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Oh, dear, have we jumped the shark?
The third “Come Home, Bob” video got some play on local news last night (Northland News Center, Channels 3, 6 and 11). I don’t know what it means when the fourth estate not only accepts but actively participates in a satirical marketing campaign, but that’s what has happened here. Maybe I just don’t want to…
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"Come Home Bob" draws some wanna-Bobs
Feast your eyes on the third video from Iron Range Tourism inviting hometown legend Bob Dylan back to the Iron Range (Come Home Bob). It probably now goes without saying that we’re having some fun with this. We hope Bob (and you) like the homespun humor. I made note some time ago that my participation…
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Actual gypsies also welcome at "Gypsy" in Hibbing
Those looking for a fun time on the Iron Range this weekend should check out the Hibbing Community College Theater’s production of “Gypsy,” which closes Sunday. The shows tonight and Saturday night start at 7:30. and the Sunday matinee is at 1:30 p.m. The wife and I shall put on our theater clothes to attend…
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Brown on the Air: HOMEMADE!
My weekly commentary for the Saturday, May 1, 2010 edition of “Between You and Me” on 91.7 KAXE joins the call-in/music program’s rotating topic of “homemade.” Are things you make on your own inherently better than the things you buy from the store? There’s some annual thing about beer going on that day at the…
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At the blogroads
It’s been a gut check week for me and this blog. I had intended for MinnesotaBrown to be a titanic force at last weekend’s DFL convention in Duluth. We had some fun, I guess. My convention re-cap got a little bit of attention, but mostly I was just another delegate struggling with the lousy wi–fi…
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Drain that pit
While I was busy at the convention I missed this Bob Kelleher MPR story on the Canisteo Pit by Bovey from last Friday. The mine pit waters in the Canisteo have been steadily rising since mining ended there decades ago and the water is now starting to flood Bovey. If the pit wall fails, parts…
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At DFL convention the Range yells a mighty Yalp
I’ve spent a day decompressing from my service as a delegate to the DFL state convention in Duluth this weekend (or, if you are not of that political ilk, I was instead gathering among the Bear People). Margaret Anderson Kelliher won party backing for the office of governor. That’s well known. From my standpoint, the…
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Try a little poetry/folk music fusion this week on ‘da Range
Perhaps you find yourself in the vicinity of the Iron Range and in need of quality entertainment and culture this week? Indeed, you’re in luck. The Sutter Brothers, a poetry and music duo, is touring Iron Range libraries all week long. A poetry-and-music duo, The Sutter Brothers have performed all over Minnesota and beyond—from Sandstone’s…
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Get your signed copy of "Overburden" between ballots
If you happen to be at the DFL convention in Duluth this weekend, consider stopping by to buy a signed copy of “Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range.” I’m a delegate out of the Itasca County group and will be on the floor. The books probably won’t be on the floor, but I’ll be…
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Follow @minnesotabrown for Range-centric, utterly atypical convention feed
My 2010 DFL Convention blogging is off to a slow start. Good thing there’s a generous dropoff rule, or I’d be out of the running for most awesome bloggy person writing vaguely accurate information on an iPod Touch. Ever try to get out of the house with three screaming boys under age 5 when you…
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Iron Range planetarium in danger
I neglected to mention that a community meeting will take place in Hibbing tonight at 6 to discuss the possible fate of the Paulucci Space Theater, until recently the largest planetarium in Minnesota. The place has been a longstanding favorite for Iron Range school kids in the months of April and May as it displayed…
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More on the Ironworld revival
Here’s an update on yesterday’s Iron Range Resources Board decision to help reopen the former Ironworld research center and museum in Chisholm. Brush up with this story from the Duluth News Tribune. As I posted last night the IRR has allocated $1 million from the mining tax revenue paid in lieu of local property taxes…
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Former Ironworld facility to reopen
Word has come from St. Paul that the Iron Range Resources Board has approved a plan that would reopen of the Minnesota Discovery Center to the tune of about $1 million. This would entail a stripped down version of the operations seen before the facility closed amid financial struggles late last year. Details will be…
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My first Iron Range economic post for MinnEcon
Today I pull another media crossover/convergence/synergy gambit with this inaugural contribution to the MinnEcon blog by Minnesota Public Radio. I’ll be offering occasional video and text reports on the Iron Range economy as it relates to the state economy as a whole. This first one talks about how the Range economy is emerging from a…
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How iron becomes steel, starring the Range (for beginners)
Video: mxylkaxl by way of History Channel, found via MinnPost. This is the geeky sort of thing that inspired my book “Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range,” though I throw in more jokes and talk about my feelings. Related posts: No related posts.