Teague Alexy debuts new backing band Oct. 5
Teague Alexy will debut a new backing band, Common Thread, during shows this weekend in Duluth and Minneapolis.
“Duluth guys off and on and in different combinations for a few years,” says Teague. “They are getting so good, we had to give them a name.”
Teague Alexy & Common Thread will play Pizza Luce in Duluth on Friday, Oct. 5 and Aster Cafe in Minneapolis on Saturday, Oct. 6.
Alexy is probably best known for his Americana songwriting in the nationally-touring brothers duo Hobo Nephews of Uncle Frank. Or, maybe you remember 2004 when Teague Alexy with Medication was filling dance floors around Minnesota, or you’ve heard that Teague is an award-winning author, or that he grew up in a South Jersey rap band. (more…)
Hostel du Nord opens Oct. 25
Duluth’s first modern hostel opens Oct. 25. Hostel du Nord, located in the former Garon Bros. Jewelers building at 217 W. First St., will offer an alternative to traditional lodging options. (more…)
Postcards from Wonderland Tourist Court and Lodge
Wonderland Resort was located about three miles northeast of Duluth, on the shore of Lake Superior and adjacent to Schmidt Creek. It was run by Jack and Joan Bates from 1968 to 1998 and their family still reminisces about the old days on a Wonderland Resort Facebook page. (more…)
1400 Miles, in Kilometers
Two friends, who are also brothers-in-law, ride motorcycles around Lake Superior. Veda Dullaghan narrates.
Twin Ports Interchange Reconstruction EAW
The Minnesota Department of Transportation has prepared an Environmental Assessment Worksheet for the Twin Ports Interchange Reconstruction project and is seeking public input. The project proposes reconstructing the I-35/I-535/US 53 interchange, US 53 between I-35 and West Third Street, and I-535/Garfield Avenue interchange located in Duluth. (more…)
People mag chooses Duluth Grill as Minnesota’s top breakfast
Duluth Grill is highlighted in the October 2018 issue of People magazine as part of a feature on Top Breakfast Restaurants in each state. The grill’s recipe for Smoked Salmon Hash Skillet, featuring salmon smoked at OMC, the Duluth Grill’s sister restaurant, is spotlighted.
Jay Leonhart – “The Couple from Duluth”
As near as can be determined through web searches, “The Couple from Duluth” was composed by acclaimed bassist Jay Leonhart and was originally released on his 1984 album with Joe Beck titled There’s Gonna Be Trouble. The version above is a live recording from Leonhart’s 2015 album The Bass Lesson. (more…)
PDD Quiz: September 2018 in Review
As we gleefully (or reluctantly) dive into autumn, let’s look back at the events that made headlines in September 2018.
The next quiz, on spooky Duluth, will be published on Oct. 14. Please email question suggestions to Alison Moffat at [email protected] by Oct. 11. (more…)
In the Company of Men
I recently heard the name of a man I hadn’t thought about for a quite a while. He’s someone of little consequence to me, but he said something on the day I met him that I will never forget.
I can’t help but view what that man said to me through the lens of our current news cycle. We are hearing a lot about men who behave badly toward women. Very badly in some cases. The current political climate is also reminding me that the men who do bad things are often protected by other men who hide or minimize that bad behavior. I am hopeful our political, economic and social structures that have allowed men to get away with bad behavior for many millennia are changing. But the fact remains that we live in a world where some men see women as inferior, and that kind of thinking can lead to some pretty terrible things.
Hearing that man’s name triggered a traumatic memory. I’ve managed to not interact with that man since the day we met, but chances are good that my luck will run out and I will see him again someday. I hope I’m lucky.
This man did not hit me, or hit on me, or sexually assault me. But his behavior did cause me harm. It happened a little over three years ago. I met him through a mutual friend. We were walking together with our friend and having a conversation about the similar work that we do. In the midst of our conversation, the man, who I had met just hours before, called me a bitch. (more…)
Selective Focus: Downtown Duluth Arts Walk
Tonight a number of galleries and artists will host the fourth monthly Downtown Duluth Arts Walk. The event continues to grow, and includes art, studio tours, music and more. This week, we hear from Amanda Hunter and Joellyn Rock, co-chairs of the group organizing the Arts Walk, and Alison Aune, artist and member of the collective. We’re also featuring some photos from past events. The Downtown Duluth Arts Walk happens tonight (Friday) from 5 to 8 p.m. at a number of venues downtown. For a list of locations, visit the website, or find a map at most of the venues.
How many studios or locations have been participating?
The Downtown Duluth Arts Collective, which puts on the Downtown Duluth Arts Walk, is comprised of 26 different arts businesses/groups, individual artist studios and cultural centers. We have two more prospective venues joining next month, and have had an average of two additional groups joining us each month since we started the Downtown Arts Walk in June. We see this as a positive sign that creative businesses and organizations in our neighborhood see the value of what we are trying to do and want to support and be a part of that endeavor. (more…)
Ingeborg von Agassiz – “William A. Irvin”
Hot new hit 41-second single by Ingeborg Von Agassiz.
Complete lyrics:
The William A. Irvin ship has been removed to fix the slip.
Wasabi Japanese Cuisine to open in Duluth’s Old City Hall
The main floor of Duluth’s Old City Hall will soon be transformed into a sushi restaurant. The owners of Superior’s Wasabi Japanese Cuisine signed a lease on Monday for the space. They anticipate opening this second eatery by the same name in November or December.
The building at 132 E. Superior St. is owned by Rod Raymond of the Just Take Action restaurant group. Since 2011, the main level space has housed three restaurants: Tycoons Alehouse, the Blind Pig, and more recently Sound.
Dennis Kempton, who handles media relations for Just Take Action, says the new Wasabi Japanese Cuisine location will be modeled after its sister restaurant in Superior, which opened in March in the former O’Neill’s Pub & Liquor building at 3333 Tower Ave. (more…)
Postcard from Fond du Lac Kaffee Stuga
The old Swedish coffee cottage in Duluth’s Fond du Lac neighborhood was featured once before on Perfect Duluth Day in the post “Mystery Photo #16: Holm’s Kaffe Stuga.” It was located on Highway 23 at 123rd Ave. W. (more…)
Gary Boelhower is the 2018-’20 Duluth Poet Laureate
Poet, author and College of St. Scholastica professor emeritus Gary Boelhower has been selected as the 2018-’20 Duluth Poet Laureate. For the two-year post, Boelhower will organize five community events and participate in an inaugural reading and crowning ceremony on Dec. 2 at Peace Church. He will receive a $3,000 honorarium for his efforts.
The Duluth Poet Laureate Project was founded in 2005 and is overseen by a 10-person committee. Past Duluth Poet Laureates include Bart Sutter, Sheila Packa, Jim Johnson (twice), Deborah Cooper and Ellie Schoenfeld. The project is co-sponsored by donations from local organizations such as the Friends of the Duluth Public Library, the Arrowhead Reading Council, the English departments at UMD and St. Scholastica, Lake Superior College, Minnesota Public Radio, Lake Superior Writers and others. (more…)
Meat Puppets – “Lake of Fire”
The punk rock band Meat Puppets released “Lake of Fire” on the 1984 album Meat Puppets II. It also appears as a hidden track on the 1994 album Too High to Die.
The Duluth reference goes a little something like this:
I knew a lady who came from Duluth
She got bit by a dog with a rabid tooth (more…)
St. Louis County Board approves $136.7 million property tax levy
The St. Louis County Board has unanimously approved its proposed property tax levy at $136.7 million for 2019, an amount that should result in a minor tax decrease for most property owners, due to an increase in the county’s property tax base. (more…)
Superior Hiking Trail 100-mile Solo Trip
Fall is prime hiking season around Lake Superior. Linda O’Connell of Onalaska went on a 100-mile journey from the Canadian Border to Temperance River State Park in early September and put together this 37-minute documentary.
“Beautiful views, wrong turns and good food were experienced,” she writes in the YouTube description. “I am just an average American 50-year-old woman trying to get out of my comfort zone. Life is short. Make it count.”
WLSSD flipped its switch 40 years ago
It was 40 years ago today — Sept. 25, 1978 — when the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District began operating its sewage treatment plant in Duluth.
“The network of pipes and pumps and tanks and treatment pools and chemistry all contributed as designed to clean harmful bacteria and other pollution out of the sewage — from not just Duluth homes, but also homes from surrounding areas and industry as far away as Cloquet,” writes Duluth News Tribune reporter John Myers.
Duluth News Tribune: “WLSSD marks 40 years of cleaner St. Louis River”
Melrose Avenue in 1947
Street repairs on Melrose Avenue in Duluth. Two watch, three work.
Video Archive: The Dames on KBJR-TV
Twenty years ago today — Sept. 24, 1998 — Duluth band the Dames was featured in a segment on KBJR-TV News. The band performed at the Shrine Auditorium the next day with two other local bands, Crazy Betty and Groundskeeper Willie.
Barmuda Triangle of West Duluth
Sure, you’ve heard stories of mysterious and unusual disappearances in West Duluth. What exactly happened to old so-and-so last night? Well, there’s a good chance your friend slipped into the Barmuda Triangle. (more…)
Found: “Scandinavian-style boat”
At 8:20 a.m. police responded to the 1900 block of Minnesota Avenue to a report of a Scandinavian-style boat that washed ashore.
Update: The owner of the boat contacted police a few hours later. The boat did not wash ashore; it was purposely beached by the owner after sailing.
Minnesota North Shore Fall Colors Report 2018
Duluth and the North Shore fall colors are slowly starting to turn. The above fall colors map provided by the MN DNR will update automatically as the fall foliage colors continue to change around the state. Look for early to mid October to see the peak fall colors hitting the Duluth and North Shore regions. Colors typically change a little later right along the shores of Lake Superior. (more…)
Mystery Photo #74: Jungle Book
There are quite a few things we know about this mystery photo. According to info scribbled on the back we can discern that Hope Phillips and Andy Tureson are acting out a scene from a staging of The Jungle Book at St. Michael’s Church in Duluth. (more…)