DULUTH — Summer event announcements may be heating up, but there's plenty to do right now in the heart of winter. First up, marking the legacy of a historic figure born 96 years ago this month.
MLK Day
The theme of this year's Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebrations in Duluth is "One People."
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Activities organized by the Duluth NAACP begin Sunday, Jan. 19, with a community worship service at Peace United Church of Christ. The following day is the official holiday and kicks off with a community breakfast at First United Methodist Church. That will be followed by a rally at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center, where Symphony Hall hosts "speakers and performers (who) will inspire and challenge the community to carry on Dr. King’s work," according to a news release.
A march to the DECC was originally scheduled for Monday, but that has been canceled due to the forecast of extreme cold conditions (duluthnaacp.org/mlk).
Flow
If you watched the Golden Globes, you might have balked at the winner of Best Motion Picture–Animated. Not "Inside Out 2," not "Moana 2," not even Aardman Animations' latest Wallace & Gromit outing or DreamWorks' sleeper hit "The Wild Robot." No, the winner was "Flow," an animal fantasy adventure with no dialogue.
Very few people have actually seen "Flow" compared to the audiences for its blockbuster competition, but if your curiosity's piqued, you can check it out on the big screen right here in Duluth. "Flow" is playing at the Zeitgeist Zinema through at least Thursday, Jan. 16 (zeitgeistarts.com).
Charlie Parr
It's a true privilege of living in the Twin Ports that any given Wednesday night this month, you can just pop in to the Cedar Lounge and see an intimate set by one of our local legends, singer-songwriter Charlie Parr. The intensely compelling guitarist is enjoying the success of his latest studio album, 2024's "Little Sun." It was recorded in Portland, which was walloped by a major snowstorm while Parr was there working with producer Tucker Martine. Must have felt just like home (earthrider.beer).
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Sentimental Journey
Superior is so proud of hometown hero Richard Bong, the WWII flying ace, that the city even celebrates his wedding anniversary. Marge and Dick Bong were married 80 years ago, and in honor of the occasion — as well as the anniversary of the end of the war — Time Arc Theatre is presenting a show of swing music. "Sentimental Journey: 1945 Musical Revue" features music by local jazzman Randy Lee and his band, and will be performed at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19 (timearctheatrellc.com).
Folsom Prison Experience
Up until 1968, the "Folsom Prison experience" didn't seem like anything people would willingly opt into — let alone pay for. That changed when Johnny Cash released "At Folsom Prison," one of the greatest live albums ever made. It marked Cash's peak as an artist, notes "The New Rolling Stone Album Guide," with "a raucous, powerhouse performance" of songs "about murder, prison, and life on the lam."
On Saturday, Jan. 18, the DECC's Symphony Hall plays host to an event described as not just a tribute concert but a "full-contact immersive tribute drama" that "isn’t for the faint of heart." Gulp (decc.org).
Chicago
On Tuesday, Jan. 21, the Symphony Hall action moves east from California to Illinois: a touring production of "Chicago" arrives as the first of four shows in the inaugural season of Broadway at the DECC. The 1975 musical has become a staple of the American stage, with Bob Fosse choreography and songs like "All That Jazz" and "Cell Block Tango."
"From its daring choreography to its unforgettable characters," notes the Broadway Inbound blog, "this show is a testament to the transformative power of theatre, a show that has transcended the confines of its original era to become a timeless classic" (decc.org).
This story was updated at 9:06 a.m. Jan. 19 to reflect the cancellation of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day march. It was originally posted at 7:25 a.m. Jan. 14.
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