Paul Lundgren
Brian Olson’s mural of the Palace Theater
Two blocks from the site of the old Palace Theater in Superior is the new Palace Theater, a painting of the old one. Brian Olson created this mural on the back side of the Douglas County Historical Society building.
Pretty sweet.
Duluth Honking House Hearing
Did anyone go to tonight’s Duluth City Council meeting to watch the show as the council debated potential parking restrictions on Skyline Parkway near the infamous Honking House? (Back story found on this post, including a link for the even further back story.)
Or did you all stay home and ironically watch part two of Ken Burns’ documentary The National Parks: America’s Best Idea?
The council voted unanimously against the two resolutions.
Music Resource Center in Duluth?
Duluth’s Crystal Pelkey traveled to Charlottesville, Va., in June to research the operations of the Music Resource Center there. She’s been exploring the possibility of creating an MRC branch in Duluth.
Crystal will present her Music Resource Center research on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 5:30 p.m., at the Teatro Zuccone theater, 222 E. Superior St.
Founded by John Hornsby in 1993, with initial financial support by the Dave Matthews Band, the Music Resource Center is a state-of-the-art facility where teens learn the latest technology in the music industry and participate in every phase of music production and performance.
If you are interested in this project, here’s your chance to find out more and become involved in the next steps of the process.
Music Resource Center website: www.musicresourcecenter.org
Crystal’s e-mail: crystalpelkey [at] hotmail.com
Dr. Samskar has died
Former Denfeld principal Wayne Samskar died on Friday in Appleton, Wis. He was 81.
Dr. Samskar taught and was principal at several Duluth-area schools before becoming principal at Denfeld in 1970. He’s credited with helping to establish the Greater Denfeld Foundation, which awards scholarships to outstanding students.
He retired in 1984, but helped architects design Denfeld’s gymnasium addition in 1987. He was inducted into the school’s hall of fame in 1996.
Where in Duluth?
Another installment of the exciting game in which, for nothing but bragging rights, PDD readers battle to be the first to identify the spot in Duluth where a select photo was shot.
Beaner’s One Week Live, Day Five
Friday, Sept. 25 | 7 p.m. | Beaner’s Central | $6
Yeltzi
The People Say Fox
The Alrights
The Fontanelles
PDD is yet again giving away a spot (x2) on the Beaner’s guest list. It’s Friday, so we’ll make it real easy this time. Be the first person to comment on this post and tongiht’s show is free for you and a guest.
Mansion on the Hill Controversy Continues
There’s a resolution on next Monday’s Duluth City Council agenda requesting that no parking be allowed from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. on the pull-off area of Skyline Parkway near the house.
Beaner’s One Week Live, Day Four
Thursday, Sept. 2 | 7 p.m. | Beaner’s Central | $6
Jamie Ness & Brad Nelson
Ill Chemistry
Now, Now Every Children
The Keep Aways
PDD is once again giving away a spot (x2) on the guest list. Be the first person to use the randomly chosen secret word in the comments to this post and tonight’s show is free for you and a guest.
From the Ripsaw Archive | September 1999
Ten years later, I wonder if anyone noticed that instead of using an image of a dreadlocked rastafarian for this reggae concert ad we just clipped a bunch of clothespins on Barrett.
Beaner’s One Week Live, Day Two
Tuesday, Sept. 22 | 7 p.m. | Beaner’s Central | $6
Three Song Sunday
Sam Dull
Matches For Candles
Clyde Iron
Duray & Green
MC2
Stelly & Lefty
PDD is once again giving away a spot (x2) on the guest list. Be the fourth person to comment on this post and tonight’s show is free for you and a guest. Cheating encouraged.
Beaner’s One Week Live, Day One
Monday, Sept. 21 | 7 p.m. | Beaner’s Central | $6
Daredevil Christopher Wright
Jason Shannon Band
Mary Mack
Caleb Hawley
Here’s some video of the hilarious Mary Mack.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mhaVqJ7R68&feature=related
PDD is giving away a spot (x2) on the guest list to caller #4 … er, I mean commenter #4. Be the fourth person to comment on this post and tonight’s show is free for you and a guest.
Have you seen any Greg Cougar Conley look-alikes lately?
On the left is Twin Cities’ writer Brian Beatty, and on the right is some dude who was at Carmody Irish Pub last night. Below, Greg Cougar Conley.
Families of hikers held in Iran speak out on the Today Show
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Local connection to this story: One of the hikers, Shane Bauer, is brother-in-law to Nate Lindstrom, who is a local photographer and manager of the Superior Papa Murphy’s.
Free the Hikers fundraiser on Sunday, Sept. 27, 6 to 9 p.m. at the Spiritual Deli, 3 W. Superior St., Duluth
Unnecessary Quotation Marks
I would feel a lot more comfortable eating food at the DECC if it came from a catering kitchen instead of a “catering kitchen.”
United Way Chili Cook-off Tips
Having attended the United Way Chili Cook-off numerous times, I have two pieces of advice to those who either have never gone before or don’t easily learn from past mistakes:
1) Don’t wear a jacket or sweatshirt into the event. It’s pretty warm outside this year, so maybe you wouldn’t have done that anyway, but my point is that no matter what the weather is like outside, there are 40 different kinds of chili being cooked for a giant crowd of people inside. It gets hot.
2) It’s best to go to this event with someone you don’t mind sharing food with. Instead of the two of you getting two portions of everything, just get one portion and share. If you like that particular chili, get a second portion. If you don’t, move on. You don’t want to waste a lot of time and stomach on a chili you don’t like, because there are many that you will like if you can get to them before they run out.
2009 United Way Chili Cook-off
Sept. 17 | 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. | DECC
$6 for adults; $3 for kids
Also, I should note two art openings going on tonight (Sept. 17) for your post-chilifest enjoyment:
1) “Burning Bridges,” new paintings by Eric Dubnicka at Washington Gallery from 5 to 7 p.m.
2) Photography by Nate Lindstrom at the Spiritual Deli from 7 to 9 p.m.
Since when are trampolines so damn popular? I mean, sheesh!
A neighbor of mine put up a big trampoline in his back yard yesterday. The weird thing about this, other than that mid-September is a strange time to assemble something that will have to be taken apart in October, is that I have two other neighbors with trampolines.
Can anyone out there identify a city block in Duluth with more than three trampolines? I think my block might have the record.
Duluth 2009 Primary Election Results
41 of 41 precincts counted; 11,691 total ballots cast.
Duluth Fourth District City Councilor
Top two candidates advance
Kerry Gauthier – 1,006 | 44%
Gordon Grant – 565 | 25%
Heath Hickok – 472 | 21%
Matt Potter – 135 | 6%
Celia Scheer – 110 | 4%
Duluth At-large City Councilor
Top four candidates advance
Beth Olson – 5,429 | 26%
Dan Hartman – 4,749 | 23%
James Stauber – 4,464 | 21%
Becky Hall – 3,743 | 18%
Mike Akervik – 2,629 | 12%
Duluth District One School Board
Top two candidates advance
Ann Wasson – 1,394 | 50%
Marcia Stromgren – 1,016 | 36%
Gary Glass – 396 | 14%
Duluth At-large School Board
Top four candidates advance
Tom Kasper – 6,668 | 33%
Mary Cameron – 4,729 | 24%
Nancy Nilsen – 4,164 | 21%
Maureen Booth – 2,409 | 12%
Bryan Jensen – 1,965 | 10%
The Ones That Got Away
This little snake managed to make the swim across Bent Trout Lake in Barnum without getting snatched into our boat. Roger had one lunge at it before it found refuge in the weeds.
A conversation that occurred about two hours later, when we saw a circle of small waves nearby on an otherwise calm lake:
Roger: What the hell is that over there?
Paul: Holy crap. Is that a whole school of fish?
Roger: I’ve never seen anything like it. Something’s going on over there.
Paul: Troll over! That’s gotta be fish or beaver or something.
Voice from the shore: Those aren’t fish! Those are scuba divers!
Paul: OK. Well, I guess we’re idiots then.
Roger: Yep. Pretty much.
References to Duluth in Popular Literature
Mark Twain’s Following the Equator
“A few ships rode at anchor in it — one of them a sailing vessel flying the American flag; and they said she came from Duluth! There’s a journey! Duluth is several thousand miles from the sea, and yet she is entitled to the proud name of Mistress of the Commercial Marine of the United States of America. There is only one free, independent, unsubsidized American ship sailing the foreign seas, and Duluth owns it. All by itself that ship is the American fleet. … For what Duluth has done, in building, equipping, and maintaining at her sole expense the American Foreign Commercial Fleet … we owe her a debt of gratitude which our hearts shall confess with quickened beats whenever her name is named henceforth. … Health and prosperity to Thee, O Duluth, American Queen of the Alien Seas!”
Ernest Hemingway’s The Torrents of Spring
“The foreman was a short, iron-jawed man. He had once made a trip as far as Duluth. Duluth was far across the blue waters of the lake in the hills of Minnesota. A wonderful thing had happened to him there.”
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby
“A few days later he took him to Duluth and bought him a blue coat, six pair of white duck trousers, and a yachting cap.”
Dalton Trumbo’s letter to Guy Endore
“I’ve seen their faces in a miners’ union hall in Duluth on a night when the wind off the lake blew the snow so killingly and so deep that cars couldn’t be used and everybody walked to the meeting.”
Willa Cather’s The Song of the Lark
“I must go now. I had to give my lesson hour this morning to a Duluth woman who has come on to coach, and I must go and play ‘On Mighty Pens’ for her. Please tell Mr. Harsanyi that I think oratorio is a great chance for bluffers.”
Where in Duluth?
A special holiday edition of PDD’s photo geographical identification competition sensation thing or something.
As usual with “Where in Duluth?” there is no prize for being the first to identify the location of this photo, other than bragging rights.
Looner playing TPB Sept. 11
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZTU9iGdEwU
Now would someone kindly explain to me what a tamagotchee is? Not knowing is making me want to wang chung all over Sussudio.
Looner
Thirsty Pagan Brewing
Friday, Sept. 11 | 9 p.m.
Bumper Pool
When was the last time you played bumper pool? For me, I think it was in my grandmother’s basement in about 1984. I’m totally in the mood for a game right now. I must get the bumper pool itch every 25 years.