This week: a rock cabaret, a pop opera and derby-o-rama
Here’s a sampling of what you have to look forward to this week on the PDD Calendar.
The Found Footage Film Festival is at Zinema 2 tonight, featuring VHS finds from rummage sales and thrift stores.
On Tuesday George Sherman (president of Sherman Associates) and Christine Seitz (director of the Duluth Playhouse) talk about Restoring the NorShor Theater at the Kitchi Gammi Club.
Renegade presents Things to Ruin, a rock cabaret, at the Teatro Zuccone starting Thursday and running three weekends. Also opening on Thursday at The Underground is Bare: A Pop Opera, running two weekends.
Head down to the DECC this weekend to see some world class roller derby as teams from all over the U.S. (and beyond) compete in the WFTDA Division 2 Playoffs hosted by our own Harbor City Roller Dames. Competition starts on Friday and runs through Sunday.
For the festival lovers out there, this weekend is the Bike Duluth Festival and the Hoghead Festival in Proctor.
So what are you doing this week? Can we tag along? Any upcoming events that you want to promote? Let us know.
Mystery Photo: BlueBird Landing on Lake Superior’s North Shore
This photo from the mid-1940s raises a few questions, and the Internet provides fast answers to many of them. (more…)
Duluth needs a mascot
My daughter is in Japan this week with the Duluth Sister City Exchange. One of the chaperones sent this picture from their meeting with the mayor today, along with a description of “Isumi,” the Ohara Isumi City mascot.
“Her orange head is an Asian Pear. Her headband features the city flower on one side and a Spiny Lobster on the other. The blue curl on her forehead is a wave representing the Pacific Ocean and the symbol on her chest is the official Isumi symbol. She also holds a stalk of rice for the extensive rice farming in the region.”
Has there ever been a Duluth mascot? I think I might draw up a couple ideas for one. A seagull on one of those 4-wheel Lakewalk bikes holding a craft beer in one of those Bob Dylan harmonica holder thingies around his neck? Other ideas?
Seeking advice on relocating deer
Item from the PDD Inbox:
I live on Brainerd Avenue, behind UMD. The large lot behind my house and extending to Mississippi Avenue has now been bought by developers who plan to put townhouses and parking there. The lot seems to be home base to several deer, however, who roam the neighborhood from that lot, reproduce like crazy and appear to be quite content there.
There is a City Counsel meeting next Tuesday regarding zoning issues to be addressed before the builders get the go-ahead to start construction. Is there some humane way to relocate the deer who live there? Perhaps they can find Chester Bowl or the Bagley Nature Preserve on their own, but if there is some suggestion we can make at the City Counsel meeting, that would be great.
Thanks in advance for your advice on this matter.
Why does the City of Duluth hate wildflowers and butterflies?
Here in Lakeside we love our extension of the Lakewalk. One of the best features are all the wildflowers that grow along the fence, including stands of milkweed which is essential for Monarch butterflies.
So, I was shocked today to see City crews with weed whips cutting down the wild flowers along the fence.
Who could have thought this was a good idea? And how can we tell that person to stop destroying this wonderfully beautiful and diverse wildflower habitat?
Doctor Who could be coming to Duluth TV
A popular science fiction series could be airing on Duluth televisions soon. I am in the process of trying to raise money for the purchase of Doctor Who Series 7. The series would be shown on WDSE-WRPT PBS, channels 8 and 31, though it should be noted that the station wants no involvement or association in the fundraising process.
UPDATE: I am not proceeding with the fundraising campaign. The cost of Series 7 of Doctor Who is $2,800, and there is no workable way to deal with the donations.
Residential Services hiring recruiting coordinator
Residential Services, a nonprofit that provides services to empower adults and children with disabilities in living as independently as possible, is seeking an enthusiastic, motivated person to serve as recruiting coordinator at its Duluth office. The position involves interacting closely with prospective candidates and management. (more…)
Upset (at the Mayor) in Duluth
Check out the image that accompanies this DNT article: Meeting with the Duluth mayor (link to full-size photo). Yikes! There’s not a whole lotta love in that room (especially from Ms. Tie-Dye)!
Iron Mug Coffee House in Morgan Park
There is a new coffee shop, deli and pizza place in Duluth’s Morgan Park neighborhood — and it also happens to be the only coffee shop or restaurant of any kind in that neighborhood.
Iron Mug opened on July 30 in the old Lakeview Store building, which was constructed in 1916 to serve as one of the first indoor shopping malls in the United States. The building once housed a grocery store and post office, among other things. The largest major tenant in recent years was Advantage Emblem & Screen Printing, which was located in the building from about 1991 to 2008, before moving to the corner of Haines and Arrowhead roads, near the airport.
Some Iron Mug facts:
- Owned by: Felisha and Brandon Johnson
- Address: 1096 88th Ave. W.
- Phone: 218-464-5408
- Coffee served: Backroads brand from Hayward
- Hours: Open seven days a week — Mondays through Saturdays 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sundays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.:
This week: drunken civics, singing swedes and murderous danes
Here’s a sampling of what you have to look forward to this week on the PDD Calendar.
It’s a town hall meeting with booze! Mayor Don Ness is holding his first “town hall forum” at The Underground tonight with a cash bar because, in the words of our mayor, “serving alcohol will definitely increase the likelihood of complete disaster… It’ll be like nascar, everybody shows up hoping for a huge crash.” Sounds promising.
Tuey Wilson, comic juggler, performs at the Duluth Public Library on Tuesday on the outdoor stage, and, if it’s anything like his show at the Renaissance Festival, it is not to be missed. Especially if he pulls out his “flaming beanie of death.”â„¢
The Karl Oskar Choir (from our sister city, Växjö, Sweden) will be singing at Lake Place Park on Wednesday. Umlauts for everyone!
Hamlet and Thoroughly Modern Millie open at the Duluth Playhouse on Thursday and Friday. These two plays are being done in rep with the cast of one show operating as the crew for the other show. This is the product of the Playhouse Summer Teen Intensive Program. Last year they produced Metamorphoses which many people on this blog, you may remember, voted as the best play produced in Duluth all year.
The Bayfront Blues Festival runs this weekend, Friday through Sunday. You can see it at Bayfront Park or hear it from practically anywhere within 5 miles of downtown.
You may or may not be able to hear the Blues Fest at the first annual Lake Superior Art Festival at Brighton Beach on Saturday. Someone will just have to try it out.
Sunday is the last game of the regular season for the Duluth Huskies at Wade Stadium. They face off against the St. Cloud Rox.
So what are you doing this week? Can we tag along? Any upcoming events that you want to promote? Let us know.
Tracing the Week Backward
So I’m in Starbucks on Woodland, and I want to talk about so much in the last week, but chronological order would be the least taxing on my brain, so that will be the choice. (more…)
MRC needs a program coordinator
The Armory Arts & Music Center is seeking to contract a coordinator for its Music Resource Center program. The coordinator will manage MRC-related efforts including fund raising, student recruitment, guest musicians, public relations and day-to-day operations. The position is currently budgeted at about 8 hours per week.
If you are interested contact Tom Hollenhorst at tom @ dulutharmory.org. Deadline for resumes is Friday Aug. 8. Please share with anyone who might be interested. This is a great gig for the right person!
Record Stores on Highway 53: Deaf Ear Records in La Crosse
Manager Tina Melvin describes how Deaf Ear Records became a landmark in La Crosse’s downtown, and how collecting records can fill a void in a person’s life.
Fun Fact: Deaf Ear’s best-selling used record is the same as Revival Records in Eau Claire’s best-selling used record — Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours.
Part One: Vinyl Cave in Superior
Part Two: Revival Records in Eau Claire
Deaf Ear Records
112 Fourth St. S.
La Crosse WI 54601
608-782-7829
Record Stores on Highway 53: Revival Records in Eau Claire
Owner Billy Siegel opens up about how Revival Records started with liquidating his personal record collection. He mentions how selling the collection allowed the store to become an integral part of Eau Claire’s music scene.
Fun Fact: Revival Records’ best selling used record is Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours.
Part One: Vinyl Cave in Superior
Part Three: Deaf Ear Records in La Crosse
Revival Records
128 S. Barstow St.
Eau Claire WI 54701
715-514-4202
Record Stores on Highway 53: Vinyl Cave in Superior
Owners Tom Unterberger and Tom Johnson explain how their love for music lead them to open Vinyl Cave. Located in Superior, 1.7 miles off Highway 53, the store is a required stop for record collectors in search of classic-rock favorites.
Fun Fact: Vinyl Cave’s best selling used record is Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon.
Part Two: Revival Records in Eau Claire
Part Three: Deaf Ear Records in La Crosse
Vinyl Cave
1717 Belknap St.
Superior WI 54880
715-392-1477
Fourth Street Trees??
Driving past Fourth Street and 19th Avenue East today I noticed some signs saying that by 2016 all of the trees along Fourth Street would be gone. I have no idea if these signs are new, but can someone tell me what that is all about? True?
If someone wants to add a picture of the signs and tree huggers (clothes nailed to the tree to look like people hugging the trees), feel free, I didn’t have a camera along.
The Snooty Fox Tea Shop
Any information on the tea shop coming in across from Vintage Italian Pizza on East Eighth Street?
My unconventional crowd funding campaign: maternity leave!
Hello, Duluthians! I am running an unconventional sort of crowdfunding campaign and I need your help. I’m crowdfunding my maternity leave.
My due date is today, and when the baby comes, I will begin six weeks of unpaid maternity leave. I not only have to figure out how to pay the bills while I’m off, but also how to attend my best friend’s wedding in Colorado, which I am a bridesmaid in. Saving up for this hasn’t been an option, with our budget being inadequate as it is, so I am taking a leap and trying something creative.
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Nestling Robins
A few days ago, Wildwoods Rehabilitation Center got two nestling robins who were rescued from the jaws of a cat. This cat is normally an indoor cat, but his owners were packing up to move. In the flurry of packing activity, he escaped outside and in short order, had two baby birds in his jaws.
Most animals we get who have been in the mouth of a cat die within 48 hours, despite supportive care and antibiotics. If they make it past the 48 hours, we are usually home free. These two made it.
Then, the next question — would their parents still be around the nest and take them back? They were the only two nestlings that had been in the nest, so the parents didn’t have anyone left to feed and might have abandoned the nest.
We put them back in the nest this morning, and then Ian watched for several hours. Finally the mom came, and then she brought them a fat, juicy worm! It was victory snatched from the jaws of defeat, and we are thrilled — we don’t get many of those.
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Duluth wheelchair rental
A relative is going to be flying in from out of town and has some mobility issues and would like to have a wheelchair to get around while he’s here. Does anyone know a place that rents wheelchairs for short periods of time (less than a week)?
R.I.P. West Duluth Fire and Police Station / Twin Ports Amusement Building
The building at 531 Central Avenue in West Duluth was torn down on July 28, 2014. In its early years it served as the West Duluth Fire and Police Station, West Duluth Village Hall, Duluth Fire Department Engine House #8 and Duluth Police Department Station #3, among other things. (more…)