Where is “Richard Pryor Place” again?
We’re not the only town who doesn’t appreciate it’s hometown celebrities… Notice the line which includes “acknowledge him in a meaningful way.” Sound familiar?
From the Duluth News Tribune Letters to the Editors:
Duluth should play up its Dylan connection
Bob Dylan’s connection to the old National Guard Armory on London Road is the stuff of legend. Dylan is our native son and it is past time for Duluth to acknowledge him in a meaningful way.
I suggest that the city establish, with appropriate low-key signage, a designated walking route along existing streets that would connect some of the local sites associated with him: The armory where he saw Buddy Holly, the hospital where he was born, Bayfront Park where he performed, Nettleton school where he attended kindergarten, the house he lived in. The route could begin and end at Leif Erikson Park, which is not only astride the Highway 61 that Dylan immortalized, but is near the Armory.
I also suggest that Duluth further solidify its claim to its own legitimate history and heritage; Leif Erikson Park — honoring an Icelandic corsair with scant connection to North America, much less this region — should be renamed for Dylan. (It even has a stage; how about an annual festival?) We not only can do the right thing but also create the coolest locale in Minnesota, with practically no physical changes at all.
DONALD DASS
DULUTH