Bayfront Festival Park Posts

Bayfront Blues Festival Aerial Footage

Videographer Adam Jagunich captured these aerial images last weekend during the Bayfront Blues Festival.

Duluth You & Me: Playfront Park

Use the link below for a printable PDF for your drawing and coloring pleasure.
Duluth You & Me: Playfront Park

Follow the Duluth You & Me subject tag to see additional pages. For background on the book see the original post on the topic.

Goose Chase: An Interview with Duluth’s Goosinator

In 2016 the city of Duluth purchased a remote-controlled glider designed to humanely chase away geese. “The Goosinator” was acquired from an eponymous company in Denver, Colo. at a cost of about $3,000 plus shipping and handling. The city made this purchase with the express goal of ridding Bayfront Festival Park of an increasing abundance of goose feces, a consequence of the recovering Canada goose population. In large amounts, goose feces diminish the park’s appeal and utility, and can cause illness in people and pollute the lake.

Two years on, the Goosinator agreed to meet with me for an exclusive, first-ever interview.

No one in the newly-opened Dovetail Cafe & Marketplace recognizes the Duluth park maintenance worker hustling in from the cold for an interview, but he draws notice all the same. The Goosinator stands about 20 inches tall and, at almost four feet long, has to sit sideways as I help him into a chair at a table made of reclaimed birdseye maple. He wears an outsize, toothy permagrin. He’s bright orange. And he seems perfectly at ease with the sideways glances, thanking me with a wry smirk as I pass him the Cascara Tea I took the liberty of ordering him. After all, he’s used to being the focus of attention, as it’s a prerequisite for his unusual line of work.

More Bentleyville 2017

Video by Chris Bales.

Mystery Photo #50: Children racing at Bayfront Park

Bayfront

The fundamentals of what’s happening in this old photo are fairly simple. It’s obviously shot at Bayfront Festival Park in the days of the old yellow canvas tarp-covered stage, prior to the 2001 construction of the 76-foot-tall steel-canopy pavilion that stands today. And clearly the image shows kids running a race.

So the mysteries are: What race is this? Can we zero in on a date or are we limited to the vague guess that it’s the mid 1990s?

Actual Wolf – “Thinking of You”

In this video, WDSE-TV’s The PlayList captures Actual Wolf performing “Thinking of You” as an opener for Trampled by Turtles at Bayfront Park on July 11, 2015.

Upcoming gig: Actual Wolf plays Rex Bar at Fitger’s on Saturday, May 7, during the Homegrown Music Festival.

Tribute Fest Weekend Review

I’m sure many Duluthians overheard the vibrating sounds that echoed from Bayfront Park this weekend, considering Mayor Don Ness received a handful of tweets regarding how loud the music was. Yes, the music was a little loud, but the bands that played brought a lot of energy, and it was all for a good cause.

Perfect Outdoor Concert Venue: Bayfront Festival Park

PDDPerfectOutdoorConcertVenueLogoDuluthians aren’t shy about loving Bayfront Park. Asked in PDD’s poll to name the best outdoor concert venue, 71.5 percent gave their nod to the 10-acre harbor-side multi-purpose park that has hosted Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Trampled by Turtles, Wilco, the Monkees, the Doobie Brothers, Willie Nelson, Steve Martin, nearly three decades of Bayfront Blues Festivals and a long list of others.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune also named Bayfront the state’s “Best Outdoor Music Venue” in 2014, noting: “It has the Aerial Lift Bridge, hilly city skyline and occasional passing ore boat for a backdrop, the cool breeze off Lake Superior for natural air-conditioning and a huge grassy lawn for stretching out. … Coolest of all: Families can bring kids under 12 to shows for free, as is dictated by the city.”

And then there was the time Wilco brought out Alan Sparhawk, Mimi Parker and Richard Thompson for a rendition of “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”

That was something.

Bob Dylan Duluth Concert Photos

Bob-Dylan-Duluth-Bayfront-Park-2013

Some things improve a bit with age. The out of focus shot above is the best I could do at the 2013 Bob Dylan concert in Duluth, but it’s better than I did in 1999, below.

bob-dylan-bayfront-duluth

So, who did better than me?

Oktoberfest 2012 not at Bayfront Park?

Does anyone know why Fitger’s is not having its Oktoberfest at Bayfront Park this year? It doesn’t really seem like an Oktoberfest if it’s going to be indoors. Here’s a link to some of the new details.

Twin Ports Bridge Festival 2012 Documentary

July 7-8, 2012
Bayfront Park

Mayor Ness giving key to the city to Wilco

The video is a tiny bit out of order, with Ness giving the band the key to the city in the beginning. Wilco talks about wanting the key later in the video. Ness drew one or wrote it on a sheet of paper. He was then hoisted up and made his way to the stage to give the key to lead singer Tweedy.

It was a nice family friendly show, but Wilco seems to have difficulty writing hooks in its songs. Good band and entertaining, but I am not sure what they think about all the local love. We may be coming off a little clingy.

Willie Nelson at Bayfront Park in Duluth

Willie Nelson, Trampled by Turtles and 4onthefloor are playing Bayfront Park in Duluth on Saturday, Aug. 6, at 5 p.m.

Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.

The cost is $46.37 for general admission, as illustrated in the Ticketmaster checkout details below.

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?  🙁