Park Point Ferry

You might have seen the news story on a University of Wisconsin-Superior feasibility study of a water taxi between Barkers Island and Park Point. In what’s old is new again, I remember hearing of a ferry that used to run between Superior and the end of Park Point, when a community of summer cabins existed out there. But I can’t find any information on it, such as when it operated and where it docked on either the Superior or Park Point sides. Does anybody know where I can find any information on that?

HistoryBarkers IslandMinnesota Point and Park PointQueriesTransportation

Lake Superior Sandstone

I remember a while back, there was a discussion about sandstone quarrying and that some quarries had records of notable buildings that were constructed from their stone. I just attended a meeting of the Heritage Preservation Commission in Minneapolis tonight where the Sumner T. McKnight mansion on Park Avenue was nominated for a historic designation study. It is constructed out of Lake Superior sandstone. I couldn’t help but to wonder if there is any quarry records that correlate with this building. Would anyone know how to find the answer to that?

Queries
Bayfront Reggae and World Music Festival
Dubh Linn Irish Pub: Pro Comedy Tour

Bullhorn Permit??

One of my buddies was horsing around with a megaphone this weekend – he was announcing an impromptu ski race. The police showed up and told him that he needed a “megaphone permit” in order to OWN a megaphone [perhaps he meant “use”?]. Anyway – we have been reviewing the city permit page and can’t find the requisite paperwork. Should the authorities have referenced a different regulation? Anybody have experience with this?

Queries

Homegrown Video Fest 2013

Zombies! Fast Cars! Cowboys! Cheese sauce!

We will be archiving the 2013 Homegrown Music Video Fest videos on this page as they continue to get sent to us. It was another standing room only premiere this year at the Zinema. There will be encore screenings Wednesday at Zinema, and Sunday at Sara’s Table / Chester Creek Cafe.

MusicVideosHomegrown Music Festival
Ashwabay Alliance / Big Top Chautauqua
Vision Pro: Clear Vision

Homegrown in Memorium

Today marks the passing of Stella the Dog, a Staffordshire Terrier/Australian Shepherd mix and my great companion, just two-days shy of her 15th birthday. Stella is noted in Homegrown lore as the dog who, in 2000, destroyed one of the first two official Homegrown kickballs roughly 30 seconds after Starfire arrived at Chester Park and tossed the newly purchased balls onto the field. She spent most of the rest of the day carrying its carcass, occasionally thrashing it about. (more…)

R.I.P.Homegrown Music Festival

Homegrown 2013 on KUMD

Once again it’s a Homegrown Music Festival extravaganza on KUMD  all week long. We’ll have Live from Studio A sessions with Homegrown bands every week day, plus a two-hour edition of the Local Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m. featuring performances from Toby Thomas Churchill, Tim Kaiser, and more. (more…)

MusicHomegrown Music FestivalWDSE "The North"
Weis Eye Center
Pizza Luce: The Bulgogi

Wild Turkeys in the Snow

Wrenshall’s Mark “Sparky” Stensaas has had up to 19 wild turkeys at his feeder. He tells the full story on his Photonaturalist blog.

OutdoorsVideosMark "Sparky" Stensaas

This week: Homegrown and everything else

  

Here’s a sampling of what you have to look forward to this week on the PDD Calendar.

Well, let’s address the 800 lb. chicken in the room. It’s Homegrown week with lots of shows in lots of venues all week long. And, this year, Perfect Duluth Day is providing a handy guide on your smartphone. Admit it. You love us.

Love your Lakewalk? You have opportunities to show your love this week with clean-up days on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday. There’s also a volunteer day at the Rose Garden on Tuesday.

Thursday is Pancake Day down at the DECC, an annual fundraiser for the Lion’s Club.

In the world of theater:

Saturday is May the Fourth (aka International Star Wars Day) and so, of course, the DSSO is doing a concert dedicated to music from the James Bond films. Bring a lightsaber anyway.

So what are you doing this week? Can we tag along? Any upcoming events that you want to promote? Let us know.

Events
Pizza Luce: The Bulgogi
Fond-du-:Luth Casino: Thursday

Homegrown Music Festival 2013: The Chicken App for your mobile phone, other schedule formats and social media crap

The URL for PDD’s Homegrown Chicken App is calendar.perfectduluthday.com/homegrown, if you want to check out the Homegrown schedule on the fly from your mobile device. (more…)

EventsMusicHomegrown Music Festival

Homegrown Music Fest 2013 – Live Tweets #hgmf13

The “official” Twitter hashtag of this year’s Homegrown Music Festival is #hgmf13. So tweet away!

MusicHomegrown Music Festival
Pizza Luce: The Bulgogi

Grebes

This is Wildwoods’ third grebe in two days! (more…)

RandomWildwoods Rehabilitation

Nerd Nite Lite

Nerd Nite Lite was an Abridged Nerd Nite to celebrate the grand opening of the Underground performance space in the Depot (in the former Children’s Museum space). Images below. (more…)

Geeky
Pizza Luce: The Bulgogi
Fond-du-:Luth Casino: Thursday

Sustainability Event at UMD: One World, One Environment

OWOE was a collaborative event bringing together UMD students, faculty, staff, and community members to explore and discuss issues connected to our plantet. Photos below. (more…)

Random

Rollerdames!

The Rollerdames crushed Fargo! (Those ND gals skate with their shoulders instead of their feet!) (more…)

SportsVideosHarbor City Roller DerbyRoller Derby
Pier B Resort: Courtside Concerts
Glensheen

Homegrown Music Festival 2013 Schedule Spreadsheet

Here is it if you want it.

EventsMusicNews and Current AffairsHomegrown Music Festival

Copper and Nickel Mining in Minnesota

[This post originally contained an embedded video that is no longer available at its source.]

Here’s a video from a UMD Center for Ethics and Public Policy discussion about mining in our region.

Congrats to Shane Courtland, the director, for creating a space for this important dialogue.

News and Current AffairsVideosMining
Weis Eye Center

This week in LakeVoice: Community photography project

This week, LakeVoice released its first all-photo issue. The LakeVoice reporting team teamed up with community members to go out into Duluth and chronicle the faces of our diverse community. Check out our photo stories of a day in the life of a florist, a West Duluth mechanic, Lakeside business owners and the faces of Canal Park and the Lakewalk along with many other photos, including many submitted by community members. (more…)

PhotosLake Voice NewsUMD

Daredevils @ World Championship

The Duluth East Daredevils are at the FIRST World Championship in St. Louis, and are ranked 5th going into the second day of qualification matches. Robots!

RandomGeeky
Vision Pro: Clear Vision

Homegrown Banjo Breakdown

If you hang out on PDD or Facebook or the corner of Lake Avenue and Superior Street long enough, you’ll hear a Duluth musician complain about how many banjos there are in the local music scene. Personally, I’ve heard Duluth referred to as “the banjo capital of the world,” and I’ve heard people say — not even jokingly — that it’s almost impossible to spend a night in the local music venues without hearing a banjo. On one hand, I understand what they are saying, but on the other hand, it seems like tremendous hyperbole.

The purpose of this post is to try and figure out, as accurately as possible, the percentage of bands playing Homegrown that feature a banjo, and to discuss whether or not that percentage is an excessive amount of banjos. (more…)

MusicBanjosGeekyHomegrown Music Festival

Where in Duluth?

Where in Duluth?
Vision Pro: Clear Vision
Ashwabay Alliance / Big Top Chautauqua

Fix One, Another Shows Up

At this point, we may need someone named “Martini” to open their own chain of bars in order to make this trend legit.

PhotosRestaurantsApostrophe Abuse

Free Jim Carlson

Image and stickers available courtesy of your friends Bratwurst.

RandomCreepyWeird
FDLTCC: Hot Summer Nights with Corey Medina
Barrel Room Smokehouse

Pollard pulls in two 2013 Best of the Twin Cities Arts & Entertainment awards

Duluth got two nods from City Pages in its Best of the Twin Cities issue, and musician Eric Pollard was part of both. He’s the drummer for Retribution Gospel Choir and front man of Actual Wolf, bands that won for Best Live Artist and Best Songwriter, respectively.
(more…)

MusicCity Pages

Minnesota Aurora

Timelapse video and photography by Mark Ellis. Shot April 14 in northern Minnesota.

VideosNorthern Lights
FDLTCC: Hot Summer Nights with Corey Medina

Honour, jail and consensual sex

The 2014 race for Minnesota Governor is already underway. Republican Scott Honour, a businessman from Orono, has launched his campaign website. (Amusing sidenote: The announcement page is at “/splash/#prettyPhoto.” Well, it is a pretty photo.)

Zenith City Online launched a redesign today and has delved into the history of the Tycoons Alehouse building, formerly Duluth’s City Hall, answering the question, “Was Tycoons Alehouse ever a jail?” Spoiler: For one year the Rathskeller was home to a holding cell, not an official jail.

There will be a full moon tonight for the Take Back the Night march and I Heart Consensual Sex Party. Sexual Assault Awareness Month will be recognized in Superior as well, with the Speak Out Superior march. Howl like a wolf; hump like a civilized person.

News and Current Affairs