New Vietnamese restaurant open in Superior
Fans of phở have a new place to enjoy the savory Vietnamese soup. Phở Cali Vietnamese Noodles Restaurant opened Dec. 17 in the former Lan Chi’s building at 1320 Belknap St. in Superior. (more…)
Video Archive: Star Wars closes in Duluth (R.I.P. Carrie Fisher)
Carrie Fisher, the actress best known for her role as Princess Leia in Star Wars movies, died today at age 60.
Destination Duluth recently found this WDIO-TV news report on YouTube. The clip is from Dec. 22, 1977, the day the original Star Wars closed in Duluth. Destination Duluth posted it to Facebook with a note that “Star Wars smashed box office records with 459 showings over 191 days in Duluth.”
Kalli Erickson Manion skates on her Superior driveway
Kalli Erickson Manion of Superior makes the best of nature’s ice sheet on Boxing Day.
Big Wave Dave and the Ripples – “Snow Pants”
Big Wave Dave and the Ripples are the subject of a WDSE-TV documentary titled Soul Brothers, which first aired in November. The video above is a clip from the documentary featuring the nine-piece funk-and-soul band in action.
Wall of Sea Smoke
Duluth photographer Levi Drevlow‘s video of the wall of sea smoke on Lake Superior last week blew up on Instagram and was shown nationally on both CBS and ABC network news programs. (more…)
Postcards from the Duluth Curling Club
Duluth Curling & Skating Club was organized in 1891, with the first stone thrown Christmas Day on the ice of Lake Superior. The club moved from rink to rink until its first building opened in 1913. (more…)
Pond Hockey Rink in Shape of Minnesota
What says Minnesota more than pond hockey? How about a rink in the shape of Minnesota? I made this rink in the shape of Minnesota over the course of two days. The project took a total of a few hours and I had some help on the final shovel off.
Arrowhead Christmas by Knute Heldner
Impressionist painter Knute Heldner lived in Duluth during the early 1900s.
The Most Read Saturday Essays of 2016
Perfect Duluth Day launched its “Saturday Essay” series at the beginning of 2016 and it quickly became the most popular recurring feature on the website. With the first set of 50 essays now complete, it’s time to take a look back at which pieces have been the most read of the bunch so far, according to the folks at Google Analytics.
Before we get all Casey Kasem, a few notes about how the “Saturday Essay” feature works: 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 countdown … (more…)
Vikings add Duluth’s C.J. Ham to roster
The Minnesota Vikings announced today rookie running back C.J. Ham of Duluth has been signed to the team’s 53-man roster.
Ham joined the Vikings during rookie camp on a tryout basis and signed to the practice squad after final roster cuts. He played high school ball at Denfeld, graduating in 2011. At Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D., he totaled 2,662 rushing yards, 949 receiving yards and 35 total touchdowns in 43 games.
Minnesota (7-7) visits Green Bay (8-6) on Saturday. (more…)
Selective Focus: Hansi Johnson
For years, Hansi Johnson has worked as an advocate for outdoor recreation in our region, and his photography shows the rest of the world how lucky we are to live here.
H.J.: I am a photographer and I generally shoot full frame DSLR. However I am not married to any one camera, aspect ratio or format. I have published photos from my Iphone, my cropped camera as well.
I am generally considered an action photographer but like all labels that description is not quite right. My style is more around environmental photographs but instead of shots that only show landscapes I love to position a person interacting in that space as well, generally enjoying some form of adventurous outdoor recreation.
(more…)
Ingeborg von Agassiz – “Jolly Old St. Nick”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ0ut8AIkSE
A reharmonization and altered melody for the traditional holiday classic “Jolly Old St. Nicholas” by Duluth’s Ingeborg von Agassiz.
Brewhouse gets new master brewer
Ted Briggs, the new brew master at Fitger’s Brewhouse
Just Take Action announced Ted Briggs as the new master brewer for Fitger’s Brewhouse this week. “Mr. Briggs will continue to build on the great legacy of quality Lake Superior craft beer first initiated by Dave Hoops and later, Frank Kaszuba,” the company stated in a news release. (more…)
Video Archive: 1964 Great Lakes Adventure
This 16mm film documentary was produced by Detroit Public Schools and the Ford Motor Company. It chronicles a trip aboard the Ford Motor Company freighter as it voyages from the River Rouge Factory Complex to Duluth and back with a load of iron ore.
The program is sexy throughout, but since it’s an educational film you might want the cheat sheet or Cliff Notes. The Duluth segment of the adventure starts at the 13-minute mark and ends at the 17-minute mark.
Much appreciation to the Detroit Historical Society for making this gem available to the masses.
Jean Du Luth Farm, Duluth, Minn.
This page from the Dec. 16, 1915 issue of The Breeder’s Gazette is not easy to read in this format, but there’s a funny tidbit in there. Apparently someone at the farm named a cow after J. Proctor Knott, the U.S. Representative from Kentucky who in 1871 ridiculed a bill to subsidize westward expansion of railroads by lampooning Duluth in a famous speech that was later published under the title “The Untold Delights of Duluth.”
From the list of stats in the right column:
14 of Proctor Knott’s first daughters in milk average 428 lbs. fat, official. Half of these are heifer records.
Knott and his speech were the theme of a PDD Quiz back in January.
Stolen from Sam Hanson
This ceramic ashtray raises a few questions, the primary one being: Who was Sam Hanson?
UMD Snack Exodus
During finals week, the UMD Student Association provides a 9 p.m. snack. This video, shot early last week, shows the mass migration of students as the library empties out.
Boulevard Lake, Duluth, Minn.
This undated postcard must be showing one of what Duluthians call the “Twin Ponds” these days. Skyline Parkway was commonly referred to as “The Boulevard,” short for Rogers Boulevard, before taking its modern name in 1929. (more…)
Backyard and Pond Hockey
Looking for people who play hockey in their backyard or on a pond/lake/river to share their stories for a documentary.
Duluth’s Cascade Hotel
“Your home when you’re in Duluth” is the Cascade, “the friendly hotel.” Located on the corner of First Avenue West and Third Street, it features “kitchenette apartments – hotel rooms” that are “transient – residential.” The hotel opened in 1924. (more…)
PDD Quiz: Christmas City, Wonderful City
You’ve been hearing it. You’ve been humming it. You probably know it by heart. Or do you? How much do you know about Duluth’s official Christmas song? Let’s find out!
Time Lapse Video: Lake Superior Sea Smoke
Photographer Travis Novitsky got up early on Dec. 15 to make the trek up Mt. Josephine to photograph sea smoke on Lake Superior. (more…)
Sixteen Years on the Superior Hiking Trail: Two Harbors Vicinity
The final four of my 16 years on the Superior Hiking Trail were spent filling in a series of gaps, the biggest of which was an 85-mile stretch from Martin Road outside Duluth to Split Rock State Park. I covered nearly three quarters of that distance in 2012 and 2013 through somewhat random day hikes. The 2012 hikes were in areas that are among the most beautiful on the trail. The 2013 hikes were marred by biting flies and scenery that doesn’t quite measure up to better parts of the trail.
When people find out I’ve hiked the entire SHT, they sometimes form a grandiose opinion of my outdoorsmanship and general machismo. Like I’m the kind of guy who walks around with a Leatherman multitool at all times, practically lives off the land and is prepared for Armageddon. In reality, I wouldn’t have slept a single night in the woods on my hiking trips if there were an easier way around it. Once I’d knocked the northernmost 180 miles off my checklist, there was an easier way around it, and I took full advantage of the opportunity to get dropped off at a trailhead and get picked up eightish miles away just a few hours later. (more…)