Attracted To Duluth

What happens when one guy gets a little carried away with his Christmas lights? Twenty three years later, you get the tallest man made Christmas tree in the country being walked down Railroad Street by a crane.

This week we sat down with Nathan Bentley, founder of Bentleyville Tour of Lights, the largest free walk-through holiday lights display in the nation. It started in 2003 at his house in Esko, got its name from a coworker who thought he was going overboard, survived a neighbor petition out on the Crosby Road, and landed at Bayfront Festival Park in 2009 after a half hour meeting with Mayor Don Ness. Nathan said yes before he had ever stepped foot in Bayfront.

He has never been paid a cent for any of it. He’s down there every single night, and he gave us more behind the scenes details than we expected, including a few he says have never been shared before.

WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT

Bentleyville was never planned. A lot of what we love today came from friends tossing out “the big idea” while setting up lights on weekends.

The $2 candy bars with golden tickets help fund a nearly $1 million operation, and yes, the whole idea came straight from Willy Wonka.

The giant tree happened because of a phone call where the ironworkers thought Nathan said 12 feet, not 120.

Ironworkers and carpenters union students build the tree, the gift shop, the phone booths, and the giant moons as part of their training.

Bentleyville has been the setting for first dates, proposals, weddings inside the tree, and a couple of final wishes that had us tearing up in the studio.

Locals, go on a weeknight. If you must go on a Saturday, show up around 8:15. Nathan was very clear about this.

At its heart it’s a food and toy drive for the Salvation Army, so bring more than one can of soup.

OUR FAVORITE QUOTES

“Accidental things happen to me. And that usually turns out pretty good.”

“Our outhouse bill is more than the electric bill.”

“Stop coming early, come late. You’re going to outsmart the smart people.”

“Some people get tattoos. Some people make light displays.”

“We cannot be seen with last year’s Bentleyville hat.”

CHAPTERS

01:37 Bentleyville with an attitude

07:52 Golden tickets and a four wheeler

13:59 The 12 foot tree that wasn’t

39:01 The stories that stay with you

53:15 The bill nobody guesses

1:04:04 Come late, trust us

1:16:17 What it’s really about

YOUR TURN

What’s a tradition in your life that started by accident, and who do you want standing next to you the next time you show up for it?

CONNECT WITH BENTLEYVILLE

Bentleyville opens Saturday, November 21 at 5 pm with Santa arriving by helicopter, and runs through Saturday, December 26 at Bayfront Festival Park.

Red Kettle Carnival is Wednesday, November 4, the only night the public can go inside the tree.

Volunteer signups open on the website the first week of November.

bentleyvilleusa.org

[email protected]

FIND US OUT IN THE WILD

Caroline is at Visit Duluth: visitduluth.com

Hailey is at the Depot: experiencethedepot.org 

MB01IXPK17IX466

What does it take to tell a story everyone thinks they already know? For Ian Grant, it meant dropping a camera 750 feet down to a Lake Superior wreck and standing with the families of the Edmund Fitzgerald on the 50th anniversary.

Most Fitzgerald stories end at the bottom of Lake Superior. Ian Grant’s starts there. Ian grew up right here in Duluth, and he’s the creator and host of Culture Quest on PBS. He fell down a YouTube rabbit hole of reaction videos to Gordon Lightfoot’s song, and by his own account spent about half an hour weeping. That turned into a two hour national PBS special about the Fitz and the bigger, mostly hidden world of Great Lakes shipping.

We got the whole adventure. An underwater robot nearly stuck on a wreck, his cinematographer (also named Ian) turning green between Eagle Harbor and Whitefish Bay, blowing the horn on the Aerial Lift Bridge, and being the only outside film crew allowed into the families’ private bell ceremony. Plus a toboggan detour, because of course.

WHAT WE’RE TAKING WITH US

There have been over 6,000 shipwrecks and more than 30,000 deaths on the Great Lakes. We live next to this history and our jaws were still on the floor.

Lake Superior waves have no backs. Fresh water makes them taller and sharper, and they come twice as fast as ocean swells.

During World War II, FDR sent 7,000 troops to guard the Soo Locks, because nearly all the iron ore for American steel passed through them.

Captain McSorley was considered one of the best on the lakes. When his ship went down, captains started seeking safe harbor instead of pushing through.

Folk songs have carried shipwreck stories for as long as people have sailed, and Lightfoot’s song is a big reason the Fitz reached the whole country.

Shipping nerds are everywhere, from the Lift Bridge to the viewing stands in Sault Ste. Marie. Some captains have thousands of Facebook fans.

Ian’s advice for anyone who wants to do this kind of work: film what you love, and do right by the people who trust you with their stories.

OUR FAVORITE QUOTES

“I didn’t want to leave 1,000 feet of wire on this wreck where 17 people died.” Ian Grant

“You can go from this beautiful mill pond to this insane maelstrom.” Ian Grant

“Go after what you find interesting and your people are out there. You’ll find them.” Ian Grant

“It’s not just content to them.”

“She’s really mad today. She’s wild.”

CHAPTERS

00:00 The story that starts at the bottom of the lake

01:09 A rabbit hole that became a two hour special

11:22 The Fitzgerald’s last night

17:29 Waves with no backs

27:43 750 feet down on the Steinbrenner

44:27 Inside the private bell ceremony

1:00:34 From Duluth kid to PBS host

YOUR TURN

What’s a story from where you live that you grew up with but never really looked at closely? Go find out a little more about it. And next time you see a freighter come under the Lift Bridge, give the crew a wave.

CONNECT WITH IAN

Culture Quest on PBS and YouTube

Ian’s Edmund Fitzgerald special is expected on YouTube in early November, with PBS stations airing it around December.

Culture Quest on PBS: https://www.pbs.org/show/culture-quest/ 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmXOKhilfu3LIkrLgrtcUuw 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/culture_quest_television/ 

FIND US OUT IN THE WILD

Caroline is at Visit Duluth: visitduluth.com

Hailey is at the Depot: experiencethedepot.org 

A twenty six foot Roman god stood in Canal Park for three and a half years, then burned to the ground before anyone could get a photo of it. We still don't fully know why almost nobody remembers this happened.

Ron Gustafson found us by accident. He came by the office to drop off a gift for Jay Gabler, a former guest and dear friend of the show, who's now writing for the New York Times (name drop!), and while he was there he mentioned a memorial candle, some postcards, and a statue we had never heard of.

That was enough to get us curious, so we showed up to his event on June 4th with our families and ended up in a small, wonderful crowd honoring a piece of Duluth history that basically vanished.

Ron brought the whole story to the podcast, complete with an original memorial song, a hand commissioned sketch of the fire, and a running bit about paper mache being a genuinely bad material choice.

KEY THEMES AND TAKEAWAYS

The King of Neptune statue was installed in Canal Park in October 1959 to celebrate the opening of the Saint Lawrence Seaway, which is a much bigger deal than it sounds like now

It was built by sculptor Norman Anderson, the same artist behind Big Smokey Bear in International Falls and the original Pioneer Woman at the State Fair

Not everyone loved it. A 1960 letter to the editor called for it to be sunk in Lake Superior…

In 1963, maintenance workers using a cutting torch to remove the statue's support bolts accidentally set the paper mache and plastic surface on fire. No one was hurt

The statue burned in minutes and there are no known photographs of the fire, which is why Ron commissioned an eyewitness style sketch to document it

A firefighter saved the trident from the wreckage, but it has since gone missing. Consider this an open invitation to the search party

Ron now hosts an annual memorial gathering every June 4th, and the goal is simple: keep this weird little chapter of Duluth history from disappearing again

OUR FAVORITE QUOTES

"For sheer ugliness, must rate some sort of Oscar"

"City officials expressed surprise today that the materials were so inflammable"

"I don't own history. No one owns history"

"There's an object lesson in the reality of life's vulnerabilities"

CHAPTER MARKERS

02:06 Meet the King of Neptune

05:07 How a postcard started all of this

08:27 The sculptor behind Smokey Bear and a Roman god

13:11 Not everyone was a fan

20:11 The reveal nobody photographed

26:27 Inflammable does not mean what you think it means

39:24 Planning next year's Neptune Day

YOUR TURN

Is there a piece of your own town's history that's on the edge of being forgotten? What would it take to bring it back, even just for one afternoon a year?

CONNECT

Neptune Day returns June 4th, 2027 (maybe the 5th too). The planning committee is actively recruiting, so if you want in, this is your sign.

You can contact Ron via email: [email protected]

FIND US OUT IN THE WILD

Caroline is at Visit Duluth: visitduluth.com

Hailey is at the Depot: experiencethedepot.org 

MB01E6ZOVHQW0KG

Every Duluth kid who grew up racing down Chester's ski hill has a memory tied to that little brown chalet. We sat down with Dave Schaefer, executive director at Chester Bowl, to talk about the Tom Storm Chalet renovation, the Growing Up Chester capital campaign, and of course Fall Fest, which is barreling toward us on September 19th. 

Dave has been at Chester Bowl for thirteen years, and it shows. He talks about summer camp, ski season, and a scrappy nonprofit that saved these programs back in 2009 with the same warmth he'd use talking about his own kids.

KEY THEMES AND TAKEAWAYS

Chester Bowl's programs trace back over a hundred years, starting as a city rec center before a scrappy group of parent volunteers saved them during the 2008 recession

The chalet is being rebuilt from the foundation up, growing from two floors to three so it can finally be fully accessible with an elevator

Fall Fest turns 42 this year and pulls in up to 10,000 people for craft vendors, food trucks, music, and a whole lot of caramel apples

The new building will include historical displays tracing Chester Park back to the 1890s, including its surprising role in early girls' high school skiing

Programs like Girl Shred are working to make the terrain park a safer, more welcoming space for girls and women

Chester Bowl runs almost entirely on affordability and volunteers, from free lessons to a teen cadet program that keeps kids engaged for years

The campaign still needs about 200,000 dollars to reach the finish line, and every bit of community support gets them closer

OUR FAVORITE QUOTES

“I like to think of it as that ideal childhood of go outside and play”

“It breaks my heart when grandparents can't see their grandkids race because there's no elevator”

“We exist to get people outside and to build community”

“How we treat each other is just so important”

“It's that place that they feel safe and comfortable”

CHAPTER MARKERS

01:00 Meet Dave and the heart of Chester Bowl

04:00 How volunteers saved the park's programs in 2009

12:00 Down to the foundation, building Growing Up Chester

14:00 Why every floor will finally be accessible

27:00 Fall Fest traditions, caramel apples and cowbells

40:00 A hundred years of history, preserved

51:00 The story that says it all

ABOUT DAVE AND CHESTER BOWL

Dave Schaeffer is the Executive Director of Chester Bowl, a Duluth nonprofit that's been running programming in Chester Park since 1982. Chester Bowl operates a downhill ski and snowboard area, a summer day camp, and Fall Fest, all built around making outdoor recreation affordable and accessible for every family in Duluth.

Right now, Chester Bowl is in the middle of its biggest project yet: rebuilding the Tom Storm Chalet from the foundation up through the Growing Up Chester capital campaign, expanding it to three fully accessible floors.

Learn more or donate at chesterbowl.org and growingupchester.org 

YOUR TURN

Is there a place in your life that raised you a little, the way Chester raised generations of Duluth kids? What would it take for you to give back to it this season?

FIND US OUT IN THE WILD

Caroline is at Visit Duluth: visitduluth.com

Hailey is at the Depot: experiencethedepot.org 

MB01GVOBVQF1D5Y

Before Canal Park had lake walks and gift shops, it had brothels, knife fights, and a woman named Madam Gain who basically ran the whole street. We're not making this up.

This week is another one of our history deep dives, and it might be the wildest one yet. Hailey spent time digging through newspaper clippings from the 1880s through the 1910s, all documenting the chaos that used to happen on Saint Croix Avenue, the street that eventually became Canal Park Drive.

Before the shops, before Grandma's, before the bridge selfies, this was Duluth's segregated district. The city knew exactly what was happening there and let it keep happening as long as the fines kept rolling in. We read through arrest reports, fire investigations, and street brawls straight out of the Duluth News Tribune, and honestly, the 1890s newspaper writers had more flair for drama than most modern journalists.

KEY THEMES AND TAKEAWAYS

How Canal Park started out as an industrial zone and red light district, not the polished tourist spot it is today

The economics of the segregated district, including exactly how much the city profited off monthly fines from brothel owners

Madam Gain, the wealthiest and most notorious madam in Duluth, and the raid that helped take her down

Turn of the century newspaper reporting was dramatic, colorful, and occasionally hilarious

The knife fights, fires, and strange characters that made Saint Croix Avenue infamous

Why the street was eventually renamed Canal Park Drive

What it means that so much of this history has been quietly smoothed over

OUR FAVORITE QUOTES

"It used to be the dump, just put it in Canal Park, that's fine, right on the lakeshore."

"We got to know everybody's home addresses, their ethnicities, what they said to one another."

"I think it's fascinating that they changed the name to Canal Park Drive. I don't think that happened without intention to scrub the area from being associated with this."

"They hate to see a girl boss winning."

CHAPTER MARKERS

00:39 The Canal Park nobody remembers

12:57 The wildest headlines from the district

14:31 A knife fight breaks out on Saint Croix Avenue

18:36 A fire, a fake Spanish count, and a very convenient insurance policy

30:40 Madam Gain and the raid that changed everything

34:51 A drunk man tries to outrun a cop straight into Lake Superior

50:40 What the name change tried to erase

YOUR TURN

Every city has a version of its history it likes to tell, and a version it quietly renames and paves over. This week's reflection: what's a piece of your own hometown's past that gets left out of the postcard version?

LEARN MORE

For more on the history of Saint Croix Avenue, check out Tony Durkin's Zenith City Online, or stop by the Duluth Public Library's history section. The librarians love a good research request.

FIND US OUT IN THE WILD

Caroline is at Visit Duluth: visitduluth.com

Hailey is at the Depot: experiencethedepot.org 

MB01QUTYUJM6VN7

Forty years of Pride in the Twin Ports and we got to sit down with two of the people making this year unforgettable. Grab your sunglasses and lash glue, because we are talking drag, community, and everything happening this Labor Day weekend.

We invited ThatQueerIsa Cassadine, the new drag coordinator for Duluth Superior Pride, and Dixie Diamond, a Bayfront veteran going into her fifth year, into the studio to break down what's coming for Pride's 40th anniversary. Between the two of them they are performing at nearly every single event across the weekend, so if you are around the Twin Ports you will run into them somewhere.

We loved hearing how differently their drag journeys started. Dixie got a random Facebook message asking if she wanted to perform, ordered a wig off Amazon, and never looked back. ThatQueerIsa always knew performing was in her, she just did not have the words for it yet as a kid.

KEY THEMES AND TAKEAWAYS

Duluth Superior Pride turns 40 this year and the celebration stretches from Thursday through Sunday across both cities

The weekend includes karaoke at the Duluth Flame, a drag show at the Depot, the Bayfront Festival, drag storytime at the library booth, a parade, and the Foo Foo Choo Choo train ride to Two Harbors

The Twin Ports drag scene prides itself on being welcoming rather than cutthroat, with newer groups creating space for beginners

Wind at Bayfront is basically its own character in every performer's set, wigs and all

Community resources will be tabling at Bayfront, including Trans Northland and WE Health Clinic for anyone with questions about hormone care

Breaking into drag here comes down to connections, showing up in drag to events, and reaching out directly to the people already doing it

Both performers say the friendships and backstage moments are what keep them coming back year after year, more than the performances themselves

OUR FAVORITE QUOTES

"Closed mouths don't get fed."

"I do it for little me and all the little me's out there."

"You don't play with Bayfront."

"We don't really get gatekept up here in the Twin Ports."

CHAPTER MARKERS

01:02 ThatQueerIsa’snew gig as drag coordinator

02:52 Forty years of Duluth Superior Pride

03:00 The full weekend lineup, Thursday through Sunday

06:36 Drag storytime at the library booth

22:52 How to actually break into the Twin Ports drag scene

29:09 Resources for the community, from hormones to sex ed

35:32 Their favorite night of the whole weekend

YOUR TURN

Pride only works because people keep showing up for each other. This week's reflection: who was your "little me" moment, the person or space that first made you feel like you could be fully yourself?

FIND US OUT IN THE WILD

Caroline is at Visit Duluth: visitduluth.com

Hailey is at the Depot: experiencethedepot.org 

MB01Y202CANCFIC

From the Harlem Globetrotters to Arena Football, with Meadow Lemon and Ben Waalkens

Duluth's most attractive podcast just got a little bit louder. This week we're joined by Meadow Lemon and Ben Waalkens from the Minnesota Monsters

Meadow is the CEO of the Minnesota Monsters, Duluth's professional arena football team, and he came to us by way of Portland, Oregon, and a lifetime spent in professional sports. His dad was Meadowlark Lemon of the Harlem Globetrotters, and Meadow grew up on the bench, literally, learning the business of bringing joy to people before he ever knew that was what he was doing. 

Ben is the team's brand manager, a Duluth transplant himself who found his way to the Monsters through a series of happy accidents and a love of building relationships. Together they walked us through what it's really like behind the scenes of a team that plays football in a converted hockey rink, and why the experience matters more to them than the score.

FAVORITE QUOTES

“He goes: ‘I'm going to assemble the best team ever, because you've been my hero all my life’ ”

“It's less about the game itself, it's more about the experience, the journey, enjoy the ride”

“Not everybody can do this and doesn't have this skill set that these guys do”

“If I get you there one time, you'll be hooked”

CHAPTER MARKERS

00:00 Meet Meadow and Ben from the Minnesota Monsters

04:32 Growing up on the bench with the Harlem Globetrotters

08:30 The autograph that came full circle in a hospital room

12:23 Football in a hockey rink?

22:08 Ben's path from southern Minnesota to brand manager

38:03 Breaking down the season and the road to playoffs

01:10:26 Bringing financial literacy into Duluth schools

FIND US IN THE WILD

Caroline is at Visit Duluth: visitduluth.com

Hailey is at the Depot: experiencethedepot.org

FOUR YEARS IN, AND WE FINALLY HAVE FACES

We've been ambiguous blobs in audio space for four years, and now you can finally see us. You're welcome. Or we're sorry. Either way, we're here.

One Duluthy historical romance novel wasn't enough! This time on Attracted to Duluth, Caroline and Hailey are joined by Jay Gabler for another episode of romance book club. Tune in to hear the trio recount the incredible tale of love, loss, shipwrecks, and ghosts that is Ashland Price's In From the Storm. Tighten your stern gate and prepare for the adventure of a lifetime. This is an episode that you're sure to fall in love with. 

This episode includes spoilers for In From the Storm and discusses adult themes from the novel. 

Which shipwreck with a Duluth connection has a big anniversary this year?

If you guessed the Edmund Fitzgerald, you're not wrong, but on the latest episode of A2D we dive into the story of an older wreck. For this installment, Caroline and Hailey are joined by friend of the show, local musician, and resident boat expert, Duluth's Famous Kaylee! It's been 120 years since the Mataafa disaster, but the story remains one of the most impactful wrecks on Lake Superior. Pour some whisky and grab your coziest blanket, because this harrowing tale is sure to chill you to the bone.