Paul Lundgren
Halloween 1911: The Quietest in History?
From the Duluth News Tribune, 100 years ago.
Radio WAKX 1320: The Twin Ports’ pace-setting leader
Via Bob Halverson, here’s another old Duluth radio jingle.
Hey, someone had to lead at setting the pace.
Related link: Bob’s initial post about local jingles.
Smooth Sailing on I-35
This just in from the Minnesota Dept. of Transportation:
All lanes of I-35 in Duluth open to traffic
I-35 Mega Project substantially finished
DULUTH, Minn. – All Interstate 35 lanes and ramps in Duluth are open to traffic now that crews have completed the majority of work on the I-35 Mega Project.
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Damn kids will make life miserable for older Duluthians
From the Duluth News Tribune, 1895:
Rachael Kilgour – “Will You Marry Me?”
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBBm32Ek-PQ&feature=player_embedded
Video by Trent Waterman for the North Shore Sessions.
Sushi in Duluth
Not long ago, zero restaurants in Duluth served sushi.
City Pages did a cover story about Duluth culture in 2001 titled “Hey, we’re in Duluth.” Zak Sally, then bassist of the Duluth-based band Low, lamented Duluth’s lack of sushi in the article.
The singers get their fair share of the world on the road but say they miss sushi. If somebody opened a sushi bar in Duluth, Sally deadpans, the local news would run an item explaining what sushi is. Not that everyone in town is chafing at its limits.
Shortly after the article, sushi popped up in Duluth at the old Bennett’s restaurant (now Midi) and in Superior at the old Sakana (now Marlee’s Caribbean).
Today, sushi is on the menu at a handful of area restaurants:
Black Water Lounge (They still serve sushi, don’t they?)
China King Buffet (no website; opening announced on PDD here)
Hanabi Japanese Cuisine
Osaka Sushi Hibachi Steakhouse (no website; PDD reviews here)
Zen House (Duluth)
Zen House (Hermantown)
Discussion topic: Hanabi is clearly the best and China King Buffet is clearly the least expensive, right?
UPDATE: Commenters note that two grocery stores — Mt. Royal Fine Foods and Cub Foods — both sell sushi in Duluth.
The Infamous Dr. Thunder paints a mural in Indianapolis that MSNBC dubs a “must see”
Superior native Erik Pearson spent part of this past summer working on a mural in Indianapolis, which made MSNBC’s list of “America’s must-see murals.”
You can see Erik’s murals in Superior at Red Mug Coffeehouse and along some back-alley spots, as mentioned in the PDD post “The Infamous Dr. Thunder paints a mural on the back door of Who’s Bar in Superior.”
The Fontanelles – “Stranger”
httpv://youtu.be/i5fssTMflUg
Video from last month’s “One Week Live” series at Beaner’s Central, edited by Dan Dresser.
Urban Canoeing in Minnesota
Video by Jake Strassman, one of the guys behind … (more…)
2011 Duluth General Election Sample Ballot
Brush up on your referendums, kids. The city and the school district have some wordy questions for you. (By the way, you should be able to click on the images below to see them larger and read them more easily. The city question is the back side of the ballot, and is a separate image below.)
Another note about the ballot: As usual, depending on what neighborhood you live in, you might also vote on a district city councilor and/or school board member. This ballot has the district council race blanked out and does not include a district school board race.
This Week: Bellydancers, singers, nerds, rosemalers and movies in a barn
Since the PDD Calendar editor has come down with a nasty case of computer virus, allow me to take a shot at highlighting a few hot events this week. (more…)
Duluth 2011 Primary Election Results
With 36 of 36 precincts reporting and 6,620 total ballots cast:
At-large Duluth City Councilors
(Two positions; top four candidates advance)
Emily Larson – 4,918 | 40%
Linda Krug – 4,860 | 40%
Tim Riley – 947 | 8%
Chad Smith – 645 | 5%
Eric Edwardson – 446 | 4%
Gareth W. Bates – 442 | 4%
Fourth District Duluth City Councilor
(Top two candidates advance.)
Jacqueline Halberg – 695 | 44%
Garry Krause – 649 | 41%
Ryan Miles – 134 | 9%
Wallace Newquist – 59 | 4%
Travis Silvers – 29 | 2%
At-large Duluth School Board Member
(Top two candidates advance.)
Michael Miernicki – 3,783 | 61%
Ryan Stauber – 1,882 | 30%
Doug Frisk – 515 | 8%
Found: Eyeglasses on Wisconsin Point
I found a pair of eyeglasses on Wisconsin Point on Sunday, Sept. 11, along the shore near parking lot 1. I hung them on the sign at the parking lot, so if you’re looking for them they’re probably still there.
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PDD Calendar Launch on Monday, Sept. 12
Here’s the short version of things you need to know about the big changes at Perfect Duluth Day:
1) The PDD Calendar, which has been available in test mode for two months, will be launching full scale on Monday.
2) The editor of the calendar is Abigail Schoenecker, who can be reached at calendar @ perfectduluthday.com.
3) Effective immediately, PDD’s Blog Policies are changing a bit to discourage posting about events on the blog.
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Time to settle this once and for all
The bird in this photo is …
This poll is now closed. The results were:
A skyrat, one of the Devil’s flying rodents, which should be fed rocks from a slingshot. — 70.4 percent
A seagull, one of God’s lovely creatures, which should be fed popcorn gently tossed in its vicinity. — 29.6 percent
[poll id=”10″]
Minnesota Point: Protector or Guide?
From the 1950 book This is Duluth, by Dora May Macdonald:
According to rumour, George Sherwood, one of the old-time real estate men, stood on the barren hills one day with an Easterner, expounding on the charms of the village and the advantages to be gained by investing in Duluth real estate. Pointing to the sandy stretch of land curving out into the water, he said, “There lies Minnesota Point. It looks like God’s arm protecting the town of Duluth.”
The Easterner, unimpressed by the rocky hills, sand, or sentiment, replied, “It looks to me more like God’s finger pointing the way out of town.”

























