Fri update: Basketball weekend, Trolley Tour, BBQ news, Memphis on national TV, polar bear plunge/chili cook-off

Tonight marks the first of three nights of basketball at the FedExForum. The Memphis Tigers host Oral Roberts tonight. Tomorrow the Grizzlies host the Denver Nuggets, and Sunday’s game will be the Tigers vs. Loyola. All three games have a 7 PM tip-off.

It’s the last Friday of the month, and that means it’s South Main Trolley Tour night. Many of the businesses in the South Main district will be open from 6 to 9 tonight. Some businesses will offer free beer, wine, and/or hors d’oeuvres. (Free food? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up.) There will also be live music in some of the boutiques and restaurants.

The Rendezvous will be closed from January 1st through the 9th. If you get hungry for ribs or BBQ in any other form, here’s a pro tip. Head south on Second. When Second forks off south of Vance, take the right fork onto St. Martin Street. Keep going a couple of blocks south to Butler, and you’ll be at the Downtown Central BBQ location, home of the best BBQ in the city. Once you’ve had Central, you won’t care whether the Rendezvous is open or not.

Memphis will be on CBS This Morning Saturday tomorrow morning. There will be a segment featuring different cities’ New Year’s Eve celebrations and celebratory drops. The Hard Rock Cafe’s guitar drop on Beale Street will be among them.

There will be a “polar bear plunge” and chili cook-off on Mud Island February 2 to benefit the Special Olympics. Action News 5 has the details.

That’s the news for now. Time for some mediocre Chinese buffet sushi, a few more hours at work, and then another four-day weekend. I’ll hit the Saucer about 7 after the Tigers pre-game crowd clears out.