Chester Park Posts

Portion of Chester Park Trail washed out

Aug 30, 2017 No Comments

A segment of the hiking trail in Chester Park on the east side of the creek, between Skyline Parkway and the Eighth Street bridge, washed out during recent heavy rainfall. Trail closure signs are in place leading up to and around the area, along with orange fencing.

Duluth’s Parks and Recreation Division requests hikers avoid the washed-out area and instead use the trail on the west side of Chester Creek. The pedestrian bridge near Eighth Street is open for trail users to safely cross the creek to the west side.


News and Current Affairs ,

Video Archive: Chester Creek Highline Slackline

Apr 14, 2017 No Comments

Ten years ago Jason Hedlund uploaded this little gem to YouTube. It later landed on Perfect Duluth Day and has gathered over 8,000 views in the past decade.

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Videos ,

Video Archive: Water Skipping at Chester Bowl in 2007

Mar 27, 2017 No Comments

One decade ago the springtime water-skipping action at Chester Bowl in Duluth was excellent. This video depicting the skiing, snowboarding, saucering, couching and so on that took place has gathered more than 32,000 views in the ten years since it first appeared on PDD in 2007.


Videos , ,

Taking it Outside

Apr 02, 2016 2 Comments

LucieA-SEI’ve overbooked myself lately.

A common problem and in this case, it’s completely my fault — taking on more foolishness than hours in the day. So, like most of us, I cut corners by eliminating “extra” stuff, like exercise and staring into middle space.

My near daily walk in Chester Bowl or less frequent craning-of-neck views of the bluffs at Tischer Creek has been put on hiatus. (Even though I live near one park and drive past the other daily.)  I’ll ’fess up to only one, maybe two visits to Canal Park and Park Point beach this winter. I mean, I’ll be back, you know, just after the due date passes, that class ends, oh – and, that other thing.

I’m embarrassed to say that recently I’ve seen more Duluth landscape on Perfect Duluth Day and Destination Duluth these days than actually experienced.

And I’m worse for it.

I need to take a Sharpie and write, “I’m happier when I play outside” backward, then slap it on my forehead so I can read it in the mirror in the morning. Plan accordingly.

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Art ,

Chester Bowl scheduled to open Saturday

Dec 21, 2015 1 Comment

Screen Shot 2015-12-21 at 3.06.07 PM

The weather has finally been cooperating and the two snow guns have been running since last Thursday, so Chester Bowl is planning to open this Saturday, Dec. 26. That will also be the first day of Ski Camp. Chester will also be open New Year’s Eve from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but closed New Year’s Day. The first race is Jan. 3.


Outdoors, Sports ,

Rink Relief: Episode 1

Oct 13, 2015 No Comments

Video by Rawlin Kessler shot at Rip Williams Memorial Rink at Chester Park.


Random, Videos ,

Postcards from Chester Park

Oct 03, 2015 12 Comments

Scene in Duluth Chester Park

“Chester Park is popular both in summer and winter,” according to old postcard propaganda. “In it is located one of America’s highest ski jumps and also Chester Creek, one of several flowing thru the city in which trout may be caught. Duluth is the only city in the United States where trout fishing is possible within city limits.”

Well, we know the famous ski jumps came down in 2014, but there seems to be another fact in there worth examining. Was Duluth at one time really the only city with trout fishing? Prove it or debunk it, dear reader.

In the meantime, here are more snappy postcards …

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History, Photos ,

Chester Bowl Park Downhill Ski “Fun Slope”

Jul 22, 2015 1 Comment

Duluth’s Parks and Recreation Division is preparing Chester Bowl Park for a new “fun slope,” according to a news release issued today.

Crews will be out clearing out a section of the hill within the ski area in preparation for the upcoming winter season. The new “fun slope” with gentle waves of snowy berms for skiing was identified as a desired addition to the park in the Chester Park Mini-Master Plan, approved in November 2014.

Crews will be working this week into next during daytime hours, but the public should not experience any interruption in their use of the park spaces or trails. The area will be covered with wood chips to reduce erosion and smooth out the area winter operations.

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News and Current Affairs, Sports ,

Chester Bowl Freestyle Cadet’s-eye View

Dec 23, 2014 No Comments

Last year, Chester Bowl added “Freestyle Cadet” to the list of active groups at the ski hill. These kids build and groom the jumps, rails and other stuff located toward the top of the hill. For those who don’t get to the top of the hill, here’s a cadet’s-eye view from James Holak.


Videos

14-31DS

Oct 23, 2014 8 Comments

A few fundamental questions on the on the Chester Ski Jump Memorial Plan City of Duluth RFP.

Is not art, true art — spoken, written, painted, sung, or mixed media — an expression of that which comes from places that are intangible or elusive? i.e.: from within, a collaborative, the Netherlands, the proverbial Vibe?

Yes, the history of a place, lived out by a people is vital — I get that (and the real magic still is to have been there and lived it out) — however, most of us probably don’t have that benefit.

But a request put out on an RFP – a bid – along with city hall upgrades and roofing repairs not only diminishes the call, but is the antithesis of artistic inspiration. Just my opining.

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Art, News and Current Affairs ,

Goodbye Little and Big Chester

Aug 19, 2014 5 Comments

Little Chester demolition - MPR photo

MPR: Ski jumps that launched Olympians come tumbling down

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News and Current Affairs, Outdoors, R.I.P.

Beating it under the Ninth Street Bridge

Aug 19, 2014 3 Comments

BeatThis1992

Above is a photo from the old Ripsaw magazine showing the famous “Beat it” tag underneath the Ninth Street Bridge over Chester Creek. The tag is dated Oct. 1, 1992, and was reportedly painted over when the bridge was renovated in 2003.

Below is the updated tag, as photographed in 2014.

Beat it ... slap

The age-old question is: How did you do that? You are the one who did it, right? Why is the new tag backward?


Random , ,

Goodbye Big Chester

Jul 24, 2014 12 Comments

The city of Duluth has determined that the ski jumps at Chester Bowl will be coming down due to safety concerns. A public meeting will be held July 31.


History, News and Current Affairs, Outdoors, Sports

Chester Park Graffiti?

Jun 03, 2014 3 Comments

Has anyone else seen the recent graffiti at the bottom of Chester Park. WDIO had a short feature on it. They “tagged” in the park and the neighborhood including houses and vehicles.

And what does 2.7.5. refer to? Searching the interwebs the top hit is the Twitter handle for @ink2flasyy the 21-year old Ontario man who flipped his car after tweeting about driving drunk. Google also tells me that it could refer to Blackland Raider Klan, an underground rap group started by SpaceGhostPurrp, down in Miami. That or they are big fans of the Python 2.7.5. release. Either way it isn’t cool once you start defacing neighborhoods.

I’ve never had an issue with some of Duluth graffiti havens but the side of an F-150 is not the same as the Graffiti Graveyard.


Random , ,

Mystery Photo #1: Chester Bowl

Jan 19, 2014 3 Comments

This photo was purportedly shot at Chester Bowl in 1936. Who are these gals? What were they doing that day? Who shot the photo?

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History, Photos ,