R.I.P.
Popular Palestinian restaurant among 2025 closings
Palestinian deli Falastin closed after a year of rave reviews and lines out the door. A new Hong Kong-style café has taken over the Lakeside location. (Photos by Mark Nicklawske).
Two of the most high profile restaurant closings this year saw their locations quickly replaced with new offerings. It doesn’t always happen that way — some abandoned kitchens sit for years before inspiring another project. (more…)
R.I.P Todd Eckart
News broke today that Duluth musician Todd Eckart was one of two people killed in a head-on automobile collision in the southbound lanes of U.S. Highway 53 at Berg Park Road in Amnicon Township on Oct. 22.
Eckart was one of the city’s busiest performers, playing gigs at virtually every possible venue. Below is just a small sampling of his vast array of gig posters. (more…)
R.I.P. Lakeside Professional Building
Demolition of the Lakeside Professional Building began in August. (Photo by Gina Temple-Rhodes)
The Lakeside Professional Building, formerly St. Michael’s School, is no more. St. Michael’s Catholic Church announced in December that the building at 4915 E. Superior St. had been deemed structurally deficient and would be demolished. The tenants, which included Gabriel’s Used Bookstore and the Sami Cultural Center, cleared out in the spring. Gabriel’s had operated out of the building’s basement since 1994.
R.I.P. Loiselle Liquor / Lake Superior Liquor Cabinet
The former Loiselle Liquor store in Duluth’s Central Hillside neighborhood was demolished last week. It was the oldest liquor store in Duluth, established in 1934. The store was sold in 2022 and took a new name — Lake Superior Liquor Cabinet — but eventually closed. The building was sold to Essentia Health in April. (more…)
R.I.P. Lumpy G
AKA Chris Marshall. (more…)
Black Water Lounge, Chalet among 2024 restaurant closures
The Black Water Lounge featured live music in a classy atmosphere. The restaurant closed in July after a 15-year run in Greysolon Plaza. (Photos by Mark Nicklawske)
Downtown Duluth suffered blows to its dining scene over the past year with two restaurants leaving prominent, historic buildings while Hermantown will lose a landmark establishment at the end of the month. (more…)
Synchronicity in Action: How I Met the Late Ralph Abraham
Among the mind-blowing coincidences of my life is how I met the countercultural chaos mathematician Ralph Abraham, who died on September 19. He was a huge influence on me and the moment we met was extraordinary.
Coincidence is not technically the same thing as synchronicity. To believe in synchronicity, you must believe in meaning. And I did.
It was the 1990s and I was a young hippie newlywed in Bonny Doon, the backwoods of Santa Cruz, California. Like a lot of folks, my wife and I lived at the end of a long winding dirt road at the end of another long winding road. It was like a miles-long driveway. People with land out there had sprinkled the place with trailers and shacks, and they let people rent them cheap on the down low. One of those shacks was home sweet home. You could hear the ocean in the distance. The outhouse had no walls or roof, it was just … out. (more…)
R. I. P. Florian Chmielewski
Florian Chmielewski, leader of the Chmielewski Funtime Band and a Minnesota state senator from 1971 to 1976, died last week at his home in Sturgeon Lake at the age of 97. (more…)
R.I.P. Viking Lounge & Liquor
Fox 21 reports crews were demolishing the Viking Lounge & Liquor building in Superior yesterday. The bar at 1501 N. Fifth St., and its upstairs apartments, were condemned after a Thanksgiving Day fire.
MPR Archive: Crew Jones in 2004
As Duluth mourns the loss of Ben Larson, aka Burly Burlesque of the bands Crew Jones and Southwire, we point to a nearly 20-year-old Minnesota Public Radio piece that introduced listeners to the hot new “north woods rap” group. The segment was produced by Chris Julin and features Chris Godsey interviewing Crew Jones.
North Woods rappers Crew Jones | MPR Archive Portal archive.mpr.orgR.I.P. Burly Burlesque
Rest in peace Burly Burlesque, aka Ben Larson, one of Duluth’s best vocalists, lyricists and performers. According to the comments on the Facebook post which broke the news, he died in his sleep. He was newly a father, and a Go Fund Me has been set up to help support his family during this terrible time.
Burly and I weren’t friends but there was a time when we were friendly and familiar in the arts and music scene. I remember seeing him perform for the first time circa 2003. He comprised one-third of the band Crew Jones, and when they hopped up on stage at Pizza Lucé I was like, “Who are these weirdos?” But then they showed me and everybody. Their album Who’s Beach dropped around then; everyone I know from those days speaks of it in reverent tones as a work of genius. A firehose of creativity, the band (Burly, Ray the Wolf, and Mic Trout) all brought their A-game. Their live performances did no less. The album became a must-have and their shows were a must-see. No one could believe these white dudes rapping about life in northern Minnesota could be so legit but there you have it. Like all of the band’s lyrics, Burly’s writing was something great; he was also a master freestyler with an outsized stage presence. (more…)
Last Video Vision store to close
The Video Vision movie rental business at 1418 Belknap St. in Superior is holding a closeout sale. Owner Brian Augustine expects most of the DVDs will be gone before winter ends and his indoor tanning business, Superior Tan, will expand. (more…)
R.I.P. Rex Bar at Fitger’s
Patrons gathered at the Rex Bar Sunday for its last night in business. (Photo by Mike Creger)
Rex Bar at Fitger’s closed Sunday after nearly 15 years in business. It opened in 2008, following a brief period when the bar was called Lido. Prior to that the space operated as the Fitger’s Tap Room. (more…)
R.I.P. Diona Johnson / Di Jay / AfroGeode
Duluth musician, therapist and activist Diona Johnson dies at 35 - Duluth News Tribune | News, weather, and sports from Duluth, Minnesota
Well known as the leader of AfroGeode and the Gemstones, Johnson was a clinical therapist and a vocal advocate for Duluth's Black and LGBTQ communities.
duluthnewstribune.com
Diona Johnson, leader of the Duluth band AfroGeode and the Gemstones, died on Monday at age 35. The Duluth News Tribune reports that the cause of the sudden death remains unknown pending the results of an autopsy. (more…)
R.I.P. Dave Hill
Legendary sound designer Dave Hill passed away recently. Driving by his humble-looking shop/studio in the East End of Superior, few would guess that an electronics genius was in there designing high-end audio equipment and selling it to the stars. More at fohonline.com.
Amazing Grace Café and Grocery closing
Amazing Grace Café and Grocery in Canal Park will close on Feb. 27 according to a news release from owner Connor Riley. (more…)
Obituary of Peter S. Svenson, Minnesota’s Rogue Historian
August 23rd 1947-January 24th(?) 2022. The historian Peter Sven Svenson died without heirs sometime last week according to his autopsy. He will be buried in Forest Hills cemetery in Duluth after the spring thaw. Speaking as one of his only friends, I have penned this obituary.
A document hoarder, Svenson was practically the state’s analog back-up brain for decades, and its conscience.
He was a popular history professor at UMD from 1973-2002. However, he tussled with the university over the legitimacy of his sources. Then they disavowed his work altogether when issues arose about his statistical analyses. Under pressure, he took early retirement, but sued the university for defamation. He lost.
Svenson went on to self-publish books, monographs, and articles, but struggled to find a paying audience. His most important work was produced during this period. Being his friend enabled my access to his research and unpublished manuscripts. (more…)
Miller Hill Mall Perkins leads list of 2022 restaurant closings
The Miller Hill Mall Perkins closed in March after 37 years of service. The national chain still operates at two other Duluth sites. (Photo by Mark Nicklawske)
Restaurants come and go all the time but some seem like they will be around forever. The Miller Hill Mall Perkins is a perfect example. The naugahyde booths, chrome-plated tables, gigantic breakfast menu and sweet pies made each visit feel like the one before — like eating in a time machine that would never end.
But then it did end. (more…)
Duluth Central High School aerial demolition video
The former Duluth Central High School on the top of the hill was demolished at the end of November. The video above is by Doug Johnson. (more…)
Demolition of hilltop Central High School underway
Northern News Now reports demolition of the former Duluth Central High School on the top of the hill began this week. The 55-acre property was sold in August to Chester Creek View, a New York developer, for $8 million.
One more tribute to Low
Rick Beato on Low. (more…)
Farewell to Mimi Parker, from Slate
Mimi Parker of Low dies: How the drummer worked with husband Alan Sparhawk to make art.
"It kind of saved our asses," Mimi Parker said, "that we were not successful."
slate.com
Slate senior editor Sam Adams on the life and death of Mimi Parker and the music of Low.
Mimi Parker of Low has died of ovarian cancer
Duluth News Tribune: “Mimi Parker, of Duluth band Low, dies of ovarian cancer
Pitchfork: “Low’s Mimi Parker has died”
NPR: “Mimi Parker, vocalist and drummer of the minimalist rock band Low, has died”
Rolling Stone: “Low’s Mimi Parker, whose otherworldly vocals helped define slowcore, dead at 55 after cancer battle”
PDD Calendar: Mimi Park Vigil at Sacred Heart
So long, Country Lanes North
Country Lanes North, the bowling alley with outdoor volleyball courts at 2327 Mountain Shadow Drive near Miller Hill Mall, is closing and will be torn down. It was built in 1976.
Planet Fitness plans to open an exercise center there in 2023. (more…)
R.I.P. Esmond Building
Lincoln Park's Esmond Building demolished - Duluth News Tribune | News, weather, and sports from Duluth, Minnesota
The former Seaway Hotel was destroyed by fire Jan. 10.
duluthnewstribune.com
The Duluth News Tribune reports the former Seaway Hotel, also known as the Esmond Building, was demolished on Wednesday. The building had been gutted by a fire on Jan. 10. (more…)