Schweiger takes People’s Choice Award at DAI membership show
The People’s Choice Award at the Duluth Art Institute’s 2017 Membership Exhibition on Thursday went to Annie Schweiger for her oil painting titled “The Winston.” The award recognizes the audience’s favorite work out of more than 175 on view in the Great Hall of the Duluth Depot.
Schweiger hails from Anoka, and moved to Duluth as a transfer student to attend the University of Minnesota-Duluth. She majored in graphic design and minored in studio art. Shortly after graduation she was hired by HTK Marketing as a graphic designer. She continues to work in the fine arts during her free time, and is available for commissions.
Her winning painting, “The Winston,” is a portrait of a long-haired Chihuahua, Winston, which her colleague Mike Scholtz brings to work every day. The pet portrait captures the dog’s sly glance and features the animal formally attired in a crimson beret with gold trim, a starched ruff and a jacket. The whimsy of the scene is countered by the photorealistic skill of the depiction and a subdued color palette.
The “2017 Annual Membership Exhibition” is on view through Feb. 24.
Early Lincoln Park Postcards
A couple cards I’ve not seen before. Both are postally unused.
R.I.P. Chicken Spur
Say it ain’t so. The Duluth News Tribune reports Germann’s Hammond Spur at the foot of the Superior side of the Blatnik Bridge is closing today. The convenience store has been known for years as the “Chicken Spur” because of its deli, which offered fried chicken, egg rolls, corn dogs and more. The DNT notes the store is holding a 50 percent off sale in hopes of closing out its inventory.
Selective Focus: Shawn Thompson
Shawn Thompson has been creating breathtaking images of Lake Superior and the surrounding area for several years. He talks about how he got into photography and getting up early for the perfect shot.
S.T.: I am mainly a digital photographer, but I also enjoy shooting film. Film is a recent endeavor for me. Both have their perks. Digital is fantastic for the instant gratification and ease of making an exposure in just about any condition. (more…)
Mary Tyler Moore went to high school in Duluth … sort of
Mike Michaels posted this image from The Mary Tyler Moore Show on Facebook yesterday, the date of Mary Tyler Moore’s death, noting the show featured the University of Minnesota Duluth’s Old Main building as the fictional high school of her character, Mary Richards.
“One of the show’s writers, Lorenzo Music, lived in Duluth and attended UMD. He married an actress who was a Denfeld grad,” Michaels wrote. “They both ended up starring in a CBS variety show and both wrote the theme song to The Bob Newhart Show. Lorenzo became even more famous as the voice of the doorman on the TV show Rhoda and the voice of Garfield the cat. He was also a TV producer.”
UMD’s Old Main building was destroyed by fire in 1993.
“One River” on the road
The cast and crew of UMD Theatre‘s One River play are in Des Moines this week for the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival’s Region V competition. One River will be performed four times in two days during the festival. Written by UMD Theatre Professor Tom Isbell, the show is one of six productions selected to compete in the six-state event.
Over the past 30 years, UMD Theatre has been selected 12 times to present at the KCACTF Regionals and has been chosen five times to perform at the National Festival held at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. As of 2011, productions no longer compete at the National Festival level. (more…)
Morgan Park housing development secures cleanup grant
The St. Louis River corridor will see a $10 million, 67-unit, market-rate rental housing development thanks in part to a contamination cleanup grant.
The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development announced last week it will award the Duluth Economic Development Authority $654,051 to advance the vision of Kuepers Inc. of Brainerd in constructing nine additional single-family housing units to accompany its two 29-unit buildings in western Duluth.
Kuepers is completing construction on its Grand Avenue Estates project at 9215 Zimmerly Ave., near Stewart Creek on the northern edge of the Morgan Park neighborhood. (more…)
Klobuchar votes to comfirm Pompeo as CIA director
14 Senate Democrats Fall in Line Behind Trump CIA Pick Who Left Door Open to Torture
U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar was one of 14 Democrats who sided with Republicans on Monday in voting to confirm President Donald Trump’s nominee for CIA director, Mike Pompeo. (more…)
Longtime DECC director Russell to retire in August
The Duluth News Tribune reports Dan Russell will retire Aug. 31 after 27 years as executive director of the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center, which includes Amsoil Arena, the City Side Convention Center, the Harborside Convention Center, a movie theater complex and two parking ramps. The DECC also manages Bayfront Festival Park and operates the retired William A. Irvin ship as a floating attraction.
“I’ve had the pleasure of working for 27 years at a place that makes people smile, because they’re coming here for concerts, sporting events, boat shows and all kinds of other fun events,” Russell said in a news release issued today. “It’s also where I get to interact with 500 great employees who work very hard to make everything the DECC does look easy. It’s been an honor to work here.” (more…)
Bike Parking in Downtown Duluth
On Saturday’s march through the Skywalk my husband noticed the bike parking signs near the new DTA Transit Center. I went down there yesterday to get the 411.
“Bike parking is sold on a monthly basis. The cost per month or any part thereof is $10. There is also a required deposit of $5 for the FOB needed for entry into the secure bicycle parking area. This deposit is returned when the FOB is returned to the DTA. Payments are due by the 25th of the month for the next month’s rental.” (more…)
Mystery Photo: Women and Children First
The back of this postcard credits Gust Landin, a photographer who operated out of 24 N. 21st. Ave. W. in Duluth’s friendly West End neighborhood, with shooting this image.
The main question here is, what’s going on in this century-old photo? Why have a bunch of ladies in dresses lined up with a row of children in front of them at what we can assume is some Duluth location? Who are they? We’ll probably never know for sure. (more…)
Price Check: Ice Melt
Are the freezing and thawing temperature shifts keeping you down? Literally, keeping you down on the ground because it’s so slippery outside?
Do not fear; ice melt price check is here.
It can be hard to decide what kind of ice melt to purchase. Do you really need a 50 lb. bag to get you through the winter? Do you have dogs so you need to be conscious of pet-safe ice melt? Are you grabbing a quick 10 lb. bag to get your car tires unstuck down the block?
Because everyone’s needs vary, we compared four different kinds of ice melt: Road Runner, Morton Safe-T-Salt, Safe Step Pet Friendly and Safe Step Dual Blend. Whether you are snagging a bag at the closest convenience store or stocking up for the winter at a big chain retailer, these price comparisons can will keep you informed. (more…)
Blues Monday
Local blues band the Adjustments perform a cover of B.B. King’s “Sweet Little Angel” live in their home studio in Duluth on Dec. 29.
Audio and video recorded by the Adjustments, with help from Andrew Holien. Edited by Alex Nelson.
Duluth is a Giant Ice Rink: Joyride Edition
Abandoned car on the train tracks by the Lakewalk — just beneath Lake Place Ice Skating Rink Park.
Subzero with Lake Superior’s Sea Smoke
In this video, Dawn LaPointe of Radiant Spirit Gallery explores a section of Lake Superior’s North Shore on a day when temperatures hovered around -10°F.
Avenue C restaurant opens in Cloquet
The long-awaited Avenue C restaurant in Cloquet will open its doors to the public on Monday, Jan. 23.
Perfect Duluth Day reported in November the eatery was on track to open by Christmas, but delays in deliveries and construction pushed the date back. General Manager Ryan Kolak says, “We’re here and kicking now.” (more…)
Sixteen Years on the Superior Hiking Trail: Loss and Lost
Hiking through the Castle Danger area in 2013 I came to a sign informing me the Encampment River Bridge was out. No big deal, I thought. I’ll hike elsewhere and pick up this section next year.
To this day there is no Encampment River Bridge. It was washed out in the Historic Summer Solstice Flood Disaster of 2012, along with about $50 million worth of other stuff in northeastern Minnesota. What I found out by talking to other people who had hiked through the area is the Encampment River is not typically deep and gushing, so unless there’s been a heavy rain it’s easy to cross without a bridge.
With that knowledge I made plans for my final hike of 2014, from Silver Lake Township Road 617 at Castle Danger to Lake County Road 301. Saturday, Oct. 11, looked good on my calendar as one of the last days one might confidently expect nice weather before colder days set in.
Of course, there are forces other than weather and natural disasters aligning to alter whatever plans we might have for our lives. Six days before my hike, a great friend and mentor died in his sleep. (more…)
Mammoth Saloon
Back in the day it was sometimes tough work just to get a drink. Above is an undated stereoview reproduction from an 1875 McKenzie original. The reverse reads: “Duluth, Minn. in 1875. Mammoth Saloon, Jake Liedel, Prop. Lake Ave 2 blocks north of canal.”
Lucky’s 13 Pub open at Miller Hill Mall
Drinking and dining options at Miller Hill Mall will improve by month’s end. Lucky’s 13 Pub is set to open at 1600 Miller Trunk Highway on Jan. 30. Duluthians will barely recognize the space, which was occupied for 25 years by Old Country Buffet. (more…)
Selective Focus: Gallery of Duluth Mayor Portraits
Happy Inauguration Day. Let’s celebrate peaceful transfers of power with a retrospective view of the portraits of Duluth’s Mayors. For many years, these portraits hung in the hallways of City Hall, but were recently taken down to be cleaned, maintained, digitized and cataloged. The images used here are taken from the Minnesota Digital Library. More information about each mayor is available at the site.
Don Ness says portraits are traditionally done 2-3 years after a mayor leaves office, and he anticipates his portrait will be added to the collection some time this year. So scroll backward through time with us and enjoy the virtual gallery of Duluth mayors.
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TED at Teatro
Last night, I went to the TED at the Teatro. This regular event (on the third Wednesday of every month) has both a Facebook Page and a Youtube Channel. It’s the second time I attended, and it’s an event I’d like to return to, even if it had some complexities.
The event is structured with a chatty welcome, last night including an uncomfortable handshake (getting us to meet the people around us, like the handshake in a church). There is a Raymond Carver essay in which Carver reflects on something Tobias Wolff told him when Carver invited Wolff to an event, to meet some people. “I don’t want any new friends. I can’t do right by the ones I have now,” or something more or less like that. If, unlike me, you are into meeting strangers, sure, this was fun.
There was music from Medical Underground. Others, more into local pop/rock music, might chime in on their quality. I found them pleasant. One of the refrains of one of their songs appeared to be something like “We will be okay,” which maybe is reassuring. (more…)
“Motion picture” money circulating in Duluth
Duluth Police are warning the public about counterfeit bills circulating in the area. Specifically, there are bills with the phrase “for motion picture use only” printed on them. The DPD is asking the public to pay special attention when accepting U.S. currency, particularly when bills are passed in busy settings that divert a person’s attention such as a line at a grocery store or restaurant.
Police are asking anyone who comes across such bills to call 911, but obviously the comedically correct thing to do is use the money to buy movie tickets.
The busy, prosperous, West End: E. C. Peterson
This clip from the Feb. 1, 1912 Duluth Herald, highlights that “get together” spirit of the friendly West End. Profiled at right is E. C. Peterson, one of the proprietors of Minnesota Tea Co. (more…)