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!

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!

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!

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

You can have Coffee with a Cop this morning at Whole Foods Coop.

Teens from Woodland Hills have been working with local artists to produce a “documentary theater” piece called Gr8ful for Another Day which runs Wednesday and Thursday at Teatro Zuccone.

The Duluth Art Institue is having a big Gallery Celebration on Thursday with works by Carla Stetson, Cecilia Ramon and emerging photographers

Tuesdays with Morrie opens on Thursday and runs two weekends at the Play Ground. And, as an insider to this project, let me say that Kevin Walsh and Luke Moravec turn in not to be missed performances in this two man show.

On Friday you can see Low at Mitchell Auditorium and Homegrown Winter Fiasco featuring 8 bands at 3 venues.

The Chicken Hat Plays come back to the Harbor City Theater on Saturday premiering 8 short plays which don’t exist yet!

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.

There are several art exhibition openings this week:

• Sculptures by David Everett at the Zeitgeist today
• Past Life by Michael Converse and Jacob Swanson at the Washington Gallery on Friday
• Fragility by a bunch of artists with music provided by the Crunchy Bunch at the Prøve on Friday

and there are all the ice sculptures on exhibit (while weather permits) outside Little Angie’s in Canal Park.

Eight week skating classes for beginners start up at the Mars Lakeview Arena with Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday class options.

The Greek Mythology Olympiaganza runs Thursday through Saturday at the Teatro Zuccone. I’m not sure what that is, but it involves dance, little green army men, and Nerf guns, so why not?

Mark Russell brings his musical take on political humor to UMD on Friday.

Young Frankenstein gets the Rubber Chicken treatment in a live reading of the script at Fitger’s Spirit of the North Theater on Saturday.

And if you were at last night’s Doctor Who 101 premier you know to get to the Zinema 2 early for this Sunday’s screening of Tomb of the Cybermen featuring the Second Doctor, Patrick Troughton.

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

The second annual U.S./World Book Night is taking place on, appropriately enough, William Shakespeare’s birthday. On World Book Night, volunteers across the country give out free copies of a book they’ve selected from a list to complete strangers. It’s all part of an effort to promote literacy and book lust.

I participated in WBN last year, and gave away free copies of A Reliable Wife (set in northern Wisconsin) by Robert Goolrick to strangers imbibing at Thirsty Pagan Brewing and at the Anchor Bar. It was a lot of fun, and I urge anyone who loves books and loves to talk about books to apply.

The books are supplied by the participating publishers and if you are selected as a book giver, the books will be shipped to a local pick-up point for you to pick up that day. Each giver gets 20 books. Last year’s local pick-up point was Fitger’s Bookstore.

The list of books for this year’s World Book Night is on worldbooknight.org, as is the application form. The deadline to apply to be a book giver is Jan. 23. UPDATE: The deadline to apply to be a book giver is January 25, 2013.

I’m giving away copies of Population:485 by Michael Perry this year, and intend to, once again, hit bars in Supetown to give away Perry’s memoir about living and working in a small Wisconsin town.

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

Happy New Year! There are a lot of New Year’s Eve gatherings today including:

• An all day music-a-thon at Beaner’s.
• Charlie Parr, Marc Gartman and others at Tycoons.
• CASDA’s Dance to End Abuse at Barker’s Island.
• Dueling Pianos at Dubh Linn.
• The DSSO performs with the Giant Earth Harp at the Amsoil Arena.

And lots, lots more. What are you doing tonight?

On Friday you can catch a basketball game between UMD and Minot State at Romano Gymnasium or a hockey game between St. Scholastica and Augsburg at Mars Lakeview Arena.

On Saturday Zinema 2 starts its series of family films with the Hobbit! No, not that one, the 1977 Rankin Bass animated movie. Oh, yeah!

Also on Saturday Breanne Marie has a release party for her new CD at Beaner’s.

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.

Merry Christmas! As we enter the 12 days of Christmas there are lots of merry gatherings to be had.

KUMD will be rebroadcasting the theatrical UMD radio production of “It’s a Wonderful Life” today, which, if you didn’t catch it on the stage, you really should tune in.

You only have a few days left to tour Bentleyville which closes on Wednesday.

Marshall School will be holding a 3 day ski camp Wednesday through Friday.

This is the last weekend for the Rubber Chicken Holiday Revue Show – “A Flood of Christmas Cheer, or, What Seal Is This?” at Fitger’s with a special show on New Year’s Eve.

The Duluth Dolls will be nice and naughty at their burlesque show Saturday at the Teatro Zuccone.

The BRRRRDathon Marathon starts on Saturday, a birding photography fundraiser extravaganza to perserve land in the Sax-Zim Bog. The name alone deserves preservation.

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.

We’ve got lots of Christmas related events on the calendar right now conveniently located under one tag for your viewing pleasure.

Nerd Nite hits the stage at the Teatro Zuccone this Wednesday with presentations on the “Star Wars Holiday Special,” Hyman Minsky, and vampires that sparkle.

You can learn and discuss how your commercial property taxes are determined at the Play Ground on Thursday in a forum hosted by the Chamber of Commerce.

With the Winter Solstice happening Friday at 5:12 a.m. CST there are several solstice related events this week, including:

• Awakening to Unity at Sacred Heart on Friday
• Solstice Ski & Bonfire at Lester Park on Thursday (Update: This event has been cancelled.)
• Sounds Like Love: A Solstice Event at the Carnegie Building on Friday
• Winter Solstice Celebration at the Planetarium on Friday

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