Month: June 2022

Cinnamon at the Blind Bear has lost her Coolest Bartender Name title. Yesterday I was informed there’s a bartender at The Paramount named Jalapeño.

Tomorrow, Friday, July 1, is Canada Day, and Kooky Canuck will celebrate with specials. $2.50 Canadian bottles, $5.00 Canadian Club.

NBA free agency negotiations begin at 5:00 this afternoon. Expect to see stories breaking on Bleacher Report’s NBA page, possibly about Grizzlies players Tyus Jones and Kyle Anderson.

Ghost River on Beale will celebrate its 1-year anniversary Sunday, July 2. $5.00 craft pints 5-8 PM, T-shirt throws, Pam & Terry performing 5:30-10:00 PM.

There will be a South Main Neighborhood Cleanup this Saturday. Meet at Slider Inn Downtown at 10 AM if you are interested in helping. Equipment will be provided.

Michael Shelby and Ted Ludwig will play the front porch of South Point Grocery Friday from 5 to 7. Shelby, who plays the sax, is a South Main resident and a music teacher at the University of Memphis.

You probably knew you could get BBQ from the Rendezvous or Central BBQ delivered to your door, nationwide… but did you know you can order a pizza from Naples, flash-frozen?

Emoni Bates won’t be back in Tiger blue. He’s transferring to his hometown college, Eastern Michigan.

Another day, another piece of shit gets sentenced to prison. Don’t drop the soap, R. Kelly.

Want to be a mentor for the Memphis Grizzlies Training Institute? Sign up for this virtual training to be held on Wednesday, July 6.

ABC 24 has a look at the renovations happening at radio station WLOK.

From Action News 5: MPD is doubling the number of police officers on Beale Street.

Ketanji Brown Jackson will be sworn in as the first Black woman Supreme Court Justice today at 11.

Jameson Rodgers and Elvis Shane play KIX on Beale tonight at 7:30. Free show in Handy Park.

Max Kaplan plays an acoustic set at Live on the Tracks at Central Station tonight 6:30 to 9:30.

The Redbirds play Jacksonville tonight at 7:05 at AutoZone Park. There will be $2 Pabst Blue Ribbon and $1 hot dogs.

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

The Daily Memphian’s Inked column, which looks at local real estate deals, noted that Felicia Suzanne’s has applied for design modifications to its new building at 383 S. Main. The work will begin in late July and will take approximately 120 days. In addition to the restaurant, Felicia will have a retail space for her Flo’s products.

The same column also reports the development of 70 new apartments at 339 S. Front.

I want to give a shout-out to a local company that provided a prize for Blind Bear trivia last night: Doctor Detail. If you live Downtown, they’ll come to you and wash and/or detail your car.

The Downtown Memphis Commission seeks a Director of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion).

The new Caption by Hyatt, part of the One Beale project, as well as the Talk Shop at Ellis cocktail bar and beer garden, are officially open. They even have their own beer, the Wm. C. Pilsner, a partnership with Grind City Brewing Co. The Caption is located at 245 S. Front, behind the Wm. C. Ellis & Sons facade.

If you attend this Thursday’s Peabody rooftop party, you’ll have the chance to win two prizes:

• A Recteq tailgating grill from Shiner beer
• A swag bag from Los Sundays tequila

Be sure to enter the drawing at the kiosk as you enter the rooftop party.

The Redbirds have a home game tonight at 7:05 vs. the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.

Ja Morant is up for ESPY awards for Best Play and Best Breakthrough Athlete. Vote here

Most Memphis story of the day: Not enough chicken leads to gunfire at anniversary party

Many of us got a Blue Alert on our phones yesterday. Action News 5 explains what a Blue Alert is.

Tomorrow is Whet Thursday at the Metal Museum. You can watch for whales making their way down the Mississippi. Hey, back in 2006 we legit did have a manatee, so you never know. Free admission to the event and the museum, and the gift shops will be open.

Operation Better Days, which helps to reduce the number of homeless veterans in Memphis, is hosting a Beer & Brat Festival at Grind City Brewing Friday evening.

From MakeUseOf: Your iPhone has a hidden list of places you hang out

Today’s POLITICO Playbook is worth a read. Yesterday in the January 6 hearings, Cassidy Hutchinson, a former special aide to then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, testified before Congress yesterday. Among her revelations:

• The Trumpster knew some of the Capitol protesters were armed, but he said, “they’re not here to hurt me,” and therefore he didn’t care if they marched on the Capitol
• The Trumpster demanded to be driven to the Capitol and may have assaulted a Secret Service agent who refused to drive him there
• The Trumpster heard about the “Hang Mike Pence” chants on January 6 and commented something to the effect of, “maybe they have the right idea”
• Mark Meadows and Rudy Giuliani were aware they were committing crimes on January 6 and sought pardons

Convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison yesterday. Prosecutors said, “Instead of showing even a hint of acceptance of responsibility, the defendant makes a desperate attempt to cast blame wherever else she can.” That is classic narcissistic behavior. Maxwell pleaded for leniency, saying she’d offered to teach other inmates yoga to be a positive influence on them. Some of you understand why I find that so funny.

That’s the news for now. Back tomorrow (probably) with more news.

I had the 901 FC roll for lunch at STIX Express Downtown yesterday.

The 901 FC roll has cream cheese and jalapeno inside. It is topped with baked salmon, sweet soy, and crunchies. Delicious!

Jesus Christ Superstar kicks off a 6-day run at the Orpheum this evening.

Wednesday, June 29 will be Nerd Nite at the Memphis Chess Club, and the theme this time will be METAL. Come out for nerdy talks and nerdy music related to the theme.

Tonight is trivia night at the Blind Bear, 7:30. Hmmm I notice a couple of differences in the title graphic from previous weeks. Should I read anything into that?

Elmwood Cemetery has a weird request: They need kitty litter bottles. The bottles are the perfect size for Elmwood’s gardeners to carry water to their cradles. They need the lids too if you have them. You can leave them on Elmwood’s front porch.

The Memphis Redbirds start a homestand with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp tonight at AutoZone Park with the first pitch at 7:05. On Tuesdays, every ticket includes a free order of ballpark nachos.

Memphis 901 FC sits atop the USL’s Eastern Conference standings. With 35 points, Memphis leads Louisville by 2. Memphis will play an away match at the Tampa Bay Rowdies on Saturday.

Jonte Mayon plays Soulin’ on the River at Fourth Bluff Park Friday night. Free show, family-friendly. Gates at 6, show at 7. Lawn chairs, coolers, picnic baskets welcome. Food trucks and a full bar will be on site.

Tri-Delta for St. Jude will hold a meeting at the Renasant Convention Center Wednesday-Friday.

Random cool thing I found on YouTube yesterday: A full episode of Chico and the Man, complete with 1970s commercials.

The show is one of the lost gems of 1970s sitcoms. Jack Albertson plays Ed Brown, owner of a garage. Ed is more or less the last white guy left in a Hispanic East L.A. barrio, and retains many of his outdated prejudices toward his neighbors. Chico comes to work for him and over the years helps mellow Ed’s opinions out.

As for the commercials, there’s a mail-order steam cooker, ’70s toys, and even a Gap commercial. My only complaint with this episode is that Louie the garbageman, played by Scatman Crothers, was not in it. Louie was my favorite. My grandmother used to call him “that old coot.” If Scatman were still alive today, there’d be a place for him at the corner table at Max’s Sports Bar.

Speaking of YouTube, MakeUseOf has news of an alternate place where you can host your videos: DTube. DTube is built on the blockchain rather than the traditional Web, and is therefore decentralized. DTube doesn’t have ads, and you can start monetizing videos immediately without having to hit a qualifying threshold of view-hours.

Ghislaine Maxwell, convicted of sex-trafficking minor girls in conjunction with the late Jeffrey Epstein, gets sentenced today. Oh man… Amber Heard has to fork over $8-million-plus to Johnny Depp… Meghan Markle is a Z-list celebrity despite being married to the Duke of Sussex… and now Ghislaine could be put away from 20 to 55 years. The 2020s have not been kind to narcissistic females.

Air conditioning update: Still has not been fixed, or as far as I am aware, even looked at, even though I’ve put in 3 work orders and emailed the manager. I tried to go down to the office 3 times yesterday to speak to someone in person, but each time no one was there. On a day when it’s near 100 with dew points in the 70s, my apartment stays around 80. On days like today when the highs are in the upper 80s and the dew point stays around 60, the A/C manages to get the temp down to about 74 (although it runs continuously).

The heat has aggravated a health problem I had several years ago. I have a favor to ask my readers… when I come into a place, having just walked there, give me a couple of minutes to cool off and catch my breath before you start hitting me with questions and conversation. I love you all and I hope that request doesn’t sound rude. It’s just what I need right now.

All right, that’s the news for today. Probably back tomorrow.

The City of Memphis is seeking feedback on its plan for a 2-mile corridor of Poplar from Front to Bellevue. They’ll hold a meeting at St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, 700 Poplar, from 6:00 to 7:30 Tuesday, July 5. Planned improvements will be shown and audience comments will be sought.

Sunday’s Garden Walk of Elmwood Cemetery has been canceled due to the heat.

Memphis 901 FC hosts Detroit City FC tonight at 7:30 at AutoZone Park. Tickets start at $5.

See The Wiz where your dog takes a whiz! The DNA has added a bonus movie, The Wiz, to its Court Square movie series. See it for free on the big screen Thursday, June 30 at 8 PM.

The Brass Door is hiring full-time kitchen staff.

They’ve been ripping out drywall all week from the Bank of America location on the ground floor of the Peabody Place office tower. Whatever that space will become, I guess it won’t be a bank.

If you’re a fan of the wallaby that escaped the Memphis Zoo back in March, you can eat one of his cousins at Flight. They have kangaroo filet on the menu.

River Market at River Garden happens this Sunday, 11 AM to 4 PM. Free admission, free skate rentals. DJ John Best will provide the tunes. Volunteers are needed to assist with the skate rentals.

There won’t be fireworks on Mud Island for the 4th this year, as the city has decided to pick up the party and move it to Liberty Park, recently the site of Music Fest and BBQ Fest. However, the Redbirds will have fireworks following their July 1, 2, and 3 games.

Trolley track maintenance is happening on Main Street south of Peabody Place, with trolley buses replacing the steel-wheel trolleys temporarily.

Today is Bartender and Mixologist Day. Of course, that is a holiday I will happily celebrate today.

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

BREAKING: Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade

The Memphis Grizzlies were busy on draft night. They made 4 picks, two first-rounders and two second-rounders, and addressed needs that will be created this summer by players leaving in free agency.

• Memphis traded up to the number 19 pick, sending numbers 22 and 29 and a future second-rounder to Minnesota. They used 19 to score Wake Forest forward Jake LaRavia. He can play small forward or power forward and will provide a skill set similar to what free agent Kyle Anderson brought to the team.
• Memphis then acquired the 23rd pick and Danny Green (who likely will never play for the Grizzlies) in exchange for De’Anthony Melton. The 23 pick turned out to be David Roddy, a Colorado State small forward who was the Mountain West Player of the Year last season. Roddy will also help replace some of Kyle Anderson’s contributions on the wing.
• Tennessee point-guard Kennedy Chandler, generally projected to be picked in the 20s, fell into the latter half of the 30s and Kleiman smelled opportunity. Not only would Chandler replace the skill set of free agent Tyus Jones, but Chandler is from Memphis and Ja Morant and Chandler have been good friends for years. A future second-rounder and cash considerations to San Antonio got Memphis the ability to scoop up Chandler with number 38.
• With the 47th pick, Memphis chose shooting guard/small forward Vince Williams Jr. from VCU, adding depth on the wing.

Bleacher Reports grades for the picks:

• 19 Jake LaRavia: B-
• 23 David Roddy: C-
• 38 Kennedy Chandler: B-
• 47 Vince Williams Jr.: C

As for the Memphis Tigers in the draft:

• Center Jalen Duren was taken with the 13th pick by Charlotte and then was traded to the Detroit Pistons.
• Forward Josh Minott was taken 45th by Minnesota with a pick acquired from Charlotte.
• Shooting guard Lester Quinones went undrafted but Golden State subsequently signed him to a two-way contract. He’ll play for the G-League Santa Cruz Warriors.

Poor Jabari Smith was told he was the consensus 1 pick for weeks, then fell to 3 on draft night. Not only did he miss out on the prestige of forever being known as a number-one draft pick, but it’ll cost him about $1.7 million in rookie-scale salary this coming year.

I’m sending prayers and good vibes to Memphis Sandwich Clique co-founder Ryan Hopgood this morning. Ryan suffered a heat stroke early last week and slipped into a coma. His situation was so dire that his family asked that he be taken off life support and his organs donated – but when they took Ryan off life support, he didn’t die. He woke up. Get well soon, dude. We Memphians are relying on you to tell us where the dank sammies are.

Lansky Bros. has Elvis (the movie) belt buckles and T-shirts on sale. The movie is in theaters as of today. Filmmakers stopped by Lansky Bros. in 2019 to learn about the effect Bernard Lansky had on Elvis’ style.

A new music festival is coming to the grounds of Grind City Brewing Co. in Uptown. Grind City Fest will happen Friday, August 26 and Saturday, August 27.

FedEx will soon offer a new service called Picture Proof of delivery that will show you the exact spot to where your package was delivered.

The CA has a look at Kennedy Chandler’s draft party at the Hyatt Centric.

Today is National Food Truck Day.

The Supreme Court decision saddens me greatly. I expect protests across the nation this weekend, some of which will turn into riots.

Back tomorrow with more news.

Memphis was involved in a most unwanted trade recently. Ja Raffe, the Memphis Zoo animal born in 2020 and named for Grizzlies star Ja Morant, has been traded to Utah. A study indicated he was needed out there to be a breeding male for the Salt Lake City herd. The Morant family got a chance to say a final goodbye to Ja Raffe before he was shipped out on June 14.

Arkansas plays Ole Miss in a College World Series winner-take-all game today at 3 PM. The loser goes home, and the winner goes on to play Oklahoma in a best-of-three championship series. I like the 3 PM start time because it means the game will be over by the time the NBA draft starts at 6:30.

The Miss Tennessee competition kicks off at the Cannon Center today.

Volunteer Odyssey brings its Summer of Service to Grind City Brewing Co. tonight from 6 to 9. $1 from every beer purchased during that time frame will be donated to Volunteer Odyssey.

MPD has released additional info on the shooting and car crash that happened at Danny Thomas and Madison last week.

Matt Stell (with Erin Kenney) plays KIX on Beale at Handy Park tonight. This is an all-ages free show that starts at 7:30.

The DNA’s summer movie series in Court Square wraps up tonight with The Lion King. Free showing, 8 PM.

All right. I’m hot and I’m tired so I’m ending this post. Back tomorrow with more news.

This Friday is the last Friday of the month, which means it’ll be South Main Trolley Night. The shops of South Main will stay open until 9 or later, many of them offering appetizers, booze, discounts, etc. The Gray Canary will run its post-Trolley Night happy hour from 9 to 10 PM Friday.

Amy LaVere will play Songs in the Cemetery in Elmwood Cemetery this Friday starting at 5:30. Eat at Eric’s food truck will be on site, and the Tipsy Tumbler will serve drinks. Lawn chairs are encouraged. This event is outdoors and the weather will be hot, so dress appropriately. $10 cover charge.

Jordan Skoda and the Damwrights play the Blind Bear Saturday from 8 to midnight.

The 2022 NBA draft is Thursday night at 6:30 on ESPN and the WatchESPN app, with the first round also on ABC. I am fascinated to see what front-office wizard Zach Kleiman does with the 22nd, 29th, and 47th picks. After he wheeled and dealed his way into Desmond Bane and Ziaire Williams, he has my complete confidence.

Arkansas plays Ole Miss tonight at 6 on ESPN in a College World Series game. The Hogs must beat Ole Miss twice to advance to the finals.

Today is National Onion Rings Day. The Majestic Grille’s tempura fried onion rings would be my recommendation to celebrate.

Action News 5 has a report on the Memphis River Parks Partnership’s presentation at the joint DNA/SMA meeting last night. Only 68 parking spaces are planned along Riverside Drive in Tom Lee Park, but city COO Doug McGowen said several hundred more parking spaces would be available on the cobblestones adjacent to the park.

Seeing Red will be the featured entertainment at tomorrow night’s Peabody rooftop party from 6-10 PM.

MemphisWeather.net is predicting a high of 101 today (that was yesterday’s high as well) with a heat index near 107. Good news on the horizon, though – ABC 24 meteorologist Chelsea Chandler tweeted that a cold front will move through next week.

Too hot to type anymore. Back tomorrow. Maybe.

The Grizzlies have released their summer league schedule. They will play in both the Salt Lake City and Las Vegas leagues, and the Las Vegas games will be nationally televised. Second-year forward Ziaire Williams is expected to play a big role in these games, and it’ll be our first look at Memphis’ 2022 draft picks.

YOGA! South Point Grocery hosts a free “happy hour” yoga session with Katy this Wednesday at 5:30 PM. Bring a mat, towel, and water.

If you haven’t yet subscribed to The Daily Memphian and you’re a foodie, Chris Herrington and Jennifer Biggs’ food tour of Summer Avenue series, which kicked off today, is worth the subscription price by itself. This week they covered the section of Summer between East Parkway and Highland. OMG… Somali food and Mexican soul food and shrimp fried rice, yes please!

Arkansas plays Auburn in a College World Series game tonight at 6 on ESPN. The losing team gets eliminated. Earlier in the day, another SEC team is in action as Texas A&M plays Notre Dame at 1 on ESPN. That is an elimination game as well.

Two vehicles were reported burglarized at 171 Monroe this morning. That’d be the parking garage across B.B. King from AutoZone Park, just north of the Canopy Hotel. Looks like the teenagers who normally break into cars on Gayoso are branching out.

Don’t forget, tonight is the joint Downtown Neighborhood Association/South Main Association meeting at Beale Street Landing. A representative of Memphis River Parks Partnership will be there to answer questions. The DNA president has promised the meeting won’t get contentious, but that’s gonna be a tall order to fill if the “Save the Parks” people show up in numbers. Drinks and appetizers will be provided to association members. Popcorn would be appropriate.

You can ride the trolley for 25 cents today due to poor air quality. MATA bus rides and MATAplus rides are 25 cents as well.

Today is National Smoothie Day. City Market makes good ones.

COVID Act Now reports that the reinfection rate has fallen to 0.98 in Shelby County. That indicates that the spread of COVID is no longer exponential and that the current wave may have peaked.

Butterific Bakery and Cafe at 488 S. Second has decided to extend its Juneteenth celebration all this week. Through Thursday, the Maja Wings food truck will be outside 11 AM-6 PM. Fridays are Pie Fridays. The Smoke & Ice food truck will be there Saturday from noon to 7.

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

We’re going to be treated to a classic rivalry game tonight in the College World Series as Ole Miss faces Arkansas (6 PM, ESPN). Neither team has taken a loss in the CWS, so neither faces elimination. In the same bracket, Auburn faces Stanford (1 PM, ESPN), loser gets eliminated from the series.

Juneteenth happened yesterday on a Sunday, making today a federal holiday. CNN has a look at what’s closed and what’s open today.

Today is Take Your Cat to Work Day. Seems like a bad idea.

The DM reports that the first phase of the Orleans Station apartments at Orleans and Jefferson will be ready in July. There will be two more phases to come, backing up to Manassas and Madison. The apartments are designed to serve the nearby medical student community without having on-campus dorms.

The Flyer’s Michael Donahue has some pics from Loving Local that’ll give you an idea what The Ravine, the new park in The Edge, looks like.

According to the Farmer’s Almanac, summer starts tomorrow at 4:14 AM.

Memphis in May reported a record $1.9 million loss for the year, after Music Fest and BBQ Fest were both temporarily moved to Liberty Park/Tiger Lane for 2022. It’s an even bigger loss than MiM suffered in 2020 when both events got completely canceled due to COVID. Festival-goers voted with their wallets, it seems – they want those events on the river where they belong.

Soulin’ on the River featuring Doll McCoy comes to Fourth Bluff Park Friday from 7 to 10 PM. Admission is free and lawn chairs, picnic baskets, and coolers are all welcome. Food trucks and a full bar will be available.

There was a shooting about 3:30 AM Sunday near Fourth and Beale. A man was left in critical condition.

Another shooting Sunday night left one person dead. This one was at Patterson Flats near G.E. Patterson and Hernando Avenue.

Given the low dew point this morning, my apartment is relatively comfortable right now. But as far as I’m aware, my A/C still has not been serviced, so it may get hard to work in here later this week. Posts will be hit-or-miss until I have cold air.

Go Hogs!