Celebrating 3 points! (Photo: Jeremy Olson)
Tradition Tuesday is a weekly feature where we’ll explore the history, lore, and culture of the Dark Clouds. Confused about why we sing about Hot Nuts? Which Minnesota player coined “Nuts Of A Warrior”? Why does the section quack every so often? We’ll have the answers in Tradition Tuesday.
“hot-Hot-NUTS! HOT-hot-NUTS! hot-Hot-HOT-Hot-HOT-Hot-nuts!”
Just when you think the supporter-stands are feeling a little shakier than they were two or three drinks ago, right on time there’s a refreshing bag of spicy peanuts zooming across the crowd.
This exotic touch of Cajun cuisine in the Dark Cloud section can be traced back to Neal Logan (the bugler in the back of the stands). “It started back in the 90s with hot nuts from the grocery store and handing them out for free at the games,” said Logan. “Then I took it to the next level.”
Soon 16-pound shipments directly from Louisiana were rolling in, and the nuts became a staple food within the Dark Clouds section. Before long, they were circulating through the team’s front office and carried by vendors at the stadium. “After about a year, fans matched the song with one of the tunes I’d play on my bugle. One fan even made a flag out of the sacks from the 1-pound bags.”
For just $2, fans can swing around their own sack of Hot Nuts. You can find them at the NSC concessions stand inside the stadium by the ticket office. Just make sure you get a bag to share with the Dark Clouds. We’ll even dedicate the song to you. Just don’t get them (and their Cajun dust) in your eyes!