This Week: flicks, beer, the zoo and more
Here’s a bit of what you’ll find on this week’s PDD Calendar:
The Tweed Museum’s offering up another of its Tweevenings, the Chester Creek Concert Series is back in action with the North Shore Big Band, the Duluth Superior Film Festival gets underway with its five days of free programming and the watercentric Reel Paddling Film Festival also joins the film fray.
The Duluth Playhouse opens the play Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Fitger’s Brewhouse serves up its 4000th (!) batch of beer, Duluth’s Parks and Rec department holds a public meeting on what the future might hold for the zoo, a shop is popping up at the Depot, Pete from Beaner’s is throwing his big ole music festival again and Rich Mattson is releasing a new album with his band the Northstars.
The Dark Web Movie
This post is from a Texas friend:
Back in 2013 I posted [somewhere else, not on Perfect Duluth Day] about the arrest of my nephew Ross Ulbricht for allegedly running Silk Road. I remember many on this forum [another forum, not PDD] jumped to condemn him and still might hold the same view. FYI: He admitted to creating it as a free-market experiment, but that is all, as he left it to do other things (and I have reason to believe him). The murder-for-hire claim was a story to drive public opinion and he was never charged with it. (more…)
Video Archive: Making Beer with Barrett and Paul
Episode 1: Preparation
Ten years ago video blogs, or “vlogs” became the latest Internet trend, boosted by the launching of YouTube. Back then, the founders of Perfect Duluth Day each had their own separate websites where they showcased videos, which they often cross-posted on PDD. The “Making Beer with Barrett and Paul” series, featuring Barrett Chase and Paul Lundgren, is one example of those early, low-fi productions.
The St. Paul Pioneer Press wrote about the subject in a May 16, 2005 article. The excerpt below is the part that relates to Duluth: (more…)
The Farsights – “Heaven” (Live at Homegrown)
Duluth band The Farsights perform at Tycoons Alehouse during the 2015 Homegrown Music Festival in this clip from the May 21 episode of WDSE-TV’s The PlayList.
Rhubarbarism
Once upon a time I would not have guessed that I’d ever witness somebody stealing rhubarb, but yeah, that’s what this guy did behind our neighbors’ garage this afternoon. (more…)
Selective Focus: Memorial
Brian Barber, “Cat Portrait”
Some vivid reminders this week that memorials can take many forms- anything from the solemn to the absurd. It’s good to recall our histories, our milestones, and our experiences with due reverence at times, and at others with some humor and an ironic distance. (more…)
The Duluth Superior Film Festival needs wheels!
The Duluth Superior Film Festival needs a 12/15/18-passenger vehicle for use during the festival. Every year the fabulous Riki McManus of the Upper Minnesota Film Office takes filmmakers and guests around the area and shows them all the great locations the area has to offer in an effort to get them to come back and shoot their next film here. In the past, we rented the vehicles, or got great help from the Duluth Experience. TDE is booked this year, and some weird liability change has taken all the rentals out of the market. Do you have (I’m looking at you, local bands) or know of anyone who could let us use one of these types of vehicles? We have money! Dates of use would just be a few hours on Friday, June 5 and Saturday, June 6. Please contact richard @ ds-ff.com if you know of anyone who could help. Thank you! Come see some free films!
Spirit Mountain a finalist for $100K in online contest
Duluth’s Spirit Mountain is one of three locations in the running for the $100,000 prize offered by Bell Helmets to fund a trail-building project. Voting in the nationwide contest is being conducted on bellhelmets.com and will continue through June 4.
Cyclists of Gitchee Gumee Shores is the nonprofit organization leading Duluth’s effort. Spirit Mountain is competing for the 2015 Bell Built grand prize against projects in La Grange, Calif. and Knoxville, Tenn.
Participants needed for Duluth linguistics survey
I’m a linguist at UMD working on a project on Duluth English. I need to find four people from the Lakeside-Lester area to use in the study. I’m looking for participants between the ages of 18-35 who have lived the majority of their lives in the Lakeside-Lester area.
If you have an extra hour and would be willing to make a couple of short audio recordings for me, please give me a shout at:
wnsalmon[at]d[dot]umn[dot]edu.
The recordings will take less than an hour, and I will pay $15 for your time. Thank you!
Google updates satellite view, old things found in Duluth
In general I’m not too pleased with the new Google Maps, but the satellite view was very recently updated — with images from possibly just a few weeks ago — which is pleasing because there was no greenery, so you can more easily spot hidden gems that would normally be obscured from view in a more summer-like setting. Here are some of the things I’ve found and rediscovered:
Half an old railroad trestle in Jay Cooke State Park.
Ruins of old homes in Duluth.
An old abandoned road near Arrowhead Road.
A long abandoned logging railroad bed near the Duluth International Airport.
Note: on Internet Explorer, it activated some 3-D feature with the older satellite view and crude 3-D layout, not sure how to turn it off.
Getting to know Adam Swanson
My quest to network and develop friendships within our local community of artists continues. In advance of Adam Swanson’s upcoming opening reception at the Great Lakes Aquarium later this week, read more about this fascinating local artist here.
This Week: Baseball, bluesmen and more
Here’s a bit of what you’ll find on this week’s PDD Calendar:
Lots of post-Memorial Day activities on tap, including Thunder of Freedom at Teatro Zuccone, Charlie Parr’s album-release show at the Red Herring, the Duluth Huskies’ home opener at the evolving Wade Stadium, Art Night Out 2015 at the Depot and an exploration of the Duluth Children’s Museum for adults.
There’s also the 2015 Berserkon gamestravaganza, the 2015 Arrowhead Arts Awards, the unlocking of a long-locked room at Glensheen Mansion, a fundraising tribute to the life and work of Eric Swanson at Sacred Heart, Bent Paddle’s Festiversary and the Spirit of the Times fundraiser at Zeitgeist Arts.
Feeding LeRoy – “Telluride Song” (Live on The PlayList)
Duluth band Feeding LeRoy performs a song from the Love is a Gamble EP on the May 21 episode of WDSE-TV’s The PlayList.
Happy tick season to all
Ticks are most active from mid-May through mid-July.
- Walk in the center of trails.
- Conduct frequent strip searches.
- Tweeze ’em and torch ’em.
Perfect Duluth Day is now on Instagram
Hello! My name is Kahla Statema, and if you can’t pronounce my name, it’s Kayla Stat-uh-mah. I’m the new intern at Perfect Duluth Day and also the face behind the PDD Instagram.
I am a journalism major with a minor in photography at UMD, and what some would call a “fourth-year sophomore.” I’ve always been a writer and used mediums such as poems and short stories to express myself when I was a kid. I enjoy writing stories on just about anything, but my number one dream is to become a freelance travel writer. If you would like to take a look at my personal work, check out my online portfolio.
Follow PDD on Instagram at @perfectduluthday and get ready for a great summer in Duluth!
Duluth Apartment-seeking Advice
I’ll be moving to Duluth this summer to take a job at UMD, and I’m seeking advice about finding apartments to rent. I’m looking for a nice and well-kept one- or two-bedroom place, pet friendly. Any tips about which rental companies to avoid, which are reliable, average prices and what you get for it, neighborhoods, how to avoid bad apartments that look good online, or tips about good places coming available? Thanks!
Douglas County fawn emergency created and averted; raccoon adventures
Selective Focus: Permaculture
Charlie Danielson, untitled
In an age of dire news the term “permaculture” may seem optimistic. Still, what might have been the province of raving hair-shirts not long ago now looks to be among our sanest alternatives to hegemony. Permaculture is an organizing principle of practices that assert systemic, creative approaches to the reuse of natural resources to sustain both people and native animals on a local scale. The Arrowhead is fortunate to have a concentration of people at the forefront of this movement, and the attached links are well-worth following. (more…)
Duluth Library Fine Coupon
Poking around the Duluth Public Library website and found this new Fine Forgiveness program. It’s a coupon worth up to 5 bucks off accrued fines. Get your library card out of hock!
Duluth Milk Company
MPR News is running a series this week featuring photos by St. Paul native John Vachon, who worked for the Farm Service Administration and Office of War Information. From 1938 to 1943 he documented American life and how relief programs were helping those struggling through the Great Depression.
The image above is the only Duluth photo featured by MPR, but there are a few Iron Range and Beltrami County gems.
A look at Bunyan territory in 1939
Minneapolis’ milling history through John Vachon’s lens
Twin Cities streets at the end of the Depression
John Vachon captures Minnesota at work, 1939-1941
John Vachon captures Minnesota farm life at Depression’s end
Duluth Grill book in Barnes & Noble
Hey! A little late here with the news, but The Duluth Grill Cookbook has been picked up by Barnes & Noble in all Minnesota and Wisconsin stores. This is fun. My favorite news appearance was in Madison, not the least because they told me right at the last minute they’d love to see a cooking demo. I was not prepared for a cooking demo.
A Window Into Food Farm’s Soul
The day before yesterday I pedaled 60 miles roundtrip to make an appearance in a Kickstarter video for the Food Farm CSA. An image I’ll leave you with is spandex and rubber boots.
Read more about this fascinating place here.