March 2015 Posts

Banner Photo Info: Where’s the Party?

pdd-banner_21

I found the graphic of all the banner photos, which was great fun to look at.  But I want to know: what’s going on in this photo?  Obviously a somber gathering, but what are the details? Of course, apologies if I just didn’t search well enough.

Northern Lights!

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The aurora borealis started off early last night as soon as the sun had set. I captured this image just outside of the Duluth city limits. Enjoy!

Northern Lights at Caribou Lake

The aurora was amazing last night! I stitched stills from last night into a video. Taken at Caribou Lake, north of Duluth.

Homegrown 2015 schedule announced

Homegrown 2015 ScheduleThe Homegrown Music Festival returns April 26 to May 3 with its usual eight days of 200 bands and related mayhem. The schedule has been released, so it’s time to begin charting your adventure. The Chicken App, a smart-phone optimized version of the schedule, is also available.

The Homegrown Iron Range Invasion will be March 27 and the Twin Cities Invasion will be April 17. The Homegrown Field Guide is still a few weeks away from landing in piles at local merchants.

Where in Duluth?

This seems an odd location for a bathroom faucet.  Where in Duluth?  Hint: may be in a grocery store.

oddly placed faucet

Busy… Arts and Such

A lot of ground to cover this week…

This Week: clovers, cars, comedy and more

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Here’s a bit of what you’ll find on this week’s PDD Calendar:

It’s St. Patrick’s Day on Tuesday, and there are a number of themed events going on. The Ides of March continues with bands playing the music of the Ramones, Alkaline Trio and the Dropkick Murphys, there’s a parade and music at Clyde Iron and Celtic music is at Duluth Congregational Church.

The rest of the week is well-stocked, too: there’s an Antique Appraisal at the Depot, the DuLutsen North of North Music and Ski Festival gets underway with six days of entertainment, Fuse Duluth celebrates their 10th anniversary, the Twin Cities’ 20% Theatre Company comes to town, the event formerly known as the World of Wheels is taking place on Saturday and there’s comedy at Dubh Linn.

Toast to the Land of 10,000 by Gabe Douglas

Coming to America

Sharita Turner

In which Karl Ove Knausgaard’s NYT series about travelling to the United States visits Duluth, Superior and more.

My Saga, Part 2: Karl Ove Knausgaard’s Passage Through America

Ice Skating Brighton Beach

Video Archive: The Moody Blues in Duluth

On March 9, 1994, the Moody Blues played the DECC Arena with the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra. The front end of this video is an interview conducted by Barbara Reyelts for KBJR-TV; the piece concludes with some concert footage. (The interview clip was posted on PDD a few years ago, but had since been removed from YouTube.)

Related post: Major Concerts at the DECC: 1966 to 2010

Selective Focus: Ellipsis

Zach Kerola

Zach Kerola, “Cloquet Street”

“…” (ellipsis) from the Ancient Greek αποσιωπητικά, élleipsis, meaning “omission” or “falling short.”

I realize that our current theme was a somewhat pedantic exercise, but am very gratified by the varied and imaginative responses represented here. I believe that good art should challenge us, and not merely pacify us with prettiness or virtuosity. That’s not to say it should be shrill, just that it asks us to look further into what image makers, authors, poets… any artists are trying to communicate, because they do so at an often incredible cost.

King of Creams, Tycoons, Sala Thai

The King of CreamsCourtland Powe, owner of the Duluth ice cream truck and cruisin’ kitchen called the King of Creams, has announced a restaurant of the same name will open in the Central Hillside at 502 E. Fourth St. this Saturday, March 14. The storefront had previously served as a Quiznos sandwich shop, and is better known as one of Duluth’s four former Jim’s Hamburgers locations. The new fast-casual restaurant will feature a menu that includes cheese-steak sandwiches, burgers, deep-fried pickles, malts and hand-scooped ice cream. Grand opening events will be held March 14 and 15, with all menu items at half price. Regular hours will be 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week.

Tycoons vs Slippery NoodleTycoons Alehouse is in PreservationNation’s online competition to determine America’s favorite historic watering hole. The Historic Bars Tournament has tapped 32 historic drinkeries to compete against one another in an NCAA Tournament-style, single-elimination format. Each week the blog will serve another round of pairings where readers will vote for their favorite inns and alehouses. When the matchups run dry on April 3, only one bar will claim the top shelf. Voting for each round will last one week and close every Friday morning at 7 a.m. Once each round is complete, the bracket will be updated with vote counts and winners.

Sumlee BeedeThe Duluth News Tribune reported on Monday that Sumlee Beede is moving her Sala Thai restaurant from Woodland Avenue to Downtown Duluth. “Beede is buying the two-story brick building at 114 W. First St. where she started in the restaurant business in 1999,” the story notes. “That year, she opened Thai Krathong, which developed a loyal following for its authentic Thai food. After she sold the business, it moved to Canal Park and closed in 2013.” The move would displace the Giant Panda restaurant, and could result in legal action to execute the eviction. According to the DNT, a court hearing on the matter is scheduled for next week. Sala Thai is Duluth’s only Thai restaurant. Beede plans to close the Woodland location on March 26 and open the downtown location in April.

Walker Display moving to Duluth Airpark

Walker Display

Walker Display, a locally owned art-display system manufacturer and distributor, is moving its operations from West Duluth to a warehouse at the Airpark in Duluth Heights. Its former location at 6520 Grand Avenue will be demolished in the coming months to make way for a new Kwik Trip convenience store.

Joe Lundeen’s Shoes & Shoe Repairing

The re-siding job going on at the apartment building at 6301 Grand Ave. exposed this sign for Joseph A. Lundeen’s shoe shop. A quick search of city directories indicates Lundeen got his start with the Hartman Shoe Co. and by the mid-1920s went into business for himself in the Cormier Dry Goods building at 6227 Grand Ave. By 1950 he had moved across the avenue to the building shown above.