Month: August 2022

The DM reports that Bally Sports will release a streaming service next month that will let viewers stream Grizzlies games without a cable subscription. The cost will be $19.99 a month and you get Nashville Predators games too.

The Downtown location of Aldo’s Pizza Pies has expanded its delivery range to include all of Mud Island. Order here

Southland Casino across the river is hiring a sous chef for its sports bar.

Did you know that Aldo’s Downtown has $4 pizza slices, $4 pints of beer, and $5 garlic knots Mondays from 5 to close? Pretty sweet deal.

Today is National Hot and Spicy Food Day. My recommendation would be the tinga tacos at Maciel’s.

Today is National Bow Day. I am pretty staunchly anti-tie, but if you must wear one, make it a bow tie from Memphis-based Mo’s Bows.

And it’s International Talk Like Jar Jara Binks Day.

You can’t make this sh*t up: A Memphis woman ordered a box of cigars, got 100 Tennessee license plates instead

The Bugaloos play Slider Inn Downtown this afternoon at 6 and Tequila Mockingbird plays there Saturday at 6.

Lalah Hathaway plays the Cannon Center Saturday night.

LaZeez Shawarma will be the food truck at Health Sciences Park today from 11:30 to 1:00.

Big Wheel plays Tin Roof on Beale Saturday evening.

That’s the news for today…. back tomorrow with more.

we got what we wanted dray. 😤 @Money23Green https://t.co/fsJPffUBii pic.twitter.com/ti8PAdtMyC

— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) August 13, 2022

The Memphis Grizzlies’ 2022-2023 full-season schedule is out, and never in the organization’s 26 years of existence have there been so many national TV appearances. 28 of the 82 regular-season games will be on ESPN, NBAtv, TNT, or ABC.

It’s confirmed: The Grizzlies will travel to San Francisco to face Golden State on Christmas. Furthermore, the game is getting the primo time slot – 7 PM on either ABC or ESPN!!!!

The Phoenix Suns will come here to play the Grizzlies in the annual MLK Day game Monday, January 16 at 5 PM.

Another important game is an away game. On March 7, the Grizzlies travel to L.A. to play the Lakers the night the Lakers retire Pau Gasol’s number 16. Pau was drafted by the Grizzlies in 2001. He was the team’s star player until 2008, when he was dealt to the Lakers in a trade that included Memphis being sent the rights to Pau’s brother Marc Gasol.

Congratulations to everyone in the Grizzlies organization on putting together a squad that is compelling TV.

Live at the Tracks returns to the upper deck of Eight & Sand, the lounge inside Central Station. To kick off the season’s live music series, they’ll have Ted Horrell & the MNC tonight starting at 6:30.

The August meeting of the Downtown Neighborhood Association will be held in a place where there’s great music and great food – the Rumba Room. But, take note – the monthly meeting won’t be on the fourth Tuesday of the month as is normally the case. The meeting will be Monday, August 22 at 5:30 PM. Learn about Latin dance and view a slide show with Downtown development news.

The Midtown World Billiards Championship, sponsored by Memphis Made Brewing Co., comes to Young Avenue Deli Tuesday, August 30. 8-ball, 16-player bracket, winner of best 2 out of 3 games advances to the next round. Memphis Made draft and can specials all night.

The Court Square mimosa fest is back for its fall edition Sunday, October 16.

Supper Club on 2nd opens next Tuesday. It’s located at 85 S. Second next to Automatic Slim’s. This place is too different from what Memphis has known before for me to able to sum it up in 3 or 4 sentences. Just click the link.

ABC 24 takes a look at the newly-renovated Alcenia’s, which survived more than a year of being closed due to the pandemic.

Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country plays Loflin Yard tonight at 8:00.

Today is National Fajita Day and Pinot Noir Day.

The renovated Downtown YMCA reopens today with a ribbon cutting by Mayor Jimbo from Mempho at noon.

Allen Weisselberg, for many years the CFO for the Trump Crime Family Organization, pleaded guilty this morning to 15 felonies related to tax fraud. As part of the deal, he has agreed to testify against the Trumpster’s real estate company. You know Donald is fuming and referring to his former business associate as a “rat” this morning.

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

Today from 10 AM to 6 PM, there will be a job fair at the Westin Hotel to hire employees for Penny Hardaway’s new restaurant there. They’re hiring for many positions. If interested, bring a resume.

The Daily Memphian reports that the demolition of Fire Station No. 5 at Front and Union will begin in the next 60 days. The station is being torn down to make way for the relocation of the Brooks Museum of Art.

If you think that the plans for Tom Lee Park, the Brooks, and Mud Island River Park are ambitious, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. Memphis Magazine has a look at riverfront development plans from the 1960s.

Oh noes! Dodge will discontinue its gas-powered Charger and Challenger models next year. That is certainly bad news for folks who like to drift, do donuts, and perform other stupid car tricks in the middle of Downtown intersections at 3:00 in the morning.

There will be no NBA games on Election Day. It’s part of a push by the league to encourage fans to get out and do their civic duty. The full season schedule will be released today.

A recent poll found that a benefit workers would like to be offered is hangover leave. Based on sample size, it could be extrapolated that 59 million Americans would like to be offered such a benefit.

You have a chance to name Downtown’s newest dog parK:

Wine on the River Memphis returns on October 1 from 5 to 9 PM. It will be in a new location this year, on Riverside Drive between Union and Beale. Tickets go on sale this Friday.

Memphis 901 FC has an away game at New Mexico United tonight at 7. They’ll be back home Saturday.

About to get outside for a few minutes and enjoy this cooler weather. Back tomorrow with more news.

If you want to vote in the Memphis Flyer’s Best of Memphis 2022 poll but you haven’t done so yet, better hop to it. Wednesday at 5 PM is the deadline to submit your ballot. The winners will be announced in the September 29 issue of the Flyer.

Yesterday was another disgusting Memphis day – high 94, low 79, heat index reached 106 at one point – but relief is on the way. MemphisWeather.net says to expect a high today only in the upper 80s, with a northeast breeze. Scattered showers midday, with rain chances increasing today and tonight. Tomorrow’s high will be only 80.

However, the heat is going to get worse in the long-long-long term. Axios reports that a new study is out suggesting that an extreme heat belt will form in the central U.S. in future summers. Areas from Texas and Louisiana to extreme southern counties in Minnesota and Wisconsin will experience at least one day each year by 2053. Want your kids to be rich in the future? Send them to air conditioning installation and repair school.

To celebrate Elvis Week, the Majestic Grille will be playing Elvis tunes all week long. They’ll also show his movies on the big screen.

Multiple organizations will present Rockwalk Day in The Edge District on 901 Day, Thursday, September 1 from 5 to 9 PM. The following will happen:

• Choose901’s 901 Day party at The Ravine
• DJ Alpha Whiskey on The Inkwell’s patio
• Amy Lavere, DJ RMZI, and the Rico’s Kickin’ Chicken food truck at Edge Plaza
• DJ BizzleBlueBand, DJ Ayo Tunes, the Smoke and Ice food truck, and games at Edge Triangle

Rockwalk will be an ongoing live event series that celebrates all the cool things happening in the neighborhood. Event schedule coming soon. 2022 is The Edge’s best year ever!

Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert said the clerk’s office will be closed for two weeks to get caught up on the backlog. Wait, didn’t she say she was fully caught up a couple of weeks ago?

Today is National Bratwurst Day. My recommendation would be The German Plate at Flying Saucer, consisting of two bratwursts with sauerkraut and German potato salad.

It’s also National Rum Day.

This WREG story about problems at the Almadura Apartments in Midtown has more info on something I learned earlier this summer: You cannot legally withhold rent because your landlord has failed to fix your air conditioner.

From ABC 24: Clothing shop Lansky Bros. sees its largest influx of Elvis fans since the pandemic

Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, the Republican Party’s most outspoken critic of the Trumpster, faces Trump-endorsed Republican Harriet Hageman in a primary for Cheney’s seat today. Polling has shown Cheney likely to lose today.

That’s the news for today. Stay dry, everyone.

The Commercial Appeal’s Jennifer Chandler published a list of six boozy frozen cocktails you have to try in Memphis. Two of the six are available Downtown: The sake slushie from STIX (available in original, watermelon, peach, and green apple flavors) and the Jameson Slushie from Slider Inn.

I can’t believe two summer classics, the Call-a-Cab from Wet Willie’s and the Purple Drank from Max’s Sports Bar, didn’t make the list. I love the way Purple Drank lives up to its name: It’s purple and it’s a liquid beverage you can consume and you (probably) won’t die.

Labor Day is 3 weeks from today. Men’s Journal has a list of last-minute Labor Day trips you can book, and the Hyatt Centric on Beale Street made the list.

The 2022 candlelight vigil in memory of Elvis is tonight at Graceland. Watch live starting at 8:20.

Still nothing official from the NBA, but we have this from a noted authority on the league:

2022 NBA Christmas Day schedule, per @ShamsCharania

– Bucks vs. Celtics
– Sixers vs. Knicks
– Suns vs. Nuggets
– Lakers vs. Mavs
– Grizzlies vs. Warriors

Can’t wait 🍿 pic.twitter.com/ZS33Y4RBVV

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 14, 2022

Sounds like the Grizzlies will play Golden State in the late game, probably in San Francisco, probably a 9 PM Central tip time. What day of the week is Christmas this year? … Sunday. You better go ahead and put in for vacation for Monday the 26th if it’s not an official office holiday where you work.

Will Zalatoris is no longer the most successful golfer never to win a PGA Tour event. He won the FedEx-St. Jude Invitational in Memphis yesterday. He’ll move on to the next leg of the playoffs, the BMW Championship in Wilmington, Delaware, this coming weekend.

Perjorie T. Roll found a good sports-related Facebook page this weekend that she wanted me to pass along to my readers. The Sports Troll, providing snarky sports-related memes and commentary and breaking news. It looks like the page’s owner is all fired up for the beginning of NFL season.

Temperatures will still be seasonal early this week, but MemphisWeather.net has some great news: Winds becoming north at 10 MPH today. Nature’s air conditioning should feel great! Get ready for Wednesday, though: Heavy rain and storms are possible.

Jeeps on Beale returns to Beale Street tomorrow night.

The Broadway adaptation of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird comes to the Orpheum tomorrow through Sunday. Tickets are $29-$125.

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

I mentioned yesterday I decided to download The Great Gatsby (free on Project Gutenberg) to prepare for the Blind Bear’s August 27 Gatsby party. By 10:30 I was done with my morning chores – this blog, breakfast, checking my writing stats, playing Wordle and Globle’s daily games. I had no plans until 1 PM, so I decided to start on the book.

I finished 75% of it by the time my friends texted “we’re at Bardog, join us” at 1. It was such an easy read. The last time I read it, it was assigned by a teacher to me when I was 15. At that age, I had no concept of what adult relationships were like. Also, I hadn’t read about ’20s gangsters like Arnold Rothstein, Al Capone, and Salvatore Maranzano who profited off Prohibition, so I didn’t have the basis to understand Jay Gatsby’s “business.”

Also, it was nice to read one of the “classics,” knowing

• I wouldn’t be called on to discuss it in a classroom
• I wouldn’t have to write a paper on it
• I wouldn’t have to take a test on it

If there’s a book you were forced to read in high school but nevertheless kinda enjoyed it, try re-reading it through a set of adult eyes. Most books published before 1926 have had their copyright expire, so you can read them for free on Project Gutenberg.

Lots of eyeballs are on TVs on Christmas Day, and there is always a full slate of NBA games on TV. The Memphis Grizzlies had never been on any of those slates, though. They could have changed that using one of two strategies.

A) Convince about 15 million people to move to the Memphis region, making this a large TV market so they’d be considered for Christmas games even if their teams played like crap (see: 2021-22 New York Knicks and L.A. Lakers)

B) Play such compelling and exciting basketball that they become must-see TV, even as a small-market team

The Grizzlies chose option B) and it’s paying off. It’s not official yet, but rumors have the Grizzlies playing the Golden State Warriors on Christmas. Ja Morant and crew, y’all tie a pretty red bow around that can of ass-whoopin’ and attach a tag that says, “To Draymond. Love, Memphis.”

From the DM: The Caption by Hyatt’s Talk Shop lounge hopes to appeal to locals as much as guests. The lobby bar is a full coffee and cocktail bar and serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You can build your own toast and build your own cocktails (well, the bartender still has to mix it up, but you choose your booze, flavor, and mixer).

Deep Roots play brunch at Loflin Yard today from noon to 3.

It’s an evening with Vince Gill featuring The Voice’s Wendy Moten tonight at the Orpheum at 7:30. Tickets are $49.75-$125.

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

You may have noticed a new form of transportation on and around Main Street the past few weeks. Veo‘s vehicles look like bikes, but they are actually seated scooters. Like Birds and other e-scooters, they are useful for navigating urban areas. The Veo scooters provide more stability than standing scooters and are compatible with a wider variety of human body types. It costs $1 to unlock a Veo Cosmo scooter and 39 cents a minute to ride. Read the “Veo comes to Memphis” press release

The Millennium Tour: Turned Up! comes to FedExForum Saturday, November 5. Artists scheduled to perform include

• Bow Wow
• Mario
• Kari Hilson
• Lloyd
• Pleasure P
• Bobby V
• Sammie
• Ying Yang Twins
• Dem Franchize Boyz
• Lil Scrappy
• Travis Porter
• Crime Mob
• Trillville
• Day 2

Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Friday, August 19 at 10 AM.

Downtown 1920s-style speakeasy Blind Bear is throwing another of their fabulous theme parties later this month. Come dressed to August 27’s Great Gatsby Soiree as though you were

• Gatsby
• Daisy
• Invited by Gatsby himself to one of his parties and you want to impress the people there

DJ AD will supply the live music, starting with music that will make you feel like you’re in the Gatsby movie. She played the Bear back in February. I didn’t make it that night, but I was told she was excellent and I missed out! Don’t make the mistake I did!

Velvetina’s Burlesque is scheduled for the Gatsby party too. More details to follow on that one. Photographer Jamie Harmon and the Amurica photo booth will be at the party taking pics.

Want to read The Great Gatsby to prepare for the party? No need to drop some dollars on a copy at your local bookstore or on Amazon. The novel entered the public domain at the end of 2020. Project Gutenberg has it in several different formats for free (HTML, EPUB, Kindle, plain text).

For those of us who fondly remember Cafe Roux by Michael Cahhal on Front Street, the DM’s Jennifer Biggs has a recipe for its chicken and sausage gumbo.

In 1977 after his death, CBS released Elvis in Concert from his final tour. Today at the Halloran Centre, 2009 Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist champion Bill Curry will recreate that show, rocking the Aztec Sundial suit. Show times are 3:00 and 6:00 PM and tickets are $65-$100.

That’s all I’ve got today. Back tomorrow with more news.

If you’ve thought about adopting a pet recently, right now you can name your own price and possibly save a life. Memphis Animal Services, as of yesterday afternoon, had not even one empty dog kennel. They don’t want to have to put perfectly healthy and sociable animals to sleep. So, for the rest of August, when you adopt a pet from MAS, you can name your own adoption fee.

If you can’t make a long-term commitment to a pet but you want to help keep a shelter animal alive, they are looking for two-week fosters. You can fill out the foster application online, in advance, so when you come in you don’t have to wade through a bunch of paperwork. What to expect when fostering a pet

The Majestic Grille’s Friday lunch special, fish & chips, has proved so popular that they have started offering it as a lunch special on both Thursdays and Fridays.

In honor of the contributions of All-Star player and social activist Bill Russell, the NBA will retire number 6 across the league. Players who currently wear the number, including the Lakers’ LeBron James, will be allowed to continue wearing it, but it won’t be able to be assigned to a player going forward. Russell played from 1956 to 1969 and led the Boston Celtics to 11 championships during those years. Russell died last month. He was mentioned in Kurtis Blow’s 1983 hit Basketball:

Bill Russell didn’t take no junk
And Darryl Dawkins got a monster dunk
To the hoop, y’all
In yo’ face

This afternoon at 3 PM at the Halloran Centre for the Performing Arts, Ted Torres Martin recreates Elvis’ 1973 concert Aloha from Memphis. It was broadcast on satellite around the world. Ticket prices are $60-$85.

Yubu plays Slider Inn Downtown (I’m assuming the outdoor patio) tonight at 6.

The Woodruff-Fontaine House hosts Cold Supper, Hot Whiskey, and a Touch of Fever tonight from 6 to 9 PM. This will be an Old Dominick whiskey tasting, paired with summer food. There will also be tours of the mansion, set up as it might have been during the 1878 yellow fever pandemic. $60 per person. Of course, since booze is involved, this event will be 21 & up and you’ll be asked to present ID.

Starting next week, SIlly Goose will streamline its hours a bit: They’ll open at 2 PM Monday-Friday but will retain their noon opening time on the weekends. They’ll have happy hour Monday through Thursday.

Here’s a link to the FedEx-St. Jude Invitational leaderboard for those of you interested in that tournament. Did you know that the TPC Southwind golf course has a border collie who acts as a maintenance dog?

Today is Vinyl Record Day. I recommend a visit to River City Records on the Main Street Mall.

Briarcrest High School’s choir opened for Foreigner at the Orpheum last night. The band works with local schools in the cities they visit to support music education.

Grape. plays the Ghost River taproom at Main and Crump tonight from 6 to 9.

Streetdog Foundation has its annual Bow Wow Luau this Saturday from noon to 4 at Loflin Yard.

• Leashed dogs are welcome
• $25 donation to Streetdog gets you a limited-edition glass. Get that glass filled for only $3 a serving noon to 4 – includes draft beer, wine, well drinks, slushies
• Doggie fun area
• Photo booth
• Silent auction
• Cake
• Best collar contest for dogs

The Memphis Redbirds take the field at 7:05 tonight vs. the Indianapolis Indians. They will be the Memphis Turtles for tonight’s game, and the first 1000 fans receive a free Memphis Turtles T-shirt. A specialty ticket gets you access to an all-you-can-eat spread of mac & cheese, bacon bits, buffalo chicken, ham, broccoli, green onions, mushrooms, jalapenos, hot dogs, chips, soda, and water. $24 dugout, $21 field box.

There was a report of an armed bar fight around 11:30 last night very close to where I live in the Downtown core. One of the two men had a gun. If you go to a bar in Memphis, please don’t take it as a personal offense if security wands you or pats you down for weapons. They’re just trying to keep you safe. It sucks that it’s this way, but people carrying guns is just a fact of life in this city.

The CDC has issued new COVID guidance: Most people do not need to quarantine if exposed to a known case. The exceptions are places like jails and nursing homes where people are together in tightly-packed living settings. It’s still recommended that people who ARE a known case (i.e. they tested positive) isolate for 5 days and mask up for 10 days.

POLITICO Playbook reports that the classified documents from the Trumpster’s presidency that he took home to Mar-a-Lago may contain information about U.S. nuclear weapons. That could be a problem considering who Trump’s best friend is (hint: rhymes with “tootin'”).

That’s all the news for today. Back tomorrow.

The Green Beetle will temporarily close beginning next Monday, August 15, to install a new floor and make repairs to their building. They say they have a great contractor, but still, the repairs will take about 4 to 6 weeks to complete. Management is asking those of you who are Beetle fans to get by there this week and show the staff some love.

The Silly Goose has announced some new theme nights starting this week.

• Swim Night, Thursdays after 9 PM. No pool needed. Synth & dance.
• Flip Night, Fridays from 7 to 11 PM. Choose a beverage, win the coin toss, win a drink. Ask your bartender for more details.
• DJ Night, Fridays and Saturdays after 9 PM. No cover for ladies until 11 PM.

I swear I’m not making this up: The Microsoft Excel World Championships were broadcast on ESPN2 this week. Not the most boring sport in the world (that would be golf), but close.

Blind Bear trivia note: Local teacher Monsieur Davenport will fill in as host next Tuesday while regular host Velvetina is away. He’ll have pop culture questions along with questions on current events and history, and since it’s Elvis Week, he’ll do a deep dive into the life of The King. The fun starts at 7:30.

Dark article from Lifehacker: How to befriend crows and turn them against your enemies

Good news for those of you who live in East Memphis: Legendary Downtown breakfast joint Sunrise Memphis is opening a second location at 5469 Poplar in the old Blue Plat Cafe location.

The DM reports on a new game called You Can’t Say That: Memphis Mane Edition. It’s funded by a Kickstarter account. For example, you might have to get your teammates to guess “trolleys” without saying tracks, whistle, Main Street, or ride. If someone says a forbidden word, everyone goes, “Naw, mane.”

Louise Page, Madaline Collins, and Alexis Taylor play South Main Sounds, 550 S. Main, tonight from 7 to 9 PM.

All right. Golf is boring, but in honor of the kids of St. Jude and in memory of my buddy Mac who volunteered at the FedEx-St. Jude tournament for years, I’ll make a prediction for this weekend. Xander Schauffele -14, winning by one stroke.

Back tomorrow with more news.

A federal judge ruled that three golfers – Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford, and Matt Jones – did not deserve a temporary restraining order that would allow them to play in the FedEx-St. Jude Invitational, a leg of the PGA Tour playoffs, this weekend in Memphis. The golfers did not establish harm, knowing they would be very well compensated for playing on the LIV Tour.

The DM reports that ownership of the Memphis Redbirds has changed hands for the second time in a year. They were one of 10 teams purchased by private equity firm Silver Lake.

Yesterday was the funeral service for my friend Connor Hunt who worked for Tandem Restaurant Partners and who was killed in a car accident July 31. I didn’t make it to the funeral but I heard people called the Hogs there. That would have made Connor so happy.

Yubu, Amber Rae Dunn, and Kennard Farmer provide the live music at this Saturday’s Memphis Farmers Market from 8 to 11 AM.

Perjorie T. Roll had a peach cobbler shot at the Blind Bear yesterday.

It’s a slice of peach with peach moonshine, topped with apple pie moonshine. Yummy!

The Memphis Grizzlies and G-League affiliate the Memphis Hustle are holding an open call for emcees. You audition via YouTube. Must be available to work preseason, regular season, and playoff games.

Today is National Duran Duran Appreciation Day.

A woman who was once charged in the murder of Greater Memphis Chamber CEO Phil Trenary has been linked to another shooting that happened in May of this year.

Grab an umbrella or a raincoat: Showers and storms are likely after noon today. That’s not a bad thing, though. The rain will keep temperatures from getting much above 90 today. Once a cold front clears the Memphis metro tomorrow, it’s expected to be much less humid outside.

The Redbirds host the Indianapolis Indians tonight at 7:05.

Sunset Jazz returns to Court Square this Sunday from 6 to 8 PM. Frog Squad will perform and there will be food trucks and a bar truck. Lawn chairs are encouraged.

Bass Pro at the Pyramid will hold a hiring event this Thursday from 10 AM to 7 PM. Check out a list of Memphis openings. If you’ve dreamed of being an Archery Technician or a Camo Apparel Sales Associate, Bass Pro has the career for you.

Singer/storyteller Cecil Yancy performs at the Hard Rock Cafe tonight.

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