This post will make up for the brief one yesterday. I have over 20 news items to share with you!
There’s an axe throwing tournament at Loflin Yard tonight. This will be a regular Thursday night thing in the back yard, with cash prizes and drink specials. $20 to enter and this event is 21 and up.
Well, here’s something kind of different and interesting. On October 20, Elmwood Cemetery will host Edgar Allan Poe. Well, a historian in costume pretending to be Edgar Allan Poe. The real Edgar Allan Poe has been dead for quite some time. Historian Rob Velella will read from several of Poe’s works, with an emphasis on stories of those who have gone before us.
There will be a Back To School Fishing Rodeo for kids Saturday, August 24 10 AM-1 PM at Martin Luther King Riverside Park. It’s free to attend, there will be plenty of prizes and special guests will include Memphis Redbirds pitcher Justin Williams (10:30-11:30) and Rockey Redbird.
Don’t forget that the Memphis Tigers football Fan Fest is this Saturday at the Liberty Bowl. At 4 PM there will be an equipment sale and open scrimmage. At 6 the equipment sale will end and there will be an autograph session.
Bluefin is trying their “Bluefin Express” deli thing in the side bar again:
A deputy was stabbed in the arm yesterday in the 200 block of North Fourth Street, not far from the 201 Poplar building. He was responding to a report of an alleged sexual assault. James Lee Kirkwood, a registered violent sex offender, was shot at the scene and later died.
The Arcade is throwing a 100 Cents for 100 Years block party on Saturday, August 24. Memphis’ oldest restaurant, opened in 1919, will celebrate its 100th birthday with live music, kids’ activities, and photo opportunities. In the restaurant, there will be $1 meals and happy hour drink specials. Proceeds from food sales will go to St. Jude. Very cool… that’ll be two awesome block parties in 7 days, the Bardog alley party and 5K the Sunday before. I plan on being at both!
The Downtown Neighborhood Association has announced that its August membership meeting will be held at the Malco Powerhouse theater Tuesday, August 20 5:30-7:30 PM. This is a good chance to come check out the new bar and grill if you haven’t already. Speaker to be announced soon.
Yesterday they lit the fire in the Silly Goose’s new pizza oven for the first time.
Daniel is giving the oven, named Susie, a week to be “seasoned” by fire. Next Monday, he says, wood-fired pizzas will begin coming out of the oven. Can’t wait! Looks like those of you who had the Goose in the “which will be ready first? Silly Goose pizza oven or Slider Out?” debate are winners.
The Daily Memphian’s Chris Herrington had a good op-ed column this morning, touching on several issues. He mentioned how Willie Herenton is framing the mayoral race as a two-man race, implying that “if you want a mayor who looks like you, you better vote for me, because the girl (Tami Sawyer) is a distraction and a waste of your vote.” It’s condescending, dismissive, and disrespectful, and it just goes to show the overly inflated sense of self-importance that was on full display during King Willie’s last term in office.
Also on the Daily Memphian website, Jennifer Biggs’ podcast for foodies has an interesting guest this week: Ryan Hopgood, founder of Memphis Sandwich Clique. If you’re a member of the Clique, be sure to check out my photos of gyros from Cafe Med that I put up this morning!
The Memphis Business Journal revealed its Power 100, a look at the people who are considered to be the 100 most powerful people in Memphis. Congratulations to all who made the list, and in particular my friend Deni Reilly, co-owner of the Majestic Grille. Very well deserved, Deni!
I’d like to recommend a yoga class for my readers looking to get some exercise and peace of mind in their lunch hour. My friend Mary Patrick is teaching a Power Vinyasa class every Wednesday at noon at DwiPada Yoga, 376 Perkins Extended. The class is suitable for beginners, but she has some intensifications to keep the class challenging for intermediate and advanced students. I have watched yoga change Mary’s life over the past two years, and she is going to have a long and successful career as a teacher. Follow her at @yogimare_ on Instagram where she posts videos of some of her workouts.
Got news on some jobs available Downtown. Cordelia’s Market is hiring full-time and part-time cashiers, stockers, and cafe team members. They say there are many perks that come along with these jobs, and students are welcome to apply.
Aldo’s Pizza Pies is also hiring. They are looking for experienced kitchen staff, in particular people with pizza experience. Apply in person Monday-Friday 9-11 AM or 3-5 PM.
There’s going to be an event called MindTravel SilentWalk at Big River Crossing this Saturday from 6 to 8 in the evening. This is an event that is really hard to summarize in a few sentences, so I’ll just say “peaceful walking meditation” and if that sounds interesting to you, click through to read the full description.
There will be a going away party for historian Jimmy Ogle at Westy’s this Saturday from 9 to midnight. Ogle, famous for his tours of Downtown Memphis, is moving to Knoxville to be closer to his family. There will be live music by Penny Kings at the party.
Loflin Yard is an event venue with many potential uses, but have you ever thought about having a wedding there? This couple did.
Dog rescue and foster organization Streetdog Foundation is now signing up volunteers for its big fall party, Howl at the Moon. There are opportunities to assist with programming, breakdown, logistics, setup, event clean-up, ticketing and checkout, auction prep, the auction event, sponsorship, beverage prep, food setup, food stations, and media. There is also a volunteer opportunity called Diamond Host in which the volunteer works to ensure that the event’s top sponsors have a great time. This is a wonderful party thrown by a wonderful organization. If you’re looking to volunteer this is definitely something I would recommend.
The I Love Memphis Blog will present a Food Tasting at Puck Food Hall Friday, August 23 from 5:30 to 8:30. This is a great way to get a taste of all that this food hall has to offer. A ticket gets you 10 tokens that can be spent at the bar or at any of the food stations. Food will be Memphis and birthday themed in honor of I Love Memphis’ 10th birthday.
Tech site MakeUseOf has a helpful article on how to tell if your employer has installed spyware on your work computer.
Chef Steph Cook, owner of RAWK’n Grub, has made a difficult decision. He is closing the location inside the Citgo at 630 North Highland. As much as he hates to let “The Little Kitchen that Could” go, this move will allow him and his team to focus on the new location at Growlers on Poplar. He plans to start opening for lunch at Growlers beginning next month.
The great thing about local organization Volunteer Odyssey is that they not only have a platform to connect Memphians with volunteer opportunities, but they also offer a platform to allow volunteers to blog about their experiences. Volunteer Alyssa recently wrote a blog post about her volunteer experience with Urban Bicycle Food Ministries. Every week, 500 to 600 burritos and hot dogs are assembled in UBFM’s kitchen by volunteers. They are then placed in backpacks, and given to bike riders who ride three routes in the city, including Downtown Memphis, asking people “Are you hungry?” and feeding them if they say they are. Not a cook? No problem, you can volunteer for bike riding only. Not a terribly talented bike rider? You can volunteer for kitchen work only.
That’ll do it for this post. Back tomorrow with more news.