Eh? column: Shark dodges death by fire; 'Case of the Smitten Mitten' update

"Clark" the wood shark has been saved from a fiery death, at least for the time being.

Glensheen Mansion's 24-foot-long, 12-foot-high fish was recently built by local woodworkers Joel Vikre and Nik Wourms for the mansion's inaugural Fire Fest, scheduled for Feb. 15.

The outdoor festival would have offered fire cocktails, fire pits, fire dancers and other fire-related tomfoolery. The plan was to set the Trojan horse-like shark on fire during sunset because ... Duluth.

Anyway, Fire Fest was canceled a few weeks ago due to the short timeframe to plan the event.

Glensheen announced in an Instagram post Feb. 18 that "Clark" has a new "resting place:" the rocky beach in front of the mansion.

"This guy is going to see some sweet sunrises and sunsets," the post said. "Hopefully he doesn’t eat any of our guests."

"Let's be careful out there!" the Regional Stormwater Protection Team said in its submission to "Eh?"

More to the point: Stop treating lakes like a landfill.

The team emailed a photo taken Wednesday of 49 teaspoons of de-icer poured nearly on top of a lake-draining storm drain in Canal Park.

That has the potential to pollute 240 gallons of water, the team said. It only takes one teaspoon of de-icer to permanently pollute a 5-gallon bucket of lake water.

"Remember, you only need a de-icer scatter pattern with 3 inches per grain," the team notes. "De-icer shouldn’t crunch underfoot."

The RSPT is a collaboration among local municipal separate storm sewer systems, partnering agencies and organizations that educates the public about stormwater pollution prevention.

"The Regional Stormwater Protection Team is always trying to get people to do the right thing — from the 'No Poop Fairy' video (a cheeky, highly entertaining PSA explaining how dog poo pollutes the water) to reminders about de-icer application," the team told us.

Elastic waistbands ready? Gordy’s Hi-Hat in Cloquet announced it will open for its 60th season March 19, according to its Facebook page.

The favorite dining destination for locals and tourists was featured on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” in 2010. It prides itself on its hamburgers, homemade fries and blackberry shakes.

It's the most titillating whodunit since "Making a Murderer."

Last week, we reported on the case of a mitten that lost its leftie. Kimberly Caruso explained that it went missing somewhere in the Duluth Skywalk.

Its manufacturer, the Stormy Kromer company of Ironwood, Michigan, read our report and empathized with the owner. It contacted "Eh?" and offered to replace the single mitt with an entire pair.

Cheers to happy endings.

The official state Twitter account of New Jersey, @NJgov, was recently featured by the New York Times for its sassy approach to promoting the Garden State.

The article chronicles a Twitter cold war of sorts between New Jersey and Delaware and how the account tweeted a "your mom" joke at one of its hecklers.

Pearl Gabel, one of the two women who operates the account, told the NYT that she believed other states should follow suit, saying: "Imagine if, like, Minnesota came out tweeting in a Minnesota accent. That would be off the hook. It would be awesome.”

Well, that must have got some ears burning in St. Paul, because on Wednesday, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz responded with a dose of slightly passive-aggressive "Minnesota nice," saying, "Ope! Didn’t mean to barge in here," to which New Jersey responded, "You betcha," proving the folks in Trenton had time to watch "Fargo" in between four-hour Bruce Springsteen concerts.

We welcome your submissions and suggestions. Drop us a line at newsroom@duluthnews.com or Eh?, Duluth News Tribune newsroom, 424 W. First St., Duluth, MN 55802.