Harvey Pekar dead at 70

He had been suffering from prostate cancer, asthma, high blood pressure and depression.

Join the American Cancer Society for the 2010 Duluth Relay for Life, July 16th-17th!

On July 16-17 (6pm on Friday until 6am on Saturday) the American Cancer Society will be holding the 26th annual Duluth Relay for Life at the College of St Scholastica.  Relay for Life is a team event that celebrates survivors, remembers those who have lost their battle, and fights back against the disease.  Proceeds from the event go to funding research, education, advocacy, and patient services.

BradFest 2010 at Earthwood Inn

The Friends of Brad Memorial Foundation presents BradFest — a music festival to benefit young Minnesota musicians and honor the memory of Bradley E. Rozman.

Friday, Aug. 13, and Saturday, Aug. 14 Earthwood Inn, Two Harbors

Last call for Expedition Train!

Friday, July 16
8:30pm doors open | 9:30pm board train | 1am return home

Put on your best dress khakis and hiking boots for the Duluth Art Institute Expedition Train! Inspired by the National Geographic Greatest Portraits exhibit currently on view, the Duluth Art Institute is sending visitors on assignment into the wilds of Duluth.

Your adventure begins at the Depot train station where you’ll enjoy live music by local favorites Tryke and two free drink tickets. This is also the last chance to view the Smithsonian exhibit “In Focus: National Geographic Greatest Portraits” for free.  The train will depart the Depot station at 10pm and bring explorers deep into Duluth’s unexplored backcountry (if by backcountry you mean Emily’s Eatery to hear music by Kip Jones).

You’ll be given a number of adventure assignments during your trip, so choose your fellow traveling partners well! The train will return home by 1 am. The ticket price includes music, train ride, viewing of the Smithsonian show, and drink tickets.

Call or email the Duluth Art Institute to get your tickets today – 218-733-7560 or getart @ duluthartinstitute.org

Armory Arts & Music Meeting Tuesday

Tuesday July 13 at 6pm at Teatro Zuccone

Facebook Invite

Join us to learn more about the plans for the Armory, the projects you can get involved with, and provide your input into one of the most exciting developments around.

Just a few of the projects you can get involved with include:
* Music Education Steering Committee
* Northland Arts & Music Inventory
* Drill Hall Space Planning
* Youth Outreach
* Armory History Tribute Space (Music, Military, & Community)
* And many more

Looking forward to getting new faces involved! Please let me know if you cannot attend but would like to be involved and I’ll be sure to fill you in.  Invite your friends!

Nate DeMars
AAMC Board of Directors
natedemars @ gmail .com

River Walk West development seeks city land on trail in Riverside neighborhood

The view looking out to the St. Louis River from land the could become part of the River Walk West development.

On the Duluth City Council agenda for a first reading on July 12 is an ordinance authorizing the sale of city property in the upper Riverside neighborhood between Spirit Mountain and the U.S. Forestry Department’s Superior National Forest headquarters.

Canal Theft Park

It always sucks to have something stolen from you. Recently (within the past 3-4 days) I was sitting down on the north side of the pier right by the bridge with some friends, when I walked away to go back to my car, realizing: Oh wow, I forgot my backpack! So, not even 5 minutes had passed, and when I went back to get it, it was gone. I thought, “Oh, someone just picked it up and will read my contact info on the inside and call me later.” That never happened. It was a black Duluth Pack that was given to me from my girlfriend, and then inside was my favorite pea green sweater ever, my iPod Classic, and then my headphones. In the front pocket was a whole lot of fun stuff too. So, I’m just saying, if anyone has it, please return it. I’d be so thankful and probably give you a few bucks for being an awesome person and returning it. If I find you wearing it, I’m going to have to punch you.

My Morning Rhymes

In the morning at the crack of dawn down in Canal Park, I watch the sun breaking through the grim dead of dark. I stand behind a counter to make sure people get their smokes, and watch the kids run around with their different folks. The hillside is coming down so they all can get their toaks, no drinks so they all got their different strokes. Yes, sometimes I choose to be under influence: of my brothers, my sister, or just my common sense. Hence, I make my own decisions seeing life with my own vision, and with great precision I thee wed this great division. So to all of you today, I say, test a water that’s uncharted, cause this is my day, and I’m just getting started.

Art Exhibit and Show at the Encounter

There is a fantastic showing of arts on Saturday, July 10, at the Encounter, being put on by Nate Adelson.

Art from Duluthians will be displayed starting at 3pm in a gallery upstairs at the Encounter for free. There is a wide array of fine arts as well as photography being shown. There is also a show happening in the red room starting at 6pm that will be $3, featuring 6 bands.

Ashton George
Preston Gunderson and the Crew
Loup-Garou
Polis (from Mankato)
Amauros
Lions&Creators

Come out and support some fantastic local art and enjoy a cheap show with incredible bands. It should be a fun and interesting event, hope to see many of you there.

Northwoods Music Fest – July 17

10am Aurora Baer
11:15am Kristy Marie
12:30pm Mad About Jane
1:45pm James Moors
3:15pm The Fractals
4:30pm Uprising
5:45pm Arcadia
7pm Natalie Gelman

Facebook Invite

Lakewalk extension

Anybody who lives in Lakeside has presumably figured this out by now, but others may be interested to learn that construction on the latest phase of the Lakewalk extension–from 47th to the highway– appears to be rolling along.  It looks like the section nearest to 47th may take a little more preparation than the rest due to the slope, but the part farther east might be pretty close to ready for pavement. Based on the work the past couple summers, it doesn’t seem too farfetched to think they’ll be done before fall.

Lack of Duluth Summit Cheeseburger Attempts

What is a Summit Cheeseburger you ask? Well, the mission of the Summit Cheeseburger Project is…

“To encourage, enable, and document the consumption of a Cheeseburger on every summit on earth.”

Granted most people are completely and totally unaware of the sport of Summit Cheeseburger-ing and perhaps that is why there is a lack of said activity in St. Louis and Douglas Counties so I will forgive you, good people of said counties. But, now that you are being educated on this activity I see no reason for easy targets like Ely, Bardon’s, Moose, Sugarloaf, Pike, and Sugar Camp Hill to be conquered with zest, vigor, and zeal!

Summit Cheeseburger Locations near Duluth

Summit Cheeseburger Locations near Duluth

Do you like to hike, bicycle, drive, or just generally get off your couch and go do something but are looking for an excuse? Then attaining a Summit Cheeseburger just may very well be for you!

1. Grab a cheeseburger and your camera

2. Visit the Summit Cheeseburger website and find a summit.

3. Hike (bike, drive, fly, whatever) to the summit.

4. Photograph yourself nomming down a cheeseburger.

5. Post it to the S.P. site.

6. Repeat!

I’ve tagged summits in Minnesota, North Dakota, and Montana but Minnesota, and particularly Duluth is full of virgin first ascents just waiting for some PDD’ers to start tagging. Bon Voyage, Happy Trails, and Bottom’s Up!

Quack Quack

Sitting in my office on the Lakewalk. I heard a tap, tap, tap and looked up to see a mallard sitting on the window ledge saying, “good morning.” I tried to feed him Soy Chips.

No Summer Music at Bayfront?

There’s Reggae Fest and Blues Fest … and that’s it this year?

After doing a bit of searching, I don’t see ANY other music coming to Bayfront this year.  If I am remembering right, there was some problems with starting/ending times of the (very) few concerts held there over the past couple years.  Has Secret Service Entertainment totally given up on music there?  I have to admit, the few times I have been able to see a show there … kicking back in the grass with a drink or two, and nice breeze off the lake … heavenly.

I’m a longtime lurker, and I trust y’all to know what’s going on in Duluth.  So tell me, where did my summer music go?  🙁

Duluth’s Northern Waters Smokehaus on Food Network

Is the episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives involving local joints posted anywhere on YouTube or foodnetwork.com?

I missed the episode and want to see it.

Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the site!