May 2016 Posts

Historic heart of Superior’s East End faces changes

Walter Haugen stands outside the former East End Drug store his father operated for almost 70 years in Superior. The set of buildings on East Fifth Street are planned for demolition this spring.

Walter Haugen stands in front of buildings on the 2100 block of East Fifth Street, all planned for demolition this spring.

Walter Haugen stood inside an old corner pharmacy his father operated for close to 70 years on Superior’s East End. A junk pile was pushed near the plate glass front windows. Empty shelving units displayed old merchandise tags. A pungent mercurochrome smell filled the dusty store.

He pointed through a hole in some foam panels overhead. The hole exposed a tin ceiling most likely installed when the building was constructed in 1878. Dozens of silver, square tin tiles decorated the ceiling.

Haugen said someone could be hired to take down the tin, which could be sold for a hefty price to antique dealers or architectural salvage specialists. But it won’t be done.

“It would be like gutting a relative,” he said. “It would be like if you had a pet deer that you raised and someone asked you to chop it up and sell them the meat. You just wouldn’t do it.”

The East End Drug Store, on the corner of Fifth Street and 22nd Avenue, anchors a collection of storefront buildings in the oldest business district in Superior. The 19th Century buildings are expected to meet the wrecking ball in the coming weeks, opening a prime corner to commercial redevelopment.

Aerial clips from the movie Girl Missing

Girl MissingThe Lifetime movie Girl Missing features scenes shot in Duluth by drone operator Josh Kunze, including aerial footage of Glensheen Mansion and a limo driving along Lake Superior’s North Shore.

This Week: fishing, farmers, funny business and more

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Here’s a bit of what you’ll find in this week’s PDD Calendar:

It’s Memorial Day, and the annual West Duluth parade is happening (as is the Gary-New Duluth Veterans’ Memorial Ceremony), James Taylor comes to town on Wednesday to do his chilled-out thing, the five-day Duluth-Superior Film Festival gets underway, former Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak stops at Fitger’s to discuss and sign his new book, the play Annapurna opens at the Duluth Playhouse and Neil Young tribute act Tired Eyes is out there jamming the classics.

The 18th annual Arrowhead Arts Awards take place in Grand Marais, Renegade Improv is the place for on-the-spot laffs, local anglers are raising money for ALS, the Duluth and Barker’s Island farmer’s markets are in full effect, Animal Allies holds its Walk for Animals 2016 event and the Underground is the place for Music for All.

Thanks, Telly

Telly Savalas Duluth

Clip from an advertising supplement in the May 29, 1984 Duluth News Tribune, referring to the classic “Duluth, who loves ya baby?” TV spot.

PDD Quiz: May 2016

2016FirstTickMay 2016 isn’t quite over, but it’s over enough to quiz you over it. Here are some questions to see if you’ve been paying attention.

Where in Duluth?

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The Lie

Anna Tennis Saturday EssayThere is something about a Hardee’s buttermilk biscuit; you have to admit it. Even the ones that have been cooked for too long, left hot and dry under the culinary equivalent of a tanning lamp until they surpassed deep golden and arrived at dusky caramel, sitting puck-like on the stainless steel rack. You can eat them until your lips crack and curl, until your mouth puffs biscuit crumbs like sandstorms in a desert, they’re so tasty.

Regina simply could not resist them. Which was unfortunate, really, because she was already a big woman — more than six feet tall, and built to comfortably support her more than 200-pound weight. When she got hired as the morning biscuit baker it was a pretty good promotion, and one she had sorely wanted. But now she was alone with those biscuits every morning from 4:45 to 6 a.m., when Hardee’s opened, and a person could eat a lot of biscuits in that amount of time.

Regina came from Bartholomew, Kentucky originally, but she had moved to Lexington before her 18th birthday because she had her eye on the assistant manager position, and when one opened up in Lexington, she applied right away.

Ingeborg von Agassiz – “Bulletproof Vest”

Ingeborg von Agassiz 2016Ingeborg von Agassiz performs in KUMD‘s studio in this video, shot on May 5.

Upcoming gig: Friday, June 24 at Washington Gallery

Selective Focus: Andy Miller

SF-TeaserAndyMiller

This week’s Selective Focus subject makes the most of the square format of Instagram with beautifully composed photos of abandoned, forgotten buildings around the area. Andy Miller tells us why he documents them.

Perfect New Restaurant: Northern Waters Restaurant

PDDPerfectNewRestaurant2016It’s no surprise Northern Waters Restaurant crushed Perfect Duluth Day’s best new restaurant poll. The eagerly anticipated eatery just opened in February, but has swiftly won the admiration and bellies of Twin Ports residents, as evidenced by garnering 67 percent of the vote.

Manager Greg Conley with staff at Northern Waters

Manager Greg Conley with staff at Northern Waters

Zenith Quartette circa 1908

Zenith Quartette Duluth

The Zenith Quartette was a Dutch vocal group based in Duluth. Members shown in this old flier are Carl Hvaal, first tenor; J. Olsen, second bass; O.A. Gronseth, baritone and O.O. Hovday, second tenor.

Skate the Lake 2016

Skate the LakeVideo by Ian Lundborg of Mestek Media from last Saturday’s Skate the Lake, an event promoting skateboarding as alternate transportation in Duluth.

Ely’s Peak Drone Tour

You may have noticed the PDD Drone has come out of hibernation recently. Here is a quick video of Ely’s Peak on the western edge of town. Yes, we did fly the drone through the entire tunnel. It was a bit hairy due to the darkness and the boulders that kept jumping out at our feet. The drone was wearing a small headlamp but it didn’t help much.

The NorShor Experience: A Strip Club Retrospective

NorShor Experience NorShor Adult Club

The NorShor Theatre first hosted exotic dancers on May 24, 2006, with two simple words on the marquee: “Live Girls.” Later, the words “Adult Club” would appear above the theater’s new business name: the NorShor Experience.

Poll: Best New Restaurant in Duluth Area (2016 Version)

What local restaurant will be the Spirit Room’s successor as Best New Restaurant? You tell us. Last week we compiled a list of nominees. Vote now for your favorite new eatery. We’ll post results later this week.

As usual, it’s a runoff ballot, so the list of options will shrink as favorites emerge. If the restaurant you vote for gets dropped from the ballot, you can vote again, so check back later. We started with 16 restaurants in the poll; it’s now down to the top four: Beijing Restaurant, Lake Superior Bakehouse, Northern Waters Restaurant
and Sala Thai.
 

What is the best new restaurant in the Duluth area?

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This poll is now closed. The results were:

Northern Waters Restaurant – 67 percent
Lake Superior Bakehouse – 13 percent
Beijing Restaurant – 10 percent
Sala Thai – 10 percent

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