January 2014 Posts

Duluth knows how to do snow removal, but where does it all go?

I was very impressed to happen upon this epic snow removal operation on Second Street on Thursday at about 11 a.m.

You might be able to see in the photo that this clean-up convoy of sorts includes numerous heavy construction vehicles stretching from where this was taken at about Second Avenue East, all the way back to Fourth Avenue West.

Minnesota Wine Exchange closing?

Did Minnesota Wine Exchange go out of business? Or is it just changing locations?  I bought a half-price gift certificate and went to use it, but it looked like they were packing up.

I really need to stop buying these gift certificates. I think it’s a curse to the business. I bought three for Thai Krathong and never got to use them. Sad to see these unique businesses go.

Paul Robeson in Duluth

What is Paul Robeson’s connection to Duluth? For some reason I’ve never wondered about this before. Today someone asked me.

Paul Robeson was a singer, actor and football player who was involved in the Civil Rights Movement. You can read about him on Wikipedia and numerous other places on the Internet.

The Paul Robeson Ballroom is part of the Kozy Apartments complex, which has been shuttered since 2010 due to three arson fires. (Photo above by Daniel Kerkhoff.)

There is a one-man show, The Tallest Tree in the Forest, running at Arena Stage in Washington D.C. through Feb. 16, that mentions Robeson was in Duluth in 1947. (The show is probably based, at least in part, on the 1977 documentary film The Tallest Tree in Our Forest.)

That’s all we’ve got. Help fill in the blanks.

Five Perfect Duluth Years on WordPress

A minor anniversary for Perfect Duluth Day: Five years ago today we stayed up late on a Friday night and switched to the WordPress publishing platform. From September 2005 to January 2009 PDD used Moveable Type and looked like this:

PDD Shovel Cam

While Cory has been traveling to exotic locations and honing his skills with the PDD Drone, I’ve been perfecting the PDD Shovel Cam.

From Gaylord to Mookie: The Best Names in the 1982 Topps Baseball Card Set

How this could possibly be relevant to the Perfect Duluth Day website will be explained at the end, but up top we present the 30 best names of the 1981 Major League Baseball season, as preserved for history in 1982 Topps cards.

NorShor: Duluth’s big bet on Old Downtown

“Ghosts and spirits make the place. So when you sit down and play a place like the NorShor, not only do you have a group of people sitting around you, but you have another community of history sitting around you, too.” — Charlie Parr

Minneapolis Star Tribune: “Stage set for restoration of NorShor Theatre in Duluth

Save the robots! Volunteers needed.

On March 6-8 there are two major regional For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology robotics events scheduled at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center. High School teams from all over Minnesota and beyond will participate in these events.

Call for Photo Submissions: 4x V3.0

The Duluth Photography Institute’s 4x exhibit is back (pronounced “Four-by” as in 4×6, 4×8, etc.) We are hoping to get over 200 submissions this year!

Ennyman interviews Adam Swanson

The Ennyman interviews artist Adam Swanson here. Good read.

Chester Bowl on MPR’s “Minnesota Sounds and Voices”

Dan Olsen from MPR did a story on Chester Bowl that aired today. Fantastic photos by Derek Montgomery too.

2014 John Beargrease Aerial Drone Video

The PDD Drone was back in the skies yesterday capturing the start of the 30th annual John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon. The weather was great and the winds held off just long enough to get in some air time above the race starting line at Duluth East High School.

Music courtesy of the4onthefloor (www.4otf.com)

This week: Liars, Cloud Cult and a fest of awesomeness

  

Here’s a sampling of what you have to look forward to this week on the PDD Calendar.

Doomtree: Team the Best Team, a music documentary about the Minneapolis hip hop group, plays at Zinema 2 on Tuesday.

The Underground continues its Song Interrupted series with Rich Mattson singing and talking about what he’s singing and why on Wednesday.

Chester Chat is a series of TED talk-like presentations at Glensheen. This Thursday the focus is on regional arts with presentations by Sarah Brokke, Anne Dugan and Jennifer Webb.

Cloud Cult returns to Duluth to play Clyde Iron on Friday.

The Liar, a play by Pierre Corneille and translated by David Ives opens, opens at St. Scholastica on Friday and runs two weekends.

Awesome Fest, a fest of awesomeness, runs Friday through Sunday at Mont du Lac with outdoor winter sports, indoor winter drinking, music, a costume contest and more.

The DECC will be a great place for people watching on Saturday as the refined DSSO crowd going to their concert of Bach, Barber and Brahms at Symphony Hall meets up with the Justin Moore fans going to Amsoil Arena. Post pics.

So what are you doing this week? Can we tag along? Any upcoming events that you want to promote? Let us know.

Lake Superior: Ice in Motion

Video by Dawn M. LaPointe, shot at Brighton Beach in Duluth.

Bobcats and Trapping and a Happy Ending

Five weeks ago, a couple in northern Minnesota noticed that a bobcat on their property seemed to have part of a snare around his neck. They wanted to help, but weren’t sure what to do.

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