Paul Lundgren
PDD Ticket Giveaway Clearance
In preparation for the holidays, it’s time to clear the desks at PDD of any hot giveaway items. Mention in the comments how good you’ve been this past year, and which one of the shows below you deserve two free tickets to, and I’ll act like Santa and divvy up the goodies.
(UPDATE: This contest is over now, and Santa has given away all his goodies, but you can still brag about how good you’ve been in the comments if you want. Just be aware that bragging is not being good.)
The Running (Unopposed) Man
Dec. 9, 10, 16, 17, 30 and 31, 7 p.m., The Venue at Mohaupt Block
Dink Tank: Return of the Dinks
Dec. 9, 10, 16 and 17, 8 p.m., Teatro Zuccone
From Havana to Duluth
Dec. 12 and 13, 8 p.m., Teatro Zuccone
Old Knifey and the Cutthroats Holiday Variety Show
Dec. 17, 9 p.m., All American Club
Duluth’s a beautiful town, man
From last week’s City Pages, “Wilco’s John Stirratt talks about the band’s Minnesotan ties“:
Jeff Gage: Just last year, you guys became honorary citizens of Duluth. Have you been doing any house shopping up there yet?
John Stirratt: I don’t know if I want to move any further north — not that I want to sound wimpy to a Minnesotan. But that’s a beautiful town, man, it really is. I would totally hang out there during a summer.
Yee-eee-eee-haaaw!
Personally, I find it impossible to drive past a situation like this and not have a Dukes-of-Hazzard fantasy. And it always surprises me that no one goes for it. A trailer positioned like this is clearly a stunt-jumping invitation for any West Duluth dirtbag with a muscle car — and I don’t see how any judge could disagree.
Highly Controversial Marc Gartman Chocolate and Cheese Ween poster revealed!
I ran into Marc Gartman last night, who had this item hot off Miss Zoey Cohen’s drawing pad.
Although I audibly groaned to myself at every stage of the Ween cover art controversy (starting with “Ween … and you?,” continuing with “Sex and Rock and Roll,” and finally dragging to a temporary halt with “This is what a feminist looks like“) I now personally endorse as much disagreement and debate about this as possible.
Superbug fragment study in Duluth
Timothy LaPara and a team of researchers at the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities, testing water pouring from a modern water treatment facility in Duluth, found genes of drug-resistant bacteria in the discharge. Most American cities do not have facilities as good as Duluth’s, but no one knows for sure how much worse the situation may be at those facilities because it has not been measured.
Inside Science News Service: The best wastewater treatment plants can’t filter out superbug fragments
Thankful in Duluth — 2011 Edition
I’m thankful the server that hosts the PDD Calendar is back up and running, after a day of problems. (Ironically, in setting up the links below I noticed that last year my personal Internet service was down just before Thanksgiving, and I was thankful for it being restored. Ah, the joy of technical issues around the holidays!)
Anyway, what are you all thankful for this year, fellow Duluthians?
(Here’s what PDDers were thankful for in 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004 and 2003.)
House of Donuts
I recently recovered this photo from my attic. It’s dated July 18, 1992. That’s me on the left in my Minnesota Twins championship T-shirt, proudly raising a bag full of what have got to be bear claws. PDD co-founder Barrett Chase is on the right. In the middle, grabbing his junk, is Bob Schulte.
For most of its existence, and at the time of the photo above, House of Donuts was located just east of where the Whole Foods Co-op is now, at 624 E. Fourth St. Ronald and Michele Carter were the owners.
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WEBC — Where you’re hearing things
Another classic Duluth radio jingle from Bob Halverson’s collection:
Perfect Duluth Day’s 10,001st Post
Last night’s “Lost Grey Cat in Lincoln Park” post was the 10,000th post on Perfect Duluth Day. We didn’t realize it at the time, and forgot to drop balloons from the ceiling.
Quantity is no substitute for quality, so let’s celebrate by linking to favorite posts from the past. Dig into those archives and find your favorites. And find that lost grey cat, too.
2012 Candidate Forum … in 2011
The 2012 DFL District 8 Congressional Candidate Forum coordinated and moderated by Minnesota Public Radio has ended, but the full transcript remains. You can read it at perfectduluthday.com/candidate-forum.
The candidates are Jeff Anderson, Tarryl Clark, Daniel Fanning and
Rick Nolan.
Duluth City Council District One Election
PDD is conducting a bit of an experiment in today’s race for the District One Duluth City Council seat between incumbent Todd Fedora and challenger Jennifer Julsrud. UMD journalism students we be poll watching at the seven precincts in District One, and they will be hustling to report the results in record time. (more…)
Duluth musicians/bands on Twitter
Perfect Duluth Day has an actual Twitter feed for this, so if you want to follow everything listed below, check out Twitter @perfectduluth/music.
If you know of someone or something that should be added to this list, please make it known in the comments. (more…)
Wild Bill Cooper documentary coming soon
One of my hobbies a few years ago was researching the adventures of “Wild” Bill Cooper, which resulted in an article for Minnesota Monthly that focused on his criminal history and purported demise.
Filmmaker Mike Scholtz picked up where I left off, and is producing a feature-length documentary that tells the whole Wild Bill story. In addition to the trailer above, there’s a Wild Bill’s Run website and Twitter feed. You’ll have to wait a few more months to see the final product, though. Watch for updates.
Northeastern Minnesota DFL 2012 Congressional Candidate Forum … in 2011
The candidates are Jeff Anderson, Tarryl Clark, Daniel Fanning and
Rick Nolan.
Sure, we don’t even know what the boundaries of what is now Minnesota Congressional District 8 will be in 2012, and yeah, the General Election is a full year away, but Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party candidates are lining up to challenge Republican Congressman Chip Cravaack. So let the vetting begin. (more…)
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:
Red Maple Segregation
Looking north on 61st Ave. W.
Duluth’s old Mathisen Tire Co.
Here’s another photo from the Cliff’s Barber Shop Collection. It’s from the spring or early summer of 1962, and the location is 400 E. Superior St. in Duluth. (PDD all-star points go to the person who can explain what this parade is all about. It might be the Fourth of July, but that’s totally a guess on my part.) (more…)
I-35 Mega Project — Final Complaints
Since the I-35 reconstruction is wrapping up and the freeway will be getting back to normal soon, it’s probably a good time to get rid of any lingering road rage.
So … wow … did the past two years suck or what?
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.