Paul Lundgren
Duluth Urban Design Project: Highway 61 Revisited
What better time could there be for sharing grand expensive visions than during a pandemic, when Duluth and virtually all municipalities are under tremendous financial duress?
Hey, ideas are just ideas, right?
A group of designers and unofficial community planners known as the Duluth Waterfront Collective has been working on a “what-if?” project called Highway 61 Revisited. The basic task is to redesign the I-35 corridor where it splits Downtown Duluth and the Canal Park Business District. (more…)
Found your mini-guitar smashed on the railroad tracks
I found your mini-guitar smashed on the railroad tracks along the St. Louis River at Mud Lake. It had a Perfect Duluth Day sticker on it. Bent Paddle Brewing Company, Earth Rider Beer and the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra were also decorating your little green guitar, along with smiley faces, hearts and what appear to be a set of puckered lips.
Was this a triumphant smashing after a performance for the geese and red-winged blackbirds? Or was the destruction out of frustration or sadness? Did hooligans steal your guitar and leave you wondering until now what became of it?
As a fan of PDD, you are sure to see this post. Or do you just like free stickers?
Duluth You & Me: Wednesday Night Sailboat Races
Use the link below for a printable PDF for your drawing and coloring pleasure.
Duluth You & Me: Wednesday Night Sailboat Races
Follow the Duluth You & Me subject tag to see additional pages. For background on the book see the original post on the topic.
Gold Mine Camp on the Vermilion River in Buyck
Buyck is about 100 miles north of Duluth. Presumably this 1940s-era photo depicts cabins at what is the modern-day fishing and hunting camp that bears the name Gold Mine Camp.
Duluth: the Norwegian Band
In addition to all the songs that reference Duluth, there is also a band based out of Norway that bore the name Duluth. An album titled The Aesthetics of Drowning was released in 2002. (more…)
Mystery Photos #106-112: Ely Studio
It’s a nearly impossible challenge to put names on people in century-old cabinet card photos, but we occasionally try nonetheless. At least in most cases we know the photographer’s name, which can lead in all sorts of directions. (more…)
Louis Oreck: Dealer in Curios
The business card above touts the goods for sale at Louis Oreck’s Curios store in Downtown Duluth circa the 1910s: souvenirs, American Indian crafts and mineral specimens. (more…)
Duluth Book Releases in 2020
Half-Breed: Taming the Elements, Book 1
Hickory Mack
Jan. 23
Available on Amazon
Village of Scoundrels
Margi Preus
Feb. 25
Harry N. Abrams
Available at IndieBound
Camp Cocktails: Easy, Fun, and Delicious Drinks for the Great Outdoors
Emily Vikre
Feb. 25
Harvard Common Press
Available on Amazon
Duluth You & Me: William A. Irvin
Use the link below for a printable PDF for your drawing and coloring pleasure.
Duluth You & Me: William A. Irvin
Follow the Duluth You & Me subject tag to see additional pages. For background on the book see the original post on the topic.
Monthly Grovel: May 2020 Edition
The PDD Calendar continues to soldier on through the COVID-19 pandemic, keeping you informed about virtual events and things that might or might not happen in the fuzzy future.
Once a month we reach out with a beggarly blog post to remind everyone that human beings and not machines are at work editing and publishing calendar events on Perfect Duluth Day. So if you appreciate it, drop a few bucks in the PayPal account, yo. (more…)
Postcard from Mesabi Open Pit Iron Mine in Virginia
This undated postcard shows scenes from the Mesabi Iron Range, the largest of four iron ranges in northeast Minnesota. The card uses a spelling more often associated with a roadway in Duluth — Mesaba Avenue. (more…)
Duluth You & Me: Grain Elevators
Use the link below for a printable PDF for your drawing and coloring pleasure.
Duluth You & Me: Grain Elevators
Follow the Duluth You & Me subject tag to see additional pages. For background on the book see the original post on the topic.
Al Trace and the Revelers – “Duluth M-I-double-N”
Here’s a little track for everyone who wants “to be where the winds blow free” — Duluth.
The PDD Video Lab has joined this scratchy old 10-inch record with Duluth images circa the mid-to-late 1940s via Minnesota Reflections, the database of digitized materials from the Northeastern Minnesota Historical Collections and other cultural heritage organizations across Minnesota. (more…)
The Jayhawks – “Life Floats By”
Twenty years ago today — May 9, 2000 — Twin Cities alt-rock/country band the Jayhawks released its sixth studio album, Smile. The song “Life Floats By” references Duluth at the 1:52 mark.
We hit Duluth on a jag, baby
We hit Duluth on a jag, baby
I grab my coat, my hat and my paperback
From the corner of my eyes, I see you smile
W9MMS Duluth
Nerds will explain this in the comments.
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.
Duluth references in Workaholics
The Comedy Central sitcom Workaholics, which ran from 2011-’17, featured two references to Duluth. (more…)
Sexy Duluth Sweatshirt from 1988
This gorgeous piece of high fashion has a copyright date of 1988 and a set of initials that must be in reference to the artist, “A.V. – A.W.” The design is likely based on a photo from the 1970s, because the Northern Drug Company building is included in the art, and that building was torn down in 1977.
Anyway, if you think the front of this sweatshirt is smoking hot, wait for it … (more…)
Audio Archive: Renegade Homegrown Radio Hour of 2007
Thirteen years ago today — May 1, 2007 — the Homegrown Music Festival partnered with Renegade Theater Company and 91.3 FM KUWS for an hour of radio sketch comedy and music. Featured here are several clips from the broadcast. The above segment is titled “Cowardly Lion’s Club Pancake Breakfast.” (more…)
Postcard from Glenn Rock in Duluth
Remember when all of Duluth’s houses were pink? It was back when we all lived in the land of make-believe known as the illustrated postcard era.
So, what was “Glenn Rock”? (more…)
Duluth You and Me: Carriage Rides at Canal Park
Use the link below for a printable PDF for your drawing and coloring pleasure.
Duluth You & Me: Carriage Rides at Canal Park
Follow the Duluth You & Me subject tag to see additional pages. For background on the book see the original post on the topic.
Duluth Chapbooks: Poetry, Fiction, Comics, etc.
From laureates to total hacks, writers and other artists have compiled their works into inexpensive little booklets for hundreds of years. The history of street literature in Duluth has perhaps not yet been explored in depth.
Gathered in this post is by no means a comprehensive collection of chapbooks produced in Duluth, but rather just a smattering of publications that happened to be gathering dust in the Perfect Duluth Day library.
Got one to add? Mention it in the comments and/or email the cover art if you have it to: paul @ perfectduluthday.com. (more…)
Duluth You & Me: Canal Park Marine Museum
Use the link below for a printable PDF for your drawing and coloring pleasure.
Duluth You & Me: Canal Park Marine Museum
Follow the Duluth You & Me subject tag to see additional pages. For background on the book see the original post on the topic.
Homegrown Music Festival 2020 Primer
Duluth’s 22nd annual Homegrown Music Festival is basically cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but not really. Call it Virtual Homegrown. Fake Homegrown. StayHomegrown. There are no public events, but the beat goes on via the internet and other media. (more…)
Postcard from a Foreign Vessel at the Aerial Lift Bridge
This undated postcard from Gallagher’s Studio of Photography depicts a “foreign vessel going under famous Aerial Lift Bridge,” according to the caption on the back.