Time Warp! Nostalgic Videos Show Duluth Businesses in the 80’s + The 1988 Fireworks Explosion
When someone brings up the 1980s, what's the first thing that comes to mind? Right away, it's likely the fashion, the music, or the dated products that were so cool at the time. Hello Sony Walkman!
If you grew up through the 80s in the Duluth area as I did, you'll also likely start to think of businesses that used to exist back in the day. Places like the Buena Vista Motel and Restaurant, Saints Roller Rink, and the list goes on and on. Remember the Neon Parrot?
Well, much to my surprise and delight, that time and those places still live online, thanks largely in part to people like Jerry Lewandowski, who has collected photos from Duluth's past and made a couple of YouTube videos that provide a cool walk-down memory lane.
While I was on my nostalgia trip, I thought about the most unforgettable fireworks display I've ever seen in Duluth. That would be in 1988 when a mishap caused all the fireworks to mostly explode while still on the ground.
I remember being down near the DECC as a teenager that day and things started perfectly normal. However, it didn't take long for a fireball to erupt on the ground and it was obvious that something had gone wrong. There were big explosions and before we knew it, it was over. I remember there being a lot of confusion and instant concern for the safety of the team that was down there to light them all off.
Since that is fresh in my mind right now, let's start our nostalgia trip right there, in the summer of 1988. Here is the KDLH-TV coverage of those events. Were you there?
Now on to a couple of videos put together by Jerry Lewandowski, which feature a lot of memories. If you were in Duluth through the 80s you'll remember a lot of what you're about to see.
Just the first picture in the video below takes me back as I didn't grow up far away from the Buena Vista and as I got older, it became a favorite neighborhood bar until the day it closed. That's just one of many memories to enjoy.
The next video features a lot of similar Duluth memories from the 80s, but there are also some pictures from the 70s included, which are also fun to see. It's like a fun look through your yearbook.
If you have a collection of photos from the Northland's past, I'd love to see them and share them! You can always hit me up through the B105 app or our website. Who says you can't go back again?