Guide to Duluth-related Blogs in 2015
The craft of writing personal blogs probably hit its stride in Duluth around 2005 and started dying out around 2010. It’s been a long time since the days PDD carried a feed of local blogs, which became unnecessary once subscription news-aggregator applications became available. There is still a strong set of Duluth-area writers and photographers dedicated to kicking out text on a regular basis, however, and we profile them here so you can check them out and add them to your feeds as you wish. (more…)
Minnesota Deer Hunting Opener 2015
No luck yet for me, hunting in Kelsey, but a couple fresh rubs nearby. Anyone else having luck?
You know the feeling. You just sat down on your bucket in your stand, it’s at little after 6 a.m. It’s still dark but you can see a sliver of light starting to climb in the southeastern horizon. Your heart is beating from your walk in and you feel so warm your thinking there is no way it is 28 degrees.
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Glen’s Neighbor – “Help Me”
New video from Duluth band Glen’s Neighbor for the second single from the album Behind the Door. The video was directed by Shane Nelson and shot during the recording process at Winterland Studios in New Hope.
The big, fat EIS
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Forest Service have released the final environmental analysis of Minnesota’s first proposed copper-nickel mine. It’s 3,576 pages long. Click here for an overview on the DNR website and to find links to download the full 263 MB of wholesome review process. A 30-day public review period begins Nov. 13 and ends Dec. 14. Update: Deadline for submitting comments has been extended to Dec. 21.
PolyMet proposes to develop an open-pit mine and processing facilities for the extraction of copper, nickel and platinum elements, with an estimated 20-year lifespan for mine operations. The proposed mine would be located in the St. Louis River watershed on the eastern edge of the Mesabi Iron Range, about 6 miles south of Babbitt and about 1 mile south of the existing iron-ore Northshore Mine. Processing of the ore would take place at a former industrial site, the LTV steel plant in Hoyt Lakes. (more…)
Selective Focus: November
Hugh Reitan, untitled
Limbs (of trees) stripped near to bare, firewood cribbed, quilts at hand, larders stocked. This is the month that Maslow’s hierarchy seems tangibly real, unless you’re an artist and thus inclined to invert the pyramid. Many diverse takes this week, despite my dread that a theme so prospectively barren would go unchallenged. Credit a strain of Scandanavian fatalism? Anyhow, thanks. (more…)
Anchor Bar & Grill on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives
The Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives featured five Duluth-area restaurants in segments shot during the spring and summer of 2010. The clip from the Anchor Bar & Grill in Superior was shot on July 1, 2010 and aired on Jan. 31, 2011. It should be noted that Guy Fieri did not actually make an appearance at the Anchor; this segment was for a “Viewer’s Choice” episode. The segment can be viewed at foodnetwork.com.
PDD Video Lab: Experimental Animation – Film to 3-D
In this silent video Adam Dargan, an animator from Duluth who now lives in Minneapolis, takes the physical exploration of film and re-imagines it in a 3-D environment.
If the silence is too much to take, we’ve selected some possible soundtracks for you. Start the video above, then press play on a soundtrack below.
Pak’s Green Corner on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives
Guy Fieri buzzed through Duluth and Superior in July 2014 to shoot four segments for Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. In this clip he visits Pak’s Green Corner in West Duluth. Pak’s closed shortly after the segment aired. The building was sold and demolished to make way for a new Superior Choice Credit Union location. (A 15-second commercial precedes the segment.)
Duluth’s first escape room opening for trial run
Three Duluthians have formed a business partnership to open a downtown storefront during the holiday season for a physical adventure game in which participants use elements of the room to solve a series of puzzles, find clues and escape.
Silent Night: A Live-Action Adventure will open Nov. 28 in the Stanley Center, 408 W. Superior St. It’s the work of a new immersive event company, Solve Entertainment, aka SolveEnt. The partnership is comprised of Andy Bennett, Richard Hansen and Matthew Wagner. (more…)
Cirrus parachute deployed in Arkansas
Note: CBS News has removed its video of this report, therefore PDD has removed the embed. There is a different, non-embeddable video at cbsnews.com.
Former Walmart CEO Bill Simon was piloting a Duluth-manufactured Cirrus SR22T heading from Bentonville, Ark., to Waco, Texas, when he ran into engine trouble shortly after takeoff. As CBS News reports in the clip above, the airplane began to lose altitude and Simon made a split-second decision to deploy the safety parachute. He glided to the ground and landed on a stretch of road, the entire aircraft still visibly intact.
Duluth 2015 General Election Results
Emily Larson cruises to victory in the mayoral race. Elissa Hansen, Noah Hobbs, Gary Anderson and Em Westerlund are new city councilors. Alanna Oswald, David Kirby and Nora Sandstad join the school board.
With all 34 precincts reporting …
Duluth Mayor
Emily Larson – 15,352 | 72%
Chuck Horton – 5,862 | 27%
Write in – 125 | 1% (more…)
Kounty Quarthouse on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives
Guy Fieri buzzed through Duluth and Superior in July 2014 to shoot four segments for Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. In this clip he visits the Kounty Quarthouse, a “five-star dive bar” in South Range. (A 30-second commercial precedes the segment.)
The Hobo Nephews of Uncle Frank – “Down the Line”
Video directed by Joshua Priestley, shot at Bayfront Festival Park on July 11.
Video Archive: Gary Doty wins second term
For your Election Day amusement we take a trip to 1995.
Twenty years ago, Gary Doty defeated challenger Herb Bergson to earn his second term as Duluth mayor. Doty served a total of three terms, holding office from 1992 to 2004. He did not seek a fourth term. Bergson became mayor in 2004, defeating Charlie Bell.
Shorty’s Pizza & Smoked Meat on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives
See the video on foodnetwork.com.
Guy Fieri buzzed through Duluth and Superior in July 2014 to shoot four segments for Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. In this clip — from season 21, episode 3, “Cross-Country Classics” — he visits Shorty’s Pizza & Smoked Meat in Superior.
Duluth Bread CSA
Duluth’s Best Bread croissant
Photo by Rolf Hagberg
Would you like to get bread and croissants every week and support local foodways? Duluth’s Best Bread is starting a community-supported agriculture program this month.
The way a CSA works is that you pay a fee up front and in turn are guaranteed bread every week — including occasional special loaves not usually offered, like challah, rye or whole wheat. All you do is come pick it up. (more…)
List of Duluth-area restaurants that are closed on Mondays
Many years ago I made the blunder of driving a friend out to Eddie’s in the outskirts of Superior on a Monday to discover it was closed. Last week some friends were texting about a meetup at the Spirit Room. The final text read: “Spirit Room is closed. Thirsty Pagan!”
In an effort to prevent other Monday-dining disappointments, and because PDD loves lists, here is a rundown of the eating establishments in the area that are closed on Mondays. If you notice a place is missing from the list, shout it out in the comments.
- Dreamland Supper Club (Also closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays)
- Eddie’s World Famous Ribs
- Johnson’s Bakery (Lakeside location closed; West End location open)
- Sclavi’s Italian Restaurant (Also closed Sundays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays)
- Snooty Fox Tea Shop
- The Spirit Room (Also closed on Sundays)
This Week: Election Day, Jackson Browne, Martin Sexton and more
Here’s a bit of what you’ll find on this week’s PDD Calendar:
Learn about your roots with the Twin Ports Genealogical Society, a new Duluth mayor (and more) is selected on Election Day, UMD is holding a lecture about the effects of mass incarceration on black men, the story of a famous ship that went down on a November not that long ago is told, Gaelynn Lea releases an album and the Duluth Explorers Club has its first meeting.
Learn to Curl, the dinner-theater show The Kitchen Witches goes up, a famous blockhead named Chuck stars in a musical, the DSSO meets local original songwriters and musicians, Jackson Browne brings his brand of Swedish black metal (j/k) to the DECC, a guy named Martin brings a ton of sex to St. Scholastica and the Chicken Hat Plays happen once again.
Gannucci’s Italian Market on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives
[This post originally contained an embedded video that is no longer available at its source.]
Guy Fieri buzzed through Duluth and Superior in July 2014 to shoot four segments for Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. In this clip he visits Gannucci’s Italian Market in West Duluth. (A 30-second commercial precedes the segment.)
Last Boo on Grandview
This is the last year the house on Grandview in the Chester Park area will be haunted. After 25 years, that’s sad, but thanks to the owners for such good times. Glad it was your house and not mine.
Positive Energy Outdoors seeks help
Can you imagine spending your honeymoon with 16 sled dogs? The founders of Positive Energy Outdoors did just that. It is emblematic of how Stephanie Love and Blake Cazier have devoted their lives to their mission of making outdoor education and exploration accessible to everyone, regardless of income level. Pictured above are two champions. On your left is Stephanie, and on your right stands SOTA, a champion lead sled dog who has won the Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon.
As many of you saw in the Duluth News Tribune recently, they face the potential closure of this popular outdoor education center if they cannot resolve a dispute with Fredenberg Township involving access to public lands. All of us in St. Louis County have a stake in this matter. After all, it was our own county board of commissioners who gifted this land to the township with the understanding that everyone currently using the land would continue to be allowed to do so. Please consider signing their petition.
To learn more about this incredible nonprofit organization, located a scant 15 miles from Duluth, check out my current post on Ed’s Big Adventure. Please help to keep this valuable center of outdoor activity alive.
Selective Focus: Ancestry
Brian Barber, “John Barber: Service station owner, school bus driver, Mayor, Parnell, MO”
This week’s theme offers the opportunity for a p.s.a.: have prints made of the images you’re making now, or we might not have the kinds of memories shown here. Digital media storage changes so quickly that having our memories in tangible form may vanish. Anyone still have a floppy drive on their pc, or a pc for that matter? (more…)
Minnesota wild rice, Adam, and his red canoe
Meet Adam Maxwell. He grew up in the Chicago suburbs. It took one Boundary Waters trip to hook him. Harvesting wild rice started out as a hobby; now it’s part of his daily life.
Video by Old Saw Media
Music: “Fight the Sea” by Josh Woodward
Updating Technology, Advancing Careers
On Oct. 15, 11 individuals from Duluth were awarded funding from the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council for its Technology/Equipment Grant Program. These grants are for individual artists seeking funding for technology needed to advance their career and body of work. (more…)