Duluth’s Trampled By Turtles are playing an unannounced show at the Looch tonight. Mmmm patchouli and bluegrass.

Make the Most of Your Money

To jazz up this copy, I was gonna post a video of my favorite song about money (James Taylor’s Money Machine) to embed here, but I couldn’t find one. I did find it referenced in some music quotes though here

Is there too much month left at the end of your Money? In this class learn how to budget for you and your family and how to make the most of what you make!

The first 20 participants that complete the class will receive an earned interest gift of $50.00, a desk set to organize and budget for your financial future, and tools to make your money work for you!

Meets in the large conference room at the Building for Women on Wednesday, July 8th from 10 am to 4 pm call Kristi 218.727.3352 to reserve your spot, or just roll the dice and show up, maybe we’ll still have a spot for you. Click the Link above to download a flier with all the details.

EVERYONE WELCOME

Sponsored by Boyz II Dadz. Funded, in part, by a grant from the University of Minnesota Extension and a lot of other great people and organizations that want you to hold on to your money!

From the DNT, at 3:48 p.m. June 30. (Wish I knew how to screen shot. Help?)

No matter your perspective on the school plan front, seems the district is getting mighty upitty by demanding a water feature:

“Let Duluth Vote members said they posted bond today required to keep their anti-red plan lawsuit alive.

The Duluth school district, however, said the group did not meet the state rules for posting a surety pond, and it is calling for the case to be dismissed.”

Soon-to-be (?) U.S. Senator Al Franken, D-Minn.

While walking downtown today I noticed this painted billboard. It’s on First Street, east of First Avenue East.

I don’t remember seeing it before; maybe that’s because it’s facing opposite of the one-way traffic on First Street. In any case, has it always been there? Is it authentic? Restored? A reproduction?

check out this excellent post over at dumpbachmann.com on the MSM’s years of silence on Minnesota’s #1 whack-job  here.

We are looking to put up a chicken coop in our yard and would like to do so as cheaply as possible. Is there a reuse center in Duluth or other place to get cheap wood?

Nokomis, the restaurant on the North Shore between the French River and the Knife River, gets play in the Wall Street Journal:

http://bit.ly/15xiou

The premise of the piece? “There’s good eats in places other than New York and L.A.” What do we learn from it? “Walleye is a very big deal hereabouts.” In any case, congrats to Nokomis for the (IMO, deserved) recognition.

…understand that I’m stressed out.

and

…. Now my summer is better

Weather doesn’t look great, but it’s sure to be better than last year’s miserable conditions – and that was a blast.

First 120 people will get a free “Saturday Comedy Night” ticket for the Dubh Linn’s shows, and a 2 for 1 “Friday Comedy Night” ticket that includes dinner (so only $15 for two people to enjoy comedy AND dinner).

Other door prizes include Bayfront Reggae Festival passes, golf at Nemadji, drinks at ACES on 29th, a free teeth-whitening at Downtown Dental Care, a 30-minute psychic reading or animal communication consultation, Happy Space PositiveWear, Papa Murphy’s pizzas, CDs and other gift certificates.

Why not take a tour of some of the weirdest and most fascinating places out there? A recently started website, Atlas Obscura, is collecting and mapping the weird and wonderful places in the world. MN only has a few so far. I’m a fan of Weird WI but I really like that this is a ongoing wiki to collect the odd and unusual places of the world.  I’m guessing that PDD folks know of all the best places here in MN and WI so add some stuff.  Then when the kids ask “Are we going to Valley Fair?” you can tell them “No, even better.  We’re headed to Dutch Corners Phillips, WI to see Fred Smith’s Wisconsin Concrete Park.”

So which state has the weirdest stuff? MN or WI? I’m leaning towards WI.

Perfect Duluth Day is six years old today! The photos above are from the first year, scuffled into a random gallery by WordPress.

Stop by the Wine Bar at Chester Creek Cafe tonight and raise a toast to PDD. We’ll be there from 9ish to 10ish. Door prize: Two tickets to Suzanne Vega at Big Top Chautauqua on Aug. 29.

ALSO: This Friday, July 3rd – Retribution Gospel Choir, Burly Burlesque + Kevin Craig • $5 • 11PM • All-Ages

Monday, June 29th

6:30 Duluth Art Institute Gallery Tour
7:30 Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn

FREE

For three Mondays this summer the Duluth Art Institute is screening space related movies in honor of the visiting Smithsonian Show: “Beyond: Visions of Planetary Landscapes”. The first is THIS Monday. Enjoy a free tour of the galleries before taking in the OTHER best Star Trek Film ever made – Star Trek II: Wrath of Kahn. Don’t believe us? See for yourself and chow on free snacks courtesy of Ken Buehler and the Lake Superior Scenic Railroad. The screenings will take place in the ‘Zelda’ theater in the Train Museum.

what’s going on with celebs croaking these days?

I got a kick out of a Jeopardy contestant’s response when describing where White Bear Lake was located. She said that it’s north of the Twin Cities and that, after Duluth, “…there’s Canada”.

The Chicken Hat Plays July 10 & 11 at Proctor Area Community Center – 7PM Both Shows

Rubber Chicken Theater presents 16 world premiere plays, all created in one weekend….It’s The Chicken Hat Plays, sponsored in part by Pizza Luce.   (more…)

I suggested the Chum’s Rhubarb Festival to Bob Collins for his News Cut Blog as something fantastically Minnesotan happening to cover this weekend for his blog. He said send him some pictures. No idea how to do that exactly as I don’t have his email, and not sure if he was even serious, but I had lots of fun taking pictures with a speedy wienie eye view today. I also tweeted a bit between customers mostly about weather and music, you can read them by following @jprennquist.

This festival is one of the coolest things I am involved in. I loved seeing so many fine people out supporting CHUM, truly one of Duluth’s finest institutions … including many of the PDD glitterati. I have no idea what the final take was, but in addition to the auction, the treats, rhubarb burritos and whatever other folks kicked in, they sold all 1,000 pies from church basement ladies around the area. And at $12 a piece, well, that’s a lot of people being helped by a little pie.

(more…)

The effects of the state budget deficit will be felt by many, but one example I’ve been talking about is the potential loss of Hibbing Community College Theater. (Disclosure: I work for HCC as a communication instructor).

HCC has developed a top notch two-year theater program and community theater series. For years it has demonstrated to the blue collar Iron Range the importance and possibility represented by the fine arts. Unfortunately, the program is now on the chopping block. But the community isn’t taking this lying down. A deal was struck that if some money could be raised externally the program could continue in some form.

For one night only, a big show will be held that could save a precious community treasure from budget cuts. Yes, that is exactly like the plot of the 1980 musical “The Blues Brothers.” Which is why the cast of HCC’s 2004 production of the Blues Brothers is reuniting for the show. The HCC Blues Brothers and Blues Brothers band is top notch, as good or better than any of the other revivals you might see touring the country and is predominantly stocked with Minnesotans.

We need to fill this massive, historic hall to save theater at HCC. Consider a road trip to Hibbing to send a message in support of the arts.

HCC Theater Support Gala
7:30 p.m.
Thursday, July 2
Hibbing High School Auditorium
(easily the most impressive high school auditorium in the country, and Dylan played there before he was Dylan)

First, enjoy the hilarious promotional video featuring Elwood Blues (Hibbing’s Jaime Tintor, an actor in L.A.). This is well worth the click.

HCC Theater Support Gala featuring the Blues Brothers: July 2 in Hibbing

Send this out. Tell your friends. Tweet and Retweet. Blog and Share. Every town has something to fight for in this unfortunately political battle, but this one is awfully important to the towns of the Iron Range, knocked down by the economy and in need of the healing power of the arts. Tell the people: “We’re getting the band back together.”

Follow some hilarious updates all next week at my blog MinnesotaBrown.com

I’m looking for someone willing and able to do some alterations to a formal (read: hideous taffeta) bridesmaid dress. You’d have about a month. Anyone interested? Email shana(at)shrugrecords.net

My favorite is called “Ass Bridge.” At least, that’s what I call it, for reasons that will become obvious if you click “Continue Reading” below to view the additional photos.

It’s an old railroad bridge in western Duluth.  (It’s hard to tell specifically what neighborhood you’re in when you’re in the woods, but this spot is around the Smithville/Riverside border). I think the creek it passes over is called the Gogebic Street Creek. (more…)

I’ll be more specific and hopefully the replies will be less polemic. Why are they staying around more this summer?

Anyone hear of Michael Jackson events (music) in town, or was it all spontaneous last night?

There’s an ad in today’s paper about a “salvage stone sale” this weekend on Park Point, at 3101 Minnesota Ave.

The ad refers to a Web site. The site says:

“Own a piece of history: Brownstone, limestone, slate, marble, granite… An incredible collection of historic building elements including benches, capitals, finials, etc.”

Does anyone know if someone is pulling apart an old house out there? Is this someone’s collection of garden decorations? Just a vacant lot these sellers had access to? Are these things from old buildings here in Duluth?

The “Beloved Character” thread made me curious about people’s experiences at Emerson School. Any stories?

(+trivia question: What best-selling author went to school at Emerson as a boy?)

Melody Saleh a 2 time breast cancer survivor had set a recovery goal of running The Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon. She entered the lottery to get a spot in the race but unfortunately did not get selected.

Her sister-in-law Heidi Saleh made her aware that Security Jewelers in
Duluth was auctioning an entry on ebay with 100% of the proceeds to be donated to the Junior League of Duluth (which Heidi is a member of) to help rebuild the popular Play Front Park.

Melody bid and bid again and again until all the other bidders dropped out.

Melody is pictured with Jay Seiler, owner of Security Jewelers in front
of a replica of the check presented to the Junior League.

Every year Security Jewelers auctions off one of the entries it receives
as a Marathon Sponsor and donates all the proceeds to a local nonprofit.

Darkness falls across the land, the midnight hour is close at hand.

New York Times story

1947-2009