Selective Focus: Ann Klefstad
Ann Klefstad is an artist who is definitely connected to this area, through her work across many mediums and by the writing, promotion and encouragement she’s given to the arts in our area.
AK: I work in sculpture, mostly, with some drawing, including ink and tar drawing on wood. My real “medium”, though, would be my subject matter. Over the years I’ve drawn closer and closer to doing only work that comes out of the ecosystem I’m in. I’m kind of a literalist, I guess. I love the forms of things, and so I use those forms, I try to learn them and come to know them by imitating them, like a kid learns.
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Five Mile Rock Drone Flyover
Five Mile Rock is located five miles north of Grand Marais (hence the name) and 3/4 miles off the shore of Lake Superior. Aerial video and photo shot with the PDD Drone on May 19 around 11:30 a.m. and operated by Liftoff Aerials, an FAA-registered drone operator approved for commercial use.
Lake Aire Motel and Bottle Shop
The split-image postcard above, published by Gallagher’s Studio of Photography, shows the Lake Aire Motel and Bottle Shop on London Road. The card is undated, but appears to be from the 1960s. (more…)
Nominees for Best New Restaurant Poll – 2016
It’s been a year and a half since Perfect Duluth Day last ran a “best new restaurant” poll. The reigning champion, the Spirit Room, is on its way to becoming a seasoned area eatery, as is the runner up, Tavern on the Hill. What’s new in Duluth-area food since then? Reopenings, additional locations and restaurant moves seem to be a trend.
Before we vote, we have to establish a list of nominees. To qualify, an establishment must: have recently opened, serve food and be located within 10 miles of Duluth (including Superior, Hermantown, Proctor or other area townships). Two Harbors and Cloquet, for example, are too far afield to be contenders in this poll.
Here’s a rundown of the recently opened restaurants we compiled. Is there one we missed? We trust you’ll let us know in the comments before we launch our poll next week.
- Beijing Restaurant (April 2016)
- Charley’s Grilled Subs inside Central Avenue Minit Mart (April 2016)
- Dickey’s Barbecue Pit (Oct. 2014)
- Grand World Coffee (Jan. 2016)
- Izzy’s BBQ Lounge & Grill (Aug. 2014)
- Jimmy John’s at Miller Hill Mall (Dec. 2015)
- KBQ Ribs food truck (Aug. 2015)
- The King of Creams (March 2015)
- Lake Superior Bakehouse (June 2015)
- Lark o’ the Lake (Nov. 2015)
- Northern Waters Restaurant (Feb. 2016)
- El Oasis del Norte Mexican food truck (July 2015)
- Sala Thai (April 2015)
- Toasty’s Grilled Cheese Shop – Downtown (Dec. 2015)
- Vintage Kitchen (Feb. 2015)
- VN Coffee House (June 2015)
Johnson Appliance and TV Center Ghost Sign
Oliver Bridge Flyover
Adam Jagunich took his Q500 out on a windy day to capture scenes around the Oliver Bridge on the St. Louis River.
First Tick of the Year — 2016 Edition
Since 2005 I’ve been posting on PDD about the first tick of the season to crawl up into my business. There’s probably no reason for it, other than to let you feel my pain and generally announce that it’s the time of year to check yourself after you’ve been in the woods.
I picked up this year’s inaugural tick at Ely’s Peak, where I never left the trail, so don’t chalk it up to bushwhacking.
R.I.P. John Berquist
John W. Berquist, founder of the Moose Wallow Ramblers band and writer of the song “I Like it in Duluth,” died May 12 at his home in Fayal Township. He was 69.
Dusty the Trail Dawg
Dusty the Trail Dog joins cyclists Jon Wells and Kyle Stark on the “Bones of the Beast” section of the Piedmont trail system in Duluth.
Price Check: Kayaks
Price checking kayaks is like shopping for puppies, with so many colors and personalities. There might never be a perfect time to get a puppy, but May is damn-near the perfect time to buy a kayak. The summer bug starts crawlin’ in with dreams of sunshine and light campfires. (more…)
This Week: bikes, books, whiskey and wind
Here’s a bit of what you’ll find in this week’s PDD Calendar:
People can get a bit of watercolor instruction at Duluth MakerSpace, Take it With You returns for its monthly go-round, there’s a free drop-in clinic for veterans at the Depot, young-adult author Ann Treacy discusses and signs her new book at Fitger’s, former Duluth Mayor Don Ness speaks at the latest TED at the Teatro event, the Duluth Art Institute is looking for volunteers to help with various projects and Bob Matson is the latest history person that folks can lunch with.
Life House holds its third “Night to Shine” event at Greysolon Ballroom, Minneapolis indie darlings the Honeydogs perform at the Red Herring, Duluth Mayor Emily Larson embarks upon her first Mayor’s Bike Ride, it’s Whiskey Galore at Dubh Linn, “Duluth’s best lake party” is happening at Glensheen Mansion, the kids’ production The Wind in the Willows opens at UWS’ Manion Theater and the Zeitgeist Center for Arts and Community looks to raise funds with a big party.
Moose Lake Forest Fire of 1918
The subject of the 1918 forest fire in Carlton County came up in the “Postcards from the Swinging Bridge at Jay Cooke State Park” post a few weeks ago. Since I have kin from that area it wasn’t terribly surprising to find a fire retrospective from the Oct. 14, 1979 Moose Lake Star-Gazette in the family archive. (more…)
Kounty Quarthouse in South Range under new ownership
One might not expect the food served at a nondescript roadhouse six miles south of Superior to be anything special, but the Kounty Quarthouse, off County Road K in South Range, is a hidden gem that shatters stereotypes.
Beth Cherny, founder of Savories Catering in Duluth, took over the modest wayside tavern in 2006. She played up the legal theme and overhauled the menu. Her creative culinary concoctions were an instant hit with regulars and foodies from further afield. In 2014, the Food Network’s Guy Fieri shot a segment there for “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives,” his popular show that uses public input to discover and highlight some of the best “greasy spoons” in the nation.
Cherny’s decade-long run with the Kounty Quarthouse ended in March when she sold the business to Kandice and Bill Szewcik. Fans of the eatery will be relieved to know the recipes were sold along with the restaurant and the new owners intend to maintain the same quality customers have come to expect. (more…)
PDD Quiz: Duluth Does Dylan
Want to celebrate Dylan? Here are some Dylan-related questions! Good luck, Dylan fans!
The next quiz will be out on May 29 and will be a review of May 2016. Send your questions and answers in to lawrence @ perfectduluthday.com by noon on Wednesday, May 25 to get them included.
Perfect Duluth Fishing Opener Experience
At Marshall Hardware yesterday, an older man comes in and asks for handwarmers “because Sam Cook says I’ll need them tomorrow.”
Archetypes in Wrestling: Reflections on Recent Matches at Wessman Arena
I spent last Saturday night thinking and rethinking about cultural archetypes through the most popular form of American theater, the wrestling show.
Heavy on Wrestling, a Duluth-based promotion, has organized numerous cards over the past decade at casinos and entertainment centers throughout the region. Last week’s event at Wessman Arena was intergenerational. Baron von Raschke, who started wrestling in 1966, served as the “commissioner.” For those a bit younger, who remember wrestling on network TV, “The Million Dollar Man,” Ted DiBiase and Eugene were present; DiBiase signed autographs and Eugene wrestled Minnesota wrestling mainstay Mitch Paradise.
If you thought wrestling was something that only happened on cable TV, you are missing out. There are more than a half-dozen wrestling promotions in Minnesota running shows throughout the state. To learn more, follow the work of Razzling Rick.
You probably haven’t heard of KTWH-FM of Two Harbors
There’s something amazing going on at a little community radio station in Two Harbors. If you haven’t heard of KTWH it is most likely due to its recent arrival upon the airwaves and its status as a low-power community radio station. If you live outside of its broadcast range, streaming online will be your only recourse, but it is well worth the effort. It is something I haven’t heard since the advent of FM in the early 1970s. DJs playing music that has merit and meaning rather than having the potential for being the opening theme song for the new CSI, set in Bugtussle, KY. (more…)
Mystery Photo #33: Champions 1913
Who are these girls? What basketball team were they on? Why were they in a photo shot in 1911 on a postcard mailed in 1911 with “Champions 1913” written on the ball?
What we do know, based on the signature on the image, is the photo was taken by Duluth photographer Louis Dworshak, owner of the Dworshak Studio at 8 N. Second Ave. W. (more…)
Charlie Parr in his own words
Charlie Parr strolled into the neighborhood yesterday—barefoot, even though it was cold and damp. We had a nice conversation on my podcast about the hardships and joys of life on the road, dropping out of school, and how he slowly got into making music as a vocation. He’s doing what he loves, and that’s what I’m trying to do: as an author, and an urban farmer. My new urban farm, Tiny Farm Duluth, is slowly coming together. The soil of formerly wasted space within the city of Duluth has been tilled, and seeds will soon be sown. (more…)
Selective Focus: Jonathan Thunder
This week’s selective focus subject has appeared on PDD before; doing the Robot on every street corner in Duluth. He even made the Best Videos of 2014 list. Even more impressive than his dance moves are his paintings. He’s also an animator and filmmaker. Jonathan Thunder tells about his diverse work.
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Meat
The short film Meat, directed by Michael Forstein and shot in Duluth, premiered online this week on the Short of the Week website.
Meat tells the story of an idealistic college student forced to take a job as a door-to-door meat salesman. Highlighting the culture clash between small-town, working-class America and its urban counterpart, Short of the Week describes Meat as “warm to the realities of poor, white, male culture, but clear-eyed to the self destructiveness and fundamental insecurity that underpins its habits. It is a remarkable work that heralds powerful new voices in Forstein and Thomsen.”
The script was written by Duluth native Colin Keith Thomsen and the cast includes Caleb Carlson (Hermantown native), John Cromwell (son of actor James Cromwell), Sari Lennick (A Serious Man; Woody Allen’s Cafe Society), and Pearce Bunting (HBO’s Boardwalk Empire). Before premiering online, Meat screened at over 30 festivals across the United States, Europe and Australia, including the Denver Film Festival, Dallas International Film Festival, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival, Rooftop Films, Indie Memphis and the Duluth Superior Film Festival.
Video Archive: The Psychic 8-Ball Hotline
In early 1996, under the assignment of the late-great UW-Superior Professor John D. Munsell, I was tasked with creating a 60-second television commercial for a Direction of Talent in Media class. Since psychic hotline ads were common on cable TV, and I grew up in a house with a rec room and a Magic 8-ball, I opted to produce this spoof. (more…)
Sustainable Design at UMD
I’m lucky to have worked on a sustainable art project on the breezeway leading to Darland Admin Building at UMD with Darren Houser, Mindy Granley, Catherine Meier, Kathy McTavish, and Wildwoods.
Duluth is a bottleneck for bird migration. Birds flying south prefer not to fly over open water, and so follow the coastline until they read the head of the lake in Duluth. (more…)
Homegrown Music Video Fest 2016
The videos from the 2016 Homegrown Music Video Festival have been popping up online, and PDD is archiving them on a page. We’ll continue to add to the collection as we find them or as they are sent to us.
Here’s a sample by Tomas Soderberg – “Machinery” by the Social Disaster