Minnesota Public Radio and The City of Duluth Announce the Interactive "Sound Point" Created for Enger Tower

Sep 21, 2011

(Duluth, Minn.)--Sept. 21, 2011--Minnesota Public Radio and The City of Duluth announced today the launch of MPR's Sound Point™ created for Enger Tower. The Sound Point for Enger Tower allows visitors to access a series of short audio stories to help enhance the visitors' experience at the historic Duluth landmark.

"The City of Duluth has made significant improvements to Enger Tower recently and are celebrating them throughout this fall," said Duluth Mayor Don Ness. "We're pleased that MPR is launching their first 'Sound Point' at Enger Tower. It's a great way for visitors to learn more about the Tower and Duluth."

To access the Sound Point at Enger Tower, visitors can use their smartphones to scan a bar code at the Tower, which leads to a mobile website--http://bit.ly/MPRenger--with audio links and more information about the region. Visitors can also text "tower" to 677-677, and receive a call back to hear the stories.

The Sound Point for Enger Tower features several stories: The history of Enger Tower and Enger Park, narrated by City of Duluth head of park maintenance Tom Kasper; the most prominent points on the Duluth landscape, narrated by MPR News Morning Edition host Cathy Wurzer; the story of how Lake Superior was formed narrated by UMD geology professor emeritus John Green; how a working port operates with Duluth Seaway Port Authority Executive Director Adolph Ojard; and Duluth author and historian Tony Dierckins telling what former landmarks are missing from the Duluth landscape.

"MPR chose Duluth's Enger Tower as a Sound Point location because there are so many great stories to tell from this single, prominent place," said Jeff Jones, MPR's Sound Point producer. "With Enger Tower's unique panoramic view, visitors often have plenty of good questions about the landscape below. We hope the Sound Point audio tour will foster their curiosity and provide some insight into the region."

More about the Sound Point project
Sound Point™ is a MPR project that seeks to start a community conversation about a place in that place. Sound Point subjects can be related to art, history, architecture, nature or community building. Other Minnesota locations for future Sound Points include: the murals of south Minneapolis; points along the Northstar Rail Line; and music performed by the vocal ensemble Cantus at acoustically unique destinations around the state.

Everyone who listens to a Sound Point story will have the chance to "talk back" to MPR, offering new questions or insights about the landscape or sharing their favorite story about their community. They'll be invited to join the Public Insight Network (PIN) to improve MPR's coverage of Duluth and the region. PIN is a group of people who have agreed to be sources for journalists whenever their area of expertise is useful. PIN sources helped suggest the stories featured in the Enger Tower Sound Point.

Sound Point is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment's Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

More celebrations at Enger Tower
Celebrations of the park continue this fall with a rededication ceremony of Enger Tower hosted by the King and Queen of Norway on Monday, October 17. For more information, go to www.duluthmn.gov (Enger Tower).