July 2017 Posts

Girl from the North Country reviews are in

The Stage, a weekly British newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry, has compiled reviews of the new Bob Dylan-inspired play set in 1930’s Duluth. Girl from the North Country, written and directed by Conor McPherson, opened earlier this month at the Vic Theater in London.

Critic Fergus Morgan notes the show “boasts a large, diverse cast, and 20 Dylan songs from across his career, pared down and rearranged for the stage by Simon Hale and performed by a live, onstage band.” The setting is described as “a run-down Minnesota guesthouse during the Great Depression. We’re in Duluth, Dylan’s place of birth, seven years before the singer-songwriter entered the world.”

Almanac North: The Wall that Heals

The traveling “Wall that Heals” was set up on Barkers Island in Superior July 20-23. It features a half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., together with a mobile education center. WDSE-TV cameras captured the arrival of the wall, the opening ceremony and local reaction.

Missing Persons: Ronald and Mary Tarnowski

Update: On Aug. 5 at approximately 3:44 Ronald and Mary Tarnowski were found deceased. Their vehicle was discovered in a remote location west of Highway 2 in the Brookston area by a U.S. Border Patrol helicopter. The family has been notified. The investigation into their deaths continues, but foul play is not suspected. The death investigation is being handled by the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office.

Deeper Fish Cam

 

Not much happened for 45 minutes at 15+ feet deep, but I did get this. Going back today! This is the area shown in this video where there is a channel between two giant boulders. I wedged the camera-on-a-stick between some rocks and left it there. Lots of boat traffic not too far away and that is the noise you hear. Fish Cam pt. 1 here.

PDD Quiz: July 2017

Emerald Ash Borer Another month of summer has flown by. Which headlines caught your attention? Play the quiz and test your knowledge of July news!

Our next quiz, on sculptures and statues in the Twin Ports, will be published on Aug. 13. E-mail question suggestions to Alison Moffat at [email protected] by Aug. 10.

Clare Means – “Duluth Song”

Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Clare Means was in Duluth recently for a performance at Wade Stadium. While here she recorded a “Duluth Song” and released this video, set to images of the Western Duluth Little League Intermediate Division District Tournament Team, which defeated Lake Park 15-5 on July 11 to claim the 2017 Minnesota state championship.

Bible Translation: Story of Creation

In the beginning, God created the universe. Before that, there was nothing — not even an infinite galaxy of darkness, which would be something. God must have been around before the beginning, but it’s not something he likes to talk about.

At first the earth was without form. Everything was dark and void. This was apparently depressing to God, so he said, presumably to himself, “Let there be light!” And a light appeared. It wasn’t the sun, though. God waited a few days to create the sun. At this moment he needed a special light for creating other things before the sun.

When God saw this light, he thought it was good. It wasn’t too dim or too bright. No adjustment was necessary. God decided to separate the light from the darkness, though, calling them “day” and “night.” Apparently they were all tangled up at first, causing a sort of swirl effect.

On Tuesday God decided to divide the waters, so he said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” God called the firmament “heaven.” Many years later, people on earth would start calling it “outer space.”

Glitteratti – “Ask the Mrs.”

Here it is, the debut single from Duluth band Glitteratti‘s album In Pasadena, schedule for an Oct. 10 release.

Traditional Summer Diving Montage

From the Lester River Bridge to Uncle Harvey’s Mausoleum and various other Duluth locations, it’s diving season — also known as “give mom a heart attack when she sees your dangerous stunts on the internet season.”

This montage was put together in the summer of 2016.

Of course it must be noted that pretty much every summer there are serious injuries, and occasionally deaths, resulting from dives into Duluth bodies of water. Be careful out there.

Selective Focus: Tyler Johnson

This week in Selective Focus, we take a look at the work of Tyler Johnson, a designer who has worked in identities, clothing, art prints and more.

T.J.: I am a graphic designer and art director by day and a doodler/painter/screenprinter by night. I started out as all creatives do, scribbling out sketches as a youngster. One of my earliest memories is making Star Wars and Power Rangers books with my Mom. I would tell the story to my Mom as I would draw the pictures and she would write out the words. As I grew older and my interests changed, art became the constant that I could apply to all my other interests at a given time.

The Slip bar open in Canal Park


Canal Park gained a unique drinking establishment today. The Slip, located in the historic Suites Hotel building at 325 S. Lake Avenue, opened at 5 p.m.

Named for the nearby Minnesota Slip, which is home to iconic William A. Irvin ore boat, the bar specializes in whiskey and features cocktails made with vodka and gin from the nearby Vikre Distillery. In addition to spirits, the Slip has six types of wine and three types of cider on tap as well as five beers from Hoops Brewing.

Bent Paddle buys its brewing plant; plans expansion

Bent Paddle Brewing announced in a news release today it has purchased its brewing facility at 1912 W. Michigan St. in Duluth’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. The $942,500 sale was completed in June. Bent Paddle had leased the 10,600-square-foot warehouse space since 2013.

The news release also mentions “yet to be disclosed plans” for the nearby building at 1832 W. Michigan St., which Bent Paddle has used as an office space for the past year. The Duluth News Tribune reported on Monday that “documents submitted to the city planning commission show a re-imagined home for the city’s largest brewery.” The paper published a schematic design that shows “a new partly covered patio” and notes “Bent Paddle is applying for a concurrent use permit for the deck.” The design suggests a possible move of Bent Paddle’s taproom to the current office building.

Mike Watt at the NorShor Theater: “Eyegifts From Minnesota”

The documentary Eyegifts From Minnesota, by Bill Draheim, follows Mike Watt and his band at the time, the Jom and Terry Show, as they drive into Duluth and load in for a performance at the NorShor Theater on May 28, 2002. They tour the old R. O. Carlson’s bookstore, do some sightseeing in Canal Park and spend the night at Shaky Ray Records before heading south for shows at the Turf Club in St. Paul and the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis.

Watt wrote extensively about the tour, and the Duluth stop, on his “Our Oars Became Wings” Tour 2002 Diary. He marvels in the diary and in the film about seeing Lake Superior for the first time. He also mentions in the diary getting a tour of “the secret tunnels” under the NorShor and how it “feels haunted down there.”

Mit Best Wishes from Duluth

Of the same sort as the “Vilkome to our city of Duluth” and “Iff you vill come to Duluth ve vill lock up all de cops” versions, this is another “Dutch Kid” pennant postcard, popular from about 1900 to 1920. The same cards were produced for various cities across the country.

Duluth Trivia Deck Sampler #2

I scored a box of Duluth Trivia cards at Savers.

Some of the questions include:

The first vessel to pass through the Duluth Ship Canal was named:

  • The Fero
  • The Ishpeming
  • The Handy