It’s the annual “Post to Facebook how awesome Beale Street Music Fest’s lineup is”/”Post to Facebook how much Beale Street Music Fest’s lineup sucks” day, depending on your perspective. Memphis in May announced the lineup for Music Fest this morning. The festival is Friday, April 29-Sunday, May 1 at Tom Lee Park, the first Memphis in May event of the season. It is held in Tom Lee Park by the river with multiple stages, attracting crowds of 40,000-55,000 each day.
Pro tip if you’ve never been to Music Fest and are going this year: Invest in a couple of cheap disposable ponchos that can be carried in your pocket or purse. The weather has a way of being cursed during Music Fest, and there are few years when it does not rain at least once.
One other note: The normal high for Memphis April 29-May 1 is 77. Do not expect 77 during Music Fest. Typical Music Fest weather sees highs of about 65 and lows about 50. Again, there is no other explanation than that the weather is cursed. Also, expect bright, sunny skies with highs of about 83 for the periods April 26-28 and May 2-4.
South Main Trolley Night is this Friday starting at 6 PM, with many shops and galleries open late. It’s a special Oscar-themed Trolley Night, with South Main businesses rolling out the red carpet. If you’re a South Main Association member, there will be a special area for you in The Arcade, the most-filmed building in Memphis, for complimentary appetizers and beverages and a movie trivia contest with a first-place prize of two Malco movie passes. Non-SMA members can join the fun for $10.
Also at Trolley Night will be South Main Sounds Songwriter Night #22 at 550 S. Main, with performances by Andrew Cabigao, Anna Melvin, Kyndle Elizabeth McMahan, Stephen Sciara, Kris Acklen and Tony Manard. Stock & Belle at 387 S. Main will have Turnrow Letterpress Art. Art Village Gallery at 410 S. Main will have an event called Diva Power for a Woman in the White House with actress Garcelle Beauvais.
I plan on being at Trolley Night, headquartering myself at my “home away from home on the south side,” Max’s Sports Bar, although I do plan on venturing out to check out the galleries and probably Songwriter Night. Since I #FeelTheBern, perhaps I better stay out of Art Village Gallery.
If you #FeelTheBern too, you can now order the Bernie Sanders action figure.
The Southern Circuit of Independent Filmmakers Tour comes to the Halloran Centre for Performing Arts tonight with Dorothea Lange: Grab a Hunk of Lightning. Tickets are $10. Film starts at 7, 90 minutes long, followed by a Q&A session with the filmmaker.
For those who take I-55 southbound to work from Downtown: I noticed traffic counters on the off-ramp onto Mallory and the on-ramp from Third. Water pools really bad under the bridges between Mallory and Third, and I guess TDOT is counting how many people take the detour to avoid the pooling water. (I do.) I wish they would find a way to provide better drainage in that area.
Glad we only had to deal with heavy rain though. My BBQ teammate Duck was down in Louisiana with tornadoes whizzing by. Glad to hear Duck stayed safe.
Lexington, Kentucky’s “Food for Fines” program lets you pay off parking tickets with canned goods. Every 10 cans donated gives you a $15 credit. This supplies local food banks with thousands of cans each year. It would be nice if Memphis would do this for Mid-South Food Bank, but I guess given the state of the budget, the city needs all the ticket revenue it can get.
The Daily Downtowner on Instagram today is not even a person. It’s the “Cry Me a River,” one of the new drinks you can get at Qahwa’s nitrogen bar.
Oh my goodness… “The Wild World of Nextdoor.com” is the cover story for the Memphis Flyer this week. If you follow publisher Bruce V on Twitter, you know he is a big fan of Nextdoor.com. I can’t wait to read this story.
That’s the news for now. Getting a lot done at work today. I will be out at happy hour at the Silly Goose for a well-deserved PBR. Probably I will be back at the Goose for CharveyMac at 10 tonight.