Perfect Duluth Day’s Best Videos of 2015
As the quantity and quality of videos posted on PDD continues to increase, it gets harder and harder to narrow down the standouts from the past year. But here’s what we’ve come up with. It’s a little heavy on music videos, but there’s a touch of everything else in there. Let us know what we may have missed by adding your own favorites in the comments. (more…)
They Aren’t Paid Enough to Be So Nice at This Time of Year: A Nod to Cashiers in the Holidays
Not the self-checkout at the Duluth Target, but I like it
I was noting the new self-checkout at Target. I don’t like it. It feels like Wal-Mart, which is enough to make me never use it. But beyond that irrational knee-jerk, it feels like Target would like to create a shopping experience in which I interact with no one whatsoever. If I wanted that, I would shop at target.com. Which I do for things not carried at the Duluth Target. (I still can’t believe there will be only one Target in our area soon. Aldi will still draw me to Souptown, I guess.)
So I was really happy when I decided to try it today, and the coupon system stymied me, and a cashier walked over and hung out until I was happily rung through. Human touch. (more…)
Selective Focus: Constant
Aaron Reichow, untitled
What won’t you change in the new year? What remains a fixture in our lives? That was this week’s challenge; to find the things that ground us in a world of whirring flux. Easier said than done in a region whose predominant feature is an endlessly shifting inland sea. I would like to have seen some people as “constants” (as they’ve always been in my life), but hey, I only edit this thing. (more…)
2015: The Year in Duluth Gig Posters
Here it is, PDD’s annual gallery of gig posters. It’s not comprehensive, just a smattering of promo images that grabbed attention in 2015. (more…)
Video Archive: Christopher Halverson and Frank Nichols
Christopher Halverson performs “Rockcreek/Grantsville” at R.T. Quinlan’s Saloon during an open mic on Sept. 16, 1995. The video closes with a clip of Frank Nichols blowing his jaw blues harp.
Noon – “Duluth”
Noon, a band from Munich, Germany, has a song called “Duluth.” Anyone who can translate the lyrics from Italian to English or explain the existence or meaning of this song in any way is encouraged to do so in the comments to this post.
Poll: Best Album of 2015
There were a lot of potential nominees, so we used a runoff ballot. The options with the fewest votes slowly dropped out of the poll as the days went by, until it got down to the final four. (more…)
This Week: 2015 bites the dust and more
Here’s a bit of what you’ll find in this week’s PDD Calendar:
Learn why resolutions don’t work at Tycoons, bring the kids to see the Monkey Mind Pirates, Marc Gartman plays his Ween, the DSSO tackles Sinatra, Beaner’s Central throws a daylong New Year’s bash and the Red Herring has bands and DJs.
Zeitgeist Arts is throwing a laid-back New Year’s party, the Barrel Room has DJs, masked revelers converge on Barker’s Island, pianos are set to duel at Dubh Linn, Superior Ballroom Dance Studio holds a dance-floor party and the first day of 2016 is marked with a nine-location hike.
Remember the Fallen Heroes
Ten years ago Duluth landed in the New York Times over a controversial sign in a campaign office window. Scott Cameron, a combat-wounded Vietnam War vet, made a sign tallying the dead and wounded in the Iraq war. While volunteering for Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Steve Kelley, Cameron placed the sign in the campaign office window, next to a U.S. Army recruiting office. The seven recruiters working there, six of whom had served in Iraq, found the sign disheartening and wanted it removed. Cameron said he did not wish to prevent recruits from signing up for the Army, but only wanted to honor those who made sacrifices. (more…)
Bentleyville 2015
Duluth’s mega Christmas-light spectacular closes for the season tonight. Video by Above U Productions.
Saturday Essay: New PDD feature starts in 2016
Over the past 12.5 years of Perfect Duluth Day’s existence, there haven’t been many posts that would be considered “essays.” The term is a little vague, but it’s probably understood by most that an essay is something more artistically crafted and of more substantial length than the average PDD post. Examples that come to mind from the past that would be considered essays are Laurie Viets’ “Last Place on Earth — 1983” and my own “Trespassing at UMD’s Old Main in 1992.” There are probably a dozen other examples eluding my memory, but the point in general is that there have been some essays on PDD, but not enough.
To encourage more, we’re launching a new feature called the “Saturday Essay” next week. In each installment, a local writer will share an anecdote, go on a political rant, dissect some event in popular culture or for whatever other purpose string together a healthy amount of words on some subject. Basically the hope is to do for essay writing what “Selective Focus” has done in the past year for photography on PDD. (more…)
Actual Wolf – “Christmas in Chisholm”
[This post originally contained an embedded video that is no longer available at its source.]
Selective Focus: Holidays
Paul McIntyre, untitled
As I have little to add to the vast literature surrounding this holiday, I can only recommend one of my favorites: Truman Capote’s “A Christmas Memory.” His own reading of this short story used to be a staple this time of year on Minnesota Public Radio. I have no idea why they’ve departed from playing it, but here is a link to a 2006 This American Life episode that includes a tear-defying excerpt: Episode 255 (more…)
Glensheen set to hit 100,000 attendance mark for 2015
From the Glensheen Facebook page:
This Saturday we will reach over 100,000 visitors for the first time since the 1980s.
To put this in perspective, we had only 56,000 visitors in recent history. Many thought this resurgence would not be possible. We are very thankful to all who have helped us turn the curve, especially you our guests.
PDD Videolab: Christmas 1974
Another audio-less home movie from the Emil Praslowicz archives. Pick your soundtrack below.
Bonnie the wild bobcat trapped at the DECC
From Duluth Police Chief Gordon Ramsay’s Facebook page:
When I heard about a man in a mental health crisis looking for a bobcat in downtown skywalks and in the convention center I knew it wasn’t true. Then I saw these pictures. You can’t make this stuff up … nobody knows how this wild animal made it into the convention center. It was trapped by the DNR and Wildwoods inside the convention center.
Drone crashes behind skier. Safety first!
A multirotor drone crashed on live TV behind skier Marcel Hirscher in a slalom event on Tuesday. It shattered on the icy slope a few seconds after the Olympic silver medalist started his second run. (more…)
The Phenomenal Mr. Claus
This video by Max Fierek depicts how Mr. Claus delivers all those mountain bikes for Christmas.
Shout out to St. Luke’s
Thanks to everyone over at St. Luke’s who helped me through my heart attack this past weekend. I came to the ER on Sunday morning and within minutes I was hooked up to a EKG and within hours had an emergency angioplasty with a stent. I was discharged the very next day! It was a close call, and I’m glad I went in as soon as I felt something was wrong. To the guys and gals at St. Luke’s: You guys rock! Have a happy holiday, you can bet I will!
Senator Al Franken roasts Duluth Mayor Don Ness
Duluth Mayor Don Ness held his “Final Mayoral Address and Concert Celebration” at the DECC’s Symphony Hall on Dec. 16. Senator Al Franken was not able to attend, but sent this video in order to, “once and for all tell Don what I really think about him.”
Does anyone have a copy of Grassfire’s 45 from 1970?
We’re looking for the only album from Duluth-area band Grassfire from the late 1960s/early ’70s. It has the tracks “Smell of Incense” and “Aunt Morley’s Wheatcakes” and is from the label Steamboat. The only info on the internet is on the Opulent Conceptions website.
We’re trying to get it as a gift for one of the band members so any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Chester Bowl scheduled to open Saturday
The weather has finally been cooperating and the two snow guns have been running since last Thursday, so Chester Bowl is planning to open this Saturday, Dec. 26. That will also be the first day of Ski Camp. Chester will also be open New Year’s Eve from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but closed New Year’s Day. The first race is Jan. 3.
This Week: holiday madness and more
Here’s a bit of what you’ll find on this week’s PDD Calendar:
Spend Monday with Mayor Don Ness while you still can, Classic Christmas specials make it to the big screen, get a look at Fairlawn Mansion’s holiday decorations, the Red Herring throws a holiday bash and Yoga North is offering candlelight yoga.
Park downtown for free on Christmas Day proper, Ellipsis marks two years in operation with a three-band bill co-hosted by Don Ness, there’s stand-up comedy at Dubh Linn, Glensheen Mansion offers its Christmas tour even after Christmas, folkies ring out the holiday and the DECC holds a skating party.