Pizza Lucé Ides of March 2011

A heads up for those who dig Pizza Lucé’s annual weekend of tribute rock:

Thursday, March 17 | 10pm/21+/free
DJ Tenn
Look Ma, No Head! (performing the Cramps)
Bradical Boombox (performing the Thermals)
Poor Howard (performing 10 Years After)

Friday, March 18 | 10pm/21+/$5
The Keep Aways (performing Hole)
The DTs (performing the Clash)
Philip of Nazareth (performing Descendents)
DJ Path Annu

Saturday, March 19 | 10pm/21+/$5
MATallica (performing Metallica)
The Acceleratii Deluxe (performing the Animals)
American Rebels Delux (performing Pearl Jam’s Ten)
DJ Norby

Beware.

Anang the Otter Celebrates B-day!

Anang the Otter celebrates her 14th birthday at the Aquarium on Sunday, Feb. 27. Toy- and craft-making are on the agenda as are snack time for Anang, complete with fish-filled ice cake. The fun runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Meet Splash the giant human otter and watch a dive show, too!   Bring a new or used fleece blanket and get in free.  See glaquarium.org

Aquarium hosts “Ships in the Night”

Great Lakes Aquarium will exhibit photographs by Mary T. George from March 2 to May 22 in the Aquarium’s fine arts gallery. The public is invited to an opening reception Wednesday, March 2, from 5-7 p.m.   The exhibit features photos of ships that have made recent history in the Twin Ports including the Mesabi Miner, Edgar B. Speer, Edwin H. Gott and others.  

Aquarium Executive Director Jack LaVoy says that Mary “brings the energy and majesty of our working waterfront to life and sets a standard of excellence that can only be achieved by someone with an artist’s eye and an abiding love of the harbor.”

Lion or Gazelle – Bad Thoughts, Farewell

After a distinctly long hiatus (for us), Lion or Gazelle is pleased to bring you our newest EP, Bad Thoughts, Farewell. Free streaming and/or downloads on the Bandcamp page.

Early Bird Music at Chester Creek Cafe Saturday, February 26

Start your Saturday evening out At Sara’s Table/Chester Creek Cafe and get in on some fantastic acoustic folk sounds performed by John Martin from 6-8.  Partake in Happy Hour drink and food specials from 4-7 pm.  After that, head out on the town to enjoy the eclectic live music scene that only Duluth can offer!

Coyote and Healthy Band Music Club

Art Jam 2011

It may not be the solution to the education budget … but it’ll keep your kids busy for at least ten minutes during Winter Break.

Art Jam is a youth art contest for kids ages 7 through 12 in the Twin Ports. Have you seen the commercial yet? If not, it’s probably because you don’t watch enough cartoons.
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Big Top Chautauqua 2011

Summer is approaching, slow though it may seem, and concert junkies need to begin filling in their 2011 summer itineraries. Our good friends in Wisconsin are helping get a jump on this planning as Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua has announced its initial summer performers.

See the full list here. Highlights include Greg Brown, Arlo Guthrie, Dar Williams, Nanci Griffith, and many more. The clincher for me is a two-night stand from folk legend John Prine on Aug. 20-21. A trip to Wisconsin may be in order.

On Wisconsin

Mike Page, Mike Fitzsimmons and Tom Houle | Duluth graffiti that wouldn’t fade away

PageFitzsimmonsHoule2010

I first took notice of this graffiti in the late 1980s. It’s on the side of the old West Duluth Hotel building, which for many years now has been home to the Italian Village, along with various other businesses.
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Yoga-tta sign up for the new session!

A new registration session begins March 14th (just a couple of weeks away)! This includes over 20 weekly (open and registration) classes ranging from beginning to advanced.
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Low – “Belarus”

This video was shot at various familiar locations in and around Duluth.

By the way, in addition to being a country, Belarus is also the name of a manufacturer of upright pianos.

Special Guest at Amazing Grace Bakery and Café: Bill Staines

Thursday, Feb. 24, at 7pm Bill Staines will be playing his annual Amazing Grace show.

“Any new song that can live comfortably beside the well-worn songs of folk tradition has a good chance of surviving the test of time. Such, we believe are the songs of Bill Staines.”   –Charles “Sandy” Paton, Folk Legacy Records.

Let’s Talk Trees!

Ethan Perry, DNR Plant Ecologist and a former member of the Duluth Tree Commission, will talk about trees, how to identify them in the winter and the important functions they provide in urban landscapes.  Following Ethan’s presentation Wild Ones members will be available with all their favorite books about native trees and shrubs to help those looking for more info to select trees and shrubs to plant at home.
 
When: Wednesday, Feb. 23.  Socializing begins at 6:45 PM, program at 7 PM.  We’ll get to the “free tree help” by 8 PM.
Where: Hartley Nature Center in Duluth, MN.  see hartleynature.org or call 218-724-6735 for more info/directions.

The Camel Incident in Madison

A crew from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart was at the Capital in Madison on Monday to shoot some sort of a bit that involved a camel. As handlers started to walk the camel around a barricade, well, things got ugly. Jack Craver of the weekly Isthmus newspaper caught it on video.

The camel was not injured. Firefighters on the scene helped untangle things.

Friends of the Library Annual Book Sale

Wednesday, June 15 to Friday, June 17.
10am – 3pm daily.
A great event to stock up on some good summer reads!

The Winter Sessions Songwriters Showcase at Sacred Heart

Saturday Feb 26, 2011 7:30 PM
Sacred Heart Music Center
201 W 4th St
Tickets $5 in advance/$7 at the door
www.sacredheartmusic.org

Sonja Bjordal, Sarah Krueger, Charity Huot and Hattie Peterson

Riding the Lake Superior Waves

Here’s what they were doing Sunday off Stony Point, just south of Knife River. 50 mph wind gusts, 21 degrees.

5th Annual Bike Swap

Bike Swap 2011 poster

Despite the current weather outside, spring is in fact on the way, and the United Way and Continental Ski & Bike  are gearing up for the 5th annual Bike Swap, April 16 and 17 at Continental, 1305 E 1st St.  Now is the time to check your garage to see if you’ve got a old bike you’d like to sell or donate… or to start dreaming about what kind of new-to-you bike you’d like to buy.  If your bike sells, you get 75% of the selling price and the remaining 25% goes to the United Way.  We’ve set up a Facebook page to watch for updates.  Thanks!

Lake Superior Waves Video

I’m new to the area, so I was really excited to see the waves and film some this morning. To all locals: what’s the biggest waves you’ve seen?

Hockey Day Minnesota: Portman Bruins vs. Glen Avon Red Army

[This post originally featured video from nhl.com that has since been removed.]

Last Day to Celebrate I Love to Read Month!

Kids and parents come and join United Way Success By 6 at the Duluth Public Library for our final Cozy Pajama Story Time!

The last three weeks have been a huge success and we want to make sure more people can enjoy our final story time on Thursday, Feb. 24, at 6:30pm in the Green Room at the library.

Three teen readers from the Boys and Girls Club of Duluth will be reading as a part of a service project.  The stories are expected to go from 6:30-6:50 with a craft activity planned for 6:50-7:15.

It will be another great night of fun during that restless time between dinner and bedtime for your little ones.

2011 St. David’s Day Open Reading

As always, it’s free.

Blowin’ in the Wind

Loup-Garou EP Release

EP Release Flier

Loup-Garou will release their debut EP this Saturday down at Beaner’s Central alongside The People Say Fox and Minneapolis’s Party House.

Show starts at 8pm, $5 cover, and open to all ages.

If you didn’t get a ticket to Atmosphere, this is the place to be.