Photos from Our Duluth Dylan Fest Birthday Celebration at the Hillside Home of Bob Dylan

It was 80 degrees here the day before, then 40 on Monday the 24th as we shivered against the cold on Duluth's Central Hillside. The forecast had been for rain, but the weather gods smiled and we were blessed. A crowd of 90 people or so came to hear music, a few short talks, a reading of the Proclamation of our Year of Dylan and lots of camaraderie as we celebrated Bob Dylan's 80th birthday. 

Souvenir pens for fans and collectors.

519 North 3rd Avenue East. First home of
Robert Allen Zimmerman. The family lived upstairs in this duplex. 

Greg Tiburzi has been providing accompaniment for longer than
I can remember at this annual event. 

Bill Pagel (leather jacket on right) owns both houses Bob Dylan
grew up in here in the Northland. Talking with Christa Lawler 
of the News Tribune who also served as a judge in the 
singer/songwriter contest.

Miriam Hansen (L) keeps the flame lit as host of the 
KUMD radio show Highway 61 Revisited. With Zane Bail. 
Notice how they are mugging for the camera rather than 
listening to the speaker. (wink)

County Commissioner Frank Jewell read the Official Proclamation.
Jewell has served 10 years as commissioner, 4 years on the
City Council and a lifetime as a community organizer.

View from up the hill.

A volunteer hands out copies of the Proclamation
regarding our Year of Dylan in St. Louis County.

Zane Bail (R) has been the Chair and primary engine for the 
Duluth Dylan Fest Committee this past decade. 
Sunbonnet Sue (L) is an Honorary Duluthian for her 10 years 
of annual service to the cause of honoring Bob Dylan's Birthday.
It takes a village... and we've welcomed her to our tribe.

Craig Grau, retired professor from UMD welcomed the gathering crowd of well-wishers, then introduced writer/blogger Ed Newman who shared remarks about how amazing that Robert Allen Zimmerman was once a toddler who played on this very porch. Mighty oaks emerge from tiny seeds. After Commissioner Frank Jewell read the proclamation we all sang a cheerful, heartfelt Happy Birthday chorus.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BOB!

We're saving a piece of cake for you. 

Thanks for all you have given us.

* * * 

All photos on this page courtesy Michael K. Anderson,

our exceptional documentarian.

Bob Dylan Turns 80: Too Many Events, Too Little Time -- Photos from Saturday

The Zimmerman home in Hibbing where young Bob
lived before setting off on his life adventure. 

Saturday was the groundbreaking for a memorial in front of the historic Hibbing High School, organized by a team called The Hibbing Project. I was told there were about 80 people present, one for each year of his life, I guess. After the event at the high school the festivities moved down the street to the former Hibbing home of Bob Dylan, now owned by Bill Pagel.

Saturday was also the opening day of the Dylan @ 80: TU Institute for Bob Dylan Studies, the first of three days of streaming roundtables, presentations and information about the historic Bob Dylan archives which have been acquired, assorted and will be studied for years to come. 

And finally, Saturday was the kickoff of our nine-day Duluth Dylan Fest, honoring Duluth's native son with music, poetry and other events.  

Saturday in Duluth began with a tour of historic places related to the Bob Dylan story, which technically begins in Duluth. (Theoretically, you can go deeper into Dylan's roots and find elements of his family history that prove relevant to his formative development. Some of that is covered in Dave Engel's book Just Like Bob Zimmerman's Blues. Mr. Engel will be our featured speaker in the John Bushey Memorial Lecture Series this coming weekend.) 

8 VIPs with gold shovels. Bill Pagel hoped to 
steal one for his archives.

The evening events included a special show on KUMD's Highway 61 Revisited, hosted by Miriam. Afterwards the Bob Dylan Revue reunited to perform a socially distanced and streamlined live show, one of many events featuring Dylan music. The photos here begin with the Hibbing Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Dylan Project, photos courtesy Nelson French grew up nearby in the 'hood.

* * * 

The city creatively embellished
the crosswalk in front of Bob's home.

The photos beneath, courtesy Michael Anderson, 

feature the event at Sacred Heart. 

* * * 

TODAY IS BOB DYLAN'S BIRTHDAY

This week is Duluth Dylan Fest. Join us.
Many events this week will be streaming, some 
will be live, like the Birthday Party on the Porch 
here in Duluth where young Robert spent his 1st six years.
1:00 p.m. CST. We'll meet you there.

Duluth Dylan Fest Links

www.bobdylanway.com

www.duluthdylanfest.com

www.facebook.com/duluthdylanfest/

A Happy 80th Birthday Crossword Puzzle for Dylan Fans

My granddaughter Lena is also
a Dylan fan.

My daughter creates crossword puzzles, many of which have been published in the NYTimes and other major publications. Because she's also a Dylan fan I thought she would not object to my requesting a Dylan-themed crossword puzzle for his 80th birthday. It's not quite as easy as a Word Find puzzle. It will make you scratch your noggin, much like trying to resolve the meanings of many of Dylan's lyrics. 

Speaking of puzzles, Dylan used the word "puzzle" only once in all his catalog. Bonus question to those who solve the crossword: In which Dylan song did the word Puzzle appear? 

* * * *

The NYTimes image below is filler so as to put a little more separation between the puzzle and its solution. Look at the answers only if you've given up all hope. Enjoy!

One of Christina's puzzles was published on January 1, 2020
the first NYTimes puzzle of the new decade. 

SOLUTION:

TRIVIA ANSWER: "All Over You"
        Bootleg Series Vol. 9: The Witmark Demos

        "Well, you cut me like a jigsaw puzzle..."

"Happy Birthday, Bob!"

EdNote: Every blog post this week will be Dylan-themed in one way or another. If Dylan is not your thing, come back in June. There's a backlog of other material waiting to be shared.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BOB

Related Links

On Breaking In to the New York Times Crossword Puzzle Community

Making Crosswords for Fun and Profit: A Visit with Christina Iverson

This week is Duluth Dylan Fest
Many of our events will be streaming.

Duluth Dylan Fest Links

www.bobdylanway.com

www.duluthdylanfest.com

www.facebook.com/duluthdylanfest/