Happy 20th birthday to us!
Expressions of gratitude, reflections on past perfection and visions for the future might come later, but right now it’s time to party. Yes, Duluth’s Duluthiest website is 20 years old today.
Expressions of gratitude, reflections on past perfection and visions for the future might come later, but right now it’s time to party. Yes, Duluth’s Duluthiest website is 20 years old today.
Back in May the 4onthefloor played its annual “Stomper’s Cruise” on the Vista Fleet in Duluth. Videographer Adam Jagunich captured some of the action for this video of the band’s take on a classic Otis Redding song.
This new Twin Cities Public Television documentary explores the state’s worst natural disasters. Host Mary Lahammer, along with historian Hy Berman, meteorologist Paul Douglas, and climatologist Mark Seeley tell the story of the deadly blazes that have taken more than a thousand lives in Minnesota.
“This book is offered in the form of a poetry chrysalis to encourage us to think about how we are a part of nature and how our actions cause change,” Wildwood wrote on the note. (Photo by Rob Wildwood via Facebook)
Picking a new summer book just got easier. Duluth writer Robert Wildwood has taken the free library idea to new heights, offering up copies of his latest book of poetry to the public in a novel way. This month, chrysalides of poetry appeared in Chester Park trees, and they are a gift for you.
The romantic comedy Sleepless in Seattle premiered in theaters 30 years ago today — June 25, 1993. The film includes a scene in which the character Annie Reed, played by Meg Ryan, tells her fiancé Walter Jackson, played by Bill Pullman, about a guy on a radio show who lived in Duluth … which is in North Dakota according to Walter.
See how many June 2023 headlines you remember with this edition of the current affairs quiz.
The next PDD quiz, coming your way on July 9, will test your knowledge of area waterfalls. Submit question suggestions to Alison Moffat at [email protected] by July 5.
Anyone within the sound of my voice, the artworks of Max Moen must be found and saved. I interrupted his dying days begging him to grant me a custodial role regarding his body of work. I think mostly of his collages which I greatly admire, surrealist masterpieces. I told him I’d arrange a show and self-publish a collection at my own expense, because the world must know. At the time he told me they were boxed in a car in another state, and I feared I was taxing him as he fought the cancer. I think he got that car back but I let it go; he was too busy dying and I didn’t want to be that guy. At least I impressed upon him that I considered him an artist with a capital “A.”
Sadly I have none of his work to share with you today. He had some examples on his old Facebook page but he took it all down. I remember searching his photos to copy them but he’d already deleted the lot. He did that sometimes.
This image from a 35mm Kodachrome slide shows Northern Pacific Dock No. 4 on Duluth’s waterfront in 1953 — 70 years ago. The location is where Bayfront Park is today.
Musicians gather around the fire pit at Girl Scout Point in Billings Park for the first concert of the 2023 Superior Porchfest season.
Outdoor music saw a boom during the pandemic out of necessity, but on warm summer days the preferred concert venues have always been those with free-flowing air. With the Duluth-area music scene continuing to flourish and touring artists on the move, the season has music to soothe all souls with genres spanning the realms of rock, pop, hip hop, folk and more.
From porches, patios and piers to amphitheaters, big tents and city parks, the outdoor summer concert options are numerous. Below is Perfect Duluth’s Day’s annual guide to al fresco music in 2023.
Bloomer’s Drive-in was a roadside restaurant in Duluth, located near the ore docks and Wade Stadium. It opened in 1955, operated by Walter Bloomer and his younger brother Robert. It was sold in 1960.
One year ago Eric Strand completed his 10th Grandma’s Marathon Double — starting at the finish line, running to the starting line, then running the official marathon. The 2022 video was finally released just before the 2023 marathon. Strand uses the 52.4-mile Grandma’s Marathon Double as a training run for the Leadville 100 Trail Run.
Strand has been running the Grandma’s Marathon since 2000 and has done the “double” since 2012, except for the pandemic year of 2020.
The first edition of Perfect Duluth Day’s weekly email newsletter, the PDD Transmission, will be sent out June 29. It’s free, but to receive it you must spend roughly 20 seconds entering your name and email address into a form. We hope you are up to the task.
Whether you need additional inspiration or not, a prize is dangling in front of you.
A recent sale at the Duluth Public Library means that I picked up stacks of vintage magazines for cheap, and I’ve loved looking at some artful old advertisements. I especially love the ones that are in old, illustration style.
Duluth native Rachael Kilgour has a new album, My Father Loved Me, scheduled for release in September. The video for the first single, “Dad Worked Hard,” is a live performance shot by Brian Lazarus in a damp basement workshop in New York City.
