If you enjoy basements, weird music, beer, vintage clothes, and- most importantly- FUN, then you must come to my sale. Sunday night from 8-11 (serious shoppers should come at 7). After all, EVERYONE will be there. Namely: Ronald McDonald, Jimmy Hoffa, Chuck Norris, Xena, my sister(??), Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake, Sammy Macon, your mom, etc. 628 N. 10th Ave. E.- back door (off of 7th St.)
March 27. 5:30 Leif Erickson statue. come play.
Congratulations to Mary on her victory in the Whacko Yard Art Photo Scavenger Hunt. As promised, Mary will recieve a Geek Prom T-shirt and Space Patrol walkie talkies. I’m also throwing in a used copy of Cinderella’s 1988 hit album Long Cold Winter, since the contest ended on the first day of spring.
Folks, as you may know, the county has long wanted to tear down the historic St. Louis County Courthouse to create parking spaces. They are now pushing forward with those plans.
The jail is part of Duluth’s Civic Center, Duluth’s one-stop shop for some very impressive Classical/ Renaissance architecture. The center includes the St. Louis County Courthouse, Duluth City Hall, and the U.S. Federal Building-as well as the county jail, the Cass Gilbert-designed Soldiers & Sailors Monument (Fortitude Defending the Flag), and a fountain. The courthouse, which went up in 1909, was designed by famed architect Daniel H. Burnham, who among other accomplishments oversaw the entire design of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. Abraham Olstead and William J. Sullivan designed the 1923 county jail, but did so in a manner in keeping with Burnham’s original idea and under Burnham’s direction. The gray granite building includes features such as Doric columns and lions heads. The jail is adorned with symbols of justice, including Roman fasces (a bundle of birch rods wrapped around an axe).
(The whole complex was part of the “City Beautiful” movement, a progressive reform movement of architecture and urban planning popular in the late 1890s and early twentieth century-it was thought that a beautiful city would create moral and civic virtue, people would behave, and the lives of inner-city poor would improve.)
The building is on the National Register of Historic Place and has been designated a Duluth Landmark property. Twice it has appeared on the Minnesota Historic Preservation Office’s “Ten Most Endangered Buildings” list.
Contrary to popular belief, the building can be successfully adapted for reuse, though it would be an expensive venture the county can’t afford. I know not everyone cares about saving our old buildings–and there are valid reasons the county has no more interest in maintaining the building. But to many like me, buildings such as the jail reflect our social and cultural heritage, and an effort should be made to at least attempt to sell the building to a party willing to invest in it–at the very least, demolition should only be discussed when all other options have been exhausted. They have not.
Technically, since the building has landmark status, the Duluth Heritage Preservation Commission (disclaimer: I sit on this commission) can do little else but deny any work on the building that does not meet it’s plan for renovation, and demolition does not fit the plan. Technically, the City Council can override the HPC, but only if the work on the building fits the Secretary of Interior’s standards for preservation projects, and again demolition does not fit such plans. But that does not mean it won’t happen.
If the future of this building matters to you and you want your voice heard on this issue, there will be a public hearing before the HPC at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 24 in the City Council Chambers in City Hall where you can speak your mind. Please attend.
And if you have some time tomorrow, at 2 p.m. folks are gathering at the Jail to show their support for the building. Please come.
Clawthroat plays a mean kind of acoustic, gothic, folk, rock. They’re ex-music majors and really fun.
For Batteries, this will be our last show in a while as our drummer, Joe, went and made a baby with his wife. Congrats! Come say hello.
And The Undesirables? Always reliable.
If you missed it the first time, find out what all the hubub is about, and t
alk about the economic future of our town-3 more showings with Q+A:
Tuesday March 24th, 6:30 PM, College of St. Scholastica, Tower 1121
sponsored by Amnesty International at CSS
Wednesday March 25th, 7 PM, UWS, Old Main 316 sponsored by SDS
Wednesday April 29th, 7 PM, Superior Public Library
sponsored by Grandmothers for Peace
for more info (and to see the movie online, see crispykale.blogspot.com
MN Fathers Forever Saturday March 21st at Fond du Lac Tribaland Community College
MINNESOTA FATHERS FOREVER
Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College, 2101 14th Street, Cloquet, MN 55720
MINNESOTA FATHERS FOREVER: March 21, 2009 (Saturday), 9:30am-3:00pm, Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College, 2101 14th Street, Cloquet, MN 55720. This event is about honoring fathers and connecting them with the resources that they need to best serve their children. We welcome fathers who are looking for positive solutions to problems with child support, child custody, and parenting time issues. Fathers who attend for will get assistance in modifying their child support orders, drivers license reinstatement, and legal information/assistance.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Oscar Reed (former Vikings running back with 3 Superbowl appearances). Special appearance by members of the 2008 National Championship UMD Football Bulldogs.
The thought provoking film “Smoke Signals” will also be shown.
Free family photos of dads and kids resource vendor booths, child care, lunch, and limited transportation are all available. This event was created by a large coalition of organizations that really care about strengthening families in our region, including the Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency (AEOA), Boyz II Dadz Young Fathers Program, Carlton County Child Support, Fond du Lac Head Start, Fond du Lac Social Services, St. Louis County Child Support, and University of Minnesota Extension and many, many others.
TRANSPORTATION UPDATE: Free rides to and from Duluth are available. A van will leave the Central Hillside Community Center at 8:45 am on Saturday Morning. A return trip to Duluth will be made at 3:15 pm from Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College. Call me for transportation details (jp Boyz II Dadz: 218.391.8330)
Another friday night, another night of improv at the PeasantWorks Porch brought to you by Renegade Comedy Theatre. The show’s at 8pm and it only costs $5 for a full evening of funny. You really can’t beat that.
Sure, there’s another show playing right now that promises a news anchor in a thong, but we’ve got Jody Kujawa. You never know what body part he’s going to shove in your face.
The Whacko Yard Art Photo Scanvenger Hunt is over and the finalists are Mary and Mark. (Sorry, Barrett, but you missed the deadline. Those rules are there for a reason, mister.)
I said I’d allow comments to sway my decision, so those with a strong opinion on who should win have until … oh, let’s say noon … to make their voices heard. After lunch I’ll return from my chambers with a decision.
OK, so it’s after 10 p.m., but I thought I had until midnight to enter the Wacko Yard-art Photo Scavenger Hunt. Nonetheless, I’d like to submit these beauties.
These signs are located on Highway 53 near Cotton. I took these photos today, but the guy who makes these signs changes them every now and then. I remember back during the whole French Fries/Freedom Fries debate, he had a sign up that said, “Piss on the Poodles” with a picture of a French flag and, of course, a poodle.
When I was a kid, my family had a cabin near Cotton, and these signs always entertained me. Also, back then he had a sign advertising timber wolf pups for sale, which would always stir elaborate Jack London-esque fantasies in my young mind.
Anyway, I know I’m late. But I still wanted to share these pics. Perhaps I can get an honorable mention.
Now, I don’t know if this counts, because I took these pictures back in September and I don’t know if it’s still standing (it looks like parts of it were made out of papier-mâché, so I’m not sure how it would’ve fared through the winter months), but it was definitely in a yard and it was definitely art.
And yeah, definitely a little whacko, too.
(East Superior Street, near the Northland Country Club, 9/21/08.)
I love Christmas trim! The more, the merrier, I always say. Fortunately, that’s not an uncommon sentiment in the Ashland area, so around Christmastime there’s plenty to enjoy.
One shining jewel in the Garland City’s crown? This fabulous yard display on the east end of town:
I love it! There’s so much, it’s hard to find an angle to get it all in the frame at once!
Now, heaps of Christmas trim alone don’t make this whacko yard art. I get that. The devil’s in the details on this one:
1. This picture was taken on Tuesday. This week.
2. The people who own this house are known around town as “The Cowboy and Mrs. Cowboy.” (They run the local Subway franchise, and like all local fast food franchise operators, they are local celebrities.) Also: The Cowboy sidelines as an Abraham Lincoln impersonator every February.
3. While the majority of this display is store-bought and/or inflatable, there are some fabulous homespun touches throughout that really shouldn’t be missed. My favorite: the Santas up front…especially Patriot Santa.
Oh, yeah, and they squeezed a little Jesus in there, too.
Petus Rockus. This rock was found in Keene Creek, left here by the Wisconsin Glacier 23,648 years ago. Placed on this stand May 1985 by Ken Seehus.
