Zimmy’s Restaurant in downtown Hibbing, Minnesota, closed March 6. Zimmy’s was the primary landing spot for Bob Dylan fans who come to the Iron Range to see the music icon’s hometown.
As many of you know I’ve been part of the team that organizes Dylan Days in Hibbing, Minnesota, since 2001. This has been one of our hardest years yet, with the closure of Zimmy’s Restaurant, the spiritual and cultural hub of Dylan Days, where “Dylan pilgrims” have landed for decades.
Well, Dylan Days 2014 will go on. Because the Zimmy’s closure happened just two months before the event, we opted to keep things simple and condense the most popular events into a two day period ending on May 24, Bob Dylan’s birthday. There might be more to announce later, but for now this is what we have:
Dylan Days 2014 to continue despite closure of Zimmy’s restaurant
HIBBING, Minnesota (March 26, 2014) — Dylan Days, the annual celebration of Bob Dylan, music and art in the folk icon’s hometown, will return May 23-24, 2014. Zimmy’s Restaurant, the spiritual home and longtime hub of Dylan Days, closed this spring, but organizers have found a way to keep the event going despite this setback.
In March of 2014, Linda Stroback and Bob Hocking closed Zimmy’s Restaurant in downtown Hibbing due to financial problems.
“Sadly, Zimmy’s will not be open during Dylan Days 2014,” said Aaron Brown, Dylan Days spokesman and co-chair. “This has forced the organizing committee of Dylan Days, which includes Linda, Joe Keyes and myself, to make some hard decisions about our group’s future.
“Dylan Days 2014 will go on,” said Brown. “We will not be able to offer all the same events, but we have scheduled several of our favorite events in a shorter time span.”
Dylan Days 2014 will be condensed into Friday, May 23 and Saturday, May 24, Bob Dylan’s birthday. The literary showcase, singer-songwriter contest and postal-cancellation will all be conducted from new venues. The bus tour will operate as it normally does.
“We hope you’ll join us in Hibbing this May 23-24 to have some fun, enjoy some great music, say thanks to Linda and Bob,” said Brown. “This has been a hard winter for Dylan Days, but we have the warmth of our friends and the talent of so many to look forward to.”
The Dylan Days 2014 singer-songwriter contest will take place at 7 p.m. Friday, May 23 at the Crown Ballroom (214 E. Howard St. in downtown Hibbing). The event will feature restaurant service and a cash bar. The Dylan Days 2014 Literary Showcase will happen at 3:30 Friday, May 23 at Howard Street Booksellers. The bus tour will be Saturday morning at 10:30, followed by the souvenir postal cancellation from 2-4 p.m., also at Howard Street Booksellers. Additional events in the city of Hibbing are pending.
“In light of what’s happened, we’re asking all the music and arts lovers in Hibbing and the surrounding area to get involved,” said Brown. “We welcome new events and new blood to the Dylan Days scene. Thousands of people visit Hibbing every year to learn more about where Dylan came from. Let’s give them a good answer and a good time.”
Dylan Days continues to work with Duluth’s Dylan Fest on the North Country Dylan Celebration, which will feature a week of live music, Dylan tribute and bustling culture in northern Minnesota. Find out more about Dylan Days at dylandays.org.
So glad to hear the Dylan Days Events are still on. Please feel free to join us in Duluth on May 17th for the formal kickoff to the 2014 North Country Dylan Celebration – A Salute to the Music of Bob Dylan Benefit Concert for the Historic Duluth Armory. Best of luck with a successful series of events this year. Nelson
Yes! More fun than a “Barrel of Monkeys,” or even an afternoon of shopping at “Monkey Wards.”