Author: paulryburn

Most Saturdays I go to the Memphis Farmers Market. I’m not a big purchaser of produce but I do love the food trucks. The tandoori truck is my favorite and this week they had something I have been dying to try: Bison kabobs. These were ground meat bison patties with your choice of rice or naan. I found a table under the pavilion in the shade and chowed down.

I was short on time but there’s a popsicle vendor if you need dessert.

If you want to be a true Downtowner and start early, Earnestine & Hazel’s opens at 10 AM. Clarence’s bar is the new place to be after the market.

Back tomorrow with more news.

Today AutoZone Park will host the Rally Against Fear in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Mississippi Meredith March Against Fear. 50 years ago today, James Meredith, the first African-American to enroll at Ole Miss, led a march from Memphis to Jackson, MS to show that African-Americans were still disenfranchised and treated as second-class citizens despite the passage of two civil rights bills. Meet at AutoZone Park between 11 and noon, with a noon march to the National Civil Rights Museum, followed by a rally program on the museum grounds with live music, a keynote speaker, and more.

Max’s Sports Bar is bringing back crawfish tomorrow, Sunday, June 12. Doors open at 1. I went to their last crawfish boil and can personally vouch that this is the real deal. Some crawfish boils can be hit or miss, but Max’s is a hit every time. Hmmm… B-RAD I may have to take a break from your bar for an hour Sunday.

The Gibson Guitar 5K is tonight on Lt. George W. Lee Avenue.

The Justice for All Ball benefiting Memphis Area Legal Services will be at the Halloran Centre October 15. MALS has provided legal advocacy to those who need it for almost 50 years. This will be a superhero-themed event with black tie (and cape) optional. Live music, silent auction, more. Interested in becoming a sponsor? Contact Lauren at 901-527-4673.

Felicia Suzanne’s has gone fast casual for outdoor lunch on Fridays, the CA’s Jennifer Biggs reports.

The Flyer now has its Hangover Helpers story online. The fried tacos at Maciel’s? Yes! They will change your life.

The Dirty Crow Inn has started a happy hour from 4 to 7 PM Mondays through Fridays. $1 off all beer, all wine, all wells, and a few select spirits.

Earlier this week, I posted that I realize it’s time to stop Feeling the Bern and get behind Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Still, though, I have to admit this is damn funny:

Maybe we should have members of Congress wear NASCAR jackets which tell us who is sponsoring them.

— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) June 10, 2016

Dance music prodigy NGHTMRE spins at the New Daisy tonight at 10. Tickets $7.40-$25.

There will be fireworks after the Redbirds game tonight (first pitch 6:35) with the first 1500 fans getting a replica Redbirds jersey (gates 5 PM). There will be a block party and baby races before the game. There is a special ticket you can buy to get a Yadier Molina garden gnome.

I enjoyed my first trip to The Pub at the Brass Door last night. It was a very soft opening of the former Mad Earl space and it was wonderful to be greeted by Seamus and Diamond Dave. Our Moody Ques teammate Rick is behind the bar, so stop by and see him. “We don’t have PBR,” he told me, and then followed up with the word I wanted to hear, “…yet.”

Farmers Market, Bardog, Maciel’s, Blind Bear and Max’s Sports Bar are all on my agenda today. Last night I did the Dikembe Mutombo finger wag at Max’s. It’s gonna be a hot one but the heat isn’t going to stop me. WEEKEND!

I would like to ask every one of my readers to click the link below and read it all the way through, and also read this post all the way through even though it may be a bit uncomfortable.

An open letter by the victim of the Stanford sexual assault

In case you haven’t heard, former Stanford swim team member Brock Turner was found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman he met at a party. He dragged her outside and assaulted her behind a dumpster for several minutes before being chased off by two Swedish men riding bikes. He could have received a maximum of 14 years for his crime. However, he came from money and his father hired a high-dollar attorney who made the victim re-live the horrible assault on the stand, questioning her credibility and promiscuity and generally making her feel worthless. The prosecutor recommended a lenient sentence of only one year, and the judge was even more lenient and sentenced Turner to six months. With good behavior he will be a free man before Labor Day.

I think that is disgusting.

My blog draws hundreds of readers a day, and although my stats tracker doesn’t break down demographics by gender, I think it’s safe to assume that about 50% of my readers are men. Given the number of people who read this blog, it’s probably safe to also assume there are men reading this who have the potential to commit a rape or sexual assault in the future. I beg you, please, please, please don’t. When you do that to a woman, you are emotionally scarring another living being for the rest of her life. She will never be able to get away from the sense of helplessness and powerlessness that you caused her to feel. Please read the letter I linked above and get a sense of what a woman goes through emotionally and physically as a result of this crime.

I have been debating whether to write about this issue every day this week. As early as Wednesday I had it in my daily news update posts and then deleted it. It just didn’t seem appropriate to include this in between who’s playing Loflin Yard and what bobblehead the Redbirds are giving away. However, as someone who is a shaper of public opinion, I feel a responsibility to write about what happened at Stanford. I feel like I’m part of the problem if I don’t write about it. Sorry for bringing up a subject that most of us would rather not discuss, but it is an issue that must be discussed or this kind of thing will continue to happen.

Massive respect to Vice-President Joe Biden for his open letter to the courageous young woman who survived the assault.

Massive respect to USA Swimming for banning Brock Turner for life. I sure as hell do not want this piece of garbage representing my country.

There’s a website where you can sign a petition to recall Judge Aaron Persky who handed down the extremely light six-month sentence.

If a woman ever discloses to you that she suffered a sexual assault or rape, the two most helpful things you can say to her are “I believe you” and “It wasn’t your fault.”

I did a news update this morning, so keep scrolling if you want to know what’s going on around town today. I may do another news post after work. Sorry to go off on a tangent but I just find this matter sickening and couldn’t keep quiet any more.

Free giveaway alert! The first 1500 fans in the gate tonight at AutoZone Park for the Redbirds game receive a free cooler backpack, courtesy of Vatterott College. First pitch at 7:05, gates open at 6:00 and there will be a block party on the plaza prior to the game.

The CA has an article about the New Daisy bringing back club nights on Saturdays with national and international DJs.

Free movie nights return to Beale Street Landing this Tuesday. The movies will be shown outdoors on a big screen every Tuesday night at 8:30 and there is no cost to attend. First up is WALL-E on Tuesday, June 14.

Old Dominick Distillery in the Front Street Chicken District is preparing for a September launch.

Last night I was in the Silly Goose for happy hour, and the chalkboard indicated that next week will be when they start opening early for lunches and coffee.

I know I have some regular readers out in The Edge, and this morning I have news about your neighborhood: A theater showing independent and international films is coming soon. It will go into the old Hatiloo Theater space at 652 Marshall. Named after a tree in the African savanna, it will be called Baobab Filmhouse.

A man who threw bricks at City Hall at 125 N. Main several times back in March has been arrested.

Off to work. Possibly another post later.

There will be a Sea of Blue for fallen officer Verdell Smith tonight beginning at 8:15. It will originate out east, then come Downtown passing B.B. King and Beale where officer Smith was killed, and ending at B.B. King and Union. For those who have never seen one, a Sea of Blue is a night-time convoy of police vehicles with their lights on in memory of their fellow officer.

Safety plans for Beale Street were announced this morning. Patrons will pay a $10 cover charge and will receive a $7 voucher to spend on the street. The remaining $3 will cover administrative costs of the program. The cover will only be charged Saturdays after 10 PM. The cover will be cash-only. Fast Pass owners are exempt from the cover charge.

It’s never too early to start shopping for Easter 2017 and the Memphis Farmers Market can help. We think you are egg’in awesome is the theme for Saturday’s market. The Easter Bunny isn’t a vendor, but local farmers selling eggs are. Not only can you buy chicken eggs at the Farmers Market, but duck and quail eggs too. From 10 to noon there will be a kids’ craft activity where they can use egg cartons to create their own garden bugs. Live music by Zoo Girls 8:30-10 and Rice Drewry 11-12:30. The Farmers Market is at the corner of Front and G.E. Patterson every Saturday from 7 AM to 1 PM.

Due to the heat predicted for this Saturday, I am 50-50 on whether I will walk down there. I will probably lose my Foursquare mayorship if I don’t go.

Want to be a volunteer at the Market? They need people to fill a number of roles. More info here. (Hey, there’s Erik!)

Here’s a bonus tip from Lifehacker for Market patrons: The container your berries come in can tell you about their health

The Eric Hughes Trio will play the Blind Bear Saturday, June 11 from 10 AM to 1 PM. They always rock the place, so come here some good music.

Comedy fans: Drafts and Laughs 2 comes to the Memphis Made taproom Wednesday, June 22 at 7:30.

The Sound of Music plays on the big screen at the Orpheum tonight. Movie time is 7, but come early (doors open at 6) for trivia, a selfie station, and drink specials.

If you need a job and want to do some good for the community, there’s a Residential Monitor position open at Porter-Leath. This is a third-shift job – midnight to 8 AM.

Loflin Yard has announced its weekend music lineup. Bluff City Backsliders will play Friday from 6 to 9, Real McCoy Saturday from 4 to 7, and Tennessee Ripple Sunday from 4 to 7.

I know I have a few readers from Chicago… a food truck representing Memphis is handing out free Memphis BBQ ribs up there as I type this. Corner of Adams and Wacker.

Bartlett readers: Your Havana’s Pilon location is now open. We Downtowners love the Cuban food they serve at our spot down here on Madison, and we bet you’ll love it out there too.

Paxton Lynch has reportedly signed a 4-year, $9.5 million contract with the Denver Broncos. Congrats to the former Memphis Tigers QB on makin dat money.

That’ll do it for now. As usual, Silly Goose will be my lead-off spot for happy hour. I may walk over to the Brass Door afterward and see if I can get any inside scoop about the pub’s opening tomorrow. If I do, it’ll be in a future post.

Normally I wouldn’t bother with a post containing only two news items, but these are GOOD items.

First of all, The Pub at the Brass Door is scheduled to open Friday. The Brass Door as it has existed for four years is re-branding itself a bit more upscale, with a nice dinner menu. The room next door, formerly The Mad Earl, will be the Brass Door’s pub, with an elevated stage and 14 TVs. They want it to be a venue for people who love sports. They also plan on opening in the mornings so people staying in nearby hotels can get coffee and breakfast. Friday is the day that both the Brass Door proper and the pub will be open.

The Brass Door has kind of fallen out of my rotation of bars the past month (through no fault of its own) but I will have to check it out at least by the end of the weekend, if not Friday. The pub sounds like it could be a good place to watch the Olympics this summer.

The second news item is that there will be a crawfish buffet at AutoZone Park tomorrow night, Thursday, June 9, with 350 special Field Box tickets that include this buffet available. The tickets are $21. The buffet will be in the left-field picnic area. First pitch against the Colorado Sky Sox will be at 7:05. College students with valid ID can get a left-field bluff seat for $5 and also $2 beer. There will be a block party in the plaza prior to the game.

There’s more news but I’ll save it for tomorrow. Heading out to happy hour now.

Hey, got a favor to ask my readers… I’m not going to be able to make it to the Streetdog Foundation fundraiser Sunday afternoon, but would like to give someone who is going $20 to drop in the donation bucket. If you are in the same place as me between now and Sunday and you know you are going to the fundraiser, tell me and I will hand you the donation.

High Cotton Brewing Co., hosting the Streetdog fundraiser on Sunday, will start selling cans out of its taproom beginning today.

Swingin Leroy headlines this Thursday’s Peabody rooftop party. $10 to get in or $150 VIP card for the season, with first 200 ladies free. Admission includes a buffet of popcorn shrimp & cocktail sauce and bacon-wrapped scallions. If you’re in VIP you get a second buffet of coconut shrimp with sweet chili sauce, mahi mahi bites with house Tartar sauce, and crab dip with pita bread. Mango margaritas and Firefly cherry colas are the drink specials; if you’re in VIP, you have an additional drink special of pina coladas. Doors open at 6, with entertainment starting at 7.

We now have a date for the opening of the bike and pedestrian span over the Mississippi River: October 22. The span will have controlled lighting.

There are still a few spots left for BreakFEST cooking teams for the festival out at the water tower on Broad on Saturday, September 24. Categories include Omelet, Bacon Lovers, Breakfast Sandwich, Breakfast Sweets, and Anything Goes. Money raised at the festival benefits the Urban Bicycle Food Ministry, a group that brings nutritious and delicious meals to those who are hungry.

Be sure to pick up a copy of the Memphis Flyer today. The main story is “Hangover Helpers” and they look at 18 of them. The issue is not placed online until Thursday so no linky link, sorry.

That’s it for now. Be sure to check this morning’s news post if you haven’t already.

Eric Hughes and Rum Boogie Cafe are hosting a Benefit for Officer Smith Friday night, June 10 starting at 9:00. Officer Verdell Smith was hit by a getaway car traveling at a high speed and killed, following a senseless shooting in The Pinch last Saturday night. Money raised by The Eric Hughes Band as well as admission fees to both Rum Boogie Cafe and Blues Hall that night will be donated to the family of Officer Smith.

There’s an apartment available for rent in South Main. 481 S. Main is a 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment with oversized Jacuzzi. Washer/dryer, all appliances included, 16 foot ceilings, oak floors. There is a private fenced deck in the back. $1300 a month includes all utilities. This unit is located across the street from Rizzo’s Diner and there’s a trolley stop right outside the door. I know the people who live in the adjoining units and they are super cool people. Call 901-550-4555 if interested. Prince Mongo is the landlord.

The Hungry Memphis blog has info on the Tuscany Italian Eatery opening soon on Front across from AutoZone. It will be open 11-9 Monday Saturday and there will be delivery. The lasagne is said to be “out of this world” and the Italian beef sandwich is too. Two of my favorites! There will be a second location in 200 Jefferson (“The Darth Vader Building”) with hours of 6 AM to 2 PM.

The Downtown Memphis Commission, the Beale Street Merchants Association, the City of Memphis Mayor’s Office, and the Memphis Police Department will hold a joint press conference Thursday, June 9 at 9 AM in Handy Park at Third and Beale. The conference will outline new measures that will be adopted to keep people safe on the street during peak hours. The Beale Street Bucks voucher program and other measures will be discussed.

So they’re bringing back the cover charge? I don’t think it’s an ideal solution, but given the current situation it’s probably the best move they can make right now. The trouble is, the last time they did the cover charge they started it at midnight, which I think is too late. I would start it at 9 or 10 in the evening, probably 10.

lulemon athletica Memphis is hosting a 3-mile run followed by a yoga flow Saturday, June 25 at Loflin Yard. Both the run and the yoga will be for all levels. Check-in at 9:30, run at 10, yoga flow at 11. YOGA!

The annual Memphis International Rockabilly Festival has been announced for Saturday, October 15-Sunday October 16 in The Edge neighborhood. Two days of bands, with the lineup so far including Miss Barbara Clifford & The Shaking Tailfeathers, Casey Sisters, Oak Hill Drifters, Rosie Flores, Ray Campi, Twistin’ Turantulas, and The Delta Bombers. Tickets are available now.

Hillary Clinton has clinched the Democratic nomination, including California which I thought she was going to lose. As you know, I have been a Bernie Sanders supporter throughout the primary season. However, now is the time to get behind Hillary as the nominee. She may not be a perfect choice in my mind, but she will nominate progressive Supreme Court justices and she can prevent the most dangerous nominee ever put forth by a major party, Donald Trump, from becoming president. Plus, we are long overdue to have a woman in the Oval Office. Heck, for that matter, I wouldn’t mind if she named Elizabeth Warren as her running mate and we had a woman in the Vice-President’s office as well.

In case you haven’t found it already, RealClearPolitics is a great site to stay in tune with political news, opinion, and polls during election season. Perhaps their best feature is a projected electoral college map based on recent polls. Clinton is currently up 194 to 164 but there are many toss-up states and both candidates have a lot of work to do.

Time to drive to work and do computer stuff. Possibly a second post later today.

If you work Downtown, you are about to have a new lunch spot to visit on Fridays. Loflin Yard has announced new hours for Fridays along with a new Friday lunch menu. That would be a beautiful spot to get away from the rat race for an hour and enjoy nature and some good food. I don’t see the lunch menu on their website yet, but po’boys where mentioned.

Best Memphis Burger Fest needs your help! You may remember that last year’s festival was on October 5, a time of year known for beautiful weather with temperatures near perfect for being outside. That was not what happened last year! As Seth put it, it was practically a Nor’Easter minus the snow! Beer sales were near zero, and merchandise sales were a third of what they expected. Even so, Memphis Paws, Inc. kept its promise to donate approximately $7500 to rescues and animal care. This year, Burger Fest needs your help to recover. They are asking you to buy a VIP ticket to the festival for $50. In addition to entry into the festival and great live music, you get free parking, catered food, FREE BEER and some other liquid goodies, an air-conditioned tent (remember, the festival is in August this year) and two all-day KidZone passes. As I mentioned in Saturday’s post, Burger Fest is one of those uniquely Memphis ideas that happened organically, and this is a year when they need our help. Please consider purchasing a VIP pass to support them.

The Brass Door will be showing USA vs. Costa Rica tonight in Copa America. The match starts at 7 PM. No better place to watch soccer Downtown than the Brass Door.

The restaurant in Beale Street Landing lost $90,000 in a 12 month period. What a terrible number. As someone I follow on Twitter pointed out, compare how much money it took to build Beale Street Landing and the amount of money it makes (or loses) with home much money it took to build Loflin Yard and the amount of money it makes.

Brewville@DeNeuville is this Saturday from 5 to 8, raising money for the DeNeuville Learning Center. There will be a homebrew competition as well as Memphis Made craft beer and great food. The event will be MC’d by Kevin Cerrito, and there will be live entertainment by Kim Garmon and the South Side Supper Club. Get tickets here.

The Memphis Flyer has an article about a new art gallery in The Edge that will work with homeless artists to sell their work.

The GOP nominee and possible future leader of the free world typed “F**kface von Clownstick” on Twitter this morning. Great choice, Republicans.

That’s it for now. Getting about 3 inches of hair chopped off after work, then will be out at Blind Bear probably.

I want to start off this post by offering my prayers to the family of Officer Verdell Smith, who was struck by a car and killed in the line of duty Saturday night. To all the police officers reading this, I have the utmost respect for what you do.

As a web developer by trade, I am super existed to see that the Grizzlies are hosting a six-week code camp for kids. Boys and girls entering grades 7 to 9 can attend the camp, held at the Lester Community Center at 317 Tillman. There they will learn to build complex mobile apps using MIT’s Appinventor development platform. Very cool and yet another sign how much the team is part of this community.

Crop Hop 5K, the run to benefit the Memphis Farmers Market, is coming up a week from Friday. After the run there will be food and beer under the MFM pavilion. There is a “I don’t want to run or get a T-shirt, I just want to hang out and eat and drink” ticket which is the one I will be purchasing.

Got Trolleys? will be the theme of the June South Main Association meeting, to be held at Leadership Memphis, 365 South Main at 6 PM Tuesday, June 14. MATA president Ron Garrison and Alvin Pearson, Assistant General Manager will discuss what it takes to put a trolley on Main Street in terms of money, regulations and people. Cafe Pontotoc will provide complimentary appetizers and beverages will be provided by the SMA. Free for SMA members, $10 non-members.

If you’re a comedy fan, save the date: June 28. That day will mark the one year anniversary of comedy at the Brass Door South Carolina’s Jenn Snyder, New Orleans’ Vince Gulino and Jeffrey Buck, and Memphis Brandon Sams and Q will perform, along with the return of Ben Aviotti.

Zeke & Paulette, a folksong duet known as “The Washboard Queen and The Unknown Legend,” will perform Sunday, June 12 at the Center for Southern Folklore from 4 to 7. $7 donation. The duo is expected to pay homage to Memphis Minnie at the event.

California votes tomorrow. A few weeks ago RealClearPolitics had Hillary leading Bernie by double digits. Her lead today? A mere two points. Given that Bernie outperforms his polls, we are looking at a very real possibility that he will upset Hillary in our nation’s largest state on the same day Hillary secures the nomination. Man, I thought the Republican convention was going to be the shitshow of the summer; looks like the Dems will have that honor instead. If their GOP opponent was not such a complete clown, this would be big trouble for the Democrats.

That’s the news for now. There may be a second post after work.