I need a gym floor …

… so my kid and I can race these cars around at the speed at which they are intended.

Emerson? Washington? Where’s a good gym floor in Duluth that some dad off the street can access these days?

WIGL Radio 97

In 1963 I was a student at St. Clement’s Parochial School in Duluth’s West End. I entered a radio contest on WIGL. The first postcard to properly identify the translation of “Minoi, Minoi” would win a year-long pass to the Granada Theatre in Downtown Duluth. Even though 11 years old then, I knew it would relate to the radio station, so I sent in a postcard saying “Wiggle, Wiggle,” which was correct! I was interviewed by Lew Latto or Tac Hammer when I returned home from school. Got them to increase the free pass to “Mike Chase and guest.”

Former Duluthian teaching painting online

Former Duluthian Nancy Valentine teaches bamboo painting online (thanks to an arts grant).

Coloring pages related to this project are available via Google Drive.

Roger Reinert sworn in as mayor of Duluth

Roger J. Reinert was officially sworn in today as Duluth’s mayor during an inauguration ceremony at Duluth City Hall. City leadership and staff, community members and various elected officials gathered at noon in the first-floor rotunda to mark the occasion.

JamesG’s Best of 2023 Heely Tricks

Former Duluthian James Geisler, also known as the hip-hop artist JamesG is still advancing his wheeled-sneaker stunt skills. In the past four years he’s grown his TikTok fanbase from 33,000 followers to 94,000. The montage above features his best clips from 2023.

Perfect Duluth Day’s Best Videos of 2023

Let’s all be kind and rewind. We’re looking at the best videos that appeared on Perfect Duluth Day in 2023. Sometimes chosen for the quality, sometimes for the concept, sometimes … we don’t know why we find them appealing.

The Lark of Duluth in Flight

It was 110 years ago today that the first commercial air-ship line took its inaugural flight. The Lark of Duluth didn’t lift off from Duluth that day, however. Tony and Roger Jannus brought the small hydro-aeroplane to St. Petersburg, Fla. by rail with the mission to develop the St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line. The Lark arrived there on Dec. 31, 1913, and the inaugural flight was on Jan. 1, 1914.

The photo accompanying this post is presumably not from that historic flight in St. Petersburg, but rather from the previous summer in Duluth.

PDD Quiz: 2023 in Review

Bid farewell to 2023 with this edition of the PDD Quiz, which looks back on headlines and happenings from the past year.

The next PDD quiz will preview 2024’s coming attractions; it comes your way on Jan. 14. Submit question suggestions to Alison Moffat at [email protected] by Jan. 10.

2023: The Year in Duluth Gig Posters

Behold another year of Duluth rawk and/or roll as visually displayed via Perfect Duluth Day’s traditional year-ending gallery of gig posters.

The Most Read Saturday Essays of 2023

Saturday Essay logo generic

Season eight of Perfect Duluth Day’s “Saturday Essay” series has drawn to close, and it’s time to look back with the usual popularity contest. For the second year in a row, Jim Richardson authored three out of five works deemed by Google Analytics to be your favorites. In 2021, he swept the whole top five. It makes sense, because he’s Lake Superior Aquaman. Superheroes get all the clicks.

NFC Championship Game of 1973: Vikings vs. Cowboys

It was 50 years ago today — Dec. 30, 1973 — when the Minnesota Vikings defeated the Dallas Cowboys at Texas Stadium to win the National Football Conference Championship, sending the team to its second of four Super Bowl appearances in the 1970s.

The 27-10 upset of the Cowboys preceded a 24–7 loss to the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VIII at Rice Stadium in Houston.

Last Video Vision store to close

The Video Vision movie rental business at 1418 Belknap St. in Superior is holding a closeout sale. Owner Brian Augustine expects most of the DVDs will be gone before winter ends and his indoor tanning business, Superior Tan, will expand.

Mystery Photo: Westberg

The identity of the woman in this photo is likely lost to history, but the photographer’s last name is right there in print — Westberg. The Minnesota Historical Society’s Directory of Minnesota Photographers lists two Westbergs who operated in Duluth more than 100 years ago.

Mom Versus Reality: Holiday Edition

Comedian Mary Mack presents this short holiday video as a gift to you, noting “I think it may be one of those ‘if you know, you know’ things.”

PDD Shop Talk: Last Call for 2023 Donations

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You know the spiel. All of the content on Perfect Duluth Day can be read for free. It is produced by people who are paid either poorly or not at all. Advertising revenue keeps the operation going; donations help us do more and do it better.