Best Bets: Peeps art at Fairlawn Mansion – Duluth News Tribune
DULUTH — Easter lands late on the calendar this year, but as the holiday approaches, a Peeps Art Contest is just one of the sweet events to hit this week.
Contributed / Fairlawn Mansion
Since Pennsylvania candy maker Just Born introduced Peeps in 1953, the sugar-coated marshmallow checks have become iconic in American pop culture — particularly in the Easter season. The chicks’ ranks have since expanded to include other critters, notably bunnies, and using the critters to populate whimsical dioramas has become something of a national pastime.
Since 2023, Superior’s Fairlawn Mansion has hosted an annual Northland Peeps Art Contest with simple rules: “Everyone is welcome to enter. All artwork must be made primarily of marshmallow Peeps.” This year’s entries will be on display starting during the venue’s Easter Fun Day on Saturday, April 12, and remain through the following week. Brace yourself, or get excited: you may encounter a “giant live Peeps bunny”
(superiorpublicmuseums.org).
Contributed / Duluth Library Foundation
This year’s celebration of America’s libraries runs from Sunday, April 6, through Saturday, April 12. The Duluth Library Foundation is presenting a series of events designed to encourage community engagement with local libraries and bookstores.
That includes a Wednesday, April 9, trivia contest at Hoops Brewing, where members of the public can face off against librarians. On Saturday, April 12, a Library Week Book Fair will take place at Ursa Minor Brewing, and hints throughout the week will point participants to a hidden “Golden Bookmark”
(duluthlibraryfoundation.org).
(Disclosure: This reporter assisted with organizing the National Library Week event as part of a Leadership Duluth service project.)
Contributed / Ansley Pierce
William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” has never exactly gone out of fashion, but the 428-year-old play is definitely having a hot moment right now. Two recent Broadway productions have featured stars like Rachel Zegler (“Romeo + Juliet”) and Charli D’Amelio (“& Juliet”).
Minnesota Ballet is doing its part by tapping Sergei Prokofiev’s searing score for the final production of its 60th season. “Our dancers have poured their hearts into this performance, and we are so excited to share it with our audience,” artistic director Karl von Rabenau said in a news release. The fact that it’s being staged at the Depot Theatre means audiences will be up close and personal for all the action.
“Romeo and Juliet” runs Thursday, April 10, through Sunday, April 13
(minnesotaballet.org).
Contributed / AJ Atwater Art
AJ Atwater is an abstract artist based in the comfortable confines of a Lakeside neighborhood studio and gallery, which she is opening to the public Saturday, April 12, as no fewer than 130 pieces go on sale. A news release describes this selection as the “cream-of-the-cream” from Atwater’s oeuvre, including 20 paintings made in New York under famed artist Ronnie Landfield. Other pieces are inspired by Lake Superior.
In 2016, Atwater told
KUMD
about splitting her time between the East Coast and Superior shore. During a then-recent New York trip, “I could paint at night and listen to the neighborhood of Chinatown, which is just very full of life and sounds of the city, and then when I’m painting here in my studio, I have lake country. It gives me balance in my life as well as in my art”
(by-and-by-estate.com).
Great Lakes Aquarium otters’ birthday
Steve Kuchera / 2015 file / Duluth Media Group
Did you know the two otters at the Great Lakes Aquarium are the same age? No, not mascots Splish and Splash, who remain coy about their true ages: Agate and Ore, the real-life American river otters living in the attraction’s Otter Cove exhibit. They’re turning 12, and the aquarium is celebrating the tweens with a Saturday, April 12, party. Otter-themed crafts? Yes. Otter cake? Of course. Splish and Splash appearances? You know they wouldn’t miss it
(glaquarium.org).
Contributed / Zenith City Horror
The Beatles famously sang “All You Need Is Love,” and whether or not that was ever entirely true, love is a good way to lead. In that spirit, you can share the love with Zenith City Horror’s talented troupe of drag artists as they celebrate the Fab Four on Sunday, April 13, at Dovetail Cafe and Marketplace.
“Our drag cast will bring your favorite songs to life,” promises the event description, “along with Ms. Cupcake reading story books based on the lives and works of the Beatles”
(facebook.com/zenithcityhorror).
Arts and entertainment reporter Jay Gabler joined the Duluth News Tribune in 2022. His previous experience includes eight years as a digital producer at The Current (Minnesota Public Radio), four years as theater critic at Minneapolis alt-weekly City Pages, and six years as arts editor at the Twin Cities Daily Planet. He’s a co-founder of pop culture and creative writing blog The Tangential; he’s also a member of the National Book Critics Circle and the Minnesota Film Critics Association. You can reach him at [email protected] or 218-409-7529.
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