Lawrence Lee Posts

This week: turtles, violence and geeks

  

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

Tickets go on sale today at 10 a.m. for this summer’s Tall Ships Festival.

On Tuesday you can attend a panel discussion on Community Perspectives on Violence in America at UMD.

Trampled by Turtles plays the DECC on Thursday.

Tim Eriksen plays Beaner’s on Friday and then leads a shape note singing workshop on Saturday at the Duluth Friends Meetinghouse.

Get your geek on at the Geek Prom on Saturday at the newest venue in Duluth, the Underground at the Depot.

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

This week: eggs, glass and podcasting

  

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

First of all, if you haven’t checked out our new video links on the calendar, do. It’s a nice upgrade to the calendar.

As part of the One Book, One Community program, there’s a glass art demonstration at Lake Superior Art Glass today.

Nerd Nite XXII has presentations on the NASA Gemini program, podcasting, and Daylight Savings Time at the Play Ground on Tuesday. (Speaking of which, I need to start working in earnest on my presentation.)

There’s a Waldorf Education discussion group at Amazing Grace on Wednesday, the first of a series, sponsored by the Spirit of the Lake Community School.

If you are a web professional there’s a meet up of area web pros at Co.Lab on Thursday.

Friday is Good Friday and there is a “walk for justice” based on the stations of the cross starting at the County Courthouse.

On Saturday there’s an Easter Eggstravaganza at the zoo and an Easter Egg Hunt at Pilgrim Church.

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

Calendar Videos

The mad scientists in the Perfect Duluth Day Calendar Labs are continually applying their impressive craniums to just one question, “How can we make our calendar that much cooler?”

Well, pop up videos, that’s how! Starting now, if there’s a video linked to the event, just click on the “Watch Video” link and it will pop up in your browser window. Movie trailers, music videos, game tutorials and more are just a click away! Then you can click away the video and keep browsing events.

This week: zombies, ballet, bluegrass and custom cars

  

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

Storyteller Kevin Kling returns to Duluth tomorrow with Dan Chouinard to perform at Mitchell Auditorium.

La Leche League meets for discussion every third Wednesday of the month at the Coppertop.

Zombie madness meets Elizabethan England in Renegade Theater Company‘s William Shakespeare’s Land of the Dead at the Teatro Zuccone starting Thursday and running for three weekends.

The Minnesota Ballet presents its production of Firebird on Friday and Saturday at the DECC Auditorium.

The Cabin Fever Bluegrass Festival melts the winter blues away at the Inn on Lake Superior in Canal Park this weekend, Friday through Sunday.

And if that weren’t enough, this weekend World of Wheels: Motorhead Madness comes to the DECC with custom cars, bikes, four-by-fours and other wheeled wonders.

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

This week: fonts, cats and ides

  

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

Today Sarah Brokke opens a new exhibit at Zeitgeist Arts or you could go to a gallery discussion at the Duluth Arts Institute.

On Tuesday you can get all sans serif at the Zinema 2 with a screening of Helvetica, the last movie in their Gary Hustwit design trilogy.

What should we do with Rockridge Elementary? You can chime in with your ideas on Wednesday in an open meeting at Portman Community Center.

Cats opens at the Duluth Playhouse on Thursday and runs for two weekends. Also opening that night is How I Learned to Drive at UMD and it runs through the end of the month.

Friday is the Ides of March and in Duluth that means a series of concerts where bands pay tribute to their musical influences. The series starts on Friday at Lake Avenue Café and heads to R. T.’s on Saturday and concludes next Friday at Pizza Lucé.

Sunday is St. Patrick’s Day and there are plenty of opportunities to celebrate, including:

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

2013 State of the City

This week: umlauts, empathy and robots

  

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

Mayor Ness will deliver the State of the City via video tonight. People are gathering to view the virtual mayor at Clyde Iron. Rumors of the mayor doing the Harlem Shake during the State of the City are unconfirmed.

Osmo Vänskä has little else to do being shut out of his orchestra, so he’s bringing his clarinet and umlauts to Mitchell Auditorium on Tuesday.

You can cultivate a little empathy at UMD on Wednesday and learn about diversity from two white women. Clearly I need to take this workshop.

I, for one, plan to welcome our new robotic overlords at the FIRST Robotics Regional Competition, running Thursday through Saturday at the DECC.

Text, a text based art exhibition, opens at the Prøve on Friday.

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

This week: expos, lies and love poems

  

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

If summer is the season for fests, winter must be the season for expos. The Duluth Energy Design Conference & Expo is at the DECC today through Wednesday and the Duluth Women’s Expo is at the DECC on Saturday.

The Children’s Hour opens at the Play Ground on Thursday and this will be the last show in that space. The Playhouse is opening a new second stage in the Depot called the Underground. The Children’s Hour runs two weekends.

Bigtree Bonsai, American Revival and Black River Revue play R. T. Quinlan’s on Friday.

On Saturday Al Hunter reads from his new book, “Beautiful Razor: Love Poems and Other Lies,” at Trepanier Hall with music provided by Kathy McTavish, Michael “Waabi” Furo, Jake Vainio, and Larissa Desrosier.

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

This week: bouncing, brewing and wedding

  

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

It’s Presidents Day today! So celebrate with the traditional inflatable bouncy house at the Depot, because nothing says Presidents Day like an inflatable bouncy house.

This week is Winter Break for Duluth Public Schools and the Duluth Heritage Sports Center is opening its doors for free open ice skating Monday through Friday.

Every Wednesday night is bluegrass night at Sir Ben’s with the Stitch & Bitch club, presumably stitching and bitching.

Folk legend Bill Staines plays Amazing Grace on Thursday and funky eclectic Red Baraat plays Mitchell Auditorium on Friday.

The Twin Ports Brewfest is at Black Bear Casino this Saturday featuring over 150 beers and wines and the Dropkick Murphys providing live music. Free shuttles from downtown Duluth.

The annual Zenith City Indie Wedding Show is at Clyde Iron this Sunday with vendors and live music.

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

This week: zumba, salsa and taking a plunge

  

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

There’s a new Zumba class meeting at Pilgrim on Mondays.

Been day dreaming about that summer outing? Do some window shopping for that day dream at the Duluth Boat, Sports, Travel and RV Show at the DECC. It runs Wednesday through Sunday.

Valentines Day has lots of events for your romantic outing. Here’s a sampling:

Also on Thursday, Almost, Maine opens at the Playhouse and Tales from the Bad Years opens at UMD. Both run for two weekends.

A couple Black History Month events to note this week. Tuskegee Airman Lt. Col. (Ret.) Hiram Mann will talk about his experiences during UMD’s Profiles in Courage event on Friday at Weber Hall. Sue Sojourner and Cheryl Reitan launch their book Thunder of Freedom: Black Leadership and the Transformation of 1960s Mississippi Sunday at At Sara’s Table.

Watch people jump into Lake Superior on purpose at the annual Polar Bear Plunge on Saturday. Sign up is at Grandma’s Sports Garden.

Or if you’d rather stay inside and watch movies, there’s a Short Films Festival at the Play Ground on Saturday.

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

This week: stallion hearts, cariboo and the Blue Danube

  

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

February is a lot of things… Black History Month, the shortest month of the year, the month that makes you seriously reconsider your life choices. Add to the list a month for giving books to children. There is a book drive going on all month and a “beer for books” reading at Carmody next week.

Tuesday the Chamber of Commerce is having a lunch panel at Midi on using social media as a tool, which would be a refreshing change from using social media like a tool.

Two plays open this week. Renegade Theater‘s Coronado, a voyeuristic drama about conversations in a bar, opens Thursday at the Teatro Zuccone and runs three weekends. Cariboo Magi, about four Californians trying to make it to the promised land of Canada, opens Friday at the CSS Little Theater and runs two weekends.

Nerd Nite moves to the Play Ground this Friday with its sometimes monthly presentations on nerdy topics. This time around we hear about Arthurian women, the cuisine of Game of Thrones, and the Raspberry PI.

The DSSO performs a concert of dance music paired with movie clips on Saturday at the DECC. Expect scenes from “An American in Paris,” “Singin’ in the Rain,” and “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Also, the YMCA is now offering children’s activities and a meal while parents go to the symphony, including a 25% discount on symphony tickets.

Ever go to a comedy improv show and say, “Hell, I could do that?” Prove it. Auditions for Renegade Improv are this coming Sunday at the Teatro Zuccone.

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

Does anyone else miss…

the good old days when you could run the gauntlet on PDD?

This week: smoothies, skating, skiing and bad fashion

  

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

Today you can learn about making healthy smoothies at the library, of all places. This is part of their Cabin Fever Reliever series.

On Wednesday there’s free open skating at the Duluth Heritage Sports Center for those who want to be active indoors and a Headlamp Ski Tour at Hartley and a Night Ski Race at Spirit Mountain for those who want to be active outdoors.

The Northland Figure Skating Competition will be at the Amsoil Arena Thursday through Sunday with hundreds competing individually and in teams.

Awesome Fest (“You have to be awesome.”) is a weekend long celebration of outdoor winter sports, indoor winter drinking, bad fashion, good music, and more. It runs Friday through Sunday at Mont du Lac.

And on Sunday there’s this football game and I hear tell some people are having parties because of it.

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

This week: a parade, a long kayak trip and a journey down a rabbit hole

  

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

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and a parade is happening this morning downtown. Stay warm, paraders!

Lucas Will will talk about his 97 day kayaking trip around Lake Superior at Duluth Pack on Tuesday.

The Duluth Playhouse Children’s Theatre opens Alice in Wonderland at the Marshall School Auditorium on Thursday and it runs through Sunday.

There’s a variety show for the benefit of local theater legend Liz Larson in Lincoln Park on Saturday.

The Fusion Belly Dance Show on Saturday at Teatro Zuccone features a variety of styles – steampunk, Bollywood, gothic, tribal, and more.

Playwright John Patrick Shanely will be speaking at St. Scholastica on Sunday.

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

Berserkon is back!

Berserkon failed to make it’s initial Kickstarter goal of $42K, but it gained a lot of attention, a major grant from Visit Duluth, and learned a thing or two about what people are looking for from a major gaming convention. It’s back with a much more manageable $9,950 basic goal and stretch goals that will add to the fun.

If you pledged the first time, that’s erased. To support this project, roll again!