Superior
Wabegon bar and grill has new owner
A tavern, off-sale liquor outlet and supper club in Superior Township is under new ownership. John Hartwick purchased the 85-year-old Wabegon bar and grill on April 28 and hit the ground running, only shutting down for half a day to inventory the place. Paul Vernon, who owned the Wabegon for 10 years, held a going away pig roast party the week prior.
The Wabegon is a bit of a geographical oddity. Though it’s located in Wisconsin, roads leading in are through Minnesota, and the vibe of the business is Minnesota through and through. For residents of Duluth’s Fond du Lac neighborhood, it’s the primary gathering place for food and revelry; Superior residents, on the other hand, are barely aware it exists. (more…)
Exploring the Superior Entry Lighthouse on Wisconsin Point
The latest adventure on the Substreet website takes readers inside the Superior Entry Lighthouse, where every step “happens with an echoing crunch.”
As for the view from the top: “For 180 degrees, there is nothing but water, clouds, and a beautiful sandy beach backgrounded by pine trees and dune grass.”
R.I.P. Chicken Spur
Say it ain’t so. The Duluth News Tribune reports Germann’s Hammond Spur at the foot of the Superior side of the Blatnik Bridge is closing today. The convenience store has been known for years as the “Chicken Spur” because of its deli, which offered fried chicken, egg rolls, corn dogs and more. The DNT notes the store is holding a 50 percent off sale in hopes of closing out its inventory.
O’Neill’s Pub and Liquor in Superior is closed
After 23 years in business, the owners of O’Neill’s Pub and Liquor closed its doors after ringing in the new year with customers on Saturday.
The laid back Irish pub at 3333 Tower Avenue in Superior featured weekly $1 tap beer and $2 Bloody Mary specials and had the distinction of being Superior’s only drive-through liquor store.
In 2014, Thrillest touted O’Neill’s as one of the top ten drive-through liquor stores in the country. Wisconsin is one of only six states where this modern convenience is legal. (more…)
Paul Metsa – “Christmas at Molly’s”
This video slideshow, produced by Andy Watson of ANDVD Media, was released just before Christmas. It features a song written by Paul Metsa in 1990 as a loving tribute to Molly O’Kash Muench Spaun, proprietor of Molly’s Bar in Superior. Spaun died in 2013 at the age of 99. Molly’s Bar closed in 2005 and became Tower Avenue Tavern.
New Vietnamese restaurant open in Superior
Fans of phở have a new place to enjoy the savory Vietnamese soup. Phở Cali Vietnamese Noodles Restaurant opened Dec. 17 in the former Lan Chi’s building at 1320 Belknap St. in Superior. (more…)
Kalli Erickson Manion skates on her Superior driveway
Kalli Erickson Manion of Superior makes the best of nature’s ice sheet on Boxing Day.
Superior record store announces closing, huge inventory for sale
Vinyl Cave owners Tom Johnson, left, and Tom Unterberger will close the Superior record store Dec. 31. They hope to sell the store inventory to a single buyer.
The largest used record store in the region will go out of business this month after owners struggled to meet the demands of younger music lovers buying and selling collectible vinyl on the Internet.
The Vinyl Cave, 1717 Belknap Street in Superior, will close its doors Dec. 31. Owners Tom Unterberger and Tom Johnson hope to find a single buyer for an inventory that includes more than 10,000 albums, 300,000 singles, rock memorabilia and vintage stereo equipment. (more…)
History of the University of Wisconsin-Superior
Though Perfect Duluth Day generally avoids publishing promotional propaganda on its blog, this UWS-produced video on the school’s history is a compelling look at 120 years of educational evolution in Soup Town.
UW-Superior Opening Weekend 2016
Two weeks ago a video post on PDD showed clips from UMD Welcome Week. Here’s some equal time for the U across the bridge — scenes from opening weekend at the University of Wisconsin-Superior.
This year’s UWS freshmen come from 175 different high schools and from 11 states — including Alaska, California, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and obviously Wisconsin. Nearly 225 international students are attending this year, the largest and most diverse international enrollment in the university’s history.
Is Bottoms Up the beer pouring device of the future?
Mike Mohr in front of one of his Bottoms Up beer dispensers
Gronk’s Bar and Grill in Superior has long been known for serving burgers upside down. In February, the bar was the first in the area to install a remarkable tap-beer delivery system that fills glasses from the bottom up. Since then another Superior drinking establishment, Jack’s Place, has also added a Bottoms Up system in its beer garden.
Gronk’s owner Mike Mohr first saw the Bottoms Up system at the Wisconsin State Fair. He was impressed with its technology and speed. Later, when his daughter was advocating for more craft beer taps at Gronk’s, he thought the novelty might be a good way to draw beer fans in. (more…)
New owners reopen Cedar Lounge in Superior
Tim and Naomi Nelson pose inside the Cedar Lounge just off Tower Avenue in Superior.
Trailblazing craft brewery owner and longtime Duluth bar developer Tim Nelson is ready to launch his newest drinking establishment in a historic, working waterfront neighborhood on the Superior side of the Twin Ports.
The Cedar Lounge, 1715 N. Third Street, just off Tower Avenue, opens in the shadows of the Harvest State Co-op grain elevators Friday, Aug. 26. Nelson and his wife, Naomi, purchased the historic bar building in December and the property has undergone a seven-month restoration. (more…)
Bud Grant and the Superior Central Basketball Team
Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Bud Grant grew up in Superior and played football, basketball and baseball at Superior Central High School. This photo recently showed up Reddit, posted by user “drunkinwisconsin.”
“A bartender’s dad in my hometown of Superior, WI went to school with Bud Grant,” the post reads. “Here is his senior basketball picture, #13.”
New 7 West Taphouse on Tower Avenue could open in September
A delay in financing stalled interior design work several months, but owners of the 7 West Taphouse in Superior say they plan to open their burger and beer business in mid-September. (more…)
Historic heart of Superior’s East End faces changes
Walter Haugen stands in front of buildings on the 2100 block of East Fifth Street, all planned for demolition this spring.
Walter Haugen stood inside an old corner pharmacy his father operated for close to 70 years on Superior’s East End. A junk pile was pushed near the plate glass front windows. Empty shelving units displayed old merchandise tags. A pungent mercurochrome smell filled the dusty store. (more…)
Thirsty Pagan opens new beer garden
Kelsey Picek and Allyson Rolph in the Thirsty Pagan beer garden
Beginning this weekend, Twin Ports beer lovers have another option for outdoor imbibing. Thirsty Pagan Brewing’s new beer garden held its soft opening on Friday. The brewpub at 1623 Broadway in Superior is known for its tasty brews and delectable deep-dish pizzas.
The beer garden occupies a space behind the building that is fully fenced and can be accessed via the parking lot. It features several oversized picnic tables and can seat about 25 people with standing room for about 25 more. (more…)
Epic Restaurant & Lounge opening soon in Superior
Superior will have a new fine-dining establishment with the opening of Epic Restaurant & Lounge, tentatively planned for sometime in May.
The restaurant, lounge and event venue will be located in the old Joe’s Pagoda Chinese Restaurant location at 3223 Tower Ave., between Campbell Lumber & Supply and Grizzly’s Food-Fired Grill. Joe’s Pagoda owners, Joe and Sue Hear, retired in 2015 after 16 years in business. (more…)
Under the Bridge
I have always loved these buildings, but I never knew so much about them before.
[This post originally contained a link to the Substreet website post “Twohy and Osborn Blocks: Superior’s (Almost) Lost Mercantile Blocks.” The website no longer exists, but a scrambled version of it is available at web.archive.org.]
New owner takes over Superior’s Cedar Lounge
The Cedar Lounge is located just off Tower Avenue at Third Street in Superior’s North End. The new owner has not announced plans for the property.
The wife of former Fitger’s Brewhouse co-owner Tim Nelson has her name on the recently transferred liquor license of a decades-old Superior tavern.
The Superior City Council granted Cedar Forest LLC a Class B liquor and beer license for the Cedar Lounge, 1715 N. Third St., at its Dec. 15 meeting. The license application lists the sole member of Cedar Forest as Naomi C. Nelson, wife of Duluth micro-brew trailblazer Tim Nelson. (more…)
Superior exploring possible “exposition district”
Business North reports an economic development group called Better City Superior intends to seek state permission to create an “exposition district” to attract new developments, such as a 150-room hotel, 20,000-square-foot convention center, 50,000-square-foot water park, a sports field house, a movie theater and a corporate campus.
Business North: “Better City Superior announces growth vision“
Shorty’s Pizza & Smoked Meat on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives
See the video on foodnetwork.com.
Guy Fieri buzzed through Duluth and Superior in July 2014 to shoot four segments for Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. In this clip — from season 21, episode 3, “Cross-Country Classics” — he visits Shorty’s Pizza & Smoked Meat in Superior.