R.I.P. Westminster Presbyterian Church in West Duluth
Westminster Presbyterian Church demolition is underway at 4441 Grand Avenue in West Duluth. The church was a victim of the Historic Summer Solstice Flood Disaster of 2012, when a culvert beneath the building worked its way into the basement and wrecked the place. The city of Duluth bought it as part of its Hazard Mitigation Assistance Program. The church was built in 1961.
Update: In 2015 Westminster’s congregation moved to a new home at 9030 Beaudry St. in Duluth’s lower Smithville neighborhood.
UMD Makeouts
Yes, there is a Twitter page dedicated to posting photos of University of Minnesota Duluth students making out. It’s called UMD Makeouts, sporting the hashtag @UMD_makeouts.
Predictably, most of the photos are poorly shot. Some of them highlight cute little lovebirds, but more of them fall into the raunchy, drunken or questionably consensual categories.
Activity on UMD Makeouts seems to have dramatically slowed since mid June, either because of summer break or because good taste sometimes prevails over trends.
Cindy Vu wrote a commentary in March about this subject for the Statesman. PDD apologizes for not latching onto this saucy tidbit until five months after it was hot.
State Fair: New excitement, musty history
It’s almost time for the Minnesota State Fair. Idaho Nachos, Deep Fried Olives … Synthetic Ice Rinks … all awesome! Duluthians look at me like I’m nuts when I say I secure a hotel room every year and spend 3-4 days at the fair every year. I used to spend 4-6 days, when I lived in St. Paul. I love the fried food, I love Lililan Colton’s crop art.
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This just in: Red Mountain and Christine Hoberg are into teasing
Above: Teaser for the upcoming Red Mountain album Scowl Lightly.
Below: Teaser for the upcoming Christine Hoberg album World Within.
Both videos are from Duluth-based Lakefront Films.
This week: midways, hikes and twins
Here’s a sampling of what you have to look forward to this week on the PDD Calendar.
Hey! The Huskies made the playoffs! Which means you have one more chance to see them at Wade Stadium tonight!
The Head of the Lakes Fair opens Tuesday at the Head of the Lakes Fairgrounds in Superior and runs through Saturday.
The Bigfoot Boogie music festival is in Lake Nebagamon this weekend, starting on Thursday evening and winding up Sunday with a free pancake breakfast.
A kid friendly adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Comedy of Errors” opens at The Underground Thursday and runs two weekends.
Every Friday in August is Food Truck Friday on Michigan between the Library and the Depot.
Take a hike! There’s a guided 7.4 mile hike on part of the Superior Hiking Trail through Duluth on Saturday.
So what are you doing this week? Can we tag along? Any upcoming events that you want to promote? Let us know.
R.I.P. Gangsta/Ghetto Spur
Well, that was the word that I heard From my brother in a fur hanging out at the Gangsta Spur He said, “it always begins behind The Twins they trade a bottle a gin for night full of sin.” -Giljunko
Tonight is your last chance to patronize the infamous Gangsta/Ghetto Spur. It will soon be razed and a new SA will be built farther back toward the alley.
The GS joins its fallen brethren Johnny Ray’s Pizza, House of Donuts, Members Cooperative Credit Union and others I’m probably forgetting. Share your memories in the comments.
Twin Ports Youth Talent Show
There are a whole lot of talented young people in our community and the upcoming Twin Ports Youth Talent Show is a great way for kids to get involved while friends and family enjoy an evening of live entertainment.
Neighborhood Youth Services and the Music Resource Center are presenting the Twin Ports Youth Talent Show on Monday, Aug. 19. Youth up to age 18 can still register to compete in any of the three categories: preteen, teen or mixed (preteen and teen in same act). Both individual and group performances are allowed. Prizes will be awarded for each category. Limited to first 20 acts. Acts must register by Wednesday, Aug. 14.
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Lake Superior Gator Attack
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsLk7dArmpU
Many people don’t realize Lake Superior is infested with fearsome man-eating alligators.
Roller Derby Results
Last night, at Hodgins Berardo Arena in Coleraine, on the Iron Range, there was roller derby action.
Grand Rapids, which like Duluth now fields two derby teams (the Attackonites and the Iron Range Maidens), struggled valiantly against the dual powerhouses of Harbor City Roller Dames’ Shipwreckers and Nautikills. Last time, I got tagged by the Dames for talking too much trash (c’mon, I grew up watching wrassling, cut me some slack), and I didn’t even see this bout, so I’ll let someone else do color commentary in the comments. Little help, please?
Audio Archive: Arnold Schwarzenegger’s honorary degree acceptance speech at University of Wisconsin-Superior in 1996
On May 17, 1996, the University of Wisconsin-Superior held its 100th commencement ceremony at Siinto S. Wessman Arena. Dr. Joe Domitrz, Dean of the College of Business and Economics at UW-Whitewater, gave what had to be one of the most overshadowed commencement addresses of all time, because Arnold Schwarzenegger took the microphone a bit later to accept an honorary Doctor of Human Letters degree.
The event was carried live by KUWS Radio and Schwartzeneggar’s remarks were later rebroadcast on the KUWS program Between the Lines. Captured in the video above is the radio rebroadcast played on Public Access Community Television in Duluth back in ’96.
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A Day of Art and Craftiness
Saturday was a day of art and craftiness, and I mean that in more than one way.
15 to 31 Miles on Foot? Why Not…
Ahem. If I may, I would like to do some modest promotion for an upcoming 25k/50k run on Sept 29th. It’s called the Lightfoot, and it is a low-key, free, self-supported get-together of a run on the county roads north of the Woodland/Lakeside areas. Lightfoot provides a route, start location, and some cheering (perhaps cowbell) at the start and finish – BYO water, snacks, and emergency evacuation plan. It should be a great way to meet some fellow runners, or make an adventure out of a training run for a race later in the fall, or, if you’re the competitive sort, come out and see if you can run 25 or 50k faster than the rest of the folks who show up. Officially enter the Lightfoot by sending a postcard (because I like getting postcards), and see you in September. Details are up on Northland Runner or at duluthgravel.wordpress.com. Happy Trails!
Day labor services in Duluth area?
I am helping my grandma move from the Duluth area at the end of the month. Since estimates on hiring a moving company from Duluth to Minneapolis are pretty steep, I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations on day labor services where we could hire a person or two to help with the actual loading of boxes/furntire into the truck, etc. Any recommendations are much appreciated.
Around the time Wesley Willis died …
From the August 2003 Perfect Duluth Day archives:
- The B-52s cancel a Duluth show due to lack of ticket sales.
- Starfire endorses Greg Gilbert for mayor and plots to cover Enger Tower in bedsheets.
- Ca-chee recalls her days as a bad ass in shop class at “Ordeal” Junior High.
- Dirty Knobs vs. Duluth, Minnesota is released
- More skinny dipping.
- Godsey drinks excessively. (more…)
Beach House Wedding Rental Advice
I’m looking for some help. My partner and I are looking to get married in the summer of 2015, at the beach on Park Point. We are trying to find out if anyone on PDD has gotten married in a rental house along the beach or have any suggestions you could share. I’m not even sure if it would be allowed. We really want to go the rental house route because it is more intimate and can be cheaper than a resort and less limiting on the hours we can be there (i.e. 9pm cutoff for the Park Point Beach House). Thanks in advance for any suggestions you have!!
Perfect Breakfast Restaurant: Duluth Grill
What’s not to like about Duluth Grill? It’s a truck-stop style diner in the friendly West End neighborhood that buys from local farmers and grows some of its vegetables around its parking lot in raised-bed gardens. Owner Tom Hanson and his family have plans to build an urban orchard on the lot as well, with plum trees, black-cap raspberries, lingonberries, choke cherries and other deliciousness. They even get their honey from hives on the roof of the building. Duluth Grill is much more than a simple breakfast joint, but readers of Perfect Duluth Day strongly agreed in a recent poll that it is indeed the best breakfast restaurant in the area.
Is it the Scotch eggs? The breakfast stir fry? The curried polenta skillet? The smoked salmon omelet? The caramel apple French toast? Yes, yes, yes, yes and yes. It’s all that and more.
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Searching for Sophie’s Wreck (and Failing)
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmjg18c56AQ
There’s a small boat wrecked off the 2600 block of Park Point, nicknamed Sophie’s Wreck after the girl who first spotted it through the clear ice of a few years ago. I tried to find it the other day and wound up meeting and talking with Sophie’s mom who said the shifting sands had covered it for a year or so now. I looked for it anyway and, failing that, goofed around in a few feet of water. It was an odd feeling knowing there was a shipwreck close by, perhaps right under me, expectantly prepared to see it at any time.
New album from the Electric Witch
… So We Burn, the new album from Duluth dark-synth duo the Electric Witch (myself and Marcus Matthews of Wino, WI / The Surfactants / The Virgin Marcus etc. etc.), has just been released! Five new original songs (one featuring Moleman aka Brett Molitor of the Surfactants / Both on guitar), a Mega Man 2 cover (complete with Japanese lyrics!) and remixes from Duck Duck Punch (Twin Cities) and Cities of Earth (Denver).
You can listen to it all for free and own it for whatever you want. And keep an eye out for a full live band coming for you in the near future!
Calling Bluebird Enthusiasts
If you are in good bluebird habitat, have had bluebirds on your property, and would be willing to help Wildwoods “soft release” four juvenile bluebirds, please email us (duluthrehabber @ yahoo.com) or Facebook message us. Soft release entails offering live mealworms a few times per day and calling the young birds back with a feeding call we will teach you. Please help us transition these birds back to nature. Thanks!
The Getarounds — “I Fell Away”
New Getarounds video from a live show with the Roe Family Singers at Beaner’s Central.
Running race through the tunnels on I-35
Saturday, Sept. 14, will be the inaugural Tunnel 10K running race, starting at Fifth Avenue West and heading east on the freeway through the tunnels. At the 5K point you will turn around and finish where you started. This race is part of the Northshore Inline Marathon series of races. There is also a half-marathon running event, a half-marathon skating event, a 26.2 mile roller-skiing marathon and, of course, the race that made us famous, the 26.2-mile Northshore Inline Marathon.
This week: blues, baseball and the burnt part
Here’s a sampling of what you have to look forward to this week on the PDD Calendar.
This is the last week of the regular season for the Duluth Huskies at Wade Stadium, so you only have a handful of chances to take in a game.
Tomorrow night is National Night Out with neighborhood get togethers all over Duluth. Get out and meet your neighbors.
The Nettleton World Beat Drummers are playing with Mu Daiko at Bayfield this Wednesday. With Nettleton School now closed, I’m guessing this will be one of the last performances of the group. Anyone knowing differently, let me know in the comments.
Renegade‘s Burnt Part Boys, a musical about mining in West Virginia, opens at the Teatro Zuccone this Thursday and runs for three weekends.
At the Duluth Playhouse Metamorpheses and Grease open on Thursday and Friday and run for two weekends. These plays are part of the Summer Youth Intensive program where the cast for one show is the tech crew for the other show, so the kids you see on the stage on Thursday, will be running the show behind the scenes on Friday.
Bayfront Blues Festival is this coming weekend, running Friday through Sunday.
This weekend will also be the Festival of Fine Art and Craft at Glensheen on Saturday and Sunday.
So what are you doing this week? Can we tag along? Any upcoming events that you want to promote? Let us know.
That pizza joint on the hill
Oh, my 40-year-old brain! I have been sitting in the same chair all day trying to remember the name of the pizza place that was up on the hill, I think, across from Shakey’s. It had a weird pizza joint / olde tyme candy shoppe / barbershop quartet theme. The logo was a guy with a handlebar mustache wearing a striped red shirt. My brother remembers enormous jaw breakers. Extra credit to anyone who can name the owners. They went to Holy Rosary.
Please help. I may never sleep again.
Art (class) becomes reality?
My wife and I were having the usual musings on current society over dinner last night. We were barbecuing and she still had on her iconic McIlhenny Company Tabasco Sauce apron at the table.
Somehow the conversation turned to the smocks we had used in art class as fourth graders. These were the brown, excessively thick vinyl ones that were festooned with others’ clay frustrations and misguided painting experiments.
As I pondered this, of course my mind wandered to how this could fit into a business opportunity. The thought of mega retail in America came to mind, and the image of the stereotypical subculture of the unmentionable Walmart shopper we all know and shun — those who still find Zubaz a viable fashion statement and forgot to not sleep in their Crocs last night.
That’s it! Smocs! (Say it whilst tilting the head slightly and gurgling like a 1940’s radio character.) It could be the next huge retail trend — and not just a short-lived fad, but addressing a real need to promote the lifestyle shall we say by averting those unnecessary food droppings that mark up clothing, etc., and allowing a whole generation to sleep in their clothes for weeks on end.
Rubberized industrial Smocs in bright colors for any occasion could make for an excellent business opportunity. Might even globally increase the sale of pressure washers as well.
