Minnesota Wine Exchange closing?
Did Minnesota Wine Exchange go out of business? Or is it just changing locations? I bought a half-price gift certificate and went to use it, but it looked like they were packing up.
I really need to stop buying these gift certificates. I think it’s a curse to the business. I bought three for Thai Krathong and never got to use them. Sad to see these unique businesses go.
Paul Robeson in Duluth
What is Paul Robeson’s connection to Duluth? For some reason I’ve never wondered about this before. Today someone asked me.
Paul Robeson was a singer, actor and football player who was involved in the Civil Rights Movement. You can read about him on Wikipedia and numerous other places on the Internet.
The Paul Robeson Ballroom is part of the Kozy Apartments complex, which has been shuttered since 2010 due to three arson fires. (Photo above by Daniel Kerkhoff.)
There is a one-man show, The Tallest Tree in the Forest, running at Arena Stage in Washington D.C. through Feb. 16, that mentions Robeson was in Duluth in 1947. (The show is probably based, at least in part, on the 1977 documentary film The Tallest Tree in Our Forest.)
That’s all we’ve got. Help fill in the blanks.
Five Perfect Duluth Years on WordPress
A minor anniversary for Perfect Duluth Day: Five years ago today we stayed up late on a Friday night and switched to the WordPress publishing platform. From September 2005 to January 2009 PDD used Moveable Type and looked like this:
PDD Shovel Cam
While Cory has been traveling to exotic locations and honing his skills with the PDD Drone, I’ve been perfecting the PDD Shovel Cam.
From Gaylord to Mookie: The Best Names in the 1982 Topps Baseball Card Set
How this could possibly be relevant to the Perfect Duluth Day website will be explained at the end, but up top we present the 30 best names of the 1981 Major League Baseball season, as preserved for history in 1982 Topps cards.
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NorShor: Duluth’s big bet on Old Downtown
“Ghosts and spirits make the place. So when you sit down and play a place like the NorShor, not only do you have a group of people sitting around you, but you have another community of history sitting around you, too.” — Charlie Parr
Minneapolis Star Tribune: “Stage set for restoration of NorShor Theatre in Duluth“
Save the robots! Volunteers needed.
On March 6-8 there are two major regional For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology robotics events scheduled at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center. High School teams from all over Minnesota and beyond will participate in these events.
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Call for Photo Submissions: 4x V3.0
The Duluth Photography Institute’s 4x exhibit is back (pronounced “Four-by” as in 4×6, 4×8, etc.) We are hoping to get over 200 submissions this year!
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Chester Bowl on MPR’s “Minnesota Sounds and Voices”
Dan Olsen from MPR did a story on Chester Bowl that aired today. Fantastic photos by Derek Montgomery too.
2014 John Beargrease Aerial Drone Video
The PDD Drone was back in the skies yesterday capturing the start of the 30th annual John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon. The weather was great and the winds held off just long enough to get in some air time above the race starting line at Duluth East High School.
Music courtesy of the4onthefloor (www.4otf.com)
This week: Liars, Cloud Cult and a fest of awesomeness
Here’s a sampling of what you have to look forward to this week on the PDD Calendar.
Doomtree: Team the Best Team, a music documentary about the Minneapolis hip hop group, plays at Zinema 2 on Tuesday.
The Underground continues its Song Interrupted series with Rich Mattson singing and talking about what he’s singing and why on Wednesday.
Chester Chat is a series of TED talk-like presentations at Glensheen. This Thursday the focus is on regional arts with presentations by Sarah Brokke, Anne Dugan and Jennifer Webb.
Cloud Cult returns to Duluth to play Clyde Iron on Friday.
The Liar, a play by Pierre Corneille and translated by David Ives opens, opens at St. Scholastica on Friday and runs two weekends.
Awesome Fest, a fest of awesomeness, runs Friday through Sunday at Mont du Lac with outdoor winter sports, indoor winter drinking, music, a costume contest and more.
The DECC will be a great place for people watching on Saturday as the refined DSSO crowd going to their concert of Bach, Barber and Brahms at Symphony Hall meets up with the Justin Moore fans going to Amsoil Arena. Post pics.
So what are you doing this week? Can we tag along? Any upcoming events that you want to promote? Let us know.
Lake Superior: Ice in Motion
Video by Dawn M. LaPointe, shot at Brighton Beach in Duluth.
Bobcats and Trapping and a Happy Ending
Five weeks ago, a couple in northern Minnesota noticed that a bobcat on their property seemed to have part of a snare around his neck. They wanted to help, but weren’t sure what to do.
Duluth Mystery Photo #2: Family Outing
This photo is for sale on eBay under the headline “Vintage 1905 Cabinet Photo Duluth Minnesota Family Outing Woods Photograph 1052.” So what family is this? Where are they?
Wicked Divas
So I walked, as apparently hundreds do, across the skywalk over I35 from Downtown Duluth to see the DSSO tonight. The “Wicked Divas” program featured Julie Reiber and Laura Woyasz, two vocalists who have performed in “Wicked” on Broadway, along with selections from Carmen and from Gloria Estefan, for example, by the Orchestra sans vocalists.
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Call for Art: My Funny Valentine
Washington Gallery is looking for funny, silly, sappy, quirky, corny, odd, goofy and peculiar musings on love and romance in the form of visual, written or fine art for a show opening Feb. 14 entitled “My Funny Valentine.” The deadline is Feb. 7.
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Where to donate for homeless
Cold weather has many people wondering what they can do to help the growing number of Duluthians experiencing homelessness. Obviously we need systems change and more housing. In the meantime, the Duluth Street Outreach Team is making sure people are accounted for, connected to housing resources and as warm as possible. If you are homeless or have tips on people who may be homeless, please call our 24-hour hotline at 218-461-8505.
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Video Archive: Christopher Halverson – “Brave Captain”
“Brave Captain” is an old Firehose song.
The Halverson version was recorded by UWS Studio II at R.T. Quinlan’s Saloon on Sept. 16, 1995. Produced by Brandon Leno. Edited by Brandon Leno and Margo Abramson. Audio engineering by Eric Swanson. Production assistance by Renee Hudacek, Melissa Long, Paul Lundgren, Dinelli Seneviratne and Nathan Steigman.
Water Film Fest at UWS – send in an entry
We will be having a Water Film Fest – films about water, life in water, importance of water, etc. Any season (winter through summer topics) would be fine. There will be local films, national, and international. We’d like the films to be under 10 minutes. The event will run from 6-8:30 p.m. on Feb. 13 at Swenson Hall Room 1012 (next to Yellowjacket Union). It’s free. If you’d like to submit an entry email grethenw @ ci.superior.wi.us. The film fest is sponsored by the City of Superior Environmental Services and the Lake Superior Research Institute. We love clean and healthy water.
This thread’s for you, Mr. Black Lab
After skiing the Lester, I was pretty cold and a little wet, but decided to go down and check the ice structures at Brighton Beach anyway. The few people there sat in their cars but I walked out and gave them something to look at — a guy walking around looking at the lake. Then I witnessed an improperly dressed dude walking his Labrador turn back abruptly to the safety of his car. Black Lab you ask? Hell no! The cold didn’t bother him one god damned second. He was living in the moment. Happy as can be.
This thread buds for you, Mr. Black Lab.
Battery of a police officer or excessive force arrest? Here we go again.
Natasha Lancour was arrested in the parking lot of the Keyport Lounge on Jan. 5 for allegedly striking Superior Police Officer George Gothner. Above is the unedited dashboard-cam video; below is a report from WDIO-TV.
Duluth reference in The Cutting Edge
Yes, the 1992 movie The Cutting Edge is utterly cheesy, but we’re nothing if not thorough at PDD, so we must include it with the other references to Duluth in the realm of major motion pictures.
D. B. Sweeney plays the part of Doug Dorsey, a hockey player from the fictional town of Mayhorn, Minn., which is apparently supposed to be near Duluth. When Sweeney’s career is cut short, he goes back to Minnesota. It is unclear whether he is in Mayhorn or Duluth, but the radio station he listens to broadcasts out of Duluth.
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Duluth Superior Film Festival
I was able to attend a recent Duluth-Superior Film Festival party. At the risk of turning PDD into a celebrity gossip sheet — can you spot the local arts personalities?