Back to training for work today. At 1:30 this afternoon, I am taking a one-hour Beale Street Walking Tour, and then at 8:00 tonight, I’m back to take a walking Ghost Tour of South Main. Both will be taught by experienced guides. I’ll get a feel for how those tours operate, so I can lead them in the future as well as sell them over the phone and email.
Saturday I have the day off, which will be good since I haven’t seen my Bardog friends in 3 weeks. Then Sunday I’m back to take my company’s other regular tour, a bus tour called Memphis Mojo. This is a tour I won’t be leading in the future because all of its guides are professional musicians (and they perform on the bus). I still need to experience it in order to be able to sell it.
Then on Wednesday, I meet with the company VP to get trained on computer software and answering the phones. Hopefully, soon after that, I’ll get tours of my own to lead.
About 10 of my friends have indicated they want to go on one of my tours. As soon as I have dates and times, I’ll post them here and on Facebook. I’m gonna try to get a Monday tour since many of those friends are service industry folks.
On to the news…
The CA has a look at Downtown’s new Mobility Center, which opened yesterday. It takes up the block between Front and Main and between Peabody Place and Beale. It has 960 parking spaces and will have 11,000 square feet of retail on the ground floor. There will be spaces for electric vehicles to charge and a bike hub with 24/7 security.
Memphis Made Brewing Co. will host an Ale to Tail beer dinner at Central BBQ Downtown on Saturday, August 19 from 6 to 9 PM.
Appetizers will be served at 6 PM with dinner service beginning at 6:30, featuring a whole hog smoked by Craig Blondis. The hog will be complemented by Southern side dishes prepared by Melissa Griffith. These will include
- pimiento cheese tarts
- green goddess deviled eggs
- dill pickle fritter with comeback sauce
- Craig’s potato salad
- Roger’s hoecakes
- succotash with fresh veggies
- tomato pie
- Central BBQ desserts
These will be paired with Memphis Made beers including Fireside, GonerBrau, Cat Nap, and more. Purchase tickets
WKNO’s Behind the Headlines discusses the future of Downtown parks with Memphis River Parks Partnership president/CEO Carol Coletta. She discusses Music Fest feedback, damage costs to Tom Lee Park from Memphis in May festivals, and the future of Mud Island and Beale Street Landing.
Extreme Dwarfanators Wrestling comes to the Renasant Convention Center tonight. The show is a combination of little people and lucha libre tradition.
Pickleball 901 makes a stop at Wiseacre Downtown Saturday from noon to 8 PM.
Oh Sweets Skin Care has its grand opening at its new 65 Monroe Saturday at 3. Sip, shop, eat. Raffles and giveaways. I’ll be a couple of doors down at Bardog (73 Monroe) around that time, so swing by and say hello!
Keith Jackson, retired NFL player and broadcast analyst, will be the featured speaker at the Southern Heritage Classic Coaches Luncheon on September 8. The event will be at the Renasant Convention Center.
It’s International Beer Day. Grind City Brewing Co. has $5 drafts all day to celebrate. Doors open at 4.
It’s also National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day. Today through Sunday at Insomnia Cookies on Beale, you get a free chocolate chip cookie with $5 minimum purchase. Customers must mention the deal in-store or add it to their online cart.
Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane handed out backpacks to Boys and Girls Club kids this week. Each backpack had a surprise in it – 4 tickets to a Grizzlies game this coming season.
Road stripe painted over dead raccoon on Getwell
The Blind Bear has its first Flapper Friday today, with $2 off all giggle water 3 PM- 3 AM. Giggle water was a slang term for cocktails in the 1920s Prohibition era. Giggle water menu
In other alcohol news, the Bear now has key lime cream Ole Smoky moonshine. I haven’t tried it yet but it sounds delicious. It’s only 35 proof, so one shot won’t do a lot of damage.
One other Bear announcement and this one is a bit surprising… they’re temporarily shutting down weekend brunch effective this Sunday, August 6. They want some time to reimagine brunch and create a better experience. In the meantime, they’ll open Saturdays and Sundays at 3 PM.
That’s it for now. Time for me to continue to read Memphis history to prep for the job. Back tomorrow probably.