February 2013 Posts

Behind the Scenes at Northland Competition

PDD Calendar intern Shannon Kinley takes us behind the scenes of Duluth events in this new series.

Over 800 figure skaters from across the United States and Canada met in Duluth this past weekend for the Northland Competition, one of the largest events of its kind in the Midwest. The 34th-annual gathering was organized by the Duluth Figure Skating Club.

“This year is by far the biggest we have had so far in terms of skaters,” said Kathy Jensen, co-chair of the competition. “We are very pleased with the turnout.”

Preston Gunderson kicks off Kickstarter

Virginia, Minn. native Preston Gunderson is a musician with dreams as big as his heart.

Host, Duluth Local Show #150-13

Part-time Minnesota Public Radio grant-funded position – until June 30, 2013. 

“The Duluth Local Show Host will work with The Local Music team to create a two-hour show focused on Duluth’s local music artists and scene that will air on Local Current each week. The host should be able to curate the music for the show, produce and host the show, and deliver a .wav file each week to the Local Music Assistant. The format will include 11-13 songs per hour with multiple breaks occasionally including interviews or live recordings. The host will also be responsible for contributing to The Local Current Blog and The Local Show as well as maintain a presence in social media platforms.”

Is Duluth the Beer Capital of Minnesota?

Frank Kaszuba, Keith Hefley and Dave Hoops of Fitger's Brewhouse

Frank Kaszuba, Keith Hefley and Dave Hoops of Fitger’s Brewhouse

In light of The Growler magazine beginning distribution to Duluth on Feb. 8, I have to ask if we’re becoming the brewing capital of Minnesota. By my count, we’ve got ten microbreweries open or nearly open:

Duluth attempts world record this Saturday

I didn’t notice any mention of this so I thought I’d help spread the word. It looks like we need at least 9,000 people to attend to break the record for making the most snow angels. (I have no affiliation with the event; please see their website for more details.) Come make your mark by making a snow angel; proceeds go to a charity supporting clean water for those in need. All the info can be found on makeyourmarkduluth.com.

Homegrown Band Publicity Photo Showdown: Southwire vs. Sexhawk


Southwire (photo by Rich Narum)


Sexhawk (photo by Caleb Renno)

With the Homegrown Music Festival coming up in three months, now seems like a good time to launch a series of PDD polls, tournament style, to determine which Duluth-area band has the sweetest pic. First up, we ask …

Which band has the better publicity photo?

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This poll is now closed. The results were:

Southwire — 60.4 percent
Sexhawk — 39.6 percent

Note: Only people who are logged in to their Perfect Duluth Day blogging account are allowed to vote (to prevent people from voting multiple times). To create an account, click here. If you need help figuring it out, click here.

Who needs Photoshop?

Mont Du Lac Recreation Snowboard Video

Outside magazine presents online screening of Wild Bill’s Run

This is your best chance to see local documentary and Arctic crime caper Wild Bill’s Run. It’s screening on Outside’s website on Thursday evening, Feb. 7. You can watch the film anytime between 6 and 9pm (Central Time). Director Mike Scholtz will be hanging out in the comments section at the bottom of the page, waiting for people to ask him questions he can’t answer about snowmobile repair, climate change and the whereabouts of Wild Bill Cooper.

Where in Duluth?

Seeking: Homegrown Photos

The Homegrown Music Festival is seeking photos from the 2012 festival for use in the Field Guide. Large, print quality photos, please – most camera phone photos are not going to cut it.

Please send photos / more information / mailing address for discs: transistormag [at] gmail [dot] com.

Thank you, fans!

Indoor Walking Options in Duluth

Duluth Skywalk system map.

A recent request that came Perfect Duluth Day’s way via Facebook from a visitor to town was for information and links on indoor walking options. There are a handful of options that will be obvious to people familiar with Duluth, but perhaps there are some less-obvious examples that will be shared in the comments.

The first three are probably the best if you don’t want to ram into people and like shopping options along the way.

The Skywalk, UMD and Essentia are the best for seeing daylight during your indoor walk.

UMD is the best one for the possibility of getting lost or plowing into someone who is rushing through the crowd to get to class.

Water-smoothed Rocks at Brighton Beach

Mary-Amerman-Photo

Mary Amerman of Duluth won the grand prize in Lake Superior Magazine’s 18th annual Lake Superior Photo Contest. Her photo of the water-smoothed rocks on Duluth’s Brighton Beach was one of 1,284 images entered in the contest from 138 different cities, in 18 states, one U.S. Territory (Guam) and Canada.

Duluthian Kenji Ogura won first place in the Artsy/Altered category with a photograph of the weekly regatta. All the winners and finalists are featured in a gallery on lakesuperior.com.

This week: stallion hearts, cariboo and the Blue Danube

  

Here’s a sampling of what you have to look forward to this week on the PDD Calendar.

February is a lot of things… Black History Month, the shortest month of the year, the month that makes you seriously reconsider your life choices. Add to the list a month for giving books to children. There is a book drive going on all month and a “beer for books” reading at Carmody next week.

Tuesday the Chamber of Commerce is having a lunch panel at Midi on using social media as a tool, which would be a refreshing change from using social media like a tool.

Two plays open this week. Renegade Theater‘s Coronado, a voyeuristic drama about conversations in a bar, opens Thursday at the Teatro Zuccone and runs three weekends. Cariboo Magi, about four Californians trying to make it to the promised land of Canada, opens Friday at the CSS Little Theater and runs two weekends.

Nerd Nite moves to the Play Ground this Friday with its sometimes monthly presentations on nerdy topics. This time around we hear about Arthurian women, the cuisine of Game of Thrones, and the Raspberry PI.

The DSSO performs a concert of dance music paired with movie clips on Saturday at the DECC. Expect scenes from “An American in Paris,” “Singin’ in the Rain,” and “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Also, the YMCA is now offering children’s activities and a meal while parents go to the symphony, including a 25% discount on symphony tickets.

Ever go to a comedy improv show and say, “Hell, I could do that?” Prove it. Auditions for Renegade Improv are this coming Sunday at the Teatro Zuccone.

So what are you doing this week? Can we tag along? Any upcoming events that you want to promote? Let us know!

The Perilous Inlet

Three years in the making, the completed 14-minute masterpiece.

I suggest watching it with the sound off since we could not eliminate the camera noise without losing the underwater noises.

The perilous inlet is a death trap for ships and subs, yet life continues. Starring Playmobil toys, G.I. Joes, and introducing Lake Superior as itself.

We’ve released this in segments over time, so if you’re sick of it do NOT watch this final edit. Featuring the Playmobil ship vs. the giant alligator, the Playmobil sub vs. the giant squid, and the GI Joes vs. frozen existential horror, now with more death.