A walking tour of Target Field

Minnesota Public Radio producer Jim Bickal took a walking tour of the future home of the Minnesota Twins, which is still under construction. Click here to check out his report. It’s pretty cool.

Violet Days in Nov. Funny Times

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Not only is Violet Days in the November issue of Funny Times, but Twiggy the waterskiing squirrel is shown skiing in Duluth!

Notoriety

We’re (in)famous [1]:

Barry Saunders, “Junket Doesn’t Help Kids” Raleigh News & Observer, 12 November 2009.

Why is it that these indispensible conferences that state employees are always jetting to never take place in cities such as Duluth, Minn., in January or Gary, Ind., anytime?”

[1] [For definitions of “infamy” extending to well-worn stereotypes cited by minor newspapers.]

DNT blogs.

Don’t know if anyone has commented on this yet, but is it just me or do some of the DNT blogs kinda look similar to PDD? Specifically the Education and Attic blogs.

Sex offender “roach motel”

The Minnesota Sex Offender Program has failed to rehabilitate a single patient. Each person enrolled costs the state $134,000 annually.

Yikes.

Cowboys, where do you get your clothes?

Is there anywhere in Duluth/Superior/Proctor/Hermantown that sells western wear? Not so much the Wranglers and Levis, but the western-style collared, button/snap front shirts?

Possible wine bar!?!?!?

I thought I read in the Tribune that there may be a wine bar moving in downtown? Does anyone know about this? That would be awesome if it did. The wine crowd in Duluth seems to be regulated to the Gitch wine club and a few fellow wine drinkers. If anyone knows anything about this, I would be interested.

Northland’s “News” Center?

I’d be interested in hearing PDDs thoughts on this discussion about KBJR from one of my twitter pals, media insider gossip muckraker Red and Nater:

Last week, they had to pull a story about murderer Donald Blom after a Facebook protest. Then they claimed the promo they had aired about the story was wrong.

Tonight (Tuesday), they had to do a live four-minute interview with a Cirrus executive off the top of their 10:00 news to make up for a story they ran at 5 in which they claimed the company was “in crisis.” Their 5:00 report was based on the fact that Cirrus hasn’t paid rent for using a city-owned facility, but that had been widely reported by other media a month or more ago.

This is on top of the the constant day-behind news and bad video. When will Granite (or NBC or CBS) realize what’s going on in Duluth?

view in context at Red and Nater blog

Win Haley Bonar tickets

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The show is on Thursday, Nov. 19, 7 p.m., at Sacred Heart.

To win two tickets, answer this question: Who shot the photo above?

KHQG’s “Album Side Thursday”

On his Fly High Duluth! blog, Duluth Budgeteer reporter Matt Perrine announced that KHQG-FM 102.5 will be playing uninterrupted vinyl album sides from 9:30am-midnight on Thursday, December 3, 2009. The station is taking requests for album sides to play that day. Perrine himself requested side one of Van Halen’s self-titled 1978 debut album.

While classic rock may or may not be a favorite genre of the PDD crowd, and corporate radio doesn’t get any love here at all, I feel like asking: What’s your favorite album side? Feel free to choose from any musical genre, not just classic rock. If you had 25 minutes or so of public airwaves to fill, which slice of vinyl deliciousness would you send out into the stratosphere?

Duluth TV ads from 1970

Eight classic TV spots from 1970, in all their sexiness.

Twelve Moons on Gichigami – Canal Park Film

Not sure if this has ever been posted here before, but figured I’d share it just in case.

Skiing at Chester Bowl

The ski lottery was held a few weeks ago at Chester Bowl, but there are still some ski rental packages available. The Chester Bowl Improvement Club provides inexpensive season ski packages, including skis, poles, boots, helmets, and season ski passes, for those that want to take part in skiing, lessons or other activities at Chester Bowl. You also get a day pass to Spirit Mt. and Mont du Lac. Many parents call the Chester Bowl Ski Program the best deal in town, but for those unable to afford the already low prices, scholarships are available.
Check out the Chester Bowl website for more info.

Genghis Khan Returns To Duluth

Picture of Me and Recently-Captured Wife

Genghis Khan, native son of the steep lands we call Duluth, will return this weekend. Under the quarter moon, Genghis Khan and his fellow warriors of Chicago will ride to Duluth and celebrate with the tribe in which he was born. The journey will be long, and full of danger but luckily Genghis Khan’s war horse is equipped with a Compact Disc Player.  Therefore, Genghis Khan seeks the opinion of the people of his homeland in one question:

What are some good songs that sing of the hills of Duluth and it’s people?

With your answers, Genghis Khan will conduct several raids on neighboring tribes for the chants and harmonious chords you suggest to compile in a “mixed CD”. This artifact will serve to set the mood and empower the warriors of Chicago for their experience of the Northland, an experience for which they can never truly be prepared.

May your cities be reduced to ashes,

Genghis Khan

Short Notice – Movies at Beaner’s

Beaner's film night - NOV 10 at 6:30pm

Beaner's film night - NOV 10 at 6:30pm

Sorry for the short notice, but Erin Hudson‘s work will be screening at Beaner’s on Nov. 10 at 6:30 p.m.

Erin is a documentary filmmaker who is concerned, committed, and passionate about storytelling. Her films give voice to the people we sometimes miss in the frenzied blur of 21st century society – the life of a female trucker, the vision of a rural photographer, or the quiet dignity of getting old.