This week: drummms innnn spaaaace!
Here’s a sampling of what you have to look forward to this week on the PDD Calendar.
Check out all of the Halloween happenings on the calendar, including Zombie Fest on Friday at the Scottish Rite Auditorium, the Haunted Shack at Buffalo House starting this weekend, and a “Not So Scary” Concert for Kids by the DSSO at Denfeld on Saturday.
When I walk into a planetarium the first thing I think is “drum solo.” Well, maybe not, but apparently that’s what Gene Koshinski thought, cause he’s doing a percussion set at the UMD Planetarium on Tuesday accompanied by a planetarium show.
Katherine Boo, writer for The New Yorker and The Washington Post, talks about poverty in India at Mitchell Auditorium on Wednesday.
Your last chance to visit the Lincoln Park Farmers Market at the Harrison Community Center this season is this Thursday.
In theater news Die Fledermaus, Johan Strauss’ comedic operetta, opens at UMD on Thursday and runs through Sunday, A Wrinkle in Time opens at the Duluth Playhouse on Friday and runs two weekends, and Rubber Chicken is doing the Chicken Hat Plays again this Saturday at the Harbor City Theater in which a team of writers, actors and directors create eight new short plays in 24 hours.
So what are you doing this week? Can we tag along? Any upcoming events that you want to promote? Let us know.
Good restaurant with good wine
I know where to go for good beer and food in the area, but not so much anymore where to go for good wine and food. I know Bellisio’s touts its wine selection. What else is there? Lake Avenue Cafe? Va Bene? Others? I like places that make an effort to feature local, sustainable and organic food.
Call for HG2013 Photos
A blustery fall day seems like a good day to get an early start on Homegrown 2013 photo wrangling for next year’s Field Guide. With an earlier start, hopefully this can evolve into better curation and collaboration. Send me stuff & questions: transistormag [/] gmail.
Homegrown is also in the process of planning a website / photo archive / history overhaul, so we will be looking for a “motherfucking sub-committee” for that, if I remember my meeting notes correctly seeking input.
Thanks!
Lost Car Key at Hawk Ridge
My friend lost a Subaru key while she was running the trails behind Hawk Ridge – snowmobile trail, Amity Trail, Superior Hiking Trail. Replacing it will cost her $260. Have you seen it?
Mitch’s & Grill
Is there a more slapped together billboard in Duluth?
R.I.P. Joe Gomer
Joe Gomer, Minnesota’s last surviving member of the Tuskegee Airmen, has died at 93.
Statement from Mayor Ness:
Duluth lost a national hero with the passing of Joe Gomer, one of the few remaining Tuskegee Airmen who served in WWII. Joe and his family moved to Duluth in 1963 and have been an integral part of our community ever since. While we mourn, we can also take comfort in knowing that he received the recognition he rightly deserved. Joe was able to witness the unveiling of a life-sized statue at the Duluth International Airport. The Joe Gomer Monument will forever serve as a reminder of Joe’s vast contributions to our community and country.
Duluth News Tribune: Legendary Tuskegee Airman Joe Gomer of Duluth dies
Best Duluth Lunch Poll
Earlier this week, PDD asked where the best lunch is in Duluth. We got 31 different answers. Now it’s time to see which of those answers hold weight. It’s time to roll out the fancy polling tool.
[poll id=”46″]
This poll is now closed. Four restaurants move on to the finals:
How Sweet it is Cakes
Northern Waters Smokehaus
Red Mug Coffeehouse and Bake Shop
Sir Benedict’s Tavern on the Lake
Fauna of Lake Superior
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llg8rejFJ44
All the random animals that have crossed my path over 3-4 years of summer lake videography, familiar for the most part to regional residents. There were others that didn’t make it on video including river otter, sturgeon, various birds incl. loon seen threading between underwater boulders.
“This is where the talent wants to live”
In the article “A New Type of Growing City,” The Atlantic quotes “the mayor of a city that has similarities to Sioux Falls and Burlington” who “sent this extremely interesting note.”
Who could that have been?
I was particularly interested in your recent story about Burlington. I believe there is a new class of city emerging across the country which are positioned to succeed in the coming decade – a class of city that has not yet been identified on a national scale.
This city is a small/mid-sized regional center. The population range I have been studying are cites between 50-125k. These cities are defined by natural beauty, outdoor recreation, strong and supportive arts community, entrepreneurial spirit, progressive outlook, and a strong sense of place and ethos connected to the place people choose to live. Cities like Burlington, Asheville, Flagstaff, Bend, Missoula, Santa Fe, Provo, and Duluth.
These cities are all at least a couple hours outside of the major metro in their area, which affords them their own character and identity. They are popular destinations for the metro – primarily tourism, but increasingly companies are coming to realize they can locate in these small cities and find the talent they need to find. Because this is where the talent wants to live.
Getting Lost in the Valley of Silence
Yesterday I had a rare 90-minutes to myself and after some meandering I ended up behind St. Scholastica looking for the sunset. I never really did find it, but I did see some other stuff.
Piedmont Trail Hike
It’s a beautiful day to hike in a Duluth Park.
Found Black Bunny
There’s a black bunny that looks pretty cute and domestic, but has been living it up in the wild for the past month in our alley. If his owner was looking for him, he’s not hard to find, we have a bunny sighting almost daily. He’s been doing well so far, but with the cold coming, I think he might want to go back into a hutch. If you want a tough little bunny, go look in the alley downhill of 13th Street and Diamond.
Rollerdames!
Saturday was Rollerdame action — at least for the last half of the game. The Harbor City Roller Dames A/B teams were divided, one team to represent Superior and one to represent Duluth. For the first half, the game was played in increments, as each skater would score 4 points, then call off the “jam.” So the game progressed in inches until about the half.
Best Restaurant for Lunch
Next up in the series of polls for the <PDD Awards Index>PDD Awards, we will determine the best lunch restaurant in the Duluth area. We’re taking nominations in the comments to this post, then a poll will follow, as usual.
For some of you, the ideal lunch is the place that kicks out the fastest, cheapest grub. Others might prefer a slow-pace escape from the daily grind. Either notion is fine, but the majority vote will decide what is best.
Once again, we define our territory: Any restaurant in Duluth or 10 miles of its border is eligible. So establishments in Superior, Hermantown, Proctor and the various bordering townships all qualify; Two Harbors, Cloquet and farther away municipalities are out of bounds.
Looking for a specialist in preserving antique needlework
We inherited an old piece of needlework. It is probably about 50 years old, maybe older. It could be as much as 100 years old. We have it, but in a move the glass broke and we need it to be re-framed/matted — whatever you do to keep a piece like this looking good. Who do I call, where do I go to begin tracking down this?
Jim Carlson – Guilty
From the Minneapolis Star Tribune: Headshop owner guilty of selling illegal synthetic drugs
A Duluth headshop owner was found guilty of selling banned synthetic drugs Monday afternoon in a case likely to have major impact on the handling of artificial hallucinogens.
Jim Carlson, 56, owner of the Last Place on Earth, was found guilty on 51 of 55 felony counts. His girlfriend, Lava Marie Haugen, 33, was convicted on all four counts against her, including conspiracy. Carlson’s son, Joseph James Gellerman, 35, was convicted of two of four counts against him, but not guilty of conspiracy.
The trial lasted two weeks, and the seven-woman, five-man jury deliberated for about two days over the 55 felony counts.
Duluth News Tribune: “Jury finds Last Place on Earth owner Jim Carlson guilty on most counts”
WDIO: Carlson guilty on 51 counts
Northland’s NewsCenter: “Jury upholds 51 counts against Jim Carlson in federal court“
Duluth Parks Blog
If you are interested in Duluth city parks you might be interested in my parks blog:
Portable Amateur Radio from All Duluth Parks
kd0etc.blogspot.com
This week: bikes and philosophy
Here’s a sampling of what you have to look forward to this week on the PDD Calendar.
‘Tis the season for ghosts and goblins and you can check out all things Halloween on the calendar. Already this week you can go to the Haunted Ship and the Silver Brook Corn Maze, see Nosferatu at the Scottish Rite, bring your kids to Boo at the Zoo at the Lake Superior Zoo, and meet at Pineapple Arts to help prep for All Souls Night. And there’s much more to come in the weeks ahead.
Tonight you can celebrate the Weber Music Hall at the Weber Music Hall with music… in the hall. Maybe they’ll fire up some Webers outside.
Need to work on your bike? The Bike Cave is a free cooperative bike shop where people can come in and work on their bikes or build new bikes. It’s open Thursday evenings and Saturday afternoons. And on your bike you can Bike with a Cop on Saturday starting at Leif Erikson Park.
On Friday you can get your think on at Adeline’s with Prof. Jason Ford of UMD (aka our reigning Geek Prom King, all hail) in a Philosophical Salon.
So what are you doing this week? Can we tag along? Any upcoming events that you want to promote? Let us know.
Ugly Stick Saloon
A splash of Coyote Ugly is in the city of Superior, just minutes off of the Bong Bridge on Belknap Street, in the former dining area of the Shack.
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KBJR Topline News and Cheers at the Western Tavern in 1993
Embedded above is the complete Topline News broadcast from May 20, 1993. You’ll notice it’s pretty short; that’s because from 1992 to 1998 KBJR experimented with an abbreviated 10 p.m. news program that ran about six minutes, not counting commercials, followed by a re-run of Roseanne with sports scores at bottom screen. (more…)
Credit card found in Chester Park
Found a credit card in the parking lot at Chester Park on October 4. If it’s yours, post a comment here to contact me (your return email is sent to me automatically when you comment).
Perfect Restaurant: New Scenic Café
You have to leave Duluth to get to its best restaurant. The New Scenic Café is located about three miles beyond the city’s northeastern border, in Duluth Township — roughly a 20-minute drive from the center of the Zenith City. It’s a drive Duluthians and tourists alike have been happy to take repeatedly during the 14 years since chef Scott Graden and his aunt Rita Bergstedt opened their contemporary American restaurant.
Above: New Scenic Owner Scott Graden
The location on the scenic North Shore Drive is a big part of the allure, but what’s so new about this 14-year-old café? The menu, that’s what. It’s always new, changing with the seasons. Today one might try the seared duck breast or ratatouille lasagna, while six months ago the lamb meatloaf was the temptation of the moment.
Sure, it’s the kind of place ham-and-eggers will make fun of, scoffing at the prices and snickering at the notion of an “heirloom” tomato, but it’s hard to be the best restaurant in the area without a hint of snootiness. At least it’s a North Shore brand of foodie snootiness, where your flannel shirt and/or socks with sandals will fit in just fine.
Props must go out to the runners up in this poll, because the voting was close. New Scenic edged out Zeitgeist Arts Café by two percentage points, and Zeitgeist edged out Duluth Grill by three percentage points. A bit behind the top three, but still pulling nearly 15 percent of the vote, was Lake Avenue Restaurant & Bar.
Duluth Demon
Just in time for Halloween the Duluth Demon emerges and has been seen lurking around UMD. It seems he was last seen terrorizing people in Bagley Park and has not broken character yet. An article from the UMD Statesman explains his presence. The demon can also be found on Facebook.