Paul Ryburn’s Journal

Still at work, waiting for very heavy rain to move out of Horn Lake and points north on I-55 before I drive home. I have an absolute phobia of driving in the rain. Since it’s past official quitting time, I might as well type up a post while I wait.

The first of several Food Truck Fridays will happen on the FedExForum Plaza this Friday, June 25 from 11 AM to 1 PM. Several food trucks will be on hand. There will be Grizzlies and FedExForum promotions each week. This Friday, you’ll have the chance to win Michael Buble tickets for the 30th. Arena escorts will be there to assist those who would like to test-drive season tickets.

I haven’t officially confirmed this, but I have seen from a lot of folks on Twitter that Frank’s Deli at Main and Vance is closing. That’s a shame for South Main because it’s the only place within walking distance to get basic grocery needs. I haven’t yet heard about anything going into that space after Frank’s leaves, but it’s on a prime corner and next to the Green Beetle so I doubt it will stay empty long.

AutoZone Park has been recognized by PETA for its vegan offerings. Choices include dogs, wraps, spicy black bean burgers, fruit cups, and pasta primavera salad.

The Daily News has an article by Andre Fowlkes of Start Co. on how Teach for America is leveraging Start Co.’s services.

Want to work at Main and Union? RocketFuel is looking for a web designer.

All right. Rain is finally letting up. I’ll be out at the usual spots in a little while, with trips home to post results as they come in from work.

Friday, July 25 will be the last Friday of the month. That means it will be time for South Main Trolley Night. There will be live music on South Main by Jason Middlekauff, Steve Reid, Jimmy Vachon, Vanessa Winter, Chelsea Chandler and the Crystal Crown Band, RB Stone, Bobby O’Neal, Nick Parr, Steve Meteor Smith, Shufflegrit, Tim Plunk, and The Pistol & the Queen. Sue Layman will have a wine reception in her gallery at 125 G.E. Patterson. Other vendors will include Earthly Riches Jewelry, ArtHouse Memphis, and Kari Fleskes Jewelry. Come on out and shop and eat and meet your neighbors.

The Daily News reports that now that the initial curiosity about Beale Street Landing is over, the RDC is planning a calendar of events that will appeal to Memphians and bring them to the landing. They would like to do dancing on the docks, in partnership with the Rumba Room, in the fall. Other fall events could include movie night or Thursday night football on the big screen.

From Choose901′s Instagram: Five of the trolleys are done with inspection and are just waiting on parts before they return to their routes. Very good news indeed!

There’s a Groupon for German restaurant Grawemeyer’s on South Main. You can get $20 of food and nonalcoholic drinks for parties of at least two for $11, or $40 worth of food and nonalcoholic drinks for parties of at least four for $21.

Something I saw on Twitter a couple of times: Memphis police chief removed after city council vote, as reported by a Detroit TV station. I thought, wait, Toney Armstrong got fired? And why are no local TV stations reporting this but Detroit is? I looked at the story and saw why. The police chief of Memphis, MICHIGAN had been removed. That’s the trouble with following Twitter accounts that auto-tweet news. They get it wrong sometimes!

The MBJ has more information about the French Fort neighborhood redevelopment, including artist’s renderings. Planned uses include a hotel, an event center, restaurants, a tavern, a coffee shop, 695 residential units, a grocery, an urban market, and commercial/retail space.

I’m on call for work through Sunday. That doesn’t mean I won’t be out this week, but please forgive me if I have to cut a conversation short to run home and post stuff. Work’s gotta come first.

Sad news to start off today’s Monday post: Beale Street singer James Govan has died at age 64. He performed at Rum Boogie Cafe for many years.

If you need an excuse to check out the taproom at High Cotton Brewery, Congressman Steve Cohen is having a fundraiser there from 6 to 8 tonight. There will be music by John Kilzer, High Cotton beer on draft, and Steve. It’s a rare opportunity to enjoy the taproom on a Monday, when it’s normally closed. $50 to $150 suggested donation, and those who have already contributed $100 or more to the campaign are welcome to come too.

The Salty Dogs running club, which meets every Monday at Bardog to go for a run, will preview the August 17 Breakaway-Bardog 5K course tonight. The run tonight is free for all who want to join, and you can register for the Breakway-Bardog 5K here. The race precedes one of the best alley parties of the year, in Scratchy’s Alley from noon to 6 PM on the 17th. PRO TIP: Make Monday the 18th a vacation day. I’ll have more to say about the alley party as time draws closer.

The Center for Southern Folklore is hosting the monthly Downtown Neighborhood Association meeting tomorrow evening. Award-winning banjo performer Randall Morton will perform from 6 to 6:30. During the meeting there will be information about the Center and its upcoming Memphis Music & Heritage Festival, one of the best festivals of the year, which happens Labor Day weekend.

For those who are planning a vacation and like beer, here’s a list of America’s top ten beer towns. Memphis isn’t on the list, but maybe someday it will be. Anchorage is number two? Never would have guessed that.

Plans for tonight: I’ll be at Melissa Monday at Bardog for happy hour. Most likely my friends Bob and Mike will show up to seek my advice on how to run a BBQ team. Their team brought home one less trophy than mine did at BBQ Fest this year, and I want to help. I read about their grilled ribs with mustard sauce on a local food blog, and with the help of “Mr. Load-in” I think we can get their competition entry up to championship quality next year. I can also offer tips on booth design and drunk texting teammates. Unless work needs me, I should be there 5:30ish.

Great news. The old Burger King location on Madison, between Second and Third next to the First Tennessee Bank building, has been purchased by a group of partners. The building will be torn down to make room for a privately-owned park. Getting rid of that building will remove a huge piece of blight on a street that is starting to boom with a Cuban restaurant, a cake shop, an Irish pub, and a sports bar. The park may be used for movies, art presentations, or concerts, according to Scott Crosby, one of the partners who purchased the space. It has a lot of potential.

The theme for tomorrow’s Memphis Farmers Market is Pick the Cream of the Crop. The freshest and most delicious produce of the season will be at the market tomorrow. Felicia of Felicia Suzanne’s will do a chef demo at 10:15 AM. Music by Tiffany Harmon at 7, Kim Harmon Gummel at 8:30, and Beka de Santis at 11. A bike tour of Downtown will depart from the market at 9 (must wear a helmet). There will be adoptions by Streetdog Foundation as well, and a book brigade for kids 10-11. The market is at Front and G.E. Patterson, Saturday 7 AM-1 PM.

1986 movie Labyrinth starring David Bowie plays tonight at 7 at the Orpheum. Doors open at 6. Come early for drink specials and to win prizes at trivia about the movie. Labyrinth was directed by Jim Henson and patrons are encouraged to come dressed as their favorite Jim Henson character.

Tomorrow evening is Blues on the Bluff, benefiting WEVL, on the grounds of the Metal Museum overlooking the Mississippi River. There will be live music by the Garry Burnside Band, the Bo-Keys, and the Blind Mississippi Morris Band. There will be food by Central BBQ, with all food sales profits donated to WEVL, and Schlafly beer. Wine and non-alcoholic drinks will be sold too. Silent auction, free guarded parking. First band starts at 6:30. Buy advance tickets here. MemphisWeather.net says the high will be only 82 with a north wind. Blues on the Bluff is normally scorching hot, but not this year!

LUNCHBOXeats will be closed Saturday and Monday and will re-open Tuesday.

Amazon has officially unveiled its Kindle unlimited subscription service.

The Daily News reports that opportunities are growing for young professionals. Y’all who read this who are in your 20s and early 30s, take advantage of these. I was very active in a young professionals’ organization in the 2002-05 period and made many contacts who are still valuable to me to this day.

Election day is August 7 and early voting has already begun. See a sample ballot here.

The Flying Saucer’s PR firm emailed me the running order for the Stumbling Elvis pub crawl on Saturday, August 9. The crawl will start at the Saucer and crawl to Blind Bear, Cafe Keough, Alfred’s, Purple Haze and end back at the Saucer. You can view the event on Facebook here although they haven’t added the list of bars there yet. Um, guys, this is the SIXTH annual Elvis crawl not the second. I know this well because the first crawl (2009) was the night I finally got fed up with one of Memphis’ biggest idiots and told him off. It’s liberating to lose the “yeah he’s annoying as shit but I feel sorry for him” mindset that a lot of other people have. Nice to see Cafe Keough added to the list of stops. Great place. Plenty of Elvis costumes on Amazon if you’re looking for something to wear. If you dress up as Elvis, prepare for a 20 minute walk down 1 block of Beale Street as everyone stops you to take pictures.

Time to grab some food from Popeye’s then back to the grind. I’ll be out at the usual places after work.

Downtown agency RedRover, once a graduate of a startup accelerator program, is giving back. The agency is celebrating its #RoverRefresh campaign and its own new logo by offering to give away a logo refresh to one Memphis-area startup business. The logo refresh will be pro bono, or “on the doghouse” as they like to say. Nominate your favorite startup here. You have until noon on Tuesday, July 22 to nominate.

This fall you may be able to watch NFL Sunday Ticket, carrying all out-of-market games on Sunday, without a satellite. The NFL is considering offering streaming to computers, mobile devices, and gaming devices. Very cool. Probably not good news for Max’s Sports Bar though!

Construction will reduce the I-40 bridge over the Mississippi River to two lanes in each direction beginning today. The bridge is being reinforced to withstand up to a 7.7 earthquake.

The Silly Goose has added a local beer to their draft selection. Memphis Made Soulful Ginger is now on tap. They had to take PBR off tap to make room, although they still have it in cans. I’m perfectly fine with losing PBR draft. It’s great to see the Goose support a fine local business.

Here’s the Facebook event listing for the Best Memphis Burger Festival on Sunday, September 21 if you want to post that you’re going or see who is. Your $7 entry fee will benefit three local dog charity groups. I just learned this afternoon that my friend and fellow blogger Air Traffic Mike will be a judge at the event. I wonder if he will bring noted food blogger Pepe’ El Desatascador to be a judge too?

All right. Time to be on call for work and wish I were at a bar. I may be out later.