Sea creature proclaims smelt cometh
I saw a commercial being made for the upcoming Smelt Festival while walking in Canal Park today. The sea creature character was booming out a pretty funny pronouncement from the Smelt Queen promising puppetry, puppet making and smelt-y fun in exchange for funding.
It’s stuff like this that makes me love this town.
Behind the Scenes at Northland Competition
PDD Calendar intern Shannon Kinley takes us behind the scenes of Duluth events in this new series.
Over 800 figure skaters from across the United States and Canada met in Duluth this past weekend for the Northland Competition, one of the largest events of its kind in the Midwest. The 34th-annual gathering was organized by the Duluth Figure Skating Club.
“This year is by far the biggest we have had so far in terms of skaters,” said Kathy Jensen, co-chair of the competition. “We are very pleased with the turnout.”
(more…)
Preston Gunderson kicks off Kickstarter
Virginia, Minn. native Preston Gunderson is a musician with dreams as big as his heart. (more…)
Host, Duluth Local Show #150-13
Part-time Minnesota Public Radio grant-funded position – until June 30, 2013.
“The Duluth Local Show Host will work with The Local Music team to create a two-hour show focused on Duluth’s local music artists and scene that will air on Local Current each week. The host should be able to curate the music for the show, produce and host the show, and deliver a .wav file each week to the Local Music Assistant. The format will include 11-13 songs per hour with multiple breaks occasionally including interviews or live recordings. The host will also be responsible for contributing to The Local Current Blog and The Local Show as well as maintain a presence in social media platforms.”
Is Duluth the Beer Capital of Minnesota?
Frank Kaszuba, Keith Hefley and Dave Hoops of Fitger’s Brewhouse
In light of The Growler magazine beginning distribution to Duluth on Feb. 8, I have to ask if we’re becoming the brewing capital of Minnesota. By my count, we’ve got ten microbreweries open or nearly open: (more…)
Duluth attempts world record this Saturday
I didn’t notice any mention of this so I thought I’d help spread the word. It looks like we need at least 9,000 people to attend to break the record for making the most snow angels. (I have no affiliation with the event; please see their website for more details.) Come make your mark by making a snow angel; proceeds go to a charity supporting clean water for those in need. All the info can be found on makeyourmarkduluth.com.
Homegrown Band Publicity Photo Showdown: Southwire vs. Sexhawk
Southwire (photo by Rich Narum)
Sexhawk (photo by Caleb Renno)
With the Homegrown Music Festival coming up in three months, now seems like a good time to launch a series of PDD polls, tournament style, to determine which Duluth-area band has the sweetest pic. First up, we ask …
[poll id=”22″]
This poll is now closed. The results were:
Southwire — 60.4 percent
Sexhawk — 39.6 percent
Note: Only people who are logged in to their Perfect Duluth Day blogging account are allowed to vote (to prevent people from voting multiple times). To create an account, click here. If you need help figuring it out, click here.
Outside magazine presents online screening of Wild Bill’s Run
This is your best chance to see local documentary and Arctic crime caper Wild Bill’s Run. It’s screening on Outside’s website on Thursday evening, Feb. 7. You can watch the film anytime between 6 and 9pm (Central Time). Director Mike Scholtz will be hanging out in the comments section at the bottom of the page, waiting for people to ask him questions he can’t answer about snowmobile repair, climate change and the whereabouts of Wild Bill Cooper.
Seeking: Homegrown Photos
The Homegrown Music Festival is seeking photos from the 2012 festival for use in the Field Guide. Large, print quality photos, please – most camera phone photos are not going to cut it.
Please send photos / more information / mailing address for discs: transistormag [at] gmail [dot] com.
Thank you, fans!
Indoor Walking Options in Duluth
Duluth Skywalk system map.
A recent request that came Perfect Duluth Day’s way via Facebook from a visitor to town was for information and links on indoor walking options. There are a handful of options that will be obvious to people familiar with Duluth, but perhaps there are some less-obvious examples that will be shared in the comments.
- Duluth Skywalk System
- Miller Hill Mall
- Mariner Mall (Superior)
- University of Minnesota Duluth
- Essentia Health (Duluth medical campus)
The first three are probably the best if you don’t want to ram into people and like shopping options along the way.
The Skywalk, UMD and Essentia are the best for seeing daylight during your indoor walk.
UMD is the best one for the possibility of getting lost or plowing into someone who is rushing through the crowd to get to class.
Water-smoothed Rocks at Brighton Beach
Mary Amerman of Duluth won the grand prize in Lake Superior Magazine’s 18th annual Lake Superior Photo Contest. Her photo of the water-smoothed rocks on Duluth’s Brighton Beach was one of 1,284 images entered in the contest from 138 different cities, in 18 states, one U.S. Territory (Guam) and Canada.
Duluthian Kenji Ogura won first place in the Artsy/Altered category with a photograph of the weekly regatta. All the winners and finalists are featured in a gallery on lakesuperior.com.
This week: stallion hearts, cariboo and the Blue Danube
Here’s a sampling of what you have to look forward to this week on the PDD Calendar.
February is a lot of things… Black History Month, the shortest month of the year, the month that makes you seriously reconsider your life choices. Add to the list a month for giving books to children. There is a book drive going on all month and a “beer for books” reading at Carmody next week.
Tuesday the Chamber of Commerce is having a lunch panel at Midi on using social media as a tool, which would be a refreshing change from using social media like a tool.
Two plays open this week. Renegade Theater‘s Coronado, a voyeuristic drama about conversations in a bar, opens Thursday at the Teatro Zuccone and runs three weekends. Cariboo Magi, about four Californians trying to make it to the promised land of Canada, opens Friday at the CSS Little Theater and runs two weekends.
Nerd Nite moves to the Play Ground this Friday with its sometimes monthly presentations on nerdy topics. This time around we hear about Arthurian women, the cuisine of Game of Thrones, and the Raspberry PI.
The DSSO performs a concert of dance music paired with movie clips on Saturday at the DECC. Expect scenes from “An American in Paris,” “Singin’ in the Rain,” and “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Also, the YMCA is now offering children’s activities and a meal while parents go to the symphony, including a 25% discount on symphony tickets.
Ever go to a comedy improv show and say, “Hell, I could do that?” Prove it. Auditions for Renegade Improv are this coming Sunday at the Teatro Zuccone.
So what are you doing this week? Can we tag along? Any upcoming events that you want to promote? Let us know!
The Perilous Inlet
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7rTiTQI5N0
Three years in the making, the completed 14-minute masterpiece.
I suggest watching it with the sound off since we could not eliminate the camera noise without losing the underwater noises.
The perilous inlet is a death trap for ships and subs, yet life continues. Starring Playmobil toys, G.I. Joes, and introducing Lake Superior as itself.
We’ve released this in segments over time, so if you’re sick of it do NOT watch this final edit. Featuring the Playmobil ship vs. the giant alligator, the Playmobil sub vs. the giant squid, and the GI Joes vs. frozen existential horror, now with more death.
Cult – Feature film to be shot in Duluth
Hi, my name is Lance Karasti. I’m currently working on a feature film about an extremist cult that is manipulated by their insane leader into performing a group suicide. Two of the members try to stop it and break down how things got that bad. The film examines many themes, and is a character study of the cult leader. (more…)
Best Duluth Internet Provider?
Since Charter just jacked up its rates for cable Internet from $35 to nearly $50/mo., I was wondering if anyone has a recommendation for a good high-speed internet provider that does not require a land-line phone. I need the service at my home for my laptop PC.
Vietnamese Lotus Inn closing
The Vietnamese Lotus Inn will close on Saturday, Feb. 2. It almost lasted 10 years, having opened at 1314 Commonwealth Ave. in the summer of 2003.
GPS Instruction
Is anyone out there savvy with a Garmin? This fella needs some instruction and he’s looking to hire someone to walk him through his device.
Kickstarter campaign to fund Snobarn’s debut album
For the past 56 days of their Kickstarter fundraising campaign, members of the local band Snobarn have been working their tails off. They’ve been playing live sets (upward of a dozen during the past two months), doing interviews on radio and TV, and madly promoting their cause via social media. Now, more than ever, time is of the essence. Their online fundraising window on Kickstarter will finally close late Sunday night (or very early Monday morning), Feb. 4, at precisely 2:35 a.m. (more…)
Are Duluth schools really this stupid?
The school just called my wife to come and pick up our 5th grade son. Why?
He pretended to shoot someone with his finger! Remember when you were a kid and you would point at a playmate and say bang? If you do this now, in Duluth, you get suspended. Really? Is there a list of gestures published by the school board that will result in getting kicked out of school?
New old Nordic ski trails at Spirit Mountain
Have you checked out the newly redone cross country ski trails at Spirit Mountain? Thanks to a lot of hard volunteer work, the trails have been redesigned and brought back to life.
Lots of details at my Best North Shore blog.
Where in Duluth? — Some easy ones
From time to time on PDD we like to play a little game called “Where in Duluth?” The first person to name the location of the photo wins bragging rights.
Since this one is so easy, it will be followed up in the comments with a few more easy ones, because it just seems like the right thing to do.