American Boy
“Get out of the lake right now, or I will fucking shoot you,” he hollers, staring down an invisible sight and into my eyes, his finger threatening to pull the trigger — a notched branch on the stick rifle he has cocked and rested on his shoulder.
None of us respond, but if heart rates were words, we’d be babbling.
Our silence exasperates him. “I am not fucking kidding. You get out of the lake right now” — he sweeps a dictatorial finger from the lake where seven of us are circled in the water and toward the pebbled beach where he’s tantruming — “… or I will fucking shoot you.”
A few of us turn our backs to him, attempting to pick up the conversation we’d been having before this agitated teen and his friend, high on unaccustomed warmth in the air and whatever’s in that vape pen tucked into that pocket, stumbled into our orbit. The gun-pointer, initially aided by his sidekick, has been yelling at us for five minutes now, a genuinely unnerving bundle of aggression in green shorts. But if there’s one thing this group of grown-ups — parents, partners, queers, professionals, grieving, recovering, regulating, growing — knows how to do, it’s ignore the todderlistic foot stamping of a heckler. (more…)
Video Archive: Tri-State Speedway, 1983
This video from July 8, 1983 — 40 years ago today — features three races at Tri-State Speedway in Superior. The 3/8-mile dirt track is now known as Superior Speedway or Gondik Law Speedway. (more…)
Record Collection from Gabriel’s
In the past, I’ve written about the used records, bound in old-school albums, I have found at Gabriel’s, the thrift-bookshop in Lakeside. Because the records are donated, they are a real crapshoot, as the ruffians say. Often they come from estates, from families that don’t want to sell things piecemeal and are grateful someone will just take the whole collection all off their hands. (more…)
The Slice: Sailboat Racing on Lake Superior
Captain Chris Friese has owned the sailboat Radio Flyer for five years, racing with his crew in the A-Class on Lake Superior.
In its series The Slice, PBS North presents short “slices of life” that capture the events and experiences that bring people together and speak to what it means to live up north.
Spring Vignettes in the Northwoods
This spring 2023 trail camera footage shows vignettes of wildlife in Voyageurs National Park, with several toddlers tromping through the frame.
The camera was set up by the Voyageurs Wolf Project, which is focused on understanding the summer ecology of wolves in the park.
Mystery Photo: Third Street Patriots
This image, found on eBay and still available for sale as of July 3, has “609 W. 3rd Dr. Duluth” written on the front. It looks as if the famous Duluth Incline Railway is in the background, which would seem to verify the photo was indeed shot on West Third Street. (more…)
Duluth-area beer production back on an upswing
When Perfect Duluth Day last took stock of regional craft beer production in 2020, the Twin Ports and surrounding region had generated roughly 50,000 barrels of brew — more than 1.5 million gallons. Pandemic production dipped slightly but has stabilized and started to rebound. The 2022 tally shows a production level of more than 61,000 barrels of brew as well as optimism that there’s still some untapped potential for growth. (more…)
Duluth Photos Featured on Twitter’s “Cars Destroyed Our Cities”
A friend let me know that Duluth recently appeared on Twitter’s Cars.Destroyed.Our.Cities (you might need to log in to see the Tweet; Twitter is undergoing some changes), an account that shows how the addition or removal of car infrastructure can dramatically change the urban environment. (more…)
Postcard from the Ruins of the Chambers House
The caption on this undated postcard suggests that it shows the ruins of American Fur Company’s trading post at Fond du Lac, but it is actually the ruins of the home of Michael and Emily Chambers. (More on that in the comments.) (more…)
On the Map: Stewart Creek Bridge
Karen Scullin of KMSP-TV Fox 9 in Minneapolis was in Duluth recently for a segment on the Stewart Creek Bridge in Duluth. The bridge is part of Skyline Parkway and passes over Stewart Creek in the Smithville neighborhood.
Happy 20th birthday to us!
Expressions of gratitude, reflections on past perfection and visions for the future might come later, but right now it’s time to party. Yes, Duluth’s Duluthiest website is 20 years old today.
The 4onthefloor – “Hard to Handle” (Dusk Version)
Back in May the 4onthefloor played its annual “Stomper’s Cruise” on the Vista Fleet in Duluth. Videographer Adam Jagunich captured some of the action for this video of the band’s take on a classic Otis Redding song.
The Fiercest Fires in Minnesota History
This new Twin Cities Public Television documentary explores the state’s worst natural disasters. Host Mary Lahammer, along with historian Hy Berman, meteorologist Paul Douglas, and climatologist Mark Seeley tell the story of the deadly blazes that have taken more than a thousand lives in Minnesota. (more…)
Chester Park has a new kind of tree: A poetree
“This book is offered in the form of a poetry chrysalis to encourage us to think about how we are a part of nature and how our actions cause change,” Wildwood wrote on the note. (Photo by Rob Wildwood via Facebook)
Picking a new summer book just got easier. Duluth writer Robert Wildwood has taken the free library idea to new heights, offering up copies of his latest book of poetry to the public in a novel way. This month, chrysalides of poetry appeared in Chester Park trees, and they are a gift for you. (more…)
Sleepless in Duluth, N.D.
The romantic comedy Sleepless in Seattle premiered in theaters 30 years ago today — June 25, 1993. The film includes a scene in which the character Annie Reed, played by Meg Ryan, tells her fiancé Walter Jackson, played by Bill Pullman, about a guy on a radio show who lived in Duluth … which is in North Dakota according to Walter.
PDD Quiz: June 2023
See how many June 2023 headlines you remember with this edition of the current affairs quiz.
The next PDD quiz, coming your way on July 9, will test your knowledge of area waterfalls. Submit question suggestions to Alison Moffat at [email protected] by July 5. (more…)
In Memoriam: Duluth Artist Max Moen
Anyone within the sound of my voice, the artworks of Max Moen must be found and saved. I interrupted his dying days begging him to grant me a custodial role regarding his body of work. I think mostly of his collages which I greatly admire, surrealist masterpieces. I told him I’d arrange a show and self-publish a collection at my own expense, because the world must know. At the time he told me they were boxed in a car in another state, and I feared I was taxing him as he fought the cancer. I think he got that car back but I let it go; he was too busy dying and I didn’t want to be that guy. At least I impressed upon him that I considered him an artist with a capital “A.”
Sadly I have none of his work to share with you today. He had some examples on his old Facebook page but he took it all down. I remember searching his photos to copy them but he’d already deleted the lot. He did that sometimes. (more…)
Up the Incline from Superior Street in 1913
This postcard of the Duluth Incline was mailed 110 years ago today — June 24, 1913. (more…)
Northern Pacific Dock No. 4
This image from a 35mm Kodachrome slide shows Northern Pacific Dock No. 4 on Duluth’s waterfront in 1953 — 70 years ago. The location is where Bayfront Park is today.
Perfect Duluth Day Outdoor Summer Concert Primer 2023
Musicians gather around the fire pit at Girl Scout Point in Billings Park for the first concert of the 2023 Superior Porchfest season.
Outdoor music saw a boom during the pandemic out of necessity, but on warm summer days the preferred concert venues have always been those with free-flowing air. With the Duluth-area music scene continuing to flourish and touring artists on the move, the season has music to soothe all souls with genres spanning the realms of rock, pop, hip hop, folk and more.
From porches, patios and piers to amphitheaters, big tents and city parks, the outdoor summer concert options are numerous. Below is Perfect Duluth’s Day’s annual guide to al fresco music in 2023. (more…)
Postcard from Bloomer’s Drive-in
Bloomer’s Drive-in was a roadside restaurant in Duluth, located near the ore docks and Wade Stadium. It opened in 1955, operated by Walter Bloomer and his younger brother Robert. It was sold in 1960. (more…)
Grandma’s Marathon 2022 Double: I Wanna Be Sedated
One year ago Eric Strand completed his ninth Grandma’s Marathon Double — starting at the finish line, running to the starting line, then running the official marathon. The 2022 video was finally released just before the 2023 marathon. Strand uses the 52.4-mile Grandma’s Marathon Double as a training run for the Leadville 100 Trail Run.
Strand has been running the Grandma’s Marathon since 2000 and has done the “double” since 2012, except for the pandemic year of 2020.
PDD Transmission launches June 29
The first edition of Perfect Duluth Day’s weekly email newsletter, the PDD Transmission, will be sent out June 29. It’s free, but to receive it you must spend roughly 20 seconds entering your name and email address into a form. We hope you are up to the task.
Whether you need additional inspiration or not, a prize is dangling in front of you. (more…)
Nostalgia for My Great-Grandparents’ Time: Cyclone Fence
A recent sale at the Duluth Public Library means that I picked up stacks of vintage magazines for cheap, and I’ve loved looking at some artful old advertisements. I especially love the ones that are in old, illustration style. (more…)
Rachael Kilgour – “Dad Worked Hard”
Duluth native Rachael Kilgour has a new album, My Father Loved Me, scheduled for release in September. The video for the first single, “Dad Worked Hard,” is a live performance shot by Brian Lazarus in a damp basement workshop in New York City.