December 2017 Posts

Video: Boreal Owl on Duluth Lakewalk

The Minnesota Christmas Bird Count is underway. The Audubon Society uses information from more than 1,000 members of the public for its annual census of birds.

This video by Milton Blomberg shows off a boreal owl on the Duluth Lakewalk.

Celebrating a Birthday, Duluth Style

Over the course of a week, I celebrated my birthday, Duluth-style. In sharing the story with you, I celebrate the things about Duluth I like.

Mystery Photo #59: Duluth Wau-Pse-Ke Club Cabin

What’s the deal with the Wau-Pse-Ke Club and its cabin? Though the stamp, and presumably the postmark with it, were torn off this old postcard, we know the cabin dates back at least to 1911 and was on the Lester River.

Ripped at the NorShor Experience in 2007

[Editor’s note: Duluth’s NorShor Theatre has been closed for more than seven years. It will reopen in February when the new operator, the Duluth Playhouse, launches its production of “Mama Mia.”

The NorShor, of course, has a long and storied history, including a stretch from 2006 to 2010 when it operated as a strip club called the NorShor Experience.

For this week’s essay we’ve once again pulled out a relic from the archive of Slim Goodbuzz, who served as Duluth’s “booze connoisseur” from 1999 to 2009. Ten years ago he paid a visit to the NorShor and published this bawdy report for Duluth’s weekly Transistor.]

Big Lips has the method down.

Every 10 minutes or so, he rises from where he’s been sitting alone at a table in the corner. Then, with his hands casually in the pockets of his camouflage jacket, he simply takes a little stroll, puckering his big fat lips and whistling as he looks to the left and to the right and behind him, making sure that no one is videotaping him or that his wife isn’t standing behind him ready to clobber him with a frying pan. Eventually, he makes it the 10 or 15 feet to the stage where some naked chick is grinding her life away. “Well,” he appears to suggest, “as long as I’m on my stroll, I might as well tip this stripper.”

Selective Focus: Natalie Salminen Rude

Natalie Salminen Rude works in a variety of mediums, and recently opened a studio/gallery in the Woodland neighborhood. She tells how her varied interests come together in her work.

NS: I work in a host of mediums which all wonderfully inform each other. Encaustic, oils, photography, haiku — each process shapes the other. There’s this constant hum of cross-pollination that happens in my studio. I think curiosity and a fascination with connection are the forces that propel me to do the work I’m doing. And beauty. Always on the hunt for beauty.

Zamboni Karaoke: Duluth East Edition

Ian Mageau, Ryder Donovan and Garret Worth of the Duluth East Greyhounds boys hockey team climb into an ice resurfacing machine to sing for the latest Game On! Minnesota hockey-related shenanigans.

The Little Black Books – “I Like Christmas”

Mark Lindquist puts brandy in his nog.

Second Duluth Chilly Billy’s will open in March

Miller Hill Mall will be the location of Duluth’s second Chilly Billy’s Frozen Yogurt shop. It will open in the mall’s food court in March.

Video: Canadian Pacific Holiday Train in Plummer, Minn.

On Tuesday the 19th annual Canadian Pacific Holiday Train rolled through the city of Plummer, about 220 miles northwest of Duluth. Richard Hoeg was there and captured photos and video for his 365 Days of Birds blog.

Petitioning to Change Duluth in 2017

A look at petitions on change.org shows a pretty good rate of success for people who wanted to change something in Duluth in 2017. As of the morning of Dec. 13, two petitions had more than one thousand supporters and both of those issues appear to be resolved.

Donating a Car to Community Action Duluth (with Reflection)

Last week, my ex-wife and I planned to get rid of her old car, still stored in my garage for the four years since she moved out. She bought a new car, I bought a new car, her 2002 Hyundai Accent still remained there.

The goal was to donate it to Community Action Duluth to let her get the tax deduction. But because it’s a donation, it needed to go when the towing company could fit the pickup in its schedule. Eventually it arrived.

Tina Smith is Minnesota’s new U.S. Senator

Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton has selected his lieutenant governor, Tina Smith, to replace Al Franken in the U.S. Senate. Smith said she will run for the seat in 2018.

State Senator Michelle Fischbach of Paynesville will replace Smith as lieutenant governor.

MPR: Smith to take Franken’s Senate seat, run in 2018

Hockey Helmet Cam and Bloopers

A few clips of some young-at-heart local hockey players getting their game on.

Video Archive: Haus Meeting live at Mr. Movies

Perfect Duluth Day’s Scott Lunt was there to record the action on Dec. 12, 2007, when Haus Meeting performed its famous concert at the Plaza Shopping Center Mr. Movies.

The video stars Luke Holden, Bob Monahan, Rebecca Holden, Jeremy Ehlert and various Mr. Movies customers.

Brewhouse’s pub sauce and salad dressing going retail

Just Take Action, a company that owns and operates several restaurants in Duluth, recently began packaging its Fitger’s Brewhouse Chipotle Pub Sauce and Maple Salad Dressing for retail sale.

The effort, under the name Brewhouse Specialties, is part of a move to focus on developing and marketing products to consumers at home.

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