Recommendations
Homegrown Tags
So Homegrown has begun, and you kids and your crazy cameras will undoubtedly be shooting everything in sight and posting the photos to Flickr. By the power vested in me by being the person who’s declared it without authority in the past (though it seemed to work — 2007 slideshow | 2008 slideshow) I declare the official Homegrown Flickr tag to be homegrownmusicfestival2009. If everyone simply tags their photos, we’ll be able to easily find cool shots of all the stuff we missed. I’ll post a slideshow here on PDD on Sunday so we can all recall the memories.
But the question that’s up for grabs is: What will the official Homegrown Twitter hash-tag be? #duluthhomegrown? #homegrownduluth? Simply #homegrown? Something else? Discuss.
One more thing: I stole this photo from Rich Narum. He’s a kickass photographer.
Sacred Heart Experimental Tuesday
* 7 p.m. – Tim Kaiser
* 8 p.m. – Rivulets
* 9 p.m. – Sight Like December
HOMEGROWN HOMEGROWN HOMEGROWN HOMEGROWN
Poetry Month Finales
Today, Saturday, April 25th: 3-5pm Reading and Reception for Duluth-Area High School Poets! Listen to emerging voices, help yourself to some free refreshments and chat about poetry! Mitchel Hall Auditorium, free and open to the public. One of Jim Johnson’s Duluth Poet Laureate initiatives!
Spirit Lake Poetry Series 7:30pm Anishinaabe poet, Al Hunter, will read from his two books of poetry (and maybe more!) Spirit Horses and Recklessness of Love. Reading is at Somers Lounge at St. Scholastica – free and open to the public, refreshments to follow!
Monday, April 27th, as part of the Arts Night in the Homegrown Music Festival, Devin McKinnon will be hosting a poetry showcase with the Cosmic Pit Orchestra serving as house band. A really great lineup of tremendous talent – you won’t want to miss! 8pm at Teatro Zuccone!
And since there were people unable to make the contemporary poetry discussion with Ryan Vine, I wrote up a summary of the talk: Poetry Talk at Norlight Lit Life
Happy Last Days of Poetry Month!
Duluth-area Auto Salvage
For the benefit of the general public, I’m sharing the results of today’s research project, entitled Which Junkyard Will Take My Useless Old Car and What Will They Give Me For It?
There are several places that will take your car if you strip the gas tank off, drain all the fluids, etc.
If you want someone to take it as is, the closest place to Duluth is Calvary Auto & Salvage in the Rice Lake Township (4825 Rice Lake Road | 723-1294).
A little farther away is Chesney Auto Salvage in the Fredenberg Township (6250 Beaver River Road | 721-4874).
Both offered $50 for my 1990 Ford Taurus, on the conditions that I deliver it to them and bring the title. (more…)
Chickens in the City?
I doubt I will actually do this, but wanted some input, encouragement and/or discouragement based on experience
Backyard Chickens
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Check it out!
Check It Out!
Spring Sustainability Fair
Energy, Campus, and Community
April 21 at the UMD Kirby Student Center
10 am-4 pm
Call: 722-SAVE for bus schedules
Informational booths, demonstrations and panel discussions on many topics, with a focus on energy.
Call 722-SAVE for Bus Schedules.
*Panels and Presenters* (Kirby Lounge)
11:00 a.m. Wind Power! Community wind projects in NE Minnesota, and results from wind resource research on the UMD campus: Mike Mageau, UMD Geography and Center for Sustainable Community Development
12:00 p.m. Campus Energy Research – Malosky Solar Array: Andrew Bentley, Brandon Eberle, and Scott Norr, UMD Electrical and Computer Engineering
12:30 p.m. Campus Energy Research – Multiple-Energy Source Integration: Jeron Smith, Tom Soldner, Drew Jensen, David Buszmann, and Paul Weber, UMD Electrical and Computer Engineering
1:00 p.m. Energy: Choices, Issues, and UMD’s Role: Tom Ferguson, 3M McKnight Professor, UMD Elect & Comp Engr
2:00 p.m. Go lean before going green: The role of energy conservation and why it should always come first: Dean Talbott, Residential Program Specialist, Minnesota Power
3:00 p.m. Twin Ports Campus Sustainability Panel: How are Twin Ports universities and colleges addressing sustainability? (UMD, CSS, LSC, UWS)
4:00 p.m. Hartley Nature Center’s Electron-Search for Smart Energy (Near UMD Bus Stop)
*Booths and Presentations*
David Syring’s Anthropology Seminar Class Sustainability Projects
NE Minnesota CERTs
Conservation Technologies
UMD Office of Sustainability
UMD Office of Civic Engagement
True North AmeriCorps
Western Lake Superior Sanitary District
Minnesota Power
Jes Durfee Glass Blowing
Outdoor EdVentures
Duluth Community Supported Herbalism
Sustainable Twin Ports
UMD Sustainability Coalition
Cut Loose Creations
MORE???
Great Music Saturday at Beaners
This Saturday two of my favorite musicians, Danny Schmidt and John Hermanson (of Storyhill, Alva Star, and The Hopefuls), will be playing in the round with third artist Chris O’Brien at Beaner’s Central.
Go check them out; pack the place!
Cost: $15 (for three FANTASTIC musicians)
Showtime: 8pm
Poetry Discussion at Northern Lights Books
Tomorrow, Thursday, April 16th, 7PM, Ryan Vine and I will be hosting a reading/discussion on contemporary poetry. Our rules for the evening: Non-famous, Non-local & Non-dead. Bring in a poem by your favorite poet who meets the criteria above – we’ll have a sharing of poems read aloud. And also bring in your questions. We’ll be speaking of where we go for information on new poets and poetry, reviews, magazines, websites, etc. We’ll also speak to our impressions on some current trends in poetry. Any other contemporary poetry concerns you want to bring up will be very welcome!
See you there (if you’re not at the DECC)!
7pm, Thursday, April 16th, Northern Lights Books & Gifts 307 Canal Park Drive
(if you sign up for our newsletter at https://norlights.com by noon, Thursday, you can print off a poetry coupon Thursday evening)
Your Turn to Serve!
The Arrowhead Regional Arts Council is Seeking New Board Members
The Arrowhead Regional Arts Council is currently accepting applications from individuals wishing to serve on its Board. The following four Board positions will be open as of July 1, 2009: the Student Ad Hoc position, the Lake County position, and two At-large Board positions. The ARAC serves individual artists and non-profit arts organizations who reside in the seven counties which make up the Arrowhead Region: Aitkin, Carlton, Cook, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake and St. Louis. (more…)
Blogging Policies Revisited
By the power vested in me by the founders of Perfect Duluth Day, I present this update to PDD’s blogging policies.
Promotional Content
It’s perfectly acceptable to promote and sell things through posts on PDD. Just don’t abuse the power.
If you’re planning a quaint yard sale and want to hype all the Judy Collins records you’re selling, that’s fine. If you represent Wham-o, Inc. and post a rant about the awesomeness of the Pop Bang Target Game, which is available for the amazing low price of $24.99, your post will be removed.
Obviously there is a gray area between those examples, but as long as what you’re posting has local relevance and doesn’t come off like an advertorial, there should be few complaints.
Hot Toddy Hits Basic Cable
Hot Toddy and Laura Jo Dewitt
Got this interesting message from my friend who moved to LA to make it big about a year ago. He’s a Duluth native singer/songwriter/babe magnet, Hot Toddy Eckart, and I thought some of you PDDers might be interested in the update on his career: (more…)
Attention Jr. Nerds
UWS has an annual Science Night, and tonight is the night. We’ve gone the last couple years, and it’s a good time – for kids especially, but for adults too. Glowing goo, bugs, explosions, liquid nitrogen … yeah.
6-9 PM, UWS Barstow Hall
UMD vs. Miami (Ohio) | NCAA W. Regional final
NCAA West Regional final: UMD vs. Miami (Ohio) ‘
Update: UMD loses its bid for the NCAA Frozen Four in a close game against Miami 2 -1. They almost followed up the Friday night “Miracle at Mariucci” with another come back, but they couldn’t get the equalizer they needed to tie the game. It was a great playoff run by the Dogs and look forward to great season next year. Now we need to hope the BSU Beavers, yes the Bemidji State Beavers, pull off another upset tomorrow night against Cornell to get into the Frozen Four. BSU upset #1 seed Notre Dame 5 -1 tonight in a great game. It was the first NCAA Division I Tournament win in Bemidji State men’s hockey history. Learn more here
Lutsen Mountains: King of the Midwest Hills
New York Times story here.
Fathers Forever (reprise)
MN Fathers Forever Saturday March 21st at Fond du Lac Tribaland Community College
MINNESOTA FATHERS FOREVER
Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College, 2101 14th Street, Cloquet, MN 55720
MINNESOTA FATHERS FOREVER: March 21, 2009 (Saturday), 9:30am-3:00pm, Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College, 2101 14th Street, Cloquet, MN 55720. This event is about honoring fathers and connecting them with the resources that they need to best serve their children. We welcome fathers who are looking for positive solutions to problems with child support, child custody, and parenting time issues. Fathers who attend for will get assistance in modifying their child support orders, drivers license reinstatement, and legal information/assistance.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Oscar Reed (former Vikings running back with 3 Superbowl appearances). Special appearance by members of the 2008 National Championship UMD Football Bulldogs.
The thought provoking film “Smoke Signals” will also be shown.
Free family photos of dads and kids resource vendor booths, child care, lunch, and limited transportation are all available. This event was created by a large coalition of organizations that really care about strengthening families in our region, including the Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency (AEOA), Boyz II Dadz Young Fathers Program, Carlton County Child Support, Fond du Lac Head Start, Fond du Lac Social Services, St. Louis County Child Support, and University of Minnesota Extension and many, many others.
TRANSPORTATION UPDATE: Free rides to and from Duluth are available. A van will leave the Central Hillside Community Center at 8:45 am on Saturday Morning. A return trip to Duluth will be made at 3:15 pm from Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College. Call me for transportation details (jp Boyz II Dadz: 218.391.8330)
The Full Monty opens Thursday
The Full Monty at the Duluth Playhouse
I saw a preview of the Duluth Playhouse production of “The Full Monty” tonight. It’s really funny! It’s a musical with some interaction with the audience. How naked are they? I’ll never tell, but I will say that I saw Pat Kelly as I’ve never seen him before. Call 733-7555 for ticket information or visit www.duluthplayhouse.org. Shows are Thursday, March 19th to Sunday, April 5th, Thursday – Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:00 p.m.
Our world, encapsulated
This weekend I’ll be hanging drywall in my humble home, and there is a little compartment upstairs that will be sealed up for good (or, at least until the house is remodeled again or demolished. It was closed up for about 40 years before I got to it).
I’m going to get a shoebox-sized plastic container and create a time capsule to place in that little compartment.
Already slated for the capsule: a newspaper, a few coins, and some photos of the house and neighborhood.
Any suggestions on some small things to add that would be cool to find a few decades from now?
Really Really Free Market?
Has anyone in Duluth ever held a Really Really Free Market? If so, has it worked?
I’ve always found the concept interesting and exciting, and with many people being affected by job loss and economy woes, it might be helpful for a lot of people. Plus I think Duluth has enough of the sort of DYI population to be able to host a fairly successful one. Are there people who would be at all interested in putting one on? I obviously couldn’t do it myself, I don’t know much about organizing big events in Duluth, but if there were people who did I would definitely be into doing it.
For those who don’t know a RRFM is basically what it sounds like – an open air market where everything is free for the taking. People bring usable things that they don’t want/need anymore and would love to get out of their house/apartment, set up a little area on a table or a blanket or just the grass, and then anyone who comes to the market can take whatever they want–no bartering, trading, or money allowed. Other things that people integrate into it are free food (giant potluck!), free groceries, free entertainment (drum circles, musicians, storytellers, dancers), free games, free plants (spider plants anyone?), free services (haircuts, bike repair by a collective, etc), free art made on the spot, etc. It’s basically just a big fun market day.
Info on How to Hold a RRFM
Awesome Photos & Article of a RRFM
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I got yer shovel-ready project right here
Ahhh spring. The time dog-owners dread. The snow melts, revealing the bounty of gifts Barfy has left for you in the backyard all winter long.
I found something that might be helpful for other dog people.
If you have one of these clamshell-type post hole diggers, it works quite well for extracting the poo from the snow and ice. And it’s better to get it now while it’s semi-frozen than in a few weeks when it’s almost liquid.
At that point, I recommend a pair of industrial-strength, chemical grade rubber gloves. Then you can just dig right in there and get ‘er done.
Nightlife Suggestions Downtown Minneapolis
I am going to a show at the State Theater on Friday March 13. The show will be done around 10-10:30 pm, I would guess. We would want to head out afterwards for a drink or two. I haven’t been downtown in years, so I’m completely out of the loop. Our group are all in our mid-30’s. So we’re not really looking for the “hot” dance club where all the idiot 21-25 year olds hang out. We’d probably like to stay in the general vicinity of Target Center area since that’s where the Theater and our hotel is located. Live music is cool, but not a deal breaker. Anyone have any suggestions?