Paul Lundgren Posts

The Ripsaw’s Demise

Ripsaw Dotygate Ripsaw Duluth's Lingering Shame Ripsaw Magazine Minnesota Exporers Ripsaw 2005 Clough Island

It was Dec. 6, 2005 when the plug was officially pulled on the Ripsaw, Duluth’s experiment with having a newspaper similar to City Pages or Isthmus. It didn’t last long, but it was good while it lasted.

Elvis – A Day in Duluth

Elvis - A Day in Duluth bootleg Elvis - A Day in Duluth bootleg back cover

A previous post on Perfect Duluth Day reveals a Led Zeppelin bootleg from the 1960s is incorrectly labeled as “Live in Duluth.” Well, it turns out there is an Elvis Presley album titled A Day in Duluth that has every indication of being authentic.

Happy Thanksgiving from Bessie

Bessie Thanksgiving  Postcard 1908

Led Zeppelin Live in Duluth | Oct. 19, 1968

Led Zeppelin - Minnesota Blues - Live in Duluth

Don’t let the “Minnesota Blues” or the “Live in Duluth” on this album cover fool you, Led Zeppelin never performed in Duluth. But what is the story behind this Zep bootleg?

R.I.P. Nick Bockwinkel

Nick Bockwinkel 1987

Professional wrestling great Nick Bockwinkel died Nov. 14 at age 80. The image above is from what was probably his last appearance in Duluth, as special referee during a World Wrestling Federation card at the Duluth Arena in 1987. (WWF is now World Wrestling Entertainment; Duluth Arena is now the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center Arena.)

Jade Fountain closed; Gannucci’s expansion planned

Gannucci's Italian Market and Jade Fountain

Within six months of acquiring the Jade Fountain, Bill Kalligher locked the big red doors to the iconic Chinese restaurant. He reached the decision in September, fed up with a dirty kitchen he says he’s still trying to clean, alleged poor product quality from food suppliers and a box filled with bounced checks from customers.

Where in Duluth? #136

Where-oh-where

This might be the most difficult “Where in Duluth?” ever. Ask questions in the comments for clues. You’ll need them.

Guide to Duluth-related Blogs in 2015

Bloggers

The craft of writing personal blogs probably hit its stride in Duluth around 2005 and started dying out around 2010. It’s been a long time since the days PDD carried a feed of local blogs, which became unnecessary once subscription news-aggregator applications became available. There is still a strong set of Duluth-area writers and photographers dedicated to kicking out text on a regular basis, however, and we profile them here so you can check them out and add them to your feeds as you wish.

Duluth’s first escape room opening for trial run

Duluth Escape Room Group Adventure Game

Solve EntertainmentThree Duluthians have formed a business partnership to open a downtown storefront during the holiday season for a physical adventure game in which participants use elements of the room to solve a series of puzzles, find clues and escape.

Silent Night: A Live-Action Adventure will open Nov. 28 in the Stanley Center, 408 W. Superior St. It’s the work of a new immersive event company, Solve Entertainment, aka SolveEnt. The partnership is comprised of Andy Bennett, Richard Hansen and Matthew Wagner.

List of Duluth-area restaurants that are closed on Mondays

Sorry closedMany years ago I made the blunder of driving a friend out to Eddie’s in the outskirts of Superior on a Monday to discover it was closed. Last week some friends were texting about a meetup at the Spirit Room. The final text read: “Spirit Room is closed. Thirsty Pagan!”

In an effort to prevent other Monday-dining disappointments, and because PDD loves lists, here is a rundown of the eating establishments in the area that are closed on Mondays. If you notice a place is missing from the list, shout it out in the comments.

How to see Duluth and Superior on electric cars

How to see Duluth and Superior

The date on this bad boy is 1909. The cover image seems to suggest there was a floating railway perpendicular to the shipping canal where people could watch flaming ships torch the city.

Question 3: Method for setting fee paid to Duluth city councilors

Duluth Charter Amendment - Method for setting fee paid to city councilors

After publishing the Duluth 2015 General Election Sample Ballot, a question arose. We’ve been hearing a lot about ranked-choice voting and Lakeside liquor sales, but what’s the deal with question #3?

Still curious?

Curious Goods in Superior

What’s the deal with Curious Goods in Superior?

If you’ve driven by 1717-1/2 Winter St. and wondered if the store ever opens, well, it doesn’t … but in a way it’s always open, on the Internet. For the past decade or so Curious Goods has basically been a warehouse for eBay items from the seller Curious-g.

Perspectives on a Rainbow

Mary Lou Williams

After Mary Lou Williams’‘ rainbow photo was shared last Monday on the PDD Facebook page, three other perspectives emerged. From left to right below are photos by Paul Gudmundson, Laurie Newland and Tyler Day. (Click to view larger.)

Paula Gudmundson Laurie Newland Tyler Day

Why are there so many photos of rainbows, and what’s on the other side? Well, according to reports from Kermit the Frog, rainbows are visions, but only illusions, and rainbows have nothing to hide.

R.I.P. Mr. Richard H. Gastler

Richard Gastler

Longtime Denfeld High School economics teacher Dick Gastler died on Thursday, Oct. 15, at the age of 79. Among many great teachers at Denfeld, Mr. Gastler would have to be considered the most famous of his era. He was a ham. He broke into song all the time. He frequently digressed into stories about growing up in Chaska. He wore cheesy leisure suits, famously sporting the same one every day during a stretch of 1984 when he was raising money to fight hunger — a stunt that landed him on Good Morning America. The suit was burned when Mr. Gastler reached his fundraising goal. The ashes are still in a trophy case at the school.

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