Postcards from Duluth’s Radisson Hotel
When the Radisson Hotel was built at 505 W. Superior St. in 1970, it was Duluth’s first new hotel in 43 years. It would be difficult to count the number that were built in the next 43 years, but not impossible. Go ahead and try. (more…)
Owls Club Big Band – “Carol of the Bells”
Certainly you’ve heard this tune based on a Ukranian folk song. This year we’re introducing a new Duluthian folk tale to go along with it. The music was performed at the Owls Club by the Owls Club Big Band; recorded and mixed by Darin Bergsven.
Reminder: Band registration for Homegrown is now open; the 21st annual festival will happen April 28 to May 5. Homegrown music mixes are available all year long through Bandcamp at duluthhomegrown.bandcamp.com.
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Cake Bandit: Duluth’s Vegan Bakery
Melissa Story – Photo by Lissa Maki
Some Twin Ports residents might be surprised to discover Duluth is home to a vegan microbakery. Cake Bandit has been serving up tasty alternatives to traditional baked goods since 2016. (more…)
When did they put the lid on Enger Tower?
A 1954 film recently posted on Perfect Duluth Day led Lars Waldner to wonder about the roof that’s been on top of Enger Tower for decades, but isn’t there in the movie.
“I didn’t realize Enger Tower used to have an open top on it,” he wrote on Facebook. “Anyone know when that changed?” (more…)
Duluth Trunk Factory
I recently came across this footlocker-style trunk and inside it had a sticker from the Duluth Trunk Factory. I’m wondering if anyone knows the history of this particular company. (more…)
“Anyone’s life is smooth from far away. Anyone’s life close up is cracked.”
Julie Gard’s new poetry is awesome.
“This piece consists of 51 texts I sent to myself first thing in the morning during the 2016 presidential election season. Hopefully some of them will speak to you,” says Gard, describing her work in Superstition Review.
Ripped at the Blue Crab Bar in 2008
[Editor’s note: For this week’s essay we’ve once again pulled out a relic from the archive of Slim Goodbuzz, who served as Duluth’s “booze connoisseur” from 1999 to 2009. Before OMC Smokehouse took over the building at 1909 W. Superior St., it was home to the Blue Crab Bar, which closed due to foreclosure in 2009. But in 2008 the ol’ Sultan of Sot visited the Blue Crab and published this report for Duluth’s weekly Transistor.]
There are two ways to get on my list of favorite bars: 1) Cater to a bunch of weirdo regulars who are constantly shitfaced and causing a scene, or 2) Sell 34-ounce beers for $3.50 or less. You’d think the latter would automatically produce the former, but for some reason the freak vibe has failed to catch on at the Blue Crab Bar, in spite of the cheap swill. Still, it’s one of my favorite places, and there are rare moments of crazy if you are patient enough to wait for them.
Tonight, as usual, about eight people are spread out in the room. They are mostly keeping to themselves, either staring at the TV or engaging in soft chatter. The bartender disappears on a smoke break for about 10 minutes of every hour. (more…)
Rachael Kilgour – “Holy Are We”
The first single from Duluth native Rachael Kilgour‘s upcoming EP, Game Changer made Rolling Stone’s list of “10 Best Country and Americana Songs of the Week.”
The video is by Sara Pajunen. The album is scheduled for release Feb. 1 on NewSong Recordings.
Old photos sleuths: where did I get these?
Photo sleuths: instead of figuring out the subject or date, I’m hoping one of you knows where I downloaded these photos, possibly 10 years ago. I’ve been searching for them online off and on for years, and my Google-fu is usually excellent, but I’m not having any luck with these. (more…)
PDD Video Lab: Knight Family 8mm Duluth Movie
For this edition of PDD Video Lab we’ve pulled the Duluth section out of a 1954 family film and repackaged it with music from the period — Nat King Cole’s “Unforgettable.”
Aerial Bridge raised to pass ore boat into Duluth Harbor
Based on the 3-cent postage rate, this postcard must be circa 1958 to 1963. The description on the back reads:
The Aerial Bridge in raised position for an ore boat passing into Duluth Harbor. When the span is lowered traffic may move without interruption between Minnesota Point and downtown Duluth. Through this canal pass about 4500 boats in a 7-1/2 month season, carrying a total tonnage of about 17 million tons. (Average for five years.)
List of Duluth Winters and What They Are Remembered For
Although Duluth is known for — and by some feared — for its winters, those blasts of snow and cold tend to run together in most peoples’ memories. Everyone who experienced it recalls the Mega Storm of 1991, and there was a long cold snap in 2014, but by and large the memories of various storms and other winter climate events get mashed together.
So, in an effort to sort them out, Perfect Duluth Day has tossed together a brief and somewhat vague list of some winter moments that have been marked on the website in the past (with links) or have been loosely referenced on the web as having been more wintery than other winters. (more…)
City Girl Coffee now in Minnesota Target stores, on Amazon
City Girl Coffee, a Duluth-based coffee roaster dedicated to empowering women in the coffee-growing industry, has announced its varietals and blends are now available on amazon.com and at Minnesota Target locations.
The expanded distribution follows the company’s third anniversary on Nov. 12.
City Girl sources its beans from women-owned or managed farms and cooperatives whenever possible. The brand offers a product line of organic and Fair Trade varietals and blends from Guatemala, Brazil, Sumatra and Peru that are packaged in 12-ounce bags and single-serve cups.
The company was profiled on Perfect Duluth Day in 2016 and featured in Forbes magazine and the New York Times in 2017.
Grandma’s Marathon 2018 Double: Gorilla’s in the Mist
Eric Stand — joined by Zach Strand and Andy Lohn — run the seventh annual Grandma’s Marathon Double. It’s a 52.4-mile trot along the shores of Lake Superior, starting at 2:30 a.m. at the finish line and running to the start, then back.
PDD Quiz: November 2018 in Review
Test your knowledge of November headlines with this month-in-review quiz!
The next PDD quiz, on restaurants and bars of yesteryear, will be published on Dec. 16. Please email question suggestions to Alison Moffat at [email protected] by Dec. 12. (more…)
New to Duluth
There’s much to love about our enchanting city — the breathtaking views, the closeness we feel as community members, the intimate connection we have with Lake Superior and its surrounding environment. Those reasons are exactly why, back in 2013, my then-fiancé and I chose to move to Duluth from Fargo, N.D. We wanted to live somewhere with an entirely different aesthetic from the Red River Valley yet be close enough to visit family and friends on weekends. The North Shore of Lake Superior was, and still is, a perfect fit.
As a newcomer, it took me an unexpectedly long time to feel bound to our community — more so than other cities I’ve lived in. Most of my initial connections were with coworkers and members of the Rotary Club of Duluth, which I joined through work. These individuals took my husband and I under their wings, providing advice and recommendations for what neighborhood to live in, what doctors to see and what companies to call for air conditioning repairs or garbage service. I trusted these men and women, and to this day, they haven’t let me down. (more…)
Selective Focus: John Heino
This week in Selective Focus, we hear from photographer John Heino about his work, and how he he balances his ever-growing creative wish list as well as evolving travel and equipment wish lists.
JH: I began as an old-school film photographer in the early 80’s as an art student at UMD. With the advent of digital photography, I made the transition from darkroom to computer. I was a bit skeptical about digital in the beginning, but it’s incredible how the technology has evolved over the last ten years. (more…)
Denfeld Lip Dub 2018: “God’s Plan”
Released about six months later than usual and on a budget of $0, the annual Denfeld High School lip dub video is finally out, featuring the song “God’s Plan” by Drake.
Hey there, Duluth, you hear us?
National Public Radio’s Scott Simon begins the Nov. 17 “Saturday Sports” segment on Weekend Edition asking: “Anybody here want to host the 2026 Winter Olympics? Hey there, Duluth, you hear us? Are you just going to stand there with your hands in your pockets?”
Cloud Cult in Concert & Conversation at the Greene Space
Cloud Cult, a band formed by Craig Minowa in Duluth, performed at the Greene Space in New York on Nov. 1 in an event streamed online and available in the video above. Dawn Gross, host of the radio series Dying to Talk interviews Minowa between songs on the topics of love, loss and more.
Missing Person: Janeen Bauer Peters
Update: The body of Janeen Peters was found on Nov. 28 about 500 yards from her vehicle near County Road 2 in Lake County. The vehicle was covered in snow and there were no fresh tracks near it. The cause of death is unknown.
The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office had asked for the public’s help in locating Peters. She was reported missing on Nov. 19 and was last seen Nov. 11 driving her vehicle north of Duluth on North Shore Drive. Investigators believe on Nov. 13 she was at a restaurant in Duluth.
Beyond the Gridiron: Made in Duluth
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54htLY9p7qc
Season 1, episode 11 of the Minnesota Vikings video series “Beyond the Gridiron” profiles Duluth native C.J. Ham, telling the story of his journey from Denfeld High School to the National Football League.
Jonathan Richman – “They’re Not Tryin’ on the Dance Floor”
Jonathan Richman, founder of famed proto-punk band the Modern Lovers, dropped a Duluth reference on his third solo album, 1991’s Having a Party with Jonathan Richman. (more…)
Giving Thanks for a Perfect Duluth Future
As we move into the holidays it seems appropriate to share our gratitude for the hundreds of Duluthians who have added their name in support of the Bag it Duluth Campaign. In so doing they are showing they care deeply about our community by working to shift a cultural mindset away from a disposal planet and disposable people toward a livable economy that works for all and future generations. And, in this time of unconscionable inequality and climate change we acknowledge that many others feel frozen, unable to act, as what feels sacred seems lost. To those, we extend our hearts. (more…)