Month: February 2011
Art Jam 2011
It may not be the solution to the education budget … but it’ll keep your kids busy for at least ten minutes during Winter Break.
Art Jam is a youth art contest for kids ages 7 through 12 in the Twin Ports. Have you seen the commercial yet? If not, it’s probably because you don’t watch enough cartoons.
(more…)
Big Top Chautauqua 2011
Summer is approaching, slow though it may seem, and concert junkies need to begin filling in their 2011 summer itineraries. Our good friends in Wisconsin are helping get a jump on this planning as Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua has announced its initial summer performers.
See the full list here. Highlights include Greg Brown, Arlo Guthrie, Dar Williams, Nanci Griffith, and many more. The clincher for me is a two-night stand from folk legend John Prine on Aug. 20-21. A trip to Wisconsin may be in order.
Mike Page, Mike Fitzsimmons and Tom Houle | Duluth graffiti that wouldn’t fade away
I first took notice of this graffiti in the late 1980s. It’s on the side of the old West Duluth Hotel building, which for many years now has been home to the Italian Village, along with various other businesses.
(more…)
Yoga-tta sign up for the new session!
A new registration session begins March 14th (just a couple of weeks away)! This includes over 20 weekly (open and registration) classes ranging from beginning to advanced.
(more…)
Low – “Belarus”
This video was shot at various familiar locations in and around Duluth.
By the way, in addition to being a country, Belarus is also the name of a manufacturer of upright pianos.
Special Guest at Amazing Grace Bakery and Café: Bill Staines
Thursday, Feb. 24, at 7pm Bill Staines will be playing his annual Amazing Grace show.
“Any new song that can live comfortably beside the well-worn songs of folk tradition has a good chance of surviving the test of time. Such, we believe are the songs of Bill Staines.” –Charles “Sandy” Paton, Folk Legacy Records.
Let’s Talk Trees!
Ethan Perry, DNR Plant Ecologist and a former member of the Duluth Tree Commission, will talk about trees, how to identify them in the winter and the important functions they provide in urban landscapes. Following Ethan’s presentation Wild Ones members will be available with all their favorite books about native trees and shrubs to help those looking for more info to select trees and shrubs to plant at home.
When: Wednesday, Feb. 23. Socializing begins at 6:45 PM, program at 7 PM. We’ll get to the “free tree help” by 8 PM.
Where: Hartley Nature Center in Duluth, MN. see hartleynature.org or call 218-724-6735 for more info/directions.
The Camel Incident in Madison
A crew from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart was at the Capital in Madison on Monday to shoot some sort of a bit that involved a camel. As handlers started to walk the camel around a barricade, well, things got ugly. Jack Craver of the weekly Isthmus newspaper caught it on video.
The camel was not injured. Firefighters on the scene helped untangle things.
Friends of the Library Annual Book Sale
Wednesday, June 15 to Friday, June 17.
10am – 3pm daily.
A great event to stock up on some good summer reads!
The Winter Sessions Songwriters Showcase at Sacred Heart
Saturday Feb 26, 2011 7:30 PM
Sacred Heart Music Center
201 W 4th St
Tickets $5 in advance/$7 at the door
www.sacredheartmusic.org
Sonja Bjordal, Sarah Krueger, Charity Huot and Hattie Peterson
Riding the Lake Superior Waves
Here’s what they were doing Sunday off Stony Point, just south of Knife River. 50 mph wind gusts, 21 degrees.
5th Annual Bike Swap
Despite the current weather outside, spring is in fact on the way, and the United Way and Continental Ski & Bike are gearing up for the 5th annual Bike Swap, April 16 and 17 at Continental, 1305 E 1st St. Now is the time to check your garage to see if you’ve got a old bike you’d like to sell or donate… or to start dreaming about what kind of new-to-you bike you’d like to buy. If your bike sells, you get 75% of the selling price and the remaining 25% goes to the United Way. We’ve set up a Facebook page to watch for updates. Thanks!
Lake Superior Waves Video
I’m new to the area, so I was really excited to see the waves and film some this morning. To all locals: what’s the biggest waves you’ve seen?
Hockey Day Minnesota: Portman Bruins vs. Glen Avon Red Army
[This post originally featured video from nhl.com that has since been removed.]
Last Day to Celebrate I Love to Read Month!
Kids and parents come and join United Way Success By 6 at the Duluth Public Library for our final Cozy Pajama Story Time!
The last three weeks have been a huge success and we want to make sure more people can enjoy our final story time on Thursday, Feb. 24, at 6:30pm in the Green Room at the library.
Three teen readers from the Boys and Girls Club of Duluth will be reading as a part of a service project. The stories are expected to go from 6:30-6:50 with a craft activity planned for 6:50-7:15.
It will be another great night of fun during that restless time between dinner and bedtime for your little ones.
2011 St. David’s Day Open Reading
As always, it’s free.
Loup-Garou EP Release
Loup-Garou will release their debut EP this Saturday down at Beaner’s Central alongside The People Say Fox and Minneapolis’s Party House.
Show starts at 8pm, $5 cover, and open to all ages.
If you didn’t get a ticket to Atmosphere, this is the place to be.
Duluth Deer Parts
Has anyone else noticed deer parts along Seven Bridges Road? You know where they close the road in the winter, and people walk and ski and snowmobile and run dogs? Near the barrier at the bottom, and in the woods next to Smiley’s, my dog is always coming up with a spine or a leg or a hunk of pelvis. What’s up with that? Do poachers dump the parts they don’t want there? Do old deer go there to die?
Duluth Media Boners
While I was really rooting for the “Paste Headline Here” whoopsie by the DNT, I think the Transistor gets the gold cup for its summary of today’s Polar Plunge.
Lost Spaces in Duluth
I just wanted to put a general question out there for those that know the city better than me:
What are some existing abandoned buildings you know of in Duluth? (Including places that are in the works of being renovated, or even really unique, big interior spaces that aren’t abandoned).
Duluth mansion demolition makes way for big box store
Well, they have begun to tear down the mansion to make way for the mega Walgreens. Some other houses will be torn down, too. See my post The Last Mansion Between Kitchi Gammi Club and 14th Ave. East.
Our man in Washington
I note that the first piece of legislation that Raymond Cravaack saw fit to propose involved defunding the U.S. Institute of Peace, a $46.5 million budgetary rounding error responsible for useless projects like the Iraq Study Group.
[The USIP is currently raising money to complete a relatively fancy headquarters on the Mall, but has for years been located on the second floor of the National Restaurant Association’s palatial headquarters in DC.]
This concludes today’s object lesson in the fact that Elections Matter.