I attended the South Main Association meeting at Ground Zero last night, and it paid off. My business card was one of three pulled from the fishbowl, and I won a Ground Zero T-shirt and hat.
Before the meeting, I talked to one of the members of the other major neighborhood association down here, the Downtown Neighborhood Association. He said their August meeting will be a good one to attend, because Memphis Police Director Larry Godwin will be there. Good chance to talk to Director Godwin about panhandling, cruising, and other issues that affect Downtowners.
The Memphis Farmers Market still needs volunteers. Check their website for details on how to get involved. They sell fresh produce every Saturday in the parking lot next to the train station on GE Patterson from 7 AM to 1 PM. This Saturday: Ah shucks, the corn’s in, music by Davis Coen, a presentation by Delta Pecans, and info on the connection between sodium and high blood pressure.
SMA is still doing their Trolley Tour night cookouts with free burgers, hot dogs, and Boscos beers for members, but they’re shortening the time frame to 6 to 8 PM, shutting down as the last hour of Trolley Tour starts.
A South Main home tour is being planned for June 21, 2009. Volunteers and committee chairs are needed. Hit southmainmemphis.org to connect on this project.
There’s also talk of having a South Main at the Redbirds night in August.
The main presentation involved meetings SMA has had with artists involving “dead spots” in the neighborhood. These are spots that have not been redeveloped yet, and which people may not want to walk by (example: Chisca Hotel). They are talking about hanging art in these spots as a temporary solution, to make them more visually appealing until they can be renovated.
They passed out sheets of paper and asked for ideas for murals, that reflect members’ image of the neighborhood. Based on these ideas, 20 murals will be painted by interns which the UrbanArt Commission has until July 1. All the murals will be 4 feet by 8 feet and will be hung outside, in a window, on a building wall, or wherever else they seem appropriate. They will be plywood and outdoor-durable, and one or more murals will be hung in each identified dead spot. If you have ideas for mural content, go to www.southmainmemphis.org and give them your thoughts.
Some of the shops of South Main will have a sidewalk sale this Saturday. Although we usually think of South Main as the block around GE Patterson where you’ll find stores like Muse, the sale will extend all the way to the north to the Main Street Mall, where Shelton Clothiers will participate.
Two political candidates showed up to work the room, Otis Jackson for General Sessions Court Clerk and Ray Butler for county trustee.
Ray Butler told us that, in addition to elections for his office, early voting begins for the Congressional primaries on July 18 (primary day is August 7).
That’s the news for now. Is EP Delta Kitchen still doing half-price appetizers from 4:30 to 6:30? Think I may stop by there after work. I haven’t had any of Chef Michael Patrick’s food in quite some time. That’s the downside of Hoop’s Bar opening… since November I’ve hung out almost exclusively there to eat and drink, and haven’t wandered over to the other side (EP’s) much. Think that’ll be the plan for after work… I can sit at the front bar and watch bums out the window. Probably Saucer afterward.