Saturday update – PBR prices, dangerous man in South Main, more

I want to start off today’s post by stirring the pot a bit.

Yesterday I was sitting at the Silly Goose with a manager from B.B. King’s club on Beale. “Just curious,” I asked him. “What does a PBR cost over there?”

“$3.50,” he replied.

“For one of these?” I held up the 16-ounce can I was working on, and he said yes.

So here’s my question. B.B. King’s is on Beale, and has to deal with all the operating overhead that comes with being in an entertainment district. So how is it that neighborhood bars, that are many blocks removed from the entertainment district, can justify a price higher than $3.50 for a 16 ounce PBR?

I’m just gonna say there’s an opportunity here. Some neighborhood bars would be able to cut into my Goose and Bear time a good bit if their PBR prices were as reasonable as those places.

There’s news on Nextdoor of a man on a bike who has assaulted several people Downtown recently. He’s said to hang around Loflin Yard, Wayne’s Candy on Carolina Avenue, and South Main. Black male, military hat, military backpack.

More info on the Nextdoor comments: Believed to sleep in the area around Nettleton and Tennessee at night. Has pulled a knife on at least one area resident. Possibly the same man who screamed at groups of people on South Main near Butler and Huling. Capable of acting perfectly normal when approached by police. Seen on Carolina near B.B. King Blvd. and also on Georgia. Not always on a bike. Height estimated by one commenter to be 5’9″ to 5’10”.

Damn. I almost walked to Max’s Sports Bar (which, by the way, has 16 oz. PBR draft for $2.75) yesterday afternoon but decided against it because of rain in the area. Glad I didn’t now. It’s terrible that South Main is booming like never before in the 19 years I have lived Downtown, yet never before have I felt so unsafe walking to that neighborhood.

If you commute down South Front Street, you’ll want to make alternate arrangements for the afternoon of Monday, August 2. AutoZone will have Front blocked off between Union and Gayoso from 4 to 7 that afternoon. They will have a street party to celebrate the return of workers to their headquarters Store Support Center and the opening of new office space.

The Memphis Redbirds’ 12-game winning streak was broken by the Louisville Bats last night, 1-0.

The MBJ reports that Italian restaurant Spindini has closed. The space at 383-385 S. Main has been purchased by a group of investors who plan to open another restaurant there.

In world news: The UK’s The Guardian visited Methodist Hospital in Memphis to get a report on the Delta variant and vaccine resistance.

The DM reports that the I-40 bridge won’t open until early August.

Today is National Tequila Day.

It’s Local Heroes Day as Memphis 901 FC hosts Tulsa tonight. Starting at 4:30 there will be a pre-party at the new Ghost River location on Beale. $10 deal during the party gets you a Ghost River Gold and a chili cheese dog. My friends Pam & Terry will supply the live music. March to the stadium at 6:50, kickoff at 7:30. If you can’t make it live, the match will be broadcast locally on CW30.

Artist Ephraim Urevbu holds a preview exhibition for The Naked Truth: An American Story in Red, White, and Blue at his gallery Urevbu Contemporary, S. Main at Huling, today at 4:30. The exhibition will be on display in Nashville this fall.

Five O’Clock Shadow plays Slider Inn Downtown today at noon.

There’s a Back to School Skate Party this evening 7-9 on Riverside Drive between Court and Jefferson. Free skating, school supplies giveaways, food trucks.

Time to watch the USWNT, get a couple of hours of professional writing done, and then go drink some of that overpriced PBR. Back tomorrow with more news.