June 2013 Posts

Duluth artist wins prestigious McKnight Visual Artist Fellowship

The Minneapolis College of Art and Design and the McKnight Foundation are proud to announce the recipients of the 2013/14 McKnight Artist Fellowships for Visual Artists: Catherine Meier of Duluth, and Joe Sinness, Amy Toscani, and Dyani White Hawk of the Twin Cities.

Briar, Bentley, and Beavers in Our Community

A recent social media campaign about beavers has caught my attention. At the very least, it raises some questions about common access to wild space in our community.

Help me stop, please

Where should I take my 2005 Prius to see if the funny noise it’s making is something wrong with the brakes?

This week: books, opera, vibrators and shredding

  

Here’s a sampling of what you have to look forward to this week on the PDD Calendar.

The Huskies have a double header tonight at the Wade against the Mankato MoonDogs because of rain yesterday.

Need cheap reads for the summer? The annual Library Book Sale runs Tuesday through Thursday at the Duluth Public Library.

You’ve argued about it here, now you can see the final product at the Zinema 2 on Tuesday. Duluth Is Horrible makes its world premier with the filmmaker and cast available for Q&A.

La Traviata, the latest offering of LOON, shows Thursday and Saturday at the Superior High School.

Get stimulated at the Teatro Zuccone! Renegade‘s In the Next Room, or The Vibrator Play opens on Thursday and runs three weekends.

Four miles of other people’s stuff! The Park Point Rummage Sale is Friday and Saturday.

Need something shredded? Who doesn’t? There’s an Eco Shred-a-thon at Clyde Iron on Saturday.

Sunday is Father’s Day, so do something nice for your dad. You could take him to a showing of Blazing Saddles at Zinema 2, Chicago at the DECC, Bob Mould at Grandma’s Sports Garden, a race at Proctor Speedway, or a Cribbage Tournament at Burrito Union. He’ll just be happy you remembered.

So what are you doing this week? Can we tag along? Any upcoming events that you want to promote? Let us know.

Arrowhead Regional Arts Awards

The Arrowhead Regional Arts Council is very excited to be able to host an annual event that recognizes the contributions made by individuals to the arts in the Arrowhead Region and beyond.  This year ARAC will present the fifteenth annual George Morrison Artist Award to nationally recognized public sculptor Gareth Andrews from Zim, MN, and the Maddie Simons Advocate Award to Dr. Stanley Wold, Artistic Director and Conductor of the Arrowhead Chorale.

Volunteer for Rhubarb Fest

The ninth annual CHUM Rhubarb Festival will be held on June 29, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 11th Avenue East and London Road. There will be a delicious array of rhubarb delicacies, including hundreds of pies, muffins and crisps, as well as rhubarb brats and burritos. There will also be a variety of games and crafts, live musical performances and a silent auction. Admission is free! All funds raised will support CHUM’s programs, which provide basic needs services for homeless and marginalized members of the community.

If you would like to get involved with the festival as a volunteer, contact Mary Schmitz, CHUM development director, at mmschmitz @ chumduluth.org or 218-720-6521; or Mary Jaecklein, Rhubarb Festival volunteer coordinator, at cjaecklein @ gmail.com or 215-863-7826.

Make Art, Protect Water

Last year, a group of musicians came together in Duluth to record a compilation album titled Industry. Peace. Environment. to raise awareness about sulfide mining and the permanent changes that upcoming decisions could have on the landscape they love. The album features original recordings by Charlie Parr, Snöbarn, the Murder of Crows and many others. The Arrowhead Story, a collective of creative folks interested in sharing the stories of land in Northern Minnesota, is issuing a call for art to adorn the album. Submissions can be in any medium, and should reflect a theme of tension between nature and industrial development. The submission deadline is June 27. For details and submission information, contact Deanna at everyrivertothesea (at) gmail.com.

The Industry. Peace. Environment. album release party will be on Sept. 7, with a pre-release show at Beaner’s Central on July 20.

Does Crispin Glover’s film It is Fine! Everything is Fine romanticize the rape and torture of women?

In the wake of the screening of Crispin Glover’s film, “It is Fine! Everything is Fine,” as part of the Duluth/Superior Film Festival last weekend – a film that romanticizes a man’s explicit sexual fantasies of the rape and torture of women – I have some questions for progressive Duluthians who were there and for our community as a whole.

Video Archive: Locker Room gets Blastered

The Third Base Bar on Tower Avenue in Superior used to be the Locker Room Lounge and Grill. Here is pro wrestling’s Gary “The Blaster” Lindgren extolling the virtues of the Locker Room, circa 1989.

Dialect Map

Map

Fascinating way to understand Duluth linguistically.  Hat tip to @Kate Vo Thi-Beard.  Salute to Mike Linn and Chongwon Park.

Empowering your Employees

For the last three months, I have been bringing a study group to a local eatery in Superior, WI for Saturday sessions.  Even though the eatery is a franchise, I support it because I understand that franchises are still locally owned, and local investment is important to me.  And the specific food types there are available at few other places in the Twin Ports.  (I’m not naming the place because my goal is not to punish the specific eatery, but to offer some principles for empowering employees everywhere.)

Punk show at the Flotsam Lounge

In the unmarked Flotsam building in downtown Duluth, punk-show goers treaded lightly on the pilewood flooring as they ventured down the decrepit steps and into the basement of this rock den. Now this, was a punk venue. The dimly lit corner of the room had just enough space for the essential gear of the bands and oozed the perfect ambiance as shadows of fans flickered across the brick walls. Here are some photographs from Friday night featuring Red Mountain (Duluth), the Ancient Gods (Houston, Texas) and Dead Dog (Athens, Georgia)

*sorry for the noise*

Photographs by: Alex Leone

Women’s Flat Track Derby News

The WFTDA is excited to extend full membership status to 22 additional leagues today, following their successful completion of the WFTDA Apprentice Program. The new Class C members can now enjoy the benefits of full WFTDA membership, including competing in sanctioned games and being eligible for rankings.

This group includes two leagues in Japan and one in Columbia, the first leagues from Asia and South America to achieve full member status. The WFTDA already has full member leagues in North America, Europe and Australia.

Congratulations to:   Harbor City Roller Dames, of Duluth, Minnesota, USA

Helpers to stencil storm drains in Superior

We are looking for local groups and individuals who may be interested in stenciling storm drains with the message Do Not Dump, Drains to River. We’ll supply all that is needed. We do have a couple public dates set up – one being 9AM on Thursday, June 13 meeting at Fairlawn Mansion in Superior – but can also find a time when it might work for your organization. A group of 6 to 15 would be great. Ages 9 and above, please. We will be marking storm drains in Superior to communicate that the other end of most storm drains is, indeed, a stream or lake (even Lake Superior). The time needed is about an hour and a half and we’d also need a non-rainy day. Call 715-394-0392 if you are interested. We’d like to mark 200 drains this summer. Everyone makes a difference.

Golfing in Duluth

A buddy and I are hoping to do our first round of golf in Duluth this weekend. Just wondering what courses you would suggest to a couple novice guys, who haven’t swung the clubs on a course for probably two years now.

I see there are Lester and Enger, which do you prefer? Also would they mind a couple of guys out there who might be a little shotty?

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