Month: September 2025

The Flying Saucer is giving away a massive beer stein.

Want to win it? Enter their stein-hoisting competition Saturday, September 27.

River City Records celebrates its 4th birthday Saturday and Sunday with some awesome deals for customers. The sidewalk $2, $5, and $10 records will be buy two, get one free. Wish the store happy anniversary on social media and get 20% off used vinyl.

Green Beetle has enchilada fries. I don’t know what that is exactly, but color me intrigued.

Memphis Tigers running back Sutton Smith has been named the Paul Hornung National Player of the Week for his efforts last Saturday against Georgia State.

Today is National Hot Dog Day.

The Girl Scouts are adding a new cookie, inspired by Rocky Road.

Memphis Filling Station, the brewery on G.E. Patterson, celebrates its 1-year anniversary today through Sunday. Karaoke, trivia, music, new merchandise, special menus, and their first bottle release.

Back tomorrow with more news.

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The South Main Association has its monthly South Main Social 6-8 tonight at Stock&Belle, 387 S. Main. Association vice-president Mark Louderback will speak and will have an opportunity for you to get involved in SMA. Food, drinks, meet your neighbors. Free for SMA members, $20 for non-members.

I have more information on what will happen at Bardog’s 17th anniversary alley party Sunday, September 21:

• Raffles for fabulous prizes
• Beer trucks
• Swag and giveaways
• Live music by Andy Jones and Austin Varner
• Rowdy and the Strays
• DJ BLKMR

BLKMR is a man who wears many hats. Not only is he a professional DJ, but most Sunday mornings for brunch, he can be found behind Bardog’s bar with Hannah Banana. He can also write a hell of a Python script – or ask AI to write a script on which he puts the finishing touches.

Let’s have a look at this weekend’s college football games of interest to Memphians:

Saturday

• Wisconsin at 19 Alabama, 11:00 AM, ABC
• Memphis at Troy, 11:00 AM, ESPNU
• South Alabama at Auburn, 11:45 AM, SEC Network
• 6 Georgia at 15 Tennessee, 2:30 PM, ABC
• 14 Iowa State at Arkansas State, 3:00 PM, ESPN2
• 18 South Florida at 5 Miami, 3:30 PM, CW Network
• Alcorn State at Mississippi State, 5:00 PM, SEC Network
• Arkansas at 17 Ole Miss, 6:00 PM, ESPN
• Florida at 3 LSU, 6:30 PM, ABC
• 16 Texas A&M at 8 Notre Dame, 6:30 PM, NBC/Peacock

Speed cameras are coming to Memphis but none of them will be Downtown. It’s a good idea to talk to a lawyer if you receive a traffic ticket from an automated source.

There’s a Smart Rivers convention at the Renasant this week.

Andy Squyres will tell stories by way of song at Visible Music College Friday night.

The Magic of Memphis: Magician Michael Clayton performs at the Peabody Saturday night. Special guest magician Kim Edmonds.

There will be a Tchaikovsky violin concerto at the Cannon Center Saturday.

Back tomorrow with more news.

I gratefully accept tips: 
Venmo: @Paul-Ryburn (8113 if it asks for digits)
Cash App: $PaulRyburn1
Zelle: paul@paulryburn.com
Apple Pay: paul.ryburn@gmail.com

It’s hard to believe the Halloran Centre, the Orpheum’s smaller, more intimate venue next door, is 10 years old. They will have a community day Sunday to celebrate. It will be family-friendly with live performances, tours, workshops, food, and crafts.

I’m happy to report that PBR is back in Memphis. Earnestine and Hazel’s had it in cans Saturday night and Bardog had it on draft Sunday.

FOX 13 has a look at the new Riverside Drive and how the improvements make Tom Lee Park more accessible.

There’s a huge festival in Midtown this Saturday from 9 to 7 – Cooper-Young Fest. It stretches more than half a mile with 400 vendor booths, drawing in excess of 100,000 over the course of the day. If you’ve never been, you must experience it at least once, even if it means paying a Lyft or Uber upcharge. Live music, festival food.

Note that CYFest and the Southern Heritage Classic football game are NOT the same day this year – the SHC is the 27th. It always creates a huge traffic mess when the events run simultaneously.

There will be a wellness festival Thursday at lunchtime in Health Sciences Park. Donate blood, visit a food truck, or take a Zumba or self-defense class.

Back tomorrow.

I gratefully accept tips: 
Venmo: @Paul-Ryburn (8113 if it asks for digits)
Cash App: $PaulRyburn1
Zelle: paul@paulryburn.com
Apple Pay: paul.ryburn@gmail.com

Volunteer with the Grizzlies to build Habitat for Humanity homes on Friday, September 19

How common is your PIN code?

Today is National Tailgating Day.

Memphis Escape Rooms seeks a room host.

The Grizzlies seek an account executive for ticket sales.

The city seeks a deputy director for its parks.

World Ballet Company performs The Nutcracker on Christmas Eve at the Cannon Center.

There’s a New Orleans Saints watch party Sunday at noon at Loflin Yard. Drink specials, swag giveaways, DJ Tree at halftime and during commercials.

There will be a mah jongg lesson at Memphis Chess Club this afternoon at 1.

Back tomorrow with more news.

I gratefully accept tips: 
Venmo: @Paul-Ryburn (8113 if it asks for digits)
Cash App: $PaulRyburn1
Zelle: paul@paulryburn.com
Apple Pay: paul.ryburn@gmail.com

This morning, I asked ChatGPT, “Conway Twitty or Merle Haggard?” The AI bot admitted I had a tough choice, with Conway being more romantic and Merle being more gritty.

Did you know you can take country line dancing lessons Downtown every Sunday 5 to 7? Just come on up to the Memphis Made taproom and instructor The Boss Lady will get you moving. The class is family friendly and $5 per person.

Today is National Cheese Pizza Day. If you’ve never had the cheese pizza with vodka cream sauce base at Aldo‘s Pizza Pies, let today be the day.

A 16-year-old has been charged in the 901 Day shooting on Beale Street and his mother has been charged with being an accessory after the fact.

RIP Giorgio Armani.

Jason and Travis Kelce have their own beer company and it’s valued at $200 million. When are we gonna see Garage Beer at the Saucer?

Saturday is wrestling night at the Redbirds. nWo Z-list star Buff Bagwell will appear. Enjoy pregame matches on the plaza beginning at 5 PM and a main event after the game.

A new 8-week trivia league begins at Momma’s this Monday. Grand prize includes

• Wiseacre brewery tour for four
• Four $25 Wiseacre gift cards
• Four tickets to the Nov. 5 Grizzlies vs. Rockets game

ALSAC, the fundraising arm of St. Jude, seeks a specialist in social media communications and engagement.

The Trumpster plans to sign an executive order reverting the Department of Defense to its former name, the Department of War. Yet this is the president who desperately wants to win a Nobel Peace Prize.

Thanks to those of you who donated in multiples of $6, I have the funds to stay at the Union Mission tonight and will avoid the storms rolling through. A third night in a row of 10+ hours sleep sounds like heaven. Back tomorrow with more news.

I gratefully accept tips: 
Venmo: @Paul-Ryburn (8113 if it asks for digits)
Cash App: $PaulRyburn1
Zelle: paul@paulryburn.com
Apple Pay: paul.ryburn@gmail.com

The NFL regular season begins tonight as the Philadelphia Eagles meet the Dallas Cowboys. Kickoff is set for around 7:20 Memphis time and the broadcast will be on NBC.

Dallas fans – my recommended place for you to watch the game is Earnestine & Hazel’s, where you’ll have Allison to cheer on DEM BOYZ with. This is not your father’s E&H, with one 35-inch cathode-ray tube TV with wavy lines all over the screen. These days the haunted dive bar has 65-inch flat screens with all the game packages. Plus, burger and beer specials!

Philly fans, I recommend you watch the game at E&H too. You can join the other bartender Danielle in rolling her eyes at Allison’s fandom of a team that hasn’t been relevant in 30 years, other than in a “what’s Jerry Jones done now” kind of way.

There’ll be a rare Friday NFL game tomorrow as the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers travel to Sao Paolo, Brazil. 7 PM, YouTube.

The Peabody Hotel will celebrate 100 years at its Union Avenue location this afternoon. The festivities begin at 4:30.

In other hotel news, South Main’s Central Station Hotel has been listed for sale. Memphis Tourism CEO Kevin Kane says that sales are common in that industry and this is not a negative indicator for Memphis.

Don’t put those summer clothes away just yet. A high of 96 is predicted for Memphis tomorrow.

Today is Eat an Extra Dessert Day.

MPD seeks two people of interest in the Labor Day shooting on Beale Street.

Loflin Yard will host a speed dating event for singles in their 30s and 40s on Wednesday, October 15. They’re guaranteeing an equal number of men and women. I wonder how they can guarantee that? It reminds me of an episode of Leave it to Beaver where Ward and June made The Beav take dancing lessons. There were more boys than girls, and Beaver was at the end of the line. It looked like he might get out of dancing due to lack of a partner.

Then the instructor, who had to be 75 if she was a day, said, “Mr. Cleaver, you may have the honor of dancing with me.”

That’s all for now. Back tomorrow.

I gratefully accept tips: 
Venmo: @Paul-Ryburn (8113 if it asks for digits)
Cash App: $PaulRyburn1
Zelle: paul@paulryburn.com
Apple Pay: paul.ryburn@gmail.com

Let’s have a look at college football games of interest this week. All games listed below are Central Time on Saturday.

• 20 Ole Miss at Kentucky, 2:30 PM, ABC
• East Tennessee State at 22 Tennessee, 2:30 PM, SEC Network
• South Florida at 13 Florida, 3:15 PM, SEC Network
• Arkansas State at Arkansas, 4:00 PM, SEC Network
• Memphis at Georgia State, 6:00 PM, ESPN+
• Louisiana Tech at 3 LSU, 6:30 PM, SEC Network
• 11 Arizona State at Mississippi State, 6:30 PM, ESPN2
• 15 Michigan vs. 18 Oklahoma, 6:30 PM, ABC
• UL Monroe at 21 Alabama, 6:45 PM, SEC Network

In other sports news, the Memphis Tigers basketball teams (women and men) will play home exhibition games against Arkansas on October 27. Yep, versus ex-Tigers coach John Calipari. It’s the St. Jude Tip-Off Classic.

Memphis Rap Tour is once again hiring tour guides.

The Redbirds host Rochester tonight at 6:45.

Music’s biggest one-album wonders

Back tomorrow with more news. Thanks for those of you who offered help getting my computer’s trackpad to be less annoying. So far nothing has fixed it. I’m gonna install an updated driver and see if that helps. Then I’m gonna go pay the $6 fee to get in the Union Mission for a shower, dinner, and sleep.

I gratefully accept tips:
Venmo: @Paul-Ryburn (8113 if it asks for digits)
Cash App: $PaulRyburn1
Zelle: paul@paulryburn.com
Apple Pay: paul.ryburn@gmail.com

Before we get started with the news, I have a question: Does anyone know a way to disable “tap-to-click” on an HP laptop?????

That’s the “feature” that causes the computer to treat it as a mouse button click when you touch the trackpad.

I HATE IT. It, in conjunction with the trembling I experience from early-stage Parkinson’s, tap-to-click has KILLED my productivity, dropping my typing speed from 45-50 words per minute to about 10. I’ve looked and looked and looked for a setting to turn off tap-to-click, but can’t find one.

If anyone has a solution, email me: paul.ryburn@gmail.com  I surely can’t be the only one with this issue.

And now, on to the news…

The little girl who went viral got to perform “Chickenhead” with Project Pat, but the Beale Street 901 Day celebration took several wrong turns. Videos of multiple fights on the street were uploaded to social media. About 10:15 PM there was a shooting at Beale and Main.

I’m now hearing PBR will return to Memphis around the 15th of this month.

The Flying Saucer will have half-price wings for Thursday Night Football this fall (7-10 PM).

Last night at Earnestine & Hazel’s, a couple tabbed out and left around 7:30 because they didn’t want to be in the building with the ghosts after dark. Oh for heaven’s sake. Simply respect that you’re in their home and they are unlikely to have a problem with you.

Olivia Ellen Lloyd and Chelsea Lovitt will perform 7-9 Saturday at South Main Sounds. Olivia is said to be an emerging country star.

The Memphis Symphony Orchestra will perform Brahms Symphony No. 1 at the Halloran Centre Thursday night.

Ugh, my least favorite book I was forced to read for high school English class is now a stage play. Austen’s Pride comes to the Orpheum September 9-10.

The burger special this week at Momma’s is the Tex-Mex: pico de gallo, avocado spread, pepper jack, and Momma’s mayo on a half-pound Angus beef patty.

Today is World Coconut Day. Good day for a pina colada.

The Redbirds host Rochester tonight at 6:45. Three weeks left in the regular season.

Back to the Future wraps up the DNA’s summer movie series at Slider Inn Downtown Wednesday evening. DNA members who show membership cards get 20% off food.

Learn the art of fermentation Saturday at Soul & Spirits Brewery. Sandor Katz, author of 6 books on the subject, will be your presenter.

There will be a celebration of the life of musician Earl “The Pearl” Banks tonight at 7 at Blues City Cafe.

The writers of the I Love Memphis Blog invite their readers to a happy hour Wednesday 4:30-6:30 at Belle Tavern.

That’s all I can take of this trackpad for one day. Back tomorrow with more news.

I gratefully accept tips:
Venmo: @Paul-Ryburn (8113 if it asks for digits)
Cash App: $PaulRyburn1
Zelle: paul@paulryburn.com
Apple Pay: paul.ryburn@gmail.com