By now, you’ve been told not to watch the news or participate in the woes of the tanked economy, and rightfully so. As Americans, it’s tough to make adjustments on a tight budget and who wants to stop enjoying going out to eat? Not me and I’m sure not you either! There are plenty of deals happening to feed your whole family for less than it would take to make a meal at home.

During the week (the time where I know I’d like a break from dinner duty), many establishments across the Iron Range have created food steals. I’m talking less than a few bucks to get a burger and fries, or less than 2 bucks for a half dozen wings—you get the point. Keep in mind, cheap does not infer low quality. And please, if I’ve missed something or you know of any other great food deals, please share!

Burger Nights

Feed a family of four for ten bucks with no clean up or preparation? Yup. Here are the following places who offer burger and fries for a few bucks. I believe all of these specials are dine-in only.

1. Snicker’s Pizza in Eveleth—Wednesdays after 4pm. $1.75 includes fries and you can add on bacon, onion rights or whatever for a few quarters more. Try to arrive before 5:30pm because the place fills up quick.
2. Thirsty Moose-Serving up $1.50 burgers every Tuesday
3. Vermilion Club-Buck Burgers: $1 every Tuesday from 3-9pm.
4. Mac’s Bar—Belly up for a Burger and Fries for only $1.50
5. Brick Yard—Thank You Thursdays with $1.00 sliders, 4-8pm. Plus happy hour drink specials.
6. Jim’s Sports Club—1/4 lb. Burgers on Tuesdays for $1
7. Wandering Pines—Tuesdays for a $1.50-includes fries. After 4pm.

Wing Nights

Chow down on crispy chicken wings for $0.50 or less:

1. Goodfella’s offers a variety of flavors for a $0.25 each on Thursdays all day. Again, get there early because the place is packed after 5pm.
2. Wing Wednesday at the Brick Yard: $.50 each as well as specials on beer and rails from 4-8pm.
3. Billy’s in Buhl—Thursdays get $0.50 wings from 4-6pm with $2.50 happy hour beer specials.
4. Vermilion Club—Wednesdays for $.40
5. Jim’s Sports Club—Thursday wings for a quarter
6. Thirsty Moose has $2 off an order of wings on Thursdays.

Tacos

Grab a taste of Mexico for only a few bucks on these special nights:

1. Tacos on Mondays at Brick Yard with drink specials: A buck a taco.
2. Timber’s Edge—Mexican night—tacos for only a couple of bucks
3. Wastin’ Away Wednesdays at Goodfella’s: For only a few bucks get nachos, 2 tacos, and quesadillas: add a buck for chicken or beef in your quesadillas. Plus, enjoy margaritas, shots of tequila, mojitos and other Mexican drink specials for only $3.
4. Thirsty Moose has $1.25 tacos starting at 5pm on Wednesdays.

Other great deals:

Goodfella’s has all you can eat Spaghetti on Mondays for only $7.95; Vermilion club has $4.00 off pizzas on Mondays. Get a T-Bone steak on Tuesdays at the Wooden Table for only $9.95 including fries and slaw. Fish Fry on Fridays at North Gate Café, AYCE, $6.95; Mary’s Morsels until 5pm for only $7.25, Billy’s and Jim’s Sports Club for $8.95 and a 3-piece Fish Dinner at the Wooden Table for $6.95. On Thursdays, get $2 off a pizza. Dollar appetizers on Tuesdays at Brick Yard (some restrictions apply).

Do NOT forget about Coupons! Save money any day of the week!

Going out to eat doesn’t have to break your wallet. You just need to know where the deals are!

Sit with a bowl of corned beef and cabbage, a green beer and a “Kiss Me! I’m Irish Pin” and you’ll be all set for the upcoming St. Patty’s Day. Or, perhaps you’d prefer some lutefisk and some lefsa?   Whether you’re Irish or Finnish or neither, you’ll find the following entertainment a great excuse to get out and have some fun!

***This is only a preview. Check back for updates!***

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Snowmobiling is HARD WORK! When your stomach starts a growlin’, check out these places to stop for a bite to eat along the Iron Range snowmobile trails. Know for their hospitality, Rangers serve up great grub with a free side of “Minnesota Nice”.

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NEWLY UPDATED!

In just a couple of short weeks, little Spidermans and princesses will be knocking down your door for a handful of fun-size snacks. Fortunately, those little sugar-buzzed monsters have a bedtime; then it’s mommy and daddy time! Be sure to lock in a sitter for this Halloween, dress up and head downtown for a full night of costume contests, parties, prizes and fun.

Here’s what’s happening! CHECK BACK FOR UPDATES!

BRITT

Halloween Party at Wooden Table Inn
Live music by Thunder Stones from 9:00pm to 1:00am. Dress up! Costume Contest (judging at midnight) plus, complimentary munchies at Midnight.

CHISHOLM

The Tempo Room
Whooping it up with DJ “High Energy”. Costume contest with great prizes.

Tom & Jerry’s
Fez’s 4th Annual Halloween Bash! Live music with Nixon both Halloween and Saturday night. Costume contest with prizes.

Valentini’s
Stop in for a delicious Italian dinner and then hang around to sing with Mike’s Karaoke.Costume contest with prizes!

Moose Saloon & Eatery
Start at the top of the hill listing to music performed by “Bittersweet”. Costume contest with several great prizes!

COLERAINE

Firehouse Bar & Grill
Crazy Ass Halloween Party! Live music with Loose Cannons and costume contest. Also, don’t forget: Special contest for Sexiest Female Costume! Meow!

COOK

Old Muni
Rockin’ with Sweet Freedom playing from 9-1am. Halloween costume party with prizes.

The Landing

EVELETH

Goodfella’s Bar
Live entertainment with Sh-Boom playing hits from the 50’s and 60’s.

Snicker’s Pizza & Lounge
Live music featuring Remedy as well as costume contest with prizes and cash prize for best costume!

Tuna’s Exotic Dance Club
Celebrate Halloween at Tuna’s in Eveleth, MN. Costume contest with prizes. And, like always, live entertainment.

Eggy’s Red Garter
Halloween party with DJ music all night!

FORBES

Boondocks
LIve music featuring Slapshot! Come in costume! Costume contest with prizes.

GILBERT

The Risky Business
Rock out with the Risky Business! Live music by Bottomline as well as costume contest with prizes! Head to G-town for a great time!

HIBBING

Zimmy’s Halloween 2008!
Come celebrate Halloween at Zimmy’s! Monster DJ will be here with music from 9-2AM!! Prizes for the best costumes! Judging will be at 1:30!!

Thirsty Moose
Entertainment with Harland Karaoke from 8:30pm-12:30pm

Brick Yard
Dress up and head over to Brick Yard for a chance to win some big ching. Costume Contest with $500 IN PRIZES–1st Place - $250, 2nd Place - $150 and 3rd - $100! DJ will be spinning tunes so you can get your groove on.

Bar 412
For those of you who can’t make it out Halloween night, (or for the nuts who love Halloween so much they need two nights!) Bar 412 will be having a party for you THURSDAY, October 30 also with prizes for best costume and DJ. $100 1st place, $75 2nd and $50 for 3rd place costume.

MOUNTAIN IRON

Have A Chubby Halloween at Mac’s
Sofa King Chubby will be rockin’ out live at Mac’s Bar in Mountain Iron. Costume contest and prizes!

TOWER

Ghosts, Ghouls & Rock ‘N Roll
FORTUNE BAY RESORT CASINO PRESENTS UNDEAD AND IN PERSON, Hairball!
$10 Cover, Must be 18, $5 with non-perishable food item.
We will have it all – Food, Drinks, Cash Prize Costume Contests, Rock ‘n Roll, and enough fun
to raise the dead. NO MASKS ALLOWED ON CASINO FLOOR.

$1,000 Cash Grand Prize!

BONUS! $80 Standard Rooms plus tax $110 Suites plus tax
Includes 2 tickets to the Halloween Party.

Call 800.992.7529 for details.

Vermilion Club
Halloween party–Lake Vermilion style! Com join us for a Costume Contest and music By Backwoods DJ
9:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.

VIRGINIA

Hob Nob Lounge
Come celebrate Halloween at The Hob Nob Lounge. Costume contest, live entertainment with Big Woody, and some ghostly drink and appetizer specials you won’t be able to resist! Friday Nite Fish Fry served from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Get your costume ready and join in the fun!

Magic Bar
Stop in and have your fortune told by palm reader “Madame Ulanda” (for entertainment purposes). Plus, enjoy Halloween drink specials.

A few weeks ago, my sister and a couple other friends and I were having a cocktail down at a little pub in Gilbert MN. It was a pretty quiet evening and we were enjoying some conversation, maybe a little gossip, but nothing too exciting. Until….

…there’s this couple at the bar. You’ve seen this couple before because they seem to exist in every bar. You know, the first date duo where they have just a couple too many cocktails, neither have probably been laid for a couple of months and the chemistry is good; I mean really good. So good that they’re all touchy-feely, stealing a couple smooches and and an occasional butt squeeze. Well, the woman has an accent; I think she was from Australia or New Zealand, and she’s talking particularly loud. We’ll call here “Sheila.” I think Sheila thinks that she’s cool and that all of us small towners have probably never seen a real ‘mate’ from down under before. Sheila is actually pretty attractive–blond, decent figure, and oh-so fun. Her male counterpart was average at best, but he’s definitely amused by this exotic lady and he’s thinkin’ she might even get a little louder later.

So, all of us sitting at our little table, turn our attention on the lovely couple and we roll our eyes and poke a little fun their way. But then….

…my sister gets this look on her face of total shock. She says, in her low and teeth-clenched voice, “Oh. My. God. Look at her shoe! She has some kind of food stamps stuck to the bottom!” So I quickly turn my head and sure enough, the woman has about 25 stamps trailing her.” Immediately we start cracking up, and cracking jokes, of course. We came to the conclusion that they might just be food stamps she was saving for a late-night pizza party.(Listen, I know that there aren’t actual food “stamps” anymore. Don’t ruin our fun, ok?)

I’m not sure how the night ended. All I know is that the happy couple left.  And they left with the stamps.

Autumn represents the favorite time of year for many Rangers- football games, crisp air, beautiful colors, the first day of school (my personal favorite). There’s not a better time to drive down country roads and take in all the scenery surrounding us in Northern Minnesota than in September and October. Since I’ve lived on the Iron Range my entire life, I’ve discovered a variety of cruising roads with some great stops along the way.  Enjoy!

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I have to admit; one of my favorite parts about running this website is that I have the opportunity to go bar-hopping during the day. (I consider this a perk even though I only consume Diet Coke.) One of the new happenin’ weekly events my assistant, Kristen, and I stumbled upon is Martini Mondays at Mac’s in Mountain Iron. (Wow. That’s a lot of “m”s.) They’re only $3 and oh so delicious.

Now, you can imagine the reaction I get when  I return from work and tell my husband that I found yet another reason to go out with the girls. “I really don’t have a choice,” I tell him. After all, I have to have writing material. So last Monday, I explained I would be working late because I had an important meeting with my associates (Kristen and a few of her friends) at Mac’s and martini’s may be involved.

I must confess that I had never tried a martini and I was very excited to attend my meeting. When we sat down, the bartender gave us menus that contained a variety of over 100 different martini recipes. Looking at the menu, I came to the conclusion that it would take many, many Mondays to be able to sample every flavor available. So, the girls and I decided we would each order different kinds and share.

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This year’s Merritt Days celebration is packed with activities for the entire family! After dark, get a sitter if you have kids and head to the street dance Friday and Saturday night featuring Sofa King Chubby and Charlz Newman! There’s a parade, tons of food, music, tournaments, bingo, youth fishing contest, drawings and more! Get some exercise and participate in the first annual 5K Plus Walk/Fun Run in memory of LARRY NANTI. Grab the kids and head to Mountain Iron this weekend for a ton of fun! BRING your lawn chairs and enjoy 12 hours of non-stop entertainment beginning at noon on Saturday. The complete schedule is as follows:

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Minnesotans only put up with the freezing cold and snow for one reason: they know summer will be worth it all. Once summer arrives, Minnesota folks flock to the water like a mosquito to the light. Boating, swimming, fishing and watching a northern Minnesota sunset help to leave all your troubles somewhere else. And, when the sun goes down, look out! Locals and visitors congregate at some of the Iron Range’s best bars and nightclubs to let loose and have some crazy fun. Let this article be a guide to great food, music and entertainment around one of the best lakes in northern Minnesota.

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This year, St. Patrick’s Day falls on March 17, 2008, which is a Monday. Fun times will be starting this Friday, March 14 and continuing through St. Patty’s Day. Live music, prizes, green beer, corned beef and cabbage, leprechauns, Irish jigs and accents-who could ask for more? Come out and celebrate the holiday that signifies the arrival of spring. Don’t forget to wear green and your ‘Kiss me! I’m Irish’ pin (even if you’re not Irish).

Ok…here’s the scoop:

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