For The Love Of Duluth

If you are a loyal listener to For The Love Of Duluth, you likely remember one of our former guests: author and photographer Alex Messenger. Premiering in 2023, the episode centered around his gripping memoir detailing a grizzly attack he suffered in the Canadian wilderness when he was just seventeen. Now, three years later, the Deephaven native is back as our first ever return podcast guest to talk all about his brand new book The Ice On The Lake. The Duluth-centered book is a work of fiction, centering around a man named Hugh who, upon receiving a terminal health diagnosis, goes ice fishing on Lake Superior to clear his head. Turbulent weather strikes, and the lead begins reflecting on his life while at the same time fighting for his own survival. The publication is part survival story, part psychological drama, part thriller, exploring all things grief, redemption and of course, the harsh beauty of Lake Superior. The best part? It’s all set in the Zenith City, making Alex’s book the perfect read for the bookworms in our own backyard - and making him the perfect person to be our guest TWICE on For The Love Of Duluth. Warning: there may be a few spoilers ahead!

The average American reads about twelve books a year on average, getting lost in a story for about nineteen minutes a day. The benefits of being a bookworm are hard to beat, with recent studies suggesting that the hobby relieves stress more than any other, improves focus and leads to a better night of sleep. For all of these reasons and more, you should book it to The Bookstore At Fitger’s, a special space located on the first floor of the famed Duluth mall. The spot is keen on celebrating the history, culture and natural beauty of our region, all while holding court just a few feet away from the shores of Lake Superior. This is not your average bookstore, locally-owned and independent, with a selection carefully curated for their specific clientele, their offerings as unique as the city the store calls home. Being bound to books is a good thing: just ask Jennifer Jubenville, the Store Manager for the beloved bookstore. She’s been working in the book business since 2015, snagging the role she holds today just a few years later in March of 2018. It’s the perfect job for Jennifer, an avid reader who truly lives and breathes books, reading a whopping 385 just last year! Her role leading the booksellers at The Bookstore At Fitger’s was truly bound to happen and in this episode, she shares her story, just like the ones she surrounds herself with each and every day.

The average American watches just under 4,000 movies throughout their lifetime, amounting to nearly ten years of time well-spent in front of the tube. There’s people that watch movies and then there’s those that make them. Enter Mandy June Turpin, a writer, director, producer and one of the founders of Iron North Productions, largely responsible for the major influx of films shooting in our region as of late. She’s also done incredible work in front of the camera as a highly-successful actress, with an impressive career spanning across both film and television. Her resume includes roles on some of the most buzzed about television shows of the past few decades, from 9-1-1 to Hawaii Five-O to Grey’s Anatomy and every hit series in-between. These days, the Tucson native has been instrumental in helping the Northern Minnesota movie business come to life in a monumental way, wrapping her sixth Northland-made movie at the end of 2025 - and she's just getting started. It’s safe to say that with Mandy leading the pack, it’s all but guaranteed we will be entertained for years to come. She joins us for a magical episode of For The Love Of Duluth detailing her journey from Arizona to Hollywood to the Zenith City.

A whopping seventy-seven percent of Americans went to at least one movie in person last year. With a fifteen percent uptick in cinema loyalty programs as of late, and 115 wide releases set for 2026, the movie business is really having a moment. That is especially true here in our neck of the woods, something that can be attributed to the Upper Midwest Film Office. Today, they are the only nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing jobs and economic impact to the region through media creation, aiding filmmakers every step of the way, from providing incentive administration to connecting producers with local vendors to helping overcome production challenges that pop up. In fact, connecting filmmakers to the community has been their specialty since 1955, aiming in the decades since to advance the regional economy by promoting increased media production across the northern part of the state, helping make the magic of cinema happen in the smoothest way possible. With the Upper Midwest Film Office at the forefront of northern Minnesota’s booming film industry, the future is brighter than an Academy Award. One key member of the team is Riki McManus, the Chief Production Officer. It’s the perfect role for her, pun intended, and she has the resume to prove it, working in the film and broadcast industry for the entirety of her career. Now, she’s taking us behind the scenes to see just what it takes to make a movie, and that, as they say, is show business. 

We have been sweet on donuts for centuries. While the exact origin of the sweet treat remains a mystery, many believe its invention came about in the 1600s, slowly cementing its place in history in the centuries that followed. Today, donuts are having a big moment in Duluth, thanks to a delectable new donut shop in Canal Park. Located along Lake Avenue on the main floor of the DeWitt-Seitz building, and fit with a convenient outdoor ordering and pickup window, Voyageur Donuts will have you convinced you need to eat more HOLE foods, with a varied menu of staples, signatures and seasonal specials and of course, their much buzzed about Hot Dish Donut. All pair perfectly with their carefully curated menu of coffee creations. If you haven’t caught on by now, Voyageur Donuts has elevated the pastry in a pretty perfect way, inspiring Northlanders everywhere to paddle on the sweet side of life one donut at a time. Co-owner and Chief Operating Officer Tracy Owens joins us to talk all about the unique journey that led her to Duluth’s most saccharine new spot: Voyageur Donuts.

A recent study states that the average American splurges on dining out more than anything else, using about thirteen percent of our earned income on a delicious meal, an experience made even better when you can feast on no-nonsense food at down-to-earth prices. That’s the beauty of The Social House, a restaurant as big on community as it is its fantastic fare, known in its own right for its hearty breakfasts and mouthwatering lunch options, along with their friendly ambiance. It all started in Hermantown, opening in 2019 to rave reviews and a cult-like following from the start, with a huge Canal Park location opening just a few years later in the summer of 2023. The menus are truly meant for everyone, a conscious choice to ensure there’s something for every single taste. Today, the Social House truly is the place for being, well social, as one of the Northland’s most exciting places to eat - times two! The man behind the spot is Matt ‘Bert’ Berthiaume, a Superior native with a big love for Duluth and a long history in the business. He shares his story with us in this delicious episode of For The Love Of Duluth.

The SS Edmund Fitzgerald is one of the most famous shipwrecks in maritime history, record-breaking in many ways during its short life, a fact that is now overshadowed by its story. The freighter sank in Lake Superior on November 10th of 1975 while transporting more than 26,000 tons of cargo from the Burlington Northern Railroad Dock in Superior to Zug Island, and remains at the bottom of the great lake today. While the story of its fateful wreck has been immortalized in dozens of songs, books, publications and documentaries throughout history, few have been as triumphant as John U. Bacon’s latest page-turner The Gales Of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Released in October of 2025, one month prior to the fiftieth anniversary of the tragic event, the book sheds new light on the tragedy, spanning nearly five-hundred pages and featuring more than 100 interviews from friends, family members and even former crewmen of those lost aboard the ship. The book lays out an eye-opening, definitive account of the shipwreck while simultaneously humanizing those who died, memorializing them across its hundreds of pages while letting readers in on one of the most mourned maritime disasters of our time. This is the SS Edmund Fitzgerald like never before, featuring bestselling author John U. Bacon. 

According to the National Recreation and Parks Association, the average American visits a local park about 27 times a year. That number is surely much higher within Duluth city limits, home to one of the most beautiful and extensive park systems in the nation. With about 162 parks spread across roughly 9,000 acres and just over 350 miles of diverse trails, it’s more than perfect for any outdoor enthusiast. It truly takes a village to keep things running smoothly, and that’s where the city’s Parks and Recreation division comes in, striving to not only preserve the beauty within these parks but to promote the health and well-being of our community, environment and economy within them. Duluth’s all-season park system is not only a big advantage to living in the Zenith City, but it’s also crucial to the makeup of it in each and every way: physical, environmental, social and economic. One thing is certain: these parks are one of the biggest perks to living in and visiting the city of Duluth. Learn all about the operation with Manager Jessica Peterson and Recreation Specialist Adam Fornear in this special episode. (Yes, we DID ask about that television show, too!)

Glass is a marvel, considered a luxury at many points throughout history, with it’s invention giving us one of the greatest and most beautiful gifts in the art world today. Art glass is defined as any object, made of glass of course, used for decorative and aesthetic purposes rather than for function. Duluth creatives can master the craft right in their own backyard thanks to Lake Superior Art Glass, a one-of-a-kind working glass studio and art gallery located right here in the Zenith City. The unique spot offers custom and commissioned works of art, featured glass work crafted by over sixty local artists and hands-on classes nearly every day of the week. With Dan Neff at the helm, it’s no surprise the spot was named the Best Art Gallery in the city in 2025, and is known statewide for being Minnesota’s premiere art gallery and studio. Get to know the man and the mission behind one of Canal Park’s coolest businesses in this episode of For The Love Of Duluth.

A whopping 93% of us feast on pizza at least once a month. In fact, 350 pieces of pizza are consumed every single second in the United States, with all of us collectively consuming about 300 billion pizzas a year. If you want a special slice, you don’t have to go too far: head to Canal Park or Central Entrance, where a delectable Neapolitan, wood-fired pizza awaits. Vitta Pizza first opened in 2011, and their slice truly stands out against the rest, wood-fired in-house for 90 seconds, resulting in a truly warm, delicious pie that makes you feel more like you’re dining in Naples than along the shores of the great lake. In 2022, a second location followed, both serving up exquisite pizzas, sensational salads and one-of-a-kind desserts. What started as an idea on a trip to Arizona has led Brad and Christie Erickson to where they are today: owners of one of the most popular places to grab a piece of pizza in all of the Zenith City. Hear how they got there in this mouthwatering episode.