Month: June 2016

Eric Hughes and Rum Boogie Cafe are hosting a Benefit for Officer Smith Friday night, June 10 starting at 9:00. Officer Verdell Smith was hit by a getaway car traveling at a high speed and killed, following a senseless shooting in The Pinch last Saturday night. Money raised by The Eric Hughes Band as well as admission fees to both Rum Boogie Cafe and Blues Hall that night will be donated to the family of Officer Smith.

There’s an apartment available for rent in South Main. 481 S. Main is a 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment with oversized Jacuzzi. Washer/dryer, all appliances included, 16 foot ceilings, oak floors. There is a private fenced deck in the back. $1300 a month includes all utilities. This unit is located across the street from Rizzo’s Diner and there’s a trolley stop right outside the door. I know the people who live in the adjoining units and they are super cool people. Call 901-550-4555 if interested. Prince Mongo is the landlord.

The Hungry Memphis blog has info on the Tuscany Italian Eatery opening soon on Front across from AutoZone. It will be open 11-9 Monday Saturday and there will be delivery. The lasagne is said to be “out of this world” and the Italian beef sandwich is too. Two of my favorites! There will be a second location in 200 Jefferson (“The Darth Vader Building”) with hours of 6 AM to 2 PM.

The Downtown Memphis Commission, the Beale Street Merchants Association, the City of Memphis Mayor’s Office, and the Memphis Police Department will hold a joint press conference Thursday, June 9 at 9 AM in Handy Park at Third and Beale. The conference will outline new measures that will be adopted to keep people safe on the street during peak hours. The Beale Street Bucks voucher program and other measures will be discussed.

So they’re bringing back the cover charge? I don’t think it’s an ideal solution, but given the current situation it’s probably the best move they can make right now. The trouble is, the last time they did the cover charge they started it at midnight, which I think is too late. I would start it at 9 or 10 in the evening, probably 10.

lulemon athletica Memphis is hosting a 3-mile run followed by a yoga flow Saturday, June 25 at Loflin Yard. Both the run and the yoga will be for all levels. Check-in at 9:30, run at 10, yoga flow at 11. YOGA!

The annual Memphis International Rockabilly Festival has been announced for Saturday, October 15-Sunday October 16 in The Edge neighborhood. Two days of bands, with the lineup so far including Miss Barbara Clifford & The Shaking Tailfeathers, Casey Sisters, Oak Hill Drifters, Rosie Flores, Ray Campi, Twistin’ Turantulas, and The Delta Bombers. Tickets are available now.

Hillary Clinton has clinched the Democratic nomination, including California which I thought she was going to lose. As you know, I have been a Bernie Sanders supporter throughout the primary season. However, now is the time to get behind Hillary as the nominee. She may not be a perfect choice in my mind, but she will nominate progressive Supreme Court justices and she can prevent the most dangerous nominee ever put forth by a major party, Donald Trump, from becoming president. Plus, we are long overdue to have a woman in the Oval Office. Heck, for that matter, I wouldn’t mind if she named Elizabeth Warren as her running mate and we had a woman in the Vice-President’s office as well.

In case you haven’t found it already, RealClearPolitics is a great site to stay in tune with political news, opinion, and polls during election season. Perhaps their best feature is a projected electoral college map based on recent polls. Clinton is currently up 194 to 164 but there are many toss-up states and both candidates have a lot of work to do.

Time to drive to work and do computer stuff. Possibly a second post later today.

If you work Downtown, you are about to have a new lunch spot to visit on Fridays. Loflin Yard has announced new hours for Fridays along with a new Friday lunch menu. That would be a beautiful spot to get away from the rat race for an hour and enjoy nature and some good food. I don’t see the lunch menu on their website yet, but po’boys where mentioned.

Best Memphis Burger Fest needs your help! You may remember that last year’s festival was on October 5, a time of year known for beautiful weather with temperatures near perfect for being outside. That was not what happened last year! As Seth put it, it was practically a Nor’Easter minus the snow! Beer sales were near zero, and merchandise sales were a third of what they expected. Even so, Memphis Paws, Inc. kept its promise to donate approximately $7500 to rescues and animal care. This year, Burger Fest needs your help to recover. They are asking you to buy a VIP ticket to the festival for $50. In addition to entry into the festival and great live music, you get free parking, catered food, FREE BEER and some other liquid goodies, an air-conditioned tent (remember, the festival is in August this year) and two all-day KidZone passes. As I mentioned in Saturday’s post, Burger Fest is one of those uniquely Memphis ideas that happened organically, and this is a year when they need our help. Please consider purchasing a VIP pass to support them.

The Brass Door will be showing USA vs. Costa Rica tonight in Copa America. The match starts at 7 PM. No better place to watch soccer Downtown than the Brass Door.

The restaurant in Beale Street Landing lost $90,000 in a 12 month period. What a terrible number. As someone I follow on Twitter pointed out, compare how much money it took to build Beale Street Landing and the amount of money it makes (or loses) with home much money it took to build Loflin Yard and the amount of money it makes.

Brewville@DeNeuville is this Saturday from 5 to 8, raising money for the DeNeuville Learning Center. There will be a homebrew competition as well as Memphis Made craft beer and great food. The event will be MC’d by Kevin Cerrito, and there will be live entertainment by Kim Garmon and the South Side Supper Club. Get tickets here.

The Memphis Flyer has an article about a new art gallery in The Edge that will work with homeless artists to sell their work.

The GOP nominee and possible future leader of the free world typed “F**kface von Clownstick” on Twitter this morning. Great choice, Republicans.

That’s it for now. Getting about 3 inches of hair chopped off after work, then will be out at Blind Bear probably.

I want to start off this post by offering my prayers to the family of Officer Verdell Smith, who was struck by a car and killed in the line of duty Saturday night. To all the police officers reading this, I have the utmost respect for what you do.

As a web developer by trade, I am super existed to see that the Grizzlies are hosting a six-week code camp for kids. Boys and girls entering grades 7 to 9 can attend the camp, held at the Lester Community Center at 317 Tillman. There they will learn to build complex mobile apps using MIT’s Appinventor development platform. Very cool and yet another sign how much the team is part of this community.

Crop Hop 5K, the run to benefit the Memphis Farmers Market, is coming up a week from Friday. After the run there will be food and beer under the MFM pavilion. There is a “I don’t want to run or get a T-shirt, I just want to hang out and eat and drink” ticket which is the one I will be purchasing.

Got Trolleys? will be the theme of the June South Main Association meeting, to be held at Leadership Memphis, 365 South Main at 6 PM Tuesday, June 14. MATA president Ron Garrison and Alvin Pearson, Assistant General Manager will discuss what it takes to put a trolley on Main Street in terms of money, regulations and people. Cafe Pontotoc will provide complimentary appetizers and beverages will be provided by the SMA. Free for SMA members, $10 non-members.

If you’re a comedy fan, save the date: June 28. That day will mark the one year anniversary of comedy at the Brass Door South Carolina’s Jenn Snyder, New Orleans’ Vince Gulino and Jeffrey Buck, and Memphis Brandon Sams and Q will perform, along with the return of Ben Aviotti.

Zeke & Paulette, a folksong duet known as “The Washboard Queen and The Unknown Legend,” will perform Sunday, June 12 at the Center for Southern Folklore from 4 to 7. $7 donation. The duo is expected to pay homage to Memphis Minnie at the event.

California votes tomorrow. A few weeks ago RealClearPolitics had Hillary leading Bernie by double digits. Her lead today? A mere two points. Given that Bernie outperforms his polls, we are looking at a very real possibility that he will upset Hillary in our nation’s largest state on the same day Hillary secures the nomination. Man, I thought the Republican convention was going to be the shitshow of the summer; looks like the Dems will have that honor instead. If their GOP opponent was not such a complete clown, this would be big trouble for the Democrats.

That’s the news for now. There may be a second post after work.

Probably the best part of writing my blog is meeting my readers. Last night I was hanging out at Max’s Sports Bar, my home away from home on the south side, and I heard “Hey Paul!” I turned around and a woman told me, “I read your blog.” We talked briefly and she told me she was from West Virginia.

“What part?” I asked.

“Morgantown, where the university is,” she replied.

“Do you burn couches?” I asked.

“How do you know about that?” she asked in astonishment. I know things. We got to talking and I told her about my Moody Ques teammate Aaron from around the corner in Wheeling. You know you’re a good BBQ team when vegetarians want to join. Aaron is our vegetarian.

Oh, by the way, since I brought up the Moody Ques… we brought home a couple of awards from Senatobia this weekend! We got 4th place in Ribs and 3rd place in Sauce at the Tate County Fair.

After I left Max’s Sports Bar, I caught a Lyft back to the Blind Bear, where I ran into Michael from the One901 blog. If you are not following that site, you need to. Lots of good information there.

If you’re free this Thursday, my friend Gwendolyn will be doing a live painting session at People’s, the pool hall on Beale Street. DJ Remy, diRty Avenue, and The Block Soul Band will perform and there will be open mic as well. The fun starts at 9 PM.

There will be a book signing today in the lobby of The Blues Foundation at 421 South Main. David Whiteis will sign copies of his book Southern Soul-Blues. The book examines the development and history of Southern soul from its roots in the 1960s and 1970s.

All right, that’s it for now, not a real newsy day but that par for the course for Sunday. It is time for D-RANKS with B-RAD at the Blind Bear where I will do a shot in honor of Katie (not Mac) who celebrates her birthday today (at work unfortunately). Time to hit Publish and then go update the Moody Ques website with the news from Tate County.

 

 

 

There is almost nothing that energizes me like telling people who don’t live here about my city and about my neighborhood. Last night I had a fantastic conversation about Memphis with two folks from out of town who are considering a move here. The more I talked about Memphis, the more I realized how truly good we have it here. I will talk about our conversation more toward the end of this post, but I realize most of you came here for the news, so let’s get to that first.

A classic Italian deli is coming to Downtown. Tuscany Italian Eatery will open at 116 S. Front. That’s across from AutoZone and hopefully they will succeed in a space where others haven’t.

The American Cancer Society Young Professionals Group is putting together a Downtown Memphis Putt-Putt Pub Crawl that will depart from the Flying Saucer at 1 PM on Saturday, June 25. Entry is $15 individual or $50 for a team of four. Participating bars include the Saucer, Silly Goose, Local, Oshi, Agave Maria, and Kooky Canuck. There will be nine holes of putt-putt with prizes for best-dressed team, best team score, and best hole. All proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society. More information and registration here.

If you’d like to learn more about this young professionals’ group, visit their website.

On Stage at the Halloran Centre, a series of musical acts performing in the Centre’s 361-seat auditorium beginning in September, has been announced. The list includes soul artist Booker T. Jones, Taylor Hicks from American Idol, Grand Ole Opry member Pam Tillis, saxophonist Mindi Abair, Nitty Gritty Dirty Band on their 50th anniversary tour, Marcella Simien (Marcella and her lovers) opening for her father Terrance Simien, and Afro-Caribbean group Tiempo Libre. You can find more information about this series here.

Crazy Good Sauce has signed on as a sponsor for Best Memphis Burger Fest. Crazy Good sells sauces, seasonings and mixers around Memphis. I have a bottle of their ghost pepper sauce in my refrigerator, and have had several of their other sauces on my food at Bardog and they are all good. If you’re going to the Memphis Farmers Market this morning, look for Crazy Good’s booth there. Their sauces are also at City Market.

The Big 12 has approved a conference championship game in 2017. That may sound like possible good news for the University of Memphis, but not so fast – the NCAA granted the Big 12 a waiver to play a championship game with only 10 teams. So the conference is no closer to expansion than they were before.

Daniel posted a photo of the club sandwich that will soon be on the menu when the Silly Goose begins opening for lunch.

Random cool site that was linked in an email I subscribe to: Digital Harlem. It is a look at everyday life in Harlem from 1915 to 1930 as recorded in photos, newspaper clippings, legal documents, maps, and other published and archival sources.

Stats site FiveThirtyEight has composed a list of the most popular songs currently played at wedding receptions, as evidenced by playlists received from 163 DJs. “Hey Ya!” is number one, played on 69 of the 163 lists.

 

Back to the conversation I had with my out-of-town guests… two things really stood out to me as we talked. The first was how easy it is to find places to volunteer here in Memphis compared to other major cities. Earlier this week I blogged about VolunCheers, an event that will introduce potential volunteers to nonprofits in a speed-dating type of environment. We have Volunteer Memphis which is a central source of opportunities around the city. There’s also an opportunity calendar (and a space to write about volunteer experiences) at Volunteer Odyssey. If you want to get active in the community here, it’s not hard.

Another big takeaway I got from the conversation – something I have known for years but never put into words before – is that more so than most cities, many of the best things that happen here are not born in marketing departments of big corporations. They begin with an idea from an average guy or gal like you or me, and then others climb on board and things grow organically. The Songwriter Nights on South Main come to mind here. They began with one person’s vision, then the musicians bought into it, then the public bought into it, resulting at packed houses at 550 S. Main every time they have an event. A marketing department could not have designed something like that.

Best Memphis Burger Fest would be another example. It started with a guy who believed that there are many alternatives to Huey’s if you want to eat a great burger here in Memphis, and he started a blog about it. As the blog got very popular, he started thinking about food festivals in other cities. The light bulb in his head came on again, and the burger festival was born.

(On a side note, Seth has a new review of the Bomba-B Burger from Sabor Caribe, the Venezuelan restaurant out in The Edge.)

I wrapped up the evening by saying the same thing I have said on here many times: Never in my life have I found a place where there is so much to do so close by, where it is so easy to find people, make friends, and build a fulfilling life, as it is in Downtown Memphis. Thank you Cooper and Nicole for dinner. I enjoyed the conversation thoroughly. If I can answer any other questions for you or point you to more information, you have my email.

I also want to thank Chef Patrick Reilly for coming over and introducing himself to my guests. That meant a lot. By the way, that was another point I made: Here in Downtown Memphis, the chefs are our friends, just regular people we hang out with apart from their restaurants. You don’t find that in Manhattan or L.A., at least not nearly as much.

I didn’t take a photo because I didn’t want to be pulling my phone out all the time at the dinner table, but last night I had one of the few menu items I had never tried, the seared tuna. It is served raw on a bed of jasmine rice with ginger soy sauce, with a side of green beans. Absolutely delicious.

I also had a drink I had never tried at the Majestic last night – Lisa’s Vanilla Bean Old Fashioned. It was made with Knob Creek, simple syrup, muddled vanilla bean, orange zest, and Fee Brothers orange bitters. You know, some people think of Monroe Avenue as “Restaurant Row” because McEwen’s, Flight and Felicia’s are all on the street or nearby. Perhaps the area around Main and Peabody Place could be called “Cocktail Corner” because the Silly Goose, Majestic, and Blind Bear are all places where you can get a well-made craft cocktail.

That’ll wrap up this post. I am skipping the Farmers Market this week because I am not confident the weather will hold up. There was a time in June 2015 where I walked there under sunny skies, and as soon as I bought my smoothie and got under the pavilion, the skies turned dark and opened up. I am not interested in getting trapped again! South Main will have to do without me this morning. I will be flying solo this morning at Bardog, because John D and the boys are cooking at the Tate County Fair, the final regional for the Moody Ques for the 2015-16 BBQ season. If anyone wants to keep me company at Bardog, come on up! Time to hit Publish and get outside.

 

 

Great news for Downtown: This afternoon, ServiceMaster announced that they are moving their headquarters Downtown. They have an employee meeting at the Peabody, and then are expected to announce their move to the Peabody Place Mall to the public this afternoon with the city and county mayors in attendance. Welcome to Downtown, ServiceMaster! If I can answer any questions about nearby amenities for you to enjoy at lunch or after work, shoot me an email at paul@paulryburn.com.

Hmmm… I wonder if this is why the Silly Goose, nearby, announced that lunches and a barista are coming soon.

Get ready to do the Time Warp. The Rocky Horror Picture Show is on the big screen at the Orpheum next Friday, June 10. There’s always a costume contest before the show and they sell props for audience participation. I’ve been to this and it’s a lot of fun, so come get down with the transvestites from Transylvania.

Speaking of the Orpheum, Beverly Hills Cop plays on the big screen tonight.

George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic play the New Daisy this evening at 9:00.

The MBJ has news on Ghost River’s updated look and its plans to open a taproom soon. Located at South Main and Crump, Ghost River was Memphis’ first brewery to open during the modern craft brewery era.

There’s a special Yadi Gnome theme ticket for the Redbirds game Saturday, June 11. Buy this ticket and get a garden gnome that looks like St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina.

The Flying Saucer is once again supporting Pints for Prostates in a month-long event. The organization raises awareness for men’s cancer, and last year the Saucer was its top fundraiser with over $30,000 donated among all the locations. The month will culminate in a drawing for a trip for two to the Czech Republic and Germany (Prague, Bamberg, Eck, and Munich) for Oktoberfest.

There’s live music at Loflin Yard this weekend! Tonight Electric Boogaloo with Logan & The 10-ft. TVs performs 6 to 9 PM. The group features Art Edmaiston on saxophone. Blues legend Earl “The Pearl” Banks performs Saturday 6 to 9, with members of the Hi Rhythm Section. Sunday is the weekly pickin’ party from 4 to 7, with bluegrass collective Tennessee Ripple. Hmmm I’ve never been to a pickin’ party before… may have to walk down there Sunday.

Also at Loflin Yard, there’s a fun and free Pure Barre class from 11 to noon tomorrow morning, Saturday, June 4. Sign up here. After the class, you can relax and purchase food from Loflin’s kitchen. Be sure to bring a mat, because the class will be done on grass.

There’s a planning manager position open at Youth Villages.

Those of you interested in Memphis being part of a potential Big 12 expansion may want to read this article from Cincinnati. The roadblock to expansion is the big dog of the conference, the University of Texas. The folks at Texas don’t seem to think that any of the potential TV markets, Memphis being one of them, will bring in enough of a revenue windfall to justify cutting the pie into twelve slices rather than the current ten.

I’m excited about this evening. Two of my readers from out-of-town have contacted me and asked if they could take me to dinner at the Majestic. They have been considering moving to Memphis for a while now and they want to pick my brain. I love doing stuff like that! I’m so happy that I can play a part in promoting the city and neighborhood that I call home. It reminds me of the Saturday when I was at D-RANKS with B-RAD at the Blind Bear and three people told me they moved to Downtown Memphis because of what I wrote. To this day it still weirds me out a bit (but in a fulfilling way) to think that condos have sold, people have found their groups of friends, markets and bars have picked up customers, pets have been adopted because of something I created.

On a side note, my phone autocorrects “Brad” to “B-RAD” now.

The Copa America, the biggest soccer tournament for the USA Team outside of a World Cup, kicks off tonight. The Brass Door will be showing USA vs. Colombia tonight at 8:30.

Memphis Italian Festival is happening this weekend out at Park and Mt. Moriah in East Memphis. It’s similar to BBQ Fest but with Italian food – teams compete, and there are food vendors that sell to the public and live bands. It’s also similar to BBQ Fest in that it rains every year and turns the place into a giant mud pit.

That’s all for now. I have plenty of time to hit happy hour before dinner. Undecided where to go it, so it’ll be a game time decision between Silly Goose, Blind Bear and Max’s.

Get Fresh with Us is the theme of the Memphis Farmers Market this Saturday. What better way to celebrate the beginning of National Fruit and Vegetable Month than a trip to the Market for some locally grown fresh produce? Kids can learn about animals on the farm by creating unique farm-animal visors from 9 to 11. Live music by Kayla Walker 8:30 to 10 and by David May 11 to 12:30. The Market is at the corner of Front and G.E. Patterson under the pavilion every Saturday from 7 AM to 1 PM.

This week’s vendor chitchat is with Erica Bodine, owner of Erica Bodine Pottery. Bodine’s parents were potters and taught her at age 12. She makes only utilitarian items, and one of her first for the Farmers Market was a 901 drinking cup. Later she expanded her line to include a 201 (Poplar) drinking cup that she sells at the Market.

Some days this blog just writes itself…

Bodine’s pottery can also be found at Trolley Stop Market if you can’t make it to the Farmers Market.

The public is invited to wear orange tonight to Loflin Yard to observe National Gun Violence Awareness Day. Speakers will include Moms volunteer Tara Johnson, Mayor Jim Strickland, Sen. Lee Harris, and Terri Lee Freeman, President of the Nat’l Civil Rights Museum. The program begins at 5 PM.

There will be a Creole and Patio Party at Church of the River tomorrow night, Friday, June 3. Gumbo and other New Orleans favorites will be served in the church’s courtyard and Great Mississippi River Room as Marcella and her Lovers entertain. $75.

My friend Chicken Fried Steak Rodger has confirmed for me that Uber and Lyft will take you to Southaven/Olive Branch and come pick you up from those cities and take you back to Memphis. Now, I know what you’re thinking… “Why the F would anyone want to go to Olive Branch?”, but our friend Mandy Marie teaches really fun classes at Painting with a Twist out there. Now I will be able to go without worrying about transportation.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade will play at the Orpheum tonight at 7, the first of the summer classic movie series.

The Harbor Town 5K is tomorrow night, Friday, June 3. Race is at 7 with a 1 mile fun run for kids at 6. Proceeds raised benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Memphis.

I’ll be leading off at Silly Goose tonight after work. Keep scrolling for this morning’s post if you haven’t seen it yet.

Just barely enough time to fire off a post before work. Let’s do this thing…

Million Dollar Quartet is back Downtown filming once again. They will occupy the alley next to Bardog (formerly known as Scratchy’s Alley) today through Saturday.

Want to volunteer somewhere in Memphis but haven’t found the perfect fit for you so far? Come to VolunCheers at Emerge Memphis on Wednesday, June 15. It’s a “Minute Match,” kind of like speed dating where nonprofits and potential volunteers find each other. Food and Wiseacre beer will be provided.

The Dantones headline tonight’s Peabody rooftop party.. $10 to get in or $150 VIP for the season, first 200 ladies free, doors at 6, entertainment at 7. Admission includes a buffet of mini meatloaf and tater tots, and if you’re in VIP you have a second buffet of chicken & waffles, onion rings and mini cheesecake. Cherry margaritas are the drink special. Those with VIP passes have a beer tasting in the Corner Bar 5-6 PM featuring New Belgium Heavy Melon.

MyHQ is once again hosting Sunset Yoga at Memphis Park (formerly Confederate Park) Wednesday, June 8. The session is free and there will be a wine tasting by Quench afterward. If you don’t have your own mat they can supply you one. YOGA!

South Main Book Juggler will host a Simplifying Chords Book Signing Saturday from 1 to 3 in the afternoon. Elizabeth Goodline will sign her book, a textbook for the classroom and a reference for the road. Afterward she will play a set at South Main Sounds.

Claybrook Farms is now advertising its June Bundle: five 12 ounce ribeyes, five 12 ounce strip steaks, two 24 ounce sirloin steaks for two, and two 1.5 pound packages of ground beef. This collection retails for $185 but you can get it as a bundle this month for $150.

I expect to be back later today with Farmers Market news and more, so check back.

I am sad to report that Roxie’s, the grocery at Third and Mill that is known city-wide for its great burger, was damaged in an overnight fire Monday night/Tuesday morning. However, the building was not a total loss and the burgers will be back on the grill as soon as they can.

On Saturday, June 18 there will be a soul food cooking contest at Slave Haven, the Underground Railroad museum in the 800 block of North Second. The museum is celebrating its 160th anniversary and the contest is part of its Juneteenth events. You can compete for the best of the best in sweet potato pie, bread pudding, hot water cornbread, tea cakes, and biscuits.

Saturday, August 28 is Go Topless Day at Overton Park. Everyone, including men, is encouraged to wear pasties and celebrate the day. This is also the day of Best Memphis Burger Fest and the Bardog alley party, so people are going to be spread thin around town.

The folks at the Hungry Memphis blog tried the deep fried ribs at King Jerry Lawler’s new cafe on Beale Street. Those look really good, and something different from the rest of the ribs you can find Downtown.

South of Beale is now delivering to Downtown and Midtown via Chef Shuttle. Here’s the menu.

Very cool for our local university: The University of Memphis is sending 14 journalism students to cover the Olympics. The games open August 5. Man oh man… the Summer Olympics back on TV… you know what that means…

ROMANIAN GYMNASTS!

I am still waiting to hear whether Catalina Ponor has accepted my marriage proposal.

For Max’s Sports Bar patrons: You may remember Lauren who tended bar during day football games several years back. She will be working Michele’s shifts for the month while Michele is on vacation, so come see her! I will definitely be spending some time at Max’s this weekend.

Max’s is mentioned in this post by the Flyer’s Frank Murtaugh about five tips for new Grizzlies coach David Fizdale. “Forget white collar or blue collar… Memphis may be America’s only no-collar town.” Love it. And Coach Fiz, if you’re reading this, you really should visit Max’s and meet the regulars. One of the friendliest bars in the city and they love their sports there.

And after you visit Max’s, be sure to go cat-a-corner across Main and G.E. Patterson and check out Earnestine & Hazel’s, a spot where a certain former Grizz coach used to take his 23-year-old dates.

Damn. Two Mr. Greens in one post. That hasn’t happened in a while. I think the only time it has ever happened before is when I mentioned the BBQ device that I’m no longer to mention on here.

(I mentioned the BBQ device I am no longer allowed to mention )

Three. A hat trick of Mr. Greens.

For my readers who are casual wrestling fans but don’t follow the action on a weekly basis, you gotta watch the clip below. John Cena returned Monday night after a 6+ month absence due to injury. WWE newcomer AJ Styles, already a legend in TNA and Japan, came to the ring to greet Cena. Last week AJ asked the other members of The Bullet Club (now just “The Club”) to stop interfering in his matches and they agreed to go their separate ways. However, The Club was none too happy about Styles sucking up to John Cena last night, and they came to the ring to express their objection. Probably the most important segment on a WWE show since Seth Rollins turned on his fellow Shield members two years ago.

I want to thank Moody Ques pitmaster Frank and his lovely wife Laura for having us over to their house on Memorial Day for a cookout. There were ribs and wings and sides, and it was all so good. The team is a shoulder team at BBQ Fest but we compete in ribs in some of the regionals, so this was good practice.

Vote for BBQ Fest as one of USA TODAY’s 10 best BBQ festivals here. You can vote once a day through June 20.

I’ll be at the Silly Goose for happy hour. Possibly a second post, check back.