Volunteer for Project Homeless Connect + more Saturday news

Want to do something positive to help the Downtown Memphis area’s many homeless? Sign up to volunteer for Community Alliance for the Homeless’s Project Homeless Connect at the Cook Convention Center on Thursday, October 20. It’s a day to connect with the homeless and help them get the services they need. Some of the services include health, medical, dental, mental health, housing counseling, veterans’ benefits, legal services, Medicaid, food stamps, hair care, and help getting ID. Volunteers (the day of, more on that in a moment) must be 18 and are required to attend a training.

Under 18 or can’t be there on October 20 but want to help nonetheless? Packets of supplies will be handed out that day and they can use donations of socks (adult sizes), blankets, travel-sized grooming products, winter caps, scarves, gloves, or bottled water. They also need volunteers to arrange the items in packets prior to the day of the event.

The Queen of Beale Street has passed away. Ruby Wilson died at age 68 yesterday. Perhaps she is somewhere in the great beyond, singing a duet with Elvis with B.B. King on guitar. RIP Ms. Ruby.

The Hungry Memphis blog has information on the plans for Kooky Canuck’s move next door to 87 S. Second. The doors at the future location can be opened for more of a patio feel for the Saturday and Sunday brunch they plan to add to the menu. They will expand their draft beer offerings, including more local products. The new space will retain many of the original lodge elements, but with an updated look.

Wiseacre may not be planning to open a second brewery location in the Mid-South Coliseum. It’s one option of several to expand their capacity. They got their 10-year plan done in only 3 years, and now are looking to serve some of the big markets in the Midwest and Northeast.

The Redbirds are offering a special ticket promo package, coupling tickets to two games with your choice of one of several of the most popular promotional items this season. You get tickets to the August 28 game, which is the season home finale, along with the AAA National Championship Game to be held at AutoZone Park September 20. Options for your promotional item include the replica Yadier Molina jersey, the replica Redbirds jersey, the cooler backpack, the beach towel, or the Redbirds performance T-shirt. The item of your choice will be guaranteed and will be available for pickup at the National Championship game. Packages are $22 field box, $25 dugout seating, and $29 for club level. You can order the package here.

Interesting: Linguists analyze Donald Trump’s words. Learn some of the linguistic tricks he uses to soften inflammatory statements, to justify outright lies, and to get people to believe his viewpoint is more widely accepted than it actually is.

Loflin Yard has a new charcuterie plate. It’s a plate of house-made sausages and curated cheeses made by Miss Cordelia’s and Cordelia’s table. The sausages and cheese are exclusive to Loflin Yard.

As an American I am embarrassed by goalkeeper Hope Solo’s comments following the USWNT’s 4-3 shootout loss to Sweden in the Olympics. Solo called the Swedes “cowards” for the conservative strategy they employed. Well, Hope, that’s sports. You study your opponent and pick the moves that are most likely to defeat them. Are the Grizzlies “cowards” for grinding out wins instead of running it up and down the floor like Golden State? I think not. Congratulations to Sweden on a well-planned victory. As for you, Hope, time to hang up the gloves. Now that Tonya Harding is no longer on TruTV’s The World’s Dumbest… as a commentator, maybe you can take her place.

My plan for today is to eat some burgers! Right around 6 I’m catching a Lyft out to the University of Memphis area for a Moody Ques team burger tasting. Pitmasters Frank and Erik have several ideas for Best Memphis Burger Fest, and the team will provide feedback on which direction to go. Fun fact: We’re probably the only burger/BBQ team whose top two pitmasters both sit on the board of the Memphis Farmers Market. With that in mind, and being the huge fan of fresh produce that I am, I will lead off this morning at the Market. I can’t stay long though; I have a planning meeting with my Moody Ques teammate John D at 11. In the past 6 months we have convinced our team president to start drinking PBR, and we are going to discuss other ways we can make the Moody Ques even better. I called the Sheraton and requested a meeting room, but they were booked up all weekend so I guess we’re going to have to meet at the bar at Bardog instead. Time to get things going on what I am hoping will not a be a soaking wet day.