Paul Lundgren
Portage – Columns
The band Portage was formed in Duluth, but is now located in Minneapolis. Band member Trent Waterman shot and directed this video. Portage plays at Amazing Grace Bakery & Cafe on May 2 during the Homegrown Music Festival.
Jolly Fisher: “If it swims, we have it.”
Jolly Fisher is one of Duluth’s best-remembered old restaurants. It was in business for 50 years, from 1942 to 1992. The original location was at 15 E. Superior St., where the Duluth Technology Village sits today. After 1979 it was at 10 W. Superior St., presently the Minnesota Power Plaza.
Jumbo fried shrimp was the specialty, but as the slogan noted, Jolly Fisher had everything that swims. Chet and Mary Turnbull were the original owners, followed by Paul Andrews. “Skipper Andy” and Gloria Maras ran it for its last 30 years, until competition from Red Lobster proved to be too much.
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When the Dames opened for Melvins
On March 19 and 20, 2004, a little Duluth band called the Dames opened for Melvins at Grumpy’s Bar & Grill in Coon Rapids. Unlike a lot of old, abandoned blogs, Tony Bennett’s Journal is still parked on the web with the story of his brush with the influential punk metal band.
They’re my heroes, you know. They’re my band. Just like there are tons of rockers out there with old Metallica or Kiss or Led Zeppelin fixations (me included), the Melvins are up there just like that. They’re an obsession for me. So it’s a little weird suddenly standing there with all three of them, shaking hands and having Buzz say “Yeah, I remember you guys from last year; you were good.” And then following that up with “Did you cut your hair?”
Yes, king Buzzo asked me about my hair. Does it get weirder than that for a Melvins nut from Duluth? I don’t know.
Homegrown 2014 schedule released
The schedule for the 2014 Homegrown Music Festival, April 27 to May 4, is now available on the Homegrown website. PDD’s Homegrown Chick App also has the schedule formatted for easy viewing on smartphones. There are 200 acts in this year’s festival. Plot your future bar hopping, and rest up for now.
Duluth Mystery Photo #9: Father Daughter?
We’ve had some good luck identifying locations and other details of mystery photos, but this one is a doozy. We have no clues at all, other than the assertion that it was shot in Duluth and whatever can be gathered by looking at it. Good luck. It looks like a late winter shot, so it seemed appropriate for this week, as the snow melts.
Glen Avon outdoor hockey is postcard classic
In an era of kids walking from heated SUV seats to climate-controlled arenas, Duluth is home to one of North America’s last all-outdoor youth hockey leagues. (Story via KARE-11.)
Do you find green beer to be bilious?
This ad is from 1906.
Dad’s Acid – “Red Surf”
This music video from Duluth band Dad’s Acid kicks a reasonable amount of ass. The footage is from the film They Call Her One Eye.
“Plumb” by Caleb Wood
Caleb Wood drew columns of freehand animation directly onto the gallery wall at Duluth’s Prøve Gallery for this snappy little video.
Actual Wolf – “You Can’t Leave” and “Honey Honey” (Live at First Avenue)
Duluth band Actual Wolf performs “You Can’t Leave” and “Honey Honey” at First Avenue in Minneapolis as part of the Current’s ninth birthday celebration.
Duluth Mystery Photo #8: Darling Blond
This photo is for sale on eBay under the title “Vintage Photo Girl Child Tricycle Antique Cars Duluth Mn Houses Picture #166.”
The description notes it is “a great vintage snapshot picture of darling blond girl riding a tricycle on a street in Duluth Minnesota. Picture is from the 1920. In the background are old cars and houses. Found in a photo album of pictures of a family living in Duluth.”
Can anyone identify the house? Pin down the neighborhood? Identify the darling blond?
Go west, young man
Star Tribune: Duluth visitors, please look to your right, too
The focal point of Duluth Mayor Don Ness’ State of the City Address will be creating a secondary tourist destination along the St. Louis River.
“We have the largest freshwater estuary in the world in the St. Louis River,” Mayor Don Ness said. “You have all of these amazing natural amenities and outdoor recreation experiences in a fairly small concentrated area.”
The plan comes as hundreds of millions have been spent – with a similar sum still to come – to clean up the St. Louis River, saddled for decades with old industrial pollution. It is in concert with efforts to revitalize the long-neglected working-class part of town, where factory hands raised families in tight-knit communities near their jobs.
Duluth Mystery Photo #7: Mr. Green
Is Green the photographer’s name or the dude in the photo? Who is this dapper West Ender?
Yoshikas Sauna Revisited
On the Bumper to Bumper show on KFAN Radio, broadcast out of the Twin Cities and on the air in Duluth on KQDS AM 1490, host Dan Barreiro and his crew took on the subject of a new “cuddle business” opening near Sacramento, Calif. The subject turned to a “health club” called Yoshiko’s Sauna in Minneapolis that was in business during the 1990s. Later in the show they discovered an old post about Duluth’s Yoshikas Sauna on Perfect Duluth Day and … well … that’s the clip above.
Perfect Play or Musical of 2013: Duluth Playhouse Children’s Theatre’s Cats
It was a big year for Duluth theater in 2013, with eight productions receiving a significant number of votes for the honor of best play or musical. In the end, the Duluth Playhouse Children’s Theatre production of Cats emerged as the favorite.
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Whole Foods Co-op in West Duluth, a/k/a WFC – Denfeld
Here’s how the Whole Foods Co-op broke the news about its new store on Feb. 24:
The future location of Duluth’s second Whole Foods Co-op will be 4426 Grand Ave. It will be a 7,000-square-foot store.
Duluth reference in Best Man Down
The majority of the 2013 film Best Man Down is set in Lutsen, though none of it was shot north of Forest Lake. In this scene, Duluth is referenced briefly in the dialogue while the Northland’s NewsCenter’s Michelle Lee is on the television in the background.
Duluth Mystery Photo #6: Snowdrift Family
This image seems timely considering recent weather in Duluth, but it’s actually from 1935. It’s an “Illustrated Current News” poster, published by the Marlin Co. The website bonanza.com is selling it for twenty bucks under the headline “1935 news poster: Duluth Minnesota snowstorm; Farnam family ice home.”
The caption on the poster reads something like: “The family of Clinton Farnam was completely isolated during a recent snowstorm … (then it gets hard to read) … they had to dig a tunnel from the doorway to the roadway, which (blurry again) … Photo shows family with friends just after they had evacuated themselves.”
So, this week’s mystery is less of a mystery than usual, but can anyone fill in the blurry parts of the caption and tell us more about Clinton Farnam, his family, and the snowstorm of 1935?
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Snow Swimming
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSoT5R4bnXQ
Shanesaw and Scuba Steve have a little fun during today’s snow day.
Video Archive: 1989 Denfeld Hockey
It’s been 25 years since Denfeld played in the 1989 Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament. Through the miracle of shaky old VHS tapes, we take a look back. Above is the gloriously cheesy video profiling the school, produced for between-period entertainment.
Below are local TV news highlights of Denfeld’s route to the tournament. (more…)
Best Play or Musical of 2013 (Final Ballot)
Of the 18 plays or musicals originally nominated for this poll, three have advanced to the final ballot — Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Cats and The Pillowman. Now it’s time to pick the winner.
[poll id=”64″]
This poll is now closed. The results were:
Cats (Duluth Playhouse Children’s Theatre) – 42.3 percent
The Pillowman (Renegade Theater Co.) – 33.3 percent
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (Renegade Theater Co.) – 24.4 percent
Poll: Best Play or Musical of 2013
This poll is now closed. The three plays advancing to the final ballot are:
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson – Renegade Theater Co.
Cats – Duluth Playhouse Children’s Theatre
The Pillowman – Renegade Theater Co.
The other nominees were:
Almost, Maine – Duluth Playhouse
Burnt Part Boys – Renegade Theater Co.
Collected Stories – Duluth Playhouse at the Underground
Everything You’ve Done That Hurt Me – one-man performance by Jonathan Manchester
Frozen – Duluth Playhouse at the Underground
God of Carnage – Duluth Playhouse
Godspell – Duluth Playhouse
How the Grinch Shut Down Christmas, or, I Saw Rudolph Twerking Santa Claus – Rubber Chicken Theater
Last Summer at Bluefish Cove – UMD Theater
Merry Wives of Windsor – Wise Fool Shakespeare
Metamophoses – Duluth Playhouse
The Princess Bride (live read) – Rubber Chicken Theater
Seussical the Musical – St. Scholastica Theatre
Tuesdays With Morrie – Duluth Playhouse at the Play Ground
Lake Superior Ice Cover
Satellite imagery of the big lake from Jan. 4 to Feb. 16. Video by Paul Schonfeld. Music by Chilly Gonzalez. Sure to remind many of you of the hand jive.
Best Play or Musical of 2013 Nominations
Returning to our periodic infatuation with polls, the next item up on the PDD Awards list is determining Duluth’s Best Play or Musical from 2013.
Before we do that, we rely on you to supply the nominees in the comments. Ready. Set. Go.