October 2020 Posts

R.I.P. Mike’s Western Cafe

Oct 09, 2020 No Comments

In an Oct. 7 Facebook post, Mike and Deb Pracher announced the closing of their family restaurant at 2803 W. Superior St. in Duluth’s Lincoln Park Craft District.

“With heavy hearts, we will be closing the doors of Mike’s Western Cafe after 38 years of business,” they wrote. “Thank you so much for your support over the years. We have met so many people, made lots of great friendships and made MANY lasting memories. We appreciate all of you more than you know. Thank you for everything.”

Mike Pracher told Fox-21 he was 23 years old when he bought the restaurant. He said the COVID-19 pandemic led to its demise. “I thought it was going to be a week, two, or three,” Pracher said. “It’s already been six months and I just can’t wait it out.”

Pracher also told Fox 21 he might someday open a restaurant in Carlton County.


News and Current Affairs, Restaurants

The Slice: Virtual Opera with LOON

Oct 09, 2020 No Comments

Duluth-based Lyric Opera of the North is creating a virtual experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. The theater group is teaming with the newly formed Decameron Opera Coalition, comprised of nine U.S.-based companies, to premiere Tales from a Safe Distance, a multi-week virtual opera inspired by an historic text, Boccaccio’s The Decameron. LOON presents the first act tonight, Oct. 9, at 7 p.m.

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Art, Events , , ,

Steve’s Overpopulated One-Man Band – “Productivity”

Oct 08, 2020 No Comments

Iron Ranger Steve Solkela lives for ripping up a to-do list. His overpopulated one-man band expands to two on this track, with Matti Jarva on percussion.


Music, Videos

Creating Apart: Karen Savage-Blue

Oct 08, 2020 1 Comment

Karen Savage-Blue is one of the artists featured in the Tweed Museum of Art’s upcoming exhibition, “Creating Apart: Local Artists Respond to a Global Pandemic.” In this video by documentary filmmaker Mike Scholtz, Karen talks about a painting she created as a direct response to the pandemic.

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Art, Videos , ,

Video: Henry V in Ordean Court at UMD

Oct 08, 2020 No Comments

Theater students at the University of Minnesota Duluth recently finished a run of outdoor performances of William Shakespeare’s Henry V. Auditions were in May, about three months into the COVID-19 pandemic.


Art, Events, Videos ,

Postcard from Duluth Harbor South Breakwater Inner Light

Oct 07, 2020 No Comments

This undated postcard features an image of the lighthouse on the Minnesota Point side of the Duluth Ship Canal. The card must be from the first half of the 20th Century, because the postage rate noted on the back is one cent and the U.S. postcard rate switched to two cents in 1952. The lighthouse was first lit in 1901 and remains there today. It was sold at auction in 2008 to Steven Sola and Matt Kampf, but the U.S. Coast Guard continues to maintain it.


History , ,

Jeff Tweedy – “Gwendolyn”

Oct 07, 2020 No Comments

Look for Duluthian Gaelynn Lea — or at least part of her — singing along in this new video by Jeff Tweedy.

There are also other people you may have heard of.


Music, Videos ,

Monday Night Trivia at Earth Rider

Oct 06, 2020 No Comments

So I’m looking for outdoor activities during the pandemic, and while Souptown is in Wisconsin, it is host to some of the coolest events.

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Events

Dave Mehling – “Show Biz Kids”

Oct 06, 2020 1 Comment

The latest release from Duluth native Dave Mehling‘s forthcoming album, Beach Boy, is this Steely Dan cover.


Music, Videos

The Slamming Doors – “Grown Man”

Oct 05, 2020 No Comments

The Slamming Doors released volume one of a multi-part album titled Brown Bears this past summer. The video for the track “Grown Man” was shot at Quarry Park in West Duluth in early August.


Music, Videos ,

Creating Apart: Joe Klander

Oct 05, 2020 No Comments

Joe Klander is one of the artists featured in the Tweed Museum of Art’s upcoming exhibition, “Creating Apart: Local Artists Respond to a Global Pandemic.” He’s an artist and ophthalmology tech at St. Luke’s Hospital. In this video by documentary filmmaker Mike Scholtz, Joe talks about how the pandemic gave him time to work on one of his dream projects.

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Art, Videos , ,

Duluth You & Me: Golf Courses

Oct 05, 2020 No Comments

Use the link below for a printable PDF for your drawing and coloring pleasure.
Duluth You & Me: Golf Courses

Follow the Duluth You & Me subject tag to see additional pages. For background on the book see the original post on the topic.


Art ,

Julie Gard’s Invocation for Learning and Safety

Oct 04, 2020 No Comments

University of Wisconsin-Superior Professor of Writing Julie Gard recently had a poem featured in the Career Advice section of Inside Higher Ed, an online publication focused on college and university topics. More information on the poem is available in the academics news section of the UWS website.


Art , , ,

Mystery Photo #123: Duluth Public Library Reading Room

Oct 04, 2020 3 Comments

At one time for sale on Amazon, but now marked “currently unavailable,” is this photo labeled “Reading Room, Duluth Public Library, 1890-1930, Minnesota, MN, Chairs, People, Books.”

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History ,

Twenty Years on the Superior Hiking Trail: Ely’s Peak Loop

Oct 03, 2020 2 Comments

Paul Lundgren Saturday EssayThe laziest and slowest record in endurance-sports history has been broken. Again. By me. Again.

As documented in numerous essays, I started hiking the Superior Hiking Trail on Sept. 23, 2000 and finished the 310-mile trek from the Canadian border to Jay Cooke State Park on Nov. 5, 2015. Obviously I took a lot of breaks along the way. Then, in 2016, I hiked new parts of the trail that hadn’t been built when I first went through, thus breaking the record I already held for the slowest unsustained complete traverse of the Superior Hiking Trail.

Was that an official record? Well, no organizational body really keeps track of such things. But I stand firmly in my declaration that no one who has hiked the entire Superior Hiking Trail has taken longer to do it than me.

And now I’ve taken even longer.

In the summer of 2018 a new loop trail was built at Ely’s Peak in Duluth. It was kind of late in the hiking season when I heard about it, so I planned to do it in 2019. Then I kind of forgot about it and got distracted with other things. I had also started a new quest to hike the North Country Trail through Wisconsin. I’m still barely started on that.

Anyway, this past July I drove out to the Ely’s Peak area with the intention of knocking out the new last bit of trail, but as I started walking it occurred to me that if I waited until Sept. 23 to do this loop my Superior Hiking Trail story would span a perfect 20 years. So I hiked other trials that day and saved the loop for the perfect day.

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Outdoors , , ,
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