October 2013 Posts

Mitch’s & Grill

mitchs-and-grill

Is there a more slapped together billboard in Duluth?

R.I.P. Joe Gomer

Joe Gomer, Minnesota’s last surviving member of the Tuskegee Airmen, has died at 93.

Statement from Mayor Ness:

Duluth lost a national hero with the passing of Joe Gomer, one of the few remaining Tuskegee Airmen who served in WWII. Joe and his family moved to Duluth in 1963 and have been an integral part of our community ever since. While we mourn, we can also take comfort in knowing that he received the recognition he rightly deserved. Joe was able to witness the unveiling of a life-sized statue at the Duluth International Airport. The Joe Gomer Monument will forever serve as a reminder of Joe’s vast contributions to our community and country.

Duluth News Tribune: Legendary Tuskegee Airman Joe Gomer of Duluth dies

Best Duluth Lunch Poll

Earlier this week, PDD asked where the best lunch is in Duluth. We got 31 different answers. Now it’s time to see which of those answers hold weight. It’s time to roll out the fancy polling tool.

Which restaurant serves the best lunch?

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This poll is now closed. Four restaurants move on to the finals:

How Sweet it is Cakes
Northern Waters Smokehaus
Red Mug Coffeehouse and Bake Shop
Sir Benedict’s Tavern on the Lake

Hung admired Ron Paul?

hung-admired-ron-paul

Fauna of Lake Superior

All the random animals that have crossed my path over 3-4 years of summer lake videography, familiar for the most part to regional residents. There were others that didn’t make it on video including river otter, sturgeon, various birds incl. loon seen threading between underwater boulders.

“This is where the talent wants to live”

In the article “A New Type of Growing City,” The Atlantic quotes “the mayor of a city that has similarities to Sioux Falls and Burlington” who “sent this extremely interesting note.”

Who could that have been?

I was particularly interested in your recent story about Burlington. I believe there is a new class of city emerging across the country which are positioned to succeed in the coming decade – a class of city that has not yet been identified on a national scale.

This city is a small/mid-sized regional center. The population range I have been studying are cites between 50-125k. These cities are defined by natural beauty, outdoor recreation, strong and supportive arts community, entrepreneurial spirit, progressive outlook, and a strong sense of place and ethos connected to the place people choose to live. Cities like Burlington, Asheville, Flagstaff, Bend, Missoula, Santa Fe, Provo, and Duluth.

These cities are all at least a couple hours outside of the major metro in their area, which affords them their own character and identity. They are popular destinations for the metro – primarily tourism, but increasingly companies are coming to realize they can locate in these small cities and find the talent they need to find. Because this is where the talent wants to live.

Getting Lost in the Valley of Silence

Yesterday I had a rare 90-minutes to myself and after some meandering I ended up behind St. Scholastica looking for the sunset. I never really did find it, but I did see some other stuff.

Piedmont Trail Hike

It’s a beautiful day to hike in a Duluth Park.

Found Black Bunny

There’s a black bunny that looks pretty cute and domestic, but has been living it up in the wild for the past month in our alley. If his owner was looking for him, he’s not hard to find, we have a bunny sighting almost daily. He’s been doing well so far, but with the cold coming, I think he might want to go back into a hutch. If you want a tough little bunny, go look in the alley downhill of 13th Street and Diamond.

Rollerdames!

Saturday was Rollerdame action — at least for the last half of the game. The Harbor City Roller Dames A/B teams were divided, one team to represent Superior and one to represent Duluth. For the first half, the game was played in increments, as each skater would score 4 points, then call off the “jam.”  So the game progressed in inches until about the half.

Best Restaurant for Lunch

Next up in the series of polls for the <PDD Awards Index>PDD Awards, we will determine the best lunch restaurant in the Duluth area. We’re taking nominations in the comments to this post, then a poll will follow, as usual.

For some of you, the ideal lunch is the place that kicks out the fastest, cheapest grub. Others might prefer a slow-pace escape from the daily grind. Either notion is fine, but the majority vote will decide what is best.

Once again, we define our territory: Any restaurant in Duluth or 10 miles of its border is eligible. So establishments in Superior, Hermantown, Proctor and the various bordering townships all qualify; Two Harbors, Cloquet and farther away municipalities are out of bounds.

Looking for a specialist in preserving antique needlework

We inherited an old piece of needlework. It is probably about 50 years old, maybe older. It could be as much as 100 years old. We have it, but in a move the glass broke and we need it to be re-framed/matted — whatever you do to keep a piece like this looking good. Who do I call, where do I go to begin tracking down this?

Jim Carlson – Guilty

From the Minneapolis Star Tribune: Headshop owner guilty of selling illegal synthetic drugs

A Duluth headshop owner was found guilty of selling banned synthetic drugs Monday afternoon in a case likely to have major impact on the handling of artificial hallucinogens.

Jim Carlson, 56, owner of the Last Place on Earth, was found guilty on 51 of 55 felony counts. His girlfriend, Lava Marie Haugen, 33, was convicted on all four counts against her, including conspiracy. Carlson’s son, Joseph James Gellerman, 35, was convicted of two of four counts against him, but not guilty of conspiracy.

The trial lasted two weeks, and the seven-woman, five-man jury deliberated for about two days over the 55 felony counts.

Duluth News Tribune: “Jury finds Last Place on Earth owner Jim Carlson guilty on most counts
WDIO: Carlson guilty on 51 counts
Northland’s NewsCenter: “Jury upholds 51 counts against Jim Carlson in federal court

Duluth Parks Blog

If you are interested in Duluth city parks you might be interested in my parks blog:

Portable Amateur Radio from All Duluth Parks
kd0etc.blogspot.com

This week: bikes and philosophy

  

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

‘Tis the season for ghosts and goblins and you can check out all things Halloween on the calendar. Already this week you can go to the Haunted Ship and the Silver Brook Corn Maze, see Nosferatu at the Scottish Rite, bring your kids to Boo at the Zoo at the Lake Superior Zoo, and meet at Pineapple Arts to help prep for All Souls Night. And there’s much more to come in the weeks ahead.

Tonight you can celebrate the Weber Music Hall at the Weber Music Hall with music… in the hall. Maybe they’ll fire up some Webers outside.

Need to work on your bike? The Bike Cave is a free cooperative bike shop where people can come in and work on their bikes or build new bikes. It’s open Thursday evenings and Saturday afternoons. And on your bike you can Bike with a Cop on Saturday starting at Leif Erikson Park.

On Friday you can get your think on at Adeline’s with Prof. Jason Ford of UMD (aka our reigning Geek Prom King, all hail) in a Philosophical Salon.

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