Musicians lend hand for greenhouse to take root

La Crosse's Free Press VOLUME 11, NO. 21 | JUNE 16, 2011

Musicians lend hand for greenhouse to take root

Page 6

PLUS: A VERY JAMMIN' CHRISTMAS • PAGE 4 | DALES PALE ALE • PAGE 9 | Y MARKS THE SPOT • PAGE 11

2// June 16, 2011

Second Supper

COMMUNITY

Social Networking NAME AND AGE: Kacie Payne, 21 WHERE WERE YOU BORN? La Crosse, WI

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— Compiled by Shuggypop Jackson, shuggypop.jackson@secondsupper.com

Second Supper

Things To Do

The Top LeBron James jokes 1. Why can’t LeBron James break a dollar? He’s only got three quarters.

2. Why didn’t he go to college? Because he didn’t want to show up for the finals.

3. Did you hear about his iPhone? It only vibrates since it doesn’t have any rings.

4. Tomorrow is national LeBron James day. Everyone gets to leave work 12 minutes early.

5. LeBron just announced he’ll play in the NHL next season since they only have three periods.

6. He’ll publish his autobiography as soon as he comes up with a title.

7. If he really wanted a ring, he should have stayed in Ohio and gotten one from Terelle Pryor!

June 16, 2011 // 3

FIRST THINGS FIRST

Freedom!

You’d better hurry — you only have through tomorrow to purchase tickets for Saturday’s Freedom Fest, featuring performances

by Styx, America and local favorites the Remainders. The fest, which is being held at UW-L’s Veteran’s Memorial Field Sports Complex from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m., kicks off with the Freedom Fest Motorcycle Ride in honor of our veterans and ends with a fireworks show beginning at 10:15 p.m. Various dedications and honors will be bestowed upon Wisconsin’s veterans, including the awarding of scholarships to returned veterans who plan to further their education and attend UW System schools. Tickets range from $29 to $149 for front-row VIP seating and are available at Kwik Trip stores, the LHI Freedom Fest Web site, and TicketWeb.com.

1

Click your heels together three times

Have you done anything productive or creative with your summer yet? No? Well then, why not try your hand at acting with the La Crosse Community Theater?

This Monday, June 20, and Tuesday, June 21, head down to the theater to audition for...wait for it...the Wizard of Oz! Parts are available for 28 adults and children, ages 8 and up. To reserve an audition space, call the theater at (608) 784-9292, ext. 2.

You’ll be asked to perform 30 seconds of music, so tune up those pipes before hitting the stage. The are also scripts available for 24 hour checkouts with a $10 refundable deposit. You know you’ve always wanted to, and what better time than the present?

2

Blast your kids to outer space

If you’re like several of my friends, you’re probably at this point tugging at your hair and clawing at your eyeball while your youngins are climbing the walls. Why not give them — and yourself — a break from the summer doldrums? This Monday, June 20, The Children’s Museum is hosting a Space Kids Camp for ages 4-7. They’ll learn about rockets, stars, galaxies — while you can kick back with some sangria. The cost is $55 for child members and $65 for non-members, but you can’t put a price on sanity.

3

Take it to the Lanesboro

4

This Saturday, consider taking the scenic drive down to Lanesboro, Minn., and hitting up the ropes course at the Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center. Reservations for the Summer High Ropes Challenge are strongly recommended, so give ‘em a call at (507) 467-2437. And while you’re in Lanesboro, don’t forget to check out the amazing galleries, boutiques, and cafes the picturesque town has to offer.

See freaks, off a leash

They’re baaaaaack! It’s been a few years since the Infiamatti Fire Circus and That Damned Band of 999 Eyes has visited the Coulee Region, so if you missed them last time around, now’s your chance. The group of “freaks” (as they term themselves) take an enlightened perspective on the once-exploitative freak show. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. at the Landmark Center in Viroqua, and tickets are $10-25. Don’t miss Lobster Girl!

5

4// June 16, 2011

COMMUNITY

Letter to the Editor

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TUESDAYS at 8PM

WEDNESDAYS from 4-11PM

Dear Editor:

In a disgusting ploy, the Republican leadership has placed their “spoiler” candidate on the ballot. I urge fellow Wisconsin citizens seeking justice in Madison to focus on what we can control. We can control honesty and integrity by supporting Jennifer Shilling, a stellar example of these qualities. We can control using our influence to help people instead of focusing on building our own power.

Jennifer Shilling is an advocate for the little guy using her influence to ensure that all have a right to a decent life. We can control our ethics as we focus on voting for the candidates who conduct themselves on higher ground. Jennifer Shilling’s ethics and reputation as a consensus builder are examples I want my five daughters to emulate. We can control our commitment to keeping Wisconsin the progressive state that it has been for decades.

Wisconsinites are committed to the belief that all deserve to be represented by our elected officials.

In the process of passing the many harmful components of Scott Walker’s budget bill, Republican Senators and Assembly members have trampled over the rights and needs of many of the very citizens they represent. A Jennifer Shilling victory in the upcoming elections will help correct this wrongful representation displayed by her opponent. You can’t control the wind, but you can control your sails. Let’s work positively for Jennifer Shilling by dealing with the harsh winds blowing in Madison.

Board the Shilling boat. Help her control her sails as she becomes Senator Shilling!

— Jack Degnan

○ NOT YOUR GRANDMA’S ○

Pear's 70th Birthday Party!

MyEaglesNest.NET

The Arts Review Bizarro Masterpiece Theatre Medium: Film Jammin’ George’s Very Jammin’ Christmas (2011) Cast: Jammin' George Writer: Jammin' George

It’s entirely in keeping with everything I know about the great Jammin’ George that he would send me a Christmas-themed video at a time nowhere near the holidays.

It’s both an absurd decision and a delightful one. Very Jammin’ Christmas is a quick burst of Jammin’ George’s comedic genius largely infused with (though in no way limited to) Yuletide spirit. While this 10 minute show doesn’t have the variety or the sheer mindf***ing of La Crosse resident's hourlong epic, Jammin’ George’s Land of Fun, it is a joyous bit of goofing around.

As opposed to the greater diversity of that epic, George’s tribute to Christmas largely sticks to quick impressions and snippets of song. He does bring back a few classic bits from Land of Fun, one of which is ap-

Second Supper propriate for the Christmas theme and the other so weird that I’d watch it a thousand different ways. The first is Jammin’ “George’s 12 Days of Christmas,” featuring George reading down a list of things that make the holidays great, including hot body poses, quenching Orangina, and falafels a-falafeling. The weird bit is George showing his audience how to make toast. There’s no swerve; it’s simply George putting bread in a toaster and buttering it when it comes out. But he’s pumped about it, which sells the entire bit and makes it hilarious as well as bizarre.

His new bits are more or less Christmasbased, the most notable of which features George as the fourth wise man, late for the nativity and looking for a good place for falafel. He also does a wicked impression of Ebenezer Scrooge. Still, some of my favorite bits ended up being the times when he’d go off topic. There’s a great joke about George’s dad being a hedge fund guy before it was cool, and he does a sweet impersonation of Daniel Plainview from There Will Be Blood.

Then there’s George’s weird, mild-mannered rant about going on a bus ride and not getting a tuna sandwich that was promised him, which would have been out of left field from a lesser comedian.

I do wish that George would have gone longer on this video and diversified his skits a bit more; there’s so much more holidaythemed gold that the man could have mined.

I am more of a fan of Land of Fun, but Very Jammin’ Christmas is a good introduction to those who haven’t seen that masterpiece, as well as a great companion piece for those who have.

— Brett Emerson

Second Supper

COMMUNITY

Up from the Roots

EcoPark concert to benefit local greenhouse

By Emily Faeth emily.faeth@secondsupper.com

You've probably never seen it, but there's a good chance you've eaten some of its produce at one time or another. The Hillview Urban Agriculture Center, tucked away in a residential neighborhood on 24th Street near the Myrick Hixon EcoPark, is on a mission to change La Crosse's food future — and to change the way we relate to our food.

But first it needs some help from you and me: the Myrick Hixon EcoPark is hosting a benefit, the Hillview Urban Agriculture Center’s First Annual Seed Money Benefit Concert, devised to enrich the roots and to help germinate this local organization.

The Hillview Urban Agriculture Center has a long history of providing for the community. “One hundred years ago, the piece of land [where Hillview UAC is located] was a small family farm, and over the years, it ended up becoming a greenhouse,” says Michelle Jerome, a member of Hillview UAC’s board of directors and an event organizer for Myrick Hixon EcoPark.

“Since then, this greenhouse was developed, and a doctor purchased the place.

And he thought it would be great to have elderly people come there to work on growing these plants. It ended up being a kind of therapeutic thing.”

The fruits of their labor were sold to local food cooperatives and Festival Foods or distributed to food shelters and pantries, such as Place of Grace and the Salvation Army. Unfortunately, this model was not economically sustainable, and as the greenhouse fell into disrepair, it appeared the site of Hillview UAC, currently the only piece of land zoned for agriculture within the city of La Crosse, would have to be redeveloped as residential property.

But a little over a year ago, a group of concerned citizens — some concerned with the environment, some with nutrition, some with maintaining a La Crosse tradition — stepped forward and re-envisioned the project as the non-profit organization model we can see today. Sadly, though, the greenhouse

remains in disrepair, the once fertile soil at Hillview UAC bears few crops. What could potentially be a great boon for the La Crosse community at large remains a distant dream — at least for now.

The type of community outreach the folks at Hillview began championing years ago continues today, though, and currently, the goal at Hillview is trying to connect with even more facets of our community.

“The program with the elderly is going to continue, but it's also going to be opened up to the community,” says Jerome.

“It's going to be a cross between an education center and a community garden. There will be children's classes, there will be classes for families, for all ages, where people can come in and work on the garden and actually take classes on how to grow their food and preserve their food,” she says. In the spirit of true inclusiveness, Jerome adds, “There will also be scholarships for low-income families so that they can go home and grow their own food.”

In order to make these dreams a reality, Hillview UAC has teamed up with numerous other superheroes of our community for this Saturday's First Annual Seed Money Benefit Concert at the Myrick Hixon EcoPark. The concert, which will take place from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m., features performances by our friends Derek Ramnarace, Michelle Lynn, and T.U.G.G.

“I really love it when people try to do something proactive,” says Ramnarace on his decision to play the benefit pro bono. “And when they try to get out of the norms of what they can be doing. It’s nice to see people applying their energy to something other than getting binge-drunk,” he says with a smile.

Tickets are available for $7 before June 18th and $10 at the door, but ticket and Tshirt combo packs are available for $22 or $25 day-of.

Other familiar faces will be in attendance, such as the Root Note, which will be the primary vendor for the event and which also plans to donate some of its profits to Hillview UAC. The proceeds from the concert will go directly into making the educa-

The Hillview Greenhouse in its former glory. Today it is disrepair. tion center at Hillview a reality, while other community members are stepping forward to help with repairs to the facility.

Ultimately, the goals of Hillview UAC are to positively impact the La Crosse community both socially, economically, environmentally and, to use the term in a loose, secular sense, spiritually.

“An organization that kind of gives an idea of what this [urban agriculture] is all about is something called Growing Power.

Last year, Hillview was able to bring in Will Allen, who is the CEO and originator [of Growing Power]. He created a sort of urban agriculture contract, because a lot of times, people who live in cities don't think they can grow their own food. And we're trying to show them they can,” says Jerome. And with the undeniable benefits of locally grown produce — as well as the environmental necessity—here's to hoping for a long and fruitful season for Hillview.

“I lived here for a long time, and I really like this place,” says Ramnarace, who currently lives in Madison. “I think what they’re doing is really great. I feel like this is my community, even though I don’t reside here anymore. And my kids absolutely love the park out there, and I think this project [Hillview UAC] is something that will benefit my own children. Their goals are outstanding...and I’m excited to see where this goes.”

June 16, 2011 // 5

6// June 16, 2011

Second Supper

MUSIC LA CROSSE’S NEWEST & TRUEST PUB & EATERY WITHOUT THE FRANCHISE!

Monday: All U Can Eat Wings includes choice of potato, slaw and a $8.99 frosted Pint. 4-9:30

The Majak Mixtape

Tuesday: Wisconsin cheese steak sandwich with a frosted Pint. $8.99

By Jonathan Majak jonathan.majak@secondsupper.com

Wednesday:

Ladies Night, $1 Off All Drinks 4-Cl. Pint-Aritas $3.00 (lime or strawberry)

Thursday:

Karaoke on Thursdays

All U Can Eat Wings includes choice of potato, slaw and a frosted Pint. 4-9:30 $8.99

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Nothing like a seemingly endless political season to make you want to actively root for the Rapture to happen this October, right? Maybe? We’re more than a year away from the actual election, and we’re more exhausted than a Tiffany’s representative trying to get a hold of Newt Gingrich to pay his bill. Speaking of Gingrich, he and a group of Republicans of wide ranging viability met on Tuesday for a debate. And while Mitt Romney tried to keep his mitts on his front runner status, Michelle Bachman couldn’t choose between Elvis or Johnny Cash and Tim Pawlenty was plenty dull, we here at the Mixtape determined we’re going to vote for whoever looks best in a leaked Twitter photo.

In honor of the debate, we’ve come up with this mix we’re dubbing “It’s Not the Size of the Ballot; It’s How You Stuff the Box.”

Our first song is “I Hope I Get It” from the musical “A Chorus Line.” Though they may not be twirling or kicking about a stage, there is a certain amount of tapdancing for their lives that happen in these debates as potential nominees all try to assert how they are the best person to take down President

By Jason Crider jason.crider@secondsupper.com

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La Crosse native Landon Sheely’s profusely worded album My Favorite Book About Life is Being Written By Me is ever so slightly reminiscent of the early days of the famed Saddle Creek Records, before Conor Oberst took Bright Eyes on a lo-fi binge and when Cursive was still nothing but an irritating form of handwriting. That isn’t to say Sheely is the next Tim Kasher, it’s just my roundabout way of pinning a broad sound to this band. My Favorite Book is a 7-track album/EP filled primarily with acoustic guitar, banjo and harmonica, driven by contagious sing-a-long vocals and a percussion section composed entirely of hand clapping (with the exception of the tattered snare drum on the track “June 17th”).

The album drifts effortlessly between gentle, hushed songs speckled with cheery guitar and banjo, to more upbeat tracks filled with what sounds like a group of Sheely’s friends shouting along choruses at a bar, to the more attitude filled songs riddled with the passionate yells of a punk influence, a little bit like Against Me!’s acoustic stuff.

The only track that really strays from this for-

Obama. There is always a sense of needy desperation in these proceedings, like the dancers in “I Hope I Get It” trying to impress the benevolent director. And really, the idea of these people singing that song sounds like the best “Saturday Night Live” sketch that will never happen.

Mitt Romney is making his best go of making a better outing than he did his last go round, leading us to our next song “This Will Be Our Year” from Nerina Pallot’s album “The Year of the Wolf.” Oh Mitt. If Mormons can take over the Great White Way in the “Book of Mormon,” no reason one couldn’t take the White House.

Lastly, we have Laura Marling and her song “Ghosts” from her album “Alas, I Cannot Swim” as former Alaskan governor Sarah Palin continues to haunt everything until she declares one way or another if she’s going to make a bid to run for president. Palin has been spending the past few weeks traveling around the country in a bus with her family. Sadly, this was not because they were busy promoting a Palin Family album, which would be amazing, but as a way to keep Palin’s name in the papers while she debates running. And that internal debate she’s having may be the greatest debate we’re going to have this whole political season.

Buy: Ledisi, “Pieces of Me.” YouTube: Lady Gaga and Patti Labelle singing “Over the Rainbow.”

Read: Spacepack www.spacepack.ca Catch all the wig-snatching antics at The Majak Kingdom blog: www.majakkingdom.blogspot.com

mula is the second to last song “Ghosts and Memories,” a melancholy ballad somewhat evocative of The Spill Canvas’ quieter side with its similarly soft intensity.

Possibly my favorite track on the album is the unfortunately titled “True Love Will Find You In The End,” which begins with a soft guitar and banjo blend that backs up the violin and genuinely emotional singing that drive the song. Roughly halfway through the banjo takes control of the wheel and brings a cheerful change of pace that turns the song from heartrending to hopeful and almost inspiring. While the song title and a good portion of the lyrics are a bit too hackneyed for my taste, the song is inherently authentic and honest, which is always a trump card for me.

The only other problem I had with this record was with the backing vocals in the two opening tracks, “Too Much Anyway” and the thirty-second long “Sequoia Adventure Song.” Usually a makeshift choir made up of a room of slightly off-key people who occasionally laugh or talk in the background makes for a jolly and lighthearted aesthetic, but these two tracks may prove to some that too much of a good thing is definitely a bad thing, if not just pointlessly distracting. Minor qualms aside, My Favorite Book About Life Is Being Written By Me is a short album with a long title that is made into a fun and sincere listen through all of its great folk, punk and indie influences.

Landon Sheely 'My Favorite...'

Second Supper

June 16, 2011 // 7

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8// June 16, 2011

Second Supper

MUSIC

music directory // June 17 to June 23

FRIDAY,

just a roadie away

June 17

Minneapolis

FREIGHT HOUSE // 107 Vine St. Muddy Flats & the Hepcats (blues) • 6 p.m.

population

DEEP PURPLE // JUNE 19 Orpheum Theatre • $48.50

JB'SSPEAKEASY // 717 Rose St. The Sweet Nothings (punk/metal) • 10 p.m.

AGAINST ME! // JUNE 21 First Avenue • $15

NEUIE'S NORTH STAR // 1732 George St. Dan Berger & Friend's (rock) • 8 p.m

YO LA TENGO // JUNE 23 & 24 400 Bar • No-fee tickets available

PIGGY'S BLUES LOUNGE // 501 Front St. S. Jumpship Blues Band (blues) • 8 p.m.

MOTLEY CRUE/POISON/NEW YORK DOLLS // JUNE 24 Target Center • $25-245

POPCORN TAVERN // 308 S. Fourth St. Moon Boot Posse (jamband) • 10 p.m.

THE ROOT NOTE // 114 4th St. S. Dustin Lee (country/folk) • 8:30 p.m.

THE WAREHOUSE // 324 Pearl St. Lustrous Mud, Of Conscience, Harbinger ('90s rock/shoegaze) • 7 p.m.

THE WATERFRONT TAVERN // 328 Front St. Jim Bee Three (easy listening) • 8 p.m.

SATURDAY,

June 18

CAVALIER LOUNGE // 114 5th Ave. N. Michelle Lynn (folk) • 9 p.m.

FIELD HOUSE // W5450 Keil Coulee Rd. Brent Brown & Adam Palm • 8 p.m.

JETHRO TULL // JUNE 25 Orpheum Theatre • $35-100 Following the Seed Money benefit concert at the Myrick Hixon EcoPark, Iowa native and multitalented singer-songwriter Michelle Lynn will be bring her unique folk-oriented sound to the Cavalier this Saturday night to show some love with her soulful voice and enchanting music. Her latest album, Sundial Tree, is a fantastic musical journey that explores the concepts of time and nature in a clever post-modern way that strays away from the nonsensical psychedelia that plagued similar artists of generations passed. The album was recorded by La Crosse local Matt Olson of Brahman Shaman in his very own Ghost In My House Studio. The show begins at 9 p.m.

SUNDAY,

June 19

MOKA COFFEESHOP // 127 West Ave. N. Prairie Smoke (folk) • 12:30 p.m.

POPCORN TAVERN // 308 S. Fourth St. Pear’s 70th Birthday Party (free music beer, food) • 5 p.m.

MIKE'S LOGAN BAR // 1400 Caledonia St. Dan Berger & Friends • 5 p.m.

RIVERSIDE PARK // La Crosse The La Crosse Jazz Orchestra (Jazz in the Park) • 7 p.m.

MYRICK HIXON ECOPARK // 789 Myrick Pk Dr Derek Ramnarace, Michelle Lynn, T.U.G.G. (Seeds Money benefit) • 4 p.m.

THE ROOT NOTE // 114 4th St. S. Jacob Grippen (singer/songwriter; Sunday Over Easy) • Noon

NORTH SIDE OASIS // 620 Gillette St. Geared Under (hard rock) • 9:30 p.m.

MONDAY,

POPCORN TAVERN // 308 S. Fourth St. Jim Piela Quartet, Jazz Liver (jazz, bop, fusion) • 10 p.m.

387,970

June 20

POPCORN TAVERN // 308 S. Fourth St. Shawn’s " Flashback” Jam • 10 p.m.

DEL’S BAR // 229 Third St. Open Jam with Cheech • 10 p.m.

THE WAREHOUSE // 324 Pearl St. Windsor Drive, I Am Daniel, Baywood Park (pop/electropop)• 7 p.m.

TUESDAY,

THE WATERFRONT TAVERN // 328 Front St. Jim Bee Three (easy listening) • 8 p.m.

PETTIBONE BOAT CLUB // 6 Pettibone Is. Joe Cody & Jan-Arden Petersen • 6 p.m.

June 21

ELVIS COSTELLO // JUNE 29 State Theatre • $45-85 EDDIE VEDDER // JULY 2 Orpheum Theatre • $75

POPCORN TAVERN // 308 S. Fourth St. Paulie (one-man band) • 10 p.m.

NIGHTHAWKS TAP // 401 S. Third St. The Dan Collins B-3 Organ Jam • 10 p.m.

THE ROOT NOTE // 114 4th St. S. 3rd Relation Jazz Trio • 8 p.m.

THURSDAY,

WEDNESDAY,

June 22

June 23

CAVALIER LOUNGE // 114 5th Ave. N. Hipster DJ (pretentious indie) • 10 p.m.

BOOT HILL PUB // 1501 St. Andrew St. DEL’S BAR // 229 Third St. Jerry Anderson & Neil Duresky (pia- Cheech (blues, rock) • 10 p.m. no/vocal) • 5:30 p.m.

POPCORN TAVERN // 308 S. Fourth St. CAVALIER LOUNGE // 114 5th Ave. N. TBA • 10 p.m.

Reggae vs. Hip-Hop (rare vinyl) • 10 p.m.

THE ROOT NOTE // 114 4th St. S. DEL’S BAR // 229 Third St. Open Mic Night • 8:30 p.m.

Mike & Nancy from Mr. Blink • 10 p.m.

SOUTHSIDE NEIGH. CENTER // 1300 S. 6th St.

POPCORN TAVERN // 308 S. Fourth St. Dave Orr (man about town) • 10 p.m.

RECOVERY ROOM // 901 7th St. S. Kin Pickin' (jam grass) • 10 p.m.

RIVER JACK'S //1835 Rose St. Mark Harrod (pop/rock) • 6 p.m.

RIVERSIDE PARK // La Crosse La Crosse Concert Band • 7:30 p.m.

Cheez Land Uke Band (variety) • 7 p.m.

SLOOPY'S ALMA MATER // 163 Copeland Ave Jaded Blonde • 10 p.m.

THE STARLITE LOUNGE // 222 Pearl St. Kies & Kompanie (Jazz) • 5 p.m.

TREMPEALEAU HOTEL // 150 Main St. Jamin Barth (blues/bluegrass) • 7 p.m.

Second Supper

The Beer Review Dale’s Pale Ale Oskar Blues Lyons, Colorado

I’m gazing down at the tan mud splattered on the tips of my tennis shoes while drinking IPAs and listening to Derek Ramnarace — so of course my mind is drifting to the Bandit County Fair. I happen to be at the Bodega Brew Pub’s 17th anniversary celebration, but memories of muck, lilting harmonies and swirling hoppy taste buds bring me back to Gunner’s like Proust’s marmalade. First and foremost, BCF is a musical affair, but drinking fine beer is more than a side attraction. The annual jewel of the weekend is the Smokin’ Hemp Porter, the

carmely, robust Pearl Street Brewery concoction that represents the best of La Crosse beer culture. I sipped my fair share of SHPs this weekend, and it was just as delicious as ever (though evidence suggests it may have been more potent). But I reviewed the porter in ’09, and I like to keep my columns fresh, so with apologies to the newly christened Paunch Punch I’m going to focus this year's review on the campground beers.

If you’re the type of person that obeys rules, campground beers mean canned beers. I brought a delicious assortment, but my favorite was a brand widely regarded as the best canned beer in America: Dale’s Pale Ale. That’s not an easily awarded title — Surly would beg to differ — but among canned beers with a mass distribution, Dale’s certainly shines. So join me as I put on a coozie and

crack my last can.

Purchase: 12-pack of Dale’s Pale Ale from Woodman’s, $15.19 Style: American Pale Ale Strength: 6.5 percent ABV Packaging: Bedecked in all-American red, white and blue, this “Rocky Mountain Pale Ale” with a buoyant logo is recognizable from across the coulee.

Appearance: The beer pours a cloudy orange color beneath a lovely white head with excellent lacing that dusts the inside of the glass.

Aroma: The aroma is distinctly hoppy, though not as powerful as you would imagine, with lingering whiffs of cream and the yellow cake of a Twinkie.

Taste: Dale’s has a bold hello from the moment it hits the tip of the tongue. Piney and

The Best Food & Drink Specials in Town LOCATION

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TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

2-Fers, Buy any regularly priced food item and get one of equal or lesser value for free

$4 Rueben Sliders

$1 Wells, $5 Domestic pitchers All specials 9 p.m. to close

Wristband Night: AUC2D domestic taps, rail mixers, Long Islands. All specials 9 p.m. to close

15-cent wings, $1.50 Keystone Lights, $1.50 rail mixers; $2.50 call drinks. 2 For 1 Captains All specials 9 p.m. to close.

Wristband Night: AUC2D, Domestic $2.50 Miller Lite bottles, buckets of 5 $2.50 Miller Lite bottles, buckets of 5 taps, rail mixers and Long Islands. for $12.50 for $12.50 $2.50 SoCo & Jack.

All specials 9 to close.

5 domestic taps for $1; $2 domestic pitchers

$2 domestic pints and $2 rail mixers; $1 shots of Doctor (3 flavors);

CLOSED

1125 La Crosse St. 784-7400

IMPULSE

214 Main St. 782-6010 www.impulseoflacrosse.com

JB’S SPEAKEASY 717 Rose St. 796-1161

SCHMIDTY’S 3119 State Road 788-5110

SLOOPY'S ALMA MATER 163 Copeland Ave. 785-0245

THE LIBRARY 123 3rd St. 784-8020

TOP SHOTS

$3 Bacardi mixers; $3 Three Olives vocka mixers (8 flavors); $2 domestic pints and $2 rail mixers

Taco buffet 11-2; $1 Pabst bottles and $1 bowling after 9

All you care to eat pizza buffet, 11-2 (Holmen)

All you care to eat fish fry 4-10; un- Prime rib dinner 4-10; limited Glow-N-Bowl $9.99 unlimited Glow-N-Bowl $9.99

Bar Menu

La Crosse's Best Tacos: Beef $2, Chicken $2.50

La Crosse's Best Tacos: Beef $2, Chicken $2.50 Dog in a Diaper, $5

Fish’s Fish Taco $3.50

La Crosse's Best Tacos: Beef $2, Chicken $2.50 Chimis and Burritos, $5

9 p.m. to close: $1.25 rails, $1.75 bottles/cans

9 p.m. to close: $2 Captain mixers, $2 bottles/cans, $3 Jager bombs

9 p.m. to close: $2 Bacardi mixers, $2 domestic pints, $1.50 shots blackberry brandy

Free Wing Night (while supplies last); $5 AUC2D wristbands: domestic taps, rail mixers, Long Islands, 9 p.m. to close ($7 after 11p.m.):; live DJ

$5 AUC2D Wristbands 9 p.m. to close ($10 after 11p.m.): Domestic Taps, Rail Mixers, Long Islands; Live DJ, Dancing 9 p.m. to close

$5 AUC2D Wristbands 9 p.m. to close ($10 after 11p.m.): Domestic Taps, Rail Mixers, Long Islands; Live DJ, Dancing 9 p.m. to close

Happy Hour 5 to 7 p.m.

Happy Hour 5 to 7 p.m.

Happy Hour 5 to 7 p.m.

CLOSED

$1.75 domestic bottles, $1.75 Dom Monday Madness: $1.75 domestics bottles and rails, $2.50 Bombs and rails, $2.50 Bombs, $1 off all top shelf and specialty beers $1.79 burger (after 8 p.m.)

Breakfast 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

All specials 9 to close.

Free Beer: 5:30-6:30 p.m.

Free Wings: 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Free Bowling: After 9 p.m.

Bar Menu

Ladies Night, $1 off all drinks, 4 to All you can eat boneless wings, inclose; Pint-Aritas $3 (lime or straw- cludes a choice of potatoe, slaw and berry) a frosted pint, 4-9:30 p.m., $8.99

Happy hour 4 to 9 p.m.; 9 p.m. to 9 p.m. to close: $3.50 domestic 9 p.m. to close: $1 rails, $2.50 pitch- $5 all you can drink close: Night Before Class - $3 pitch- pitchers ers, beer pong ers of the beast CLOSED

SATURDAY

Fish Tacos: 1 / $2.50, 2 / $5.00, 3 / $6.50.

Happy Hour: 2 for 1 domestic bottles Karaoke 9 p.m. to close and rail drinks, 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.

All you can eat wings, includes a Wisconsin cheese steak sandwich choice of potatoe, slaw and a frosted with a pint of beer, $8.99 pint, 4-9:30 p.m., $8.99

400 Lang Drive 784-2242

HOWIE’S

CLOSED

FRIDAY

$1.50 domestic taps and rail drinks, Bird Brain Trivia 8 p.m.; $1.50 do- Wing Night - 25-cent wings (dine- $1.50 domestic bottles and rail 4 p.m. to close mestic bottles and rails 4 p.m. to in only); $1 Miller High Life silos and drinks, $2 craft bottles, 4 p.m. to close PBR silos; $1.50 taps and rail drinks; close $2 craft taps. All specials 4 to close.

1452 Caledonia St. 782-6446

FLIPSIDE PUB & GRILL

— Adam Bissen

$2 BBQ Pork Sliders

CLOSED

115 3rd St. S 782-7550

THURSDAY

citrus-y hops come on first, but the beer soon warms on a fine palette of malts. As it reaches the back of the tongue, the bottom drops out, plunging into beautiful bitterness and a refreshing, lip-smacking finish.

Mouthfeel: Whether from a can or not, the mouthfeel is rich, full and creamy. Dale is a master brewer at work.

Drinkability: This is quite drinkable, perhaps too drinkable given its relative potency.

Ratings: RateBeer scores it a 98, while BeerAdvocate grades it a B, which is lower than I would have expected. There must be some snobby backlash to this widely distributed beer, because other than one contraband bottle I had at a campsite, Dale’s Pale Ale was the tastiest beverage I tried all weekend.

MONDAY

122 4th St. 782-0677

EAGLES NEST

June 16, 2011 // 9

YOUR GUIDE TO CONSUMPTION

$5 AUC2D wristbands: domestic taps, rail mixers, Long Islands, 9 p.m. to close; ($7 after 11p.m.): karaoke 10 p.m. to close

$5 AUC2D wristbands: domestic taps, rail mixers, Long Islands, 9 p.m. to close; ($7 after 11p.m.): karaoke 10 p.m. to close

Tuesday Boozeday $1 off all liquor Happy Hour 5 to 7 p.m. drinks and 50 cents off all shots, $2 Bombs

Hat Night: Buy 1 drink, get 1 free w/ Rail drinks $2 (4:30 to close); Buckets of beer $10, Boston Bobby's Margaritas $4 (Straw, rasp, mango, hat (4:30 to close); $1.50 chili dogs After 8 p.m. specials: $5 skewer of drummies 10 for $2 (4:30 to close), peach and reg); After 8 p.m. specials: (after 8 p.m.) shrimp,l $1.79 burger, $1.50 chili dogs $1.79 burger (after 8 p.m.) $5 skewer of shrimp, $1.79 burger

$1.50 Tacos, $4.99 nachos;: $11 Tacos: $11 buckets during pro and 12-inch pizza $8.99 buckets during pro and college foot- college football games. Happy Hour Happy Hour 2 to 6 p.m. ball games.

2 to 6 p.m.; $2 pints all day $1 Taps & Rails during the game ; $6 wristbands starting at 7pm.

14-inch pizza, $2 off; Wings Happy Hour 2 to 6 p.m.

Half price tequilla, $1 domestic taps K$2 Double rails and all bottles; $3 and rails Double call drinks

Breakfast 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.; lunch buffet 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., $6.99

$1.89 hamburger + toppings Ladies Fish Dinner Special-$7.89 night, 2 for 1 drinks (6-close), Happy Hour 2 to 6 p.m.

Happy Hour 2 to 6 p.m.

$1.50 Tacos, $4.99 nachos; $11 buckets during pro and college football games.

Wristband night, $2 cherry bombs, $2.50 Miller Lite bottles, buckets of 5 $2.50 Miller Lite bottles 50¢ shots (3 flavors); $2.50 Tuaca, for $12.50 Jack Daniel's & SoCo Mixers

137 4th St. 782-6622

$5 Pitchers/$2 bottles of Miller prod- $1.75 Miller/Bud Light Taps, $2.25 $1.75 Rails, $1.50 Domestic Taps, $2 domestic bottles, $2.50 Skyy/ ucts (11-4pm) $2 Corona Bottles, $2 MIcro/Craft Taps, $2.50 Cherry $3.50 Jager Bombs Absolut mixers, $2 Dr. shots (7-1 Kilo Kai Mixers , $3 Bloodys (7-1 a.m.) Bombs (7-1 a.m.)

(7-1 a.m.) a.m.)

5 Domestic Bottles for $10, $5 $2 Captain Mixers, $2. Long Island Micro/Import Bottles $11.50, $7 Mixers, $3 Effen Vodka Mixers (7-1 Micro/Craft Pitchers (7-1 a.m.) a.m.)

$5 Miller/Bud Light Pitchers, $2.25 Leinies Bottles (7-1 a.m.)

POPCORN TAVERN

$2 Lost Lake cans

$1.75 PBR Bottles $2 Lost Lake cans

$2 Miller Light Bottles $2 Lost Lake cans

$2 Grain Belt, $2 Lost Lake cans $4 Summit pints -- Keep the pint!

-- refils $3, bottles $3

$2 Coors & Coors Light Bottles $2.50 Skyy mixers $2 Lost Lake cans

$2 Lost Lake cans

$2 Lost Lake cans

WHO'S ON THIRD

Happy Hour until 10 p.m. $1.50 domestic taps, $2 rails from 10 to close

$1.50 taps PBR, $1.50 rails

$2 domestic bottles, $3 call doubles

$2 taps, $3 Jack and Captain doubles

$2 Miller products, $8.50 fish bowls

$2 domestic taps, $3 Three Olives products

308 4th St. S. 782-9069

126 3rd St. N. 782-9467

10// June 16, 2011

DIVERSIONS

Maze Efflux

By Erich Boldt

By Matt Jones

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614 Main St., La Crosse, WI 54601 Phone: (608) 782-7001 Online: secondsupper.com Publisher: Roger Bartel roger.bartel@secondsupper.com Editor in Chief: Adam Bissen adam.bissen@secondsupper.com Student Editor: Emily Faeth emily.faeth@secondsupper.com Sales: Mike Keith mike.keith@secondsupper.com Sales: Ansel Ericksen ansel.ericksen@secondsupper.com Graphic Designer: Jenn Bushman Regular Contributors: Amy Alkon, Erich Boldt, Mary Catanese, Jason Crider, Ashly Conrad, Ben DeLine, Marcel Dunn, Brett Emerson, Shuggypop Jackson, Jonathan Majak, Matt Jones, Briana Rupel, Julie Schneider, Stephanie Schultz, Nate Willer, Ralph Winrich Second Supper is a weekly alternative newspaper published by Bartanese Enterprises LLC, 614 Main St., La Crosse, WI 54601

ACROSS 1 Enjoy the roller rink 6 Parade honoree 10 Blue drop?

14 1980s game with four big buttons 15 Neon sign word 16 Choir member 17 Paired up 19 "___: First Class" (2011 movie) 20 Underlying theme of "Se7en" 21 Gp. with shelters 22 Shakespearean shout of disapproval 23 Food with filling 25 Vince McMahon's short-lived sports org.

27 They arrive before U 30 "___ Certified" (sticker at the mechanic's) 33 On-campus recruits 35 "Fritz the Cat"

Second Supper

"Back and Forth and Back" initially, there's a pattern.

director Ralph 37 Mantra for selfmotivated high achievers 40 "That's ___, and you know it!"

41 ___ chi 42 ___ bargain 43 Spoke when it wasn't appropriate 48 Encourages 49 Game that spawned "The Urbz," with "The" 50 Suffix for count or baron 51 "What'd I tell ya?"

52 Danielle Steel's "Message from ___" 54 France, once 56 Greek consonants 58 Reynolds who plays the Green Lantern 60 They backed the now-defunct food guide pyramid

Answers to June 9 puzzle "Crossword of the Decade"—Gee, already?

64 Word yelled at a moving bus 66 Defiant question sometimes followed by "Would you still..."

68 Gulf of Mexico contents 69 Boxing win 70 Tequila source 71 "Well, shucks" 72 Big tabloid 73 Qaddafi's home DOWN 1 N.Y.-to-Paris jets, until 2003 2 Fuzzy fruit 3 "Supermodified" DJ ___ Tobin 4 Completely shot 5 Kind of doc 6 Nobody wants to hold it 7 With a cast of thousands 8 Real estate company with a slash in its name 9 Hit song from "Achtung Baby" 10 Tony Danza sitcom 11 School supplies brand with a cow logo 12 ___ the cost 13 Jeremy of adult films 18 Frilly neckwear 22 Chuck D's Public Enemy cohort, for short 24 NPR reporter Shapiro 26 J. Edgar Hoover's gp.

28 Blacksmiths for horses, e.g.

29 They used to be the Oilers 30 Brightly-colored rocks 31 Food for livestock 32 Villainous scientist character, say 34 Polar name 36 Detained 38 Frightened outbursts 39 Trial lawyer 44 Forever, it seems 45 Twisted sample 46 Muscat resident 47 Sch. whose mascot is Chief Osceola 53 Hand puppet in "South Park" 55 Mario Kart character 57 Provo's state 59 "Divine Secrets of the ___ Sisterhood" (2002 movie) 61 Ear cleaner 62 Monkees member Jones 63 Out on the ocean 64 Move like a hound's tail 65 "All Those Years ___" (George Harrison song) 66 Day planner divs.

67 T-___ (cookware brand) ©2011 Jonesin' Crosswords (editor@ jonesincrosswords.com)

Second Supper

June 16, 2011 // 11

The Bullshit Addict

By Brett Emerson brett.emerson@secondsupper.com

When I came up with a new personal code of conduct this past January, I placed the most value not on what I wanted to accomplish, but how. As such, the most important rule I set for myself was to not be frustrated when (not if) I failed to immediately live up to all my expectations. Having been fueled by frustration for most of my life, I have an annoying and highly self-destructive tendency to throw all my hopes and plans into the dumpster at the first setback. Usually this comes about because I become willingly distracted by some stimulus and forget about all the big things I want to accomplish.

The stupidity comes about when this sloth frustrates me into giving up and engaging in further, more depressed sloth. The result of this cycle often becomes that I get so spun around that, when the distractions are all conquered, I’m left with no idea of what to do next. This is where I’m currently at.

I am a junkie, not for alcohol or drugs, but for bullshit. I’m not being melodramat-

ic or romanticizing the situation at all. My sense of obsession is titanic, and rather than use that potentially wonderful quality to fulfill all the big goals I want to accomplish, I derail myself at any given distraction. The title of my stimulus review column, The Designer’s Drugs, is not so much a clever, rebellious name as it is an admission that entertainment can — and often does — become an addiction.

Even now, even as I’ve outgrown a lot of my past stupidity, I’m fantastically addicted to addiction. If I’m playing a video game, I tend to complete every side quest and every achievement. I loathe watching television shows because watching every episode in a series takes too much time and effort, and with TV shows, if I’m in for a penny I’m in for a pound. I spend hours, days, weeks, and months on the internet doing little more than absorbing trivia, yet I find that I don’t know how to turn off the switch. I’m brilliant, in all the wrong ways.

My current theory is that all of this comes from a feeling that all stimulus is there to be consumed or conquered, which isn’t surprising considering that I was raised by video arcades and Nintendo. It’s this line of thought that justifies why I stopped buying cigarettes, as I’d go through a pack a day simply because it was there. It makes much more sense for me to pace myself and steal cigarettes from my friends.

So if I can view every aspect of my life in gaming terms — winning, losing, high scores — is it possible for me to enjoy life as it is? Whether won or lost, a game is over.

Life isn’t really like that, as I’m coming to re-

alize.

But strangely, awkwardly, and full of failure, I’m getting better. Sometimes.

My only rationalized consolation for the time I wasted between January and now is that most of the wasting went according to plan. During that period, a few video games came out that I knew would be awesome, including a remake of one of my favorite games ever, Final Fantasy IV. I consciously decided to get these games, and didn’t feel bad about it at all.

Perversely, this is a drastic improvement over the days when I would buy crappy entertainment of any kind simply to get new things. At least I wasn’t wasting my time on consuming something I didn’t even really like. This is me maturing.

Unfortunately, my taste in games runs toward epic strategy games that take weeks to complete, so even my reasoned decision ended up with me playing these games from waking to sleep, for days at a time. I wasn’t frustrated by this, but I sure wasn’t being fulfilled, either.

Equally unfortunate was what happened once I emerged victorious and had no more worlds to conquer. When the last game was finished, I had no desire to get another throwaway game, to watch throwaway television, to drown in the throwaway internet. I was done being entertained, and I had no idea what to do next. Victory had crippled me.

I’ve spent the time since reading, in my conquering junkie style, but I’m not reading mindlessly or gluttonously. Soon the books I’m working on at the moment will run out,

and I’ll be in the same position I’m in with all the other forms of entertainment, not knowing how to flip the switch from mindless reception to brilliant transmission.

I’ve spent a month trying to figure out the answer, but in that time I feel like something might be building, if I allow it to. The temporary breakdown of my brain I’ve been slogging through has sucked, no doubt. But it may have been necessary. I’ve always been kind of an idealist nihilist in that I feel that I’m at my best when I have nothing. Maybe this is the nothing I’ve been waiting for.

Have an opinion?

Send your letters to the editor to Second Supper, 614 Main St., La Crosse, WI 54601 or by e-mail to editor@secondsupper.com.

Letters should be signed and include phone number for verification purposes.

Please limit letters to no more than 300 words. Second Supper reserves the right to edit letters for length, clarity and grammar.

For more information, call (608) 782-7001.

MONDAY 9-BALL TOURNEYS!

Check out our new Beers on Tap!

STARTING: Monday, April 18, 2011 TIME: 6:30 Sign-up, 7:00 Start FEES: $7.00 Entry, $3.00 Greens Fee FORMAT: Handicapped by the ball. Race to 5 - Double Elimination. Player Ratings may change based on performances. 6-7 Rating Levels.

16 WEEK TOURNEY: All who play in at least 6 Weekly’s will be eligible for cash added tourney after 16 weeks.

Good People, Good Drinks, Good Times

SUNDAY

$5 Pitchers $2 Bottles of Miller Products (11-4 pm) $2 Corona Bottles $2 Kilo Kai Mixers $3 Bloody’s (7-1am)

MONDAY

$1.75 - Miller/Bud Taps $2.25 Micro/Craft Taps $2.50 Cherry Bombs (7-1am)

TUESDAY

$1.75 Rails $1.50 Domestic Taps $3.50 Jager Bombs (7-1am)

SATURDAY

WEDNESDAY

$2 Domestic Bottles $2.50 Skyy/Absolute Mixers $2 Dr. Shots (7-1am)

THURSDAY

5 Domestic Bottles 4 $10 $5 Micro/Import Bottles $11.50, $7 Micro/Craft Pitchers (7-1am)

$5 Miller Lite/Bud Light Pitchers $2.25 Leinies Bottles (7-1am)

FRIDAY

$2 Captain Mixers $2 Long Islands Mixers (7-1am)

12// June 16, 2011

The Advice Goddess

By Amy Alkon amy.alkon@secondsupper.com The Princess and the pee

My fiance’s been treating me badly for a while. When I’m at his place, I spend most of my time watching him play video games and drink beer until he’s ready for sex or he passes out. He calls me “insecure” and says “get over it” if I bring up anything controversial, like when I noticed the box of condoms we’d just bought was suddenly short one. (There’s other evidence suggesting he’s cheating.) He’s also developed the nasty habit of peeing into two-liter bottles and leaving them around until they’re full. He isn’t good for me in many ways, but I love him and don’t want to devastate him by ending our engagement. While I need that feeling of having someone whose feet I can find with mine under the blankets, I’m a seize-the-day kind of person, and whether or not he’s cheating, he’s still passing out on his couch, and I’m lonely.

—- Sad Fiancee

Second Supper

THE LAST WORD

The water conservation-minded have

that saying, “If it’s yellow, let it mellow,” but they mean in the toilet bowl, not in the living room. (When’s the last time you walked into Crate&Barrel and saw two-liter bottles of urine on the Ainsworth Cognac Bookcase next to an antique typewriter and a bowl of seashells?)

Your fiance is acting like you don’t exist in his life — except on nights when he manages to stay conscious long enough to put down one joystick and order you to hop on the other. Oh, and by the way, that condom isn’t missing. It’s on vacation. You’d know that if you weren’t so pathetically insecure.

If this is how he acts before marriage, imagine what you’ll be saying after the honeymoon phase ends: “You never blatantly ignore me, treat me like an idiot, and just use me for sex like you used to.”

Still, you aren’t without standards. You say you need a partner whose feet you can find with yours under the blankets, which rules out any degrading and dismissive jerks who also happen to be double amputees.

As for being a “seize-the-day kind of person,” you don’t mention which day you plan on seizing, but apparently, it’s one far into the future. You claim to love this guy, but maybe what you really love is not admitting you’re engaged to a lost cause.

You worry that you’d “devastate” him by ending your engagement (assuming you could get his attention before he passed out playing “Grand Theft Your Dignity”). Just wondering: While you’re busy caring about his feelings, who’s caring about yours?

Going limp in the face of confrontation sets you up to have a cheating fiance who’s decorating the house with a week of his urine. If you refused to put up with a lack of respect, you’d either get treated with respect or get out of any relationship where disrespect is the main theme. You might end up alone — maybe for a while — but that’s got to be less lonely than being engaged to a man who not only refuses to go the extra mile for you but won’t even go those extra 12 steps to the bathroom.

If you keep dating him, put him on double secret probation and be prepared for the other shoe to drop (perhaps in a Larry Craig “wide stance”). A guy who takes a 10-minute bathroom break needn’t lay out all the icky details, but one who isn’t socially incompetent, devoid of empathy or too troubled to care will volunteer some hint that he wasn’t snorting lines of powder off the toilet seat (“I picked up something in Guatemala, and it wasn’t one of those brightly colored bags”).

Urine for surprises!

Got a problem? Send an e-mail to AdviceAmy@aol. com (www.advicegoddess.com)

On both of my dinner dates with this guy, he’s excused himself to the bathroom and taken forever. Longer than any girl I know. Like, 10 minutes. Although I barely know him, he doesn’t seem vain or like someone who’d be doing drugs.

We’re going out again, and I hate to be rude and pry, but I’m really starting to wonder.

—-Hurting

It could be something intestinal.

Protozoan sock hop? Parasite pride rally? He could’ve been calling his wife or his bookie or enjoying a mid-date masturbation break.

Or, maybe he just needed a good cry. Saying nothing to him sets you up as an easy mark if he’s a scammer, and as a pushover if he’s just a garden-variety jerk. Saying something is less uncomfortable if you use humor. Next time he returns from a sabbatical in a stall, maybe ask “That time of the month again?” and see if he offers some sort of explanation or just asks to borrow a tampon.

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