Creating Apart: Sarah Brokke
Sarah Brokke is one of the artists featured in the Tweed Museum of Art’s upcoming exhibition, “Creating Apart: Local Artists Respond to a Global Pandemic.” She’s a painter and an associate professor at the College of St. Scholastica. In this video by documentary filmmaker Mike Scholtz, Sarah talks about her work and how the pandemic is like an expanding bubble that’s pushing longstanding issues to the surface in our society. (more…)
Postcard from Downtown Duluth circa 1975
This undated postcard of Downtown Duluth shows off three buildings that were somewhat new at the time of the photo. In the foreground is the Gateway Tower apartment building at 600 W. Superior St., built in 1972. Shown most prominently at left is the Radisson Hotel at 505 W. Superior St., built in 1970. The Ordean Building, at 424 W. Superior St., was built in 1973. (more…)
Earth Rider Fest 2020
The pandemic being what it is, live music has been rare in 2020 and festivals have been rarer. On Sept. 12, Earth Rider Brewery in Superior held its third anniversary event on its spacious festival grounds with limited admission, a few masks here and there, and a bit of distancing. (Originally this post featured a recap video, but it has since been removed from YouTube.)
Potato and molasses home brew odor vile
According to an article in the Sept. 22, 1920 Duluth Herald, the combination of potatoes and molasses in a home brew can be “quite potent.” The paper notes that Anthony Fiskett, Duluth’s acting chief of police at the time, might have needed to have his headquarters fumigated after hauling in an evidential keg of the pungent concoction. (more…)
Creating Apart: Ivy Vainio
Ivy Vainio is one of the artists featured in the Tweed Museum of Art’s upcoming exhibition, “Creating Apart: Local Artists Respond to a Global Pandemic.” She’s a digital photographer who works at the American Indian Community Housing Organization. In this video by documentary filmmaker Mike Scholtz, Ivy talks about her artistic struggles during the pandemic. (more…)
PDD Video Lab: Invasive Jumping Worm
In this edition of the PDD Video Lab we’ve taken three seconds of video of an invasive jumping worm, shot by Carly Ziter, and looped it a few times with the most obvious music possible. (more…)
Duluth You & Me: Enger Tower
Use the link below for a printable PDF for your drawing and coloring pleasure.
Duluth You & Me: Enger Tower
Follow the Duluth You & Me subject tag to see additional pages. For background on the book see the original post on the topic.
The History All Around Us
The Duluth Library Foundation has made a video history tour available as part of its virtual “Learning & Libations” event.
The video features authors Tom Peacock and Tony Dierckins telling stories of life at the western tip of Lake Superior before the city existed and how it came to be 150 years ago.
Melted
The light changes. A cover has opened, slit of sun beaming into the darkness, a ha-ha neiner-neiner taunt transmitted from the world of wind and spit. In the quick second between dandelion shaft blinking back to onyx, a gentle violence occurs, crinkling followed by thump.
A book has been returned.
***
With that thump, the movable floor inside the Returns bin lowers almost imperceptibly; a single book isn’t that heavy, after all. But then the flap clinks, signaling another, another, another, dark to light, light to dark, typeset words in freefall. Absorbing the weight of pages and ideas, springs stretch, and the catching floor gradually sinks.
It’s designed to protect the books, this bin is. When it’s empty, the floor rests near the top, quick purchase for incoming books slithering through the slot. As Returns accumulate, the floor gradually descends, earlier Returns nesting and bolstering newcomers so no volume sustains damage from a traumatic plummet. (more…)
Selective Focus: Superior Hiking Trail
The fall tradition of folks of hitting the 310+ mile Superior Hiking Trail continues. Featured here are select photos from Instagram.
The Slice: Sticker Artist Carli Bruckmueller
Artist Carli Bruckmueller of Inver Grove Heights translates her northern experiences into sticker art.
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.
Bulk Freighter Maricopa, circa 1900-1910
This Detroit Publishing Company photo of the bulk freighter Maricopa comes with little information. The Library of Congress dates it as “between 1900 and 1910.” There’s no photographer name and no location. It’s even filed as “S.S. Merick [sic] of Duluth,” for some reason. (more…)
Postcard from the Duluth Auditorium
The Duluth Auditorium — now known as the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center‘s Symphony Hall — opened in 1966. It has hosted an extensive variety of musicians, comedians, theatrical companies and other entertainers over the years and is the home stage of the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra and Minnesota Ballet. Seating capacity is 2,221. (more…)
Nate J. Mattson – “Moon Racer”
This experimental music video by Duluth’s Nate J. Mattson features Shereé doing her “Original Tiger Dance.”
Mystery Photo #122: La La
Yes, it’s another car-prop photo from either the Post Card Shop in Minneapolis or the Penny Arcade in Duluth. (more…)
Heely Tricks with JamesG: August 2020
Another monthly installment of wheeled-sneaker stunts from former Duluthian James Geisler, also known as the hip-hop artist JamesG.
Duluth You & Me: Hawk Ridge
Use the link below for a printable PDF for your drawing and coloring pleasure.
Duluth You & Me: Hawk Ridge
Follow the Duluth You & Me subject tag to see additional pages. For background on the book see the original post on the topic.
PDD Quiz: Railroads, Trains and Depots
Photo courtesy of the Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections, Kathryn A. Martin Library, University of Minnesota Duluth.
All aboard for this week’s PDD quiz! Test your knowledge of local railroads, depots, and other train-related trivia.
The next PDD quiz will review this month’s headlines; it will be published on Sept. 27. Submit question suggestions to Alison Moffat at [email protected] by Sept. 27. (more…)
North Country Trail in Wisconsin: Town of Summit
One nice thing about hiking on county roads is that if a deer fly is pestering you and you happen to walk by a freshly killed skunk, the fly will transfer to the skunk and leave you to hike in peace.
There are also fewer ticks on roads than on trails, and you are less likely to get lost. But the benefits of a trail instead of a highway are obvious and substantial. In particular: the natural beauty of the land is a bit less interfered with on a trail, there are no motorized vehicles to watch out for, and on hot days there is usually some protection from the blistering sun.
Those are the basic pros and cons as I hike through the town of Summit in my quest to follow the North Country Trail through Wisconsin. As I’ve explained in previous essays, the trail isn’t built yet in the area near the Minnesota border, with the exception of the Nemadji River Valley, so there is a road route connecting sections of the trail.
Last summer I hiked county roads W and B to Pattison State Park. So far in 2020 I’ve hiked from Pattison to the border between the towns of Summit and Gordon. All of this has happened without any overnight camping or serious day of dedicated hiking. It’s just casual car trips to walk the road in there-and-back stretches. (more…)
Lake Superior Aquaman: Trench Lyfe
Things the camera saw looking out of a Lake Superior trench.
Selective Focus: #perfectduluthday
The weather has been spectacular, we just had a long weekend, it’s time to check in on what people considered a #perfectduluthday
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Richard G. Hofacre – “City Lights of Duluth”
This song by Richard Gary Hofacre, which hit YouTube in 2012, has roots going back about 60 years. (more…)
Raina Costello: Tick and Mosquito Researcher
In this video Raina Costello talks about her work researching ticks and mosquitos at the Boulder Lake Environmental Learning Center, about 15 miles north of Duluth.
Postcard from Enger Memorial Tower in 1950
This postcard was mailed 70 years ago. The date on the postmark is not clear, but it looks like July 8, 1950. The signature of the sender is also not entirely clear, but it appears to be Helen Lold. The recipient is Henry Maursey of Midland, Mich. (more…)
Phallus Impudicus
The “impudent phallus.” Like many mushrooms, they have both uh masculine and feminine qualities; in their egg stage they are called “witch eggs.” They also have qualities of both life and death: although uh generative in appearance, they have the strong stench of carrion — which attracts the flies which spread their spores. Wikipedia entry.