Duluth Mojo
Oral Histories of Poetry in Duluth
Bart Sutter has shared with me some of his important work as poet laureate. Below is a document from his collection, a partial transcript of a panel he organized. The panel set out to construct an oral history of poetry in Duluth.
I would love more info about the panel or about the clubs and organizations listed therein. (more…)
Duluth Mail Bag: Snow Removal, Budgets and Bag Fees
As a two-time Duluth city councilor, now in my final year of service, one of my goals is to make city government more accessible, or at least help citizens become more informed. I figure there are a lot of Duluthians who would like some simple answers to some simple questions. I learned in school that if there is something you don’t understand it’s likely there are many others who feel the same way. Hence the idea of the Duluth Mailbag column.
I won’t divulge who is asking the questions, but I’ll answer them in this format about once a month. Feel free to put a question in the comments for next month’s “Duluth Mailbag” or tweet me via @Hobbs_Duluth or email me at hobbsforduluth @ gmail.com.
Also, if you want to have a longer conversation, you can sign up for a 45-minute cup of coffee through my 100 Cups of Coffee project.
OK, here we go! (more…)
Management shift at WDSE “The North” brings change
Under new station manager Brian Rickman, 103.3 FM WDSE has moved to new music programming software and begun considering changes to its schedule, the Duluth News Tribune reports.
We are here. Hear us! An invitation to participate
This event looks pretty cool, and everyone is invited to tell their story. It grows out of the Green Card Voices project. (more…)
The Merry Kiss Cam Cinematic Universe
Kip Praslowicz is perhaps best known in Duluth as a photographer and on YouTube as a ranter, but did you know he’s also a championship bowler? A movie shot in Duluth in 2022 has the proof. In his latest video, Praslowicz delves into Merry Kiss Cam from a local’s perspective.
Obituary of Peter S. Svenson, Minnesota’s Rogue Historian
August 23rd 1947-January 24th(?) 2022. The historian Peter Sven Svenson died without heirs sometime last week according to his autopsy. He will be buried in Forest Hills cemetery in Duluth after the spring thaw. Speaking as one of his only friends, I have penned this obituary.
A document hoarder, Svenson was practically the state’s analog back-up brain for decades, and its conscience.
He was a popular history professor at UMD from 1973-2002. However, he tussled with the university over the legitimacy of his sources. Then they disavowed his work altogether when issues arose about his statistical analyses. Under pressure, he took early retirement, but sued the university for defamation. He lost.
Svenson went on to self-publish books, monographs, and articles, but struggled to find a paying audience. His most important work was produced during this period. Being his friend enabled my access to his research and unpublished manuscripts. (more…)
“What About the Legend of the Underwater Lake?”
This informative article refers to the “legend” of Lake Inferior, which originated here at Perfect Duluth Day with my 5/8/21 Saturday Essay, “Lake Inferior: the Underground Lake Beneath Lake Superior.” From a blog post to legend in less than two years — oh, internet! The informative article summarizes the “legend,” linking to the PDD Saturday Essay as the source, which is repeated in a second article seemingly plagiarizing the first: (more…)
Old Softball Field in Midway Township
On Midway/Becks Road, about a quarter mile south of Interstate 35 and just west of the former Nopeming Sanatorium, sits a softball — or perhaps youth baseball — field that doesn’t appear to have been played on in about 40 years. These photos are from November. (more…)
Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards 2023 Call for Nominations
Lake Superior Writers is seeking nominations for the 2023 Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards.
The categories have changed and are as follows: Nonfiction; Fiction; Children’s Literature; Middle Grade/Young Adult; Poetry; and Memoir. Art/Photography is now part of the Nonfiction category. A $40 entry fee is required for each nominated title. (more…)
Duluth Incline Magic Lantern Glass Slides from 1893
Car on the Seventh Ave Incline Duluth Minn. 1893
Images here of the Duluth Incline Railway are from three lantern slides, also known as “magic lanterns.” According to the website of the Magic Lantern Society of U.S. and Canada, the slides generally “consist of two sheets of glass, one of which has the image on one side of it and the other which covers the image, and bound all around by a black paper tape.” (more…)
The Story of Grace
Austin McConnell delves into the backstory of Grace, the official state photograph of Minnesota. Photographer Eric Enstrom shot the image in 1918 at his home in Bovey, about 60 miles northwest of Duluth.
My retirement fund in squished pennies
I told artist Moira Villard that she was my retirement plan, as I pressed six pennies at the Duluth Public Library on Saturday. Someday, when she’s even more famous, these pennies will be worth more than a cent! (more…)
List of Duluth Authors from Duluth Public Library Vertical File
It used to be, a library committed to local information had to keep it in a “clippings file” or “vertical file.” The local history room at the Duluth Public Library still has one and has a master entry on clippings about authors from/in Duluth. (more…)
West Duluth theater project moves forward, seeks city loan
The Alhambra Theater sits just to the east of the West Theatre on Central Avenue in West Duluth (Photos by Mark Nicklawske)
A long-lost vaudeville theater renovation gained ground this week when city officials authorized grant money to fund a business loan for the West Duluth entertainment district project.
The Duluth Economic Development Authority approved a $150,000 grant Jan. 25 to the city of Duluth 1200 Fund for restoration work at the Alhambra Theater, 321 N. Central Ave. The move allows the 1200 Fund to loan building owner Paladin Properties LLC a total of $200,000 for project completion. (more…)
PDD Quiz: January 2023
The first month of 2023 is nearly over; how many of its headlines do you recall? Jump into this week’s PDD quiz to find out!
A Valentine’s Day-themed quiz comes your way on Feb. 12. Submit question suggestions to Alison Moffat at aklawite@d.umn.edu by Feb. 9. (more…)
Ripped at Molly’s in 2003
[Editor’s note: For this week’s essay we’ve once again pulled out a relic from the archive of Slim Goodbuzz, who served as Duluth’s “booze connoisseur” from 1999 to 2009. One of Slim’s favorite old stops was Molly’s Tavern in Superior, which had a sign outside promising “dancing & sandwiches,” neither of which could be found inside. The bar closed in 2005 and later became Tower Avenue Tavern. Twenty years ago the Sultan of Sot paid a visit to Molly’s and wrote the article below for the Jan. 22, 2003 issue of the Ripsaw newspaper.]
Whenever I find myself at Molly’s, I’m usually there to “finish up.” Usually, it’s late, I’m half in the bag and I have little interest in anything other than the square foot of bar top directly in front of me — the magical zone in which I lay down money and it miraculously turns into booze. But tonight Sean the Locksmith and I end up at Molly’s relatively early in evening. And I’ll be damned if Molly’s isn’t a pretty sweet place.
This doesn’t really surprise me. I’ve heard many tales of the coolness of this bar: the cheap booze, the weird and amazing antiques scattered about, the mother of Darryl Hall’s child pouring drinks. But maybe it’s to its credit that I’ve never really analyzed it. I go to Molly’s because I want to drink undisturbed. The appreciation of the bar among homosexuals and its seedy location at the very end of Tower Avenue help to keep away most of the local dillweeds. (more…)
Mana Bear Bolton has her way with the Tweed elevator
Mana Bear Bolton‘s “Primordial Rapture” opened in the Tweed Museum’s elevator on Aug. 30. Read all about it at findmana.com.
Vignettes from the Edge of a Beaver Pond
Researchers at the Voyageurs Wolf Project placed cameras around the edge of a beaver pond this past summer hoping to get good footage of wolves. Instead, they captured a whole lot of otter activity along with a few other critters, including a black bear and three cubs that predictably knocked over a camera.
Lovehouse – “She’s Gonna Catch You”
Duluth band Lovehouse released the EP Shades of Red last summer, along with this video for the song “She’s Gonna Catch You.”
Ladies’ Literature Class of Duluth
The Duluth Ladies’ Literature Class leaves few electronic traces outside the local collection at the Duluth Public Library. (more…)