Papa Charlie's will rebuild at Lutsen Mountains

DULUTH — For decades, Papa Charlie's at Lutsen Mountains has been a destination for tightly packed fans of Trampled by Turtles or a celebratory après-ski crowd. On Monday afternoon, two days after a fire destroyed the tavern despite the efforts of six volunteer fire departments, its owners were already plotting its return.

"Clearly there is a desire to rebuild," said Jim Vick, general manager at Lutsen Mountains who was among the employees in the 1990s who noticed the call for on-site entertainment had outgrown its original spot in the main chalet. "It's affected a lot of people emotionally. It's more than a building; its an experience."

Papa Charlie's opened in 1996 as a space to host bands, their followers and those who had spent a sporting day on the mountains. At its peak, the venue could hold up to 600 high-energy Wookiefoot fans — or a smaller, more staid gathering of Little Feat aficionados. It's been the site of Sweetwater Shakedown with Yonder Mountain String Band and annual holiday shows with the New Standards.

Its Songwriter Series offered a listening room aesthetic starring musicians like Dessa or Charlie Parr who would play a song, then tell the story behind it.

On nights with big shows, about 80% of the patrons were out-of-towners, Vick said.

"Here everyone is on vacation," he said. "They've had an amazing day of skiing and biking, now they're celebrating the camaraderie of that. Even the musicians are staying in condos; they get hot tubs; they feel like they're on vacation even though they're working.

"That combo of performance and audience is a magic combination."

Singer-songwriter Erik Koskinen credited Vick with creating a "large limb of the Minnesota music scene."

"When Papa Charlie's was a listening club, he made sure of it," Koskinen said in an email. "When it was a rock 'n' roll venue, it was as good as any. Jim, his staff and Jerry LaVigne, the longtime sound engineer treated myself and other musicians with ultimate respect.

"I hope it returns with as much style as it left with."

Cloud Cult posted to social media that it plays almost yearly at the venue.

"Glad no one was hurt, as there are some beautiful beings who work there," the band said on Facebook. "Our hearts go out to you!"

Vick said performances will return to the historic Scandinavian Chalet across from Papa Charlie's until another venue can be built — though there will be nothing as large scale as its past festivals.

The fire started in the kitchen early Saturday — around the time that the early cyclists were getting to the Lutsen 99er. The series of bike races, including the namesake 99-mile trek, started at Superior National at Lutsen golf course and wound through the Sawtooth Mountains and along the remote roads and trails of northeastern Minnesota. The 1,800 competitors were largely unaffected by the fire — though many of the event's aid station attendants, who were also members of the volunteer fire departments, were called away.

These roles were quick to fill with replacements, local business leaders who set work aside to help, said Kjersti Vick of Visit Cook County, and also Jim Vick's daughter.

The race was won by William Surbaugh, a 21-year-old fan favorite from nearby Grand Marais, Minn., who has competed in the events since he was a preteen.

"It was emotional," Kjersti Vick said of Papa Charlie's. "At the same time, it's really exciting to have this kid [who was] born and raised here win."

The Cook County Sheriff's Department had not yet determined a cause of the fire or the total damage, though the building is considered a loss. The Minnesota State Fire Marshal is leading the investigation.