March 2023 Posts

New York Times back in ‘climate-proof Duluth’

The New York Times is vaguely claiming Duluth “has welcomed thousands of new residents from out of state” in the past four years, citing climate change as the “motivating factor.”

Mayor and Common Council, City of Duluth, March 10, 1913

Seated to the left of the mustached gentleman at far right appears to be Duluth’s 23rd mayor, Dr. John A. McCuen. Win the internet by identifying anyone else in the photo.

Gaelynn Lea’s video from Microsoft’s 2023 Ability Summit

Duluth’s Gaelynn Lea provided the opening keynote yesterday to Microsoft’s 2023 Ability Summit. Her video included a performance of the song “Watch the World Unfold.”

Northern Exposure was fun

I dropped by the Depot last night for about twenty minutes of the Northern Exposure festival.  Popcorn, beverages were available, and the audience appeared to have a good time.

Giant Expectations: The Nimrod Giant Ski Story

Many people come to Hayward to ski, but only an elite few dare to giant ski. Last week Perfect Duluth Day shared the previews, the music video, the news coverage and the overall hype; this week we present the full-length feature documentary on the most storied team in the history of the American Birkebeiner Giant Ski Race. It chronicles the team’s past success, the rise to fame and stardom, struggles with selling out, and the uncertain comeback.

St. Paul nonprofit is new owner of Duluth North Pierhead Light

Minnesota Public Radio reports the historic lighthouse at the entrance to the Duluth Ship Canal is St. Paul-based Rethos, a nonprofit that plans to open the lighthouse to tours.

The Slice: Ski Jumping in Cloquet

The Cloquet Ski Club promotes ski jumping and cross-country skiing at Pine Valley Ski Area.

In its series The Slice, PBS North presents short “slices of life” that capture the events and experiences that bring people together and speak to what it means to live up north.

Poetry Slam Dunk

On March 5, the Duluth Poetry Chapter, working with Caddy Shack Indoor Golf & Pub, hosted a Poetry Slam Dunk, a play on the usual open-mic format of a poetry slam. Poetry slams are typically held in bars, with the alcohol making the reading of poems less intimidating and the listening more relaxed, too.

Al Church – “Into the Willows”

Duluth native Al Church has a new album, Party Sounds (From Another Room), due out March 18. The record is about post-pandemic socializing. “Into the Willows” is the first single.

The band features Mike Gunvalson on drums, Ryan “The Ripper” Rupprecht on keys, Izzy Cruz on vocals and percussion, Pete “The Boy” Lavoie on sax, and Evan Foxphace on bass.

A Paddle with Jeff and Jesse

 

Postcard from Tugboats Record and Sinclair

Icebreaking in the Duluth Harbor is expected to start this week, with the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Spar clearing the way for the start of another shipping season.

The postcard above is from the early 1900s and shows the tugboats Record and Sinclair breaking ice in the Duluth Harbor.

R.I.P. Dave Hill

Legendary sound designer Dave Hill passed away recently. Driving by his humble-looking shop/studio in the East End of Superior, few would guess that an electronics genius was in there designing high-end audio equipment and selling it to the stars. More at fohonline.com.

AP Photo: Sixty-year-old plane crash near Duluth

March 3, 1963: Four Wisconsin men flying home from a fishing trip in Canada died as their small plane crashed in a field near Duluth. The plane, a Cessna 180, crashed at the edge of an open field a half mile west of Proctor and eight miles southwest of Duluth.

Efforts revived to assess mercury in St. Louis River watershed

Agate, an online magazine focused on the environment and people of Minnesota and the surrounding Great Lakes region, published a story this week about the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s recently revived effort to calculate how much mercury the St. Louis River watershed can handle and still meet established water quality standards. The goal is to determine the mercury reductions needed to meet water quality standards and support healthy consumption of fish.

Duluth Book Releases in 2023

Complicated Warding
Michelle Matthees
Jan. 1
Press This!
Available at michellematthees.com

I Think I Know You
Julie Gard
Jan. 2
FutureCycle Press
Available at barnesandnoble.com

White Pine: The Natural and Human History of a Foundational American Tree
John Pastor
Jan. 5
Island Press
Available at islandpress.org