Paul Lundgren
Leaning Tower of Enger
Thanks to Eric Plumb for tipping us off on this breaking news. Fox 21 is confirming the story right now by sending someone to shoot footage of Enger Tower standing perfectly upright.
R.I.P. Frankie’s Tavern
The Tower Avenue bar known for karaoke and bloody Mary’s is winding down operations. Owner Frank Rozowski Jr. is retiring and selling the building. (more…)
What happened to that poster from R.T. Quinlan’s men’s room?
Having spent several hours at R.T. Quinlan’s Saloon on Sunday, I was reminded of the framed poster that used to hang outside the toilet stall in the men’s room, next to the urinal. I thought there was a good chance an image of it might be available on the Internet somewhere, but my searches for “classic bathtubs, breasts” yielded only distractions. (more…)
“I thought I got this at a wrestling convention in Duluth”
The Duluth reference here is likely intended to be Duluth, Ga., since the Chris Stevens character on Northern Exposure is a native of Wheeling, W.Va., and any wrestling convention he attended would probably have been during his years at Wheeling Central Catholic High School. (Assuming “convention” means “tournament” — it could also mean a gathering of popular wrestlers signing autographs or some other thing.) The distance from Wheeling is great in either direction, however — 650 miles to Duluth, Ga., and 950 miles to Duluth, Minn.
Homegrown 2015 schedule announced
The Homegrown Music Festival returns April 26 to May 3 with its usual eight days of 200 bands and related mayhem. The schedule has been released, so it’s time to begin charting your adventure. The Chicken App, a smart-phone optimized version of the schedule, is also available.
The Homegrown Iron Range Invasion will be March 27 and the Twin Cities Invasion will be April 17. The Homegrown Field Guide is still a few weeks away from landing in piles at local merchants.
Joe Lundeen’s Shoes & Shoe Repairing
The re-siding job going on at the apartment building at 6301 Grand Ave. exposed this sign for Joseph A. Lundeen’s shoe shop. A quick search of city directories indicates Lundeen got his start with the Hartman Shoe Co. and by the mid-1920s went into business for himself in the Cormier Dry Goods building at 6227 Grand Ave. By 1950 he had moved across the avenue to the building shown above. (more…)
The Mystery Machine in Duluth
There must be a ghost at the Inn on Lake Superior.
Mustache March Run 2015 Photos
Photos from last weekend’s Mustache March Run are now posted on Photobucket.
Icehouse Pillar’s Final Resting Spot
In a follow-up to the “Has a little of Uncle Harvey gone missing?” caper, the Duluth News Tribune reported on Sunday that a three-person team of St. Louis County Rescue Squad members, working with a remotely operated underwater vehicle, located the concrete column from Uncle Harvey’s Mausoleum largely intact on Saturday afternoon in about 9 feet of water. City Pages put together this edit of the underwater video.
Has a little of Uncle Harvey gone missing?
Mike Scholtz’s photos of the sand- and gravel-hopper ruins known as “Uncle Harvey’s Mausoleum” suggest the round column near the shore collapsed at some point in recent days. The photo at left is from 2013. The photo at right is from today.
Postcards from Duluth’s ore docks
Duluth’s first ore dock was built in 1893, just east of 34th Avenue West. The Duluth, Missabe and Northern Railway built several docks there for loading iron ore from the Iron Range for shipment to steel plants in the East. The first five docks were built of wood, which was gradually replaced by steel and concrete. (more…)
Christine Dean’s Mix – free download from Homegrown
Available now for free download on Bandcamp, 115 megabytes of local rawk and/or roll selected by Christine Dean the radio queen. When you follow the link to Bandcamp you’ll see all the previous Homegrown compilations are available as well. You must “name your price,” and $0 is completely acceptable. You are welcome. Thank you, fans!
Palace Theater tour from 2002
The Palace Theater in Superior was torn down in 2006, but this video of a tour in 2002 has emerged on YouTube. (more…)
Duluth Album Releases in 2015
Moors & McCumber
Pandemonium
(Jan. 1)
Available on Bandcamp
Feeding LeRoy
Love is a Gamble EP
(Jan. 16)
Available on Bandcamp
Adam Sippola
Rising Point
(Jan. 24)
Single “How Do You Know” available on adamsippola.com
The Christopher David Hanson Band
For Another Year
(Jan. 26)
Available on iTunes
Four Mile Portage
Can’t Find Home
(Feb. 1)
Recorded by Eric Swanson at Sacred Heart Music Center
Available on Bandcamp
Steve O’Neil Apartments grand opening
That was then, this is now. The photo on the left is the old Union Block in 2010; the photo at right is Steve O’Neil Apartments today. (Apologies for not shooting from the same angle for this before/after comparison.)
A ribbon-cutting and grand opening was held today at the new 44-unit complex located at 115 W. Fourth St. in the Central Hillside. The apartments are providing supportive housing for families that have experienced long-term homelessness. it is operated by Chum, which provides 24-hour supportive services to those living in the facility. (more…)
Where in Duluth? #123
Time for another installment of Perfect Duluth Day’s ultra-thrilling photo-trivia sensation. Where in Duluth was this shot taken?
Perfect Play or Musical of 2014: Renegade’s Red
It was close, and it has to be considered an upset. Renegade Theater Company’s two-character biographical play, Red, staged in the roughly 100-seat Teatro Zuccone theater, was the winner in Perfect Duluth Day’s poll to name the best play or musical of 2014. It edged out the Duluth Playhouse’s centennial-marking, big-budget musical production of Les Misérables, which was staged in the 2,200-seat Symphony Hall at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center.
Cool Duluth Minnesota: Summer City of the Continent
This little item was recently unearthed by Michael J. Martens of Portland, Ore., and sent PDD’s way via Jess Koski. (more…)
Poll: Best Play or Musical of 2014 (Final Ballot)
From the list of 18 nominated plays or musicals from last year, our previous poll trimmed it down to the final two. Now it’s time to ask, once and for all …
[poll id=”79″]
This poll is now closed. The results were:
Renegade Theater Company’s Red – 51.1 percent
Duluth Playhouse’s Les Misérables – 48.9 percent