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The Smelt shall rise again!

Apr 13, 2012 1 Comment

For anyone who has ever seen (or heard of) the May Day Parade in Minneapolis and wondered why we don’t have anything of the sort in Duluth, do we have some news for you!

The Magic Smelt Puppet Troupe formed in 2011. At the nucleus are newish Duluthian Jim Ouray, bringing 30 years of experience with In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theater (Minneapolis) and local musician and visual artist Anton Jimenez-Kloeckl. They’ve offered free stilt-walking and mask-making classes and are presently holding costume and puppet production workshops which will culminate in the Run, Smelt, Run! Parade and Party on April 22.

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Racism in East Hillside

Apr 10, 2012 16 Comments

I am working on an investigative piece right now on racism in the East Hillside and  I want to hear peoples opinions on it. Do you think racism is an issue in Duluth’s East Hillside? Have you seen it firsthand or experienced it yourself? I recently talked to someone who had seen an act of racism on the DTA. Has anyone else witnessed racism on the DTA?


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Where in Duluth?

Apr 09, 2012 6 Comments

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Writing Life

Apr 05, 2012 No Comments

I just finished a two-hour long open house in the Department of Writing Studies (where I work at UMD).

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8-Bit Duluth

Mar 31, 2012 6 Comments

Can anyone give me a walkthrough of the dungeon underneath the Seaway Hotel?

Google Maps | April Fools Joke


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Map of Duluth Zip Codes

Mar 27, 2012 13 Comments

I am having a really hard time finding a decent map of the Duluth zip codes on the internet. Does anyone have a clue of where I can find an image of a map that can be put into a survey report I am writing for my organization? All I can find are the crappy “City-Data” websites and I am not sure if that is the best place or not. I need 55802-55812.

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Lake Superior Libraries Symposium announces a call for posters

Mar 21, 2012 No Comments

The Lake Superior Libraries Symposium is announcing a “Call for Posters” as part of its June 1 Conference in Superior. Librarians, educators and organizations from Wisconsin, Minnesota and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan are encouraged to submit a poster proposal to promote their programs, resources, and research. To sign up, visit click here.

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Connolly’s Tom & Jerry Batter returns!

Mar 16, 2012 5 Comments

Coming soon to a store near you fall 2012! New manufacturer: Connolly’s, LLC.


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Fierce loyalty, initial aloofness.

Mar 15, 2012 55 Comments

This article reminded me of several posts on PDD over the years about newcomers having a difficult time establishing social circles in Duluth…

Minnesota Nice, explained

A lot of it hit close to home for me (even though I grew up & live across the border in Wisconsin, so I guess I’m not technically “Minnesota nice”), like the following:

In a nutshell, the state’s settlers from northern or central Europe — primarily Germany and Scandinavia — had a profound impact on how the social culture here developed, McKnight contends.

“The traditional culture of Norway/Sweden was for centuries based on the concept of One People, One Language, One Religion,” McKnight writes. “Swedes’ lifelong friends were chosen from among people they went to school with and their kinship group. An individual made friends slowly, but they were friends for life — in the true sense of the term ‘for life.'”

Anyone who has lived in Scandinavia, as McKnight did for years, knows that “it’s somewhat hard to get an ‘in’ there,” he said. But once the friendship is established, “all barriers to communication break down and there results a torrent of friendship, expressions of sincerity, and even personal confidences.”

The article’s part of an MPR series which you can read over here.

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Reduced Parking Access to Lakewalk?

Mar 12, 2012 17 Comments

For the second time in as many weeks, I attempted to park near the Beacon Point Condos only to find parking severely restricted. Why do I feel like I’ve been taken in a give an inch, take a foot situation? It was bad enough the city permitted Beacon Point in the first place, but it was allowed under the premise that we’d all still have the same access to the area and so on. But I’m left feeling like an Apache who was told his reservation needs to be moved, and oh yeah, now it’s smaller too.

I’m not a native of Duluth. I moved here specifically for the availability of public land, parks, trails, etc. A piece of our freedom has been diminished, if anyone else cares. The big property taxes paid by the owners of Beacon Point appear to have swayed the local parking bureaucrats into closing the parking lot gate over the stormwater tank. Am I missing something here? Runners, walkers, and anyone else should have a fair opportunity to park in this area.


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This week: St. Patrick’s Day, Ides of March, Les Miserables, and more

Mar 11, 2012 2 Comments

  

Tuesday, March13
Nerd Nite is back at the Teatro with topics ranging from My Little Pony to calculating Easter.

Thursday, March 15
Les Miserables opens at the Duluth Playhouse and runs until the 25th. Some of the area’s best chefs are coming together to kill you at the Death by Chocolate event at Greysolon which will raise money for Arc Northland.

Friday, March 16
Luce gets taken over by local bands covering various other bands tonight and tomorrow with The Ides of March. Respect Your Old Man Poetry Slam will feature music, food, a silent auction, and poetry (obviously).

Saturday, March 17
Get your Irish on at one or more events going on around town tonight. R.T.’s is hosting a St. Paddy’s Day Meltdown with Cars & Trucks, the Acceleratii and Equal Xchange. Listen to traditional Irish music at Clyde with McInnis’ Kitchen and more. Duhb Linn Irish Pub has a plethora of Emerald Isle events including music, a buffet (today and tomorrow) featuring Irish cuisine, a mashed potato eating contest, green beer, and the unveiling of a new microbrew.

As always, keep checking the PDD Calendar for rad goings on around the Twin Ports area.


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Intectural Inc. is hiring

Mar 06, 2012 No Comments

Intectural Inc. is hiring for a part-time customer service/administrative assistant. Please visit mnworks.org for more info. All resumes should be e-mailed to sales @ intectural.com by Monday, March 12, 2012. Please do not stop in or call.


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Lost Wedding Ring at Piedmont

Mar 04, 2012 2 Comments

Should you happen to find a wedding ring on the ski trails at Piedmont … um … that would be mine. It most likely came off at the overlook when I took my gloves off, but I couldn’t find it on my return visit. I suppose it could be anywhere along the trail or parking lot. Please call the PDD headquarters at 624-6087 if you see it.


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Be a Bridge … M3

Feb 29, 2012 No Comments

Saturday is OUR day, Duluth! People all over the city are hosting neighborhood potlucks, having family conversations, contributing to worthy causes, and plugging in to a bunch of great public events already in the works (Party at the Bridge, Peace Jam @ Amazing Grace, Feast of Nations@ UMD…). Let us know what you do to strengthen our diverse community.


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A Nerd Nite Boss’ Guide to Duluth

Feb 23, 2012 1 Comment

Beloved Duluth nerd Crystal Pelkey has an article in the debut issue of Nerd Nite magazine profiling the nerdiness of Duluth. The nationwide magazine is published out of Brooklyn, NY.

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