“Big Friendly Mike” was friend to many
Obits are not common on Perfect Duluth Day, but Mike Hruza wasn’t a common person. He was known to hundreds, thousands of Duluthians as “Big Friendly Mike” because he worked for decades selling games and comics, or because he played games and talked comics with anyone who would listen (including the times I sat next to him on the bus). (more…)
Postcard from London Manor Motel
This undated postcard, published by Gallagher’s Studio of Photography, shows the London Manor Motel, one of several lodging businesses that comprised London Road’s old “Motel Row.”
London Manor was built in 1955 and later became the Chalet Motel, which was torn down in 2011. A Sherwin-Williams paint store was built at the location in 2019. (more…)
The Slice: Live Streaming Guitar Lessons with Darin Bergsven
Duluth musician Darin Bergsven has been performing and teaching guitar online since March.
In its series The Slice, WDSE-TV presents short “slices of life” that capture the events and experiences that bring people together and speak to what it means to live up north.
Duluth You & Me: A Review Game
As the Duluth You & Me series nears its conclusion, we present this review game. Use the link below for a printable PDF to use as your game board.
Duluth You & Me: A Review Game
Follow the Duluth You & Me subject tag to see additional pages. For background on the book see the original post on the topic.
Heely Tricks with JamesG: December 2020
Another monthly installment of wheeled-sneaker stunts from former Duluthian James Geisler, also known as the hip-hop artist JamesG.
Need help with finding old newscast
I need help finding an old July 4 news segment from a Duluth TV station. It aired in the 1980s and it had a segment about Superior’s Fourth of July parade. I was interviewed on camera and would like to see if anyone knows where I can find a copy of it or direct me to a website that might have it. I’d love to see young me again. Thanks for any help anyone could provide.
Making a Statement
Everyone is expected to make a statement from time to time. The obvious high-level example is when there’s a natural disaster or some kind of manmade violence and we await official remarks from the President of the United States. But it extends all the way to the dinner table, where someone might ask, “Beatrice, what do you think about copper-nickel sulfide mining?”
Some would say it’s rude to bring something like that up over supper. Beatrice might choke on the green-bean casserole in panic, fearing a faction of the family could cut ties with her if she speaks her mind.
In America we like to profess that Beatrice is just as important as Donald Trump or Joe Biden, but we are also quick to acknowledge that opinions are amplified by status and reputation.
Donald Trump has a posse. Joe Biden has a posse. It doesn’t matter if Beatrice is more intelligent, more articulate or could kickbox both of their teeth in. She is just Beatrice. They are Presidents. (more…)
Selective Focus: Hoar Frost / Rime Ice
The ice crystals have us surrounded. Surrender to the frost.
Collected here are select Instagram photos celebrating the wonder of water vapor condensation freezing to cold surfaces (hoar frost) and/or cooled water in the fog turning to ice (rime ice). Probably more the latter than the former. (more…)
The Slice: The Heart of Piedmont Ski Trails
One Less Guest – “Breezeblocks”
Duluth band One Less Guest performs “Breezeblocks,” a song composed by the British indie rock band Alt-J.
The live rooftop performance is part of its 2021 collection of favorite cover songs.
Monthly Grovel: January 2021
As the masked, online and distanced events drag on, the PDD Calendar continues to catalog the options. Each month we reach out with one beggarly blog post to remind everyone that human beings and not machines are at work editing and publishing calendar events. So if you appreciate it, drop a few bucks in the PayPal account. (more…)
Postcard from Duluth’s Hotel Lenox
This undated postcard, published by E. C. Kropp Co. of Milwaukee, highlights some of the features of the Hotel Lenox in Downtown Duluth. The hotel was torn down in the 1960s. (more…)
Gaelynn Lea – “Bound by a Thread”
Duluth musician Gaelynn Lea performs “Bound by a Thread” from her 2018 album, Learning How to Stay.
MN Moder – “Day to Day”
Duluth native Zachary Moder raps his way across the city in a new music video for a song from the 2019 MN Moder album Modervation.
Iceboating at Duluth’s Park Point
Duluth You & Me: Draw What You Like
We’re nearing the end of the Duluth You & Me series and this one from the back of the book is a real do-it-yourselfer.
Use the link below for a printable PDF for your coloring and drawing pleasure.
Duluth You & Me: DIY
Follow the Duluth You & Me subject tag to see additional pages. For background on the book see the original post on the topic.
Em’s Gems Lake Superior Jewelry
Emily Pilz of Em’s Gems Lake Superior Jewelry creates necklaces, earrings, sun catchers and other decorative items from agates and glass found on the North Shore of Lake Superior. Her partner in the enterprise is Emily Rakos. Both are 2020 graduates of the University of Minnesota Duluth.
Video by Angelina Sonnen.
Cluttered and Trapped in a Strange World: On (Not) Writing During a Pandemic
Lake Superior Writers maintains a blog; today’s post by Zomi Bloom is worth a look.
Cluttered and Trapped in a Strange World: On (Not) Writing During a Pandemic by Zomi Bloom< (more…)
Mystery Photo: Trolley Car and Conductors
This undated postcard photo of two conductors standing next to a trolley car comes with a few details. The trolley car has a destination sign that reads: “W. Dul. & Aerial Bridge.” And the word “Duluth” is handwritten on the back of the card. (more…)
Superior Siren – “Trying Too Hard”
Eerie folk project Superior Siren has released a new music video for the song “Trying Too Hard” from the band’s 2018 self-titled album. The video was created by Killy Kay and Caelen Mars, and features Alison Peluso. (more…)
Perfect Duluth Day’s Best Videos of 2020
Right at the top of our list of best videos from the year of the pandemic is a montage of some of the various musicians, artists and jokers who entertained with livestreams and other productions during what was largely a year of avoiding in-person interactions. But 2020 still had a crop of the usual stuff that makes it into our annual compilation — namely stunts, crashes, wildlife encounters and sweet music videos. (more…)
Avant-Garde Women: Michele Bernstein, Queen of the Situationists
The video below is from a 1960 French TV interview about Michele Bernstein’s subversive novel “All the King’s Horses”. Yes this is in French, which I cannot follow. The auto-translation isn’t much better. It’s sort of a friendly verbal chess match. At around 2:30 the interviewer asks her something about having respect for her literary forebears. She replies: “We each import our own small stone to the cathedral.” Asked what novel she can compare hers to, she replies, “I don’t know; if it is simply a novel we can compare it to all that exist.”
2020: The Year in Duluth Gig Posters
Obviously this past year has been about the lousiest live-music year ever, but nonetheless we continue our tradition at Perfect Duluth Day of looking back at a sampling of gig posters. Some shows really happened, with crowds of people, before the pandemic. Others were cancelled. Others were held outside in spaces that allowed physical distancing. And some were streamed online. (more…)