Month: July 2026

Today is National Blueberry Day. There is currently a blueberry white chocolate beer on draft at the Flying Saucer that is as good as it sounds. It’s $11 but worth it. GET IT GET IT. Smart money gets that $11 beer for $5 during 3-6 PM Social Hour.

Basketcase headlines this Thursday’s Peabody rooftop party. They are said to have one of the most diverse song lists in Memphis and will learn audience requests on the fly. $15 to get in, $40 to go VIP. VIPs get a buffet of buffalo wings, honey gold wings, BBQ wings, fried pickle spears with ranch, and assorted cheeses.

The Lower East Side is the burger of the week at Momma’s: Angus beef, house-sliced pastrami, caramelized onion, Swiss, dill pickle, and Dijon mustard. If Carlo Gambino were still alive, he’d stop in Memphis for one of those burgers.

Beginning today, Front St. between Union and Monroe will be closed for streetscape improvements. The closure is expected to last through December 1.

The Grizzlies have added a point-guard via trade – veteran D’Angelo Russell.

Back tomorrow with more news.

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The USMNT’s dream of a World Cup championship went up in smoke like a Cheech & Chong movie last night. BEL 4, USA 1.

The Summer League Grizzlies play Chicago Friday night at 7. TV: Amazon Prime. Cam Boozer wears number 27 if you want to look for him in particular. Full roster

Automatic Slim’s is hiring. Send resume to chellem@cateringforu.com or come in person to 83 S. Second on a weekday before 5 PM.

A beer named after a Buick, Lord Skylark, is back at Wiseacre on draft and in 4-packs.

It’s Chocolate Day. Celebrate by buying your favorite blogger a brownie at Memphis Chess Club.

It’s also National Dive Bar Day. Momma’s. Earnestine & Hazel’s. Uber/Lyft out to Alex’s.

Today is the last day to register to vote for the August elections.

Anime Blues Con returns to the Renasant Convention Center Friday-Sunday.

Ranch good, ketchup bad: Vote for the best ranch dressing in Memphis in StyleBlueprint’s ranch brackets

Back tomorrow with more news.

I gratefully accept tips: 
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FREE WATCH PARTY tonight: USMNT vs. Belgium in the World Cup round of 16 on the Jumbotron at AutoZone Park. Gates open at 6, kickoff at 7.

This match is not without controversy. The U.S. team’s ace striker Folarin Balogun has been declared eligible for tonight’s match despite getting a red card last week in the round of 32. The Belgians are very unhappy that he will be on the pitch tonight and are “exploring all options.” SPOILER: Belgium ain’t gonna do shit.

MY PREDICTION (or at least hope):
USA 1-0 BEL
USA: Balogun 90′ + 7′ (PK)

I wonder if Trump bribed international soccer’s governing body.

Memphis Grizzlies vs. Utah Jazz, NBA Summer League, 8:00 PM, ESPN. Grizzlies marketing dept: Please tell me you’re gonna run a “Boos with the Booz” promotion for Halloween.

Nerd out, map nerds.

Two National Guard troops who are part of the Memphis Safe Task Force shot and killed a 20-year-old man near Union and Ida B. Wells St. around 4 in the morning Sunday. Sounds like the guy was fooling around with a gun and paid the ultimate stupidity tax.

I watched the Mexico-England soccer match last night. It was rain-delayed and they put the local weather conditions on the screen – 57F. “57? In July in Mexico City? That can’t be right,” I thought. After all, Mexico City is south of warm U.S. states like Texas and Arizona, so I always assumed it would be hot there, especially in summer.

A visit to Mexico City’s Wikipedia page said otherwise. There I learned that the city

• Has a higher elevation than Denver
• Sits in a natural bowl formed by mountains and volcanoes
• Is sinking more than a foot a year(!!!!!)
• Has high temperatures similar to Los Angeles: upper 60s winter, 70s-low 80s the rest of the year
• But its lows are similar to San Francisco: 40s winter, 50s the rest of the year

So, if you ever visit Mexico City, pack a light jacket.

Happy National Air Traffic Control Day.

It’s also National Fried Chicken Day. Celebrate at Gus’s, Pirtle’s, or Uncle Lou’s.

Bored watching TV this morning, I asked AI the names & ages of the Morgan boys of the “Morgan & Morgan” law firm. They are Matt, 42; Mike, 40; and Dan, 38. John and Ultima are the parents. Bonus fact: John once fired Dan and made him get a job at Firehouse Subs.

9 subtle signs your accounts or devices have been hacked

Back tomorrow with more news.

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Since this is a slow news weekend, I want to share a personal story.

I firmly believe that every human has non-physical entities who watch over them. I call these beings my Spirit Guides. If you’re more into mainstream Christianity than I am, you may prefer to think of them as your angels. Or simply, your intuition. Or collectively, your Higher Power.

Yesterday I  met up with my Saturday brunch friends Randy and Theresa. I hadn’t seen them in 2 weeks, so we had lots of catching up to do.  I ate the July 4th food special and had a few Cokes, then got a PBR.

About 1:30 a case of indigestion came over me. It wasn’t painful, just annoying to have all that undigested food in my stomach. “Is this going to ruin my holiday?” I wondered.

About 2:00 I ran to the restroom and forced myself to throw up. I didn’t NEED to, it wasn’t urgent; I just felt as though clearing all that food from my stomach might make me feel better.

I made another trip to the restroom around 3. Randy and Theresa left shortly thereafter.  I threw up one more time about 3:30.

As I returned to my seat from that most recent restroom trip, I felt a nudge from my Guides. They communicate in feelings. Translated into words, what they were telling me was,

“We gave you indigestion because we want you to take shelter tonight. We wanted to make it too uncomfortable for you to stay out. This is the July 4 holiday and you will be in danger if you stay out Downtown all night tonight.”

I don’t mess around when my Spirit Guides communicate. I left the bar immediately, leaving 3/4 of a glass of PBR and a future one that Randy had bought me. I high-tailed it to the Union Mission, spending my last 6 dollars “on the books” there on admission.

I skipped dinner in the interest of indigestion management. Having to sit through chapel was irritating. Having to take a shower after chapel was irritating.

However, getting 10 hours sleep in the air conditioning was wonderful. Surviving the night without hearing a single gunshot was wonderful. Knowing my backpack, Chromebook,  and other possessions were safe overnight while I slept was wonderful.

Thank you, Spirit Guides.  You took a mighty strange way to make your point, but nothing short of what you did would have kept me inside last night.

Back tomorrow with more news.

I gratefully accept tips: 
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SAVE THE DATE – I just found out that my friends Saturday Sunset will play the Peabody rooftop party two Thursdays from now (July 16). Over the past year they have become my absolute favorite band to play Earnestine & Hazel’s. Go see them! Go VIP!

Can’t wait until the 16th? Catch the full band downstairs at E&H tonight and C.J. & Kyla upstairs tomorrow night.

I met the coolest dude last night! He operates Mississippi River Expeditions, which does 12-person canoe trips down the river. “It’s not so much paddling as it is drifting,” he explained.

Feelin’ Memphis at 509 S. Main has the official America 250 3-D fireworks viewing glasses.

The Cannon Center will host a re-creation of the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence noon to noon-thirty Wednesday, July 8. Free to attend and family-friendly. Attendees will be invited to come on stage and be part of the event, signing a replica.

The Downtown Memphis Gould’s Salon is hiring a massage therapist.

Chef Flava’s is closing its Downtown location.

Tom Lee Park will be closed Saturday from 8 AM until gates open for the Independence Day celebration at 5:30 PM. Performance schedule for the event:

Beale Street Landing Stage:
6:00–7:30 PM — DJ YoBreezye
7:30-8:45 PM — DJ Zetta

Shell on Wheels Stage:
5:30–6:15 PM — DJ Bizzle Bluebland
6:20–6:50 PM — 926 Stax Music Academy Alumni Band
6:50–7:15 PM — DJ Bizzle Bluebland
7:15–7:35 PM — Raneem Imam
7:35–8:00 PM — DJ Bizzle Bluebland
8:00–8:30 PM — Da M-Town Band
9:00-9:30 PM — UNAPOLOGETIC. X IMAKEMADBEATS

Canopy Stage:
6:00–8:45 PM — DJ Nico

Back tomorrow with more news.

I gratefully accept tips: 
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In NBA Summer League he’ll be a star.
Mmm, mmm, mmm…
Mmmmm, mmmmm…
I love this bar.

Grizz tip off Summer League Saturday with a 2 PM tip vs. OKC. TV: ESPNU

Santi Aldama is off to Dallas in the latest Grizzlies trade. Memphis gets back A.J. Johnson, a top-20-protected 2030 first-round pick, and two second-rounders.

A restaurant concept called Motion Water has filed permits to open in what’s currently a warehouse space at 163 Pontotoc. It’s described as “an upscale neo urban experience like none other.”

USA vs. Belgium, World Cup round of 16, will happen Monday at 7 PM. TV: FOX

The Renasant Convention Center will have a free, family-friendly, indoor, air-conditioned 4th Fest Saturday evening.

Itta Bena seeks a server assistant, an expo, a dishwasher, and a server.

Running a little short on cash this holiday weekend… if anyone wants to leave a tip in one of the online jars below, it’d give me some much-appreciated breathing room.

Back tomorrow with a Frupdate.

I gratefully accept tips: 
Venmo: @Paul-Ryburn (8113 if it asks for digits)
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Zelle: paul@paulryburn.com
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It’s July 1, the day when a lot of newly-passed laws and ordinances go into effect – most notably in Memphis, the ban on THC and kratom products in smoke shops and convenience stores.

Now, readers, I know what you’re thinking… “What about THC seltzers? Will we still be able to order & drink them in bars?” Ever your faithful blogger/journalist, I ventured out to a bar at 7:30 this morning to get an answer to your question.

The bartender said

• There are loopholes on top of loopholes in the new law
• Therefore, YES, bars can still sell THC seltzers
• The problem is the DISTRIBUTORS can no longer sell the seltzers to the bars
• So the bars will sell the seltzers until they run out of inventory… and then that’s it until the law changes again

Memphis police and first responders will have a safety plan in place for Downtown’s July 4 celebration.

Don’t scratch that ‘squito bite!

Sorry for the short post. July 4 week is rarely newsy. Back tomorrow with more news.

I gratefully accept tips: 
Venmo: @Paul-Ryburn (8113 if it asks for digits)
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