangements moving forward and is bringing all her people in for a night, and there are a lot of them. She knows how to party, as do her mates, so this should really be a party!
— The official name of the Halloween costume party at Season’s Tavern on Saturday night has been dubbed The Boo Bash! The North Hudson venue also will again feature Thirsty Camel for music, and owner Brad on the drums said their decades-old following has been aided by the fact that they are just a very good ‘ol rock and roll band. And the more people who show up in costume, the more they increase the cash value of their prizes, so you and your mates basically have some control over how much you can win! Costume judging is at 11 p.m.
— At Guv’s Place in North Hudson, the costume party is Friday night, with Kyle Kohila picking solo on the guitar, in what has been a tradition at Guv’s, both the old and new place. In what is also a tradition, the place is decorated up the hilt with scary creatures, courtesy of owner Jess, whose favorite holiday by far is Halloween, and it shows. Even their Facebook page currently has as the lead photo a monster with fantastic spooky eyes. She also is often behind the bar, and she wouldn’t mind at all if you quiz her about her themes. Even looking at all those big and elaborate costumes hanging halfdead from the high ceiling is worth the price of admission (uhm, oh yeah, its free).
— Dick’s Bar and Grill also has live music as a part of their party, and in a different twist offers two judgings for their costume contests, a tradition of the prejudging relatively early then another one — the main attraction — at the more conventional time, so the party basically goes on all night (with the band coming on early evening, followed by a deejay) and you have two chances to win cash prizes, to boot. And at Dick’s, which like for all holidays has literally hundreds of small but interesting goolies hanging from the ceiling, as there is strength in numbers, always has many more people show up in costume then most venues. And that earlier featured band has a name you have to love, The Other Baldwins. Costume judging is between 11:30 p.m. and the witching hour of midnight.
— The Bungalow Inn adds something possibly scary to the mix, and not having a band or deejay, you can be holiday specific with you selections by singing karaoke! We recommend Spooky Little Girl Like You by Atlanta Rhythm Section and of course Thriller by Michael Jackson.
— Casanova Liquors is having a prohibition-style shindig in the caves behind the place. (Hey, there’s a creepy-ness to all the rock formations to be seen). But, you won’t want to go all-into-prohibition-style restrictions, as when being exposed to these frights, you just might need a beer!
— At Pudge’s, the costume party and party as a whole for the first time is upstairs, which was the subject of a recent extreme remodeling, as befits the holiday, as you are either all in or not in at all. The limestone facade just adds to the quasi-creepyness, and this takes you way back to when this was one of the first buildings in Hudson, and the city has been around for a while. And when they were doing this huge remodel, they ran into some suspiciously dead looking things that were unearthed. You might want to ask about this, as a conversation starter with Halloween just around the corner, over a shot or two.
Two places that unlike some have not been around for decades (new blood?) get an honorable mention nod. The Smilin’ Moose is the granddad of highest costume cash (think the creepy old man in Texas Chainsaw Massacre), if you can tolerate all the young but sometimes cool punks from The Cities who have been drinking, and Woody’s in Bayport although a short distance away on Friday has a total of nine different qualifying positions, (all getting prizes), in three rounds prior to awarding the grand prize.

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