Minnow Swallowing Contest in Duluth

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3LePItHnuo

St. Patrick’s Day, 1980. Quite a party in the West End.

14 Comments

  1. tom maloney tom maloney on April 11, 2010 at 7:16 am

    Hey, was that Commissioner Steve O’Neil seated in the very last clip of the video?

  2. wildgoose wildgoose on April 11, 2010 at 7:24 am

    “What does it take to be a champion … ?”

    If the lady swallowed that many minnows I wonder how many the men’s winner drank.

  3. Barrett Chase Barrett Chase on April 11, 2010 at 5:34 pm

    There were three contestants in the women’s competition. Two of them almost barfed on camera, and the winner drank 75 minnows. I’d bet that about 68 of those were purely recreational.

  4. Barrett Chase Barrett Chase on April 11, 2010 at 5:56 pm

    By the way, does anyone know where the Amber Flow was? I remember hearing the name, but its location escapes me.

  5. wildgoose wildgoose on April 11, 2010 at 7:57 pm

    I missed the location in the video I was wonderign where it had been. Actually Barrett I do remember the amber flow. We had some family friends who would take us all there regualrly for something that was really cheap, it might have been hamburgers, or pizza but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was fried fish, either. We’d go on Sunday or maybe Saturday afternoons, always in the afternoon. When we had quarters I’d play Ms. Pacman, even htough I was terrible at vidoe games. I also remember that they had a 45 rpm jukebox with such great jukebox songs as “I’m Gonna Hire a Wino To Decorate Our Home”

    I don’t remember the exact location but I want to say it was it was very “west end,” (note that I didn’t call it “Lincoln Park.”) Maybe 19th or 20th ave and on Superior St or whatever it’s called out there. Surely someone remembers.

  6. TimK TimK on April 11, 2010 at 7:58 pm

    I spent many a Saturday morning sitting on their pool table drinking 7-Up and listening to the juke box when I was a child. My dad was a professional alcoholic and was occasionally in charge of my care, so of course the best place to bring a 5-year-old was the Amber Flow. If my rusty brain recalls correctly, it was Roby’s in the 80s. I can’t think of what is there right now, but it is a bar.

  7. Dave C. Dave C. on April 11, 2010 at 8:28 pm

    The Amber Flow and the grocery/meat store next door – Frank’s or Wrazidlo’s I think – became Roby’s. I think it’s called the Bedrock Bar now. I was in bands that played there in the 70’s. A slice of heaven.

  8. Friendly Old Knifey Friendly Old Knifey on April 11, 2010 at 8:59 pm

    Funny, Roby’s is where my father used to frequent when I was a small child. It is most definitely the Bedrock, now.

  9. kitty Brand kitty Brand on April 12, 2010 at 6:24 am

    Now that is the best thing I have seen in a long time. Love the odd ball local history stuff. Thanks Paul.

    Also, I believe the Amber Flow is in Biwabik now. Biwabik’s Amber Flow

  10. wildgoose wildgoose on April 12, 2010 at 6:33 am

    One more thing, as a youngster, the “Amber Flow” always made me think of, well, taking a leak. I think they may have even had a sign that brought the effect home. So it seemed an odd name for a bar.

    Today I realize that it was meant to signify the golden flowing nectar-of-the-Gods beer, Milwaukee’s Best or whatever they had on tap there. It wasn’t until I was an adult reading/watching Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park that I realized it was an actual substance.

    Apparently it is a good name, hopefully, it’s working for the folks up in Biwabik.

  11. Touchdown Johnson Touchdown Johnson on April 12, 2010 at 9:25 am

    The woman who ate 75 minnows is a dead ringer for Chris Farley’s Lunch Lady.

    https://bit.ly/aaj6kQ

  12. TopOfTheHillMan TopOfTheHillMan on April 12, 2010 at 10:35 am

    St. Patrick’s Day, 1980. Quite a party

    You kids would be surprised what we did in the 80s.

  13. Bad Cat! Bad Cat! on April 12, 2010 at 7:00 pm

    Erin go Blargh!

  14. Paul Lundgren Paul Lundgren on April 13, 2010 at 8:18 pm

    I have it on reasonable authority that the woman who swallowed 75 minnows was Marilyn Hanson, who is now deceased.

    More about the Amber Flow in another post.

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