Downtown
Update
Thank
You Property Owners!
The Duluth Downtown
Waterfront District is on course for recertification.
Petitions from property owners representing more than 63% of the
assessed value in the Downtown Waterfront were delivered to the
Duluth City Clerk’s Office this morning.
This is significant as
it shows how committed and dedicated the property owners are to
further strengthening our Downtown Waterfront. Under this
plan, all commercial property owners within the district boundaries
will be pooling their resources for the continuation of such
services as the Clean & Safe Team, enhanced marketing and events
as well as streetscape improvements. Together, we are
Greater!
The proposal is
scheduled to go before City Councilors within the month for public
hearing.
Another
Great Summer on the Sidewalks of Downtown Duluth
A fun and upbeat
atmosphere melded with 3 pleasant days to create the 2009 Sidewalk
Days Festival. With over 50 vendors and a wealth of downtown
merchants, the mood and great summer sales, ran the length of
Superior
Street from Lake
Avenue to 4th Avenue
West. Some merchants on the avenues
and from First
Street to Fitgers took advantage of the
crowds as well. This year, more emphasis was placed on
performances on Superior Street as opposed to
stages. “The local street performers at this year’s Sidewalk
Days were hugely popular” said GDC Event Coordinator Darlene
Marshall, “They sure were fun to watch and the GDC received many
comments of appreciation from merchants and the public alike.”
Entertainers consisted of dancers from Chozen Studios, Renegade
Comedy Theater players, many singer/songwriters and even a few
living statues. All in all, it’s another great summer on the
sidewalks of downtown Duluth.
And
The Results Are In… Sidewalk Shuffle Top
Finishers
Individual:
Top Female: Rachel Stack
from the Duluth Running Company
Top Male: David Green
from the Duluth Running Company
Corporate Teams:
Top female team:
Electric Divas from Minnesota Power
Top male team: YMCA
team
Top co-ed team: Duluth
Running Company
And a big
CONGRATULATIONS
to all our runners!
For the complete listing
of results go to www.northlandrunner.com
All proceeds from this
event went directly to the YMCA’s Strong Kids
Campaign.
9th
Annual Classic Car Show & Harley Revue
Winners
The 2009 Downtown Choice
Award went to Bob and Barb Beck from Fort
Frances,
ON. This was the second year Bob and Barb brought their 1938
Cadillac LaSalle to Duluth for the Classic Car Show and
Harley Revue. Bob told the GDC staff that the black cherry
colored car was totally modified with all the modern technology; it
even has a TV mounted on the dash! The 350 Chevy motor with
overdrive transmission, that he replaced last year, has 80,000 miles
on it and the car has made the trip from Fort Frances to Mesa, Arizona, 9 of the last 10
years.
Duluth’s own Todd Doyle with
his 1952 Buick Super won the Downtown Choice Runner Up Award.
Completely redone and modified with a 700 horsepower, 572 big block
motor, it’s the striking color that attracts so much attention to
the car. The elegant green is actually a yellow candy color
sprayed over a gray metallic base. This was the first year
this stunning car has been at the Classic Car
Show.
The Harley Davidson
Revue was held in front of the Radisson this year, by one vote Larry
Ledin won the People’s Choice award for the second consecutive
year. Jerry Larson and his Harley Davidson Topper scooter with
sidecar brought home 2nd place in the Harley Davidson
motorcycle competition.
Skywalks
linking the Old Downtown
Construction work is in
the final months for the new skywalk bridge spanning Lake
Avenue. Crews remain on schedule
for an October completion of the bridge linking the Tech
Village with
the rest of the system.
Meanwhile, A & L
Properties is looking to privately finance a skywalk connecting the
Tech
Village across
Superior
Street to the Wieland Block. This
would be yet another boost for our central business district and at
no cost to the taxpayers. We send kudos to A & L for its
dedication to invest in our Downtown and further promote a
connected, walkable community. This proposal will further
enhance commerce and provide direct access to the 690-stall
city-owned Tech Village Parking Ramp. As currently planned,
the bridge would be installed in pieces during evening hours thereby
limiting traffic closures. Both the Tech
Village and
Wieland Block were constructed to allow for such a bridge. The
proposal will go before the Duluth Planning Commission next week, so
share your support.
Join
us for the Duluth Lakewalk Festival:
September 11, 12 & 13
Come on out and enjoy
what the waterfront has to offer. This is a chance for
Duluth area residents to explore
the Lakewalk and all the businesses surrounding it, as well as take
in loads of activities. From a Friday night showing of movies
in the park at Leif Erickson to a family stroll Saturday, Kiwanis
Kite Fly at Bayfront Park, sidewalk chalk art,
treasure hunt, panning for gold, restaurant server wars and
more. Show your appreciation of one of our community’s
greatest assets!
Rock
the Block season finale
Neal McCoy is going to
be the headliner at this year’s Block Buster concert hosted by Fond
du Luth Casino on September 3rd. Neal McCoy has been in
the entertainment business for over 20 years with 11 albums and over
25 charted singles under his belt, his hits include “Wink”, “Billy’s
Got his Beer Goggles On” and “Rednecktified”.
Fond du Luth Casino is
celebrating its 23rd year as part of the downtown
community and will produce a Block Party program with valuable
coupons to accompany this event. Thanks Fond du Luth for
hosting a block buster event four years
running!
Get
the Latest on Bentleyville at Downtown
Perk
Nathan Bentley will be
our featured speaker at the next Downtown Perk quarterly breakfast
meeting on September 22nd. There’s a lot of
excitement brewing around the Bentleyville Tour of Lights coming to
Bayfront Park this holiday
season. With this move, an estimated 250,000-300,000 people
are expected to converge on Duluth’s Downtown Waterfront to
take in the massive lighting display.
The Greater Downtown
Council is encouraging
businesses to sign up as
volunteers to assist with this effort—from now until
January 2nd. Whether it’s helping to check lights
and assemble displays to working on site, there are many
opportunities for volunteerism. Check out
www.bentleyvilleusa.org for more info.
Downtown
Perk
Tuesday, September
22
7:30AM
Cost: $15 member
($20 non-member)
RSVP by clicking
here.
We’re
on Facebook. Are you?
You can
now join the Greater Downtown Council thru your Facebook account.
Just go to the search box in the upper right-hand corner of your
Facebook page and type “Greater Downtown Council” then click “Join”. It’s a
great way to keep posted about downtown news and events. We hope to
see you in cyberspace!
Welcome
New Members 
We are
pleased to recognize the following new members of the
Greater
Downtown Council:
Andi’s
Closet
Interior
Solutions of Duluth
Zeitqeist
Arts LLC
Zoe’s
Boutique
