Mean Beans Espresso & Creams
Duluth Primary 2013 Final Arguments
In one of the most off, off, off election years of recent memory we can really focus our grey matter on pretty much hyper-local politics. In a year like this we get a little more mainstream media coverage of the smaller races, but even still, there are a few candidates who I haven’t met or really heard much about. I’d hate to base my decisions on who to vote for in the primary on who has the most yard signs out, or worse, how I feel about the people who have the yard signs in their yards. So, PDD …
So I am asking, who are you voting for this Primary Day and why?
In the interest of moderation and well-reasoned discussion maybe try to support your feelings and instincts with actual, you know, facts and evidence. Bonus points for spouting your own opinions and not those that have been fed to you by interest groups or ideologues. I haven’t voted yet, and I’ll be reading through the comments before I do, so here is your chance to sway my decision. Polls close at 8 pm. I live in the Duluth Hillside but you can talk about any Duluth-ish race, because, you never know, maybe you can sway someone else’s vote, too.
Advice on Duluth Garage Builder
Anyone have recommendations on who to use for a garage build? Thanks in advance.
Trapping Incident: An Opinion Piece from Wildwoods
Two officers from Duluth Animal Control brought Wildwoods a juvenile skunk from near an apartment complex in central Duluth. The following is from Wildwoods Staff: (more…)
Duluth banker brings home “what probably are the first amateur motion pictures in color of native and animal life in Africa”
An interesting item from the New York Times, July 07, 1937:
Amateur films jungle in colors: Duluth banker sails today from Paris with rare movies of natives and animals
Laurence O. Anderson of the Northern National Bank of Duluth, Minn., after a month’s holiday in the Belgian Congo, will sail for the United States tomorrow on the Normandle with what probably are the first amateur motion pictures in color of native and animal life in Africa.
Minnesota State Arts Board Grantees II
Continuing my posting of FY 2013 grantees with implications for Duluth.
Partners in Arts Participation
Project grants to nonprofit or public human service organizations to give underserved individuals or groups opportunities to experience the arts.
Number of grants awarded as of May 1, 2013: 37
Total dollars awarded as of May 1, 2013: $523,000
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Grand Rapids
Too far to be a suburb, too close to be another major metropolitan area? I spent Saturday visiting the MacRostie Art Center, Infinite Games, this tasty Chinese Buffet across from the Village Bookstore, their Riverwalk… what a pleasant community.
This week: spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, inline skates and spam
Here’s a sampling of what you have to look forward to this week on the PDD Calendar.
Tuesday is a Primary Election here in Duluth and after you get your vote on you can head down to The Underground for Portrait of a Drowned Man and Toby Thomas Churchill being recorded for a future airing of The Playlist.
Time is running out for farmers markets. The UMD Market Day is every Wednesday until the end of September outside Kirby Center. The Lincoln Park Farmers Market is every Thursday through the middle of October at the Harrison Community Center.
The very very very exceedingly silly musical, Spamalot, opens at the Duluth Playhouse on Thursday and runs for five (no, three, sir) three weekends.
Transplants is a new exhibition opening at the Prøve on Friday featuring artists who have moved to Duluth.
The 18th annual Inline Skate Marathon is this Saturday following the well worn course from Two Harbors to Canal Park.
So what are you doing this week? Can we tag along? Any upcoming events that you want to promote? Let us know.
Real Shorts — Ray and the Bees
httpv://vimeo.com/74080496
Ray Lopez is a beekeeper. And he’d probably be willing to help you keep bees, too.
Part of the Real Shorts series telling true stories in under two minutes.
RJ’s Coffee Den in West Duluth
RJ’s Coffee Den reopened at a new location, 330 N. 57th Ave. W., just shy of a month ago. The Den was formerly located in Proctor, and closed in October 2011. The new owner, Renea Johnson, has hopes to keep the business alive having remodeled the former Erbert & Gerbert’s sandwich shop next to the Kom-on-Inn Bar.
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Video Archive: David Lee Roth 1987 Duluth Concert Promo
There’s already a post on PDD about the two Van Halen shows in Duluth, so here’s some love for ol’ Diamond Dave … or as the TV spot says “Dynamite.”
Mr. Nice in: We Have to Roll Together
NSFW weekly episode. Mr. Nice gives back to the community.
How are you liking the Lakewalk extension?
It’s not a long extension, but it’s a vital one, connecting Lakeside to Brighton Beach. It officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony today at noon at the 61st Avenue East and bridge section.
Grant Dollars Available
The Duluth Legacy Endowment Fund has thousands of dollars to give away this year. Last year, there were more dollars than requests. If you’re part of a group or know of a project that meets the criteria below, please click the link above for details. Application deadline is Oct. 1.
We fund volunteer and civic organizations working with the city of Duluth. Grants are awarded to projects in areas of:
- Arts & Culture
- Beautification
- Education
- Environment
- Human Service
- Parks & Recreation
Looking for our next great project!
My fiancé and I just moved to town, and we’d love to get connected with a community of folks working to do good things. Helping people breath life into their dreams is what we do, and we’ve got a whole arsenal of skills at your disposal. We just finished starting a distillery up in Leadville, Colorado, and we’re looking for our next project!
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Arts Funds in and to Duluth: Minnesota State Arts Board I
The Minnesota State Arts Board has released the names of the funded programs for 2013. Over the next few days, I’ll post the programs which name Duluth as a site or location. Most of this funding comes from the Legacy Amendment, the sales tax that supports environment, arts and cultural heritage activities.
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Shorty’s Pizza & Smoked Meat
A new restaurant on Tower Avenue in Superior has been generating some new energy along a strip that is struggling through major road reconstruction.
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Labyrinthine boulder field
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNMRi-qlNhk
So much fun to swim here. Go to Perkins on London Road, cut down to lake, go 50 yards to the right.
Perfect New Restaurant: Pak’s Green Corner
West Duluth had never seen the likes of schnitzel or poutine, much less a pad thai burrito, until Pak Williams converted the former China Station restaurant into Pak’s Green Corner in summer 2012. The friendly and funky little Asian-fusion joint — located across the avenue from a long-shuttered auto lube — was the clear-cut winner of Perfect Duluth Day’s Best New Restaurant poll.
Above: Pak Williams with the fancy Perfect New Restaurant plaque, flanked by cook Hieng Wilaiphan (left) and waitress Vicki Boynton (right).
Pak’s got off to a rocky start following its opening day, when word of the new restaurant leaked out and a positive recommendation on PDD led to a full-house showing up for lunch on day two. With one server out sick and no one around with a strong command of how the cash register or credit-card machine worked, it was a rough day to say the least.
Now, with a full year of working out the kinks behind it, Pak’s Green Corner can claim the title of Duluth’s Perfect New Restaurant, having captured 51.9 percent of the vote. Honorable mentions go out to Tycoons Alehouse and Eatery (second place, 32.5 percent) and 7 West Tap House (third place, 15.6 percent).
Cult Trailer – A Feature Film Shot in Duluth
[This post originally contained an embedded video that is no longer available at its source.]
Over the summer, I shot my first feature-length film. I made sure to feature some shots of the city in the trailer. I hope you enjoy it!
Venus DeMars and Lynette Reini-Grendall at Prøve Gallery
https://youtu.be/293BGty9tK8
On Saturday evening at the Prøve Gallery, Duluth was treated to a special acoustic performance by Duluth native Venus DeMars along with wife Lynette Reini-Grandell, who read from her poetry as part of the Duluth-Superior Pride Festival.
A not-so-perfect Duluth day in 1869
Because it’s fun to write about crime if it’s more than a hundred years old, I submit for your reading pleasure an article on Duluth’s first murder.
Writing it made me think of this a lot:
Lost Childs Merrell Shoe on Lakewalk
I lost one childs Merrell shoe on Saturday when walking on the Lakewalk. It is about a size 3 and is blue and orange with a Velcro strap. I would really like to get this shoe back, please let me know if you happen to have picked it up or have seen it. Thanks!


























