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

There’s no need to be bored, when you can board — check out Board Game Night at Rogue Robot. Go see TV’s beloved Alan Thicke, father of disgraced singer Robin Thicke, host a live dancing competition at the DECC. Jody Kujawa’s Ladies Night Karaoke is going down Wednesday, as per usual.

Dessa’s back in town on Friday, and she’s also at Lutsen on Saturday. Mayor Ness kicks off a weekend of Martin Luther King-centric events. Dwight Yoakam is doing his thing at Black Bear, and the Minnesota Fringe Fest is still fringing along.

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

The holidays are in the rear-view mirror, and so things are back to something resembling normal in the Twin Ports. For those looking to hit the ground running in 2015, there’s a lot out there to do. Take in an art opening at the Zeitgeist Arts Building, learn about MNsure and ARAC, see a locally-made film and head up to Lutsen for the Snowball Festival.

Over the weekend, check out some punk rock at the Red Star, learn about your Chakras, get a jazz fix from Maxi Childs and company, have a few ha-ha’s at Dubh Linn and celebrate those on the outskirts of things at the Fringe Festival.

Plenty to do, and, best of all, your chances of hearing a tinny version of “Jingle Bells” coming out of a speaker somewhere are virtually nil.

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

We’re in the home stretch of the holiday season. This week, there’s New Year’s Eve, and there’s everything else. First, the everything else — lots of concerts taking place: Dedric Clark and the Social Animals, Aurora Baer, Wolf Blood and Mary Cutrufello are all treading the boards at local venues.

Learn about the food you eat at the Zinema, see some Legos and play some Legos at the Library, skate on some open ice at the Heritage Center, get Fringe-y at Teatro Zuccone and enjoy some Ethiopian coffee and food at Jefferson People’s House.

Next, New Year’s Eve. Click right HERE to see the entire night’s menu of entertainment choices. Still growing at press time, there’s bound to be something for any reveler of any reveling style. From “subdued gathering” to “drunken blowout,” it’s all there.

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

It’s Christmas week, so it’s basically your final chance to get out and get a cheer infusion. The lights are still up at Bentleyville, Glensheen and Fairlawn, and Rubber Chicken’s holiday revue is still kicking.

Post-holiday, there’s lots to do. Check out Teague Alexy and Low Forms at the Red Star on different evenings, and see stand-up and improv comedy to laugh away the post-holiday blues.

But the real news of the week, of course, is that you can park for free downtown on Christmas Day. So why not ditch your family, drive downtown, and just aimlessly park your car in various places over and over? It’s gotta be better than listening to Uncle Jim talk about his political views, surely. Surely.

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

As Christmas is only ten days away, now’s the time to get out and gawk at the lights. Bentleyville, Glensheen, and Fairlawn are all up to full twinkle right about now, so peep the calendar to see when to schedule your visits.

Plenty of music on tap, this week — Sarah Krueger is releasing her latest album at the Red Herring, former Duluthian Haley Bonar is in town, and the Music Resource Center is holding an open-mic night for its students.

Add to this list a good amount of notable film events — there’s the Star Wars Holiday Special, an Iranian Vampire Western and a film where J.K. Simmons yells at a drummer until he cries — and you’ve got the makings of a pretty full pre-Christmas week.

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

On Monday, MnDOT is holding a public meeting on the Minnesota State Rail Plan. Get all the trains your brains can take.

Tuesday brings performances from the Brasil Guitar Duo, a little bit of magic at the West Duluth branch library, and the latest installment of Take it with You (which features the fresh-off-Prairie Home Companion Sarah Krueger, who also plays at the Red Herring, this week).

Charlie Parr’s a busy boy — in addition to appearing on the above Take it with You bill, he’s also doing this, this and this.

But perhaps the biggest event of the week is the revamped Christmas City of the North Parade, which will hit parts of Superior Street it hasn’t hit for the first time in over a decade. Add to this the Lake Superior Magazine 35th anniversary open house, the Northern Explorers gear swap and a long list of other events, and you’ve got plenty to tuck into.

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

Halloween is over, and it’s time to vote on Tuesday. Just don’t take the Oliver Bridge to get to your local polling place.

The games are afoot in the Twin Ports, with a Firefly-themed night, some Casual Magic happening at Dungeon’s End and Board Game Night and Casual Heroclix at Rogue Robot.

In diversity news, the Fagbug and its creator will be visiting to raise awareness of homophobia, And Baby Makes Seven is at the Dudley and the photography show Diversity opens at the Tweed.

Kick out the jams this week with Mary Bue, the “postmodern string” sounds of Hot Buttered Rum and Eisenstein meets Dosh at the Zinema.

Theater geeks should mark their calendars, as Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? opens at Teatro Zuccone and The Tempest continues at St. Scholastica.

Finally, now that your paper skeletons and ghosts are packed away, get a glimpse of a White-House-bound tree to get yourself in the mood for Christmas. Yes. It’s that time. Already.

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

Ghosties and ghoulies are in abundance, this week, as the scares get ramped up in anticipation of Halloween. Evil Dead: The Musical is in action at the Underground, Glensheen has a few days worth of chills planned for its Jack O’Lantern Spooktacular, and Gooseberry Falls is offering creepy campfire tales.

Saturday’s the biggest day for frights, with a Terror Train, a Field of Screams, a Corn Maze, and a Haunted Shack, among other terrifying delights. (And don’t forget about the Haunted Ship, of course.)

Not everything this week is of the scary variety, though: get some Swedish meatballs on Tuesday, hear Egyptian scholar Dalia Basiouny perform her one-woman show on Tuesday and lecture on Wednesday, celebrate five years of Zeitgeist Arts with a flick, and see the District 7A State Representative candidates square off on Tuesday.

Why should you not throw a ukulele off the top of the Medical Arts Building? Because the Alworth Building is taller. Feel free to share your favorite ukulele joke in the comments. Get that out of your system, then check out Big Mama Lele at Red Mug on Tuesday and Savannah Smith at the Brewhouse on Friday.

There is never a shortage of organizations and individuals in need of a helping hand, and this week offers a tetralogy of options: On Thursday, the St. Louis County Historical Society holds its Culture & Cuisine fundraising event at the Depot while Clyde Iron Works hosts a benefit for Zeidan Zeidan, the former owner of Z’s Deli who has been diagnosed with stage 4 brain cancer. On Saturday, the Duluth Art Institute’s annual fine art auction will be held at the Kitchi Gammi Club and Mr. D’s hosts a spaghetti dinner and silent auction to benefit Mary Rogers as she battles angiosarcoma.

As for general hoopla, Champ the Bulldog will truly be in his element on Thursday, the Minnesota Ballet begins its season Friday night, and there will be another zombie pub crawl on Saturday.

A bit of PDD shop talk to wrap things up: Lawrence Lee has exited as calendar editor and we’ll be announcing soon the identity of his successor. Cheers once again to Lawrence on two-and-a-half years of keeping us informed about the concerts, plays, lectures and other instances in which four or more people gather in our region.

We should also note that during this transition period we’ve fallen a bit behind in our work. If you’ve submitted an event to the calendar, please be patient. There is a backlog right now of over 300 events. We’ll get them in … eventually.

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

As election day approaches here are some opportunities to see candidates discuss their views:

• Poverty forum with candidates from several local races at Trepanier Hall tonight.
• District 7B State Representative Candidate Forum at Morgan Park Community Rec Center Tuesday hosted by the League of Women Voters.
• Eighth District Congressional Forum at the Duluth Playhouse hosted by the Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday. (Note: Registration for this forum is not open to the public.)
• District 7A State Representative Debate at UMD on Thursday.

Want to learn Swedish? There are classes for beginners and intermediates at the Nordic Center starting this Tuesday.

Renegade Theater Company presents Grace, a play about an evangelical Christian couple having a crisis of faith, at the Teatro Zuccone on Thursday and it runs three weekends. There will be talk back sessions hosted by yours truly after the show on Thursdays.

Let your colors fly. The Duluth East Greyhounds host the Denfeld Hunters at Ordean Stadium on Friday.

Mystical Nights features area dancers at Weber Hall this Saturday.

There are also a few Halloween themed events this week, including Boo at the Zoo and a Zombie Pub Crawl.

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

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

Love Chester Park? Want to see the city’s “mini-master plan” for the park? Check it out and give your two cents on Tuesday at Myers-Wilkins.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a musical about glam rock and a botched sex change. It opens at the Undeground on Thursday and runs two weekends.

On the other end of the theater spectrum, Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House opens at UMD on Friday and also runs two weekends.

The William A. Irvin once again becomes the Haunted Ship for the month of October starting on Friday. You can check out all of the Halloween related events on the calendar.

Want my job? Okay.

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