Month: February 2015
Diving with the Triquetra Stone
Summer 2014 placement experiment with MacManus Stoneworks’ triquetra stone, towards an eventual permanent placement in an underwater orienteering course or geocache concept. More deets in summer 2015.
An Incline Railway Mystery
I’m back again with another mystery! Way back in October of 2006, I was exploring the topmost bit of overgrown sidewalk on Seventh Avenue West, (between Skyline and West Eighth Street). This walkway ran parallel to east side of the old Incline Railway, which pedestrians would have used as access for each stop along the way. At the top at West Eighth Street, where the sidewalk first begins, I happened to notice off to the side in the overgrowth, a large pile of of steel girders and wooden posts, located right about where the incline once stood. (more…)
Christine Dean’s Mix – free download from Homegrown
Available now for free download on Bandcamp, 115 megabytes of local rawk and/or roll selected by Christine Dean the radio queen. When you follow the link to Bandcamp you’ll see all the previous Homegrown compilations are available as well. You must “name your price,” and $0 is completely acceptable. You are welcome. Thank you, fans!
Selective Focus: Love
Kip Praslowicz, untitled
Some very sweet images this week, and I’m genuinely glad to see so many of you contented, but there must be angst, some “sturm und drang,” yes? The theme isn’t all rainbows and unicorns- this love business, as a salient hair band once averred, it “scars, it wounds and mars.” How we suture the injuries we sustain and those we inflict defines us more than any cleaving to cloying ideals. (more…)
Underwater Carved Stone Portraits
Collaborating with Sean MacManus of MacManus Stoneworks, our plan was to create an underwater geocache or orienteering course of his carved stones in Lake Superior. The summer of 2014 saw me performing initial placement experiments. This failed to yield any permanent way to affix the stones underwater, but it did generate several video portraits of the stones in situ. A follow-up video will detail the work I did to try and place these stones underwater. Summer of 2015 will see more progress and additional ideas. Meanwhile, enjoy~
Perfect Duluth Day in Nashville
I really enjoy rhetoric guy’s posts with details about a typical day in Duluth from his perspective. After spending a day in Nashville leading up to an evening of Duluth musicians performing on an iconic American stage, I couldn’t help thinking about sharing this profound experience in a similar way.
Ice Climbing at Casket Quarry in West Duluth
A group from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Outdoor Recreation Living and Learning Community take on Casket Quarry on Jan. 31. Video by Grant Sachs.
The Duluth Film Collective
The Duluth Film Collective is looking for filmmakers. All aspects of film production: directors, writers, producers, editors. (We’re also always looking for film lovers, as well.)
We hold monthly meetings at the Zeitgeist and Creative Coffees: a creative work-shopping opportunity to discuss scripts and other projects you might be working on. Coming up: the director of the Duluth Superior Film Festival will be coming to speak at our official March meeting. Hope to see you there!
Any questions, please email duluthfilmcollective @ gmail.com.
This Week: feel the love
Here’s a bit of what you’ll find on this week’s PDD Calendar:
A locally-made documentary is at the Zinema, a big job fair is at UWS, The Fractals are at Clyde Iron, Prof and special guests are at the Sports Garden and Darwin’s work is discussed in recognition of his birthday.
Saturday is Valentine’s Day, so there’s all sorts of lovey-dovey stuff to do on that day. Dubh Linn serving up a special dinner with its comedy bill, Beaner’s Central is throwing a 20’s-themed bash, the Red Herring is serving Bratwurst, four great local music acts are playing in support of PAVSA and lovers are encouraged, Ghost-style, to make goblets together.
Tim Kaiser Inferior Planets Double 7″ EP Crowdfunding
[vimeo id=”118568003″]
Tim Kaiser is releasing a Double seven-inch EP on vinyl this Spring and is doing an Indiegogo fundraiser. Why a double seven-inch and not a full-length LP? Because the music is done in such a way that you can play more than one of the four sides at the same time! Crazy! Big thank you to Lakefront Films for shooting the video.
Minnesota Cup overfloweth with Northlanders (maybe, if you help)
Minnesota Cup event at the Green Acres Barn Event Center.
Minnesota Cup is an innovative idea competition. According to Mark Dayton on the website:
The Minnesota Cup celebrates and encourages the unique character that makes Minnesota a special place to do business. From our rich history of entrepreneurship to our impressive list of Fortune 500 companies, Minnesota is where great ideas become great companies. Attracting more than 8,000 entries since 2005, the Minnesota Cup is now the largest statewide new venture competition in the country…. I am grateful for the support provided by the Minnesota Cup’s lead sponsors, including: the University of Minnesota; Wells Fargo; Carlson Companies; Digital River; General Mills; UnitedHealth Group; and the state of Minnesota. This is an excellent example of how public and private partnerships can work together and encourage new business development in Minnesota.
It would be great if I could post every year about a Northlander winner of this competition (and celebrate the cash as well as mentor support this program offers new businesses). But I can only do that if you apply with your amazing business idea.
Video Archive: How to Build an Igloo
Here’s one from the early days of vlogging. Starfire and V-Nick show how to build an igloo in this grainy PDD video from 2005.
The Boomchucks – “When I’m Missing You” and “Running Out of Gas in America” (live on The PlayList)
Here’s Duluth band the Boomchucks performing on the Feb. 5 episode of The PlayList. They share the bill with Clover Street Cronies at the Red Star Lounge on Feb. 6.
Ruffed grouse release 2/5/15
Several days ago, one of our great local conservation officers brought in a ruffed grouse with a head injury to Wildwoods. The grouse has made a full recovery, so today, Sarah and Trudy released her back into the wild. The grouse exploded from the transport kennel and quickly disappeared into the woods.
Selective Focus: Capers
Kip Praslowicz, untitled
Maybe I slant toward the unorthodox, but I know that images exist of regrettable tattoos, cow-tipping episodes, and numerous other lapses in sense. Not that I’m remotely disappointed with this week’s submissions; stunts, escapades, etc. were very well-represented (ask Richard sometime for the story behind those axes and puckish grins). (more…)
Palace Theater tour from 2002
The Palace Theater in Superior was torn down in 2006, but this video of a tour in 2002 has emerged on YouTube. (more…)
ARAC seeking new board members
I have been a board member at the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council for, like, four years now. It has enriched my life immensely. Immensely. Consider joining as an Duluth member, at-large.
ARAC is currently accepting applications for the upcoming term starting in June. Positions that will be available include a board representative from Koochiching County and at-large members from any of the seven Arrowhead region counties.
For more information on becoming an ARAC board member and how to apply, click here.
ARAC Organizational Grants Awarded
The Arrowhead Regional Arts Council awarded a total of $93,840 in two-year operating support grants in January. There were eight organizations awarded out of 11 applicants. The program awards up to $12,000 over a two-year period to established nonprofit regional arts organizations to maintain their ongoing operating needs and services. The following is a list of organizations granted:
- County Seat Theatre, Cloquet
- Lake Superior Community Theatre, Silvery Bay
- Matinee Musicale, Duluth
- Mesabi Symphony Orchestra, Virginia
- Nordic Center, Duluth
- North Shore Music Association, Grand Marais
- Northern Lights Music Festival, Inc., Aurora
- Twin Ports Wind Ensemble, Duluth
ARAC also awarded a total of $39,090 in rural and community art project grants. There were nine organizations awarded out of 10 applicants. The program provides grants up to $5,000 to nonprofit, regional arts groups to support community- or artist-initiated arts activities that will affect the group and/or the community it serves. The following is a list of organizations granted:
- Chalk.a.Lot, Two Harbors
- Cook Area Chamber of Commerce, Cook
- Friends of B’nai Abraham, Virginia
- Good Harbor Hill Players, Grand Marais
- Grand Rapids Area Male Chorus, Grand Rapids
- Grand Rapids Players, Grand Rapids
- Great River String Ensemble, Aitkin
- Itasca Choral Society/Itasca Community Chorus, Grand Rapids
- Minnesota State Old Time Fiddle Championships, Virginia
Duluth Album Releases in 2015
Moors & McCumber
Pandemonium
(Jan. 1)
Available on Bandcamp
Feeding LeRoy
Love is a Gamble EP
(Jan. 16)
Available on Bandcamp
Adam Sippola
Rising Point
(Jan. 24)
Single “How Do You Know” available on adamsippola.com
The Christopher David Hanson Band
For Another Year
(Jan. 26)
Available on iTunes
Four Mile Portage
Can’t Find Home
(Feb. 1)
Recorded by Eric Swanson at Sacred Heart Music Center
Available on Bandcamp