Best Small Cities In America: Why Duluth Should Be On Your Bucket List

"Firmament" by John Heino. We can't guarantee you'll see Northern Lights,
though I'll guarantee if you do you will not forget it.

The other day I ran across an article about what they claimed were The Best Small Cities in America to Visit for a Weekend.  If you live in a small city you may be curious how your town stacks up. I, naturally, scrolled through the article because I wondered if Duluth might be listed.

The first listed was Bozeman, Montana, which they say is "poised to be the next Boulder, Colorado. It's a town about half the size of Duluth, tucked into the mountains with "a college town vibe." Ah, youth!

Next listed was Ithaca, New York, another college town in a beautiful setting. The autumn colors in Upstate New York's Adirondacks are gorgeous enough to rival Duluth's North Shore in its peak.

Third, we discover Key West, Florida. Population 26,990. It's a party town. It's also the site of a bucket list item for me, the Hemingway home. 500 good words a day was the goal. Keep sharpening pencils till they come. Also noteworthy, Harry Truman had a house here. Duluth has its own Truman monument. Or rather, Truman once spoke here, at the Duluth Armory where young Bob Zimmerman saw Buddy Holly on his Winter Dance Party tour, a couple days before "the music died."

Other towns on the list include Portland (Maine), Santa Fe (New Mexico), South Lake Tahoe (California), Lancaster (Pennsylvania), McMinnville (Oregon) and a bunch of others including three in New England and one each in California, Idaho and Mississippi.

Nearly all weigh in as smaller than Duluth, though Santa Fe does rival our population heft. Nevertheless, they were mistaken not to include this Northland gem in the article. Here's a short list of reasons why Duluth is a great small city.

Duluth has one of only two aerial lift bridges in the world, the 2nd at Lisbon.

1. The Views
2. The Lake (Comes included in most of the views.)
3. The Arts.   Twin Ports Art scene is vibrant and expanding. It's no secret that something is happening here in the arts that will emerge in a more significant way.
4. The People.  It's Minnesota. Minnesota Nice is a way of life.
5. The Events. There are all kinds of events that people come from all over to see and be part of. Here's a short list:

Grandma's Marathon (Third week in June)
Duluth Dylan Fest (Always the week of Bob's birthday. Next year May 16-24)
Homegrown--An 8-day week of homegrown music. (Many of these performers have national, and even international, followers.)
Spirit Nationals Snocross (Thanksgiving weekend.)
John Beargrease Memorial Sled Dog Race (End of January)
DuSu Film Festival (First week in June)
Catalyst Content Festival (Mid-October)
North Shore
South Shore
Concerts in the Park (Too numerous to list.)
Bayfront Blues Festival (August 14-16)

Then there are the 29 parks, hiking trails, mountain biking trails, cross country skiing trails and the skiing at Spirit Mountain. Historic buildings, live jazz, state parks in the vicinity, public art, craft breweries, and much more. If you need more ideas, try VisitDuluth.com.

Painting by the author.

FOR DYLAN FANS who want to visit important historic Dylan-related places and spaces, Harvard professor Richard Thomas, author of Why Dylan Matters, says "Start your Dylan tour in Duluth." You can read Gary Stoller's June 11 Forbes.com article here: Traveling To Unmask Dylan As New Scorsese Movie Debuts.

Sure, it can be pretty cold here sometimes. That's not your problem though, if your only visiting for a long weekend. I suggest a week, though. It usually takes three days just to get settled when you travel, yes? Take off all that internal armor you wear on the job. Unwind. Let the atmosphere settle your nerves. And just "be."

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A Quote Nearly Guaranteed to Surprise You and Make You Think

I've been doing some housecleaning the last few days. By housecleaning, I mean organizing the files on my Mac, as well as some of the content on my blog. It was while doing the latter that I came across the following quote last night:

"The world is too big for us, too much is going on, too many crimes, too much violence and excitement. Try as you will, you get behind in the race in spite of yourself. It's a constant strain to keep pace... and still, you lose ground. Science empties its discoveries on you so fast that you stagger beneath them in hopeless bewilderment. The political world is news seen rapidly, you're out of breath trying to keep pace with who's in and who's out. Everything is high pressure. Human nature can't endure much more."

Can you believe it? That was published 135 years ago on this day in the Atlantic Journal, June 16, 1883. I hear Twilight Zone music.

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When I first started blogging it was out of a desire to learn what blogging was. There were very few rules so it was like feeling my way along in the dark. A lot of those early blog posts began with . excerpts from my 30 years of journalling. Usually I would copy the journal segment and then expound on it, but on a few occasions I simply shared something from my journal as I did on June 22. This was my shortest ever blog post.

Observation from William E. Simon's A Time For Truth. He compares freedom to air. It's something you take for granted until you're without it. 
Sept 4, 1985

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Today is Grandma's Marathon here in the Northland. For the moment it appears that the storms our weather folk predicted are being graciously held at bay, most likely due to the Lake Effect which makes nearly all weather here unpredictable.

The Marathon easily triggers images of runners, and when I think of runners this verse from Ecclesiastes often comes to mind: "I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all." --Eccles. 9:11

Meantime, life goes on all around you. Embrace it.

Wordless Wednesday: More Than A Marathon -- It's A Convention for Runners

GRANDMA'S MARATHON 2017

Marathoners Making Memories at Grandma's

"Running allows me to set my mind free. Nothing seems impossible. Nothing unattainable."
--Kara Goucher

If you're going to run a marathon, you can't pick a more beautiful setting, 26 miles alongside the largest freshwater lake in the world. It's Grandma's Marathon weekend here in Duluth, the biggest spectacle of the year in this port town on the tip of Lake Superior.

For many years I have avoided the congestion produced by massive quantities of runners, friends, families and fans by staying outside of town for the weekend. But having tackled my first 5K last night, and feeling somewhat greater kinship to the packs of runners assaulting our streets, I decided to head down to Mile 23 (Mile 10 for the half marathoners) on London Road (Valentini's) to be a part of the Bob Dylan contingent led by KUMD's Highway 61 Revisited host John Bushey. After all, this is the historic Highway 61 here that all these runners are tramping upon, so the speakers are all set up and blaring even before the first runners arrive.

The weather couldn't be better, an overcast sky for the early part of the race keeps the sun from taking its toll, and not too chilly, perfect for running.

The first wave features the Garry Bjorklund half marathoners, their starting point begin just south of the New Scenic Cafe. Someone said there were 8,000 of them, and when they begin coming by it's like a bell curve with the outliers leading the way. Eventually its the masses, and since we're ten miles into this thing you can see who is and is not having an easy go of it. Before we reach the tail of the half marathoners a car clears the way for the wheelchair racers, men wearing bulging biceps and helmets, flying fast in their specially designed equipment. These troopers began the race in Two Harbors.

After a little while, while straggling half marathoners continue their parade, the pace car for the full marathon comes into view, breaking over the rim of Lemon Drop Hill. As the car glides past we find that a lone Kenyan is running in its wake. A little further back a second, then a bit further till we have two more and another. I overhear someone saying they run like gazelles, smooth and effortless, and I agree, the leaders seem to glide.

The Dylan music blares on, with a lot of live versions of familiar songs. Crowds cheer on these live concert tapes, and at times it sounds like a crowd cheering for the runners, many of whom smile and acknowledge the presence of our Dylan contingent.

Here are a few more photos that might help give a feel for the event and the weekend.

"I will get by... I will survive."
(EdNote: Did not run marathon... only the 5K)

See you next year?

Grandma's Marathon Means Crowded Streets, Too Many People and a Big Weekend in Duluth

Just as robins herald the coming of spring, the runners on area roads are a sign that summer is on its way, and with it Grandma's Marathon. The weekend is filled with traditions. For some its a great time to get out of town. For others, there are spaghetti dinners, bands, parties and the event itself, in various configurations. Tonight it's the William A. Irvin 5k Run, and tomorrow the main events, the Marathon itself, both for runners and wheelchair racers, and the Gary Bjorklund Half Marathon.

The scale of this event is quite impressive. In addition to the 8,000 marathon runners (I'm uncertain of the exact number at the moment), the race involves massive quantities of staff and volunteers, including race officials, water station supporters and medical personnel. (They take safety quite seriously around here.) There's also transportation (shuttles that run the runners up to the start of the race in Two Harbors) and massage tents at the end.

Nearly every runner has a support base, so you have fans and friends joining the throng, which means some serious organization to make sure people get fed, have bathrooms and places to stay. Naturally the city welcomes all these visitors, and the race itself is a great way to showcase Minnesota Nice to those who come from a distance.

One of the more unusual groupa of volunteer regulars is the team at Valentini's on London Road, a little past the halfway point. John Bushey, host of the Highway 61 Revisited radio program on KUMD, has been coming out for years to set up a sound system that plays Dylan music, inspiring runners for the second half of the run while reminding them that Bob Dylan was born here in Duluth, and that across the street there is the Historic Duluth Armory where a teenaged Robert Zimmerman saw Buddy Holly a few days before "the day the music died."

For the runners and fans who are unaware, this is the same Highway 61 that runs all the way down into the Deep South where the Delta Blues was born. From Two Harbors to Canal Park, hugging the shoreline of the largest freshwater lake in the world, this has to be on of the most beautiful marathons in the world to run.

The 5K, which takes place later today, is a much smaller loop (just over three miles) beginning and ending at the William A. Irving ore boat that is docked in a slip alongside the DECC. Last night and today runners have been picking up their race packets, which include bib numbers that have a chip affixed to them so that officials can accurately track their time as the cross the start and finish lines. Grandma's now even has an app that enables race fans to follow the leaders and see how soon they will be arriving at the corner where you'll be standing to cheer them on.

Whether you stay for the race or flee, it's always helpful to know which roads are open and which are going to be closed for much of the day. Here are the details on Grandma's Marathon Road Closures.

Here's a link to another blogger planning to run this weekend, Steve Wagner's Addicted to Running blog.  He expresses the same affection for this race as many of the runners who come when he writes, "Few cities embrace the marathon like Duluth. Race officials nail the logistics and organization, volunteers genuinely care about the runners and residents turn out to support and cheer on participants — making the final 3-4 miles a magical experience. Add a truly terrific point-to-point course and you end up with an amazing experience."

Tonight's my first 5K. I've not run three miles in nearly 40 years, so we'll see how ready I am. The race starts at 6, but there will be activities all day for the devoted. The anticipation has been fun, creating its own sense of energy, though simultaneously I've got jitters as regards where to park, how early to arrive and all the practical elements that experience teaches you. Vamos a ver, as they say.

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Meantime, life goes on all around you. Be part of it.

Local Art Scene: 15 Excerpts from the June Twin Ports Calendar

Zen Swirl by Esther Piszczek

There are moments, above all on June evenings, when the lakes that hold our moons are sucked into the earth, and nothing is left but wine and the touch of a hand. 
--Charles Morgan  

Here we go. Fasten your seatbelts. We're on the cusp of yet another big month of arts activities in the Twin Ports. Big shout-out to Esther Piszczek for compiling all these events for us. She's a true trooper on this stuff, and a huge source of encouragement. Thank you, Esther.

I threw in the Grandma's Marathon at the end of this list only because I will be running my first 5K that weekend. As the locals are well aware, it's always good to know which weekend the town will be blam-jammed with runners and their friends, so you can either join the party or flee to the hills.

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1. Starts tonight. The Duluth Superior Film Festival runs May 31-June 4. Here's where to get the full menu.

2. Thursday, June 1, 6-8 p.m., Sinew: Female Native Artists of the Twin Cities, Artist Reception, Tweed Museum of Art, 1201 Ordean Court "An exhibition curated by Dyani White Hawk, who is also one of the eight artists featured. The show was originally organized for artistry in Bloomington, MN in conjunction with the Guerilla Girls Twin Cities takeover. The exhibition presents an eclectic selection of works by each artist that include paintings, prints, weaving, drawings, digital videos and sculptures. Other artists: Carolyn Anderson, Julie Buffalohead, Andrea Carlson, Elizabeth Day, Heid Erdrich, Louise Erdrich, Maggie Thompson and Dyani White Hawk. On view at the Tweed Museum of Art through September 24, 2017.

3. Thursday, June 1, 6-8 p.m., Ellen Taylor Artist Reception, Beaner's Central Concert Coffeehouse, 324 N. Central Avenue.

"Dreamtiger" by Ed Newman

4. Monday, June 5, 5-7 p.m., Art Show Opening & Reception: Larry Turbes: Figure Paintings and Scripture, Zeitgeist Atrium, 222 E. Superior St. "Larry Turbes is primarily a self-taught artist, working for the past 24 years drawing, painting and sculpting. His focus is the human figure.... Since retiring from architecture in 2015, now dedicates full time to his art."

5. Saturday, June 10, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Nice Girls of the North 2nd Saturday Marketplace, Lakeside Lester Park Community Center (the former Lakeside Library), 106 N. 54th Ave. East. "Free coffee, cookies, and a friendly atmosphere await while you browse a collection of handcrafted clothing and bags, pottery, jewelry, stained glass, photography, personal care products, baby items and much more. One central checkout, most major credit cards accepted."

6. Thursday, June 15, 5:30 p.m., Arrowhead Regional Arts Council Celebration, Fitger’s Brewery Complex, 600 E. Superior St. "Executive Director Bob DeArmond of Arrowhead Regional Arts Council is retiring after 30 years of work with the organization. There will be food, drinks and music at the event."

7. Monday, June 19, 5-7 p.m., Stephanie Wilcox Art Show and Reception, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Community Room, 425 W. Superior St., Suite 1060.  "Join Stephanie for an artist reception featuring a one night pop-up of her handmade jewelry and other small works in addition to the show! Refreshments provided. All are welcome!" Show runs June 1-July 17.

8. Wednesday, June 21, 6:30-9:00 p.m., Zentangle (R) & Wine with Esther Piszczek, CZT, Master Framing Gallery, 1431 London Road. Come experience the fun and relaxation of drawing simple, repetitive line patterns with pen and ink and pencil shading. No previous drawing experience necessary. Class Cost: $35; Supplies: $10 (or use supplies provided without additional cost). RSVP to episzczek@gmail.com. Seats are limited.

9. Saturday, June 24, Chum Rhubarb Festival 2017, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., London Road along 11th Avenue E. (outside the First Lutheran Church) "Chum’s 13th annual Rhubarb Festival promises lots of rhubarb — including hundreds of pies, muffins and crisps, as well as rhubarb brats and burritos. There will also be live music, games, crafts, auctions and stage shows."

Park Point Art Fair, 2011

10. Saturday & Sunday, June 24 & 25, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Park Point Art Fair 2017, Park Point Public Beach House, 5000 Minnesota Ave. "The 47th annual Park Point Art Fair will feature the juried fine art and crafts of over 120 artists from the upper Midwest and beyond. In addition to the outdoor gallery, there will be a food court, demonstration areas, a stage with live music and more — all at the Park Point Recreation Area."

Each year, an estimated 10,000+ visitors attend the weekend festival as artists display and sell work in media such as ceramics, glass, jewelry, painting, photography, woodwork and sculpture. With artist tents lining a paved path that extends through the park, the show allows people with physical disabilities the chance to fully experience the event."

11. Thursday, June 29, 5-7 p.m., Exhibit Reception for Jonathan Thunder, Robert Dewitt Adams, Elizabeth LaPensee and Chris Sellek, Duluth Art Institute at the Depot, 506 W. Michigan St. "Jonathan Thunder’s solo exhibit showcases a new body of paintings dedicated to deities in Ojibwe mythology placed in a contemporary context. The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue. The adjacent gallery features “Play” — showcasing the work of artists Robert DeWitt Adams, Elizabeth LaPensee, and Chris Sellek — who explore games, gaming and game mechanics in their work."

12. The Farmer's Markets are blossoming. Here are places to find fresh produce this summer and harvest seasons:

Tuesdays, 3-7 p.m, Hilltop Farmer's Market, First United Methodist Church, (Copper Top), 230 E. Skyline Parkway (formerly @ UMD)
Wednesdays, 2-6 p.m., Duluth Farmer's Market, 14th Avenue E. & 3rd Street
Thursdays, 4-7 p.m., Lincoln Park Farmer's Market, Harrison Community Center, 3002 W. 3rd St.
Saturdays, 7 a.m.-12 p.m., Duluth Farmer's Market, 14th Avenue E. & 3rd Street
Saturdays, 8 a.m.-12 p.m., Barkers Island Farmer's Market, parking lot near the S.S. Meteor at Hwy 2/53 and Marina Drive in Superior, WI

Photo from the Bill Pagel exhibit.

13. Throughout the month of June you can still see the Bill Pagel's exhibit of archival Dylan memorabilia and historic documents. Here's a link to the show Einstein Disguised As Robin Hood. For those who do not know Bill Pagel, he's been written about in chapter one of the book The Dylanonlogists by Pulitzer Prize-winning author (and Dylan fan) David Kinney. He also collects artwork, which it is Dylan-themed, so is worthy of a blog post about local arts happenings. Maybe one day we'll curate a show of the paintings he's purchased over the years.

14. Speaking of Dylan-themed paintings, I currently have several paintings on display at Goin' Postal and at Art on the Planet, both of these on Tower Avenue in Superior. (1400 block and 800 block.) Check 'em out. You can see the variety of Dylan portraits I've generated at my Flickr pages.

15. Oh, and let's not forget Grandma's Marathon... Just so you can plan around it. Grandma's is the third weekend of June, with activities from Thursday thru Saturday. Details HERE.

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Esther Extras

Learn a Tangle! Draw along with ZT co-founder Rick Roberts in this 12 minute video from the Kitchen Table Tangles series and see what he does with his unexpected OOPS! moment while drawing the tangle Diva Dance through his original tangle Paradox.

Her Book & Film

Patterned Peace, by Esther Piszczek, CZT, published by Whole Person Associates, Duluth. Available on Amazon.com, at The Bookstore at Fitger's, and Duluth Fine Pianos. Original, hand-drawn artwork ready to color. Includes full pattern index.

Life & Art Entangled, a 17 minute art documentary created by Lola Visuals featuring Zentangle (R) inspired artwork on a piano created by fine-line pattern artist Esther Piszczek, CZT, and the improvisational jazz piano music of Peter Brown. Life & Art Entangled debuted at the 2016 Duluth Superior Film Festival. Watch here on YouTube.com.

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