"Weekday at Bernie's": For 1st time since pre-pandemic, March Madness party is in full force
EDINA, Minn. -- Basketball fans across the country have March Madness on their minds.
The NCAA tournament kicked off Thursday morning, which means work productivity will likely suffer for the next couple days. But at one house in Edina, where family and friends have been looking forward to a "weekday at Bernie's," that's a good thing.
"We just did it because we love basketball," said Bernie Dahlin.
You could call it a fast break from work, one that's been happening at the Dahlin home for 23 years. Some people have Super Bowl parties; they have March Madness parties.
"As you get closer and closer to the date, you feel the excitement building," said Adina Dahlin, Bernie's wife.
"It grew and grew and grew and then it became this great tradition that we've had for 20 plus years," Bernie Dahlin said.
The Dahlins supply their guests with food, fun and basketball. Many take work off, while others try to at least make it look like they're working, when they're actually spying on their brackets.
In the past, these parties would begin on Thursday morning and run all the way through Friday night ... sometimes even longer.
"Some guys used to show up with a backpack and their weekend of clothes and call couches and rooms because they weren't leaving until sometime on Sunday," friend Marc Bloomquist said.
Bloomquist has been coming to the Dahlins' since the very first party, but basketball isn't the only reason he shows up.
"This sometimes is the only time of the year that you will see some of the same 10, 20, 30-plus people. When otherwise you might not see them until next March Madness," Bloomquist said.
"There are times where you crunch work, just to have these days where you can relax," friend Mike Brant said.
So, they are all looking forward to a full-force "weekday at Bernie's," and a weekend, too.
COVID-19 hurt attendance for a few years, but now they're back at full strength, a March Madness comeback of a different kind.
"We love it. This is literally like Thanksgiving and March Madness. I don't know which one I like more. I think March Madness take the title," Bernie Dahlin said.
"I can't imagine a time when we're not doing it, actually," Adina Dahlin said. "I'm looking forward to 'weekday at Bernie's' #53."
The Dahlins said they plan to continue this tradition for years to come. Bernie Dahlin even makes his own salsa, called "double take salsa," that guests have come to enjoy.