This Week: festival madness, bears, senators and more
Here’s a bit of what you’ll find on this week’s PDD Calendar:
Senator Amy Klobuchar comes to Barnes & Noble for a book-signing and reading, Yoga North celebrates their 20th anniversary with a week of free classes, bear-hunting season gets underway, the Superior Telegram turns 125 and Hedwig comes back to the Duluth stage, Angry Inch in tow.
UMD’s RSOP program is having an open house to show off all the gear they rent out and more, the new Noah Baumbach film opens at the Zinema 2, the annual Duluth Superior Pride Festival is taking place all day on Saturday (and so is the Super Big Block Party) and the Duluth Armory Music Festival is the big event on Sunday.
Summer of ’65: Barkulis top MVP entry?
Fifty years ago — Aug. 30, 1965 — the DNT reports that, “barring a complete letdown” in eight remaining games, Duluth-Superior Dukes third baseman Chris Barkulis “should have the Northern League batting title wrapped up and should also be a shoo-in for the league’s most valuable player award.” (more…)
Trampled by Turtles – “It’s a War” live at Red Rocks
Trampled by Turtles played a killer show Saturday night at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado. The night was led off by Shakey Graves, then Elephant Revival played a great set before the Turtles took the stage. They closed the show with “It’s a War.”
Freediving the Harbor Buoy (Slomo version)
This slomo version is a composite of already released raw footage. I made three 30-second dives at the buoy. I am bad at estimating depth and I don’t have a depth gauge. I just wanted to reach a confirmed 30 feet, and diving the buoy was a way to do that since its depth is known. Maybe next year I will hang out down there a little longer since I can stay under a minute. But I was freaked out; although small potatoes in proper freediving circles, it represented a personal best and I wasn’t sure how difficult it would be. I also wasn’t sure what I’d find down there or what the visibility would be, so I approached it with trepidation. Visibility was decent but not great, so I remained wary of a small fear of being startled by fish emerging from the gloom. There had also recently been a prominent death in the freediving world. So to get psyched, that morning I read the comic-book version of H.P. Lovecraft’s horror story “The Shadow Over Innsmouth,” about a man who (spoiler alert) discovers he is part of a lineage of half-human, half-fish monsters (found in “The Lovecraft Anthology vol. 1” edited by Dan Lockwood, published 2012 by SelfMadeHero.) As usual if I die, my brother is instructed to recover the camera and post the footage to PDD immediately.
Summer of ’65: Voluntary spirit moves Fond du Lac tribe
Fifty years ago — Aug. 29, 1965 — the DNT reports “a fresh chapter of history is being written on the Fond du Lac reservation” near Cloquet, where more tribe members are taking to gardening and some are raising vegetables in commercial quality. (more…)
Tommy Kronquist’s Letter to His Son
Designer Tommy Kronquist of Medium Control in Duluth tells his story through a letter to his son. Video by Passenger Productions of South Dakota.
Summer of ’65: Nothing funny about mink
Fifty years ago — Aug. 27, 1965 — the DNT reports T. J. Eiken’s 14-year-old mink farm on McQuade Road near Duluth is a success, with a wall full of Minnesota State Fair ribbons to prove it. (more…)
Selective Focus: Our Way to Fall
Aaron Reichow, untitled
Last week’s steep drop in temperatures had me thinking, overeagerly, of Fall. It has always been my favorite season for its paradoxical combination of things reaching fruition, then brilliantly flaming out. With luck we’ll see a harvest, survive the Winter on what we’ve stowed, and celebrate another Spring. Without luck, well, we’ll have joined the grand circle. (more…)
Where to have a bonfire in the Duluth area
If a family wanted to have an outdoor memorial service that included a bonfire somewhere in the Cloquet-Duluth-North Shore region, where might they go?
Summer of ’65: Mayor ends carnival atmosphere on Park Point
Fifty years ago — Aug. 27, 1965 — the DNT reports the city of Duluth filed suit in district court to have local businessman Arthur Davis remove concession stands he owns from Park Point. His former sister-in-law, Blanche Davis, who once operated the stands, was also named a defendant. (more…)
Summer of ’65: Overdue books cost Duluth woman $107.50
Fifty years ago — Aug. 26, 1965 — the DNT reports a Duluth woman was arraigned in municipal court on a charge of failure to return books to the library. It was the first time on record a Duluthian had been charged with the offense, a violation of city code. (more…)
Welcome to Cotton, MN
It’s been a few years since we’ve checked in with the cluster of signs on private property along Highway 53 south of Cotton. Since we last documented the situation in 2010, the “Socialism is freedom in the rearview mirror” sign has been added above the old “Welcome to Cotton” sign. In the middle, two new signs have been added, replacing the old ones denouncing the “Nazi bastard post office.” There is also a tiny new sign above the group of signs on the right to help clarify that those signs were erected in June 2008.
One small touch that motorists might not notice without slowing down and stopping: There is quite a thick tangling of barbed wire surrounding the signs, with a warning that “injury” is “very likely” should anyone trespass.
Summer of ’65: Little Lynda Hage left at Tom’s Texaco in Cloquet
Fifty years ago — Aug. 25, 1965 — the DNT reports that 8-year-old Lynda Hage exited her parent’s camper in Cloquet to use a rest room, then was left behind when her parents departed for their California home. (more…)
Remnants of Retaining Wall off Lakewalk
Swimming the shallows can be my favorite.
Tribute Fest Weekend Review
I’m sure many Duluthians overheard the vibrating sounds that echoed from Bayfront Park this weekend, considering Mayor Don Ness received a handful of tweets regarding how loud the music was. Yes, the music was a little loud, but the bands that played brought a lot of energy, and it was all for a good cause.
Summer of ’65: Milton Richardson authorized as on-sale liquor proprietor; first African American to hold such license in Duluth
Fifty years ago — Aug. 24, 1965 — the DNT reports the Duluth City Council has granted an on-sale liquor license to Milton Richardson for his Rendezvous Bar at 21 E. Michigan St. The article notes it’s the first time a liquor license has been issued to an African American. (more…)
This Week: bands galore, kids and cops, centennials and more
Here’s a bit of what you’ll find on this week’s PDD Calendar:
The Head of the Lakes Fair gets underway in Superior, the DPD meets with families in West Duluth, Access Music Therapy is having a grand opening, Blue Canvas Orchestra plays Big Top Chautauqua and the last River Rovers Nature Playgroup takes place in Billings Park.
John Gorka plays Amazing Grace, Movies in the Park is showing Disney’s Planes, the Northern Isolation festival is putting a ton of punk and hardcore bands up over three days, a man by the name of Jerome plays Teatro Zuccone, Kurtfest brings 40 bands to Eveleth and Lower Chester is having a centennial celebration.
REI Gives $75k to Superior Hiking Trail
REI gifted 10 American trail systems a total of $500k. The Superior Hiking Trail “won” a chunk of the money through an online poll. Cheers, voters and REI!
Summer of ’65: Civic leader Herman Matzke dies at 82
On Aug. 23, 1965, the Duluth News Tribune reported that prominent Duluth civic leader and longtime bank leader Herman Matzke died on the morning of Aug. 22 in his home at 2512 E. Third St. He was 82. (more…)
No boards, snow, or wheels needed
[vimeo id=”136785153″]
“Rain”
Video by James Holak