Chris Monroe art on Rain Taxi cover
The Winter 2017 issue of Rain Taxi, a Minneapolis-based book review and literary magazine, features artwork by Duluth’s Chris Monroe.
Superior Siren – “Tomorrow”
From the debut Superior Siren album due out Jan. 12.
Video by Kyle Hanson, dancing by Emily Neale. Shot in the Minnesota Ballet’s space in the Grain Exchange floor of the Duluth Board of Trade building.
Duluth Trivia Deck Sampler #4
From the Duluth Trivia deck I found in a game at Savers.
- How long has Duluth had a Symphony Orchestra?
- The DSSO produced opera annually for 26 years. Which conductor began this tradition and in what year?
- Where does the “concertmaster” of the DSSO sit?
- What year did “Fitger’s on the Lake” open?
- What year did the Fitger’s Brewery close?
- How many years was the old brewery in continuous operation?
- Who was Margaret Culkin Banning?
- Who said that “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in Duluth”?
- Where in Duluth is the important collection of Eastman Johnson paintings housed?
- What was the Hjemkomst?
Perfect Duluth Day’s Best Videos of 2017
From music videos and outdoor adventure stunts to epic wildlife battles and sexy scenery, here’s Perfect Duluth Day’s annual look back at the year’s finest productions in the realm of moving visual images. (more…)
PDD Video Lab: Ghost Ship Emerges
Dawn LaPointe and Gary Fiedler of Radiant Spirit Gallery captured the Joseph L. Block emerging through the sea smoke like a ghost. The morning temperature was -20°F with a -40°F windchill. The video was processed at an 8x speed.
As is usually the case with the PDD Video Lab, we’ve supplied a soundtrack to the silent video. Press play on the audio file below, then press play on the video file and enjoy the marriage. The track is “Cold” by Duluth band Woodblind.
PDD Quiz: 2017 in Review
As we bid goodbye (or good riddance) to 2017, let’s take a look back at what happened in the Northland this year. Test your knowledge of current affairs (and previous PDD Quizzes) with this end-of-the-year quiz!
The next PDD Quiz, on the history of the soon-to-reopen NorShor Theatre, will be published on Jan. 14. Please send question ideas to Alison Moffat at [email protected] by Jan. 11. (more…)
Saturday Essay: Select gems from 2017
Last week we highlighted the five most-read pieces from the second year of Perfect Duluth Day’s “Saturday Essay” series. This week’s focus is on five essays of similar quality that might have been missed by readers who didn’t catch links in their social media feeds and/or were busy doing non-internet things.
In the past two years PDD has published 100 essays showcasing the work of 22 different writers; we hope to expand that roster in 2018. Anyone who has an original piece of literary excellence that seems to fit (or appropriately defy) the established format should email paul @ perfectduluthday.com to get involved.
And now, links to a few select gems from season two, in random order … (more…)
Vanilla Bean expanding to Duluth; will take over Northern Waters Restaurant space
WDIO Eyewitness News reports the Vanilla Bean restaurant will open a Duluth location in the Mount Royal Shopping Center on Feb. 1. The space has been occupied by Northern Waters Restaurant since February 2016; Northern Waters’ owners announced earlier this month they will close their eatery on Dec. 31.
The original Vanilla Bean, in Two Harbors, opened in 1998.
“The Duluth location will serve Vanilla Bean’s popular signature dishes including oven-baked omelets, Swedish pancakes with lingonberries, Norwegian crepes, pasties, soups, sandwiches, and burgers,” the Eyewitness News story notes. “It will also have full liquor, beer and wine service.”
Selective Focus: #duluth
A quick end-of the year view of other views of #duluth.
Video Archive: Snowboarding Duluth Backcountry
Ten years ago today — Dec. 29, 2007 — Henry and Sam took to the Duluth backcountry for this video. Henry is telemarking; Sam snowboarding.
Warmer, Weirder Days: Robot Rickshaw Canal Park 360°
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHnyGNvJZvQ
In this video, shot back in August, Duluth artist Troy Rogers pushes his musical robot cart along the pier in Canal Park. A fully panoramic slice of life.
Video by Aaron Brossoit of Golden Shovel Agency.
Beauty in the Bitter Cold
Timothy Johnson of Whitespace Films was on Lake Superior’s North Shore over Christmas, when the temperature was around -20 °F. “This video shows just some of the beauty that can emerge from, and because of, the cold,” Johnson writes on the YouTube description.
Sea Smoke Sunrise over Lake Superior
Dawn LaPointe and Gary Fiedler of Radiant Spirit Gallery captured the Dec. 26 Duluth “sea smoke” sunrise in this video.
2017: The Year in Duluth Gig Posters
Another year over, another gallery of rock posters. As usual, by no means is this a comprehensive collection, nor is it a carefully curated archive of the best. It’s just a bunch of random 2017 concert posters. (more…)
Island Lake Inn closed, for sale
Island Lake Inn, a bar and grill about 12 miles north of Duluth in the Gnesen Township, has closed. (more…)
Video Archive: Honky Tonk Man and Butch Reed cut wrestling promos for 1987 Duluth show
The World Wrestling Federation — now known as World Wrestling Entertainment — brought four cards to the Duluth Arena in 1987. The fourth happened 30 years ago today — Dec. 27. (more…)
Rich Mattson and the Northstars – “Walk Among You”
New video for a track from Rich Mattson and the Northstars’ album Aeroplane Mode. The band performs Saturday at the Red Herring Lounge with Run Westy Run and the Little Black Books.
Duluth weather on CBS This Morning
Duluth appeared briefly on CBS This Morning‘s story “Heavy snow and winds wreak havoc for holiday travelers.” At the 1:46 mark in the video above, Duluth is shown as reporter DeMarco Morgan notes “Minnesota had windchills as cold as 35 degrees below zero.” (CBS forces a commercial at the front of the video; PDD apologizes for it.)
Emma Deaner: Trailblazer
Duluth’s Emma Deaner is featured in The Growler‘s list of “25 Trailblazers of 2017.” Deaner is associate events manager at Glensheen Mansion and drummer for the band Superior Siren.
Trailblazers 2017: Emma Deaner of Superior Siren
“It’s going to be a busy year for Deaner,” the article notes. “She’s involved with a TBA project at the soon-to-reopen NorShor Theatre, and Superior Siren are launching their new album with a series of shows in January. What’s more, Deaner’s joining the Minnesota Music Coalition board of directors with the hope to ‘help bridge the gap between the metro and the North Shore.'”
The Growler is a monthly craft-culture magazine published out of St. Paul.
Daisy Roller Mill in Superior
A post on photographer Dan Turner’s Substreet website takes a peek at Superior’s old East End Milling District.
Daisy was the last of the flour mills to close in the Twin Ports,” Turner writes. “It closed in the 1970s when Peavey moved its durum operations to a new mill in Hastings, Minnesota. Today the mill is unused, though a company uses the silos.
Merry Christmas from Congdon Park
Duluth Photo Engraving Company holiday postcard circa 1915.
Iron Range Brewery Update: Klockow open, BoomTown coming soon, Rapids delayed
The craft beer craze is finally permeating Minnesota’s Iron Range. Before the year’s end, the area will support two new breweries: Klockow Brewing Company in Grand Rapids and BoomTown Brewery & Woodfire Grill in Hibbing. Another, Rapids Brewing Company, is in the works. (more…)
The Most Read Saturday Essays of 2017
Perfect Duluth Day’s “Saturday Essay” series concluded its second season last week. At the end of each year we take a look back at some of the favorites — like the literary version of a 1980’s-era TV sitcom flashback episode. This week is part one, highlighting the essays that were read the most times in the past year according to the folks at Google Analytics.
Before digging into the 2017 countdown, here’s a brief paragraph to spell out for the uninitiated how the “Saturday Essay” feature works:
PDD publishes an essay every Saturday. Yours truly, Paul Lundgren, is the editor. A small group of writers are featured somewhat regularly, but anyone is welcome and encouraged to submit a piece for consideration. Shoot an email to paul @ perfectduluthday.com to inquire.
And now, the champions of Duluth literature … (more…)
Feeding the fish with Santa
Edward L. Simon captured the view from inside the big tank at the Great Lakes Aquarium when he went diving with Santa.
Selective Focus: Market Day
Market Day started as a Downtown Duluth Pop Up Shop in 2016, and moved into a twisty, multi-level space at 15 N. Third Ave. W. last spring. It’s filled with a variety of local art, crafts and workspace for classes. Director Lanae Rhoads tells us about some of the activities going on in the space.
LR: We are a shop that desires to celebrate the Farmer’s Market vibe all year long. In fact, we started as a Farmers Market at UMD in 1999. The University decided to make Market 2016 the last season. With that decision we needed to find other ways to showcase our local artisans. And through that loss Market Day was born. We received one of the holiday 2016 Pop-Up shop program spaces. It was a wonderful success and we decided to continue together in a permanent location that opened this past March. (more…)