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

Underwood Coffee opens in historic Board of Trade building

Mark Nicklawske Jul 08, 2026 No Comments

Jake Underwood has opened his first brick and mortar coffee shop in the historic Board of Trade building. Underwood started roasting coffee about 10 years ago and has been wholesaling his specialty brands to coffee shops and grocery stores in Duluth, the Twin Cities and beyond since 2020. (Photo by Mark Nicklawske)

A Duluth coffee roaster who found early success in local restaurants, cafés and grocery stores has opened a new brick and mortar shop in one of the city’s most iconic downtown buildings.

Underwood Coffee launched its first retail store and coffee shop in a street-level corner space at the Duluth Board of Trade Lofts, 301 W. First St., in June. The business celebrates its grand opening with music, special events and free samples Friday, July 10.

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News and Current Affairs , ,

Making it Up North: Hungry Hippie

PDDTV Jul 07, 2026 No Comments

From hiking the Appalachian and Pacific Crest trails to transforming an old horse barn into a high-end hostel and campground, Jeremy and Kate Keeble share their journeys owning Hungry Hippie Tacos and the Hungry Hippie Hostel.

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.


Restaurants, Videos ,

Superior Street, Sept. 11, 1907, Part 4: The 400 West Block

Matthew James Jul 05, 2026 No Comments

This series takes a detailed look at life on Superior Street on the afternoon of Wednesday, Sept. 11, 1907. The first part of the series provided background details on the photograph itself. Part three looked at the businesses around the Spalding Hotel. Part four looks at the people who occupied the remainder of the Spalding block, including “old Nick Drew, erstwhile gambler, rounder and saloon-keeper.”

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History, Photos

Video Archive: Bicentennial Parade in Hibbing

PDDTV Jul 04, 2026 No Comments

On America’s semi-quincentennial, we take a look back 50 years to the 1976 Bicentennial Parade in Hibbing, with all the marching bands, clowns, Shriners and civic floats necessary to properly celebrate the anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence.


History , , ,

Making it Up North: Love Creamery

PDDTV Jul 01, 2026 No Comments

Love Creamery founder Nicole Wilde talks about the journey from hobby farming to crafting high-quality, small-batch artisanal ice cream.

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 ,

Between Howls – “Wascott Waltz”

PDDTV Jun 30, 2026 1 Comment

Duluth band Between Howls has a new video for the instrumental track “Wascott Waltz” from the 2025 album Cabin Fever.

The video is directed by Megan McGarvey of Beyond the Birches Productions and shot by Luckie Ann Diamond and Ansley Fleming. It features Ricky Francois in the role of “The Illustrator”


Music, Videos

Mystery Photo: Arcade Trio

Paul Lundgren Jun 29, 2026 No Comments

This postcard photo is likely from around 1915. The only solid clue is on the back, where the photo is attributed to Arcade studio, 110 W. Superior St., Duluth. The studio had previously been known as the Penny Arcade.

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History , ,

Gaelynn Lea on That Show With That Midwestern Mom

PDDTV Jun 28, 2026 No Comments

Duluth musician and author Gaelynn Lea is the musical guest on the premiere episode of That Show With That Midwestern Mom, a web-only variety show hosted by Amber Estenson, aka That Midwestern Mom. The full episode is embedded above; the Gaelynn Lea segment begins at the 29:09 mark.


Music, Videos

Northern Lights Music Festival returns to the Range

Sharon Falkowski Jun 28, 2026 No Comments

Every July, something remarkable happens just north of Duluth.

Musicians arrive from around the world. Conservatory students rehearse alongside internationally acclaimed artists. Historic auditoriums come alive with chamber music, orchestra concerts and opera. For three weeks, communities across Minnesota’s Iron Range become one of the state’s most unexpected destinations for classical music.

The Northern Lights Music Festival returns July 1–21 with a season that celebrates both artistic excellence and community tradition.

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Music

Ripped at Bev’s Jook Joint in 2001

Slim Goodbuzz Jun 27, 2026 1 Comment

[Editor’s note: For this week’s essay we’ve once again pulled out a relic from the drunken compendium of Slim Goodbuzz, who served as Duluth’s “booze connoisseur” from 1999 to 2009. Twenty-five years ago the Sultan of Sot visited Bev’s Jook Joint in Superior and composed this article for the June 27, 2001 edition of the Ripsaw newspaper. Bev’s Jook Joint ceased operation in 2014.]

Here’s something weird: The Puritan city of Duluth, which is almost three times the size of Superior, doesn’t have any gay bars. Well, there’s the Tap Room, but that’s not homosexual, that’s just gay.

Meanwhile there are several gay bars in the debauched, anything-goes city of Souptown: JT’s, the Main Club and Bev’s Jook Joint. Of the three, Bev’s is the only one that seems to be in denial of its gayness. That isn’t to say the place is full of closet queers; Bev’s just seems to have more of a mixed crowd than a gay crowd. A breeder can hang out and act blatantly straight without feeling like how RuPaul might feel at Northland Country Club.

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History ,

Duluth Hockey: There Goes the Neighborhood

PDDTV Jun 26, 2026 No Comments

In Duluth, community hockey is neighborhood hockey. From late-night flood squads at outdoor rinks to the iconic Duluth Heritage Center, it’s all made possible by the Duluth Amateur Hockey Association and legendary hockey families like the Frybergers. While the rest of the hockey world may have changed, Duluth continues to find success with a proven recipe, serving up community hockey at the neighborhood level.

The short documentary embedded above is voiced by the notorious hockey-hair video guy John King and produced by Pulltab Sports for Minnesota Hockey, the governing body of youth and amateur hockey in the state. It is part of a web series called The Association, which delves into nonprofit community hockey organizations throughout Minnesota.


Sports, Videos ,

Reopened A & Dubs overwhelmed in first days

Tony Bennett Jun 24, 2026 No Comments

New A & Dubs owners Ryan Spears and Michael Koralia at the counter of their tiny Lincoln Park restaurant. (Photo by Paul Lundgren)

Anticipation had been building for three months when the A & Dubs drive-in restaurant quietly reopened on June 12. By the next day the news had spread and the new staff was clearly not prepared for the onslaught of hungry Duluthians.

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News and Current Affairs, Restaurants

Making it Up North: Northern Raven Studio

PDDTV Jun 24, 2026 No Comments

Dive into the meditative and deeply connected world of Lake Superior agate hunting, lapidary and jewelry making with Abby Schaefer of Northern Raven Studio and her best friend, artist Amanda Penley.

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 ,

Duluth 2026 Primary Election Primer

PDD News Sieve Jun 23, 2026 No Comments

The filing period for Minnesota state and county offices closed on June 2. Below is a tally of candidates who filed for races pertinent to Duluth-area ballots. Names that appear in red are hyperlinked to the candidates’ websites.

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News and Current Affairs, Politics

Postcard from the Boulevard in Duluth

Paul Lundgren Jun 21, 2026 No Comments

This undated postcard shows a scene from Duluth’s Skyline Parkway before it was called Skyline Parkway. The visual might feel familiar, because it’s the same scene depicted in a different postcard recently published on Perfect Duluth Day.


History ,