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

Brewery Creek Terrace project turns eyesore into award winner

Mark Nicklawske May 23, 2026 No Comments

The turn-of-the-century brownstone at 627 E. Fourth St. has undergone a $4.3 million renovation by Heirloom Property Management. The public can tour the 20-unit building during an open house Tuesday, May 26. (Photo by Mark Nicklawske)

A once stately turn-of-the-century brownstone neglected for decades and widely considered one of Duluth’s biggest eyesores has received a complete top-to-bottom restoration and begins accepting tenants this summer.

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News and Current Affairs

Making it Up North: Voyageur Donuts

PDDTV May 22, 2026 No Comments

Tracy Owens, owner-operator of Voyageur Donuts in the historic DeWitt-Seitz Marketplace, shares her journey from executive chef to donut entrepreneur, the inspiration behind the famous savory “Hot Dish” donut, and how the shop keeps its menu fresh and eclectic with monthly seasonal creations.

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 , , ,

Ish Meets a Mermaid

PDDTV May 22, 2026 No Comments

Written and directed by Duluth’s Jonathan Thunder, the short movie Ish Meets a Mermaid was produced in 2025 and premiered at the Historic State Theater in Ely during the Ely Film Festival in March 2026. It recently made its Duluth debut at the Zeitgeist Minnesota Film Festival.

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Art, Videos

Toby Thomas Churchill – “The Bridge by the Crib”

PDDTV May 21, 2026 No Comments

“The Bridge by the Crib” is the third video release from Toby Thomas Churchill’s new album Nighttime.


Music, Videos

Postcard from Enger Tower

Paul Lundgren May 21, 2026 No Comments

This undated postcard, published by Erickson Post Cards & Souvenirs, shows the five-story lookout tower at Duluth’s Enger Park circa the late 1970s.

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History , ,

Bug Ball fundraiser has Prøve Gallery buzzing

Jessica Morgan May 20, 2026 No Comments

Dressed in gowns that look like they came straight out of a doll house, a few artists met at Prøve Gallery last week to shoot a promotional video for their upcoming gala. As soon as the bug garments and masks were placed on the models’ heads, the poses came out.

“A mask is transformative,” artist and Prøve Collective board member Cherry Koch said, watching the models move around the room in playful bug-like fashion.

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Art, News and Current Affairs

Making it Up North: Kelly Schamberger

PDDTV May 19, 2026 No Comments

A chance encounter at the Tweed Museum sparked Kelly Schamberger‘s passion for plein air painting. This video explores the delicate balance of turning a creative passion into a sustainable business, the importance of artistic mentorship, and the unique joy of connecting with strangers in the middle of the woods. It is a story about building a legacy of beauty and finding common ground through the stroke of a brush.

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 , ,

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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History ,

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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History , ,

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