Wednesday update

The city of Memphis got some great news last night. Penny Hardaway will stay as head coach of the Memphis Tigers. Penny made the announcement last night on his Instagram account. He said that although he would love to coach in the NBA someday, his work here isn’t finished and his goal is to bring Memphis a national championship.

In addition, Penny will bring on Larry Brown as an assistant coach.

Larry Brown is the only coach in history to have won both an NCAA championship and an NBA championship. His advice could tremendously improve Penny’s X’s and O’s game, if Penny will listen. However, Brown has a history of NCAA violations. Penny will have to keep him on a very short leash.

A 90-minute documentary about The Rendezvous, titled The Vous, was released in Little Rock recently. Why Little Rock? The film was funded by Arkansans.

Yesterday I visited a friend who had started a new job at the Green Beetle. While there, I had my first-ever Bushwacker.

From Wikipedia: “The original recipe called for Vodka, Kahlua, Dark Crème de Cacao, Coco Lopez (cream of coconut), a splash of Triple sec and milk that’s spun in a blender with ice and topped with a grating of fresh nutmeg. However, the recipe now has as many variations as there are gin joints or bartenders.”

Two interesting baseball facts, courtesy of Morning Brew:

  • Kyle Schwarber of the Washington Nationals tied a record last night by hitting 12 home runs in 10 games.
  • There aren’t many pitchers who swing for the fences. They usually bunt or otherwise do as little as possible at the plate to protect their arms. Not Shohei Ohtani, who has a 101 MPH fastball on the mound. He blasted 2 home runs last night to become the league leader.

Good news for the July 4 weekend:

If anyone is looking to move to the South Main district, friends of mine at 631 S. Front are selling their house.

More info about the Hooked on Thursdaze party that will happen every Thursday night at Paula & Raiford’s Disco: DJ Coldplay will spin the R&B vibes. Doors open at 8 and ladies will get in free all night. There will be karaoke, hookahs, and food and drinks.

Last night’s Redbirds game vs. the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp at AutoZone Park was suspended due to unplayable field conditions. The game will resume at 5:05 this afternoon (gates open 4:30) with tonight’s regular 9-inning game following the completion of the suspended game. The suspended game will resume in the bottom of the 6th, tied 1-1, bases loaded for Memphis with nobody out.

Got at least 2 professional writing projects to keep me busy all day. Tonight I will probably hit karaoke at the Blind Bear and reward myself with a late night for having such a productive week so far. Back tomorrow with more news.

Tuesday update

Last night at the Blind Bear, I had something of a milestone happen. A guy came up to me and said, “Excuse me, are you Paul Ryburn?”

I told him I was.

He said, “I know you from online…”

(I expected him to say he knew me from my blog)

“… from Medium.”

(That’s one of the websites on which I write professionally)

He wasn’t even a local. He was visiting from Phoenix. Very cool to be recognized in person from writing on a site that is not at all local.

Attention all Blind Bear regulars: The photographer will be there from 8 to 10 Saturday night to take Prohibition-style “mugshots” of you to put on the Bear’s back dining room wall. Most of the existing photos are 7 or more years old, so it’s time for an update.

Want to nominate an organization, business, or person for the Memphis Flyer’s Best of Memphis 2021 awards? You have until Wednesday at 5 PM to do so. Nomination form

Bedrock Eats & Sweets at Main and Vance is changing its hours effective Monday. New hours will be

  • Monday-Friday 7 AM-3 PM
  • Saturday- Sunday 9 AM-2 PM

They’re also going to roll out a new menu soon, and they’ll have a vegan section available.

The Daily Memphian’s Steven Johnson makes an important point about Penny interviewing with the Orlando Magic: If Penny doesn’t take the job and remains Memphis’ head coach, his competitors on the recruiting trail are going to use this against him. They’re going to tell high-school kids, “Do you really want to play for Memphis when Penny is likely to run off to the NBA in a year or two?”

CBS Sports analyst and 92.9 ESPN radio host Gary Parrish gave his thoughts to Local 24: “This is a very real thing.” Tune into GP on 92.9 FM between 4 and 6. His radio show is the only thing I miss about afternoon commutes.

Good news: New medical research shows that those who received the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines may be immune to COVID for years. I know some of you plan on getting vaccinated when the mobile unit comes to Cordelia’s Market on July 10. You’ll have your choice of the Pfizer or the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Sounds like the Pfizer needs to be your pick, even with the additional hassle of following up with a second shot in 4 weeks. Come join me on Team Pfizer!

The media got a tour of the repaired I-40 bridge this week. Reopening is not far away, but first, the bridge has to be inspected to make sure the work was done right.

The Redbirds are back in town tonight, hosting the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. First pitch is 7:10 and it’s Nacho Average Tuesday – every ticket to the game includes a free order of Ballpark Nachos.

Since I mentioned narcissism yesterday, I’ll share a Quora answer that I read over the weekend: It’s the best description I’ve ever read of what it’s like to be married to a White Knight narcissist. A White Knight narcissist is legitimately helpful and does perform a lot of good service for his friends, his community, and (at the start of the relationship) his significant other. However, if he feels he does not receive enough attention and admiration (known as narcissistic supply) for his good deeds, he turns nasty. After an initial love-bombing period, he turns mentally and emotionally abusive to his partner.

For those of you who watched Melrose Place in the 1990s: Remember Keith who dated Alison right before she and her roommate Billy coupled up? Keith was a classic White Knight narcissist.

My plan for today is to write until about 2:30 then hit the Silly Goose and the Green Beetle – a trip out I have earned, having written 2 professional articles, been accepted to the creator program of another website, and loaded up my “Ideas” document for the first time since early May. Back tomorrow with more news.

Monday update

Readers, I have a favor to ask you. I’m going to invite you to hold me accountable.

Us professional writers sometimes refer to ourselves as “authorpreneurs.” When you’re an authorpreneur, you manage a staff of one – namely, yourself. I’ve written on Medium that my one employee is immensely creative and is capable of being a brilliant writer. However, that employee is also a rebel and a slacker, and he has a bad habit of cutting out early on his writing day to go to happy hour at the bars.

When the stupid pandemic restrictions lifted on May 15, I expected the volume of my professional writing to suffer for a couple of weeks. I rediscovered my favorite spots as I knew them before COVID. I threw in some late nights, which I did not do at all for a year. I started going out every day, whereas before I would take 2-3 days a week to stay home and write.

I figured my writing output would suffer for 2 weeks. That was fine. That was expected. When my hiatus from a regular writing routine crept into its 3rd week, I rationalized it by saying Memorial Day weekend made it hard to make me get back into my rhythm.

Now I’m at 6 weeks. This is ridiculous. It’s time for the excuses to stop.

So, here’s my invitation to you, my readers and my friends. If you see me out at one of the Downtown Memphis bars, ask me this question:

“What have you achieved in the past 2 days?”

There’s nothing wrong with going out and having fun, but it needs to be earned. It needs to be a reward. It shouldn’t be a default value. Writing – the thing that I’m working to turn into a career – should be the default value.

I asked my readers to hold me accountable once before, about three and a half years ago. Thanks to you, I kicked the habit of doing several shots of a nasty rotgut cinnamon whiskey on a daily basis. I probably wouldn’t be alive today had I not stopped that.

Now I want to be more than just alive. I want to be alive and wildly successful. I have zero doubt I have it within me to do that. But I can’t keep being the person who’s shown up the past 6 weeks and expect that.

So I invite you to hold me accountable.

And now, let’s get on to the news.


Penny Hardaway is said to be in serious contention for the head coaching job for the Orlando Magic. Penny claims his heart is in Memphis, but if an NBA coaching job came down the pike, he’d be crazy to not at least consider it. Calkins: The Hardaway era is on the brink

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL CAPS LOCK DAY.

The Miss Tennessee competition, which will select Tennessee’s candidate for Miss America, will take place at the Cannon Center July 1-3. The CA has the details on what will happen.

New graffiti art to look at out my living room window!

This must have been done last night – wait, I don’t think I opened my blinds yesterday, so it could have been Saturday night.

And now I just noticed this, same building/adjoining rooftop, about 100 feet away:

Signature for the other piece, perhaps?

Seems like I heard fewer revving engines this weekend compared to previous weekends (although I still heard plenty). I wonder if that’s a sign that the speed bumps are working. I did hear one car that sounded like it was drag racing down Monroe last night. That’s not good if the bumps simply redirect the racing to the side streets. Monroe is especially not good because you have people walking out of Bardog and crossing the street.

I watched the 3-part biography series on Ghislaine Maxwell last night on Peacock Premium and would say it’s worth your time if it sounds interesting to you. Maxwell is the alleged talent acquisition scout for Jeffrey Epstein, the billionaire pedophile who “committed suicide” in 2019. Specifically, it’s alleged that Maxwell would go out and recruit “nubiles” (high-school-age girls) for Epstein’s sexual pleasure, as well as for the pleasure of his powerful friends.

Epstein was known to maintain friendships with Prince Andrew of the United Kingdom, former U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, and Bill Gates. He had an extensive camera system in his mansion, including in bedrooms and bathrooms, and may have taped his famous friends with the nubiles. That could be why very powerful people wanted Epstein dead and arranged his “suicide” when he was jailed and awaiting trial.

As for Maxwell, the series explains her relationship with her father, the late media magnate Robert Maxwell. She may have been drawn to Epstein because he checked off the exact same “daddy issues” boxes that her father did. The series claims that Maxwell saw other people not for who they were, but how they could be useful – a classic trait of a malignant narcissist.

Forecast: Low 90s, slight chance of rain. In other words, it’s the end of June.

Time to start my day and earn the right to be out tonight. Assuming I do it, I’ll probably stop by Blind Bear this evening. Back tomorrow with more news.

Saturday update

I’ve got news of a couple of closings to kick off this blog post.

  • 117 Prime will remain closed over the weekend to continue maintenance work. They apologized to their customers and said the work is just taking a little longer than they expected. They plan to reopen Tuesday, June 29.
  • Max’s Sports Bar will be closed Sunday and Monday, but they’ll be open today and would love to serve you some BBQ nachos or a slushie. They’ll be back open Tuesday.

I tensed up yesterday when I saw an email in my inbox from the NST Law Firm – yep, home of good ol’ Corey B. Was I being sued? I was relieved when I opened it and found they had created a guide to driving in Memphis and were hoping I would share it with my readers. There’s actually a lot of good information in there and it will especially help people new to Memphis. Plus there’s a Corey B. Trotz chatbot that can help with any questions you have after reading the guide.

Artists’ market the Memphis Modern Market will return to Loflin Yard today 11 to 5.

Memphis Magazine has a tidbit about Good Fortune Co., the Asian-inspired ramen and noodle restaurant set to open in late July or early August. They’ll be in 361 S. Main, the former South of Beale space. Previously they’ve tried their dishes out at pop-ups around the city. They imported a noodle-making machine from Asia and their initial noodle style will focus on ramen.

Also in Memphis Magazine this week, Michael Donahue has a look at the deviled eggs at Felicia Suzanne Restaurant in his Classic Dining column. The restaurant offers salmon, bacon, and crabmeat deviled eggs. Can’t decide? They have an egg trio where you can get two halves of each type of egg.

On September 11, 2021, the 20th anniversary of September 11, there will be a fundraiser at Central Station Hotel to establish a scholarship fund for first responders and their families. Tennessee police, firefighters, medical personnel, dispatch, military, EMTs, and their spouses and children will be eligible for the scholarship. The evening’s entertainment will include

  • Marine veteran Chris Turner (Top 20 iTunes chart/Forbes magazine country music artist)
  • Army veteran Bobby Hemline (Purple Heart recipient, motivational speaker, comedian)
  • Elaine Presley of the Presley Foundation (singer, songwriter, author)
  • Marine veteran Stephen Cochran (VA research and development spokesman, numerous country music Top 40 hits)

There will be appetizers and a silent auction as well.

Okay, I gotta ask… what’s up with the refrigerated/frozen foods section at DGX lately? Is it a post-pandemic thing where somewhere along the supply chain, there aren’t enough workers to get those foods to Memphis and on the shelves? Is it a logistics thing, where the I-40 shutdown makes it too expensive to route climate-controlled tractor-trailers to Memphis? I notice Walgreens is having trouble keeping those items in stock too, but nowhere near as much as DGX.

It’s Pride Night with Memphis 901 FC for tonight’s match vs. Sporting Kansas City FC II. Here’s the schedule:

  • Pre-match party at Atomic Rose (Second at Lt. George W. Lee, one block south of Beale) beginning at 4 PM with $4 well drink specials
  • Prior to the match, Line 01, Memphis 901 FC’s drumline, will lead a march to AutoZone Park. That should happen around 6:45.
  • Paula Raiford will smash the guitar pre-match
  • Kickoff is 7:30 (more info about tonight’s match)
  • Post-match party at Paula & Raiford’s Disco

Cordelia’s Market has started up Music Monday on the North Patio Mondays from 5 to 7 PM. Grab one of their beer buckets and enjoy the show.

In other Cordelia’s news, if you haven’t been vaccinated against COVID yet and would like to be, come out to the Market Saturday, July 10 between 10 AM and 3 PM. The mobile vaccination unit will be onsite and will be administering the Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. Everyone who gets vaccinated at Cordelia’s that day will receive a free cold drink and hot dog. The goal is to get 100 of our 38103 neighbors vaccinated.

Country singer-songwriter Kelsey Lamb plays a free show from 3 to 6 this afternoon at Carolina Watershed.

That’s it for now. “Bars with affordable PBR prices” is my theme and plan for today. Back tomorrow with more news.

Friday update

Great news for residents of some parts of Downtown. City crews are installing speed bumps on several streets that have seen their fair share of drag racing and other vehicular mischief. These streets include

  • Georgia Avenue from Tennessee St. to Front St.
  • Front Street from Nettleton Ave. to Butler Ave.
  • Front Street from Court Ave. to Looney Ave.

Speed bumps have already been installed at the following locations:

  • Riverside Drive
  • N. Main Street at Looney Ave.
  • Looney Ave. at Third St.

Also, as part of a Downtown Neighborhood Association “ask” for traffic calming in South End, they have requested that the two-way stop sign at Tennessee and Georgia (currently traffic on Tennessee stops) be turned into a four-way stop. That request is currently under consideration.

City policy against installing the speed bumps on streets with high traffic counts foiled initial attempts by the DNA to calm traffic. However, Steve Shular, special assistant to Mayor Strickland, helped cut through red tape and get the relief measures on the fast track. Thank you Steve!

South Main Trolley Night makes its return tonight! This is a great time to get out and eat, shop, look at art, and mingle with your neighbors. Most of the shops and galleries of the South Main Arts District will stay open until 9 or later. I plan on being there! Of course, I may pre-game with a couple of PBRs at Max’s Sports Bar prior to 6.

To celebrate the return of Trolley Night, Rizzo’s will offer a South Main cocktail for only $3 with the purchase of any meal.

Lauren Moscato-Park and her students will put on a release show at South Main Sounds, 550 S. Main, from 6-8 this evening as part of Trolley Night.

I got a chance to chat with Pam & Terry during a break from their performance at Blind Bear last night. They are very excited about their upcoming residency at the second Ghost River location at 341-345 Beale. They said the space is beautiful. Management is going out of its way to treat performers, staff, and customers extra well.

Speaking of the Blind Bear… News Break writer Jennifer Jones has a great article on Jeannette Comans, AKA “Momma Bear,” owner of the Downtown speakeasy. Jeannette changed with the times to meet pandemic challenges, and she and the Bear survived. To many of us Downtowners, myself included, it’s our living room.

Jerome Chism headlines Soulin’ on the River tonight at Mud Island River Park. This is a free show. Gates open at 6, music at 7. Lawn chairs, blankets, and picnic baskets are welcome.

News from Pontotoc Lounge:

We’re excited to finally introduce this to you: We’re beginning quarterly wine program. On a three month basis we will be presenting wines from singular areas of the world that represent exciting unknown products that fill the spaces in the American wine lexicon. First stop is Spain. Who knows where we may go next…

Congrats to Shelby County Health Department Deputy Director David Sweat, who is leaving Memphis for Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, where he’ll be a health department division director. Also, the COVID case numbers have fallen so far in Memphis (4.3 new cases per day per 100k, according to COVID Act Now) that the task force is going to do away with its weekly briefings.

Job news from The Brass Door, Downtown’s Irish pub and soccer watching mecca:

The Brass Door Pub in downtown Memphis is now hiring a line chef, nights and weekends, good pay, good pay, good hours, and good people! Come join our team! Five plus years cooking experience recommended.

The condo collapse near Miami Beach is a scary reminder that Downtown’s apartment buildings could topple when The Big One, the magnitude-6+ earthquake, finally comes to Memphis.

Derek Chauvin is expected to be sentenced for the murder of George Floyd at 1:30 this afternoon.

That’s it for this post. I have a 12:30 conference call on Zoom, and unlike most pandemic-era workers I don’t have experience with that platform. I’ll figure it out I guess. After the call ends, I’ll watch the Chauvin sentencing then head south to Trolley Night. Back tomorrow with more news.

Thursday update

Rebirth Brass Band headlines the Get Loud! concert series tonight at Handy Park, corner of Beale and B.B. King Blvd. This is a free show starting at 6 PM. Chinese Connection Dub Embassy will open.

Dream Girls is the movie of the week in the DNA’s Spring (now Summer) Movie Series. They’ll show the free movie at Greenbelt Park on Mud Island. There will be food trucks if you get hungry, or you can pre-game at Mud Island restaurants. People will gather at 7:30 and the movie will start at 8.

Edible Memphis has a lot of great info and photos of Crazy Gander Coffee Co. on its Facebook page. Crazy Gander is a new coffee shop at 150 Madison, next door to the Brass Door.

The DM put the spotlight on Uptown’s Malone Park development recently, where it’s easy to get to know your neighbors. Parking is in the back of the homes so they can be closer together, unimpeded by driveways. Malone Park is bounded by N. Main St., Saffarans Ave., and N. Second St.

The U.S. Women’s National Team group draw schedule for the Tokyo Olympics has been announced. If you want to watch the matches live, I suggest you brew some coffee.

  • Wednesday, July 21 vs. Sweden, 3:30 AM
  • Saturday, July 24 vs. New Zealand, 6:30 AM
  • Tuesday, July 27 vs. Australia, 3:00 AM

Nice of the schedulers to let us sleep late before that Saturday game. Much of the Olympics will be shown on Peacock Premium. Xfinity subscribers, remember, Peacock Premium is included in your subscription. You just need to create an account and verify you are an Xfinity customer.

StyleBlueprint has 12 must-try dishes in Memphis. Downtown restaurants Edge Alley, Majestic Grille, and Paulette’s made the list, as did our friends out on Broad Avenue SALT | SOY.

Software pioneer John McAfee, creator of McAfee Antivirus, was found dead in his prison cell. McAfee was imprisoned in Spain but was to be extradited to the U.S. to face all kinds of charges of financial mischief.

Tug’s Casual Grill will have a special menu for the July 4 holiday Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of next weekend.

Places to score some free booze at South Main Trolley Night this Friday:

  • South Main Hemp (wine and beer, plus a prize drawing)
  • Paper & Clay (Ghost River beer)
  • Sue Layman Designs (wine)

Free kayaking tonight!

Service and hospitality workers: $1000 grants are still available if you can show you were financially impacted by COVID-related work shutdowns between March 20 and December 31 of last year. The grants are offered by the Memphis Urban League and there’s still $1.7 million waiting to be distributed. It’s free money, so you might as well grab it if you qualify.

Don’t forget that Irish dance performance Celtic Throne is at the Orpheum tonight.

That’s it for today. The days of pleasant low temperatures and dew points are over and we’re back to humid and muggy. Back tomorrow with more news.

Wednesday update

I heard 3 gunshots at 3:33 this morning. They sounded like they came from several blocks south of where I live, possibly the Second and Beale area. There were reports this morning on Nextdoor of gunshots in the area of Washington Park in the 1100 block of N. Second in the 5:00 hour.

Makestic Grille co-owner Patrick Reilly had his quote about the effect of the I-40 closing tweeted by the @WhiteHouse yesterday:

117 Prime will be closed today and tomorrow. They anticipate opening Friday with a new menu.

The Detroit Pistons won the NBA draft lottery last night. The Grizzlies were not in the lottery and will pick 17th in the first round. They don’t have a pick in the second round, having shipped number 46 off to Toronto.

In other basketball news, the U.S. men’s basketball team roster for the Olympics is complete. Among the biggest names are Brooklyn’s James Harden and Kevin Durant, Portland’s Damian Lillard, and Golden State’s Draymond Green. The Olympics start one month from today.

Exciting job news from a great local nonprofit. From Volunteer Odyssey’s Facebook page:

We have some exciting news to share with you – Volunteer Odyssey is hiring a fourth team member!
This role is our Volunteer Experience Manager. The Volunteer Experience Manager is at the core of Volunteer Odyssey’s mission. The Manager ensures high-quality volunteer experiences – working directly with our individual volunteers, corporate volunteers, and partners throughout the community.
If you are looking for a great work environment where you’ll make a difference in Memphis, we’d love to talk with you about joining our team and furthering our mission.
To apply:
Complete the application at volunteerodyssey.com/join-our-team
Email your cover letter and resume to apply@volunteerodyssey.com

Bring your dog to Music Bingo at Grind City Brewing tomorrow night (7-9 PM) and get an extra bingo card.

Lifehacker thinks you should grill your pickles this summer.

COGIC broke ground on a 20-unit housing development Downtown this week. It will be located at 291 E. Pontotoc.

That’s all for today. Back tomorrow with more news.

Tuesday update

Atomic Rose has announced that they’re going to start doing a service industry night on Thursdays from 8 to 3. Industry specials that night will include 2 for 1 beers (domestic & import), $4 well drinks, and 20% off appetizers.

For those of you who are fans of the New Wing Order food truck, you have a rare opportunity to catch it Downtown on Saturday. They’ll be at Grind City Brewing from noon to 5.

The fractured beam was removed from the I-40 bridge yesterday and TDOT reports that significant progress has been made.

Not a Downtown thing but nevertheless worth a mention: TJ Mulligan’s Midtown opens tomorrow. For the first day on Wednesday, they will open the doors at 3 PM, with regular hours (11 AM to 3 AM) after that.

ODDS Atelier is throwing an “I survived Trolley Night!” party on Friday, June 25 from 7:30 PM to midnight. Live music, DJ, free food, free cocktails. Admission is free but they ask that you RSVP to guarantee your spot at the party.

Imani Soap Company is opening at 65 Monroe this Saturday, June 26. The business is part of the Open on Main initiative and will have a storefront for 6 months.

Today is National Onion Rings Day. My #1 recommendation to celebrate would be Majestic Grille’s tempura fried onion rings, but they’re closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

There’s going to be a Caribbean foam rave at Carolina Watershed Sunday, July 11. Swimwear is appropriate attire, there will be hookah and bottle service available as well as Jamaican food.

Action News 5 has a list of where to watch July 4 fireworks in the Memphis metro. There will be fireworks shot off Mud Island Sunday, July 4. That celebration will also include a Stax vs. Motown dance party, and live music by Nick Black Band and Lucky 7 Brass Band. There will be fireworks at AutoZone Park following the end of the Redbirds games on July 2, 3, and 4.

DJ Superbrad hosts a ’90s Party at Blind Bear this Saturday.

Don Bryant plays a free show at Wiseacre Downtown Friday at 7.

I awoke to the sweet, sweet sound of my air conditioner cycling off for the first time in more than a week. I don’t know what we did to deserve these cool, crisp temperatures, but I’ll take it. The MemphisWeather.net forecast has us at a high of 80 and a low of 59 today. That’s a normal high and low for October 1.

That’s it! Back tomorrow with more.

Monday update

Memphis soccer supporters the Bluff City Mafia will have not one, but two, marches to AutoZone Park for this Saturday’s match. In support of Pride Month, they will march from Atomic Rose (corner of Second and Lt. George W. Lee) at 6:35 and then will march from Brass Door at 7:00. Come show your love for the game and all its supporters.

James Aycock’s COVID week in review has some mildly disturbing news. Cases are up 28% and for the first time in a while, the infection rate is above 1.0. This is because the Delta (India) variant is gaining a foothold in Shelby County and it is more infectious than the Alpha (UK) variant which is the dominant strain here. Delta is expected to be the dominant strain within weeks. If you plan to get vaccinated but just haven’t got around to it yet, might want to go do that soon.

Local 24 has a look at yesterday’s Memphis Vegan Festival in Fourth Bluff Park.

The Downtown core has a new coffee shop! Crazy Gander Coffee Company has opened in the space next to the Brass Door at 150 Madison. They’re in the space that was formerly The Mad Earl. They’re currently in their soft opening phase with hours of 7 AM-3 PM Monday-Friday.

As your number-one source of news and information about The Edge District, it’s my pleasure to tell you about a job opening in that part of town. Orion FCU is looking to hire a Commercial Real Estate/Asset Portfolio Manager.

The Memphis Flyer has a piece about Ghost River’s second location on Beale Street. They have photos of what will be the outdoor beer garden, and it looks amazing.

Happy Monday, YOGA! Today is International Yoga Day.

New courses have been announced for the St. Jude full and half marathons, the 10K, and the 5K. The redesigned courses incorporate more landmarks and neighborhood cheering stations. As always, all courses run through the heart of the St. Jude campus.

Take the umbrella with you if you get out today – heavy storms are likely this afternoon. As of about 11 I’m following them on the radar and they are dropping rain and even some hail on north Arkansas and the Missouri bootheel. Back tomorrow with more news.

Saturday update

Memphis 901 FC returns to AutoZone Park for another home match tonight at 7:30. Their opponent will be OKC Energy FC. If you can’t make it out to see the match live, catch it on TV on CW30.

Fast-forwarding for a minute to the home game after that, next Saturday, June 26, vs. Sporting Kansas City II: Not only will it be Pride Night at the park, but a special all-inclusive ticket will allow you to have the Memphis 901 FC experience and the Raiford’s experience at the same time. You’ll get a seat on Paula Raiford’s Party Deck, an open bar (draft beers, house wine, well liquor), an all-you-can-eat buffet, and a photo-op with Paula. Paula will smash the guitar prior to the start of the match. To grab your seat:

  1. Click this link
  2. Click on ‘TICKETS’ and select ‘BUY TICKETS’ for the June 26 game
  3. Enter coupon code PAULAPARTY
  4. Choose your seats and check out

Pam & Terry return to the Blind Bear this coming Thursday, June 24 at 7 PM.

Congratulations to the Grizzlies’ Desmond Bane, who made the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. Also, congratulations to the Grizzlies’ front office, because this award indicates that they know what they’re doing. Bane has been recognized as one of the 10 best rookies in the NBA, yet the front office got him at number 30 in last year’s draft (via trade from Boston).

The Memphis Flyer has issued a call for artists for the second Memphis Flyer coloring book. Purchasing the coloring book is a way to support great local artists and great local journalism. Proceeds are split 50/50 between the artists and the Flyer. Submission deadline is Monday at 5.

Whet Thursday, an after-hours program at the Metal Museum, returns this Thursday, June 24 from 6 to 8 PM. Among the activities:

  • Art tile mold casting in the Foundry ($20 to purchase a mold). This is a kid-friendly activity that they can finish at home with adult supervision that introduces kids to the world of casting.
  • Exhibit Measured Making: The 150mm Challenge and Tributaries: Andrew Meers in the museum’s galleries
  • The Museum Store will stay open late
  • Live music
  • Food trucks on site: El Mero Taco, Tipsy Tumbler Traveling Tavern
  • Lawn chairs are encouraged

Little Italy’s Downtown location will be closed June 20-24 so their staff can enjoy some well-needed rest.

Yesterday I met people from Miami, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles who traveled to Memphis to celebrate Juneteenth. WREG has coverage of the Juneteenth celebration in Health Sciences Park. The organizers stress that the celebration is open to all. “Memphis is not about one race. Memphis is about the human race.”

Today is also National Martini Day.

Bachata will be the featured dance tonight at the Latin Dance Series at Fourth Bluff Park, 7:00 to 8:00. Come down to the park and learn this popular dance, taught by instructors from Cat’s Ballroom.

Craft Axe Throwing in The Edge District will have a Juneteenth celebration beginning at 5 today with discounted axe throwing, the newest beers from Beale St. Brewery, and a craft beer share where you can bring your favorite for others to try.

Also celebrating Juneteenth today is Butterific Bakery & Cafe, beginning at 2 PM. Mouthful food truck and Artreanna’s Italian Ice will be onsite, along with local vendors. There will be music, giveaways, and games.

That’s it for this post. Back tomorrow with more news.