Volunteer for the Kids Club Circus

The WDSE-WRPT Kids Club Circus is a carnival filled with inflatable rides, fun games, educational activities, crafts, critters, music and more for families that support children’s programming on public TV. The 2014 circus will be held at Lincoln Park Middle School on Saturday, May 3, from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

There are numerous ways to volunteer to be a part of the fun. Sign up online at wdse.org/circus or call Brita at 218-788-2813.

This week: smelt queens, well dressed vikings and a really big chicken

  

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

Let’s start at the end of the week and address the 800 pound chicken in the room. Homegrown starts Sunday with over 200 bands playing in dozens of venues. A special edition of the Pub Quiz at Carmody (written by yours truly) kicks off the festival. I’ll give you an inside tip, dear reader: Homegrown Field Guides will not be permitted to be open during the quiz.

The Run Smelt Run Parade is also this Sunday and there are three workshops this week for volunteers to help get the smelt queen ready.

Learn about “The Well Dressed Viking” from Dr. Stefan Guttormsson on Wednesday at the Nordic Center. Where else?

Damn Yankees opens at UMD this Thursday and runs two weekends.

Zinema 2 continues their series of silent films with a live soundtrack with Fugitive scoring Fritz Lang’s Metropolis on Friday and Saturday.

The Art for Earth Day Gallery Hop is Saturday with a free bus shuttling participants all over the Twin Ports.

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

Where in Superior?

Duluth Mystery Photo #14: Ice Monument

The caption on this postcard reads: “Ice Formation on Fountain at Lakewood, Duluth, Minn.” There was a big fountain in Lakewood Township?

Trillium Services is hiring

On-site interviews on Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m to 5 p.m.

Trillium Services provides family services, community living and supported employment in Duluth and the surrounding areas. We offer both  full-time and part-time positions.

Applications can be found online at trilliumservice.com or in person at 4629 Airpark Boulevard in Duluth.

A high-school diploma, valid driver’s license, clear background study and insured vehicle required. Trillium Services, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer.

Bad Landlords in Duluth

Brent Tweet was evicted by JAS Duluth for complaining about a bad leak in his ceiling that JAS failed to repair for three months (see News-Tribune story). Now he’s homeless. And today he got a letter from JAS declining to return his damage deposit (money he needs to find another place) and charging him an additional $1,251.92 … for getting kicked out.

Duluth had an active tenants union some decades back that became the Housing Access Center. HAC closed in 2009 because of federal funding cuts. Have you dealt with a bad landlord recently? Did you know who to call for help? Would Duluth benefit from a new tenants union?

Northern Roots Food Documentary Glimpse

Do you know who grows your food?

Here’s a quick glimpse of the film the UMD Ethnobots (anthropology students in last fall’s Ethnobotany course) will be premiering at the Zinema next Wednesday, at 7 p.m. Thanks to Charlie Parr for the use of his song, “Jubilee.”

Duluth Band Profile: Christoph Bruhn

Christoph Bruhn plays American primitive fingerstyle guitar. He mentions how this type of music is meant for listening. His debut album Weekends on the Frontier is set for reissue on Grass Tops Recording.  Click on the image above to hear the interview.

The three TV anchors

I’d like to know some comments or questions to lay on Fox 21’s Dan Hanger, WDIO’s Darren Danielson, and KBJR’s Kevin Jacobsen for “Final Edition” tomorrow. Even though it airs at 6 p.m. on KUWS (91.3FM), we record the program at 12:30, so we’ll need your suggestions before then. Serious or not so serious, let’s have at it. Thanks.

Writing Nature at UMD

For the annual Writing Nature event, Atina Diffley read and spoke at UMD. Diffley’s visit to Duluth focused on writing creative nonfiction, organic farming, sustainability and the relationship we all have to the land. It was sponsored by the UMD College of Liberal Arts as well as the departments of English and Writing Studies, and some brief clips give you a sense of her flavor as a speaker and a writer.

Slow down for Snow Covered Roads

Part PSA, part self promotion, a new song from the Formal Age.

What’s more American than PDD?

I don’t recognize any of the PDD community in this trailer. Were we all out of town when this guy rolled his Airstream through Duluth?

Michael Fedo read at UMD

Michael Fedo read at UMD, and at LSC. I gained a genuine appreciation of him as a humorist.

Where in Duluth?

Lunar Eclipse

In case you missed the lunar eclipse, here’s an abbreviated version with music.

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