Home from Cooper-Young Fest, and it was great this year as always. One thing I learned though – Cooper-Young Fest when it’s in the 90s is totally different from C-Y Fest when it’s 78 degrees outside. Man was I hot.
I left about 10:30 and walked to the Peabody, figuring there’d be a cab in their back lot. Nope. “Oh well,” I thought, “surely they’ll be a cab at Second and Beale.” Nope again. Nor at Third and Beale. All my cab hotspots were failing me! I mentioned this to a cop who was parked at Third and Beale, and he gave me a tip that he’d seen one outside the Westin about 10 minutes before. I walked down there, found the cab, and I was on my way!
First order of business was buying a ticket to the Cooper-Young Regional Beerfest on October 9. I found the CYCA booth and Andy got me all signed up and even gave me a Cooper-Young frisbee. He told me that there are going to be some beers at the festival that are simply not seen in the Memphis area. They’re only selling 400 tickets, and as of about 11 AM they were nearing the 200 mark. If you want to attend this beer festival, you better get your ticket soon (click the link to order). I really have a good feeling that this is going to be one of the best beer fests of the year.
Actually, the festival ticket was my second order of business – first was buying a PBR! I found a stand outside Soul Fish that had 12 oz. cans for $3. Later I learned that Sweetgrass had 16 oz. cans of PBR for $3, and started going there. Actually, though, regular blog reader Susie found the best deal – she was drinking a 32 oz. bag’o’beer that she bought at the convenience store at Cooper and Elzey. Way to keep it classy there, Susie. Maybe you can come Downtown and drink a bag’o’beer with June Bug in Court Square. Oh, wait, June Bug is in jail for probation violations, never mind.
I checked into Foursquare as soon as I got there, and there were already 16 people. I kept an eye on it. About 12:15 the festival was up to 50 people. I checked my badges and sure enough… there was the Swarm badge! I finally got it! A few minutes later I saw on Twitter that a bunch of people I knew were simultaneously awarded the badge.
There were “spin the wheel, get free stuff” games at Southland Greyhound Park’s booth, the CA’s booth, and Lenny’s booth. I didn’t see the Nuh-Uh Girl, but she did check in there and I’m sure she sniffed out all the free stuff like a bloodhound.
There was a “get your face painted like a drag queen” booth. If the people running that booth are reading this, I would LOVE for you to take your booth to the Germantown Festival next year. That would be hilarious, and I’d actually have a reason to want to go to Germantown Fest. The same booth also had a “dunk a lesbian” booth. As a friend of mine said, “If you’re not accepting of gays, Cooper-Young Fest is really not the place for you.” Very true. I’m straight but still think it’s a shame that the rest of the city isn’t as accepting of LGBT as the folks who attend Cooper-Young.
I ate twice while I was there. First stop was Catfish Cabin, which had a booth there for the first time. I used to work right down the street from them on Airways but never went there. I decided to give them a try. I had the fish kabobs (catfish and grilled onions on a stick) and it was quite good. Later in the day, I had a beef and lamb Athenian gyro. Gotta have a gyro every year.
The number of phones at C-Y Fest must have overwhelmed AT&T’s network… for about two hours mid-afternoon I couldn’t get Facebook or Twitter to update. Which was a shame, because Ole Miss lost to Vandy at home and I really would have loved to have been on the social networks talking trash. Also, congratulations to my Hogs on their touchdown with 14 seconds left to beat Georgia. Thanks to the folks who texted me the score of the game.
As I started on my fifth PBR I noticed a brunette in a white tank top and jeans walking up Cooper about 20 feet in front of me. “I’m really enjoying watching her walk,” I thought. After about a block, she turned around and I realized – it was Brick! I snapped this pic of her.
Heat and dehydration really caught up to me. About 3:00 I ran into a group of my friends, and walked a loop around the festival with them while downing my sixth PBR. “You know, it should probably concern me that I’m on my sixth beer and I haven’t had to use the restroom yet,” I commented to them. An hour later, they went to a party down the street, and I decided it was time to hydrate. I bought a 32 oz. orangeade and drank it, followed by a 32 oz. lemonade. Still felt overheated, and more beer was not an option. I walked to the Mapco at Cooper and Central and bought a Mountain Dew Throwback. I followed that up with a cherry snow cone and finally felt normal again. Still didn’t feel like starting on the beer again though.
One thing I forgot to do this year was mention my “festival rule,” which led some people to wonder where I was. The festival rule is as follows: When there’s a big outdoor street festival going on, I tend to want to be at the festival, not at side parties near the festival. When Cooper-Young Fest is going on I remain at the festival all day. When Rajun Cajun Crawfish Fest is going on, I want to be down on the street in the crowd, not on a rooftop looking at the crowd. When RiverArtsFest is going on, I want to be outside looking at the artwork, not sitting in Calhoun’s all day watching football. Failure to make the festival rule clear cost me an opportunity to snap a tube top pic. Dammit!
I said I was going to stay until 7, but about 5:45 I was getting hot and cranky enough that I knew it was time to go. I was actually stupid enough to think I could walk home. I have walked home from the Cooper-Young neighborhood before, but not after being on my feet for 8 hours, and not in 90+ degree temperatures. I made it to Union and McLean and realized I needed to revise my plan. I’d seen five Yellow Cabs (577-7777) and no Advantage Cabs (323-3333) as I walked up McLean, so I called Yellow Cab. The dispatcher told me I’d get a call when the cab was on its way, and I thought, great, I’ll probably be loitering outside Walgreens for 40 minutes. However, a cab arrived in less than 5, and I was happy to be on my way home.
One of my friends didn’t attend because of all the strollers. I agree, they REALLY get in the way, and twice I had a front stroller wheel run over the back of my sandals. I don’t think they can be banned though. Cooper-Young is too kid-friendly a festival to attempt that.
So now I’m home catching up on Facebook, and I see that my friends at Squeal Street BBQ picked up four trophies at the Smokin’ Aces Regional BBQ Cooking Contest in Tunica. I hope my friend Stevie G won’t mind that I stole this pic from his Facebook page, but here are the team and the trophies:
Congratulations to Squeal Street. They’ll add these to their trophy case, already filled with a 4th place Patio Porker trophy from BBQ Fest. In less than a year they’ve become a force to be reckoned with on the BBQ circuit.
(Updated: Just learned what trophies they won. Second in wings, and fourth in mustard, beef and poultry.)
I was hoping a day in the sun would help fade my hair back more toward its old color – it did a little, but you know what? I forgot to put on sunscreen. Sunburned now. At least I don’t turn bright orange like Bruce Pearl and Meghan.
I have the air on 65 and am drinking a Mountain Dew and feel myself coming back to life. Time to go out in a little while. David the Worm is opening for DJ Trashy at Rehab, but my legs are not in the shape for dancing after such a long day. I may have to wait until Worm’s next show to catch up with him. I do need to stop by the Saucer to defend my mayorship, and perhaps by Bardog as well to regain my mayorship from the Nuh-Uh Girl. I’m sure Squeal Street will be celebrating at Calhoun’s after they load out. Would like to go down there and party with them, although that much walking really doesn’t sound too good right now.
My legs will be sore tomorrow. But tonight, we party.