Tue update: Riverside Drive party, more info on High Cotton taproom opening, The Bus Starts Here, Sweetwater beer, Orpheum teams up with SCA, Bluefin hiring

The city is having a Riverside Drive Open Streets party this Sunday at 4 PM. There will be food trucks and music by the Mighty Souls Brass Band. Bring your walking shoes or your favorite variety of self-powered wheels (bike, skateboard, etc.)

High Cotton Brewery has announced that the Stickem and Rock’n’Dough food trucks will be on hand to feed guests at its Saturday taproom grand opening, and Personalized Poetry will be there as well. The party lasts from 4 to 10. Currently there are 777 people listed as going on the Facebook event listing for the grand opening. It better be a really big taproom.

My friend Sarah Dalesandro, who was the lead artist for our Moody Ques booth at BBQ Fest has made a post on her blog called The Bus Starts Here. It’s a look at how the “red devil” bus design was put together, from the initial idea stage to winning the Best Booth trophy.

Sweetwater Brewery in Atlanta tweeted the following today: “Hey Memphibians, you thirsty?” Hmmm… could that be a hint?

The Orpheum is teaming up with the Society for Creative Anachronism to present something really special for its showing of classic movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail on Friday, June 20 (showtime 7 PM). There will be pre-show activities and demonstrations of what life was like in Europe before the 17th century, including authentic costumes and armor and demos of spinning and weaving. Costumes on guests are welcomed and encouraged. Get there early for the fun.

Bluefin is hiring line cooks.

Plans for tonight: In an unusual move, I plan to lead off at Local, assuming I get home from work on time. I ran into day shift bartender Courtney (seen on this blog in a tube top a couple of weeks ago) Sunday night and she presented a compelling argument on why I should come by and see her this week. She gets off at 6, so probably I will just do one beer at Local then wander over to the Saucer or somewhere else nearby. Undecided if I will play Blind Bear poker tonight at 8.

Sat update: Taproom opening next Saturday, Winfield’s Shoes, Redbirds, Mao’s Last Dancer

This one can be filed in the “How the hell did this one fly under my radar all week” category: High Cotton Brewery, the new local craft brewery at 598 Monroe, is having the grand opening of its taproom next Saturday, June 14 from 4 to 10. The Dead Soldiers will supply the live music, and according to the folks at the brewery, we should get ready to party like it’s 1877. Not sure what that means but I hope women wore tube tops in 1877.

So I’m about to have a craft brewery taproom only a 12 minute walk from my front door? Interesting. Downtown just keeps getting better and better. You can’t walk to a brewery taproom in Cordova. For that matter, you can’t walk anywhere in Cordova! Why in the world do people live out there? People with kids, I kinda get it. But, single people? Why? Is being able to drive to O’Charley’s in 5 minutes that appealing?

The Bruno Mars concert was last night. I didn’t go, but I knew that Downtown would be tube top heaven last night. Any time a singer like Bruno or JT who appeals to women comes to town, women show up Downtown dressed to the nines. I parked myself at the Saucer and took in the scenery. Afterward I went over to the Blind Bear. I knew the live music would be really good because they didn’t post a password to Facebook as they usually do for weekend nights. Instead they posted “text employee for password.” I texted Jeannette and got the password, and she told me that this was an award-winning band that I needed to come see. It was the Victor Wainright Band, winners of multiple blues awards and the Pinetop Perkins Award. I only lasted through their first set – I was very tired from the website launch that happened at work this week – but trust me, if they come back to town, you need to make plans to hear them.

My neighbor down the street Winfield’s Shoes has been posting some very nice pictures of what they have for sale on Facebook. Check ’em out here.

Tonight’s Redbirds game will be a tribute to the original Memphis, in Egypt. The Redbirds will have on Egyptian-themed jerseys and there will be fireworks after the game. Prior to the game the players will sign autographs in the plaza. First pitch is 6:05 and the opponent is the Nashville Sounds.

The movie Mao’s Last Dancer will be shown at the Belz Museum of Judaic and Asian art today at 12:30 PM.

All right. Time to do a little web stuff for work, then Panda’s bar at Bardog at 11. Rest of day TBD.

Fri update: Events happening tonight, Penn & Teller tickets on sale, Memphis Made tapping party, Big Poppa Pump, Morris discusses Beale Street, Fresh Market job fair

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Danette moved here from Texas only a few months ago, but as you can see, she has assimilated well into Memphis culture. She was at the Silly Goose celebrating Tube Top Month ’14 last night.

We have ourselves another busy night in Downtown Memphis. I already blogged about the showing of Purple Rain in Court Square (8:15, food trucks at 6) and the free concert in Handy Park (6:30). The biggest event tonight, though, is Bruno Mars at the FedExForum at 8:00 tonight. Over at the Orpheum, they’ll be showing National Lampoon’s Vacation tonight at 7. Get there early for pre-show activities and themed cocktails.

Tickets for Penn & Teller at the Orpheum went on sale today. They’ll be here September 19.

Memphis Made Brewing Co. is having a tapping party for Lucid Kolsch, a sessionable German golden ale tonight at 6. They first 24 people to order pints of Lucid will get a free pint glass. Be prepared to answer Kolsch-related trivia questions if you want a shirt.

If you’re a pro wrestling fan, tune into MemphiSport Live tomorrow from 11-1 on AM 56/FM 87.7. “Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner will be the special guest. The Big Bad Booty Daddy will talk about his life in the ring, his freaks, and his peaks. Holla if you hear me!

Here’s a video of Paul Morris who runs DMC discussing the future of Beale Street. The DMC temporarily took over management of the street at the beginning of this year.

Fresh Market is expanding and will hold a career open house on Wednesday, July 9 from 8 AM to 7 PM at the Downtown Doubletree Hotel. Positions will include Assistant Deli Managers, Assistant Grocery Specialist, Assistant Front End Managers, Assistant Produce Managers, Bakers, Bulk Specialist, Candy/Coffee Specialist, Cheese Specialist, Gift/Floral Specialist, Grocery Specialist, Meat Cutters and Seafood Specialist. Those interested must apply online at careers.thefreshmarket.com with keyword 194 prior to the open house.

That’ll do it for now. Watch out for heavy rain late afternoon.

Thur update: Peabody rooftop, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Tacos & Tunes, Uptown BBQ contest, best robot ever, Purple Rain viewing in Court Square, Memphis Jams on Beale

Lots going on Downtown tonight. The weekly rooftop party happens at the Peabody, with Seeing Red providing the live music. $10 to get in, with ladies free until 7. Doors open at 6.

The Orpheum will show Breakfast at Tiffany’s starring Audrey Hepburn on the big screen at 7. This is part of the summer movie series.

Meanwhile, over on Felicia Suzanne’s patio, there will be “Tacos & Tunes” from 7 to 10 tonight. Come down for fiesta specials & a performance by Jeremy Stanfill & Josh Cosby. Any lady who invites me to this and tells me it’s “tacos, tunes, and tube tops on the patio” would be someone I would consider marriage material.

The 6th Annual Uptown BBQ Cooking Contest happens this Saturday, June 7, in Uptown Park at Greenlaw and Uptown Streets. Prizes for best overall, best in pork, anything but, and best display for those who can’t cook but can decorate a tent. There will be celebrity judges and free hot dogs for all.

From Gizmodo: Scientists have built a robot that lets you feel virtual breasts

There will be a food truck roundup and classic movie tomorrow evening in Court Square. Event starts at 6 PM; the movie Purple Rain will be shown at 8:15.

Also, tomorrow night is the debut of “Memphis Jams on Beale,” free concerts in Handy Park at Third and Beale. Memphis Music Foundation presents Chinese Connection Dub Embassy and Lil Rounds.6:30 PM start time.

Been busy launching a new website but wanted to take a minute to get a post up. Assuming everything runs smoothly with the new site, I will be out at the usual places after work.

Wed update: James Lee House, Memphis Flyer 25th, cheap Southwest flights to Chicago, “Of Ireland Born,” entrepreneur on podcast

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Even though she moved to California, the Nuh-Uh Girl has not forgotten what month this is. She wore a tube top to the crawfish boil she held this past weekend.

It looks like the Mississippi Senate Republican race is going to a runoff. Why do I care about that, and why am I mentioning it on what is normally a Downtown blog? Because I found this tweet too funny not to share:

@yorkspork: “At a ceremony held this morning in Jackson a rat crawled out of a dumpster and saw its shadow signaling three more weeks of political ads.”

The Huffington Post has an article about the James Lee House bed and breakfast at 690 Adams that is worth a read: $1 Memphis farmhouse gets a makeover you have to see to believe. Nice photos of the accommodations at the B&B.

Congratulations to the Memphis Flyer on its 25th anniversary! Be sure to pick up a copy of the 25th anniversary issue from a Flyer box this afternoon.

Southwest Airlines is having a three day sale on flights from Memphis to Chicago for $45 one way/$95 round trip if traveling between late August and mid-December. There are also discounts on flights to Houston and Tampa. Hmmm maybe I should hop on a plane this fall and go have a meal at Honky Tonk Barbeque and see my former BBQ teammates Chuck and Willie and Imran.

Bosco Hogan, star of The Tudors, The Borgias, and In the Name of the Father, will be at the Brass Door next Tuesday, June 10 from 6 to 8 PM for a special presentation called “Of Ireland Born.” He will read from a sampling of works that helped create The Republic of Ireland including Yeats, Synge, O’ Connor, and O’Casey. There will be live music by Robert Johnson and John Albertson as well.

12-year-old fashion entrepreneur Moziah Bridges of Mo’s Bows is this month’s guest on the I Love Memphis podcast with Holly Whitfield and Kevin Cerrito. Listen here.

That’s it for now. I will be out at the Silly Goose after work, but it will be a rather early night for me because I have to be back at work at 7 AM to launch a website.

Tue update: Tube top dress pic, One Beale back on the table, Memphis BBQ book

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Here’s a photo from the final night of Brewery Untapped. Misty wanted me to take a tube top dress photo for the blog. Actually, I had to take two photos because Misty said “I look hotter with my hair down.” This is the hair-down photo.

Just a couple of news items today. The Memphis Business Journal reports that plans for a giant tower at One Beale are back on the table. The plan for the tower called for a 30-story structure with office space, condos, and a hotel. A company in Memphis is in talks to pre-lease the office space, making the building a viable project once again.

My friend Craig David Meek’s book Memphis Barbecue: A Succulent History of Smoke, Sauce & Soul will be released next Tuesday, June 10, and there will be a launch party and signing at the Booksellers at Laurelwood at 6 that day. Downtowners who want to talk with Craig will have their chance on July 10, when he will appear at a signing and BBQ tasting at the Cotton Museum. The Memphis Flyer has more info. Be sure to check out his blog Memphis Que as well.

That’s it for now. If more news pops up between now and the end of the day I’ll do an evening post.

Trucker has been found

About 6 last night, Trucker, the lost dog from yesterday’s blog post, was found and returned to Panda and her daughters. He was at Poplar and Goodlett, so he was probably trying to return to Midtown which was the area where he grew up.

Back at lunchtime with a news and tube top post.

Mon update: New Aldo’s Pizza Pies location, Friends trivia night, Pints for Prostates

Paula Raiford knows what month this is! I stopped by Silly Goose for a pre-Brewery Untapped beverage and ran into her there.
Paula Raiford knows what month this is! I stopped by Silly Goose for a pre-Brewery Untapped beverage and ran into her there.

A couple of random things I learned this weekend:

1) There are people who get paid to travel the country and have medical students give them prostate exams. That has got to be the worst job ever. I think I would sleep under the I-40 bridge and push a shopping cart full of aluminum cans around before I would do that.

2) There is a Christian rock remake of “Baby Got Back” called “Baby Got Book” (meaning, the Bible). That would probably convert some people, for sure… but to atheism.

That’s the great thing about being Downtown, that I have a large group of friends that I can get together with and discuss ideas. Of course, they’re mostly really stupid ideas, but still, ideas.

A second Aldo’s Pizza Pies will open soon in Midtown. The new restaurant will be at 752 S. Cooper in the former Two Way Inn building. According to the MBJ, the restaurant will have only six beers on tap, as opposed to the 30 at the Downtown location, and will probably serve personal pizzas rather than the Downtown pizza-by-the-slice option. Midtowners, get ready… GOOD pizza is coming your way!

The weekly trivia night at Tamp and Tap will have a special theme this week: The TV show Friends. Trivia is hosted by Kevin Cerrito at 7 on Wednesdays.

The Flying Saucer kicks off a five-week campaign to raise funds for Pints for Prostates this Wednesday. For the next five Wednesdays, the Saucer will tap a special German brew with a special glass. Those who purchase the glass will be entered into a drawing to win the trip of a lifetime to Bavaria and Franconia in Germany to tour breweries and other sights. This fundraiser happens at both the Memphis and Cordova Saucers, as well as the 14 other locations. Last year the Saucer raised $32,000 for Pints for Prostates.

Thanks to everyone who helped make Brewery Untapped happen. It was awesome. I hope yesterday was not my last time in the brewery.

Thanks to everyone who posted and shared this morning’s post about Trucker. He has possibly been sighted a couple of times in the Perkins area.

I’ll be out at Bardog for Monday with Melissa after work today. It’s possible we may have a special guest…

Lost dog – Trucker

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My friend Panda who bartends at Bardog and who sometimes wears tube tops has lost her dog. She recently moved to East Memphis, in the area of Perkins and Princeton right off Sam Cooper. The dog’s name is Trucker, and he has spent most of his life in the Annesdale Historic District area (Sledge Avenue) and he may have headed back there. Green collar with see, hear, and speak no evil monkeys and a Harley Davidson dog tag with correct phone numbers on it. Chocolate and peanut butter in color, Katahula breed, 60-70 pounds, loves to run, very fast. Panda’s daughters miss this dog very much, so any help you can provide to get him back would be greatly appreciated.

Invest in good times

This is it. The last day that the Tennessee Brewery will be open for Brewery Untapped. If you love the brewery and hate it that it may be torn down in August, GET DOWN THERE. Let’s pack the place. Let’s have so many people standing outside on Tennessee Street waiting to get in that the trolley has trouble getting through. Let’s make a statement. It may not work but let’s make it anyway.

If you’ve never been, there is a beer garden serving local and regional craft beer, there are food trucks, there is a game room and there is a large outdoor patio that is perfect for good times with friends. It is the ultimate social space.

If you buy beer between 12 and 6 today, you get a $1 token refunded to you. You can place that token in a donation box for the charity of your choice. Today’s charities include Peer Power Foundation, Mid-South Food Bank, Grow Memphis, the Mid-South chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and the New Ballet Ensemble and School.

You will have plenty more days to watch baseball. You will have plenty more days to lay out by the pool. You will have plenty more days to hang out at Bardog or the Goose or the Bear or wherever. You only have one day left to be at the brewery. GET DOWN THERE. If it rains, deal with it. I’ve been soaked twice in the past 15 days and I survived. You will too. GET DOWN THERE.

The brewery is open from 11 to 9 today. I have to admit I may need a tube top snuggle bunny to deal with the sadness when it closes if anyone wants to help with that.

GET DOWN THERE.