History Posts

Suburbs Memories

If anyone has fun memories of going to a Suburbs show especially in Duluth please post them in the comments. I want to read them on my radio show today between sets of awesome Suburbs music.

R.I.P. Bruce Allen.

Holy X-Comm! Holiday Book Sale and Author Signing!

Duluth Publishers Holy Cow! Press and X-communication have teamed up for this very special sale and author signings

Date: Sunday, December 6, 2009; noon to 4 p.m.

Location: Spiritual Deli, 3 West Superior Street, Duluth

Details:

– 10% of proceeds go to the Duluth chapter of C.H.U.M.

– All prices greatly reduced-up to 66% off!

– Refreshments will be served

Special: Spend $20 on X-Comm titles and receive a free book or historic art print of the Aerial Transfer Bridge, Incline Railway, Enger Tower, or Old Central and Minnesota Point from the top of the hillside (scroll down to see examples on flyer).

(Note: We do not have credit card capability at these events, so please bring cash or checks.)

Author Signing Schedule:

Chuck Frederick – Leatherheads of the North: The Duluth Eskimos – 12 – 1 pm

Duluth Poet Laureate Jim Johnson – Dovetailed Corners – 1 – 2 pm

Denny Anderson – Good Night, Everybody…and Be Kind – 2 – 3 pm

Jim Heffernan – Cooler Near the Lake: Collected Columns – 2:30 – 4 pm

Anthony Bukoski – Twelve Below Zero – 3 – 4 pm

Jim Perlman – Beloved on the Earth – 12 – 4 pm

Tony Dierckins – Crossing the Canal: Duluth’s Aerial Bridge – 12 – 4 pm

HolidayBookSale

Zayre Shoppers’ City Discount Department Store in West Duluth

The West Duluth Memories page on Facebook has a bunch of old West Duluth photos, including some of Shoppers’ City, posted by Roger Nesje.

Duluth Arena Pro Wrestling Photos from the 1980s — Killer Khan and so on

KillerKhan

KillerKhan

Killer Khan wrestled at the Duluth Arena on Aug. 8, 1987. The infamous Mr. Fuji is in the background of the top photo.

NickBockwinkel

Nick Bockwinkel was special guest referee on a different card.

Duluth TV ads from 1970

Eight classic TV spots from 1970, in all their sexiness.

More retro Duluth TV

Someone just posted a bunch of old WDIO news, sports and weather promos on YouTube. Here is an assortment of 1970s-era holiday spots — lots of glimpses of old TV news sets and technology … and a brief appearance by Dennis Anderson.

Wrestling at UMD

As a former wrestler I found this article quite interesting. I remember visiting UMD and looking at the conference Champ Pennants up at the fieldhouse.

http://www.intermatwrestle.com/articles/5657

Denfeld vs. Central: Bookends to a Rivalry

DenfeldCentral489522

Duluth Denfeld played Duluth Central tonight in high school football for what will very likely be the last time. Denfeld won 20-6 in front of a crowd of maybe 500 at Public Schools Stadium.

Glensheen Living Literature Presents: The Monkey’s Paw

Gather ’round for a spooky reading of “The Monkey’s Paw” at Glensheen on October 22, October 23, and October 24 at 7 p.m. A special flashlight tour of the mansion is included, and the evening concludes with refreshments and a guided discussion  of W.W. Jacob’s 1902 tale. $25 – $33. Reservations online or by calling 726-8910.

Famous Beaver Bay Invention: Sexual Armor

SexualArmor00234The Green Door, a liquor store and bar in Beaver Bay, has a framed tribute to Ellen E. Perkins. She was the inventor of “certain new and useful Improvements in Sexual Armor.”

The account on the wall of the bar reads:

Surprisingly enough, the sexual armor invented by Ellen E. Perkins of Beaver Bay, Minnesota is not for defense against assault but to keep the wearer from playing with himself. In her 1908 patent she calls the practice that the garment is designed to prevent one of the most common causes of insanity, imbecility and feeblemindedness – especially in youth – and equally true of both sexes. Her profession, by implication nursing, had made her very familiar with the subject.

Happy Leif Erikson Day

Leif Erikson Park Google-leif-erikson

I just thought it would be good to pay some respect to Mr.  Leif Erikson on his day.  Or is it Ericson?

I will stick with his nickname “Leif the Lucky” that’s catchier anyway. Either way he was a great explorer and discovered this great continent 500 years before Mr. Columbus and was way cooler. Get out and celebrate and have a beer for your favorite Norse explorer.

And screw you Google, why no respect for Leif the Lucky? O’well we will give him the Google love he deserves here.

Send your love to Leif and comment how much he means to you on this Leif Erikson Day 2009.

Grab a beer, it’s on you.

Ten years ago this weekend, music history was made.

Missing promo photos, Homegrown 2003

Missing promo photos, Homegrown 2003

With the likes of Ricky Martin, Lou Bega and Sixpence None The Richer dominating the charts, backlash was inevitable. The world clamored for a band which did not suck; did not dance on stage [at least, with choreography]; and had the good sense to combine the best parts of Guns N’ Roses, the Misfits and Mötley Crüe into one girlfriend-thieving package.

This band, of course, was Bone Appetit.

Remember this old PDD logo?

Was this Perfect Duluth Day’s first logo?

Circa 2003

Circa 2003

More Vintage Photos of Duluth

Duluth Incline Circa 1905

I’m not sure if we’ve ever discussed photos from this site on PDD before, but the vintage photography blog Shorpy just posted some new old shots of Duluth from 1905. There are a few more Duluth photos back in the archives as well, which I dug out for you. Check ’em out:

Brian Olson’s mural of the Palace Theater

PalaceHistoricalSociety34

Two blocks from the site of the old Palace Theater in Superior is the new Palace Theater, a painting of the old one. Brian Olson created this mural on the back side of the Douglas County Historical Society building.

Pretty sweet.