Thur update: Grizzlies deal, Orpheum open house tomorrow, letter to the editor/marathon, Best Memphis Burger Fest, jewelry market gets facelift

The Grizzlies have a deal on tickets going on until 11:59 tonight. You can purchase tickets to the December 23 game (Utah), December 28 (Denver), or December 30 (Chicago) for up to 45% off. Get the deal here.

The Orpheum will have an open house beginning at 10 AM tomorrow. Tickets for the Tony Award-winning show War Horse (March 25-30) will go on sale. There will be a Wurlitzer Organ concert at noon. With a canned good or coat donation, you get free admission to a showing of Miracle on 34th Street on the big screen at 2. Historian Vincent Astor will give a presentation about Memphis movie theaters at 4:30, and will have a book-signing at 5. If you purchase the Orpheum’s Holiday 4-pack at the open house, you will get a free Orpheum calendar. Free coffee, hot chocolate, and donuts. Free donuts? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up.

There’s a good letter to the editor in this week’s Memphis Flyer by my friend Dennis James. Every year he and his wife Mary Pat travel to Memphis from Huntsville, Alabama to run in the St.Jude Marathon. Dennis commended the marathon organizers and pointed out that even though the marathon was called off due to ice, it was still a success because of the millions raised for the hospital. You can read the letter here (scroll down to the second letter, “Thanks, Memphis!”)

It’s a big night for Seth and Tim, organizers of Best Memphis Burger Fest. Tonight they will present a big portion of the festival’s proceeds to Mid-South Spay and Neuter Services. The festival is growing and hopefully they’ll get to write an even bigger check at the end of 2014.

Botto Jewelry Market is getting a new facade thanks to a 1-to-1 matching grant from the CCDC. The Main Street Mall will look better once this gets done. The folks at the jewelry market are good people and this is where I go to get my watch battery changed.

I had a wonderful time at Clark’s Christmas last night at the Majestic Grille. The two other judges and I had filets for dinner, then walked around and judged the tacky sweaters and Griswold costumes. It’s always such an honor to be asked to judge what has become a Downtown holiday tradition. Thanks to Patrick and Deni for having me.

Plans for this evening: I’ll lead off at the Silly Goose about 5:30, if the Goose’s renovations are complete and it’s back open. I ran into someone who’s helping with the renovations last night and he showed me photos. It’s going to look good when complete.