Temperance River GoPro – Lost & Found in a Beautiful Place
Two summers ago Kyle Puelston lost his GoPro jumping into Temperance River up the North Shore. He figured it was gone forever. Luckily, a year later, Chris Flores and his brother Kyle Puelston found it while snorkeling at the mouth of the river. (more…)
Bird’s Eye View of Leif Erickson Park
Here’s the first installment in the North Shore Series by BlueSky Aerial. I flew around Leif Erickson Park in Duluth and got some really gorgeous video! If you like what you see and/or you want to learn more, don’t be afraid to like and subscribe on YouTube and keep checking in for more footage of the North Shore.
Carrying Root From the Cab at Skunk Lake
This 1909 drawing by Jay Hambridge depicts a train that attempted to outrun the Great Hinckley Fire of 1894. Engineer James Root chugged his St. Paul and Duluth Railroad locomotive into the burning city, where it was quickly stampeded by people trying to board and escape the disaster. The fire raged forward and the train ignited.
Root reversed the engine and raced six miles north to Skunk Lake. Within minutes of its arrival the train was engulfed as passengers dove into the mud and water. Root was pulled from the train and counted among the lucky survivors. Over 400 people died that day.
Nirvana – “Lake of Fire”
Wanted to make sure this was logged if it hadn’t been.
I knew a lady who came from Duluth
She got bit by a dog with a rabid tooth
She went to her grave just a little too soon
And she flew away howling on the yellow moon”
This Week: Zoo boozin’, bench buildin’, Minecraftin’ and more

Here’s a bit of what you’ll find in this week’s PDD Calendar:
Beaner’s Central kicks off another week of live music that leads to an annual compilation album, Spike Carlsen chats about writing while he builds a bench, Choice, Unlimited is throwing an arts showcase at Clyde Iron, people can drink wine at the Zoo, kids can Minecraft with their peers at the Library and the Minnesota Ballet is having a ball.
The new Tobey Maguire flick opens at the Zinema, the ninth-annual Grand Traverse hike/run event takes place, the 16th annual Lester River Rendezvous recreates the fur-trading days, Artcetera 2015 lands at the DECC, Legacy Glassworks celebrates half a decade in operation with a big concert and Twin Cities “it” band Hippo Campus comes to the Red Herring.
Mayor Ness banned from Labor Temple’s Wellstone Hall for life
From the Sept. 16 issue of Labor World:
Without opposition a motion was made, seconded, and carried to ban Don Ness from the Duluth Labor Temple’s Wellstone Hall for life.
Time Inc. looking for ATV riders
Time is looking for local ATV riders for a video they are shooting soon.
A production team will be in Minnesota to film a short 2-3 minute video for a series that we produce quarterly. This particular shoot will feature an SUV and up to 6 subjects on an off-road trail in Gilbert. Shoot days are October 1st and 2nd.
The subjects we’re looking for are ATV enthusiasts, with their own ATVs, who are rugged, athletic, between 35 and 50, and local to the Gilbert area.
Participants will be expected to ride their ATV on a closed off-road course and then enjoy a ride in our Expedition on the same or similar course on video.
Time Inc. will compensate each applicable participant featured in the video $150 for their time during the two day shoot.
If interested, please email me at [email protected] for more details.
Please include a recent photo of yourself, and one of your ATV, full name, height and address.
This offer is on a first-come basis so please reply soon and feel free to share this offer.
“Duluth is a good town”
This little gem is postmarked Sept. 18, 1905. Hopefully Ermina B. Smith of Menominee, Mich., believed it. It’s still true more than a century later. (more…)
David Campbell interviews Dave Campbell
David Campbell of the Current interviews Duluth’s Dave Campbell, Aerial Lift Bridge chief operator.
Selective Focus: Fringe

Jason Linus, untitled
Where’d we be without the square pegs, the odd ducks, and the outliers? Blaine, probably. Feels like I’ve landed somewhere that not only appreciates, but cultivates individuality. Not eccentricity for its own sake or ostentatious outrageousness; still, there is a climate of mutual support here, and a community that values unconventional ways of approaching life, accommodating people and schemes that yield weird, unanticipated, often gratifying things. (more…)
Putting Duluth on the map
Posting the Duluth Fire button to the Duluth Button Collection recently made me think of the Duluth Experience logo, which reminded me that Perfect Duluth Day briefly had an on-the-map logo at the end of 2003, before the official and current logo was developed in 2004.
Are there other logos putting Duluth on the map? And yes, I did notice the mark on the Duluth Fire map seems to be placed over Floodwood. I also think the old PDD logo artist intentionally made it look like the tip of Lake of the Woods was broken off.
Glen’s Neighbor – “Bad Habit”
Duluth band Glen’s Neighbor has released its debut album, Behind the Door, along with this video, directed by Shane Nelson and shot during the recording process at Winterland Studios in New Hope.
Band personnel:
Blake Shippee, guitar/vocals
Gary Kalligher, bass
Nate Weiler, banjo/mandolin/vocals
Pat Byrne, drums/vocals
Christoph Bruhn, guitar
Chris Urtel, dobro
Puppy Love: East End Dog Park folks need fence help
My dog Nero pleads with you! The Duluth City Council approved the East End Dog Park for Riley Road, and the buyers of Morgan Park Middle School have offered up the chain-link fencing. We just need muscles and some tools to help get that fencing down.
Info can be found at duluthdogparks.com. If you have a few hours and a love of puppies, show up Friday, Sept. 18, and/or Saturday, Sept. 19, both days starting at 9 a.m. Come when you can and stay as long as you are able.
Items needed: People, ladders, socket sets/ratchets, work gloves, people, bolt cutters, crescent wrenches and people!
What was that thing by the old Arrowhead Bridge?
Shortly after the “Postcards from the Arrowhead Bridge” post went up, my distant cousin started calling and emailing with the question, “What was that little thing in St. Louis Bay, on the Superior side of the Arrowhead Bridge, looking north?” So let’s finally get to the bottom of that. (more…)
Duluth 2015 Primary Election Results
With 41 out of 41 precincts reporting, Emily Larson and Chuck Horton are the winning candidates in the mayoral race, advancing to the General Election in November. Jay Fosle and Janet Kennedy advance in the Fifth District City Council race.
Duluth Mayor
(Top two candidates advance to General Election)
Emily Larson – 5,456 | 67.32%
Chuck Horton – 1,505 | 18.57%
Howie Hanson – 732 | 9.03%
James Mattson – 177 | 2.18%
John Socha – 111 | 1.37%
John Howard Evans – 51 | 0.63%
Thomas Cooper – 45 | 0.56%
Robert D. Schieve – 27 | 0.33%
Fifth District Duluth City Councilor
(Top two candidates advance to General Election)
Jay Fosle – 945 | 56.08%
Janet Kennedy – 671 | 39.82%
Allan Beaulier – 44 | 2.61%
Derrick Ellis – 25 | 1.48%
At-large Duluth School Board Member
(Top two candidates advance to General Election)
Renee K. VanNett – 3,351 | 44.70%
Alanna Oswald – 2,437 | 32.51%
Jim H. Unden – 1,708 | 22.79%
District Two Duluth School Board Member
(Top two candidates advance to General Election)
David Kirby – 1,044 | 58.65%
Charles Obije – 461 | 25.9%
Jane Hammerstrom Hoffman – 275 | 15.45%
Duluth Bombardier Hat
Does anyone know where I can purchase a local bombardier-style winter hat, perhaps leather exterior but not a fur interior? I have not been able to find one myself. Thanks in advance.
Duluth-area Theater Primer 2015-2016

Theater season is upon us, and the Duluth/Superior area has you covered. There are a variety of shows happening every month, ranging from comedy to drama and something for the kiddos. (more…)
This Week: voting, rocking, ballooning and more

Here’s a bit of what you’ll find on this week’s PDD Calendar:
It’s primary time, Take it With You returns to the Underground with a Chaperone Records-heavy ep, John Mark Nelson and Mary Bue play the Red Herring, the show The Foreigner opens at the Playhouse, Unplugged XIV gets underway in Grand Marais and John Prine plays the DECC.
Le Festival des Montgolfières à Duluth 2015 — that’s a hot-air balloon festival for the non-French, out there — hits Bayfront Festival Park, R.T. Quinlan’s bar celebrates 25 years in action with a two-day music slate, kids can sleep amongst the animals at the Zoo, Dancing at Lughnasa continues at Teatro Zuccone, the 2015 Chester Bowl Fall Fest happens and so does the NorthShore Inline Marathon.
Something for a rainy day
I’d heard about Rainworks quite a while ago and filed it away in my mind as something awesome that I’d never be lucky enough to see. And then they had a Kickstarter. I’ve already made my pledge, in the hopes that they reach their goal and I can put up some rain activated artwork in my neighborhood but I think the Twin Ports would be a great candidate for lots of this … something to make us look forward to rainy days instead of dread them. However, there are only seven days left in their Kickstarter and there is a ways for them to go!
Teachers and parents, think of the potential for you! Anyone really. If enough of us got this set up, you could have rainy day scavenger hunts all over Duluth or Superior.
“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, but learning to dance in the rain.”
You can’t put a campaign sign there
One of the more clever Facebook pages of recent times has to be “You can’t put a campaign sign there,” which launched on Sept. 9. The candidates probably didn’t place the signs themselves, of course, but it’s still amusing.
After three days, Chuck Horton leads the race with seven allegedly illegal sign placements, followed by Howie Hanson and Karl Spring, who each have just one. (That’s just counting the gallery images; it looks like there are also a few “visitor posts” that aren’t in the gallery.)
That’s quite a lead for Horton, but at this stage Perfect Duluth Day’s prognosticators still think it’s too close to call.
Chatting with Artists
In the past few weeks, I have had too much coffee with artists.
Deer Woman: A Vignette, edited by Allie Vasquez and written by Elizabeth LaPensée featuring art by Jonathan Thunder. Winner of the Awesome Foundation Portland’s Peoples’ Choice Award. (more…)
Missing Person: Sheila Lou St. Clair
The Duluth Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in locating a missing person — Sheila Lou St. Clair. She is a 48-year-old Native American female, 5’5″ tall, 125 lbs., with black hair and brown eyes. St. Clair has not been seen since sometime before Sept. 1 in the area of the 100 block of West Third Street. If you know St. Clair’s whereabouts call 911.





















