Skiing at Duluth’s Bagley Nature Area: Nearly free and always fun
Smack dab in the middle of eastern Duluth is the only ski trail that costs a quarter to ski … if you’re really fast. Most people should bring three quarters. 75 cents buys you 60 minutes of parking at UMD’s Bagley Nature Area. That’s enough time to ski the 2.7 lovely kilometers of loops and hills twice.
(more…)
Ski Hut Cross-country Ski Weekend
January 14 and 15
Lessons in classic and skate techniques. World Cup skate ski, boot and pole demos. Details at Duluth XC Ski Club website.
Huck Finn
Just wondering what the PDD community’s thoughts and opinions are on taking the n-word out of “Huck Finn.”
MinnAqua/Great Lakes Aquarium
Ice Fishing Camp
Date: Monday, Jan. 17
Time: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Ages: 3 – 12
Cost: $15/non-members, $10/members
Join the DNR MinnAqua program and Great Lakes Aquarium for one of the Northland’s most popular winter adventures! Participants will build their own jiggle sticks, discover life beneath the ice, and go ice fishing on a local lake. All transportation, program materials and equipment are provided!
Please contact Lindsay Brandt for more information: 218-740-2027 or lbrandt @ glaquarium.org. Pre-registration is required! Registration deadline: Wednesday, Jan. 12
Early Bird Music Special at Chester Creek Wine Bar!
Get in on some early music with the contemporary folk sounds of Hillside Heidi and Loose Gannon at Chester Creek Cafe Wine Bar. Enjoy a serving of our Nachos Grande with our special Rooster Q sauce and $2 dollars off of all beer and wine.
Giant Panda becoming China King Buffet
The Giant Panda restaurant at 215 N. Central Avenue in West Duluth has closed.
No, Amsoil isn’t moving its corporate headquarters into the Spirit Valley Shopping Center. A woman unloading the truck said a new Chinese restaurant, under different ownership, is moving in. She said it will be called China King Buffet and be open in a few days.
NASA Astronaut Jeffrey Williams at the Lake Superior Ballroom
The Duluth Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol is honored to have NASA Astronaut Jeffrey Williams as the keynote speaker for its upcoming Awards Banquet. Colonel Williams will provide an inspirational talk and photo presentation of his nearly one full-year of living in space. The public is encouraged to attend.
The event will be held the evening of Thursday, Jan. 27, in the Lake Superior Ballroom of the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center. Tickets are $29 ($35 after Jan. 10) and include dinner.
For more information (and to purchase tickets) visit the squadron’s website at duluth.mncap.org/2011banquet.
Karen Diver and Barack Obama
Fond Du Lac Chairwoman Karen Diver seated next to President Barack Obama at the 2nd White House Tribal Nations Conference in December. You can read about it in this months’s Fond Du Lac Band Tribal newspaper.
This story also made the DNT but somehow it only rated a “Faces and Names” mention in the DNT, below Shania Twain, Jermaine Jackson and Stephen Baldwin in the online version that I called up today. Who knows? Maybe they did another story somewhere but I missed it.
Scott Tridgell has been found!
Duluthian Scott Tridgell has been found in Oklahoma City. He’d been missing since Dec. 14. (more…)
The Bombay Sweets – First Fridays at Lake Avenue Café
This Friday, Lake Avenue Café plays host to Minneapolis band the Bombay Sweets as part of its First Fridays series. (more…)
Duluth Christmas Tree Disposal
It’s about that time to take down the tree and we are looking for a place to dispose of it. Does anyone know of any organizations or businesses that aid in this? Burning isn’t an option.
Duluth News Tribune: Online vs. Paper
I am looking for some advice regarding the Duluth New Tribune. I recently stopped my paper subscription and am now reading the news online.
My problem is the online edition seems very hard to navigate. I feel that not all the daily stories are available online, or they may be hidden underneath one of the many tabs. (I emailed the News Tribune about this and was told that all stories printed in the paper copy are available online but I recently compared them and did not find this true.)
I have also noticed that the stories are displayed in a list, with no separation between “today’s news” and other recent stories. This has a tiring effect on my mind since I am seeing the same stories for days.
Can anyone recommend a good way to read online so the same information is gleaned, or is this not possible? I may go back to the paper edition.
Aegri Somnia
For some reason YouTube now allows me to upload clips longer than 15 minutes, so I’m able to put this online without breaking it apart. I shot most of it in Duluth on some very hot summer days back in the early 1980s. The film is older than my adult kids. I’ve never been completely happy with the narration but I still like some of the images. The title translates to “a sick man’s dream.”
Duluth Lakewalk East Extension
The city of Duluth and the Short Elliott Hendrickson engineering firm are holding a design charette for phases 4 and 5 of the Lakewalk East Extension on Tuesday, Jan. 4, at 9:30 a.m. in the Duluth Radisson Hotel’s Great Hall.
The extension will be from 60th Avenue East to Brighton Beach. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2012. Federal, DNR and local funding has been secured.
The charette will discuss possible routes and trail design. RSVP Matt Bolf (mbolf @ sehinc.com) if you plan to attend.
Rockin’ Honky Tonkin’ Blues @ Sir Ben’s
On Friday, Jan 7 at 9 p.m. Bill Flannagan will be playing some Rockin’ Honky Tonkin’ Blues at Sir Benedict’s Tavern on the Lake. It is free.
Sir Ben’s is the only place around that has Surly Smoke on tap — very tasty. Well worth the trip and hopefully you will enjoy the music also.
A Guy in an Orange Jacket Climbing the Ice at Casket Quarry in West Duluth
I should note that this guy is using climbing equipment, and he’d he dead if he wasn’t, because he fell about three minutes after this photo was taken.
PDD’s little upgrade and the glitch with the Smart Unread Comments plugin
If you’re one of those compulsive people who likes to read every single comment on Perfect Duluth Day, the past few days have been a challenge for you.
The “Comments” column on the left is supposed to show which posts have new comments you haven’t read, but it hasn’t been working since PDD upgraded to WordPress 3.0.4 on Dec. 31.
In the meantime, if you’re noticing anything else not functioning properly since the upgrade, let us know. The comment thing is the only thing we’ve noticed.
UPDATE: The problem was fixed on Jan. 3, so there should be no more issues.
Duluth Housekeeping Services
I am looking for someone who would be able to come on Saturdays, once a month, to clean a small home from top to bottom. Does anyone have any leads? I will need references, too. Thanks!
Perfect Duluth Day’s Best Videos of 2010
Together at last, Perfect Duluth Day’s Best Videos of 2010. (more…)
New Year’s Eve Road Report
Anyone been out there today? What’s the story on the road conditions? We may venture out for a bit tonight if we can make the ice-filled walk to the car and then navigate the inch of ice on the driveway.
Amsoil Arena
I went to the game last night and other than the remarkably crappy hockey, I have to say that in my already-addressed 10 years in Duluth, I have never been more proud to be a Duluthian.
What a great building, and as Mayor Ness said, what a great achievement for the men and women who built it and the folks who work there. On my way in I heard employees welcoming people, and on the way out I was thanked for coming and invited back, and it was actually sincere. It’s a beautiful facility and I’m so glad that our community voted to build it.
I think 61% of the city would now vote to get the Bulldogs some defense, but that would be a different referendum.
Anyway, thanks to all of those who worked to get the arena, those who worked on the arena, and those who work in it now. It was a great experience and I’m looking forward to many, many more. I would encourage everyone to visit the open house, even if you’re not a hockey fan. It’s going to be a great venue for concerts and other events, too.
Yellowlab found
A yellowlab puppy, intact, was found on House Street and 101st Ave W. No tags, blue collar. Please call for information — 715-520-0111
Blatnik Bridge Under Construction
I found this old slide and thought I would share it since these pictures seem to be a bit rare around here. It is a Kodachrome.