Making it Up North: Gary Mueller
From his early days apprenticing under legendary Minnesota sculptor Paul Granlund to fabricating large-scale public art commissions across the region, Greg Mueller uses raw, reclaimed metal and local history to create striking pieces of community storytelling.
Making it Up North is a PBS North series that explores stories of creative artists, artisans and entrepreneurs engaged in honing their skills, following their passion and realizing their dreams.
Alan Sparhawk with Trampled by Turtles — “Stranger” (Live at Fitzgerald Theater)
Clean those dashboard cup holders, the Current has released a video of Alan Sparhawk performing “Stranger” with Trampled by Turtles during a Dec. 11 concert at Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul. Video of the entire show will be released on Friday, May 29, to mark the one-year anniversary of Sparhawk’s second solo album, With Trampled by Turtles.
Postcard from Duluth’s Waterfront in 1916
This postcard of Duluth’s waterfront and manufacturing district was mailed May 25, 1916 — 110 years ago today. Among the fuzzy buildings on the shoreline is F. A. Patrick Woolen Mills at 302 S. Fifth Ave. W., which is on the left and is the only building with readable lettering on it. (more…)
Brewery Creek Terrace project turns eyesore into award winner
The turn-of-the-century brownstone at 627 E. Fourth St. has undergone a $4.3 million renovation by Heirloom Property Management. The public can tour the 20-unit building during an open house Tuesday, May 26. (Photo by Mark Nicklawske)
A once stately turn-of-the-century brownstone neglected for decades and widely considered one of Duluth’s biggest eyesores has received a complete top-to-bottom restoration and begins accepting tenants this summer. (more…)
Making it Up North: Voyageur Donuts
Tracy Owens, owner-operator of Voyageur Donuts in the historic DeWitt-Seitz Marketplace, shares her journey from executive chef to donut entrepreneur, the inspiration behind the famous savory “Hot Dish” donut, and how the shop keeps its menu fresh and eclectic with monthly seasonal creations.
Making it Up North is a PBS North series that explores stories of creative artists, artisans and entrepreneurs engaged in honing their skills, following their passion and realizing their dreams.
Ish Meets a Mermaid
Written and directed by Duluth’s Jonathan Thunder, the short movie Ish Meets a Mermaid was produced in 2025 and premiered at the Historic State Theater in Ely during the Ely Film Festival in March 2026. It recently made its Duluth debut at the Zeitgeist Minnesota Film Festival. (more…)
Toby Thomas Churchill – “The Bridge by the Crib”
“The Bridge by the Crib” is the third video release from Toby Thomas Churchill’s new album Nighttime.
Postcard from Enger Tower
This undated postcard, published by Erickson Post Cards & Souvenirs, shows the five-story lookout tower at Duluth’s Enger Park circa the early 1970s. (more…)
Bug Ball fundraiser has Prøve Gallery buzzing
Dressed in gowns that look like they came straight out of a doll house, a few artists met at Prøve Gallery last week to shoot a promotional video for their upcoming gala. As soon as the bug garments and masks were placed on the models’ heads, the poses came out.
“A mask is transformative,” artist and Prøve Collective board member Cherry Koch said, watching the models move around the room in playful bug-like fashion. (more…)
Making it Up North: Kelly Schamberger
A chance encounter at the Tweed Museum sparked Kelly Schamberger‘s passion for plein air painting. This video explores the delicate balance of turning a creative passion into a sustainable business, the importance of artistic mentorship, and the unique joy of connecting with strangers in the middle of the woods. It is a story about building a legacy of beauty and finding common ground through the stroke of a brush.
Making it Up North is a PBS North series that explores stories of creative artists, artisans and entrepreneurs engaged in honing their skills, following their passion and realizing their dreams.
Rip-saw publisher John L. Morrison died in 1926
Newspaper publisher John L. Morrison died 100 years ago today — May 18, 1926. As “head sawyer” of the Duluth Rip-saw, he was known for his unrelenting attacks on local politicians, which led to a gag order that shut his publication down. Five years after his mysterious death at the age of 62, Morrison was vindicated by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled the Public Nuisance Law violated the First Amendment of the United States Constitution protecting the freedom of the press. (more…)
Steve Solkela’s “Overpopulated” One-man Band – “She Taught Me How to Yodel”
Steve Solkela covers “She Taught Me How to Yodel” — a hit song for Frank Ifield in the 1960s — during a performance at the TapRoom in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
Duluthy Stickers
Duluth-themed stickers created by artist Samantha Nielsen.
A previous post on Perfect Duluth Day featured “Duluth Band Stickers.” Now we present the rest of the adherent merch representing Duluthy stuff. (more…)
Making it Up North: Northernly School for Music
Kyle Orla grew up surrounded by music, but his path to becoming an educator was anything but traditional. From playing 1990s hardcore and metal with jazz chords to traveling the country with a fiddle and no fixed address, he learned that the best education often happens outside the classroom. Today, he’s helping lead Northerly, a Duluth music school run by musicians, for musicians.
Making it Up North is a PBS North series that explores stories of creative artists, artisans and entrepreneurs engaged in honing their skills, following their passion and realizing their dreams.
Mystery Photo: Guns, Booze and Cards
Cowboy outfits featuring furry chaps were a favorite costume of photo subjects at G. E. Sackett’s Owl Studio in Duluth during the early 1900s. Several Mystery Photos on Perfect Duluth Day feature unnamed dudes dressed as buckaroos. This is the first time we’ve seen a lawman in one of these old postcards, however. (more…)
Selective Focus: Chosen Family & Mutual Aid with Carolyn Olson
Centering on themes of mutual aid, chosen family, snapshots of the home and community spaces, Carolyn Olson works with gouache, pastel and oil to create narrative paintings. Her work has included scenes from laundromats, overnight parking areas, community gardens and food distribution locations. The subjects in her work are often presented with unrealistic body proportions to bring out different energies in the characters or accentuate the task at hand. (more…)
Webber Hospital under construction in West Duluth in 1926
One hundred years ago today — May 8, 1926 — the Duluth Herald reported on construction of a new hospital in West Duluth. Webber Hospital opened at 5601 Grand Ave. in March 1927. (more…)
West Duluth Snake Orgy
These garter snakes on the edge of Waabizheshikana Trail in West Duluth have formed a “mating ball,” with the males competing for a little time with the female, who is releasing irresistible pheromones.
Making it Up North: Scott Murphy
Local painter Scott Murphy shares the raw, honest truth about his creative journey. From the high-pressure world of painting 17 years of billboards to the surreal hallucinations of a coma following a major accident, his work is a reflection of a life lived in “low gear” but high intensity.
Making it Up North is a PBS North series that explores stories of creative artists, artisans and entrepreneurs engaged in honing their skills, following their passion and realizing their dreams.
Writers Speak Out: Power to the People
Writers Speak Out: People Have the Power was held at Wussow’s Concert Cafe on April 21. (more…)
Palomino: Trampled by Turtles Live at First Avenue
Trampled by Turtles has released to YouTube a 2020 documentary featuring the band performing all the tracks from the 2010 album Palomino, with commentary on the process of writing the songs.
The documentary is directed and edited by Charlie Berg.
Selective Focus: Homegrown 2026 (The Weekend)
Select images via Instagram from the final three days of the Homegrown Music Festival. (more…)
Superior Street, Sept. 11, 1907, Part 2: The Windsor Hotel and Surrounding Businesses
This ten part series takes a detailed look at life on Superior Street on the afternoon of Wednesday, Sept. 11, 1907 based on a single photograph. The first part of the series provided background details on the photograph itself. Part two focuses on the bottom right corner of the photograph, relating to the contentious history between the city and the owner of the Windsor Hotel and telling the stories of the surrounding businesses. (more…)
Rollers earn kickball win in dramatic 10th inning
Coach Kaylee Matuszak celebrates with her team at Wheeler Athletic Complex after the Rollers defeated the Rawkers in extra innings to win the 2026 Homegrown Kickball Classic. (Photo by Seth Roeser)
Despite two controversial calls pushing the game into extra innings, Matuszak’s Rollers finally bested Rohrbaugh’s Rawkers in the 2026 Homegrown Kickball Classic at Wheeler Athletic Complex Field 2. The final score was 6-2. (more…)
Postcard from Somebody’s House
This undated postcard shows Somebody’s House, a restaurant at Duluth’s Mt. Royal Shopping Center operated by noted cookbook author Beatrice Ojakangas. It opened in February 1966. (more…)