The Art Dock Hosts “From Norway to the North Shore”-- Paintings by Sue Pavlatos.

Sea Smoke at the Aerial Lift Bridge--
Canal Park, by Sue Pavlatos

Last week I wrote about the DeWitt-Seitz Marketplace 40th Anniversary Celebration taking place the first weekend in May. Here's a follow-up announcement about events taking place at the Art Dock.

Sue Pavlatos will be the highlighted artist. Her show “From Norway to the North Shore” will open on Monday, April 29 featuring a collection of new paintings done with watercolor, pen, collage and acrylic paint. Sue is inspired by the moment and colors.

Pavlatos says “Painting is a way to capture the moment.  I enjoy connecting my life to the landscape before me. My paintings reflect nature‘s impact on my life.”  

Sue traveled to Norway in May 2024 to capture its beauty. The trip involved US cousins visiting Norwegian cousins and traveling the country. “I wanted to paint the beautiful vistas, and importantly, capture the moment with family," she said. "It was a pleasure to visit and revisit the farms, forest and rocky coast of Norway.  The connection to family on both sides of the ocean was poignant. Our four grandmothers, and their letters over the years, have connected us. Our love of nature's beauty keeps us connected. An added bonus was the similarity to our beautiful North Shore, and a show was born."  

From 1:00 to 3:00 on Saturday, May 3rd Sue will be giving a painting demonstration followed by an Artist Reception from 3:00 to 5:00 pm at the Art Dock. Her show will be on display through Sunday, May 18th.

There's a lot planned for DeWitt Seitz Marketplace 40th Anniversary Celebration. A ribbon cutting ceremony will take place May 2 at 5:00 pm. Throughout the day on May 3 the 10 retail shops and restaurants will present special demonstrations/events, food specials and tasting, bagful sale, music, store drawings, and a grand prize drawing worth $500.00.

The Art Dock is located on the first floor of the historic DeWitt-Seitz Marketplace, 

in Canal Park, Duluth, MN and is open daily.            

More Free Concerts in the Park Courtesy Rocky Wall Entertainment: The Silver Bay Music Scene Continues to Dazzle

I saw the people gather
I heard the music start
The song that they were singing
Is ringing in my heart
--Joan Baez, No Man Is An Island

There's nothing like music to turn a barren field into a happening. This summer Silver Bay is again hosting a series of free "Happenings" courtesy Rocky Wall Entertainment, a Minnesota nonprofit corporation established for the purpose of producing high quality live Americana Music events in the City of Silver Bay on Lake Superior's North Shore.   

It started like this. In 2015, neighbors on Rocky Wall Road began hosting private house concerts. Over five years, they welcomed talented musicians into their homes, sharing music with friends and neighbors, and organizing intimate concerts. In the summer of 2021, they discussed expanding their passion for music to the broader community. They decided to establish Rocky Wall Productions, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, to achieve this goal.

They next combined this vision with the revitalization of downtown Silver Bay, aligning with the community’s long-standing idea of creating a “City Center Park and Amphitheater” in the central green space. This led to the creation of the Silver Bay Music in the Park Concert Series at City Center Park near City Hall. Mindful of the popular Bay Days celebration, they chose to staer  the free Friday night outdoor music series the Friday after the annual Bay Days celebration, continuing for eight late-summer Friday nights.

Many residents of Silver Bay are actively involved in community improvement efforts. The City Center location, nestled in a valley with scenic views of Lake Superior, is an especially appealing venue and the concerts have begun to build a serious following. This year, Rocky Wall Productions will spearhead efforts to develop a plan for establishing a City Center Park with an amphitheater.

The caliber of the talent dropping in to this remote Lake County location is impressive. According to Rocky Wall co-founder and passionate concert promoter Nelson French, "In 2025, we enter our fifth summer season of eight free Friday night live Silver Bay Music in the Park concerts along with six Rocky Wall Benefit House Concerts an two indoor 'Reunion Hall Winter Concert' events. Additionally, we continue to work with our community to realize the vision of establishing a City Center Park and Amphitheater."

And don't be afraid of the weather. Summers and fall are beautiful here, though in the event of a hard rain, they have a backup venue. Bring a chair and a carload of friends. You will undobtedly be rewarded. 

FREE MUSIC IN THE PARK

• Charlie Parr
• Jeff Slate & Friends
• New Primitives
• Martin Zellar and the Hardways
• Chase and Ovation
• Sherwin Linton & The Cotton Kings
• Tina and the B-Sides
• Scarlet Rivera and the Chris Mulkey Band

• BENEFIT HOUSE CONCERTS 
• Jeff Slate & Friends
• New Primitives
• Martin Zellar
• Sherwin Linton & The Cotton Kings
• Tina and the B-Sides
• Scarlet Rivera and Chris Mulkey

"Please join us in welcoming these artists to our community." --Charlie Parr

Related Links

Rocky Wall Entertainment - YouTube
The Jayhawks at Silver Bay Music in the Park

For more information: 
https://www.rockywallentertainment.org/

Life Is Not A Spectator Sport: A Weekend Reflection

It's Jay Gatsby Month. 100 years ago, April 1925, F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby was published by Charles Scribner's and Sons, so you may see his story pop up a few times in the next couple weeks.

[Spoiler Alert: All of these Gatsby references assume you already know the story.]

They say that cats have nine lives; we only have one. This singular chance at existence demands that we be more than passive observers. We can choose to sit and watch from the audience, or choose deliberate engagement with the world. The theme “Life is not a spectator sport”--a theme I've reiterated many times over the course of a lifetime--captures this urgency to step beyond the sidelines and shape our own stories through action and courage. 

Whether we're chasing dreams like Jay Gatsby, or standing against injustice as history’s rebels did, the essence of living lies in participation, not detachment. In one sense, this call to action is a plea for purpose, reminding us that life--fleeting and finite--gains meaning only when we dare to act, risk, and truly live.

This idea resonates deeply in literature and life, emphasizing courage, agency, and the pursuit of meaning through action.

In Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Gatsby is an embodiment of this theme. He's refused to remain a bystander in his own story. Born into poverty, he rejects the sidelines, reinventing himself as a wealthy man to win Daisy’s love. His relentless pursuit shows a life lived boldly, even if flawed. By way of contrast, Nick Carraway, the novel’s narrator, is the lingering spectator, observing Gatsby’s world with detachment. His passivity contrasts with Gatsby’s drive, suggesting that true vitality lies in taking risks, not just witnessing others’ dreams.

The story is more nuanced than that though. The picture Fitzgerald paints is more grim. The American Dream isn't all that it's cracked up to be. There's a power hierarchy in life. The lower classes believe in upward mobility. This is America, where anything is possible. What many don't see is that when you rise above your place,  you become a target. You're a clay pigeon thrust skyward and the uber-rich delight in taking potshots at you, shattering your illusions, putting you back in your place.

Even so, we're not advocating that you abandon your dreams. Quite the contrary. This is an appeal to take action, despite a possibility of frustration, futility and failure. The battle is not always to the strong nor the race to the swift, time and chance happen to them all.

In his song "Father and Son" Cat Stevens wrote this terribly sad line: "You may still be here tomorrow, but your dreams may not." When we've abandoned our dreams, what is left? 

For all sad words of tongue and pen,
The saddest are these, 'It might have been.'

--John Greenleaf Whittier

DeWitt-Seitz Marketplace To Celebrate 40th Anniversary Milestone

View from the parking lot across the street.

Susie and I moved to Duluth in the spring of 1986. At the time, I don't believe there were any hotels in Canal Park. There were a few restaurants--most notably Grandma's--a block-long half-empty office building and an emptied warehouse transformed into a bar unimaginatively called "The Warehouse Bar." Smack dab in the middle of this promontory was the DeWitt-Seitz Building.

Having come to town from elsewhere I was under the impression that the collection of retail businesses assembled in the DeWitt Seitz had been there for ages. Little did I know the Art Dock, Blue Heron Trading Company, J-Skylark and Sandra Dee’s Minnesota Gifts had taken residence here as recently as 1985, only one year previous. Each continues to operate in the building to this day. Little by little these businesses would be joined by an assortment of retailers and popular eating spaces and the first weekend in May they will be celebrating their 40th Anniversary. 

SPECIAL EVENTS – MAY 2 & 3

On May 2 & 3, DeWitt-Seitz Marketplace will celebrate four decades of shopping and community as the 10 retailers mark their 40^th anniversary with a series of special events and drawings. Located in the heart of Duluth’s Canal Park, everyone is invited to join in the festivities. From exclusive sales to unique in-store experiences, here's what each store has planned for this milestone celebration.  

 

Friday, May 2: Ribbon Cutting, 5:00 p.m.      

 

Saturday, May 3:

 

Art Dock

1-3 pm            Artist Sue Pavlatos      Demo

3-5 pm            Reception, May 3        “From Norway to the North Shore”

Drawing: “Evening in Canal Park”       (Matted print by Sue Pavlatos)           $125 value
                        “Winter Silence”         (Matted print by Sue Pavlatos)           $75 value

An exhibit of Pavlatos’ paintings titled “From Norway to the North Shore” will be on display April 28 - May 26.

 

Blue Heron

Anniversary Bag Sale and Food Shelf Drive

**Bring Food Shelf Donation and receive 20% off one Blue Heron Bagful of in-stock merchandise **

Drawings: For an assortment of some of our Favorite Products grouped together for Lucky Winners, valued at more than $1,000!

 

Hepzibah’s

Guess the number of Jelly Belly jellybeans in the Asst’o Jelly Belly Jelly Bean Jar. The closest number wins the works! Yummm.

 

J. Skylark 

Chalk Board House

Drawing: Of our favorite items

 

Lake Avenue Café

Gift Card Special: Buy $50.00 get $10.00 or buy $100.00 to receive $25.00

Drawing: Dinner for Two, 3 Course Meal with Wine Pairing

 

Minnesota Gifts by Sandra Dee 
Storewide sale!

Drawing: Your choice of a Sweatshirt

 

Naturalight Candles & Coffee  
Special Coffee Bar Anniversary Beverage!

Drawing: $50.00 Gift Card

 

Northern Waters

Live Music                   

 

Pholicious  
10% OFF Vietnamese or Chinese Dinner over $20.00

Drawing: Dinner for Two value $40.00.              

 

Two & Co.
20% off Bag with Donation for Second Harvest Foodbank

Drawing: $50.00 Gift Card and Goodie Basket

 

DEWITT-SEITZ MARKETPLACE

Drawing for ten $50.00 Marketplace gift certificates.

 

How to Get There

The DeWitt-Seitz Marketplace is located in the heart of Canal Park at 394 S. Lake Avenue and Buchanan Street. Public parking is available both in front and in back. 

 

DeWitt Seitz Building, 1952

For what it's worth, we're just over three weeks from a pretty big day for a batch of local business who took advantage of an opportunity when success was not a sure thing. Mark your calendars, Duluth. Congratulations, DeWitt-Seitz Marketplace group.

Wordless Wednesday: Just Doodlin'

 

Help Support West Duluth's Theater Revival

Duluth’s theatrical history is steeped in rich traditions, with iconic venues like The West Theatre and The Alhambra Theatre standing as cultural beacons in the community. These historic landmarks not only drew audiences from across the region but also became deeply woven into the social fabric of Duluth.

  Built in 1937, The West Theatre was a stunning example of Art Deco architecture. It became a popular gathering spot for movie lovers and community members alike. With the changing tides of the entertainment industry and urban development, however, the theater was forced to close its doors in 1976. After decades of dormancy, The West Theater was triumphantly revived in 2019, bringing back its historical charm while serving a new generation of arts and culture enthusiasts.

The Alhambra. Circa 1913

  Similarly, The Alhambra Theater—famed for its lavish design and opulent interior—was a space where vaudeville acts and films transported audiences into worlds of imagination and creativity. While it, too, faced challenges from modern entertainment trends--shuttering with the advents of "talkies"-- the efforts to restore this gem are nearly complete.

  These restorations are more than just architectural projects. They represent the preservation of Duluth’s artistic legacy and the rekindling of community spirit. With The West Theater restored and The Alhambra’s renovation nearing completion, these venues will once again offer spaces where art, performance, and culture thrive.

  By supporting the revival of these theaters, future generations can experience the magic of live performances and cinematic history, keeping Duluth’s cultural heart beating strong.

Help Support West Duluth’s Theatre Revival

The West Theatre is a unique establishment offering movies and entertainment for the community. The Alhambra offers a unique theatre experience as well as entertainment in a beautifully restored venue.

The Alhambra restoration is nearly complete. Located in the heart of West Duluth at 321 N. Central Ave., the theater is on the cusp of reopening, thanks to the dedication and vision of its current owner Bob Boone, and a host of volunteers. To complete the project Boone is offering the following incentives for contributors:

Visionary - Save A Seat $2500/year (or $220 per month)
•  Exclusive newsletter with member recognition on our website.
• Access to purchase tickets during member pre-sales*
• Occasional discounted event tickets.
• Members-only monthly screening.
• Two admissions to West Night, a members only appreciation night
• Four pairs of movie passes.
* Four certificates, each good for a pair of drinks.
• Two tickets to your choice of our special events
• Occasional meet and greet opportunities
* Film party for you and twenty of your friends. (Upon scheduling availability)
• Discounted theater rentals. (Save $350)
* Locally crafted coffee mug
* Pair of custom T-shirts
* Personal Marquee Message
* Annual Unlimited Film Pass For Two
• Name engraved on a brass plate on a seat at The Alhambra.
 
Directors Circle - Save A Seat   $1000/year (or $88 per month)
 • Exclusive newsletter with member recognition on our website.
• Access to purchase tickets during member pre-sales*
• Occasional discounted event tickets.
• Members-only monthly screening.
• Two admissions to West Night, a members only appreciationn night
• Four pairs of movie passes.
* Four certificates, each good for a pair of drinks.
• Two tickets to your choice of our special events
• Occasional meet and greet opportunities
* Film party for you and twenty of your friends. (Upon scheduling availability)
• Discounted theater rentals. (Save $350)
* Locally crafted coffee mug
* Pair of custom T-shirts
• Name engraved on a brass plate on a seat at The West.
 
Icon $500/year (or $44 per month)
• Exclusive newsletter with member recognition on our website.
• Access to purchase tickets during member pre-sales*
• Occasional discounted event tickets.
• Members-only monthly screening.
• Two admissions to West Night, a members only appreciation night
• Three pairs of movie passes.
• Two tickets to your choice of our special events
• Occasional meet and greet oopportunities
* Film party for you and fifteen of your friends. (Upon scheduling availability)
• Discounted theater rentals. (Save $200)
* Locally crafted coffee mug
* Pair of custom T-shirts
 
Leading Role $250/year (or $22 per month)
• Exclusive newsletter with member recognition on our website.
• Access to purchase tickets during member pre-sales*
• Occasional discounted event tickets.
• Members-only monthly screening.
* Two admissions to West Night, a members only appreciation night
• Two pairs of movie passes.
* Film party for you and ten of your friends. (Upon scheduling availability)*
* Locally crafted coffee mug
 
Supporting Cast Membership $100/year (or $9 per month)
• Exclusive newsletter with member recognition on our website.
• Access to purchase tickets during member pre-sales*
• Occasional discounted event tickets.
• Members-only monthly screening.
* Two admissions to West Night, a members only appreciation night
• One pair of movie passes.
 
DETAILS DETAILS DETAILS
* Benefit packages will be mailed directly to members.
* The West and Alhambra are not a 501 C3 non-profit. (In theory, anyway)
* Film parties include private use of our Black Lounge, viewing of a scheduled current film, and free pop and popcorn for you and your guests.
Licensing fees will incur if you want to show your favorite film. There may be a fee if scheduled outside normal operating hours.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

TAKE THE NEXT STEP HERE:

https://www.thewesttheatre.com/support

https://www.thewesttheatre.com/