Saturday update

Drink Pints for Mike! happens at the Green Beetle this Sunday, April 2. This is a benefit for Mike Nelson, a cook at the Beetle, who was recently hospitalized following an attempted carjacking. There will be $2 drafts, live music by Chris Hill, and yes, despite Mike’s absence the kitchen will be open. All proceeds will to go the GoFundMe account set up to help cover medical expenses. I can’t say I have had the pleasure of knowing Mike, but mutual friends tell me he is a great guy and the folks at the Beetle terribly miss having his smiling face there.

Retailers, makers entrepreneurs – have you ever thought about having your own store, but aren’t quite sure how to get there? You need to come to Maker Mixer: Edge Alley out in The Edge at 600 Monroe on Thursday, April 13 from 5:30 to 7:30. Get a behind-the-scenes look at Edge Alley, a micro-retail project beginning to blossom, and learn more about the business competition and incentives to help you start or expand your retail business. Learn more at www.mdcollaborative.org.

In the mood for a little live music at lunchtime today? Check out the Center for Southern Folklore, where you will find The Delta Cats, Billy Gibson, and Linear Smith from 11:30 to 1:30.

I’m feeling excited about of my favorite days of the year – Memphis Farmers Market Opening Day! Throughout the season I hope to spotlight some of the vendors who sell under the pavilion at Front and G.E. Patterson (Saturdays, 7 AM to 1 PM) and I will start off today with meat vendor Claybrook Farms’ April Bundle. You get four 12 oz. ribeyes, two 8 oz. filets, four 12 oz. strip steaks, and four 1.5 lb. packages of ground beef. That’s a $185 value, but click the link and you can get the bundle for $150 this month.

The Daily News has a good editorial about ending the shell game of Memphis buildings. Something has to be done about out-of-town investors who sit on their buildings and do nothing to develop them, letting them sit unused and neglected. This has a negative effect on the surrounding neighborhood. The current example is 100 N. Main right now, but let’s not forget the building on Madison that collapsed about five years ago, keeping Madison partly closed for a year.

Check out this CA review: Bedrock Eats: On Solid Ground. The restaurant at South Main and Vance will expand your idea of what healthy eating is all about. They have a grab & go for people on the run, too.

ALSAC, the fundraising arm of St. Jude, plans to build patient family housing on land it acquired from the city at Seventh and A.W. Willis. It traded the former Chism Trail location at 544 Jackson for the parcels of land. The Uptown Community Redevelopment Agency will try to find a grocery store to fill the Chism Trail space.

This tweet by Geoff Calkins of the CA will make a lot of people sad, including me.

Unfortunately I didn’t make it to South Main for Keenon’s fundraiser at Earnestine & Hazel’s last night. The reason why is typical for this time of year… a lot of us on the BBQ team found ourselves in the same place, and started talking BBQ. Time got away from me. If there’s a way to donate to Keenon’s medical bills after the fact, please let me know.

Probably going to do a WrestleMania fantasy booking post at some point in the next 24 hours, then will be back tomorrow morning with the news. Off to the Farmers Market, here, in a bit. Hope you have a wonderful day!