A varicocele is an enlargement of the veins of the scrotum, frequently causing a knotted or swollen appearance.
Fortunately, Duluth’s Progressive Medical Association had a “master specialist” back in the day. He considered the cause of a varicocele to be “often indiscretion” and listed as references some of “the leading businessmen of the city.”
Thursday, Sept. 23 | 8 p.m. | $8
Beaner’s Central, West Duluth
Yeltzi * Tony Furtado
Steve Isakson Band * The Brushstrokes
Rainy day fun! Get into the show free by being the first person to comment on this post.
The photo above is from 1910. It was almost certainly shot from North 59th Avenue West, near where Tacony Street intersects it. I tried to replicate it with the modern shot below, but trees, fences and houses kept me from shooting at the same spot, and the view is much more limited.
Behind all the trees across the street is a rock outcropping that matches the one in the 1910 photo.
Tuesday, Sept. 21 | 8pm | $6
Teague Alexy Trio * Sarah Krueger Band
The Breeze * Shaunna Heckman Band
The first person to comment on this post gets in free with a guest.
Monday, Sept. 20 | 8 p.m. | $6
Beaner’s Central, West Duluth
Excuse Me Princess * Wyatt Famous
James and Younger * Hattie Peterson and the Black Frames
Dodge the cover charge by being the first person to comment on this post. PDD will get you on the guest list x2.
If you live in Duluth, this fall’s ballot asks the question below, which I will not even try to simplify.
School District Ballot Question
Approval of School District Bond Issue
Shall the School Board of Independent School District No. 709, Duluth, be authorized to issue general obligation bonds totaling $128,000,000 to be used with an estimated $66,092,086 in bonds and investment earnings previously approved by the board for alternative facilities to build two new middle schools and two new elementary schools; repair and remodel three high schools, one middle school, and five elementary schools; repair and expand two elementary schools; and repair and remodel Old Central High and the Secondary Technical Center?
My question to you, PDD readers, is do you even want anyone to explain what this means?
It would be awesome if a local TV news show asked people on the street what they think this question means. The answers would be precious.
Debbie Waters, education director at Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory, shows off a red-tailed hawk during Hawk Weekend activities today.
This ad for Northern Natural Gas Company ran in Time magazine on Sept. 17, 1965. Hats off to Susie LeGarde Menz for the find.
Now that the Denfeld and Central High School student bodies have been united, it seems like a good time to look back at some of the pranks students played on each other.
The most infamous, of course, was during the 1974-75 school year. Denfeld kids somehow managed to hoist a Volkswagon to the top of Central High School. The car had “Hunters” painted on the side.
The statute of limitations is probably up, so anyone willing to come forward, admit participation and explain how it was done will surely be held harmless. (Although I can’t promise some middle-aged Central grad won’t toilet paper your house. And I suppose administrators could still revoke your diploma. Better keep quiet.)
One rumor I heard was that the whole prank was based on a lesson from a physics class at Denfeld.
Another prank I remember hearing about, I think also from the 1970s, involved Denfeld kids setting a greased pig loose at Central. Again, anyone with details should chime in on the comments.
And, of course, there was the fall of 1979, when Central kids threw eggs at the Denfeld marching band before the Homecoming game, which prompted Denfeld kids to throw eggs at Central’s band during halftime. I think that was the last significant prank before Duluth Public Schools entered an era of civility and brotherhood and whatnot.
Certainly there were some other good pranks not mentioned here. Let the discussion begin. Hell, we’ll even let cake eaters participate.
Statewide results for Wisconsin races related to Douglas County and Duluth’s neighboring port, the city of Superior:
FEDERAL OFFICES
United States Senator, Republican Party
Ron Johnson — 500,925 | 85%
Dave Westlake — 61,303 | 10%
Stephen M. Finn — 29,005 | 5%
United States Representative, Wisconsin District 7
Democratic Party
Julie M. Lassa — 28,576 | 85%
Don Raihala — 5,016 | 15%
United States Representative, Wisconsin District 7
Republican Party
Sean Duffy — 41,032 | 66%
Dan Mielke — 21,100 | 34%
STATEWIDE OFFICE
Wisconsin Governor, Democratic Party
Tom Barrett — 210,972 | 90%
Tim John — 22,268 | 10%
Wisconsin Governor, Republican Party
Scott Walker — 360,032 | 59%
Mark W. Neumann — 237,870 | 39%
Scott S. Paterick — 16,609 | 3%
Wisconsin Governor, Independent Candidates
Jim Langer — 12 | 67
James James — 6 | 33
(This result is for Douglas County only. No one seems to be tracking this race statewide.)
Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor, Democratic Party
Tom Nelson — 107,029 | 52%
Spencer Coggs — 43,535 | 21%
James L. Schneider — 37,269 | 18%
Henry Sanders — 19,297 | 9%
Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor, Republican Party
Rebecca Kleefisch — 259,318 | 47%
Brett Davis — 139,211 | 25%
Dave Ross — 80,433 | 15%
Robert Gerald Lorge — 52,199 | 10%
Nick Voegeli — 21,082 | 4%
Wisconsin State Treasurer, Democratic Party
Dawn Marie Sass — 129,510 | 67%
Dan Bohrod — 62,761 | 33%
Wisconsin State Treasurer, Republican Party
Kurt W. Schuller — 169,232 | 37%
Scott Feldt — 166,148 | 36%
Jim Sanfilippo — 123,315 | 27%
It’s amusing to me that the soundtrack to this slideshow is by Dokken. You might think that’s a poor choice, but I remember 20 years ago the only Duluth kids into Dokken were from Morgan Park, so it makes sense.
Also, tragically, the one sentence of text in the video contains multiple errors, but oh well.
A collection of Duluth-related stuff from City Pages’ Best of the Twin Cities issues over the years.
2011
Best Blues Artist
Charlie Parr
Charlie Parr is the real deal. A Duluthian through and through, he’s about as unpretentious as they come. Climbing up on stage dressed in a flannel shirt, carpenter’s pants, and work boots, he wields his steel-stringed guitar like it’s an extension of his body, effortlessly gliding over the frets with a slide and letting it reverberate before trading it for a banjo or a 12-string. Sometimes when he plays he’s accompanied by an unassuming young lad who looks like he’s been plucked straight from the ore mines on the Iron Range, who clangs on train spikes and steel bars while Parr sings and strums. And while Parr’s guitar playing is technically complex and seemlingly effortless, it’s his voice-a blues howl with a soft side, which can climb up from a sweet moan into a loud bellow at a moment’s notice-that accentuates the stark, sad nature of his songs, painting vivid portraits through lyrics about loneliness, the devil, and making things right with the Lord.
Every month or so there is a story in the Duluth News Tribune about a community member or group of people upset about something. The story usually features a photo like the one above, shot by Bob King.
I don’t mean to make light of any of the issues these people are upset about, or be critical at all of the photography. Just the opposite. What I’m saying is, for some reason I love these photos. Seriously.
