​It’s a party weekend in Pott. Co!  Whether you’re a Chiefs fan or for the other team (lol), the local establishments are ready for you!  You have so much to choose from!

First off, before we get into the big game options, I want to take a minute to mention the Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser for Brian Turner from 5-7pm on Saturday night.  It’s being sponsored by the Carson American Legion and is your chance to help out a family that’s had some hard times lately.

Now, on to game day!  Sunday is one of my faves and you can’t go wrong with any of the options:

Back 40

The Back Forty in Macedonia is offering pizza specials, wing specials, and a free keg!  A pretty good deal if you ask me! Large one-topping pizzas will be $9 and large specialties will be $13.  Plus, you can start off with wings.  Bone-in or boneless wings are 60 cents apiece or all-you-can-eat for $12.95.  And a free keg of Busch Light starts at kick-off and runs till it’s empty!

Bar’N

Rumor has it that The Bar’N and Grill in Carson will be offering 49 cent shots, niner-style for the big game.

Crescent Roadhouse

If your path takes you closer to Crescent, you have to swing by the Crescent Roadhouse Bar and Grill! They have lots of deals, too!  Grab 75 cent wings, $2 Fireball shots, and $2 domestic beers from 5 to 8pm!

I-80 Sports Lounge

In the vacinity of Underwood, you don’t want to miss 1-80 Lounge’s beer specials!  Sounds like starting early is in your favor – lol.  Beer prices are by the quarter!  1st quarter – Buck beers, 2nd quarter - $1.50, 3rd quarter - $2, and 4th quarter - $2.50 and all are still a good deal!

Silos

Silos in Treynor is celebrating, too!  They are opening at 5 just for you!  Stop by to watch the game and enjoy happy hour drink prices and $2 off all pizzas all night (dine-in only)! 

Station

Near Hancock, it’s a house party snack potluck at The Station!  Just bring your crackers and cheese or those little wienies to share and grab a domestic bucket for $13 or partake in the shot specials that go with each score of the game!  Hope the Chiefs put up 49 points this game!

Tailgators

Consider yourself a cook?  Well, Tailgators in Oakland is giving you a chance to prove it with their “Souper” Bowl cook-off party!  Soups can be brought in any time after noon and judging will be at halftime.  They have 4 gift basket prizes you could win!  Plus, they are doing happy hour prices during the game which means $2 domestics and $2.50 wells! 

Get your slurp on! Lol.

The Palace

But if the bar scene isn’t yours, head over to The Palace Event Center in Treynor for their Kill the Kegs night!  There’s no cover charge but watch the big game on their big screens and enjoy beer and mixed drink specials all evening!

Needless to say, you’re going to get a fun night and a good deal in Pott. Co. this weekend! 

You can call it cornhole or bags, but either way, I call it fun to be had at Silos in Treynor! 

Silos is hosting their third session (the winter session) of a bags league. 

That’s right!  Kick the winter blues with some inside fun!  Best part – you can drink and play!

Starting Wednesday night, January 29 at 7pm, Silos will host the first of 8 weeks of play!  You just need to be registered by Monday, January 27th to get in on the action.  It is played in 2-person teams and costs $50 per team but all money is paid out in the seeded tournament play on the last week.  Yes, it’s inside in their back room so no need to worry about the weather! Lol. 

(But they do play a summer league on the patio if you want to get that on your radar!) 

The fabulous part is that they even email out team standings and the schedule for each week so you can just show up when it’s time to play!  They know everyone has a tight, busy schedule so they set it up for you to be able to swing in, play, have some supper or a beer, and be on your way (or feel free to lounge if it’s your big night out, too!).

And if you haven’t been to Silos yet, it’s time you got there!  Zac is a very personable guy.  He and his wife run the bar and grill and take pride in offering a great small town experience!  Zac says they started out with 8 teams last winter but the league has already grown with teams from Treynor, Underwood, and Council Bluffs.  Personally, I think it would be cool to see all the Pott. Co. towns represented! 

All you need to do is email becky.silos.treynor@gmail.com to get in on the action, give them a call, or Facebook message them! 

And thanks, Zac and Katie, for helping make Pott. Co. fun! 

Announcing the 2019 WIDA Award Winners!

So I asked all of you about your favorite places at the end of December, and I have the results!  Sure, I could just list them, but you know I’d rather talk about the categories as we go, too!

First off, I asked who has the coldest beer?  It was a tie!

Tailgators – Oakland
The Bar’N and Grill – Carson

We had a lot of opinions and honorable mentions went to The Back 40 in Donia and The Exchange in Avoca.  I can’t wait to see if there are chilled mugs and other bars in the game by next year!  But we are lucky to have so many loyal bar owners in our area!  You can’t go wrong with any of them!

Next up, what store is always open for you when you need them?  The winner:

Rubacks Grocery Store - Oakland

As a regular customer myself, I can tell you that they do their best to be open for holidays and they are great at donating to Riverside sports, too.  Well done, Rubacks!  Perhaps the most impressive part was that they beat out competition that had stores in multiple towns.  Our honorable mentions went to our multiple-town-owners:  Casey’s (in Avoca, Minden, Oakland, and Treynor) and Dollar General (in Avoca and Oakland).  We’re glad to have both of them nearby, too!

Category #3:  Where is your favorite hidden gem/best kept secret of Pottawattamie County? The clear winner:

El Sol Mexican Restaurant – Oakland

Apparently, we all love our food and you won’t go away hungry from El Sol!  This category had so many great suggestions!  In fact, there’s a couple on the list I’ll be headed to check out ASAP so I can share them with you!  If I don’t know about them, you might not either!  One that did pop up a couple of times was the Pottawattamie Recycling Center and Swap Shop right outside Oakland. It didn’t have as many votes, but I think that’s because it really does seem to be a secret! Lol.  But here’s my blog about it, in case you didn’t know we had our own little version of the ReStore here!

Honorable Mentions in this category went to Botna Bend Park in Hancock which we’ll talk about more here in a second and Blossoms in Oakland.  If you haven’t been to Blossoms, she has everything!  From women’s clothes to fresh flowers to home décor to gift figurines!  It’s worth the stop!

What’s next?  Where can I get the most original, yet tasty sandwich (no burgers)?  The Winner:

Buck Snort – Oakland And Neola

A multitude of different sandwiches were suggested but the one thing they had in common:  they come from Buck Snort!  I guess when you have a sandwich named the Swamp Donkey, you can assume they have original sandwiches!  Of course, Silos in Treynor and The Bar’N and Grill in Carson were the honorable mentions.  As someone who’s eaten at both, I’m on board with your choices!  Although, I have to say there were a whole bunch of sandwiches I didn’t know were in existence!  Guess we all have some menus to look over!  Think teriyaki and pineapple and a French toast sammie!

Possibly my favorite category:  What’s the first thing you’d take your visiting grandma to see?  The winner by a landslide:

Botna Bend Park – Hancock

Apparently, the elk and buffalo, especially the albino, are a treat grandma would like!  Plus, you can get a close view of the river, have the grandkids play in Hancock Park, and feel right at home in nature.  After a rough 2019, they are back open and ready for an exciting year!

Honorable mentions go to the Nishna Heritage Museum & Mural Gardens in Oakland and the Walnut Antique Drive.  With the enormous mural, beautifully-kept gardens, and a museum packed full of history, it’s no wonder the Nishna Heritage came in second.  Of course, you know I love to shop and Walnut is definitely the place to get that gift you can’t find anywhere else plus, it’s that little walk down memory lane you need sometimes!

There are your fun 5 categories!  Didn’t see your favorite?  Be sure to vote next time around!  And if you haven’t been to one or two of these, make a date right now!  You won’t be sorry! 

Seriously, the answers blew me away. 

We live in a place that is so rich with goodness, options, history, and fun.  It’s so easy to look at what isn’t, but when you look at what is – well, it’s pretty fantastic! 

So here’s to all of you that make it that way –whether you’re a customer, a business owner, a volunteer, an educator, happily retired, a teenager, or somewhere in between! 

​Let’s make 2020 the one to remember!


This blog brought to you by the Oakland Industrial Foundation.

Time to get your tickets for the ‘80’s Lip Sync Contest and Dessert Auction, a fundraiser, hosted by the Carson Park Board!  Get your calendar out, call the babysitter, and grab your tickets for a guaranteed fun evening on Saturday, January 25th at the Carson Community Center starting at 6pm with happy hour!

Want the scoop?  I’ve got it! 

First, let’s talk hair bands!  (You really can’t say that enough, right?) Our DJ for the evening will be the one and only Bill Boruff!  Our judges will be the comedy stylings of local fave couples, Randy and Wes Henderson and Shiloh and Frank Olmstead!  And the bands – well, let me just tell you that Mayor Tim Todd is breaking out his moves!  There will also be a teacher group you won’t want to miss and a few surprise “singers” you’re going to L.O.V.E!  Plus, their make-up, outfits, and hair will be worth the ticket to the show!

And as much as I love my 80’s music, I love dessert more!  The dessert auction should be A- MAZ-ING!  Kara Plagman, Whitney Harrill, Linda Harrill, Marilyn Mickey, and Lori Nisley are confirmed dessert bakers!  And I wouldn’t weigh what I weigh without the help of Lori’s dirt cake/cheesecakes!  Make sure you have cash to get your fave!

Oh, I suppose you want to know what the real meal is, too, huh?  We will be dining on a salad, roll, meat, potato, and green beans.  And yes, the bar will be open!

And no, you don't have to dress up, but if you really want to, PLEASE, PLEASE DO!  Break out the old 80's gear that we shall refer to as "vintage" and show us what you've got!  We can't wait to see the big bangs, the off-the-shoulder ripped sweatshirt, and your bandanna headband!

Ready to buy your tickets now?  Well, no problem.  Just head to Rolling Hills Bank and Trust or Carson City Hall to get them.  They run 1/$25, 2/$40, or a table of 8/$150.