Brian Barber, Author at Perfect Duluth Day

Getting to Fall Fest

Sep 14, 2014 No Comments

Saturday, September 20th is the date for the 30th annual Fall Fest in Chester Park. Rain Date is Sunday the 21st. With construction happening right outside the park entrance, getting to Fall Fest will be a little different this year.

Click the map to see it larger.

If you’re not walking to Chester Bowl that day, everyone is strongly encouraged to park and take the free shuttle buses from UMD’s Lot B, next to the Administration building, at College & University. (See map) Road and bridge repairs continue immediately west of the Chester Bowl Park entrance thereby limiting access to just the eastern entrance. Pedestrians can enter from the east side, but Skyline Parkway will also be closed to cars from the east starting at Kent Road on the day of the event. Parking is prohibited along Skyline Parkway after Kent Road.

PDD will be at Fall Fest again this year in our luxurious canopy, giving away stickers, selling t-shirts, and whatever other shenanigans we devise between now and next Saturday. Look for us next to the playground.

Toasty’s on East Ninth now open

Sep 09, 2014 7 Comments

The sign on the building has been up since last Spring, and now Toasty’s is open.

Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily
Address: 1032 E. Ninth St.
Owners: Rachael and Tom Hagen

Duluth needs a mascot

Aug 06, 2014 14 Comments

My daughter is in Japan this week with the Duluth Sister City Exchange. One of the chaperones sent this picture from their meeting with the mayor today, along with a description of “Isumi,” the Ohara Isumi City mascot.

“Her orange head is an Asian Pear. Her headband features the city flower on one side and a Spiny Lobster on the other. The blue curl on her forehead is a wave representing the Pacific Ocean and the symbol on her chest is the official Isumi symbol. She also holds a stalk of rice for the extensive rice farming in the region.”

Has there ever been a Duluth mascot? I think I might draw up a couple ideas for one. A seagull on one of those 4-wheel Lakewalk bikes holding a craft beer in one of those Bob Dylan harmonica holder thingies around his neck? Other ideas?

Art, Photos

Goodbye Big Chester

Jul 24, 2014 12 Comments

The city of Duluth has determined that the ski jumps at Chester Bowl will be coming down due to safety concerns. A public meeting will be held July 31.

History, News and Current Affairs, Outdoors, Sports Chester Park

Hiring: Chester Bowl Program / Operations Manager

Jul 09, 2014 No Comments

The Chester Bowl Improvement Club is seeking a full-time Program/Operations Manager, responsible for management, planning and operational oversight for CBIC programming and park operations under the direction of the Executive Director and Board of Directors, Specifically, the Program/Operations Manager will manage and provide oversight of CBIC’s programming and events, including supervising seasonal hourly staff, Incredible Exchange youth, and volunteers. Full posting and job description is at chesterbowl.org.

Outdoors

Outside Magazine Best Places to Live poll

May 16, 2014 1 Comment

Duluth goes head to head with Columbia, MO. in the first round. (And it’s kicking their butts so far.)
You can vote here – no need to sign in or register.

Outdoors Media, Outside Magazine

Homegrown Music Video Fest 2014

Apr 30, 2014 No Comments

Year #6: Back in February, participants picked a band/song out of Walt Dizzo’s bucket, and 13 people followed through by delivering videos before April 21. Here’s a page with all the video links that were sent to PDD, in the order that they played Monday and Tuesday nights. If any of the participants have others posted to YouTube or Vimeo and want to send us the link, we’ll add them to the list.

There will be one more screening Sunday, May 4, 2 pm at Chester Creek Cafe.

2013 Videos
2012 Videos
2011 Videos
2010 Videos
2009 Videos

Music, Videos

Homegrown Banners

Apr 25, 2014 No Comments

We’re looking for new Homegrown photo banners to run across the top of PDD during the festival. Photos shot at last year’s festival are the best candidates, but if there are compelling images of preparations for this year, I suppose that’s fair game too. For full details on banner submissions, click here. The basic info is the image must be 960 pixels wide by 167 pixels high. The Perfect Duluth Day logo will be added by PDD’s art department. Send them to banners @ perfectduluthday.com.

The Homegrown banners will replace the regular banner photos at the top of the page starting Sunday.

Art, Photos PDD Shop Talk

What’s more American than PDD?

Apr 16, 2014 2 Comments

I don’t recognize any of the PDD community in this trailer. Were we all out of town when this guy rolled his Airstream through Duluth?

Videos PDD Shop Talk

Ice Cutter on Lake Superior

Mar 30, 2014 1 Comment

Amazing images by Carl Sauer of an ice cutter takin’ care of business on Lake Superior.

Videos

Wired’s 15 Most Fascinating at SXSW – Duluthian Mike Scholtz

Mar 13, 2014 2 Comments

Mike Scholtz and Amy C. Elliott

Wired magazine posted “The 15 Most Fascinating Filmmakers and Stars at SXSW” and right up there with Tilda Swinton, Robert Rodriguez, and Jon Favreau is our very own Mike Scholtz and his partner on Wicker Kittens, Amy C. Elliott.

Wicker Kittens premiered at SXSW, and apparently got great response. Here’s the trailer.

Art, Videos Media

Ice Dam Cam

Feb 20, 2014 1 Comment

The shovel cam has been repurposed into the ice dam cam. It’s not nearly as fun as the shovel cam, it’s frustratingly hard to use, depressing and doesn’t get much done.

News and Current Affairs, Videos Snow, Winter

PDD Shovel Cam

Jan 29, 2014 4 Comments

While Cory has been traveling to exotic locations and honing his skills with the PDD Drone, I’ve been perfecting the PDD Shovel Cam.

Outdoors, Videos Geeky

Chester Bowl on MPR’s “Minnesota Sounds and Voices”

Jan 27, 2014 1 Comment

Dan Olsen from MPR did a story on Chester Bowl that aired today. Fantastic photos by Derek Montgomery too.