Hibbing salutes him when his birthday comes

My homeboy, Bob Dylan, becomes eligible for Medicare today.

More remarkable than the hard-to-believe fact that he is 65 is the fact that his hometown, Hibbing, Minnesota, is celebrating the occasion.

It's Dylan Days in Hibbing, which helps explain why Bob's boyhood home, above, has become a billboard for a Saturday "Blood on the Tracks" concert. Dylan isn't playing, but all of the musicians who played on that amazing album, which I never tire of hearing, will be there at Bob's alma mater, Hibbing High School. I won't be there, either, but I wish I was.

For many years after Dylan's meteoric rise to fame in the early 60s, Hibbing would barely acknowledge his existence. The Mesabi Range city was returning the favor, since Dylan had dissed Hibbing, first by claiming he was from elsewhere, then describing his hometown as "a dyin' town" that he couldn't wait to leave.

I'm not sure all is forgiven even now, but there is acknowledgement of the Dylan-Hibbing connection, which over the years has brought many fans on pilgrimages and even inspired a book, "Positively Main Street."

It started with Zimmy's, a downtown restaurant and bar which uses is nickname and has walls filled with Dylan posters, album covers, photos, and memorabilia. Zimmy's has probably been on Howard Street, the main drag, for 20 years or more. But that was about it for a long time. Last time I was in town, the public library had opened a modest exhibit about Dylan, giving some official civic recognition to his local ties.

The Dylan Days website says that Dylan Days began informally in 1991 at Zimmy's, with a small birthday gathering in Bob's honor that included some impromptu musical performances. It's grown since then but it's not exactly huge. (Elsewhere, his 60th birthday prompted a "Nod to Bob" tribute album.)

I've always wondered, after 45 years of Dylan making music and me buying it: If we both live for 20 more years, will he still be turning out albums, and will I still be buying them? I hope so.

So, if this is a political blog, why am I writing about Dylan? If you have to ask, you'll never understand.

So, Happy birthday, Bob. One last question on turning 65: How does it feeeeel?