With the weather getting a little warmer, Max’s Sports Bar has gone ahead and made the announcement that they will start doing Crawfish Saturdays every Saturday for the near future. Crawfish Haven based in Horn Lake, Mississippi will bring their rig and provide crawfish by the pound every Saturday afternoon beginning at 12:30. There will be taters, corn and sausage, cooked in the boil, in the crawfish boxes as well.
This is going to be interesting, with Loflin Yard having announced yesterday that they are also doing crawfish Saturdays every week. The two establishments are only about 6 blocks apart. They share a lot of the same regulars, who have friends behind the bar at both places. Wonder how people are going to choose? I will say this: You can’t go wrong with the crawfish at either of these venues, and I would say they are better prepared than at any Memphis crawfish festival.
If you want to bring kids or pets to the crawfish boil, then Loflin is the place for you. Max’s is a 21 and up establishment. Loflin has the yard in which dogs are welcome.
On the other hand, if you want to watch sports while you eat, Max’s has a slight edge with a dozen TVs. We have the run-up to March Madness in the coming weeks, the Grizslies trying to finish ninth worst in the NBA so they can have a 6.1% chance to draft in the top three and a 93.9% chance to CONVEY THAT PICK, and the Memphis Express trying not to be the worst team in the AAF.
In other Max’s news, their spring cornhole tournament begins March 12. It will run on Tuesday nights through April 30. You can sign up at the bar and registration is $50 per team. Rules & Regulations
Perjorie. You can’t throw. I don’t mean that as a derisive description of your cornhole skills. But, you literally can’t move your arms.
For my readers over 60: Cordelia’s Market offers a 10% senior discount on Wednesdays.
Go see a circus when you get the chance; they may not be around a lot longer. Circuses are having trouble finding new clowns these days because all the top prospects are choosing politics instead.
If you go to the lunchtime preaching series and waffle shop at Calvary Episcopal during Lent, and you’re a fan of music, might want to mark March 21 on the calendar. Two accomplished musicians, The Rev. John Kilzer and Kirk Whalum, will speak on how they experience God through music as well as other sources.
The Grizzlies 5K returns on Saturday, April 6. There will be ticket packages for individuals as well as for groups of 20 or more. Packages include entry and bib number to the 9 AM race, a race T-shirt, and a ticket to either the April 7 game against Dallas or the April 10 game against Golden State. Following the race on the 6th, from 10 AM to noon there will be a beer tasting for race participants, held by Eagle Distributing. Ticket packages are $45-75 for individuals, with packages for $40 per person for groups of 20 or more, or $35 per person for groups of 50 or more.
Memphis got a bunch of rain yesterday and this morning, and weatherpeople are saying that system isn’t even the heaviest we will experience this week. A system moving through Thursday afternoon through Saturday afternoon is expected to drop another 5 inches of rain on the already-saturated ground. The Memphis Flyer has a look at what the city is doing to prepare for flash flooding. My concern in all this is water rapidly bubbling up through storm drains, creating a bowl effect. A few of my readers will recognize what I’m talking about here.
Reimagining the Civic Commons has an article about the 5 things in the new River Garden at Mississippi River Park that will bring people together: the Tree House, the fire pits and coffee, the swings by the meadow, the River Garden Rangers who create a welcoming experience for guests, and the Mississippi River itself.
Yesterday I was hanging out at one of my favorite spots when a guy came in to apply for a cook or barback job. Now, I get it that it’s not the same as applying for a professional position, and it’s not necessary to have on a dress shirt, dress pants, a tie, anything like that. But this guy had on saggy jeans, and he had a hoodie on and didn’t bother to put down the hood once he was inside. If I were the owner or manager of that place, I would think, he takes no pride at all in his appearance, why would I think he’s going to take any pride in his job or in the food he puts out? I hate to be sound like an old fuddy duddy, but c’mon, man. Make at least a token effort to impress your potential future employer when you show up to ask for a job.
Friday is only the 22nd, but in a month with 28 days, that makes it the last Friday of the month. That means it will once again be time for South Main Trolley Night, with most of the shops and galleries in the area staying open until 9 or later. There will be a member area with burgers and drinks for SMA members next to Primas, weather permitting (which it almost surely won’t permit).
Things happening during Trolley Night:
- Art Village Gallery (410 S. Main) will have an exhibit called “Inhabitants of the Earth” by Nigerian artist Uchay Joel Chima for Trolley Night.
- Edge Gallery (509 S. Main) will have an opening reception for the work of Wayne Russell, a blues musician and artists. His paintings depict Delta and musical images.
- Primas Bakery (523 S. Main) will have another pop-up featuring their friend Colton with Hard Knot Designs.
- South Main Sounds (550 S. Main) will have a Songwriter Night featuring Todd Nations, Tony Holiday, Carson McHone, and Charlotte Taylor.
Given the forecast for Friday, it probably won’t be the best night to be out on the sidewalks mingling with your neighbors… but if you bring an umbrella, sometimes those can be the best nights to go! Fewer people means that your chances to have a long conversation with gallery owners and artists are much better than usual.
Penny Hardaway’s Memphis Tigers host the Tulane Green Wave tonight at 6 at FedExForum. Penny told the media the team will have on their Memphis State throwbacks.
There will soon be a Chick-Fil-A not far from Downtown. UTHSC is bringing their food services in house, and a Chick-Fil-A that is part of their food court will be open to the public. There will be a Starbucks too. There will also be brick-and-mortar locations for two food trucks, Soi Number 9 Thai food and Power Life Smoothies & Eats.
Remember back in October-November, I had an “I know something you don’t know, but I can’t say yet” type of announcement that turned out to be Swanky’s in the Chisca? Well, I have a new one. All I will say is that it’s not nearly as big a space as Swanky’s, and that I know the owner and next time I see him (that could be a hint) I will ask what I am allowed to say on here about the new place. In the meantime, we have rain coming, so keep your eyes on the road, and your hands upon the wheel.
Now this is DAMN funny: Out at Collierville High School, on Valentine’s Day they had Charlie Brown Valentine playing on the screen in the school cafeteria. A student hacked the audio/visual system and put porn on the screen for several seconds. He got suspended for a full year, but that was worth it! Brings a whole new meaning to Lunch & Learn, doesn’t it?
The great thing about Twitter is that affords you the chance to get to know local figures up close and personal. For example, we learned yesterday that Daily Memphian writer Chris Herrington (@HerringtonNBA) get his best naps when he takes his children to the movies. He said, for instance, he slept through about 90% of the movie Trolls.
Moody Ques 2018 members: You should have received an email yesterday with a link to pay your dues. If you did not get it let me know at paul@paulryburn.com and I will get it to you. You have until March 15 to pay and guarantee your spot for 2019. After that we will open it up to new members. We have a new system for payment this year and the cool thing is you can sign up for what kind of work you want to do for the BBQ team (load-in, painting, keg runs, bartending, etc.) at the time you join.
We are going to have a limited number of spots for new members this year and we have created a spreadsheet of people who showed interest. If you are interested in joining the Moody Ques, it’s best to not only let a team member know that, but let them know what kind of work you can do to contribute to the team. Those we think will contribute the most will be the first to receive invitations to join.
One more piece of BBQ news, and I wish I didn’t have to report this one. We learned of the death of our long-time team member Danny C. yesterday. Although Danny could be cantankerous at times, underneath there was a kind, gentle and generous soul. He contributed a lot to the team over the years, including introducing us to our Yankees who come down for BBQ Fest every year. Rest in peace, Danny, I’ll raise a Franziskaner in your memory next time I have the chance.
Remember I told you I’ve been reading that book The Gaslighting Effect by Reva Steenbergen? There’s a section of the book devoted to a local Memphis cornhole team, even identifying them by name.
Whew! Another long post. Back tomorrow with more news.