I hope Friday the 13th doesn’t live up to its reputation in your life or mine today! I have several really interesting events to write about in this post. Hopefully one of them will bring you luck.
Before I got on to them though, one announcement – Friday the 13th has already affected one event today. Unfortunately bad weather in the St. Louis area has caused the cancellation of Cardinals Caravan tonight at AutoZone Park. An ice storm is headed toward St. Louis and travel in and out of the area is dangerous.
Coffee lovers, there’s an event coming up for you on Trolley Night Friday this month. On Friday, January 27, Memphis’ first latte throwdown will take place at 387 S, Main. This will be a bracket-style latte art competition between baristas. For each head-to-head competition, a panel of three judges will pick the best creation made with steamed milk and espresso. Prizes of $400, $100, and $50 to the top three finishers.
In addition to the competition, Memphis roasters will be serving up their favorite roasts for free. Roasters confirmed so far include Dr. Bean’s, French Truck, and J. Brooks. These latte throwdowns are common in other cities, and are a phenomenal way to bring coffee professionals together for a day. The latte throwdown is free to attend. If you want to compete, signups are at 6 PM with a $5 fee to enter. The first pour will be at 7. This event is open to all.
Holy handstands, Batman! There will be a hand balancing workshop with Laurie Jean (“LJ”) at Downtown Yoga Sunday, January 22, from 1 to 3:30 in the afternoon. Course fee is $40. Since I don’t speak the language of yoga, I’m just going to paste the course description from Facebook.
This workshop will focus on the fundamentals of hand balancing, beginning with Bakasana (Crow or Crane Pose). We will progress from this pose into other arm balances, in order to explore and build strength in the shoulders, upper arms, and core. These poses will allow us to explore taking the weight of the body into the hands, building strength, balance, and confidence. From there we will move into inverted poses. We will spend time discussing proper form, alignment and breath, as well as different ways to enter and exit these poses.
Mix-Odyssey IV will happen on Saturday, March 4, on the second floor of 88 Union from 7 to 10 PM. This is a competition among the city’s finest mixologists to see who can craft the best cocktail. The event benefits Volunteer Odyssey, whose mission is to build pathways to volunteering that enriches our lives and communities. Learn more about Volunteer Odyssey’s programs here. The all-star lineup of mixologists competing:
Justin Dobbs & Grant Whittle
Vincent Hale, Bari & Dodici
Aaron Hanna, Hog & Hominy
Colbie Jones, Catherine & Mary’s
Dan Price, Proper Cocktails
Andrew Ratts & Matt Lexow
Cady Smith, Cafe Pontotoc
Save the date, because early bird tickets will go on sale the first of February.
The Fourth Bluff Ice Rink will be back in business today after being closed Tuesday and Wednesday (wind) and yesterday (too warm). Hours will be 2 to 10 PM with Brennan Villines performing 5 to 8.
What a classy move by President Obama to surprise Vice-President Joe Biden with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Biden may have said he didn’t deserve it, but many Americans including myself would disagree.
The city has been awarded a $400,000 grant by the National Park Service. It will be used for the renovation of Clayborn Temple, an important site in the history of the Civil Rights Movement. It served as a starting point for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s campaign in the Memphis sanitation workers’ strike of 1968. The grant was secured with the help of a recommendation by Congressman Steve Cohen.
Congratulations to Congressman Cohen, by the way, on being appointed to the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee.
Netflix users: There’s a pretty sophisticated phishing scam going around. You may get an email saying you need to update your customer information. If you click the link, you’ll be taken to a fake login page that looks like Netflix’s login. Somehow this login page is flying under the radar of web browsers’ phishing detection ability, so be careful.
That’s all for now. Back tomorrow.