Mystery Photo: Nye’s Studio Couple
One thing that gets weird about photos shot with costumes, props and a fake background is that eventually the photo will become old, and then it’s more difficult to tell whether the people in the photo are dressed in their normal clothing, were being photographed to promote a play, or just having a novelty photo taken. So the image above might seem like an 1890s version of what a photo of someone in 2024 wearing disco clothes might convey in the year 2156. (more…)
Pronoya – “Sever”
Duluth metalcore band Pronoya has a new single, “Sever,” and plans to release an EP this summer. The next gig for the group is the Duluth Mid-Winter Metal Melter on Jan. 19 at Wussow’s Concert Cafe.
Another Postcard from the Duluth-Superior Hi Bridge
This early 1960s postcard, published by Gallagher’s Studio of Photography, shows the Blatnik Bridge before it was called the Blatnik Bridge. From 1961 to 1971 the bridge was called the Duluth-Superior Bridge and known colloquially as the “High Bridge,” though the name was often rendered as “Hi Bridge.” It was later named for Congressman John A. Blatnik. (more…)
Superior Porchfest 2023 Recap Video / 2024 Application
Planning has begun for the 2024 season of Superior Porchfest. Organizers are looking for performing musicians and neighborhood pop-up porch hosts. An open-call application is online at superiorporchfest.org.
Porchfest is a free, family-friendly music and art series in which attendees can bring a blanket or lawn chair, pack a picnic and/or simply stop by to enjoy the show. The performances are typically held either on a residential porch or at a city park.
PDD Quiz: 2024 Coming Attractions
Take a peek into the future with this week’s quiz, which previews anticipated events and openings of 2024.
The next PDD quiz will review headlines from Jan. 2024; it comes your way on Jan. 28. Submit question suggestions to Alison Moffat at aklawite@d.umn.edu by Jan. 25. (more…)
The Lost Coast and the Ghost Choir of Mount Shasta
My one unexplained “paranormal” encounter happened on a trip to the so-called Lost Coast of Northern California. I camped there the summer of 1994 with my girlfriend Mary, in one of our relationship’s great death spasms. Near the end of this expedition, I heard the singing of a ghostly choir in the woods around Mount Shasta. It was singing Mary said she couldn’t hear.
This vacation was important to us. Austin transplants, we’d been cooped up at retail jobs in the Berkeley-Oakland sprawl for a year. We hadn’t explored the wilds of California like it really deserved. So when she caught wind of the Lost Coast, we arranged a matching week off to go find it.
We drove north from the Bay Area in her white Chrysler minivan. We were listening to a mixtape of J.J. Cale, perfect road music with his driving early drum machine sound: “They call me the breeze, I keep blowing down the road.” We also had some Jerry Garcia Band, which we’d been seeing at the Warfield during its unofficial residency. And, we were still coming to terms with Kurt Cobain’s suicide a couple months prior, three days before my 25th birthday. His widow’s album Live Through This was released within days and we were listening to that too. We couldn’t believe she recorded the line “Someday you will ache like I ache” months before he died. Now that line screamed across the radio like live anguish. So those were the vibes. (more…)
Heart at the Duluth Arena in 1980?
I’ve searched high and low, but I cannot seem to locate any information about the Heart concert on March 5, 1980 at the Duluth Arena.
I was there with five friends but can’t seem to locate anything about it.
Nimrods: Prophecy of the Six Trailer
The Nimrods have won the American Birkebeiner Giant Ski Race a record five times. But just when it looked like their skiing days were over, fate had other ideas.
Yes, another Nimrod giant ski movie is premiering at the Park Center in Hayward on Feb. 16 at 7:30 p.m. and showing again during Birkie Week. All proceeds benefit the Share Winter Foundation to support youth winter sports programs.
Duluth Art Institute continuing search for new space
Duluth Art Institute plans for year of continuity amid change - Duluth News Tribune | News, weather, and sports from Duluth, Minnesota
The nonprofit will be leaving its longtime galleries in the St. Louis County Depot, but is searching for new space — and continuing programming at its Lincoln Park building.
duluthnewstribune.com
The Duluth News Tribune reports the nonprofit Duluth Art Institute is searching for a new home as it prepares to leave the St. Louis County Depot, where it has had galleries and workspace since 1975.
Duluth’s Revitalization: The St. Louis River Area of Concern
Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant produced a video series featuring five cities along waterways deemed “areas of concern” that are in various stages of the cleanup process and are experiencing revitalization. This video highlights Duluth and the St. Louis River and features Minnesota poet Moheb Soliman.
Postcard from the Soldiers and Sailors Monument
This undated postcard, published by Duluth Photo Engraving Company, shows the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Priley Circle at the Duluth Civic Center. The monument honors soldiers who served during the American Civil War. Designed by architect Cass Gilbert, it was completed and dedicated on Memorial Day in 1919.
PDD Geoguessr Challenge #9: Duluth, Georgia
References to Duluth in the media are a regular feature on Perfect Duluth Day. But for every reference that does not include the state name, many are left with a lingering doubt about whether the reference is really about Duluth, Minnesota, or Duluth, Georgia, a city outside of Atlanta with about one third of the Minnesota city’s population. (more…)
The Nutcracker Christmases
Christmas gives me the blues. I miss the magic of childhood Christmases spent with my siblings, and I miss the magic of Christmas mornings I spent with my young children. I miss family and friends who have passed away, and the special Christmas traditions we had. Because nothing stays the same, nostalgia can be heart-wrenching.
So, I’m weaving some new traditions into some old ones.
The Nutcracker of the Past
When I was in my twenties, my mother-in-law took me to my first ballet, along with my two sisters-in-law. It was December, so of course, we went to The Nutcracker. I loved it. For two hours enchanting music, graceful dancing, sparkling costumes, and magical sets swept me away to another world. Attending The Nutcracker with my mother-in-law became a tradition for a handful of years.
This year I took my twelve-year-old granddaughter, Clara, to see The Nutcracker, her first ballet. My mother-in-law would be happy to know I’m reviving her tradition. If life were A Christmas Carol, my mother-in-law would have been Fred, the ever-cheerful nephew of Ebenezer Scrooge. She knew how to keep the spirit of Christmas in her heart all year long and how to rise above characters like Scrooge. (more…)
Mixed-use development planned for downtown Grand Marais
Mail
A large, mixed use development has been proposed for downtown Grand Marais that would include a restaurant, short term rentals and an event center and rooftop patio on the site of a 2020 fire that destroyed three businesses.
mprnews.org
Minnesota Public Radio reports a 30,000-square-foot proposed development in Grand Marais seeks to replace three businesses that were destroyed by fire in 2020. Plans for the project include a restaurant, bar and retail space on the ground floor. The second floor would have 10 short-term rental units and an event center with a rooftop courtyard.
Seeking migration stories to teach, publish
This semester, I will be teaching a class focusing on migration stories. If you have a favorite such story (about human migration, bird migration, software migration), especially one with a Duluth connection, please send it my way: dbeard @ d.umn.edu, or comment below. (more…)
Former Duluthian writes about hockey-playing cousin
Honoring the Legacy of My Cousin, Henry Boucha: A Short Bio Comic.
As my residency concludes and I reflect on my family history, I am reminded of the remarkable achievements of my third cousin, Henry Boucha (Ogichidaa in Ojibwe, which means ‘Warrior’). We are cousins through our shared McPherson and Morrisseau ancestors.
Henry Boucha is a legendary figure in the realm of hockey, known for his exceptional talent, speed, and determination. His resilience in the face of both triumphs and challenges have left an indelible mark on the sports world. His legacy is a testament to the importance of staying true to one’s roots, preserving our cultural heritage, and overcoming obstacles with fortitude.
As I navigate my own path, his story remains a source of inspiration and a reminder of the enduring spirit of our family.
coffeehousepress.org
Former Duluthian Crystal Gibbins writes about northeast Minnesota hockey legend Henry Boucha on the Coffee House Press website.
WIGL Radio 97
In 1963 I was a student at St. Clement’s Parochial School in Duluth’s West End. I entered a radio contest on WIGL. The first postcard to properly identify the translation of “Minoi, Minoi” would win a year-long pass to the Granada Theatre in Downtown Duluth. Even though 11 years old then, I knew it would relate to the radio station, so I sent in a postcard saying “Wiggle, Wiggle,” which was correct! I was interviewed by Lew Latto or Tac Hammer when I returned home from school. Got them to increase the free pass to “Mike Chase and guest.”
Former Duluthian teaching painting online
Former Duluthian Nancy Valentine teaches bamboo painting online (thanks to an arts grant).
Coloring pages related to this project are available via Google Drive.
Roger Reinert sworn in as mayor of Duluth
Roger J. Reinert was officially sworn in today as Duluth’s mayor during an inauguration ceremony at Duluth City Hall. City leadership and staff, community members and various elected officials gathered at noon in the first-floor rotunda to mark the occasion. (more…)
Perfect Duluth Day’s Best Videos of 2023
Let’s all be kind and rewind. We’re looking at the best videos that appeared on Perfect Duluth Day in 2023. Sometimes chosen for the quality, sometimes for the concept, sometimes … we don’t know why we find them appealing. (more…)
The Lark of Duluth in Flight
It was 110 years ago today that the first commercial air-ship line took its inaugural flight. The Lark of Duluth didn’t lift off from Duluth that day, however. Tony and Roger Jannus brought the small hydro-aeroplane to St. Petersburg, Fla. by rail with the mission to develop the St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line. The Lark arrived there on Dec. 31, 1913, and the inaugural flight was on Jan. 1, 1914.
The photo accompanying this post is presumably not from that historic flight in St. Petersburg, but rather from the previous summer in Duluth. (more…)
PDD Quiz: 2023 in Review
Bid farewell to 2023 with this edition of the PDD Quiz, which looks back on headlines and happenings from the past year.
The next PDD quiz will preview 2024’s coming attractions; it comes your way on Jan. 14. Submit question suggestions to Alison Moffat at aklawite@d.umn.edu by Jan. 10. (more…)
2023: The Year in Duluth Gig Posters
Behold another year of Duluth rawk and/or roll as visually displayed via Perfect Duluth Day’s traditional year-ending gallery of gig posters. (more…)
The Most Read Saturday Essays of 2023
Season eight of Perfect Duluth Day’s “Saturday Essay” series has drawn to close, and it’s time to look back with the usual popularity contest. For the second year in a row, Jim Richardson authored three out of five works deemed by Google Analytics to be your favorites. In 2021, he swept the whole top five. It makes sense, because he’s Lake Superior Aquaman. Superheroes get all the clicks. (more…)