February 2014 Posts

Getting to the Bottom of the Proposed Polymet Mine Part 2, Winona LaDuke

After much, much hand wringing and editing and processing and sweating and arguing with myself, here is a passable video of the lecture by Winona LaDuke that was delivered on Feb. 8 at the College of St. Scholastica. I think that the message she is sharing is important to hear and try to understand, whether or not you agree with her conclusions. One of her central theses seems is that people have been living and thriving in this region for thousands of years and in the past 100 or 200 years there have been significant and undesirable, even toxic, changes to the land, the waters, and the creatures and people who populate this region.

T-Bird Tom

I wanted to share this video showcasing Duluthian Tom Maruska, who restores cars for the national Barrett Jackson auction. As a fellow car guy it is amazing to see the level of quality work that this man puts into restoring American classics.

People’s Free Duluth Skate Rink Now Open (Updated)

I wasn’t going to let a few inches of snow stop me from skating. I knew there was nothing but smooth ice under there. If you’ve got skates and feel like you missed your chance to skate the Big lake this year, here’s the only skate-able ice right now, expanded more since this video was taken. Bring your shovel and add an addition. I’ll keep the rink maintained as long as these conditions last. (Although it’s 20 inches thick, high winds are predicted for Thursday-Friday so we’ll see, use at own risk haha.) Location is off the Lakewalk just shy of the Vietnam Memorial.

UPDATE: Closed for the season, obliterated by snowpacalypse.

Lake Superior Ice Cover

Satellite imagery of the big lake from Jan. 4 to Feb. 16. Video by Paul Schonfeld. Music by Chilly Gonzalez. Sure to remind many of you of the hand jive.

Best Play or Musical of 2013 Nominations

Returning to our periodic infatuation with polls, the next item up on the PDD Awards list is determining Duluth’s Best Play or Musical from 2013.

Before we do that, we rely on you to supply the nominees in the comments. Ready. Set. Go.

Easter Wedding

We are looking to do a very small family only wedding on Easter Sunday and are wondering if anyone knows a non-religious officiant who might be able to do it. We are also wondering about a free or very cheap venue — outside would be wonderful but probably not smart at the end of April. Any suggestions would be welcome, thanks! We are not having a reception, just going out to dinner as a family at the Golden Inn where we got engaged!

This week: winter break, winter sports and a winter dance party

  

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

For Duluth Public Schools it’s winter break. Looking for stuff to do with the young people in your lives this week? Duluth Parks and Rec is opening Pioneer Hall in the DECC Wednesday and Thursday for Turf Time, where kids can play on indoor turf, and there’s open ice skating at the Heritage Sports Center Monday through Friday.

February’s not a great time to go to the Boundary Waters, but it’s a great time to drink beer and learn about the history of the Boundary Waters. You can do both at Bent Paddle Brewery this Wednesday.

February is a great time for the Birkebeiner, however, and related events for that run Thursday through Sunday.

Next Fall, a play produced by the all new Son of Peter Company, opens at the Teatro Zuccone this Thursday and runs two weekends.

Winter Dance Party is a fundraiser for the Armory at Greysolon Plaza that harkens back to a concert back in 1959 where a young Robert Zimmerman heard Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens. You can get all nostalgic and support the Armory on Friday.

On Saturday you can get all raucous and rowdy with the Dropkick Murphys at Black Bear Casino as part of Twin Ports Brewfest or you can get all mellow and bluesy with Greg Brown at Sacred Heart. Your call.

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

For those in a summer mood …

“Duluth Sketches: Park Point After The Flood” video by Shawn Donovan.

In a strange, unfamiliar world …

Footage of the Duluth Festival Center … in Duluth … Georgia.

Duluth Mystery Photo #5: Baby Marge

This photo is for sale on eBay under the heading “Vintage Snapshot Photo Babies Family on Rocks 1920s Duluth Minnesota #250.” The description reads: “Offered is a great vintage picture of a darling baby girl sitting on a pile of rocks with another child and a group of adults. Photo is from the 1920s. I bought these photos from a living estate, and baby’s name is Marge and lives in Duluth Minnesota. This picture was taken down by Lake Superior probably.”

There’s not much to go on here for pinpointing a location, but apparently we do have a baby name. So, who is this Marge?

Ice Skating Around the Polar Bear Plunge

Skated to the Duluth Polar Bear Plunge. Asked a nice gentleman from the Fire Department if the ice of the outer harbor was safe to skate and he said, “It’s 20 inches thick, that’s strong enough to hold a train. Have fun.”

UMD Bulldogs Hockey 101

The 12th episode of this series about the National Collegiate Hockey Conference profiles the University of Minnesota Duluth and its hockey history, NHL success, the campus and the school itself.

Art, Gender, Duluth

I spent part of the last night at Prøve Collective. It was a packed room, as packed as any opening I have attended in a long time, and the walls were dense with a variety of art from a diversity of artists. The photography exploring Barbie iconography reopens cultural wounds that we still have yet to close. Some of the textile work repositions arts and crafts — in this case, pushing those boundaries a little further by leaving needles and thread available to gallery-goers to create.

Welcome to a UMD house party

Getting to the Bottom of the Proposed Polymet Mine, Part 1

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I’m hoping that this video, featuring Paula Maccabee of Water Legacy, will be the first of several that I will be able to share over the next few weeks.