The Slice: Wrenshall’s Art Barn
The Free Range Film Barn in Wrenshall opens for occasional art exhibits. In this video, curator Annie Dugan shows off works by artists Catherine Meier and Kristina Estell.
In its series The Slice, WDSE-TV 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.
Monthly Grovel: October 2019 Edition
In the past year — from October 2018 through September 2019 — the PDD Calendar published 7,971 Duluth-area events. Each one was edited by a human being before the “publish” button was pushed.
It’s a tremendous amount of work to keep up with all the submissions from the more than 1,000 organizations that have sent us info about their concerts, plays, cake walks and bunco tournaments. That’s why once a month we set our dignity aside and remind readers how much we appreciate their financial support. (more…)
What Goes ‘Round in Bayfield sold; now Honest Dog Books
The former What Goes ‘Round bookstore at 38 S. Second St. in Bayfield recently changed ownership and is now called Honest Dog Books.
Duluth Stories in the Babylon Bee
An Oct. 1 headline in The Babylon Bee brings to light two things:
1) There is a satirical news website called The Babylon Bee, similar to The Onion. The differentiator being that The Babylon Bee refers to itself as “Your Trusted Source for Christian News Satire.”
2) It’s been around since 2016 and has referenced Duluth a few times, like The Onion has. (more…)
Duluth-area Theater Primer 2019-2020
It’s the Halloween season, which of course means it’s time for witches and ghouls, but it’s also the time of year when the region’s theater companies get down to business. Here again is the PDD Theater Primer, where we hip you to all the haps on local stages for the next year. (more…)
Duluth Trivia Deck Sampler #22: Bernick’s Edition
The trivia cards featured in this series were purchased at a local thrift store. Accuracy might be off. Note, for example, the spelling of Bernick’s on the header on the card below. Bernick’s, of course, has been the Duluth-area distributor of Pepsi and other beverage products since the 1970s. (more…)
Guide to Duluth-area Podcasts in 2019
Podcasts have been a thing for about 15 years, but the medium has only been popular for maybe five years. Duluth has followed that trend, going from just one or two downloadable online audio productions in the early days to more than a two-dozen now. Some are specifically about Duluth, others feature people from the region speaking to the world about subject matter ranging from popular culture to health and wellness. (more…)
PDD Quiz: September 2019 in Review
Test your knowledge of local headlines with this month’s quiz!
The next PDD quiz, on the history of the Hunters Park neighborhood, will be published on Oct. 13. Submit question suggestions to Alison Moffat at [email protected] by Oct. 8. (more…)
Airtime: Interview with Dale Klapmeier of Cirrus Aircraft
Business consulting company Elixirr produces a show where the interviews with entrepreneurs are conducted in an airplane. Episode Two features Dale Klapmeier, co-founder of Cirrus Aircraft. From the Airtime website:
By flying them over the places that shaped who they are today, Airtime brings you the stories of inspirational entrepreneurs. Find out where they get their drive from, how they made it, and who shaped them along the way. These are the stories of the founders of some of the world’s most innovative and disruptive companies. All told at 3,000 feet.
Unnamed Minneapolis developer has purchase agreement for Duluth News Tribune building
The News Tribune would lease back around 8,500 square feet in the building’s top floor.
Minnesota North Shore Fall Colors Report 2019
Fall colors in Duluth and the North Shore of Minnesota area are starting to pop. In most cases along the North Shore the Fall colors will peak sooner as you get away from Lake Superior a few miles. Great spots to check out away from the lake would be to drive up the Sawbill Trail near Tofte, Caribou Trail near Lutsen or the Temperance River Road near Schroeder. We have found some of the best maple patches with a lot of fiery red colors if you explore further up the North Shore north of Grand Marais.
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The Day the Brother of John Wilkes Booth Came to the Grand Opera House of Duluth
While John Wilkes Booth remains infamous as the actor who assassinated Abraham Lincoln, his older brother Edwin was actually the better known of the two prior to Lincoln’s assassination as he was considered one of the greatest Shakespearean performers of the 19th century. Edwin Booth feared that his brother’s crime would destroy his own reputation and career even though he was not only a supporter of Lincoln, but also once saved the life of Lincoln’s son by grabbing him as he fell from a train. Edwin Booth’s open expression of horror at what his brother had done led to continued public support after Lincoln’s assassination and he remained a successful actor until his death. To this day, no actor has performed the role of Hamlet more times than him. (more…)
Maxxis Tires visits Duluth
Maxxis Tires, a manufacturer of a variety of tires, including bike tires, sent cyclist/videographer Brice Shirbach to Duluth to show off the world-class bike trails. (more…)
Duluth Library Wildcats Women’s Hockey Team of 1929
Not much is known about the Duluth Library Wildcats. The photo above is from the Duluth Public Library’s Facebook page, and is from a slide titled “Library Wildcats,” found in the staff section of the library’s slides.
“There isn’t a lot more information than that, but a librarian is on the case and she’ll be looking for more on this story,” the library’s Facebook post noted.
Duluth Trivia Deck Sampler #21
Another Duluth Trivia card, from a board game found at Savers, below. (more…)
National Geographic’s Duluth of 1949
Roy and Edythe Halvorson of Duluth sit in their living room and look out at skiers. Kodachrome photo from National Geographic, September 1949.
National Geographic magazine published a feature story on Minnesota in its September 1949 issue. The article marked Minnesota’s 100th year in legal existence as a territory of the United States.
Duluth, the Iron Range and Superior National Forest were part of the story, titled “Minnesota Makes Ideas Pay,” which features numerous photos by B. Anthony Stewart and Jack E. Fletcher. (more…)
Hundred-year commemoration of Duluth lynching could see 10,000-person rally
It’s been nearly 100 years since Elias Clayton, Elmer Jackson and Isaac McGhie were falsely accused, taken by force from the old Duluth jail, and lynched by an estimated 10,000 community members at the intersection where the Clayton Jackson McGhie Memorial now stands.
On June 15, 2020, the community will commemorate those three men and continue to work toward a mission of fostering peace, racial equity and growth. Organizers are asking for more than 10,000 community members and visitors to attend an event at the intersection of the memorial and in the surrounding streets to listen to keynote speaker Bryan Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, a human rights organization in Montgomery, Ala.
The History of WDSE/WRPT TV
WDSE-TV celebrates its 55th anniversary this month. This short video gives an overview of the early history of Duluth’s public television station.
The Noble Pour cocktail lounge planned for Lincoln Park
Duluth Grill owner Tom Hanson stands behind the bar at the Noble Pour, a new lounge he is developing at 1907 W. Superior St. Hanson purchased the bar from the now-closed Red Herring Lounge.
A new Lincoln Park night spot will feature an artifact from the recently closed Red Herring Lounge, a well-loved but short-lived downtown Duluth music venue. (more…)