Maria Bamford: Lady Dynamite of Duluth
With all the posts on PDD about References to Duluth in TV and Film we shouldn’t neglect to mention the newest and most obvious example. Lady Dynamite, starring Duluth’s Maria Bamford, premiered Friday on Netflix. (more…)
Video Archive: Charlie’s Club Fire of 2006
On the evening of May 22 and into the morning of May 23, 2006 — Charlie’s Club in West Duluth was destroyed by fire. (more…)
Art and Indigenous Community Health
I spent last Friday at the AICHO Complex, in Trepanier Hall for an event about art, health and indigenous communities. (more…)
Devil’s Kettle Falls Drone Flyover
Quick drone flyover at Devil’s Kettle Falls on the Brule River in Judge C. R. Magney State Park on the North Shore of Lake Superior. This specific set of falls, about 20 minutes east of Grand Marais, draws visitors far and wide for it’s unique mystery: half the river disappears into a hole (kettle) and no one knows where all that water goes. (more…)
Coffee Communication
Like many people, I didn’t start to drink coffee until college. Back then, as a newbie, I offset its bitter flavor with too much cream and sugar. I was also an “Equal” person for a while. But, having grown to love the taste of coffee, my cup today holds strongly brewed coffee with only a teaspoon of sugar and a splash of cream, half-and-half, soymilk, that powder stuff, whatever’s on hand. I’m not fussy. In the absence of any of that, I’ll drink a cup black now and then.
This is partly to say that I am not really a coffee snob, although I do engage in some haute coffee culture. For instance, I make my coffee each morning in a press. I enjoy a cup of Ethiopian cold-pressed coffee from specialty shops like Duluth Coffee Co. On the other hand, I sighed with delight over several cups of Folgers made in a drip machine on last year’s cabin-camping trip with my daughters’ Girl Scout troop.
On the other, other hand — and this only makes sense if you’re in the know about haute coffee culture — I have yet to try a cup of coffee with butter in it. Hipsters swear by it. I might go there; we’ll see. (more…)
Matt Ray – “We’ll be OK”
WDSE-TV’s The PlayList captures singer/songwriter Matt Ray performing “We’ll be OK.”
A Duluth Mountain Biker’s Weekly Adventures – Max Fierek
Keep up with my adventures around the world, based in Duluth. Here’s the latest video. Take a look and if you like it check out the other videos, subscribe and give it a share!
Parking Crunch in Canal Park
The season for enforcing paid parking in Canal Park has begun (see the DNT article here). Parking in Canal Park will get tight and expensive.
Lake Superior Magazine image
The photo at left is of pre-redevelopment Canal Park, not parking this weekend. But you get the idea.
If you are reading this and remember life in Duluth when this was the beach, I’d love to hear stories.
Meanwhile, parking…
I used to meet friends at Endion Station, which was the (I think) last cheap place to park in Canal Park until the meters were upgraded.
And for a while, I joined the Great Lakes Aquarium because the free parking given members of the Aquarium was cheaper than parking in Canal Park. Plus the Aquarium is awesome.
What is the last secret of the local for getting into Canal Park this summer with a car?
Selective Focus: Ann Klefstad
Ann Klefstad is an artist who is definitely connected to this area, through her work across many mediums and by the writing, promotion and encouragement she’s given to the arts in our area.
AK: I work in sculpture, mostly, with some drawing, including ink and tar drawing on wood. My real “medium”, though, would be my subject matter. Over the years I’ve drawn closer and closer to doing only work that comes out of the ecosystem I’m in. I’m kind of a literalist, I guess. I love the forms of things, and so I use those forms, I try to learn them and come to know them by imitating them, like a kid learns.
(more…)
Five Mile Rock Drone Flyover
Five Mile Rock is located five miles north of Grand Marais (hence the name) and 3/4 miles off the shore of Lake Superior. Aerial video and photo shot with the PDD Drone on May 19 around 11:30 a.m. and operated by Liftoff Aerials, an FAA-registered drone operator approved for commercial use.
Lake Aire Motel and Bottle Shop
The split-image postcard above, published by Gallagher’s Studio of Photography, shows the Lake Aire Motel and Bottle Shop on London Road. The card is undated, but appears to be from the 1960s. (more…)
Nominees for Best New Restaurant Poll – 2016
It’s been a year and a half since Perfect Duluth Day last ran a “best new restaurant” poll. The reigning champion, the Spirit Room, is on its way to becoming a seasoned area eatery, as is the runner up, Tavern on the Hill. What’s new in Duluth-area food since then? Reopenings, additional locations and restaurant moves seem to be a trend.
Before we vote, we have to establish a list of nominees. To qualify, an establishment must: have recently opened, serve food and be located within 10 miles of Duluth (including Superior, Hermantown, Proctor or other area townships). Two Harbors and Cloquet, for example, are too far afield to be contenders in this poll.
Here’s a rundown of the recently opened restaurants we compiled. Is there one we missed? We trust you’ll let us know in the comments before we launch our poll next week.
- Beijing Restaurant (April 2016)
- Charley’s Grilled Subs inside Central Avenue Minit Mart (April 2016)
- Dickey’s Barbecue Pit (Oct. 2014)
- Grand World Coffee (Jan. 2016)
- Izzy’s BBQ Lounge & Grill (Aug. 2014)
- Jimmy John’s at Miller Hill Mall (Dec. 2015)
- KBQ Ribs food truck (Aug. 2015)
- The King of Creams (March 2015)
- Lake Superior Bakehouse (June 2015)
- Lark o’ the Lake (Nov. 2015)
- Northern Waters Restaurant (Feb. 2016)
- El Oasis del Norte Mexican food truck (July 2015)
- Sala Thai (April 2015)
- Toasty’s Grilled Cheese Shop – Downtown (Dec. 2015)
- Vintage Kitchen (Feb. 2015)
- VN Coffee House (June 2015)
Johnson Appliance and TV Center Ghost Sign
Oliver Bridge Flyover
Adam Jagunich took his Q500 out on a windy day to capture scenes around the Oliver Bridge on the St. Louis River.
First Tick of the Year — 2016 Edition
Since 2005 I’ve been posting on PDD about the first tick of the season to crawl up into my business. There’s probably no reason for it, other than to let you feel my pain and generally announce that it’s the time of year to check yourself after you’ve been in the woods.
I picked up this year’s inaugural tick at Ely’s Peak, where I never left the trail, so don’t chalk it up to bushwhacking.
R.I.P. John Berquist
John W. Berquist, founder of the Moose Wallow Ramblers band and writer of the song “I Like it in Duluth,” died May 12 at his home in Fayal Township. He was 69.
Dusty the Trail Dawg
Dusty the Trail Dog joins cyclists Jon Wells and Kyle Stark on the “Bones of the Beast” section of the Piedmont trail system in Duluth.
Price Check: Kayaks
Price checking kayaks is like shopping for puppies, with so many colors and personalities. There might never be a perfect time to get a puppy, but May is damn-near the perfect time to buy a kayak. The summer bug starts crawlin’ in with dreams of sunshine and light campfires. (more…)
This Week: bikes, books, whiskey and wind
Here’s a bit of what you’ll find in this week’s PDD Calendar:
People can get a bit of watercolor instruction at Duluth MakerSpace, Take it With You returns for its monthly go-round, there’s a free drop-in clinic for veterans at the Depot, young-adult author Ann Treacy discusses and signs her new book at Fitger’s, former Duluth Mayor Don Ness speaks at the latest TED at the Teatro event, the Duluth Art Institute is looking for volunteers to help with various projects and Bob Matson is the latest history person that folks can lunch with.
Life House holds its third “Night to Shine” event at Greysolon Ballroom, Minneapolis indie darlings the Honeydogs perform at the Red Herring, Duluth Mayor Emily Larson embarks upon her first Mayor’s Bike Ride, it’s Whiskey Galore at Dubh Linn, “Duluth’s best lake party” is happening at Glensheen Mansion, the kids’ production The Wind in the Willows opens at UWS’ Manion Theater and the Zeitgeist Center for Arts and Community looks to raise funds with a big party.
Moose Lake Forest Fire of 1918
The subject of the 1918 forest fire in Carlton County came up in the “Postcards from the Swinging Bridge at Jay Cooke State Park” post a few weeks ago. Since I have kin from that area it wasn’t terribly surprising to find a fire retrospective from the Oct. 14, 1979 Moose Lake Star-Gazette in the family archive. (more…)
Kounty Quarthouse in South Range under new ownership
One might not expect the food served at a nondescript roadhouse six miles south of Superior to be anything special, but the Kounty Quarthouse, off County Road K in South Range, is a hidden gem that shatters stereotypes.
Beth Cherny, founder of Savories Catering in Duluth, took over the modest wayside tavern in 2006. She played up the legal theme and overhauled the menu. Her creative culinary concoctions were an instant hit with regulars and foodies from further afield. In 2014, the Food Network’s Guy Fieri shot a segment there for “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives,” his popular show that uses public input to discover and highlight some of the best “greasy spoons” in the nation.
Cherny’s decade-long run with the Kounty Quarthouse ended in March when she sold the business to Kandice and Bill Szewcik. Fans of the eatery will be relieved to know the recipes were sold along with the restaurant and the new owners intend to maintain the same quality customers have come to expect. (more…)
PDD Quiz: Duluth Does Dylan
Want to celebrate Dylan? Here are some Dylan-related questions! Good luck, Dylan fans!
The next quiz will be out on May 29 and will be a review of May 2016. Send your questions and answers in to lawrence @ perfectduluthday.com by noon on Wednesday, May 25 to get them included.
Perfect Duluth Fishing Opener Experience
At Marshall Hardware yesterday, an older man comes in and asks for handwarmers “because Sam Cook says I’ll need them tomorrow.”
Archetypes in Wrestling: Reflections on Recent Matches at Wessman Arena
I spent last Saturday night thinking and rethinking about cultural archetypes through the most popular form of American theater, the wrestling show.
Heavy on Wrestling, a Duluth-based promotion, has organized numerous cards over the past decade at casinos and entertainment centers throughout the region. Last week’s event at Wessman Arena was intergenerational. Baron von Raschke, who started wrestling in 1966, served as the “commissioner.” For those a bit younger, who remember wrestling on network TV, “The Million Dollar Man,” Ted DiBiase and Eugene were present; DiBiase signed autographs and Eugene wrestled Minnesota wrestling mainstay Mitch Paradise.
If you thought wrestling was something that only happened on cable TV, you are missing out. There are more than a half-dozen wrestling promotions in Minnesota running shows throughout the state. To learn more, follow the work of Razzling Rick.