Tuesday update

The FedEx-St. Jude Invitational, the first leg of the PGA Tour playoff, happens at Memphis’ TPC Southwind this week. Here’s a look at the odds and the field. Golfweek has Thursday tee times and streaming info.

The tournament’s field could change today, though. Three PGA Tour players who jumped to Saudi-backed LIV Golf this summer and were subsequently banned by the PGA Tour head to court today. Taylor Gooch, Matt Jones, and Hudson Swafford seek a restraining order allowing them to play in the FedEx-St. Jude Invitational, and should they advance, the next two rounds of the playoffs.

“Hudson Swafford.” Golfers always have the very whitest of white-people names.

South Main Association members, don’t forget tonight is your monthly social at Good Fortune Co. at 6 PM. Complimentary Asian dishes and cocktails.

The Memphis Redbirds return to AutoZone Park to play 6 games against the Indianapolis Indians tonight. First pitch is at 7:05. It’s Nacho Average Tuesday, so each ticket includes a free order of ballpark nachos.

Olivia Newton-John passed away at the age of 73.

(Is that guy playing the keyboard or is he having a seizure?)

A Chicago company wants to put a zip line adventure park on Mud Island. The City Council will see a presentation (PowerPoint!!!) on the idea this morning.

Elvis Week, the 45th anniversary of the week Elvis Presley passed away, kicks off today.

The County Commission voted to seek state oversight of the Shelby County Clerk’s office. Many Memphians have been driving around with expired vehicle tags, risking being pulled over, because Clerk Wanda Halbert’s office was not getting tags mailed out in a timely manner. Halbert declared the tag crisis under control last week.

Today is National Veep Day. 48 years ago today, Vice-President Gerald Ford became the first holder of that office to ascend to the presidency via resignation.

MPD has released a photo of suspects involved in an early morning shooting on Sunday near Beale and B.B. King.

All but one charge have been dropped against a man who threatened to stick a gun out of his window at the Chisca apartment building last month and shoot people leaving the Yo Gotti & Friends concert.

The FBI raided Mar-a-Lago, the Trumpster’s private resort, yesterday. Probable cause was obtained due to the evidence that the former president may have been stashing classified documents there.

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

Monday update

The DM had an article this weekend about the Urban Bicycle Food Ministry, a volunteer group that prepares nutritious burritos and then bikes to Downtown and Midtown locations to feed the hungry. They ride and hand out burritos every Wednesday night and breakfast burritos every Saturday morning. They operate out of the kitchen at First United Methodist.

The article notes that inflation is hitting the burrito ministry along with everyone else. At the beginning of the year, the ingredients to make a meat-and-bean burrito cost 33 cents. Now they cost 82 cents.

If you’d been alive in the year 1200 and attempted to visit Paris, or Vienna, or Constantinople, you’d have found physical walls around those cities, designed to keep invaders out. The DM reports that Memphis suburb Olive Branch, Mississippi will install virtual walls. License plate cameras will read plates at the city’s 24 entrances and report to Olive Branch PD in real time when the owner of an entering vehicle has a warrant. This sounds an awful lot like “Big Brother is watching” to me.

Today is National Cat Day.

Gunshots were fired near Beale Street and B.B. King Blvd. around 3 AM Sunday.

There was also a shooting at Hernando and Vance in the 5 PM hour Saturday. That left a man in critical condition.

The FedEx St. Jude golf tournament happens at Southwind this week.

That’s it. Not a terribly newsy day. Back tomorrow.

Saturday update

ESPN8: The Ocho’s lineup of sports was every bit as glorious as I expected. Events like championship air guitar and corgi races lived up to their potential, but an event I’d never heard of before had me glued to the edge of my seat – slippery stairs.

If I were the president of ESPN, I’d reduce golf coverage to one day a year and give the 30 or so weekends that would free up to The Ocho. Golf is boring.

I have to say I was disappointed that Jersey Shore’s Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino failed to make it past the first round of cornhole. Maybe you need to spend a little less time doing GTL and a little more time throwing bean bags, Sitch.

I wonder if Queen Elizabeth II gets the ESPN family of channels, and if so, if she got up early yesterday morning to watch the corgi races. The Queen loves corgis and has owned them all her life.

Let’s get on to the Downtown news… The DM reports that a popular Memphis food truck, Boujee Bistro, is getting a brick-and-mortar location. It’ll be on the ground floor of the Lincoln-American Tower in Court Square, in the space that was formerly Regina’s Cajun Kitchen. A menu I found on Google Images indicates Boujee Bistro has tacos, salads, wings, and burgers, as well as some dishes labeled “Extra Boujee” including smoked sausage and chili dogs.

DJ Mylon will provide the music at the Silly Goose tonight. Ladies don’t pay a cover charge until 11 PM.

The Memphis Grizzlies are hiring a social & digital content strategist.

The South Main Association has released additional details about Tuesday’s member social (6 PM) at Good Fortune Co.:

  • There will be take-out-inspired bites (which is a bit weird, because Good Fortune doesn’t do take-out) including orange chicken strips, pad Thai, vegetable curry, steamed rice, and egg rolls
  • Complimentary cocktails including yuzu mimosas, Sayuri nigori sake, peach jelly shots, moonshine Asian pear sake, Sho Chiku Bai filtered and unfiltered sake
  • Plus their entire bar menu will be available for purchase
  • Good Fortune is a small restaurant and will be subject to capacity restrictions, so arrive early

Today is International Blues Music Day. My recommendation to celebrate would be the Blues Hall Juke Joint next to Rum Boogie Cafe on Beale Street.

Juke box heroes, get ready. Foreigner comes to the Orpheum on Thursday.

That’s it for this post. Back tomorrow if there’s any news to report.

Friday update

The Shelby County election of 2020 is in the record books. The big results:

  • Challenger Steve Mulroy defeated incumbent Amy Weirich in the District Attorney General race
  • County Mayor Lee Harris beat Republican challenger Worth Morgan to secure a second term
  • Voters said no to a proposal that would have extended term limits, allowing the mayor of Memphis and City Council members to run for a third term
  • County Clerk Wanda Halbert, whose office has had so much trouble mailing out license plates in a timely manner, won another term

Got a couple of pieces of news about partnerships Downtown groceries have formed to bring yumminess to their grab & go cases. South Point Grocery now carries salads by local company St. Clair Foods. Check out St. Clair’s complete list of potato, chicken, and pasta salads.

RAWGIRLS, the healthy-lifestyle restaurant on Second, has reached a deal to stock the cold case at Cordelia’s Market with their soups, salads, and pastas.

Yesterday was National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, and I recommended a trip to Beale Street for Insomnia Cookies. Turns out they’ll celebrate the day all weekend long. Get a free Classic Chocolate Chunk Cookie with any in-store purchase or any $6 or more online purchase (must add the free cookie to cart online). You can substitute a free vegan or VGF (vegan/gluten-free) chocolate chunk cookie if that’s your preference.

Today is International Beer Day and I recommend you celebrate it with the very best beer in the world. I am speaking, of course, about Pabst Blue Ribbon.

If you park monthly at Premier Parking, check your bank statement. There’s a Nextdoor thread where multiple people reported incorrect extra charges.

There will be a Whiskey, Bourbon, Cigar, and BBQ Festival on Beale Street November 18-19.

The Brass Door will show Arsenal vs. Crystal Palace today at 2 as Premier League kicks off.

Malaika’s “Wild Flower” release party happens tonight from 7-9 at South Main Sounds at 550 S. Main. Special guests Polly Carpenter, Priya Vani, Hasitha Ramanathan, and Walker Campbell will join.

That’s the news for today. Glad to see some rain moving through. Back tomorrow.

Thursday update

It’s Election Day in Tennessee. Here’s a link where you can find your polling location and sample ballot. Remember, on Election Day you have to go to your designated polling precinct – you can’t just show up at any location as you can for early voting.

If you knew Connor Hunt and Brian Coletta, our two friends who were killed in a car crash early Saturday morning, here’s an updated list of memorials and benefits this weekend:

  • Thursday (tonight): Memorial vigil at Ben-Yay’s 7:30 PM
  • Saturday: Public memorial at Growlers 6-10 PM
  • Saturday: Memorial after-parties 10 PM-close at Zinnie’s and CANVAS (Tandem Restaurant Partners will match donations to go to the Hunt and Coletta families)
  • Sunday: Celebration of Life at Carolina Watershed 4-10 PM
  • Sunday: Celebration of Life After-Party at Blind Bear 10-close

Donations for funerals & expenses can be made at any of these events or online at GoFundMe.

Funny thing: Yesterday about 11:30 AM, I was sitting in front of my laptop when I heard a zzzzzzzzzziiiipppppppp as if someone were brushing against my living room window blinds from top to bottom. It scared the crap outta me. Connor, was that you? It totally seems like the kind of thing you’d do.

If you want to shop for Christmas gifts early, here’s a very Memphis gift to give: Lego’s The Great Pyramid of Giza. It has 1476 pieces and will retail for $130. It unfortunately doesn’t come with a Bass Pro Shops logo for you to stick on the side.

Brilliant tech invention I learned about yesterday: a mouse mover. It jiggles your mouse, causing your status to appear as “Active Now” rather than “Last active 24 min 37 sec ago.” I can think of all kinds of uses for this.

Jennifer Biggs of the DM reports that frozen, heat & eat Coletta’s pizza is now available at Grind City Grocer, 60 S. Main (ground floor of The Washburn Apartments). Biggs notes they have cheese, pepperoni, veggie supreme, ’round the world, and BBQ pizza.

In the same article, Biggs linked to a podcast her co-worker Chris Herrington recently did with Chef Meredith Clinton. Clinton is the chef at Black Sheep, operating out of 409 S. Main, and is the mind behind the Lucky Cowboy speakeasy in the basement.

Interesting note: Chef Clinton says Good Fortune Co. down the street has amazing wings. That is the second time in a 24-hour period I have heard someone say that. They’re called “GFC Wings” and are made with Sichuan honey butter, sesame, and scallion.

By the way… there’s a premium topping on Good Fortune’s menu, an add-on to their noodle dishes, called “Send Noods.” Can someone explain to me what that is? Do people pay an extra $3 to add more noodles to their noodles?

The Gray Canary is hiring a server.

The city of Memphis will begin a conversion to LED street lights next month. LED lights are brighter than standard street lights, making it harder for criminals to operate under the veil of darkness.

11 golfers on the LIV Tour who were kicked off the PGA Tour for playing for the competition, have filed an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour. They’ve asked for a restraining order that would allow them to appear in the playoffs for this year’s FedEx Cup. Those playoffs come to Memphis next week.

The 20 most popular LinkedIn Learning courses are free to access through the end of August.

Canopy by Hilton is hiring a front desk agent.

South Bound headlines tonight’s Peabody rooftop party, 6-10 PM.

Redemption Church at 340 S. Second is having a back-to-school community day Sunday, August 7, from 10:30 AM to 2 PM. Free food, school supplies, baby formula, backpacks, and gas cards. Want to support this effort? Cashapp the church at $Redemptionnow and mark your donation “Back to school” in the memo. (h/t DNA Newsletter for this piece of info)

Today is National IPA Day. Flying Saucer, where there are many India Pale Ales to choose from, would be my recommendation to celebrate.

Today is also National White Wine Day. My recommendation would be to visit new wine shop Rootstock at 644 Madison in The Edge District and find a bottle from a small-production, family-owned winery to take home with you.

It’s also National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day. Insomnia Cookies on Beale would be my recommendation to celebrate.

That’s it for today. If I’m still out at Blind Bear at 11 PM, I’ll have them put on the corgi races on ESPN8: The Ocho (ESPN2). Back tomorrow with more news.

Wednesday update

Beginning at 5 this evening, Zinnie’s at Madison and Belvedere will hold a fundraiser for our friends Connor Hunt and Brian Coletta who were killed in a car crash early Saturday morning. Every dollar they take in, including tips, will go to Connor’s and Brian’s funerals.

This Saturday, there will be a public memorial for Connor and Brian at Growlers, 1911 Poplar, from 6 to 10 PM. There will be live entertainment by Chris Johnson & Adam Quinn and by DJ Kaz. They will accept donations for the funerals and to take care of the families, or if you prefer you can donate online.

A Cancer Blows benefit concert has been announced for the Cannon Center on Saturday, September 24. Memphis Symphony Orchestra conductor Robert Moody will team up with Doc Severinsen, Arturo Sandoval, Lee Loughnane (Chicago), Wycliffe Gordon, and former members of Canadian Brass to create a show that will blow cancer away.

The August South Main Social has been announced for Tuesday, August 9 at Good Fortune Co. Come celebrate the Asian noodle/dumpling restaurant’s 1-year anniversary and hear the latest South Main news. Complimentary cocktails and light fare will be provided. Free for South Main Association members, $20 for non-members (join here).

University of Memphis AD Laird Veatch: “Please pay our players.” Even as recently as 5 years ago, you’d never hear a college athletic director say that.

Inches, the taco shop and bar on Harbor Town Square, has a lunchbox special Tuesday-Friday from noon to 4 PM: Two tacos with a drink and a side of chips for $10. They have grilled chicken, grilled steak, grilled pork, and veggie tacos. They also have a grilled chicken Caesar salad with a drink for $10. And they have buy one, get one half-off Inch-a-Ritas (house margaritas).

From the CA: 100 apartments are planned for The Dermon Building, a high-rise at Court Ave. and North B.B. King Blvd. Hey, CA staff: You aware there’s a website called Dank News that is scraping your content?

Michael Donahue of the Memphis Flyer goes on a Mississippi River excursion in this week’s We Saw You.

The West Australian thinks Memphis hotels rock.

Transportation company Bolt has unexpectedly shut down, leaving hundreds of dead e-scooters on the streets of major U.S. cities.

In related news, Morning Brew reported that Bird, which operates many of the scooters in Downtown Memphis, went public last year at a company valuation of $2.3 billion. Now it’s worth $135 million, a loss of 94%. I will freely admit I take pleasure in seeing those stupid scooters fail.

Today is Grab Some Nuts Day. I swear I’m not making this up.

If you paid your MLGW bill on Tuesday, August 2, you might wanna check your bank statement.

Memphis Heritage is hosting a Sip and Save from 5-7 this evening at the James Lee House, 690 Adams. Sip a drink, have a bite to eat, and learn how you can help preserve more Victorian-era mansions like the James Lee.

I got out to my usual happy hour spots for the first time in 12 days yesterday and got caught up on the gossip… and, man, there was plenty of it. The times, they are a-changin’. My legs could probably stand a day off, but I want to get a different person’s perspective on all that is going on, so out I will go again today. Back tomorrow with more news.

Tuesday update

Time to stock up on groceries! A 30-day tax holiday in the state of Tennessee began yesterday. It applies specifically to food and food ingredients, but not to alcoholic beverages, tobacco, candy, or prepared food. Here’s a list of what qualifies.

There will be a Blue Note Bourbon tasting at happy hour at Belle Tavern this Friday from 5 to 8. There will be specialty cocktails, tastings, and flights made with Big River Distilling (maker of Blue Note) products. There will also be giveaways and complimentary hors d’oeuvres. Blue Note team members will be at the tavern to discuss tasting notes.

If you commute to Arkansas, expect longer travel times the next three weeks. Routine inspection of the I-55 bridge (“the old bridge”) will be happening.

Friday will be one of my favorite TV-watching days as ESPN8: The Ocho returns. It’s a celebration of “sports” that receive less coverage than the big ones, including

  • Corgi races
  • Spikeball
  • Pickleball
  • Bed races
  • River stone skipping
  • eSkootr championship
  • Air hockey championship
  • Red Bull Paper Wings paper airplane championship
  • Kickball
  • Axe throwing
  • Wiffle ball
  • Tag
  • Pogo
  • SuperHole (so many jokes to be made here)
  • Dodgeball
  • Slippery steps
  • Air guitar

Here’s the complete schedule for The Ocho. Because all times are Eastern, the corgi races actually start at 11 PM Thursday our time. Gonna be a fun day of TV watching.

Taco Bell’s Mexican pizza will make a permanent return to the menu this fall. The company’s CEO hinted that other discontinued items could return as well. Enchirito, please! But do it right, with the black olives on top!

The DM has a look at the Memphis AF mol-e-que burrito from The Dynamic Duo food truck, and it lists a reason Downtowners should support the truck: One half of the Duo was a server at recently-closed Rizzo’s. Catch the truck at the Memphis Farmers Market Saturday from 8 AM to 1 PM.

The Brass Door will be closed today and tomorrow for some behind-the-scenes maintenance. They’ll be back open for Thursday lunch.

ABC 24 has a look at Lucky Cowboy, the new bar in the basement of 409 South Main. It will offer theme night and a weekly rotating menu.

UGH: Sweltering heat index returns to parts of the Mid-South. A Heat Advisory will be in effect from noon to 8 PM today, with a feels-like temperature of 107 possible. Good news though: The MemphisWeather.net extended forecast (Thursday-Monday) has predicted highs only near 90-lower 90s with a chance of thunderstorms every day.

Yesterday was a good day for me. My legs have been so bad that I’ve stayed home many days of the past 12, and when I did get out it would be places very close to home like Walgreens and Bardog. Yesterday I made it to Silly Goose, Blind Bear, and back home without experiencing any fatigue. I’m not completely healed, but I’m better. I’ll be at Blind Bear for happy hour today and I’ll stick around for Pop Culture Trivia with Velvetina at 7:30. Back tomorrow with more news.

Monday update

Downtowners woke up to some very sad news when they checked social media yesterday morning,

Rest in peace Connor and Brian. Your smiles, your talent for making mischief, and your huge personalities will be missed.

Connor was a general manager for Tandem Restaurant Partners. Brian bartended primarily at Zinnie’s, sometimes picking up shifts at other locations like Ben-Yay’s and Sugar Grits. They were apparently killed in a single-car crash early Saturday morning near I-240 and Chelsea.

I can’t believe they will never again walk through the door while I’m sitting at the bar at Silly Goose or Blind Bear. I’ll be thinking of you as I root for the Hogs this fall, Connor. Brian even got me to root for the Atlanta Braves one time.

News came in of a couple of celebrity passings Sunday as well. Nichelle Nichols, who played Lt. Uhura in the original Star Trek series, has died at age 89. Interesting fact: Nichols was not going to return for the show’s second season. In a chance meeting with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., she mentioned that to him. He was a big fan of the show and talked her into coming back.

Basketball lost one of its all-time legends this weekend as Bill Russell passed away at 88. The Boston Celtics center was an 11-time NBA champion and the first Black head coach in the league. He was also an Olympic gold medalist in basketball (Melbourne, 1956) and one of only two NBA players to grab 50+ rebounds in a single game.

Better run to Walgreens and stock up now: Hershey warns of a candy shortage this Halloween

ALSAC St. Jude YOU will meet at the Renasant Convention Center toward the end of this week. This organization encourages college students to embrace their individuality while “Leading Together for St. Jude.”

War on the Catwalk comes to the Orpheum this Sunday. Drag queens from around the world will perform on stage. Tickets start at $33 and there’s a $203 VIP ticket that includes a meet & greet and autograph session with the queens.

I wonder if the queens who perform a couple of blocks away at Atomic Rose for Sunday brunch will walk over to the Orpheum and be all like, “You’re on my turf, bitch”? Now that would be a war on the catwalk I’d like to see!

Reels on the River: Denzel & Chill happens at Fourth Bluff Park Saturday night at 8. This is the first of a 4-week movie series featuring titles

  • Inside Man
  • Safe House
  • Deja Vu
  • The Equalizer

Lawn chairs and blankets will be welcomed and food trucks will be on site. Please note that tickets need to be purchased in advance and that three of the four movies in the series are rated R.

Grind City Brewing Co. will hold an ’80s silent disco this Friday from 7 to 10. Tickets are $15.

The Memphis Chicken & Beer Festival happens this Saturday at the Liberty Bowl. Tickets are $40+tax and include a souvenir glass and beverage sampling. Chicken vendors (Abner’s, Gus’s, That Chicken Man, Sauced by Will Smith, Smurfey’s Smokehouse) will sell $2-$5 snack-sized portions of their food. Proceeds will benefit Merge Memphis, a nonprofit which helps underserved women live in dignity in peaceful surroundings.

There will be an inflatable archery hover ball game this Saturday at Bass Pro at the Pyramid. I have no idea what that means, but it sounds fun. Perhaps it’s similar to Quidditch?

The Genre Memphis at 200 Poplar is teaming up with Yoga Kickback for a play day this Saturday from 10 AM to 1 PM. Tickets ($35 in advance, $45 at the door) get you a 45-minute yoga class, one complimentary drink, access to a Memphis charcuterie board, and a DJ. If you want to keep partying, a cash bar will be available. YOGA!

Bardog has several different sauces in bottles that you can put on your food. I discovered a new one this past Saturday:

This sauce has the flavor and heat of jalapeno peppers, yet it’s creamy enough to take the edge off. I had it on calamari but it’d be good on fries and chicken tenders too. Plus, my troll liked it because it’s the same color as her hair. My new favorite hot sauce at Bardog.

My legs are starting to feel better, and I’m going to attempt to return to my normal routine today. I haven’t been to two of my favorite spots in 12 days! I have missed them. Back tomorrow with more news.