News and Current Affairs Posts

Accordion repair school plans return to Duluth

Jun 04, 2017 1 Comment

The world’s largest accordion museum and education center has started plans to restore and reopen a building that served as its home more than a decade ago in Duluth’s Lincoln Park neighborhood.

A World of Accordions Museum Director Helmi Harrington said earlier this week the organization will relocate an accordion repair school from current museum headquarters in Superior to its former site at 2801 W. First Street in Duluth. Harrington recently repurchased the historic church building and its adjacent parsonage out of St. Louis County foreclosure and started a tax payment plan for the property.

“Anyone who has visited our museum in Superior knows it’s crowded and our spacious building is no longer spacious,” said Harrington. “The idea for moving just the repair school to Duluth is not inexpensive, but it’s something we need to explore.”

A World of Accordions Museum is located in the Harrington Arts Center and features more than 1,300 instruments, an extensive recording library and art collection and thousands of accordion-related artifacts. Its nine-month accordion repair program accepts about 20 students annually from all over the world.

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Music, News and Current Affairs

Sussex sex tower echoes West Duluth nards

Jun 03, 2017 1 Comment

The wacky news story of the week is out of the Village of Sussex in southeast Wisconsin. A contractor painted over the first three letters on a water tower and then decided it was break time. It turns out, the same thing happened at the same water tower in 1996.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinal: Village of Sussex residents have heard this water tower sex joke before

Prior to either of the sex tower situations, Duluth had its own temporarily bawdy sign. When the original West Duluth Kmart location at 503 N. 50th Ave. W. was converted to become a Menards store in 1991, workers put up five letters on the side of the building before knocking off for the night. Anyone driving down 46th Avenue West or Mike Colalillo Drive could plainly see “nards” hanging high on the store’s eastern side. To my knowledge, this was never reported by media and no photos exist. But then again, someone must have taken a picture. And it’s time for that person to come forward.


News and Current Affairs ,

Red Herring Lounge serving up food with tunes

Jun 02, 2017 No Comments

Anna Hanson and Paul Wold

The Red Herring Lounge has made a name for itself as a music venue in Duluth and beyond. Since its inception three years ago, the bar has been serving up inventive cocktails along with a respectable list of wines and craft brews. Now it’s adding snacks and small plates to the menu.

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News and Current Affairs, Restaurants

Mystery mural found during NorShor Theatre renovation

Jun 01, 2017 No Comments

At a May 31 news conference, Duluth Playhouse Executive & Artistic Director Christine Gradl Seitz showed off a canvas painting discovered by workers busy renovating the NorShor Theatre. The Duluth News Tribune reports the painting was “behind a suspended ceiling that was installed in 1941 when the existing Orpheum Theatre was converted into the NorShor. The grand theater’s original balcony had been concealed and transformed into a makeshift attic. But Gradl Seitz said a careful exploration of the space revealed ‘this beautiful mural, which we believe dates back to 1910, and the original Orpheum.'”

The NorShor is expected to open in early 2018; the Playhouse has a run of the musical Mamma Mia scheduled for Feb. 8-24. Renovation work is about 60 percent complete.

The theater was purchased by the Duluth Economic Development Authority in June 2010 for $2.6 million. The $30.5-million renovation began in summer 2016. It is a partnership between Sherman Associates and DEDA. The 750+ seat theater will serve as an arts center managed by the Duluth Playhouse.

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History, News and Current Affairs

PDD Quiz: May 2017

May 28, 2017 1 Comment

As May draws to a close, we inch closer to a Perfect Duluth Summer. Test your memory of this month’s events in the May 2017 PDD Quiz!

The next PDD Quiz, on Duluth parks, will be published on June 11. E-mail question suggestions to Alison Klawiter at [email protected] by June 8. 


News and Current Affairs

Remains of James J. Hubert finally coming home to Duluth

May 24, 2017 No Comments

U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant James Joseph Hubert, a Duluthian who fought and died during the Battle of Tarawa Island in the Pacific Theater of World War II, is finally coming home. He was killed in action and buried in 1943, but when the war was over his remains were not found … until more than seven decades later.

Sgt. Hubert will be returned to Duluth this summer with full military honors. A formal funeral and burial will be held at Calvary Cemetery on July 15.

The full story is available on jamesjosephhubert.com and will likely be heavily featured in Duluth media over Memorial Day weekend.

A detailed interview with Jay Hagen, nephew of Sgt. Hubert, was broadcast in March on WDSM radio’s Sound Off! with Brad Bennett program. The interview is available for listening and downloading at wdsm710.com.


History, News and Current Affairs

Duluth Folk School finds home; plans to open Dovetail Café

May 23, 2017 1 Comment

Since offering its first class a year ago, Duluth Folk School has been largely nomadic. Appropriately enough, it recently found a home in the burgeoning Lincoln Park Craft District. A teaching kitchen and café are among the many plans for the massive space at 1917 W. Superior St.

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News and Current Affairs, Restaurants ,

Crooked Pint Ale House open in Kenwood Village

May 17, 2017 No Comments

Crooked Pink Ale House opened its Duluth location on Tuesday in the Kenwood Village apartment development on Kenwood Avenue and Arrowhead Road. It’s the chain’s sixth location in Minnesota.

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News and Current Affairs, Restaurants

Porter’s restaurant closing for renovation and rebranding

May 17, 2017 2 Comments

Porter’s restaurant announced today it will temporarily close on May 30 and reopen with a new name, look and menu. The $1 million restaurant renovation project coincides with broader revitalization efforts by Lion Hotel Group, which owns Porter’s, the Duluth Holiday Inn & Suites and the shopping and office complex that contains them — Holiday Center. Construction at the restaurant is expected to start in June.

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News and Current Affairs, Restaurants

New operator will reopen Crabby Ol’ Bill’s by June

May 14, 2017 1 Comment

Starting in June, Duluthians and tourists will once again be able to get their mini doughnut fix out of a retired fishing vessel in Canal Park.

The fate of Crabby Ol’ Bill’s snack shack remained in question after Steve and Susan Smith announced they would be closing it back in December after five years running the business. Last week, the Duluth City Council approved a lease for developer Brian Forcier of Titanium Partners to operate the seasonal food stand based within the Nels J, an iconic boat that sits adjacent to the boardwalk near the North Pier Lighthouse.

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News and Current Affairs, Restaurants ,

Missing Person: Larry Hoffman

May 12, 2017 No Comments

Update: The body of Larry Alan Hoffman was found in July 2017 in Observation Park. Foul play was not suspected.

The Duluth Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in locating missing person Larry Alan Hoffman. Hoffman is a 60-year-old white male, 5-foot 3-inches tall, 200 lbs., has gray hair and green eyes. He was last seen May 5. There is urgency in finding him to ensure he takes his prescribed medications. The DPD encourages anyone who sees Hoffman or knows of his whereabouts to call 911.


News and Current Affairs

Uber, Lyft approved for pickups at Duluth International Airport

May 04, 2017 No Comments

The Duluth Airport Authority announced agreements with Uber and Lyft today, permitting drivers for the companies to accept requests for rides at the Duluth International Airport. The agreement was approved at the authority board meeting on April 18. Transportation network companies, or “ridesharing” businesses, were approved for operating in Duluth beginning April 27 under regulations outlined in a Duluth City Council ordinance. Lyft launched service that day, Uber followed on May 1.

As of this week, both Uber and Lyft signed and returned their operating agreements to the airport authority. Under the agreements, drivers are authorized to operate at DLH for passenger pick-ups for pre-arranged fares. Passengers can access Uber or Lyft services by opening the ride-sharing app on their phone and choosing a car. The staging lot for the vehicles will be located in the West parking lot adjacent to the arrival end of the passenger terminal. Wayfinding signage is expected to be in place by the end of this month to help direct passengers to the different commercial vehicle options at DLH. All passenger drop-offs will occur curbside in front of the terminal building.


News and Current Affairs , ,

“World’s Smallest Record Store” opens in Bovey

May 03, 2017 No Comments

Business North reports Tim “Edwards” Verthein, morning host and chief engineer at 1320 AM KOZY radio in Grand Rapids, has opened a new record shop in Bovey, about 80 miles northwest of Duluth. The occasional store opened on April 22 in recognition of Record Store Day.

The Business North story notes Edwards launched his own radio station three years ago and is using the same 8-by-10-foot storefront to retail his collection of 40,000 records. He calls it “The World’s Smallest Record Store” or KEBS Records and Radio.


Music, News and Current Affairs ,

Annual Duluth-area beer production hits one million gallons

May 01, 2017 No Comments

At the end of 2016 there were seven craft breweries in Duluth and nine more across the region. Another six are in the planning or soon-to-open stages in 2017. In the two years since Perfect Duluth Day conducted its first tally of the region’s beer production the total barrel output has grown from roughly 20,000 to nearly 35,000. That equates to more than one million gallons of craft beer locally brewed in 2016. By other measurements, it’s about 70,000 kegs, more than 8 million pints or more than 11 million 12-ounce bottles and cans.

The largest contributors to the recent growth were Bent Paddle Brewing and Castle Danger Brewing. Bent Paddle doubled its output over the past two years while Castle Danger grew six fold. Meanwhile, Moose Lake Brewing launched operations, Blacklist Artisan Ales opened a taproom and started canning, and South Shore Brewery opened an additional brewery and tasting room in Washburn.

In the year ahead, the brewing landscape is set to shift dramatically with the opening of a half-dozen new operations in the region. Newbies in the immediate Twin Ports area will be Hoops Brewing in Canal Park, Oakhold Farmhouse Brewery in Midway Township and Earth Rider in Superior. The Iron Range, home to only one brewing business in 2016 — the Boathouse in Ely — could soon welcome three more. Rapids Brewing Company and Cantankerous Brewing are in the works for Grand Rapids, while Boomtown Brewery plans to open at the former Zimmy’s Bar and Restaurant location in Hibbing.

Below is a breakdown of the 2016 stats.
 

Bent Paddle BrewingBent Paddle Brewing
30-barrel brewery and taproom, founded in 2013
1912 W. Michigan St., Duluth
Colin & Laura Mullen + Bryon & Karen Tonnis, co-founders; Charles Brodell, head brewer; Brent Rowe, regional sales manager; Pepin Young, taproom manager
2016 production: 15,700 barrels 

Castle-Danger-BreweryCastle Danger Brewery
30-barrel brewery and taproom; brewery founded in 2011, taproom opened in 2014
17 Seventh St., Two Harbors
Clint and Jamie MacFarlane, owners; Lon and Mandy Larson, owners
2016 production: 9,200 barrels (est. for 2017: 14,000 bbl)

Fitger's BrewhouseFitger’s Brewhouse
10-barrel brewery supplying six pubs and a retail store, founded in 1995
600 E. Superior St., Duluth
Rod Raymond, owner; Ted Briggs, master brewer
2016 production: 1,862 barrels

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News and Current Affairs ,

PDD Quiz: April 2017

Apr 30, 2017 No Comments

Duluth SchoolAnother perfect Duluth April is in the books. Take the quiz to see how much you remember about this month’s happenings!

The next PDD Quiz, on zoo history, will be published on May 14. E-mail question suggestions to Alison Klawiter at [email protected] by May 11.


News and Current Affairs