The Blind Bear will open early this Labor Day weekend. On Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, August 31 and September 1-2, the speakeasy on the Main Street Mall will open at noon and will remain open until its normal closing time of 3 AM. Of course, Saturday and Sunday the Memphis Music & Heritage Festival will be happening outside. The Bear will be a great place to duck into to cool off and to enjoy a $2.50 PBR draft.
A friend of mine who is a member of Ptolemy Memphis asked me to mention that they’re having a poker run in South Main Saturday, September 14 from 3 to 6 PM. $15 for one hand, $40 for three hands. You crawl from bar to bar and get a playing card at each bar. The best poker hand at the end of the crawl wins prizes. All proceeds go to children’s charity.
The Daily News has info about Bluff City Oktoberfest happening October 4-5.
Couple of pieces of beer news today: The Memphis Flyer has a virtual tour of the new Wiseacre Brewing Company now open on Broad Avenue. Their tap room will be open tomorrow 4-8 PM. Yesterday I was at the Flying Saucer and there was a sign above two taps saying “Local Beer Coming Soon.” I believe that will be Wiseacre beer.
The Cash Saver on Madison will have an Abita Amber sampling from 5 to 7 PM today and will have 12-packs of the beer on sale for $9.53.
Manna House, a hospitality hub for the homeless in Midtown, offers showers, coffee, conversation and laundry services. However, since St. Vincent de Paul nearby closed in June, Manna House has taken on the additional task of feeding the homeless. More info in this Flyer article. This isn’t a Downtown thing, but I want to mention it because two of my readers are big fans of St. Vincent de Paul and I’m sure they would want me to. Manna House could use monetary donations to help pay for the turkey sandwiches and bananas they are serving.
The Flyer’s Hungry Memphis blog has a photo gallery of what’s for lunch at Tamp & Tap.
It’s College Football Thursday with two big games on ESPN: North Carolina at South Carolina at 5, and Ole Piss at Vanderbilt at 8:15. The bars will be crowded tonight with people watching the games. I’ll lead off at Silly Goose about 5:30 and figure out the rest from there.