Em’s Gems Lake Superior Jewelry
Emily Pilz of Em’s Gems Lake Superior Jewelry creates necklaces, earrings, sun catchers and other decorative items from agates and glass found on the North Shore of Lake Superior. Her partner in the enterprise is Emily Rakos. Both are 2020 graduates of the University of Minnesota Duluth.
Video by Angelina Sonnen.
Cluttered and Trapped in a Strange World: On (Not) Writing During a Pandemic
Lake Superior Writers maintains a blog; today’s post by Zomi Bloom is worth a look.
Cluttered and Trapped in a Strange World: On (Not) Writing During a Pandemic by Zomi Bloom< (more…)
Mystery Photo: Trolley Car and Conductors
This undated postcard photo of two conductors standing next to a trolley car comes with a few details. The trolley car has a destination sign that reads: “W. Dul. & Aerial Bridge.” And the word “Duluth” is handwritten on the back of the card. (more…)
Superior Siren – “Trying Too Hard”
Eerie folk project Superior Siren has released a new music video for the song “Trying Too Hard” from the band’s 2018 self-titled album. The video was created by Killy Kay and Caelen Mars, and features Alison Peluso. (more…)
Perfect Duluth Day’s Best Videos of 2020
Right at the top of our list of best videos from the year of the pandemic is a montage of some of the various musicians, artists and jokers who entertained with livestreams and other productions during what was largely a year of avoiding in-person interactions. But 2020 still had a crop of the usual stuff that makes it into our annual compilation — namely stunts, crashes, wildlife encounters and sweet music videos. (more…)
Avant-Garde Women: Michele Bernstein, Queen of the Situationists
The video below is from a 1960 French TV interview about Michele Bernstein’s subversive novel “All the King’s Horses”. Yes this is in French, which I cannot follow. The auto-translation isn’t much better. It’s sort of a friendly verbal chess match. At around 2:30 the interviewer asks her something about having respect for her literary forebears. She replies: “We each import our own small stone to the cathedral.” Asked what novel she can compare hers to, she replies, “I don’t know; if it is simply a novel we can compare it to all that exist.”
2020: The Year in Duluth Gig Posters
Obviously this past year has been about the lousiest live-music year ever, but nonetheless we continue our tradition at Perfect Duluth Day of looking back at a sampling of gig posters. Some shows really happened, with crowds of people, before the pandemic. Others were cancelled. Others were held outside in spaces that allowed physical distancing. And some were streamed online. (more…)
Boats Docked at Duluth Harbor Circa 1875
Photographers William Caswell and William Henry Davy ran a studio in Duluth circa 1870-75 and were responsible for many of the stereographs circulated during the era. The image above shows boats docked somewhere in the Duluth Harbor. (more…)
Despite pandemic challenges, Duluth area sees new crop of restaurants and bars in 2020
Kai Soderberg stands outside the Jade Fountain in March, prior to remodeling the former Chinese restaurant and opening it as a tiki bar in August. (Photo by Mark Nicklawske)
A surprising number of intrepid entrepreneurs opened new restaurants and bars in the Duluth area in 2020, despite the global pandemic. One notable trend is the number of new Black-owned businesses. (more…)
A look at Duluth-area food and drink spots we lost in 2020
Left: Maggie’s restaurant in Bayfield marked 40 years in business in August and announced its closure in October. Right: The Crooked Spoon Cafe in Grand Marais was destroyed by fire in April. (Photos via Facebook)
The scourge of COVID-19 has challenged restaurant and bar owners at every level. The temporary closures during the pandemic are too long to list, and the industry outlook for 2021 is filled with uncertainty, but surprisingly few businesses announced they were calling it quits in 2020.
Two of the region’s most notable restaurant losses occurred in small towns away from Duluth, and COVID-19 was perhaps only loosely to blame. (more…)
Mystery Photo: Duluth Residence in 1910
Based on the postmark and the last line of the scrawled message on the back, we might presume this image is of a Duluth house in 1910. What is the address? Is it still standing? Let the mystery solving begin. (more…)
Duluth You & Me: Northwest Passage
Use the link below for a printable PDF for your coloring and drawing pleasure.
Duluth You & Me: Northwest Passage
Follow the Duluth You & Me subject tag to see additional pages. For background on the book see the original post on the topic.
PDD Quiz: 2020 in Review
We bid a fond farewell good riddance to 2020 in this year-in-review quiz!
The PDD quiz will return on Jan. 17 with a winter-related quiz. Send question suggestions to Alison Moffat at [email protected] by Jan. 14. (more…)
Saturday Essay: Select Gems from 2020
Last week we highlighted the five most-read pieces from the fifth year of Perfect Duluth Day’s “Saturday Essay” series. This week we ignore the numbers and look back at a few select essays of similar quality that might have been missed by non-compulsive followers.
In the past five years PDD has published 224 essays showcasing the work of 38 different writers, and we’re always looking to expand that roster. Anyone who has an original piece of literary excellence that seems to fit (or appropriately defy) the established format should email paul @ perfectduluthday.com to get involved.
And now, links to a few select gems from season five … (more…)
Enjoying the Glorious Climb-it of Duluth
Oh, those wacky puns. This postcards was mailed from Duluth 115 years ago today — Dec. 26, 1905. It arrived in Newark, N.J. three days later, and eventually at the home of Mr. L. Volland. (more…)
Selective Focus: A Very COVID Christmas
Select photos from Instagram of people from the Duluth area doing their best to keep spirits high and the COVID-19 infection rate low. (more…)
Merry Christmas from the archives …
On a cold Duluth evening back in 2013, a small crew gathered for a video shoot. Mark Lindquist wanted to give his children a Christmas video. Time got away. The footage wasn’t awesome. I set it aside.
It’s always bugged me that I never made that video for Mark and his children. Last night, I went searching through virtual piles and piles of material until I found what I was looking for. (more…)
Consider the Stars
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTqcRrilLTw
Celestial photography by Duluth’s Dennis O’Hara, with a song performed by Deb O’Hara.
Denfeld Jazz Band – “Up on the Housetop”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKZ0M8uzZC4
This video of the Denfeld Jazz Band’s arrangement of “Up on the Housetop” was created for the televised version of the Christmas City of the North Virtual Parade.
A Secret Garden: Demo tracks from northern Minnesota
Students and staff from Central Lakes College in Brainerd have put together a compilation album of regional musicians that features a bevvy of Duluth favorites, including Jerree Small, Low and Greg Cougar Conley. (more…)
Postcard from Drill’s Arena Marina
This undated postcard from Gallagher’s Studio of Photography appears to be circa 1971. (more…)
Dance Attic “At Christmas Time” Special
Jimi and Suzi of the guitar/accordion duo Dance Attic partake in holiday hijinks with music from their 2020 Christmas song collection (featured in the PDD Gift Guide).
Video produced by Andrew Stern. (more…)
Aerial Transfer Bridge circa 1905
This image of Duluth’s Aerial Bridge, from Detroit Publishing Company, appears to have been shot during one of the first ferry-car transfers across the canal. The Library of Congress dates the images as 1905 … with a question mark. (more…)