Perfect Duluth Day - Duluth, MN Events, News, Blog

Rip-saw publisher John L. Morrison died in 1926

Paul Lundgren May 18, 2026 No Comments

Newspaper publisher John L. Morrison died 100 years ago today — May 18, 1926. As “head sawyer” of the Duluth Rip-saw, he was known for his unrelenting attacks on local politicians, which led to a gag order that shut his publication down. Five years after his mysterious death at the age of 62, Morrison was vindicated by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled the Public Nuisance Law violated the First Amendment of the United States Constitution protecting the freedom of the press.

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Steve Solkela’s “Overpopulated” One-man Band – “She Taught Me How to Yodel”

PDDTV May 15, 2026 No Comments

Steve Solkela covers “She Taught Me How to Yodel” — a hit song for Frank Ifield in the 1960s — during a performance at the TapRoom in Grand Forks, North Dakota.


Music, Videos

Duluthy Stickers

Paul Lundgren May 15, 2026 No Comments

Duluth-themed stickers created by artist Samantha Nielsen.

A previous post on Perfect Duluth Day featured “Duluth Band Stickers.” Now we present the rest of the adherent merch representing Duluthy stuff.

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History

Making it Up North: Northernly School for Music

PDDTV May 13, 2026 No Comments

Kyle Orla grew up surrounded by music, but his path to becoming an educator was anything but traditional. From playing 1990s hardcore and metal with jazz chords to traveling the country with a fiddle and no fixed address, he learned that the best education often happens outside the classroom. Today, he’s helping lead Northerly, a Duluth music school run by musicians, for musicians.

Making it Up North is a PBS North series that explores stories of creative artists, artisans and entrepreneurs engaged in honing their skills, following their passion and realizing their dreams.


Music, Videos ,

Mystery Photo: Guns, Booze and Cards

Paul Lundgren May 11, 2026 No Comments

Cowboy outfits featuring furry chaps were a favorite costume of photo subjects at G. E. Sackett’s Owl Studio in Duluth during the early 1900s. Several Mystery Photos on Perfect Duluth Day feature unnamed dudes dressed as buckaroos. This is the first time we’ve seen a lawman in one of these old postcards, however.

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Selective Focus: Chosen Family & Mutual Aid with Carolyn Olson

Jessica Morgan May 09, 2026 No Comments

Centering on themes of mutual aid, chosen family, snapshots of the home and community spaces, Carolyn Olson works with gouache, pastel and oil to create narrative paintings. Her work has included scenes from laundromats, overnight parking areas, community gardens and food distribution locations. The subjects in her work are often presented with unrealistic body proportions to bring out different energies in the characters or accentuate the task at hand.

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Art , ,

Webber Hospital under construction in West Duluth in 1926

Paul Lundgren May 08, 2026 No Comments

One hundred years ago today — May 8, 1926 — the Duluth Herald reported on construction of a new hospital in West Duluth. Webber Hospital opened at 5601 Grand Ave. in March 1927.

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History ,

West Duluth Snake Orgy

PDDTV May 07, 2026 No Comments

These garter snakes on the edge of Waabizheshikana Trail in West Duluth have formed a “mating ball,” with the males competing for a little time with the female, who is releasing irresistible pheromones.


Outdoors, Videos

Making it Up North: Scott Murphy

PDDTV May 06, 2026 No Comments

Local painter Scott Murphy shares the raw, honest truth about his creative journey. From the high-pressure world of painting 17 years of billboards to the surreal hallucinations of a coma following a major accident, his work is a reflection of a life lived in “low gear” but high intensity.

Making it Up North is a PBS North series that explores stories of creative artists, artisans and entrepreneurs engaged in honing their skills, following their passion and realizing their dreams.


Videos ,

Writers Speak Out: Power to the People

Liz Minette May 06, 2026 No Comments

Writers Speak Out: People Have the Power was held at Wussow’s Concert Cafe on April 21.

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Art, Politics, Videos

Palomino: Trampled by Turtles Live at First Avenue

PDDTV May 05, 2026 1 Comment

Trampled by Turtles has released to YouTube a 2020 documentary featuring the band performing all the tracks from the 2010 album Palomino, with commentary on the process of writing the songs.

The documentary is directed and edited by Charlie Berg.


Music, Videos

Selective Focus: Homegrown 2026 (The Weekend)

Paul Lundgren May 04, 2026 No Comments

Select images via Instagram from the final three days of the Homegrown Music Festival.

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Music , ,

Superior Street, Sept. 11, 1907, Part 2: The Windsor Hotel and Surrounding Businesses

Matthew James May 03, 2026 No Comments

This ten part series takes a detailed look at life on Superior Street on the afternoon of Wednesday, Sept. 11, 1907 based on a single photograph. The first part of the series provided background details on the photograph itself. Part two focuses on the bottom right corner of the photograph, relating to the contentious history between the city and the owner of the Windsor Hotel and telling the stories of the surrounding businesses.

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History, Photos

Rollers earn kickball win in dramatic 10th inning

Paul Lundgren May 02, 2026 No Comments

Coach Kaylee Matuszak celebrates with her team at Wheeler Athletic Complex after the Rollers defeated the Rawkers in extra innings to win the 2026 Homegrown Kickball Classic. (Photo by Seth Roeser)

Despite two controversial calls pushing the game into extra innings, Matuszak’s Rollers finally bested Rohrbaugh’s Rawkers in the 2026 Homegrown Kickball Classic at Wheeler Athletic Complex Field 2. The final score was 6-2.

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Music, Sports ,

Postcard from Somebody’s House

Paul Lundgren May 02, 2026 1 Comment

This undated postcard shows Somebody’s House, a restaurant at Duluth’s Mt. Royal Shopping Center operated by noted cookbook author Beatrice Ojakangas. It opened in February 1966.

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