Friday update

The National Civil Rights Museum will celebrate Freedom Day on Juneteenth, Wednesday, June 19 with FREE admission for all from 9 AM to 6 PM. There will be food trucks, music, children’s activities, and health resources.

This subscriber-only DM article says that Elon Musk’s new supercomputer facility, to be built in Memphis, will initially employ fewer than 200. Elon’s team chose Memphis for its ample power, water, and air, the article said, and Musk could consider locating other businesses here.

We have a date for the 2024 Liberty Bowl: Friday, December 27 at 6 PM, broadcast on ESPN. That means the Liberty Bowl parade on Beale Street will likely be the day after Christmas.

Ground was broken on the Memphis Flyway observation deck Thursday in the south end of Tom Lee Park. The boardwalk expanding over the river will be the only free and ADA-compliant structure of its kind on the Mississippi.  The “Flyway” name is used because the Mississippi River at Memphis is part of the migration path used by ducks and other waterfowl in North America.

Global Wellness Day will be celebrated in River Garden Park Saturday from 5 to 7 PM. Jasper Float Spa and Wellness will be on hand and there will be free massages, food, and guided meditation.

Slim & Husky’s will host a SO ICY Cider Release Party Saturday night. DJ Yo Breezye will play.

Le Bon Apetit, a fundraiser for LeBonheur Children’s Hospital featuring Chef Kelly English, happens Saturday night at The Kent.

Supper Club on 2nd has closed. According to a statement the business released, they faced a number of challenges here in Memphis that prevented them from delivering the dining experience they wanted. The Nashville version of Supper Club continues to operate and thrive.

Friends of mine dined there (the Memphis location) and had positive reviews, but I always had a feeling that maybe Supper Club’s owners didn’t “get” Memphis. Want to know why?

“2nd.” No local spells it that way. It’s “Second.”

Terrace at the River Inn will be closed today for a private event.

Memphis is under a Code Orange air quality advisory today.

Not a Downtown job yet, but it will be: The Brooks Museum seeks a development manager, operations & analytics.

Speaking of the Brooks’ move Downtown, I stayed out all night Wednesday and walked past the construction site about 3:30 in the morning. It was so busy with people, machinery, and scaffolding that I thought for a minute I was looking at BBQ Fest. Good to see work on Memphis’ future happening ‘round the clock!

Spots are still open for the Orpheum’s Musical Theatre Intensive for grades 9-12 and recent graduates. It’ll be held June 17-21 and 24-28 and the performance the kids will train on will be Kiss Me, Kate. They’ll get training from Broadway performers and professional acting teachers.

The Memphis Grizzlies are reported to be interested in trading up to Houston’s number-3 NBA draft pick to get 7’2” UConn center Donovan Clingan – but a Beale Street Bears writer says that may not be good enough. There’s a chance the Atlanta Hawks could take Clingan first overall.

Pat Sajak will retire from Wheel of Fortune after tonight’s broadcast.

The DM researches where Elon Musk ate challah French toast when he was scouting Memphis to locate xAI. If he was Downtown, he could have been at Biscuits & Jams or Capriccio, or he could have had room service at the Peabody.

I’m staying out again tonight. A Friday in June is perfect for staying out because

• The Cossitt Library is open until 6 tonight (and I’m gonna use their Wi-Fi to write a Medium article as soon as I get this post done)
• My late-night hangout stays open until 3 AM
• Sunrise is 5:45 AM, and it starts getting light outside by 5:15, so I only have to spend 2 hours and 15 minutes wandering around in the dark. And the low will get to 65 – we’re not in the part of the year yet where Memphis is a steam bath 24/7
• The Farmers Market opens at 8 AM. Maybe I’ll get another of the Brazilian chocolate parfaits by Brigadiero, or maybe I’ll try the lemon this time.
• The people who hand out the breakfast burritos on Saturdays are usually in Court Square by 9 AM
• The Cossitt Library opens at 10 AM
• And then I’ll meet my friends Randy, Theresa, and Butt Slut #1 at Bardog at 11
• And, finally, back to the Union Mission by 7 PM Saturday to catch up on sleep. It’ll cost me $6 to come in after 2 PM, but the additional time out is worth it.

I probably won’t do a blog post tomorrow morning, but you never know.