Commerce on the River: Superior Packaging Company
Tom Franta started Superior Packaging Company in 1994 in his hometown of Minnetonka. Eventually he moved the business to Superior, where he was able to get his foot in the door with many companies by cold calling. The company’s product, called dunnage, or damage prevention, consists of materials that are placed in domestic and international shipping containers or boxcars to prevent damage to inventory by restraining any excess space.
SPC supplies companies such as Kikkoman, Del Monte and Seneca foods. Franta recalls his humble roots in his then-partner’s parents’ garage with no heat, using the alleyway to roll paper tubes to make packaging supplies and gluing them to cardboard to make pallets by hand. Today, Superior Packaging Company uses machines to do what he once did by hand. The company moved to its present location in West Duluth 15 years ago, when a larger facility was needed. This location is convenient for SPC as most shipping is done using common carriers on the highway. (more…)
Video: Jay Cooke Park Swinging Gate Bridge in 1939
Quoth the Minnesota State Parks and Trails Facebook page: “The spring ritual of visiting the Swinging Bridge at Jay Cooke State Park during high water has been around since the bridge was built in 1924. This rare 1939 video shows a family bravely crossing the river before the bridge is damaged by high water. Since it was built, the bridge has been raised seven and a half feet to try to stay above the floods. Unfortunately, mother nature doesn’t always cooperate. Today’s visitors are crossing Swinging Bridge number five!”
For the history of the swinging bridge, visit dnr.state.mn.us.
Postcards from the many beauty spots on the St. Louis River
As the One River, Many Stories project draws to a close, PDD presents the remaining St. Louis River postcards from the dusty digital archive. See the recommended links at the end of this post to check out more St. Louis River postcards. (more…)
Thirsty Pagan opens new beer garden
Kelsey Picek and Allyson Rolph in the Thirsty Pagan beer garden
Beginning this weekend, Twin Ports beer lovers have another option for outdoor imbibing. Thirsty Pagan Brewing’s new beer garden held its soft opening on Friday. The brewpub at 1623 Broadway in Superior is known for its tasty brews and delectable deep-dish pizzas.
The beer garden occupies a space behind the building that is fully fenced and can be accessed via the parking lot. It features several oversized picnic tables and can seat about 25 people with standing room for about 25 more. (more…)
Improved habitat boosts lake sturgeon recovery in St. Louis River
Jeramy Pinkerton and Anna Varian of DNR fisheries hold the largest sturgeon ever sampled in the St Louis River. The sturgeon, 65 inches long and about 53 pounds, was captured April 20, implanted with an acoustic transmitter and PIT tag and released.
Following years of clean water improvements and habitat projects, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reports that lake sturgeon are returning to the St. Louis River in larger numbers. DNR fisheries staff are embarking on a new research project to study the growing numbers and learn more about how these long-lived, native species use the river and Lake Superior throughout the year. (more…)
Commerce on the River: Demolicious
Dianne Anderson launched Demolicious in 2000, creating a public drop-off site for everything but the kitchen sink. Well actually, Demolicious will take kitchen sinks. It will take anything but household garbage, hazardous materials or chemicals. Anything else is fair game, but mostly the business receives construction waste. Clients can drop off their trash for a fee or rent a roll-off, which is a large waste container Demolicious will drop off empty and pick up when filled.
Materials get sorted and separated. Wood, for example, gets grouped together and ground into wood chips. What can be recycled is recycled. The business has many repeat customers, especially contractors who use it often, as well as one-time users who wish to discard things like old furniture. (more…)
Tender Nads
For one long moment after I unintentionally swooned over a young man’s testicles, all 70 students in the UMD class I was teaching stayed mostly silent.
The incident happened in 2003, during an otherwise average session of Introduction to Cultural Studies. UMD’s course guide says the class, “Examines how cultural practices relate to everyday life by introducing students to each of the four core areas of the Cultural Studies minor: Identity Politics, Media Cultures, Cultures of Space & Place, and Cultures of Science, Technology, & Medicine.” My teaching contract was in Writing Studies, but the Sociology/Anthropology department faculty member in charge of Cultural Studies heard I might be into teaching something different, and my department head was cool with the idea. It’s been one of my favorite experiences in 20 years of trying to help people learn things.
I seek opportunities to participate in conversations with students and anyone else about how belief, intent, socialization, and other forces intersect to influence our actions. I approached Intro to Cultural Studies as an extended problem-posing conversation. I’d start most days by naming an example of something most of us in the room take for granted or don’t notice, then I’d ask a bunch of questions like, “Why do we do it that way? What happens if we try to do or see it differently. What if we did it for reasons different from the generally accepted ones? Who gets to decide?” (more…)
Denfeld Lip Dub 2016: “Crazy in Love”
The original Denfeld Lip Dub for 2016 got the ol’ copyright smackdown from YouTube for usage of the Jay Z song “Run This Town.” For those of you who missed the Gold version, here’s the Maroon one.
Superior Siren – “For Mother”
[This post originally contained an embedded video that is no longer available at its source.]
Superior Siren performs a new track in this video, produced by Lola Visuals.
PDD Pronunciation Guide: Karpeles
In episode three of Perfect Duluth Day’s Pronunciation Guide series Bridgette Baker, Karpeles Manuscript Library‘s assistant to the director, demonstrates the proper pronunciation of “Karpeles.”
St. Louis River Story: Sharon Rogers
People in the St. Louis River watershed shared their connection to the river with WDSE-TV during the opening reception for The St. Louis River: Diverse Connections at the Duluth Art Institute. In this installment, Sharon Rogers talks about the quiet of the river, the birds, the wildlife and the flowers.
Selective Focus: Jordan Sundberg
This week’s Selective Focus profile subject is Jordan Sundberg, an illustrator and designer with a deceptively simple style. She tells her story below.
(more…)
Duluth Home Inspector Recommendations
Looking for recommendations for the best home inspector in the area … thanks in advance!
PDD Pronunciation Guide: Teatro Zuccone
In episode two of Perfect Duluth Day’s Pronunciation Guide series Andy Bennett, Zeitgeist Arts creative director, demonstrates the proper pronunciation of “Teatro Zuccone.”
The Boomchucks – “Antidote”
[This post originally contained an embedded video that is no longer available at its source.]
Yes, another video for this song was released a year ago, but hey, the Boomchucks like to make videos. In fact, The Boomchucks Home Movie premieres Friday night at the Red Herring.
The new “Antidote” video was shot at the Red Herring, outside the Zeitgeist Arts Building and at Carmody Irish Pub. It contains almost as many birds as a certain pair of videos from the PDD Archive.
Duluth Band Profile: Gaelynn Lea
Gaelynn Lea ventures into her own with All Roads Lead Us Home. She reminds us, struggling musician or frustrated listener alike, that endearment isn’t perfection; it’s knowing how to be perfect on your own terms. Click on the image above to hear the interview.
Portage – “Hold On”
Portage released this gorgeous video shot in Iceland from the band’s upcoming album Creatures, due out May 28.
Commerce on the River: Willard Munger Inn
It all started when Willard Munger opened the Willard Munger Inn in 1954, before the Interstate Highway System and I-35 existed, when State Highway 23 was the main road into Duluth. Over time, proximity to the St. Louis River has come to mean more and more to the business as the health of the waterway has improved and outdoor tourism has grown.
Jeff Munger, grandson of the founder and current manager of the motel, recalls how his grandfather lived at the inn and woke up early every morning to tend to his guests until 1991, when his son Willard Jr. took over managing the operations. The inn has since expanded, employing eight people in the high season of summer. (more…)
Woodblind & Big Wave Dave and the Ripples – “Kom-on-Inn”
Woodblind joins forces with Big Wave Dave and the Ripples on the new song “Kom-on-Inn.” With the help of Myke Dixon and crew, the hospitality of the Kom-on-Inn staff and the participation from friends and fans this video was created. It was shot on Jan. 17, and after a few months of editing it was released on April 5 with performances by both bands and video premiere at the Kom-on-Inn. (more…)
PDD Pronunciation Guide: Vikre
In episode one of Perfect Duluth Day’s Pronunciation Guide series, Emily Vikre, Vikre Distillary co-owner, demonstrates the proper pronunciation of “Vikre.”
Sketch Bomb with John Hoban at UMD
Local artist John Hoban organized a Sketch Bomb at UMD.
John Hoban, creator of Captain Artichoke, Apocalypse City, and Night of the Smurfing Dead, lead a Sketch Bomb at UMD on Monday. The event was planned by Pat Maus of the Archives and Special Collections area of UMD’s Martin Library. (more…)
Kip’s Memory Card Dump #6
Duluth photo-raconteur Kip Praslowicz has published another memory-card dump video, this one covering December 2015 to March 2016, including the Duluth Art Institute’s Annual Membership Show, the Bernie Sanders rally and on and on.
Commerce on the River: Loll Designs
In a manufacturing facility a few hundred feet from Stryker Bay in West Duluth, Greg Benson leads a company dedicated to making outdoor furniture “for the modern lollygagger.” Before launching Loll Designs, however, Benson built skateboard ramps. He started out in his neighbor’s garage and eventually worked with municipalities to design and implement custom skate parks. The excess materials turned out to make attractive and durable Adirondack-style chairs, and a new business was born.
“A lot of people assume that I must have been a skater, but really I enjoy hiking, kayaking, camping and being outdoors much more,” Benson says. He and his brother Dave, both University of Minnesota Duluth graduates, along with Tony Ciardelli , founded both Loll and Epicurean, a company that makes cutting boards and other kitchen products. They sold TrueRide in 2008 to a California company and took what they had learned and ran with it. (more…)