Month: August 2015
Duluth Huskies make best decision ever
“The Duluth Huskies would like to announce that Greg Culver will be the new General Manager, effective immediately. Congratulations Greg!” (more…)
Summer of ’65: USS Duluth Christened by Humphrey’s Daughter
Fifty years ago — Aug. 15, 1965 — the DNT reports (via AP wire out of New York) several top-ranking Minnesota officials were among the 300 persons at a ceremony to christen the USS Duluth. (more…)
“Hey, where is your lawn chair, and can you bring me a Hamms?”
The Proctor Police Department received this picture today from the Proctor Journal of a bear standing on someone’s porch. “Be safe out there,” the PPD warns. “It’s that time of year when they are out forging around for food so they can hibernate this winter.” (more…)
Free fix-it clinic Saturday, volunteers needed!
I know this is a bit late for it, but we’re seeking volunteers for our fix-it clinic! We’ve been holding the fix-it clinics monthly on the third Saturday of each month, and we’ve been getting a decent turnout of fixees. Unfortunately, even our most regular volunteers can’t make it every month, and it would be great if we could add some talent to our pool of lovely helpers. We’ve only got two people fixing tomorrow, and people all over Duluth with broken stuff could really use your help! (more…)
Summer of ’65: UFO Sightings Reported Over Duluth
Fifty years ago — Aug. 14, 1965 — the DNT reports sightings of unidentified flying objects over Duluth. The article’s title, by the way is …
… which leads one to believe there was another story on the subject in previous days, but careful eyes couldn’t find one in the Aug. 1-13 editions. (more…)
Gas mileage in Duluth
In the first episode of Season Two of Curb Your Enthusiasm (2001), Larry David is trying to sell cars for the first time in his life. Duluth comes up in his spiel.
Customer: What kind of gas mileage am I going to get?
Larry David: Fifty-two.
Customer: Fifty-two in the city.
David: Depending on the city, of course. Duluth is a city, it’s considered a city, but it’s not as big as Brooklyn or whatever.
Customer: Okay.
Selective Focus: Impermanence
Aaron Reichow, untitled
My grandpa Mohrbacher moved to Duluth in 1928 and was a tenant at the Traphagen home, which was gutted by arson the week before I arrived here. I was lamenting this loss to a sauerkraut maker I’d met at a cider pressing who told me he’d lived there in the 70s when the home became the Redstone Apartments, and that he had some interior photos. They were beautiful. I could picture my grandpa in the same sun room, occupied by a new friend over 50 years later. (more…)
Duluth Windshield Replacement Recommendation
Does anyone have recommendations for a good, honest, reliable windshield replacement place in Duluth/Superior? Recommendations as to who to stay away from would be helpful, and appreciated, too. Thanks!
Summer of ’65: Car Crashes into Hank’s Grocery
The Duluth News Tribune’s Aug. 13, 1965 edition reports three persons sustained minor injuries when a 71-year-old Duluth woman crashed into the front of Hank’s Grocery at 2332 W. Third St. in the friendly West End neighborhood. The location is the present-day site of Bark Avenue Pet Grooming. (more…)
Video of ceiling collapse at First Avenue in Minneapolis
Below is video of the ceiling collapsing at First Avenue in downtown Minneapolis. The incident occurred at the famous music venue around 10:15 p.m. during a set by the band Theory of a Deadman. Early reports say a leaky pipe and vibrations from music may have caused the collapse. No serious injuries are being reported, two people were taken to hospital without life threatening injuries.
Summer of ’65: I-35 Route Proposed on DM&IR Railway
Fifty years ago — Aug. 12, 1965 — the DNT reports the St. Louis County Legislative delegation will explore a proposal to route Interstate Highway 35 over Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Railway right-of-way. The great I-35 debate, of course, wouldn’t ultimately be settled for another two decades. (more…)
Summer of ’65: Duluthian Talked Off High Bridge
Fifty years ago — Aug. 11, 1965 — the DNT reports a 25-year-old Duluth man stood perched atop the center span of the Duluth Superior High Bridge — now known as the John A. Blatnik Bridge — threatening to jump to the water. “The incident was apparently brought about by a family argument,” the paper noted. “His mother talked him down from his lofty stand.” (more…)
Lake Superior North Shore Cruise
Video by Aaron Goodyear.
Summer of ’65: NLRB Sets Hearing in Labor Dispute
Fifty years ago — Aug. 10, 1965 — the DNT reports the National Labor Relations Board will hold a hearing on charges of unfair labor practices against six Duluth waterfront unions engaged in a labor dispute. (more…)
This Week: fruits, veggies, pies, meat and more
Here’s a bit of what you’ll find on this week’s PDD Calendar:
Farmers’ market season chugs along, with markets in Hermantown, Superior and downtown Duluth, Duluth MakerSpace is having a kids’ clothesmaking class, Randy Lee’s Big Time Jazz Orchestra plays the last of Superior’s Bayside Sounds concert series, Martin Zellar hits the Red Herring and Lord Stanley’s Cup is on display at Amsoil Arena.
William Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus and the similarly pie-concerned Sweeney Todd are both going up at the Duluth Playhouse, the Grill Wars of 2015 will be fought at Bayfront Park, the art fair Art in Bayfront Park will hit the same location and the Kraus-Anderson Bike Duluth Festival gets underway at Spirit Mountain.
Invasive weed control in Fond du Lac
In the ditches of Fond du Lac, near Perch Lake, wild parsnip is flowering and going to seed. In southeastern Minnesota this weed fills every ditch and uncultivated field and I believe this is poised to do the same in our region. I think that with five or 10 willing volunteers it could be possible to prevent or delay this invasion. I have not seen this plant growing in other areas, so perhaps if this patch is dealt with we might avoid a larger problem. The highway department has been made aware of this weed and for now is not mowing the area to avoid spreading the seed farther. The highway department does not have a plan to deal with this year’s seeding plants.
This Sunday, Aug.9, at 11 a.m. I will be in the ditches of Fond du Lac near Perch Lake cutting individual plants with a pruning shear and carrying them up to the roadside to be bagged. The job is too large for me alone and I would like to ask for help. If you can help please show up at 11 a.m. wearing long pants, a long-sleeved shirt and gloves. Some people do have skin reactions when dealing with this plant. If you have a pair of functional pruning shears please bring them. I will bring extra shears. Depending on the crew size I hope to spend no more than two or three hours with this task. I can be reached by e-mail at hanlondm @ gmail.com or by phone at 218-722-4990.
Summer of ’65: Ground Breaking Set for New YMCA
Fifty years ago — Aug. 9, 1965 — the DNT reports there will be a groundbreaking ceremony the next day for a new $1.4-million Duluth YMCA. (more…)
Ark of the Anthropocene Retrospective
Remember Sean Connaughty’s roughly 4,000-pound “Ark of the Anthropocene” sculpture, which was dropped into the Duluth Harbor last summer and floated for about three days before sinking? Well, a little video retrospective has emerged. (more…)
Summer of ’65: Weather Pushes Folk Festival to Armory
Fifty years ago — Aug. 8, 1965 — the DNT reports the 18th annual Duluth International Folk Festival abandoned its home at Leif Erikson Park to avoid rainy conditions, moving the party across the street to the Duluth National Guard Armory. (more…)
A serial killer stalks Duluth
In the pilot episode of Hannibal (2013), a serial killer is murdering young college women around Minnesota. Laurence Fishburne and Hugh Dancy travel to Duluth (which apparently has train service) to investigate. Hannibal Lecter gets involved, for some reason. He and Dancy share breakfast in a Duluth motel room, then visit a Duluth construction site. A woman’s body is found in Hibbing, impaled on deer antlers. Dancy figures out who the killer is using amazing leaps of logic. The serial killer (who happens to be a member of the Building Trades, which is not surprising) is eventually cornered at his home.
All in all, business as usual in Duluth.
Selective Focus: Summer
Kip Praslowicz, “divers-diving”
Judging from friend’s accounts, this has been an atypical, consistently beautiful summer here. It is my least favorite season; too immoderate, languid, febrile. Still, I had my first (ever) swim in Superior, took in ballet outside the library, saw a film at a farm about Japanese dwarves, and laid in lots of grass. Best summer I’ve had since boyhood, though I’ve yet to do my annual roll down a steep hill- Leif Erikson, Chester Bowl? (more…)
Summer of ’65: Weather Steals Show from Portorama Parade
Fifty years ago — Aug. 7, 1965 — the DNT reports a “powerful nor’easter” threatened to put a damper on the annual Portorama Parade, but some 30,000 spectators toughed out the inclement weather. (more…)