More Riverfront Regatta info

If you want to learn more about this weekend’s Riverfront Regatta, the CA had an article about it this morning.  As I was driving to work, I notice that they had Riverside Drive blocked off at Union this morning, making me think that Tom Lee Park might be a good place to watch the action.

I’ll be at Trolley Night on South Main tonight.  Since the Elvis’ Leading Lady contest starts right at 6, I guess I better skip my usual pre-party beer at the Saucer and head straight down there after work.

Just checked WeatherBug… heat index at AutoZone Park is 110 right now.  Everyone be careful out there… stay comfortable and hydrated.

Get your Elvis on – Bar lineup finalized for Saturday, August 14 pub crawl

I’ve posted before that an Elvis-themed pub crawl is being put together for Saturday, August 14, the Saturday night of Elvis week. We did this last year and it was quite successful, with over 70 Elvii and hundreds of dollars and cans raised for the Mid-South Food Bank.

Pub crawl will start at the Flying Saucer at 7, where participants will be able to check in and get identification that they are part of the crawl (important because there will be drink specials at many of the stops). Bring your canned goods or monetary donations to the Food Bank to the Saucer.

The pub crawl will then continue to Blue Fin, through the Peabody lobby, then on to Alfred’s, Silky’s, and back to the Saucer. Plus, you never know what else will happen – last year we were filmed for BBC TV as well strolled down Beale Street!

It’s just over two weeks away, so start thinking about your costume now. You still have time to order from online sites, although you might want to expedite the shipping. Blues City General Store sells Elvis glasses, sideburns and I believe wigs as well, and the Graceland gift shop has Elvis merchandise, of course. Local costume shops should also have Elvis costumes you can buy or rent.

Make your plans to crawl with us, honor the King, and support one of Memphis’ best charities! Search for the crawl under “Stumbling Elvis” on Facebook Events if you want to reply that you’re coming and keep up with the latest news on the event.

South Main Trolley Night is tomorrow

Tomorrow night, Friday July 30, is the monthly Trolley Night on South Main beginning at 6 PM. This one will be an Elvis Presley Trolley Night. They sent me a press release and these are some of the high points:

– Hot rods and barbershop quartets will line the streets

– Dress up your favorite Elvis’ Leading Lady for a chance to win prizes at 6 PM

– Elvis tribute concert by Cody Slaughter after the contest

– The film “Elvis, That’s the Way It Is,” sponsored by Woodard Properties to be shown at 9. I’ve been told that if you want to bring blankets to sit on, Harry’s Detour will hold them while you walk around the shops and galleries. Film will be shown in the open field next to Harry’s.

– Trolley Night will be sponsoring the Alzheimer’s Foundation of Memphis this month.

Trolley Night is always a good time, so come on down!

Big Thursday update: Regatta, beer festival, and much more

Yesterday was a sad day, as we learned of the loss of former Tiger/Grizzly player Lorenzen Wright. His body was found in a field in Collierville, the victim of multiple gunshot wounds. He was the Grizzlies’ center during the years we made the playoffs. Sincere condolonces to Wright’s family and friends.

Boat racing returns to the Mississippi River this weekend for the Memphis International Riverfront Regatta. This is the professional league of powerboat racers. Should be fun to watch from the riverwalk or a nearby rooftop.

I am thrilled to see another beer festival popping up in Memphis, even if it’s not Downtown. The Cooper-Young Regional Beer Fest will be Saturday, October 9 from 1 to 5 PM at 1015 S. Cooper, corner of Cooper and Walker. Tickets will be on sale August 20 at www.cooperyoung.org. Mmmm beer… this may be worth a cab ride.

Here’s a CA article about the Green Beetle closing. It sounds like the owner is open to ideas for the place, so it might not be gone for good; he just doesn’t want to run it himself, and closing gives him an opportunity to do much needed repairs.

Bluff City Coffee on South Main has announced that they’re now selling sausage biscuits and chicken biscuits for $1.50 each.

A great Memphis band, Garry Goin and G3, plays the Peabody rooftop tonight. They were the house band for EP Delta Kitchen and they are very good. “Soul Food” is this week’s theme, with fried chicken, macaroni & cheese, cornbread, and summer tomato salad on the buffet. In VIP there will be fried green tomatoes with choice of toppings, chicken fried steak fingers with white gravy, and deviled eggs. Free food? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up. $10 to get in, price of admission includes first drink, ladies free until 7.

A few blocks away, the Madison rooftop hosts the Daddy Mack Blues Band tonight. $7 admission.

Of course, I know a lot of people are staying home from the rooftop parties tonight to watch the season 2 premier of Jersey Shore. Here’s an article about what to expect for the second season.

Twitter quote of the day, from @SustainableTips: “America could get rid of its need for oil in months if all women agreed to only hookup with guys who drive electric cars.”

In the news: YouTube increases its video time limit to 15 minutes.

Not going out for lunch today… using my lunch hour to type this longer-than usual post, and to vote in the Memphis Flyer Best of Memphis poll. Voting ends tomorrow, so if you haven’t gotten it done yet, you need to. After voting has ended, I’ll do a post about some of my votes… I don’t like doing it before voting has ended, could be seen as an attempt to skew the results.

I got nominated for best Twitterer? WTF? Foursquare check-ins and drunk tweets about tube tops are worth a nomination? Well, glad to know at least some people find my tweets entertaining. I didn’t even vote for myself for the Twitterer category. It’ll be damn funny if I win, though.

Happy birthday to KALMDF, who may be reading this post with her aunt sometime today. KALMDF’s name is too long so I’ll just use her initials as an acronym. 

50/50 on whether I’ll hit the rooftop tonight… if not I’ll probably be at the Saucer working on my 4th plate.

Wed update: “Green” beer, Burgers & Beats, Orpheum open house, and more

Some people are fans of green beer on St. Pat’s and some are not, but I think everyone can be a fan of a different type of “green” beer. In his blog today, Air Traffic Mike writes about his visit to Outer Banks Brewing Station, America’s first wind-powered brewpub and restaurant. Environmentally friendly beer… I like it.

Trolley Stop Market is having “Burgers & Beats” tonight. In addition to their Neola Farms Burgers, you can enjoy the music as their DJ lays down a few tracks.

The Orpheum is having an open house this Friday, July 30, from 10 AM to 5 PM. If you sign up to be a season subscriber at the open house, they’ll give you free passes to any of their summer movies.

This next one isn’t Downtown, but I promised I’d mention it… The second annual PLUG IN networking event hosted by AIGA, PRSA and AAF Memphis will be held on Thursday, July 29 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. The event will feature drink specials, free appetizers and door prizes. Entertainment will be provided by Delta Nomads, The Revisions and WatchPaper. Event will be at Minglewood Hall.

Congrats to the trivia team on a first-place win last night, as well as a three-week prize win which netted us a $20 gift card from Blue Fin.  Another prize I have no idea how we’ll split up among a large team.

Time to get some shopping done on my lunch break…

Green Beetle closed?

I’ve seen several reports on Twitter this afternoon that the Green Beetle has closed.  I haven’t confirmed this, but one of the tweets came from their neighbor down the street, South of Beale, which is a pretty reliable source.

If it’s true, I’m glad I went there for nachos one last time.  Definitely a late-night bar that will be missed.