Bob Berg
Tall Ships Duluth 2013: Parade of Sail
SS Sørlandet approaches the DECC.
Update on Tall Ships lodging availability
If you are planning to visit Duluth during the August celebration of tall-masted ships, we cannot emphasize enough that now (actually yesterday) is the time to make overnight reservations.
Some local lodgings in Duluth-Superior and out as far as 20 miles or more are already booked full.
If you’re still looking for a room, we have a few tips.
- Check with Visit Duluth; the good folks there keep up on available rooms and last-minute cancellations.
- Call bed-and-breakfast inns, even out of town, or think about camping. This week places like Spirit Mountain still had campsites open for that weekend.
- Can you make it a Thursday-Friday visit? The rare room may be available for Thursday night, August 18.
- Think about a day trip if you live close enough to arrive in the morning, spend the full day enjoying the tall-masted ships, the activities and sights and, of course, the World’s Largest Rubber Duck, before heading home.
+ Don’t forget to enter our Tall Ships sweepstakes! You could win a stay in Duluth, tickets to the festival, a ride on a tall ship and more. Six prize packages will be up for grabs.
Duluthian wins NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest
Musician Gaelynn Lea bested more than 6,100 competitors nationally to win the contest. NPR’s Bob Boilen writes:
We at NPR Music watched all of those 6,100 entries and in the end our six judges — Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys and The Arcs, Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe of Lucius, Son Little, Robin Hilton and I — found one artist so compelling we're thrilled about this announcement. Our winner is a haunting fiddler from Duluth, Minn. Her name is Gaelynn Lea.
Watch the performance on YouTube. Prizes include a Tiny Desk concert of her own in Washington, D.C., an appearance on NPR’s “Ask Me Another” and the opportunity to tour the country with NPR.
Sea lamprey numbers rise in Lake Superior: Fisheries officials will hit the invasive, parasitic lamprey hard in 2016, writes Gord Ellis for the CBC. They hope to halve the number of lamprey in the Lake. (Eww alert! The story leads with an in-your-face view of a lamprey.)
Nipigon receives federal funding for its $2.7 million waterfront development: The Ontario town plans to add an observation tower, events park and boardwalk, says Jon Thompson of TBNewsWatch.
How does Ashland develop its murals? The city, known as the Historic Mural Capital of Wisconsin, has a Mural Walk Board to guide the project. Sara M. Chase goes behind the scenes for the Ashland Daily Press.
Climate change and Isle Royale: Park Superintendent Phyllis Green talked with college students this week about the changes already occurring on the Lake Superior island and options for the future, reports Colleen Otte for Great Lakes Echo.
Environmental review of proposed Minnesota copper mine deemed adequate: PolyMet’s contentious project in northeastern Minnesota now moves to the permitting phase, writes John Myers in the Duluth News Tribune.
Thunder Bay marks archaeological site: “A plaque was unveiled on Sunday to recognize a quarry archeologists believe was among the area’s first worksites, some 9,400 years ago,” reports Jon Thompson for TBNewsWatch.
Twin Ports’ U.S. Navy Cadets are fundraising to buy a retired cutter: Currently without a ship of their own, they hope to use the 213-foot vessel for training, outreach and research. Donors can contribute via GoFundMe.
First Ship Contest opens for entries: Guess when the first saltie of the season will arrive in Duluth. The contest, sponsored by Visit Duluth and the Duluth Seaway Port Authority, closes on March 31.
Video: Canada lynx family goes for a stroll in Thunder Bay.