This is going to be a somewhat short and disjointed post, I am afraid. The reason why is that I am a bit exhausted after the two Downtown Memphis tours I trained on yesterday. They were fun and informative, but a lot of walking and the mosquitoes were out for blood. Literally.
The guide to the Beale Street walking tour I took yesterday afternoon was someone I’ve known for years and is someone who knows regional culture and music well. I learned from her how to tie the different eras of the street together – the pre-Civil War years, the “Black Main Street of America” years, the Saloon Row years, the W.C. Handy years, the Elvis years, the 1980s rebirth.
The ghost tour I took last night led us through the South Main district, including past a private Victorian mansion, the Green Beetle, Earnestine & Hazel’s, a lost 1850s graveyard, and the Orpheum. They prefer their tour guides to have paranormal experience, so I probably won’t be conducting this one. However, I need to be familiar with it to describe it on the phone and via email.
There’s a new chef at Bishop, the French restaurant inside Central Station. He has revamped the menu while keeping favorites including the Bishop burger.
Today is International Blues Music Day. My recommendations would be B.B. King’s at Second and Beale (The Blues Trio at noon, Flic’s Pics at 4, the All-Star house band at 8) and Mr. Handy’s Blues Hall Juke Joint further down the other side of the street.
30,000 bikers are in town this week for the 46th National Bikers Roundup in Liberty Park.
Good morning! The weekend starts dry & muggy with sunshine, so temps will rise quickly. We’ll see highs in the mid 90s; heat indices 105°+. Stay hydrated! A chance of storms arrives after 5pm with a level 1 severe risk for gusty wind in a few storms. Not all see rain though. pic.twitter.com/wqll6KEjI4
— MemphisWeather.net (@memphisweather1) August 5, 2023
BET has named the Memphis mayoral election as one of five to watch.
That’s it for now. Back tomorrow with more news.