News & Articles

The Minnesota Ballet sets The Nutcracker in Duluth at the DECC.

Dark Sky Festival
Dec. 12-14
Multiple locations, Cook County
Every year explorers, adventurers, artists and photographers from around the world travel to the North Shore to experience the northern lights and night sky. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is one of only 17 certified International Dark Sky Sanctuaries and at more than a million acres, the largest.

Nutcracker: A Duluth Tale
Dec. 13-15
DECC Symphony Hall
Minnesota Ballet sets this new version in the Duluth Union Depot, where Clara and her family encounter a cast of fellow travelers including lumberjacks, sailors, fairies and princesses. Expect to be awestruck by the set, costumes, orchestra and artistry of professional and student dancers.

Tom Cawcutt Christmas Concert
Friday, Dec. 13, 7 pm
Our Saviors Lutheran Church, Cloquet
The piano player/vocalist, who worked at the Cloquet paper mill for 39 years, performed annual charity concerts that were an iconic tradition from 1984 to 2014. After a 10-year hiatus he returns to the stage. 

DJ Jes One
Friday, Dec. 13, 9 pm
Carmody’s
Legendary figure in the music industry with a career spanning more than three decades, he opened The Groove Shop in Rockford, Illinois, in 1997, which became an iconic record store and hub for DJs and producers. With DJ Tsunami and Dead Sexy.

Gene LaFond & The Wild Unknown
Saturday, Dec. 14, 7 pm
Reunion Hall, Silver Bay
LaFond has opened for Bob Dylan, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Kinky Friedman, and has performed numerous sold-out concerts in the Midwest with The Wild Unknown. Most recently he has been performing along the North Shore with his partner Amy Grillo.

Saints Steel Band
Monday, Dec. 16, 5-9 pm
Bent Paddle
The College of St. Scholastica sponsors one of the few steel bands in the Upper Midwest, here dedicating a night to the musicality and resilience of calypso music and culture. Positive vibes curated by TNT HiFi and Friends.

Hiking the Appalachian Trail
Thursday, Dec. 19, 7 pm
Spirit Mountain Grand Avenue Chalet
In 2018, USAF Pilot Pete Bromen began hiking on the Appalachian Trail, a 2,200-mile journey that took 115 days. He walked solo but made friends that he’s still in touch with today. It was both the fulfillment of a lifetime aspiration and a journey of healing.