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Entering the next generation of late night
When David Letterman announced his retirement last week, I wrote this note on social media: For about six years I watched Letterman every night. I don’t know what that means, or if the numbers matter, but it feels to me like this mattered a lot. I hope this doesn’t come across as silly, but when…
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Crows keep it real
Springtime in northern Minnesota means all kinds of migratory birds make their annual through-trip. No one migratory bird reminds me of spring, however; rather I look to a bird that hangs around all year to tell me about spring: the crow. Crows are starting to get busy this time of year. They’re louder, more insistent,…
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Hot webcam chicks at L&M Supply
The cold broke over the weekend here in northern Minnesota and we are again operating under the assumption that spring is here. Another sure sign: the chicks at L&M are rocking under the hot lights. Allow me to explain. “The chicks are here” is the phrase you’ll see on the marquee at L&M Supply stores…
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“In a world where gravity is reversed …”
“In a World Where Gravity is Reversed” is part of my 2014 winter/spring sanity project. I will post original cartoons about modern life in northern Minnesota every Friday until the snow melts. Related posts: No related posts.
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Iron Range original music showcase this Saturday
The Iron Range Original Music Association (IROMA) will hold its 5th annual spring showcase Saturday night at 7 at Mac’s Bar in Mountain Iron. Seven local acts will put together six hours of original Iron Range music. Hometown Focus has the press release: Included in the line-up are opening solo acoustic sets by Mark Henderson…
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Hear the Virginia, MN, Great Northern Radio Show
You can hear our most recent episode of the Great Northern Radio Show this Saturday, April 5, from 10 a.m.-noon on Northern Community Radio. Later you’ll be able to download the podcast, allowing everyone to hear the broadcast we did in front of an audience at Mesabi Range College on March 22. We filled the…
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The unexpected poetry of northern Minnesota
April is National Poetry Month, and while I don’t normally remark on the passing of these chronological marketing designations, I do feel inclined to mention poetry here in Northern Minnesota. Most of my instruction regarding poetry came in college from my professor Barton Sutter, a working poet and author in Duluth. If you’re going to…
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Angler loses record lake trout to authorities
The greatest baseball player of all time might have been Pete Rose, but he’s not in the Hall of Fame. The greatest ice fishing catch of all time might have been a 52-pound lake trout caught by Rob Scott of Crane Lake. Rose bet on baseball. Scott caught what certainly would have been a…
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Always darkest before a long, losing baseball season
We’re going to win, Twins; we’re going to score. We’re going to win, Twins, watch that baseball soar. Knock out a home run, shout out … Ugh, I can’t even finish this year. It’s fitting that this year’s quintessential spring holiday — Baseball’s Opening Day — is marred by an ice and snow storm in…
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Birches be like …
We took a week off last week for the Great Northern Radio Show. Back to the grindstone for another entry in my cartoon series: “Birches be like” is part of my 2014 winter/spring sanity project. I will post original cartoons about modern life in northern Minnesota every Friday until the snow melts. Related posts: No…
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Dylan Days 2014 to continue despite Zimmy’s closure
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…
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Grand Rapids event adds voice to homelessness images
People tend to think of social problems being concentrated in the cities because population density forces people to see them. In rural areas and the small towns of northern Minnesota, the problems exist in similar proportion: just often outside the view of most people, most of the time. This is how so many people here…
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Great Northern Radio Show is Saturday night
It’s an exciting day: the live broadcast of my Great Northern Radio Show on Northern Community Radio is Saturday night, beaming out from the Mesabi Range College theater in Virginia, Minnesota. The Great Northern Radio Show broadcasts from small towns and offbeat theaters around northern Minnesota, telling the story of the place and its people,…
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Mesaba Concert Association gets you 15 shows for $35
When we talk about building a vibrant, diversified, creative future for the Iron Range we can’t discount the things we’ve already got going for us. For decades, the Mesaba Concert Association, and their counterparts in Virginia and Ely, have brought quality professional musical entertainment to the Iron Range. They keep the cost to the audience…
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Iron Range mining boss wins dancing competition
It’s not every day that an Iron Range mining company sends me a YouTube video showing their company president dancing to a Ray Charles song from “The Blues Brothers” as he and a professional dancer win the Reif Center’s “Dancing with Our Stars” competition. In fact, this is the first time that has happened. Might…