David Beard Posts

‘The bridge between Duluth and Superior’

“The bridge between Duluth and Superior” appears at just after the 1-minute mark in the circa-1957 short film Al-Can Trailer Trek, which promotes trailer traveling. After the quick bridge shot, zoom, it’s straight to International Falls.

This bridge is the Duluth/Superior Interstate Bridge, which was replaced when the Blatnik Bridge opened in 1961. Parts of the Interstate Bridge still exist as a fishing pier on Rice’s Point.

Northeastern Minnesota Book Award Winners for 2022

Ojibwe homesteads, shipwrecks and working class haunts provide just some of the backdrops for works honored by this year’s Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards.

Low Concerts on the Internet Archive

There are an array of Low concerts available on the Internet archive. Joy joy joy while also vaguely restful.

The master list of recordings is at archive.org/details/lowmusic.

Youth for Socialist Action of Duluth on the Internet Archive

The Youth 4 Socialist Action Membership Handbook is available on the Internet Archive. It’s part of a collection of several documents.

I’d bet there are readers of Perfect Duluth Day who know something of this organization. Maybe tell me what it was all about below?

Congrats ARAC Grant Recipients

The Arrowhead Regional Arts Council has announced its grant recipients from June to August. The full list of project descriptions is at aracouncil.org.

Riding a Train to Duluth on YouTube

I love trains. So when this showed up in my YouTube feed, I was excited.

Model Trains of the Duluth Depot

Recently inspired to look into trains in Duluth, I found this video. It’s a bit older than some of the videos I’m posting, but it’s still more or less contemporary.

I love the practice of model trains. My grandpa helped me set one up in my basement, and it was wonderful, but being in my basement made the tracks tarnish, hindering the current that made the train run. So I eventually just used the track board as a table.

Model Trains of an Imaginary Duluth

Model railroaders have incredible imaginations. This person has established an imaginary rail company carrying materials from the range to Duluth and from Duluth to Minneapolis.

The Train Ride to Two Harbors

There are a ton of videos of the train ride from Downtown Duluth to Two Harbors. The one above is from the engine.

Bay Days with the North Shore Mental Health Group

I attended Bay Days to table with Wilderness Health and the North Shore Mental Health Group. It is an active group of citizens committed to increasing awareness of and access to mental health resources up the shore.

Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards announce nominees

For the past three decades, the Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards have recognized books that substantially represent the history, culture, heritage and lifestyle of northeastern Minnesota. In 2021, longtime award coordinators at the Kathryn A. Martin Library at the University of Minnesota Duluth announced that due to staffing changes, the university library would no longer organize the awards. In early 2022, Twin Ports-based nonprofit, the Lake Superior Writers, announced that it would be the new NEMBA coordinators.

Sonofmel at Earth Rider after the Rhizomes and Poliça

It was a busy weekend in Duluth, despite the rain that postponed the Fourth of July events.

Saturday I missed the Rhizomes, who played in Two Harbors. Crankily, I have decided that I will only be indoors in places with cavernous, flowing air, until the pandemic has subsided. (For more information about the pandemic that is still going on, no matter how many people you see walking around without masks, visit the Minnesota Dashboard. We’re doing okay — COVID hospitalizations are definitely flat, but variants are increasingly resistant to the vaccine.)

Thoughts about the new ad campaign

The new campaign to increase tourism for Duluth had, I guess, a “soft open” this week, covered in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and on Fox 21.

Lake Superior College Wolf Fair

I attended the wolf event at Lake Superior College.  It was awesome, a blending of art, science, and indigenous cultures, with representatives from the International Wolf Center, the Wildlife Science Center, Timber Wolf Alliance, Wildwoods, and the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission.

ARAC seeking new executive director

The Arrowhead Regional Arts Council is accepting applications for the position of executive director. This position shapes arts and culture in Duluth and the Arrowhead, so they should want the best possible pool of applicants.