DECC, Duluth FC, Wyatt Carlson in the news

By HOWIE HANSON
Editor & Publisher

If you’re still snoozing on the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center — or if you’re one of those glass-half-empty types still whining about our little port town’s future — let me steer you hard to starboard. Because once again, DECC Executive Director Dan Hartman and marketing ace Lucie Amundsen have pulled off a stroke of brilliance with their pop-up “Pirate Barrr,” which has effectively commandeered the Harborside Convention Center during the Festival of Sail.

Picture this: tall ships gliding under the Lift Bridge, the tang of Lake Superior in the air, and you posted up with a pirate-themed cocktail in hand, perched behind panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows or out on the sunny deck. It’s the kind of Duluth scene that makes locals nod knowingly and tourists blink twice before realizing they stumbled into something genuinely special.

This free-to-enter spectacle (just pay to park) kicks off Thursday with the dramatic Parade of Sail — a sight so fine it ought to be on a postcard — and rolls on Friday and Saturday from noon to 5:30. It’s perfectly timed to catch the ships nosing along the seawall, all while you pretend you’re Blackbeard himself.

Truth is, nobody does this kind of whimsical civic experience quite like the DECC. Remember their other big swings? The glitzy Bentleyville Christmas village that practically owns our lakefront each winter. The rollicking Oktoberfest. And let’s not forget the ever-evolving lineup of conventions, concerts, dog shows, Bulldogs and high school hockey games, and curling bonspiels that keep this mammoth facility humming year-round.

It’s easy to take it for granted. But peer just a bit closer and you’ll see an outfit constantly reinventing how we use our greatest stage: that big blue inland sea. Hats off, then, to Hartman, Amundson and the whole DECC gang for again proving they’re some of the most forward-thinking stewards of Duluth’s waterfront. They know exactly what this town is hungry for — and how to serve it up with a wink, a grin, and a splash of rum.

So toss on your tricorn hat, drag a couple of friends along, and make the most of our little pirate paradise while it lasts. You’ll walk away, guaranteed, feeling like the DECC just gave you one more reason to brag about being from around here.

Sports

Duluth FC will look to extend its dominant run against Joy AC when the two sides meet in an NSPL semifinal match Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Superior.

The BlueGreens, who topped the North Conference this season with a 6-2-1 record, have continued to flourish under new head coach Thomás Pazo. A dramatic 3-2 comeback victory over Siouxland United just days ago secured the conference’s top seed and set the stage for a playoff push that Duluth hopes will carry them deeper into July. Known for their organized back line and a goals-against average under one per match, Duluth has made defensive consistency the cornerstone of its success.

Joy AC, representing St. Louis Park, enters the semifinal on the heels of a steady, if uneven, season that saw them finish third in the standings. While they’ve posted some impressive performances at home, their form on the road has been less convincing — an area they’ll need to shore up if they hope to unseat Duluth.

The two sides have already met twice this season. In the opener back in May, Joy managed to strike first, only for Duluth to recover quickly and seize a 3-1 victory at home. Their second match in June ended in a 2-2 draw, a result that offered a glimpse of Joy’s potential to disrupt Duluth’s rhythm when given the chance.

Looking back over recent years, Duluth has largely controlled the series, winning eight of their last nine meetings dating to 2021. Joy’s lone breakthrough came last summer, but otherwise they’ve struggled to solve a BlueGreens squad that’s grown accustomed to this stage.

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Fairbanks Ice Dogs forward Wyatt Carlson has announced his commitment to play NCAA hockey at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, the club said this week.

Carlson, a 2004-born Hermantown native, was among Fairbanks’ top offensive producers this season in the North American Hockey League. The 5-foot-8 left-handed shot played in 60 games, racking up 16 goals and 31 assists for 47 points — third-most on the team. He scored twice on game-winners and added four power-play goals. Carlson also represented the Midwest Division at the 2025 NAHL Top Prospects Tournament.

In his first full season with Fairbanks, Carlson tallied 14 goals and 13 assists over 52 games, matching his two game-winning goals and adding five on the man advantage. He previously made his NAHL debut with the Minnesota Wilderness while still in high school, skating in three games during the 2022-23 campaign.

Carlson will join Fairbanks teammates Cole Burke and Brent Gulenchyn with the Blugolds this fall.