West Duluth Gardens of 1920

There seems to be a gardening boom in 2020, obviously due to more people staying home during the pandemic. West Duluth has a bit of a reputation for having had numerous gardens a century ago that slowly petered out in more recent decades. According to an article in the Aug. 7, 1920 Duluth Herald, gardening in West Duluth got a big boost from the neighborhood’s commercial club.

District 3 St. Louis County Commissioner Candidate Forum

The League of Women Voters held this candidate forum for District 3 St. Louis County Commissioner on July 29. Pat Castellano is the moderator.

Monthly Grovel: August 2020 Edition

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As the pandemic drags on, the best way to stay on top of all the physically spaced apart, hand sanitizer dispensing, mask wearing concerts, markets, garden tours and similar hoopla continues to be the PDD Calendar.

Once a month we reach out with a beggarly blog post to remind everyone that human beings and not machines are at work editing and publishing calendar events on Perfect Duluth Day. So if you appreciate it, drop a few bucks in the PayPal account, yo.

The Slice: Celebrating Essential Workers through Art

Duluth artist Carolyn Olson has been inspired by essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In its series The Slice, WDSE-TV presents short “slices of life” that capture the events and experiences that bring people together and speak to what it means to live up north.

Crystal Gibbins in North American Review

Local poet Crystal Gibbins has published in North American Review. It’s fantastic.

Boathouse vintage market opens Aug. 8 in Lincoln Park

Boathouse Treats and Treasures vintage market, 2009 W. Superior St., will open its doors Saturday, Aug. 8. It is located in the former Carr’s Hobby Shop building. (Photo by Mark Nicklawske).

Owners of a new jam-packed vintage market located in a former Lincoln Park hobby shop have announced a grand opening date.

Daybreak on the Lake

Footage from the Duluth Harbor Cam of dawn breaking over Lake Superior on Aug. 4.

A Lynching in the Family

The 1920 Duluth lynchings is the subject of a series of three short videos released by PBS-TV’s Independent Lens. The videos share the title A Lynching in the Family. Part one, above, is subtitled “Accuser, Instigator, Victim.”

On Parents Behaving Poorly

There are a thousand ways to let your inexperienced children get themselves killed before they are old enough to know better. Letting them chase around and harass wild animals such as Canada Geese in Chambers Grove Park is as good as any. Check out this link to why letting your cute little 3-year-old daughter chase 50 wild geese in circles is an all around bad idea before you lose your mind over the stranger advising you against this activity, you silly lady.

Quora: Geese hiss at you, but can they really hurt you or injure you in any way if they peck at you with their rounded bill?

Postcard from the S.S. North West

This postcard was mailed 110 years ago today — Aug. 4, 1910 — from A. Nelson in Duluth to Miss Louise Skoug in Two Harbors.

According to the Historic Detroit website, the North West “began its life as one of the finest passenger steamers ever built for service on the Great Lakes — and, after a series of unusual events, ended that life by being torpedoed by the Germans during World War II.”

Vanspaining, Episode 3: Cat Clyde

In the third episode of Vansplaining, Duluth’s Alan Sparhawk talks with Canadian folk band Cat Clyde about the benefits of saline vaporization.

Recovering a Forgotten Struggle for Racial Integration in Duluth

Laura Weber, editor of Minnesota History magazine, and Chad Montrie, author of the new Minnesota History cover story, “In That Very Northern City: Recovering a Forgotten Struggle for Racial Integration in Duluth” discuss the history of racial integration in Duluth.

RiverWest project near Spirit Mountain wins road approval

The site of the planned RiverWest development is at the foot of Spirit Mountain, between Grand Avenue and the BNSF Railroad tracks. (Photo by Liftoff Aerials)

An ambitious but long-dormant redevelopment project designed for outdoor enthusiasts received a jumpstart last week when city officials authorized new road construction below Spirit Mountain Recreation Area.

Duluth You & Me: Duluth Folk Festival

The Duluth International Folk Festival was an annual event held at Leif Erikson Park on the first weekend of August. It was first held in the 1940s. It was held at Bayfront Festival Park from 1990 to 1996 during construction of the I-35 freeway tunnels and Lakewalk trail. The festival returned to Leif Erikson Park in 1996, but in 2005 it was moved back to Bayfront and renamed the Duluth Festival of Cultures. The new name was intended to emphasize it was a cultural event and not a festival of folk music. For whatever reason, the whole thing fizzled out shortly after the change, with the final event held in 2007. During its peak, the festival drew crowds exceeding 10,000 people.

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

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

Wild rice on the St. Louis River, piping plover habitat on Wisconsin Point, beach restoration at Barker’s Island — three videos from the Wisconsin DNR

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has released three new videos about the St. Louis River Area of Concern, including project highlights for wild rice restoration, piping plover habitat restoration and Barker’s Island swimming beach restoration.