Yesterday evening the rain let up, so I made the journey down to my “home away from home on the south side,” Max’s Sports Bar. Max was there and he told me he was thinking about doing a crawfish boil soon. Crawfish boils at Max’s are excellent, but he hasn’t had one in several years. I think the last one was around the time the 2012 group photo was taken. This is very very very tentative, but he told me he was thinking about the first Saturday of May, which would be May 7. I have nothing on my calendar that day, so I would be up for it. Again, this is tentative at this point, but I will keep you informed.
Also on Saturday, May 7, live music returns to Loflin Yard. Dead Soldiers play 8 AM to midnight.
Interested in playing sandlot baseball? Sandlot Memphis is gearing up for a second season. Anyone interested is welcome to come to an organizational meeting at the High Cotton taproom in The Edge Wednesday, May 11 at 6 PM. You don’t have to have any particular skill at baseball, just a general knowledge of the game and a willingness to represent yo ‘hood.
The Redball Project is at Beale Street Landing today. If you go to Music Fest you’ll be able to see a big red ball on the way in. Yay.
There’s a burlesque show at Earnestine & Hazel’s tonight. My next-door neighbor is one of the performers. Doors at 8:30, show at 9:30. $10 cover, $20 VIP. This is a 21 and over show.
Thursday I put out a request for volunteers to sign up for help with load-in, load-out, kitchen, and side dishes for the Moody Ques. I was blown away by the response. In my 10 years on BBQ teams I have never seen so many people so willing to help. The team email box was blowing up all afternoon. Yesterday I posted on the team website thanking everyone for their responses and within three hours, another six emails offering help had come in. My mind is just blown how different this team is from a year ago. We’ve got a committed group of people, our cooking is close to getting on par with the top-level teams, and although our team president keeps emphasizing that we are a cooking-first team, I want to emphasize something else… we are the BEST DAMN PARTY IN TOM LEE PARK and that is not going to change. You want to get a taste of the music we will have? Go to the Silly Goose tonight. DJ Cody. That’s our guy. He can’t bring his equipment but there’s no rule that says a team member can’t hook up an iPod to our sound system. So if you want to hang with the team that brings the damn party, come visit the Moody Ques. Team members who haven’t signed up for load-in/load-out yet and want to can email moodyques@gmail.com and let us know your availability.
Oh by the way, that sound system? That’s another way the team has matured. We BOUGHT it this year. This is something I have been riding the team’s ass about for years… in the past we have rented too often, or bought items only to throw them away after BBQ Fest and buy them again the following year. I am so happy to see us acquiring, storing, and re-using assets. That’s going to make the budget so much easier to manage in future years.
Not gonna let a little rain stop me from my day’s activities… Farmers market is first up, then Bardog, then maybe a little people-watching on Beale. Time to hit Publish and head south. Back tomorrow.