Queries Posts

Duluth Mail Bag: What does a city councilor do?

Jul 11, 2023 1 Comment

Hobbs Mail BagAs a two-time Duluth city councilor, now in my final year of service, one of my goals is to make city government more accessible, or at least help citizens become more informed. I figure there are many Duluthians who would like some simple answers to some simple questions. I learned in school that if there is something you don’t understand it’s likely there are many others who feel the same way. Hence the idea of the Duluth Mailbag column.

I won’t divulge who is asking the questions, but I’ll answer them in this format about once a month. Feel free to put a question in the comments for next month’s “Duluth Mailbag” or tweet me via @Hobbs_Duluth or email me at hobbsforduluth @ gmail.com.

Also, if you want to have a longer conversation, you can sign up for a 45-minute cup of coffee through my 100 Cups of Coffee project.

OK, here we go!

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News and Current Affairs, Politics , ,

Seeking info on the Hadjis and the Black Labels

Jul 10, 2023 10 Comments

I hope this brings back memories to all the fans of Duluth’s music scene. I am beginning research into two Duluth bands from the past, namely the Hadjis and the Black Labels.

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History, Music ,

Digital piano repair person needed

Jan 27, 2023 No Comments

Duluth music weirdos,

Who can repair my 17(?)-year-old Technics SX-PR51? It turns on, but that’s it. I’m sure it needs a circuit board thing or a new fantambulator or something. I would rather pay an individual than pay Schmitt Music, but I’ll do what I have to do.


Recommendations

Duluth Antenna Farm

Jan 04, 2023 6 Comments

Does anyone have pictures from the early days of the towers at the antenna farm? Pictures from the 1950s to 1960s? I remember years ago seeing pics of the KDAL-TV tower being erected in 1954. The more pics, the better!


History

Media Excavations: Duluth-Superior Television Revolution

Dec 07, 2022 No Comments

This ad campaign, luring businesses to advertise on TV in Duluth/Superior uses a picture of supporters of the Revolutionary government of Cuba manning a machine gun post overlooking one of the main streets, Zapata Avenue, into the heart of Havana, Jan. 4, 1959.

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History , ,

Youth for Socialist Action of Duluth on the Internet Archive

Oct 02, 2022 No Comments

The Youth 4 Socialist Action Membership Handbook is available on the Internet Archive. It’s part of a collection of several documents.

I’d bet there are readers of Perfect Duluth Day who know something of this organization. Maybe tell me what it was all about below?


History

Sexy 1938 Denfeld Beanie

Sep 01, 2022 3 Comments

Beanies are not likely to make any back-to-school fashion lists in 2022, but at some point in time Denfeld High School had a line of round, brimless, snug-fitting, maroon-and-gold skullcaps.

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History , ,

Creating Duluth-Themed Art with AI

Aug 17, 2022 7 Comments

A Van Gogh style painting of a 1920s cargo train traveling on a winter night though an evergreen forest next to a huge blue lake with the aurora borealis in the night sky.

DALL-E is an online tool that uses machine learning to generate digital images from plain English text descriptions. You type a description of something real or imaginary and the program does its best to create a unique image based on that description. After some time on a waitlist, I recently received an invite that allows me to create and download a limited number of artificial intelligence generated images per month. This came at a good time, as I recently found a watercolor print of the Duluth hillside in a Lincoln Park shop that I liked quite a bit but could not afford. I decided to use some of my AI image credits to see if I could get the automated system to produce Duluth art of at least somewhat comparable quality. In the examples that follow, I describe this process, showing what worked and what did not. The captions of each picture show the text query that generated the image.

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Art , ,

Seeking information on late local musician Lew Orsoni

Apr 16, 2022 6 Comments

I recently opened up an old binder of burned CDs and came across a much loved recording I had forgotten about attributed to Lew Orsoni. It sounds like a live recording. Wonderful ballad about Lake Superior, among other great tunes. I believe I got it from Lew’s son, who used to bartend at the old Twin Ports Brewing Company (predecessor of Thirty Pagan) 20 years ago. I recall Lew had passed away recently at that time. Just looking for info on the CD, Lew Orsoni’s music, and if others have memories of his performances around here.


Music

Pączki!

Feb 25, 2022 1 Comment

Every year, for a week, Super One Foods sells pączki, pronounced poonch-key, a specialty Polish donut. But they never do my favorite flavor, prune.

What does a man have to do to get a prune donut in time for Mardi Gras?


Random ,

Historic Floorplans

Jan 09, 2022 3 Comments

I recently bought an older home in Congdon. Nothing special, but I like it. The previous owner made many changes to the interior in a misguided attempt to modernize the home. I am thinking about restoring it to its former layout, but I’m not finding much historic information about the home. Does anyone have any ideas on where I might get some information? The home is likely an American Foursquare that had some arts and crafts touches. Thanks for any help!


Random

German restaurant in Miller Hill area circa the 1960s

Nov 27, 2021 2 Comments

What was the name of the German restaurant located on Miller Trunk Highway in the 1960s?


History, Restaurants

Old Morgan Park Apartment Houses

Jun 15, 2021 2 Comments

Former Duluthian Ina Wesenberg contacted Perfect Duluth Day with the hope that someone can provide information about an old apartment complex she lived in as a child in the 1950s. She recalls it was on the western edge of the Morgan Park neighborhood, away from the concrete homes of the planned community.

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History ,

How did the city of Cloquet get its name?

May 14, 2021 2 Comments

As mentioned in the “Northeastern Minnesota Nomenclature” post on Perfect Duluth Day last summer, the city of Cloquet gets its name from the Cloquet River. But how did the river get its name?

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History , ,

City Bottling Company?

May 08, 2021 16 Comments

Found this bottle while cleaning out the old dump by our house. It’s an annual event where I commune with our forbears — white folks scratching out a living decades ago on stolen land and tossing all their garbage into the wetland.*

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History