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Vaudeville throwback show slated for two-week Range run
The Lyric Opera House in Virginia, Minnesota. The Lyric Center for the Arts in downtown Virginia, Minnesota, will be doing a Vaudeville throwback called “The Last Train to Winnipeg.” Set in Virginia of the 1920s, the show depicts a Vaudeville troop trying to catch the last train north. “The Last Train to Winnipeg” runs…
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Saving cute animals on the Range by eating delicious ones
The Iron Range of northern Minnesota is the kind of place where people are capable of loving animals and eating animals with similar fervor. If push comes to shove, we’ll eat an animal we love. We might even name an animal we plan to eat, if only to have something interesting to write on the…
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Never mind #SharkWeek, this is #AsianCarpCentury
Progress Illinois Sure, those Great White Sharks on the Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week” are menacing, to the point that this cable channel’s annual tradition gets a Macklemore shout-out. But you know what? Sharks don’t bother me. We’re in the Midwest, for one, and we’re thousands of miles from salt water. Plus, Mayor Don Ness of…
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Doc ‘Moonlight’ Graham Days begin in Chisholm, MN
Doc “Moonlight” Graham Days begin today in Chisholm, Minnesota. The long weekend of events pay tribute to the longtime town doctor who enjoyed a short stint in Major League Baseball, unbeknownst to many he served. This served as the inspiration for a character of the same name in the W.P. Kinsella novel “Shoeless Joe,” which…
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Pat, Donna Surface offer free Range show at Abraham Center
It’s a busy weekend on the Range as Saturday, Aug. 10 also brings Pat and Donna Surface to the B’nai Abraham Cultural Center in Virginia, Minnesota for a special show. These talented musicians are from Ely with ties to the LaPlant musical family of Grand Rapids. Abraham Museum and Cultural Center Presents…REMEMBER WHEN – A…
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‘Northern Train’ features strong lineup of original musicians
The Third Annual Northern Train Music Festival is slated for Sunday, Aug. 11 at the Mont du Lac Ski and Recreation Area outside Superior, Wisconsin. In addition to a cool train logo (I’m a sucker for train logos) the event features some of the region’s best original musicians, including several who have appeared on the…
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Dylan sculpture in Duluth falls well short of goal
Last week, the Kickstarter project to fund the Bob Dylan sculpture in downtown Duluth fell well short of its $159,000 goal. Sculptor Tom Page, of Cohasset, is going back to the drawing board to consider a “Plan B” for bringing the image to life. I honestly thought the project would draw more backing, what with…
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Tamburitzan show slated for Iron Range on Aug. 11
This looks cool. The Duquesne University Tamburitzans will perform at the Minnesota Discovery Center (nee Ironworld) on Sunday, Aug. 11 from 2-4 p.m. This eastern European folk music is practically a soundtrack of Iron Range history, and Duquensne — from the steel town outside Pittsburgh — is one of the best purveyors of the craft.…
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Range filmmaker featured on Buzzfeed for indie film tips
Promotional still from “Pollywogs.” Last month I shared the story of Hibbing native Karl Jacob’s independent film “Pollywogs” making its debut at the LA Film Festival. The movie was filmed on the Iron Range. Jacob recently published an article on BuzzFeed entitled “10 Easy(ish) Steps To Making The Indie Movie of Your Dreams.” The list…
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Hibbing native jazz singer Evingson featured on NPR
Jazz singer Connie Evingson was featured on last week’s “Weekend Edition” on NPR, giving a charming interview about her music and upbringing on Minnesota’s Iron Range. Evingson was raised just down the street from Bob Dylan’s boyhood home in Hibbing, Minnesota. She’s played a number of shows on the Iron Range over the years. The…
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Northern MN ‘showboat’ tradition on Mighty Miss this weekend
You can still catch one of the coolest theater traditions of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, with this weekend’s closing performances of the Mississippi Melodie Showboat. Hometown Focus ran a lovely feature on the annual riverside music tradition in this northern town. You might recall that the boat sank last year. But don’t worry, they’ve got…
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Hey Hey, Iron Range, time for the St. Louis County Fair
The St. Louis County Fair is this week, starting Thursday and running through Sunday at the fairgrounds in Chisholm. This is the “northern” St. Louis County fair, and I apologize for neglecting to discuss the southern one last week. The “North” is the Iron Range fair, the larger of the two, and the one that…
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Trampled by Turtles ‘Alone’ to be featured in major film
Trampled by Turtles Yesterday, the northern Minnesota alt-bluegrass band Trampled by Turtles announced its hit single “Alone” is featured in the film “The Way Way Back” starring Steve Carell and Toni Collette. Here’s the film’s trailer. Looks pretty good: And, if you somehow missed it, here’s the Trampled by Turtles video for “Alone”: Related posts:…
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Catch me (but mostly music) at Miss. River Fest
This weekend Northern Community Radio is hosting its 9th annual Mississippi River Festival at the Rotary Tent near its studios next to Johnny Cash’s “Big River” in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. They’ll be broadcasting the event on their airwaves as well, but nothing beats seeing the music live with the Mississippi River flowing behind the performers.…
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Finnish American author debuts new mystery novel
Thought I’d highlight this recent release from North Star Press of St. Cloud. “Shadow Play” by Debbi Lampi follows a widow as she relocates her family to Rochester, Minnesota, only to encounter a dangerous woman from the asylum where she works. Author Debbie Lampi is a Finnish American. In recent correspondence with her I learned…