Selective Focus: A Very COVID Christmas

Select photos from Instagram of people from the Duluth area doing their best to keep spirits high and the COVID-19 infection rate low.

Merry Christmas from the archives …

On a cold Duluth evening back in 2013, a small crew gathered for a video shoot. Mark Lindquist wanted to give his children a Christmas video. Time got away. The footage wasn’t awesome. I set it aside.

It’s always bugged me that I never made that video for Mark and his children. Last night, I went searching through virtual piles and piles of material until I found what I was looking for.

Consider the Stars

Celestial photography by Duluth’s Dennis O’Hara, with a song performed by Deb O’Hara.

Denfeld Jazz Band – “Up on the Housetop”

This video of the Denfeld Jazz Band’s arrangement of “Up on the Housetop” was created for the televised version of the Christmas City of the North Virtual Parade.

A Secret Garden: Demo tracks from northern Minnesota

Students and staff from Central Lakes College in Brainerd have put together a compilation album of regional musicians that features a bevvy of Duluth favorites, including Jerree Small, Low and Greg Cougar Conley.

Postcard from Drill’s Arena Marina

This undated postcard from Gallagher’s Studio of Photography appears to be circa 1971.

Dance Attic “At Christmas Time” Special

Jimi and Suzi of the guitar/accordion duo Dance Attic partake in holiday hijinks with music from their 2020 Christmas song collection (featured in the PDD Gift Guide).

Video produced by Andrew Stern.

Aerial Transfer Bridge circa 1905

This image of Duluth’s Aerial Bridge, from Detroit Publishing Company, appears to have been shot during one of the first ferry-car transfers across the canal. The Library of Congress dates the images as 1905 … with a question mark.

Tanner Zahn – “Little Things”

Hermantown native Tanner Zahn, now of the Los Angeles group FuturePop, has released this Christmas music video. Locals will remember him as Tanner Zahn Hagen, performer in Duluth Playhouse productions and son of Jennifer Madill Hagen and Dusty Hagen, former owners of Madill Performing Arts Center in Duluth.

What’s the deal with the stairway at Birchwood Park that leads down into a ravine?

On the edge of Birchwood Park, a small playground park at 222 W. Heard St. in the New Duluth neighborhood, is an old stairway down to a ravine that I’m guessing runs into Sargent Creek. The existence of this stairway is probably common knowledge in New Duluth, but it is kind of tucked away so that others visiting the park are unlikely to notice. And it raises the question of what used to be down there.

Duluth You & Me: Famous Places Crossword Puzzle

Use the link below for a printable PDF for your coloring and drawing pleasure.
Duluth You & Me: Famous Places

Follow the Duluth You & Me subject tag to see additional pages. For background on the book see the original post on the topic.

More of My Indie Rock Guitar Goddess She-roes

There is a vein of singer-songwriters I refer to jokingly as “weepy folk.”

Video Archive: Gap ad with Low’s “Little Drummer Boy”

Few would expect Perfect Duluth Day to present a Gap television commercial as content, but it’s pretty Duluthy. Twenty years ago the global clothing and accessories retailer featured music by Duluth band Low in its holiday ad. The song appeared on Low’s Christmas EP, released a year prior.

Mystery Photo #127: Miss Victoria Benson

Often we don’t know who is the subject of these old studio photos, but this time it’s written on the back. So we know this is Marie Victoria Benson of 2801 W. Second St. in Duluth’s friendly West End. (Or is it 2301?) She later became Mrs. Edward Cluett.

Duluth East Choralaires – “Carol of the Bells”