The results of the Memphis Flyer Best of Memphis 2022 vote are out. Congratulations to Bardog on winning Best Bar!
Speaking of Bardog, look what’s back!
I’ve been told the CDs will be curated by one of the managers and changed out every 2 months. Unfortunately I couldn’t play any tunes on it yesterday because they brought the wrong cord and it wasn’t working.
The Memphis Grizzlies will hold an open practice Sunday, October 9. Things will kick off with a plaza party from 10 AM to noon, then the FedExForum doors will open for a 12:30 PM tip-off. The first 500 fans will get an autographed player photo, and one fan will win season tickets.
K.J. Wild plays the Memphis Farmers Market this Saturday. You don’t have to wait until then to catch this Nashville duo, though – they’ll be on the upper deck of Eight & Sand tonight.
The Downtown holiday tree lighting is set for Saturday, November 19. Every year they put up a 50-foot-tall Christmas tree at Main and Peabody Place.
Wiseacre Downtown will host Rolling Thunder Revue, a tribute to Bob Dylan, on Friday, October 14 at 7 PM.
Tandem Restaurant Partners is hiring. Downtown restaurants they run include Ben-Yay’s, Sugar Grits, Front St. Deli, and Carolina Watershed/Red Bones turkey legs.
Raneem + Better in Color plays the Downtown Slider Inn this Friday for Trolley Night.
Great news for the University of Memphis basketball program. An independent review board has completed its investigation into Penny Hardaway, then the head coach at East High, giving James Wiseman’s family more than $10,000 so they could move from Nashville to Memphis and Wiseman could play for Penny at East. The outcome of the investigation:
Memphis basketball is on probation for 3 years and has to pay a $5000 fine, but
NO POSTSEASON BAN for the program!!! Time for the Tigers to get their boogie down on the court, because the path to March Madness is wide open!
Reminder: Film crews for Young Rock will be active in the block of Main Street between Monroe and Union today. Maciel’s will be closed today, tomorrow, and Friday for the filming. I’m not sure if other businesses or pedestrian or trolley traffic on that block of Main will be affected.
A friend of mine went to get her car tags renewed yesterday at the Downtown Wanda World AKA county clerk’s office (credit: Bruce V from the Memphis Flyer for “Wanda World”). She texted me “Still here” after she’d been there 2 hours, and she didn’t sound anywhere close to the front of the line. When I owned a car and the clerk’s office was in its pre-Halbert era, it never took me more than 25 minutes to get my tags. Oftentimes I was in and out in under 10 minutes
Taste of the District returns to the Memphis Medical Center District in Health Sciences Park on Tuesday, October 4. Neighborhood restaurant vendors will include
Sunrise Memphis
Riko’s Kickin’ Chicken
Sabot Caribe
Evelyn & Olive
Alcenia’s
Arnold’s BBQ
Slim & Husky’s
Other vendors at the event will be
Phillip Ashley Chocolates
Pop-a-Roos gourmet popcorn
Sweet Magnolia gelato
Feast & Graze
901 catering
Clean Memphis and Memphis Transformed are organizing days of community cleanups followed by happy hour. First drink is on those organizations if you participate in the cleanups. They’ll give away swag and gift cards to those who pick up the most litter. Dates and locations are
Thursday, October 13 at Old Dominick – cleanup 3-5 PM, happy hour 5-6 PM
Saturday, October 22 at High Cotton – cleanup 10 AM-noon, happy hour noon-1 PM
Thursday, October 27 at Grind City Brewing – cleanup 3-5 PM, happy hour 5-6 PM
Thursday, November 3 at Downtown Wiseacre – cleanup 3-5 PM, happy hour 5-6 PM
Clean Memphis will provide all supplies. Participants will need a fully charged cell phone because the event will use Literatti, a litter data tracking app. You’ll need to bring ID to be able to partake of the happy hour beverages.
South Point Grocery wants to be your starting point for Trolley Night this Friday, and they’ll have Bri Marie performing on the front porch beginning at 6 PM. Grab a beer or a sandwich inside then come out to the porch and listen.
Sad news: Grecian Gourmet on South Main will close. Its business never fully recovered from the pandemic. November 23 will be its last day. After that it will morph into Grecian Gourmet Kitchen in East Memphis, focusing on retail and catering.
The DM reports that NBA veteran Danny Green will be a Grizzly this season and he’s not here just to be trade bait. Green is a shooting guard and at 35 will provide lots of valuable experience to a mostly young team.
Folks, please THINK and BE CONSIDERATE and don’t just park your scooter any damn place you please. Someone in a wheelchair would not be able to get down this sidewalk.
Cat 4 Hurricane Ian will make landfall today in Florida. The expected spot is between Sarasota and Fort Myers, south of Tampa. Tampa could see significant flooding.
The Rock recently visited the Walls, MS trailer park where he lived when he was getting his start in the wrestling biz. The Rock is in Memphis working on the Young Rock sitcom. Might we see The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment on Main Street today?
Local on Main’s new-found regulars have been making good use of the TouchTunes jukebox. As much as I appreciate my “DAWG” John D’s taste in prog-rock, I feel the need for an alternative. So this week I’ve been composing a disco playlist. Here’s what I’m thinking:
“I Was Made for Dancin'” by Leif Garrett
“Do You Wanna Funk,” “Dance (Disco Heat),” and “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)” by Sylvester
“Love You Inside Out” by The Bee Gees
“I Just Want to Be Your Everything” by Andy Gibb
“I Feel Love” by Donna Summer
“Get Off” by Foxy
“It’s Raining Men” by The Weather Girls
I’m avoiding songs people might expect to hear on a disco playlist, like “Stayin’ Alive” and anything by the Village People. Purists will complain that “Do You Wanna Funk” is post-disco, but I’m going to let it slide.
And since we’re talking ’70s songs, let’s talk ’70s TV for a minute. Your A/C is out and you’ve gotta call the building super to fix it. Who you gonna call, Dwayne Schneider from One Day at a Time or Nathan (Buffalo Butt) Bookman from Good Times?
It’s a beautiful day. I’m going to go outside and see if The Rock is on Main Street. Back tomorrow with more news.
Construction work is complete at the Green Beetle and they will reopen at 11 AM today. They have a few new menu items and some old favorites.
St. Jude employees: Cocozza is set up inside Kay Kafe on campus this week serving red sauce favorites. Cocozza is an Italian restaurant that started as a ghost restaurant in the Majestic Grille space during the pandemic. It recently got a brick-and-mortar location on Mud Island.
On Thursday, October 6, AutoZone Striders will present Cards for a Cause at the Blind Bear at 6 PM. It will be a Texas Hold’em tournament on real poker tables, with all donations going to the American Cancer Society. Here’s how it will work:
Be careful not to park at meters in the Downtown core with orange bags over them this week. They’re filming a TV series this week (I think it’s Young Rock) and have permission to use those spaces. I saw them aggressively towing cars on Monroe yesterday.
Toast thinks STIX and Molly’s La Casita serve the best chicken fried steaks in Memphis. This is what happens when you (poorly) program a bot to make restaurant teccomendations.
7:40 AM: Well damn… a report of a man attempting to rob a woman at gunpoint just came in at 40 S. Main. I think that’d be One Commerce Square. I just got home from a walk to Walgreens, a block to the north.
Hurricane Ian will be a Category 4 hurricane when it strikes Florida later this week. A direct hit on Tampa/St. Pete is still looking possible. I wonder if any Tampans will travel to Downtown Memphis to take shelter. (Is that what they call themselves? Or does that sound too much like “tampons”?)
The DM reports that Memphis Tigers basketball will learn its fate at 10 this morning. The basketball program was investigated for infractions related to money Coach Penny gave James Wiseman’s mother so the family could move to Memphis, allowing Wiseman to play for Penny at East High.
FiveThirtyEight’s college football playoff forecast is back for 2022.
It’s National Crush a Can Day. Who can guess what kind of can I’ll be crushing later today? (Assuming the Blind Bear FINALLY ordered enough to not run out before its next end-of-week delivery. Stop drinking all my beer. EJ!)
It’s time for our weekly look at Saturday’s college football games of interest to Memphians:
7 Kentucky at 14 Ole Miss, 11:00 AM, ESPN
Temple at Memphis, 11:00 AM, ESPNU
2 Alabama at 20 Arkansas, 2:30 PM, CBS
9 Oklahoma State at 16 Baylor, 2:30 PM, FOX
22 Wake Forest at 23 Florida State, 2:30 PM, ABC
17 Texas A&M at Mississippi State, 3:00 PM, SEC Network
LSU at Auburn, 6:00 PM, ESPN
UL Monroe at Arkansas State, 6:00 PM, ESPN+
1 Georgia at Missours, 6:30 PM, SEC Network
10 NC State at 5 Clemson, 6:30 PM, ABC
Arkansas will most likely lose to Bama, fall to 2-2, and drop out of the Top 25, However, this year’s Crimson Tide has not looked as infallible as teams of the past, and the game is in Fayetteville. I think there’s about a 20% chance Arkansas wins this and shoots back into the top 10.
Overranked 8 Tennessee will be idle this weekend.
I don’t have a dog in the Kentucky-Ole Misss fight, but I will say that I don’t hate Ole Miss anymore. Lane Kiffin is just too damn funny to hate.
I’ll be cheering for NC State in the evening game. Cluck Femson.
The word of the day is “thaddledo.” Used in a sentence: Thaddledo it for this post! Back tomorrow with more news.
The Vegan Goddess, LLC, Rich Health, LLC & Chef ENT Production, LLC are putting together a six-course vegan dinner on Saturday, October 1. Tickets for the dinner are $75 and it will be held at 10 N. Second. The courses will be made with high-quality seasonal ingredients and there will be cocktails as well.
More for Memphis will have a launch party Tuesday at Central Station from 4:00 to 6:30 PM. Harlem Children’s Zone founder and president Geoffrey Canada will speak. Attendees will hear from community partners about initiatives in the fields of art, education, health, justice and safety, economic development, and community development.
Hope Clayburn’s Soul Scrimmage and STAX Music Academy will headline Sunset at BRIDGES, a free concert celebrating BRIDGES’ 100-year legacy in Memphis, Thursday evening. You’re welcome to bring a blanket or lawn chair, and food trucks will be on-site if you’re hungry.
Confirmed – the GM of one of the restaurants that were going to enter Beale Street Wine Race got a call to let him know it was canceled. So if Wine Race was your plan for tomorrow, go ahead and make another plan.
Safety tip – if it’s late at night and you need to get from Main to Front on foot, don’t walk down Gayoso. Use Union or Peabody Place instead, even if it means some extra footsteps. Gayoso is a narrow street with tall buildings with few windows with street visibility on either side. Robbers have been known to park on that street and then target people leaving the bars in the wee hours.
South Main Trolley Night is next Friday, September 30. Shops in the area will stay open until 9 or later, many offering appetizers, beer, wine, and/or specials. The forecast for Trolley Night is looking beautiful, with plenty of sunshine and a high around 80.
Due to upcoming film activities, Maciel’s will be closed Wednesday, September 28-Friday, September 30. I wonder if that’s Young Rock, and if other businesses on that block of Main will be affected?
A tropical storm named Ian is expected to strengthen to a hurricane and make landfall in Florida next week. The current projected path has it making a direct hit on Tampa Wednesday night.
There’s a vegan fest happening at Grind City Brewing today.
Jeff Hulett plays the front porch of South Point Grocery today at noon.
Something called a Glamitzvah is happening in Court Square at 1 tomorrow. It’s said to be a small business hair & fashion festival.
My presence has been requested at Bardog at 11 today, so I will lead off there this morning. Later (if there aren’t too many shots) I’ll head down to Blind Bear and catch DJ Tree. Back tomorrow with more news.
A GM of one of the restaurants planning to participate said he got a call saying Wine Race had been canceled. I’m going out this morning on a fact-finding mission about this and a few other things, so I’m going to cut this post short.
But if Wine Race was your plan for Sunday, might want to come up with a Plan B.
Today was the type of day no one looks forward to as we broke two heat records! The first was a daily record high of 102, which smashed the previous record of 98. Secondly, we set the record for the all-time latest 100° day. The last time we had temps this warm was July 8. /OB pic.twitter.com/kzheVZktSL
The Brass Door will be closed today for a private event,
Local on Main now has a shot called the Local Stimulus. It’s an espresso shot similar to one offered at a bar around the corner. I’m not a big coffee drinker myself but my friend Joe really likes them.
Katherine and Marc Bryan will supply the live music at Memphis Farmers Market this Saturday.
Every year in April, usually the last Sunday in April, the annual Beale Street Wine Race happens. This competition is a day of debauchery that gives people in the service industry a chance to blow off steam before the hectic Memphis in May season begins.
Except this year, it didn’t happen in April. There was an announcement that Wine Race would be moved to September. I don’t know if there were COVID concerns, a scheduling conflict, or what.
You may notice that this coming Sunday is the last one in September.
And we found out yesterday that yep, that’s Wine Race.
Beale Street management did a HORRIBLE job promoting this event. They should’ve started getting the word out in August. Teams won’t have time to order matching shirts. People who normally work on Sundays and would like to come to the event won’t have time to ask off work.
But anyway, it’s happening. For those new to Memphis, let me explain what happens at Wine Race. People gather on the block of Beale between B.B. King Blvd. and Fourth around 1:00 in the afternoon to watch area restaurant teams compete in four events:
An opening parade, where teams conduct floats down Beale Street and into Handy Park
A Queen of the Vine beauty pageant
A grape stomp competition – who can use their feet to get the most juice out of a tub of grapes
A 4-person team wine relay. Each team member has to uncork a bottle of wine, put it on their team’s tray, and carry it down Beale
There are sometimes wardrobe malfunctions in Queen of the Vine. A lot of wine gets spilled in the relay.
Let’s check the forecast for Sunday: Mostly cloudy; scattered showers and a chance of thunderstorms. The morning starts off near 70 and the temperature will rise to the upper 80s by afternoon. Rain chance 40%.
Eight & Sand has released their DJ lineup for Friday and Saturday of this week:
Edan from New York City
Cavey Cave from L.A. (I think??? Hard to tell from the promotional flyer)
Guest DJs from Memphis: DJ Charlie Fuggit, Cadillac Zac, and Memphis Jones
The architect of shock rock, Alice Cooper, brings his paranormal show to the Orpheum next Tuesday.
Patti LeBelle has been announced for the Orpheum on Saturday, March 18.
Catherine & Mary’s will be closed this Friday for a private event.
The Memphis Wing & Turkey Leg Classic will happen Saturday, November 12 from 11 AM to 4 PM at the Ghost River brewery at Main and Crump. Here’s what you will find there:
Come vote on Memphis’ best wing and turkey leg
Celebrity appearances by Al Kapone, Gina Neely, and Sheriff Floyd Bonner
Live radio remote 104.1 FM
Vendors
Games
Live performances
Beer specials
Hookah specials
$2 wine samples 12-2
$2 tequila shots 12-2
MemphisWeather.net is now on Patreon. Sign up for a monthly subscription to get benefits like members-only posts and weather Q&As.
Kids eat free at Memphis Chess Club on Tuesday nights. Purchase of one entree is required. Tuesday is also Open Play night where kids can receive personal chess instruction as they play.
This next item isn’t Downtown news, but it seems worth a mention. The Memphis metro has been lacking Chicago-style deep dish pizza since Wiseguys in Horn Lake closed several years ago. Well, that’s about to change with the opening of a new restaurant, Izzy & Adam’s, at 6343 Summer. They’ll have Chicago-style pizza as well as wings and sandwiches.
From YouTube: The Rock gives a special toast to Memphis.
DJ Tree will play the Blind Bear this Saturday from 10 PM to 2 AM.
Annual LGBTQ celebration the TEP Gumbo Contest returns this Sunday. It will be at the Museum of Science & History.
Amazon broke the record for Prime sign-ups over a three-hour period last Thursday evening. Looks like acquiring exclusive rights to Thursday Night Football was a good move by Amazon.
The Downtown Neighborhood Association’s Year-End Event is set for the Halloran Center on Tuesday, November 15 at 6 PM. DNA president Elijah Townsend will give a “State of Downtown” address and there will be guest speakers including mayors, state representatives, and city council members. A number of sponsorships are available that allow you to advertise your business to active Downtown residents.
American Airlines will begin offering direct flights to Austin beginning in January 2023.
Former Memphis Tigers basketball star Emoni Bates has been arrested on gun charges. Bates was set to play as a sophomore for Eastern Michigan this coming season. Bates’ attorney said he was not aware there was a gun in the borrowed vehicle he had been driving.
Pools are fun. Summer is fun. But summer’s almost over. The 2022 fall equinox happens Thursday at 8:03 PM.
Yesterday was the last day of the year when the sunset was 7:00 or later.
Cordelia’s Market now carries Amylu Foods chicken sausages, burgers, and bacon.
FedExForum is receiving a number of service upgrades prior to the start of the Grizzlies’ season. The biggest changes are a new bar on the terrace level and more standing-room-only tickets.
