Last night the family unit and I made our way down to Bayfront to the Bridge Festival. As the night went on I started to think about where we live and why we live here. I moved here in 1985 and Duluth was, at that time, pretty much a cultural desert. There were few restaurants, virtually no original music to be found. You never saw people riding bicycles, you did not feel any sort of energy, other than that which came from the natural beauty.

Now you look at where we are. This is a truly special place to be. Is it perfect? No. Will it ever be perfect? I hope not. This community has been on a long journey. We have gone from a “Will the last person to leave, turn out the lights” era to a time when the community is bustling with energy.