DRYDuluth DRYDuluth

There are lots of ways to have hangover-free fun

By Brooks Johnson bjohnson@duluthnews.com

There’s no way to start this story without sounding like a dorky RA. “College doesn’t have to be a series of red Solo cups.”

Yeah, yeah, but maybe drinking culture isn’t for you — say you’re under 21, or you have better things to do, or you read

Outdoors

If you chose to live in Duluth, this is probably why — the lake, the forest, the hills, the seasons. And the only thing you’ll find on tap out there is maple trees. Get it? No? Go home? But really if you can’t find a new trail, stream or lake to explore every weekend, you’re in very good shape, because you’ve done them all.

► Try biking the Munger Trail to Jay Cooke State Park. Or for a more intense ride check out any of the many mountain biking trails at www. coggs.com — I’m partial to the Piedmont trails.

► Fly fish North Shore trout streams — or in winter, snowshoe or ski them.

► Traverse the Superior Hiking Trail

Indoors

our recent piece about alcohol-related deaths rising in Minnesota and decided to take a break.

Whatever the reason — and really whose business is that but yours — you’re not missing out on life in the Twin Ports if you’re skipping the booze.

The majority of the Duluth calendar is best spent indoors, beyond the fleeting powder days on Spirit Mountain. Because of that, I’m still preaching the gospel of hygge/koselig — the Scandinavian virtue of coziness and self-care that usually just translates into turning up the heat, putting on some records and finishing a few books. But you don’t have to stay at home around a warm board game while everyone else is out drinking themselves a sweater. We’ve got all the music, theater, food and art you need. Oh, and winning sports teams.

► Laugh your arses off at Renegade Improv every Friday and Saturday night.

► Make it a point to go to a show, or see some art, at least once a week. On a dreary week, it’s great to have something bright to look forward to.

► We’ve seen a recent uptick in ice cream shops, and I keep saying if you want ice cream in the summer, you have to eat ice cream in the winter. DO IT.

Activism

I once read the hardest part about being an activist is deciding what one thing to focus on, but in Duluth, you don’t have to. Social justice, clean water, limited government — there’s something for everyone.

► FEMN Fest is Sept. 21-22 and features a full roster of feminist music, art, education and more.

► There’s an election in November, ya know. Register to vote, reach out to campaigns to help, maybe start a super PAC in your dorm room.

► Delete your Twitter account. Buy clipboards.

DIY

The Northwoods has this whole self-reliance aesthetic that is contagious. It starts simple — you’re buying some homemade soaps and lotions and getting to know your farmers market favorites. Then suddenly you’re off the grid, sustenance farming and selling fiber art for firewood. Of course, you could also just dip your toes in the thriving creative economy.

► Duluth Folk School and Duluth MakerSpace, both out in Lincoln Park, offer the knowledge and the tools to translate your artisan thoughts into reality.

► Find a microphone. There are ample open mic opportunities to show off your poetry, songs and stories. Try Gag Me With a Spoon, a storytelling event every second Sunday.

► Write postcards, write letters, write your way out of winter.

The bars OK, sometimes karaoke is calling. Or you want someone to hear you yell at the TV when the Vikings do something incredible or the Packers get beat again. Instead of bothering your neighbors with either of these examples, hit the bars. Here’s the trick: Order a soda and lime. Zero-calorie, looks like a G+T, often free, don’t forget to tip. Breweries are increasingly carrying soda and/or kombucha too.

► Karaoke at The Flame is the best karaoke

► Watching sports — and playing trivia — at The Reef comes highly recommended.

► Roscoe’s Pioneer Bar, long a News Tribune favorite, pours a mean soda and lime.

MARTHA B. ALWORTH INTERNATIONAL BROWN BAG SERIES

INTERNATIONAL LECTURE SERIES

Armenia’s Foreign Policy Explained

Presented by Vahe Gabrielyan, PhD Director, Diplomatic School of Armenia Former Armenian Ambassador to the United Kingdom

Thursday, September 13 - 7:00 p.m.

Kathryn A. Martin Library Rotunda

The End of Pax Americana

Presented by Thomas Hanson, Alworth Institute Diplomat in Residence retired U.S. Foreign Service Officer

Thursday, October 18 – 7:00 p.m.

Kathryn A. Martin Library Rotunda

Modern Journalistic Challenges around the World

Presented by Dr. John Hatcher, Associate Professor of Journalism, Dr. Jennifer E. Moore, Assistant Professor of Journalism, and Dr. Deborah Petersen-Perlman, Associate Professor of Communication, All from the UMD Department of Communication

Thursday, November 1 – 7:00 p.m. Room TBA

OTHER EVENTS

Monday, September 10 – 5:00 p.m. – Kathryn A. Martin

Library Rotunda – Songs and Stories of Resistance –

Performed by Daira Quiñones, Colombian Storyteller, Singer, Songwriter, and Peace-builder (Co-sponsored by UMD Department of World Languages and Cultures and the UMD Office of Diversity and Inclusion)

Monday, September 17 – 12:00 p.m. – Kirby Rafters –

Constitution Day Lecture - The State of the Free Press – Presented by Professor Jane Kirtley, Silha Professor of Media Law and Ethics, Hubbard School of Journalism, University of Minnesota (Sponsored by the UMD College of Liberal Arts Change Team)

The theme for this academic year is

Media across the Globe

All brown bag presentations are on Thursdays in the Kathryn A. Martin Library Rotunda unless indicated otherwise.

Friday, September 14 – The Armenian Genocide and its Implications

Presented by Vahe Gabrielyan, PhD Director, Diplomatic School of Armenia

Former Armenian Ambassador to the United Kingdom (Co-sponsored by the UMD Genocide, Holocaust and Human Rights Center)

September 20 – Political Polarization and Reshuffling in Contemporary Spain

Presented by Dr. Jennifer Brady, Associate Professor, UMD World Languages and Cultures

September 27 – ‘We do not commemorate perpetrators’: The Politics of Commemoration and the May 4th Dodenherdenking (Remembrance Day) in the Netherlands

Presented by Jazmine Contreras, Graduate Teaching Fellow at UMD and PhD candidate, History Department, University of Minnesota Twin Cities (Co-sponsored by the Baeumler-Kaplan Holocaust Commemoration Committee)

October 11 – “The Hole in the Wall”: Literature Meets Architecture in Ernest Hemingway’s Paris

Presented by Dr. John Schwetman, Associate Professor of English, UMD Department of English, Linguistics and Writing Studies

October 18 – Immigration: Humane Solutions for Inhumane Policies

Presented by Shawn Wentz and Lyn Clark Pegg, members of the April 2018 Witness for Peace delegation to Mexico

November 15 – Why is Everyone Going to Portugal?

Presented by Janet Pribyl, Assistant Director/Career Counselor, UMD Career and Internship Services Assistant Director/Career Counselor

November 29 – Kirby Rafters – Traveling in Taiwan and China: Celebrate Learning Chinese with Astonishing Markets, Temples, Transportation and Great Geography

Presented by Dr. Gordon Levine, retired Assistant Professor, UMD Department of Geography