Apple Man: Duluth’s Depression-Era Action Hero

The Richardson Brothers: Apple Man: Duluth's Depression-Era Action Hero richardsonbrothers.libsyn.com

Reconstructed by the Richardson Bros. from records at the St. Louis County Historical Society

Full text below.

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Ripped at a Wet T-shirt Contest in 2000

[Editor’s note: For this week’s essay we’ve once again pulled out a relic from the archive of Slim Goodbuzz, who served as Duluth’s “booze connoisseur” from 1999 to 2009. Twenty years ago the 3rd Rock Bar at 1201 Tower Ave. held weekly wet T-shirt contests. The Sultan of Sot was there to document the action for an article that appeared in the April 19, 2000 issue of the Ripsaw newspaper.]

The 3rd Rock Bar is Superior’s newest nightclub. It is a hard-rock venue, similar to the old Pacific Club, where Metallica cover bands and easily deceived women gather to negotiate unwanted pregnancies. Connected to 3rd Rock is the Bourbon Street Blues Saloon, which was completely patronless when I peeked in the window.

Every Wednesday night, 3rd Rock hosts a wet T-shirt contest. This is an excellent marketing choice because the type of person who really enjoys a wet T-shirt contest is also the kind of person who really enjoys doing the same thing every Wednesday night. (more…)

Duluth You & Me: North Shore Streams

Use the link below for a printable PDF for your drawing and coloring pleasure.
Duluth You & Me: North Shore Streams

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

New York Times: Preus’ new novel for youth “charming”

nytimes.com nytimes.com

Duluth author Margi Preus gets positive ink in the New York Times Book Review for her new novel for young people, The Littlest Voyageur.

Selective Focus: Lend a Paw Virtual Exhibit

UMD’s Senior Design Studio II class has created a virtual gallery to show their work, and is using the opportunity to raise money for the Douglas County Humane Society. The exhibit, online store and Go Fund Me page will be active until May 5. Each piece in the exhibition is inspired by the story of a rescue pet. Visitors can move around the inside and outside of the gallery space to look at the art, read the stories and interact with the objects in the display. The class is led by UMD Department of Art & Design Assistant Professor David Short, and one of the organizers, Jack Schneewind, fills us in on how the exhibit came together, and what the class hoped to achieve with the project. (more…)

Duluth You & Me: A Souvenir Activity/Coloring Book

Right in the middle of a shelter-in-place order, when a Duluth coloring and activity book is most needed, Perfect Duluth Day pulls this 1993 relic out of the basement library. (more…)

The Menu: Foster’s Sports Bar & Grill

As we continue staying safe with our social distancing practices, Perfect Duluth Day is back with another episode of the “Daily Menu.” Each day, we showcase another local take-out option.

Foster’s Sports Bar & Grill is open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. for pickup and delivery. Orders can be made by calling 218-727-7002. Daily specials and limited menu items can be found on their Facebook page. (more…)

Someone’s got it

I was reminiscing of the olden days of Duluth, way back in 2001, where on First Street you could get a roast beef sandwich on a European Bakery roll for a dollar at Fichtner’s butcher shop.

I feel certain that the recipe for that roast beef a) is simpler than I expect and b) won’t translate to the home oven — that the secret was a 30-pound chunk of beef, sliced, sitting in hotel pan in the window for hours.

Anyway, if anyone has the recipe, please share.

Old Central Idea

I’ve always thought the old Central School downtown would be an awesome indoor market. Similar to the World Market in Minneapolis, people could have small stands showcasing food/crafts/services. It’d be a great spot for diverse emerging entrepreneurs. Think of it like a year-round farmers market in a city that experiences eight months of winter. I don’t know, maybe I’m crazy. Let me know what you think. Viva la Duluth

PDD Video Lab: Old Iron Range Footage

In this edition of the PDD Video Lab we take a cruise through Virginia, Chisholm and Hibbing circa the 1960s with footage from Richter Home Movies set to the tune of Iron & Wine’s “Weary Memory” from the 2002 album The Creek Drank the Cradle.

Postcard from Duluth’s Lighthouse Lot in Canal Park

This undated postcard from the Gallagher Studio of Photography shows the parking lot near the Duluth Shipping Canal, which is known as the Lighthouse Lot.

The caption on the back of the card reads:

Canal Park in Duluth, Minnesota
Westerly Terminus of the St. Lawrence Seaway

This Week in Social Distancing: April 14

Episode four in Perfect Duluth Day’s series featuring people reaching out while keeping their distance.

The Slice: Draw Along with Brian Barber

During the pandemic, Perfect Duluth Day’s own Brian Barber has been posting draw-along videos on Facebook. In its series The Slice, WDSE-TV presents short “slices of life” that capture the events and experiences that bring people together and speak to what it means to live up north.

Daily Menu: Gannucci’s Italian Market

As we continue staying safe with our social distancing practices, Perfect Duluth Day is back with another episode of the “Daily Menu.” Each day, we showcase another local take-out option.

Gannucci’s Italian Market is open every day from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. for take-out and curbside pick-up. Orders can be made by calling 218-624-2286 and can be paid over the phone. To have orders delivered to their car, customers can give a description of their vehicle. (more…)

Fire in Grand Marais: Crooked Spoon Cafe engulfed


A fire broke out in downtown Grand Marais during the noon hour at the Crooked Spoon Cafe, 17 W. Wisconsin St. The blaze spread to two adjoining gift shops, Picnic and Pine and White Pine North. All three buildings were destroyed. (more…)

Selective Focus: St. Louis River Alliance Virtual Art Show

The St. Louis River Alliance is posting photos, poems, illustrations or other art inspired by the St. Louis River and Lake Superior to its Facebook page. The organization will have a virtual art show on its website on April 21.

Artists and writers can submit creations until Wednesday, April 15. Send submissions to stlouisriveralliance@gmail.com. Include the image, along with your name, title of the piece, location of the piece and any further details you want shared.

Links:
Facebook page with more info
St. Louis River Alliance website

Sylvester’s Downtown Duluth Store

Something to keep your mind busy today … Does anybody remember a store in Downtown Duluth in the 1990s named Sylvester’s? What did they sell and where was it located?

Daily Menu: Gronk’s Bar & Grill

As we continue staying safe with our social distancing practices, Perfect Duluth Day is back with another episode of the “Daily Menu.” Each day, we showcase another local take-out option.

Gronks Bar & Grill is available for pickup daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m by calling 715-398-0333. Delivery is available for those within a five-mile radius of the restaurant between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Their full menu can be viewed here. Today’s Easter special is below: (more…)

PDD Quiz: Parks of Superior

With other venues closed and the weather getting nicer (for the most part), public parks offer an opportunity to get out of the house while still maintaining social distance. Test your knowledge of the parks of Superior (and the surrounding area) in this week’s quiz!

The next PDD quiz, reviewing the month’s headlines, will be published on April 26. Please submit question suggestions to Alison Moffat at aklawite@d.umn.edu by April 23. (more…)

Duluthians shed tears openly at news of Roosevelt’s death

President Franklin D. Roosevelt died in office on April 12, 1945, after a massive intracerebral hemorrhage at the age of 63. Shown here is how it was reported in Duluth. (more…)

Daily Menu: Bridgeman’s Restaurant

As we continue staying safe with our social distancing practices, Perfect Duluth Day is back with another episode of the “Daily Menu.” Each day, we showcase another local take-out option.

Bridgeman’s Restaurant is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily for curbside pickup and delivery with Food Dudes. Use the code “April2020” through the month of April when ordering online to wave the delivery fee. Pick-up orders can be made by calling 218-727-0196. The restaurant is closed on Easter Sunday. (more…)

Paper Tiger

I’ve been trying to write this fucking essay for three weeks, but my brain won’t stay allegiant to my body. I feel like the inside of my head is a giant scribble, like Charles Schultz’ confusion thought bubbles or Rowling’s Obscuris.

I keep rolling the word around in my head, like that will somehow make it dissolve: pandemic. We’re in the midst of a pandemic. We’re having a pandemic.

The problem, I think, is that I have no frame of reference. It’s like trying to imagine a new color. And sitting down to write, the world is so loud that it’s hard to hear my own thoughts. I feel this ball of energy gathering — this terrible welling of grief and fear, tragedy and panic. I know this is crazy, or fantastically pessimistic, but it feels like we’ve been careening toward this for years. Maybe it’s an artifact of all of the government preparation for the inevitable disaster we received. As a Generation X kid, I spent so much time preparing myself for Soviet invasion or nuclear war that it’s bound to have permeated my subconscious in some insidious way. (more…)

Carolyn Olson on Essential Workers

Carolyn Olson on Essential Workers

Duluth artist Carolyn Olson has completed two works in a series on “Essential Workers.” Visit her site at carolynolson.net. (more…)

Richardson Bros. Ghost Story “The Haunted Groom”

“The Haunted Groom” is a supernatural adventure story set largely in the Duluth bar scene. It explores PTSD, addiction, abusive relationships, and the coronavirus lockdown. Full story below.

Part 1: I Married a Ghost. Part 2: Trapdoor to Hell. Part 3: The Demonizer.

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Duluth’s story told by one of its greatest chroniclers

Tony Dierckins is among Duluth’s greatest resources. Few have given so much of their time and energy to telling the story of the city. As a small publisher, perhaps few have taken as many personal risks hoping the stories of Duluth will find their audiences. (more…)