Category: Uncategorized

Friday update

Welcome to my blog, where I tell you what’s happening Downtown and in Memphis and around the world of interest to Memphians. Except, much of today’s post will be spent telling you what’s not happening.

Yesterday morning, we learned that Penny’s Tigers had lost the chance to dance. The American Athletic Conference tournament, offering an automatic bid to March Madness, was canceled along with all other major conference basketball tournaments.

Then in the afternoon, we learned that everybody had lost their chance to dance. The NCAA canceled all tournaments for winter and spring sports. So, no March Madness, no national collegiate basketball champions, no bracket challenges.

Among the spring NCAA sports is baseball, so no regionals, no super regionals, no College World Series in June.

We won’t get the Grizzlies back until at least April 10. NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced that the suspension of the NBA season will be at least 30 days and it’s possible the season is over. One possible silver lining for Memphis here: Zion Williamson won’t have time to put in a large enough body of work to steal the Rookie of the Year award from Ja Morant.

The USL has suspended play for at least 30 days as well, so no Memphis 901 FC games for a while. The soccer club has a statement in support of the league’s decision on their website.

Minor League Baseball will delay the start of its season as well, so no Redbirds games until at least mid- to late April. The Redbirds have a statement in support of MiLB’s decision on their website.

I wonder what bars will show on their TVs since practically all sporting events for the next month are canceled? Maybe Max can show The Weather Channel on all 12 TVs and rebrand the place Max’s Weather Bar temporarily.

Bend over and cough!

Many Memphis restaurants are adopting strict cleanliness/health policies and posting them to social media, letting their customers know they are doing everything possible to minimize the risk of infection. Some of these practices include

  • Wiping down menus after each customer visit
  • Removing condiment bottles from each table, and instead offering single-serving packets of condiments upon request
  • Enforcing rigorous hand-washing procedures for employees
  • Requiring the use of gloves, as shown above
  • Wiping down surfaces with disinfectants frequently
  • Not allowing anyone who is sick to work

I have a suggestion for restaurant and bar managers: Have your employees check each public restroom once an hour to make sure there is hand soap. Not being able to wash with soap has been mildly irritating in the past. Now, it could be deadly.

The Beale Street St. Patrick’s Day parade, scheduled for this Saturday, has been rescheduled for Saturday, April 11 at 2 PM due to the coronavirus threat. That’s the day before Easter. Maybe they’ll have a bunny?

Cher has postponed her Here We Go Again Tour due to the coronavirus. So Monday’s show at FedExForum is off. That was discussed at Silly Goose happy hour yesterday and people asked, “Who’s Sonny?”

Memphis Brewfest has been postponed until Saturday, July 18. It will still be at the Liberty Bowl. To compensate attendees for the change, they will offer a 7 oz. sampling cup instead of the usual 5 oz. They’ll bring in five additional breweries. Attendees will receive a discount code to an additional future event of their choice. The VIP section will be in the Memphis Tigers football team locker room.

Calvary Episcopal Church announced yesterday that they are closing their Calvary Waffle Shop and Lenten Preaching Series for the season due to the coronavirus threat. The shop and series was expected to run until March 3.

Cordelia’s Market has announced the temporary suspension of their sampling program to keep everyone safe. Also, temporarily at their hot bar, employees will serve the food instead of letting customers serve themselves. The hot bar will be open 11 AM-2 PM, with hot-and-ready pre-packaged meals cooked from scratch in their rotisserie warmer during normal dinner hours.

The Metal Museum will continue to be open normal hours but has canceled the following events:

  • March 15: Reception and Gallery Talk for Tributaries: Sophie Glenn (postponed)
  • March 19: Stephen Saracino visiting artist lecture
  • March 20-22: Stephen Saracino master class
  • March 29: Reception and Gallery Talk for Tradition of Excellence (postponed)
  • April 1-5: Forging on the River conference 2020

All other Metal Museum talks, classes, and events will proceed as scheduled.

A second local case of coronavirus has been identified. The Daily Memphian reports that both local cases traveled to New Orleans together for Mardi Gras.

A lot of people are hearing about the cancellation of their favorite events, and they’re getting on social media and saying, “Man, this is bullshit. People are overreacting. Let life go on as normal, and if a few people die, maybe it was their time.” I have to admit, at the beginning of this week, when the first rumors of cancellations came in, I thought “overreaction” as well. However, my opinion as of today can be summed up in one sentence: We must listen to the experts. If a doctor says an event should not be held, we should listen. If a doctor advises precautions, we should take them.

Geez. I’m 20 paragraphs into today’s post and I have not yet told you about one thing that’s actually happening.

Here’s a pic of the vegan southwestern chili River Time Market & Deli on Court Square is now offering:

South Main Sounds at 550 S. Main hosts Season 6, Episode 4 of their Songwriter Night this evening. Sandee Lollis, Richard Wilson, and Mallory Everett will perform. A fourth songwriter, Ashlee K. Thomas, was scheduled to perform but is sick and had to cancel. If you like what you hear from Mallory Everett, she’ll be at The Vault nearby later in the evening.

The Downtown Memphis Commission has put together a couple of good guides to things to do down here. The first is a Late Lunch Eaters Guide. Most places consider 11 to 2 the lunch hour. Where to go when you can’t get out to lunch until 2 PM or later?

The DMC also has 20 ways for you to stay fit in Downtown Memphis, with everything from ballroom dancing to spin classes to yoga and much more.

The monthly Downtown Neighborhood Association will happen Tuesday, March 24 at Dinstuhl’s at 147 S. Main. The chocolate and candy store, a Memphis icon for more than 100 years, returned to Downtown Memphis for the first time since the 1970s. Meeting will be 6:00-7:30 PM. The location is in between Lenny’s and the Majestic Grille near the intersection of Main and Peabody Place.

Viking River Cruises will start docking at Beale Street Landing in 2022. That is, if the coronavirus doesn’t completely kill off the cruise industry before then.

The Memphis airport has an Airfield Maintenance Electrician position open.

Tour de Toast Memphis, an event celebrating bubbles, will come to Fourth Bluff, 22 N. Front, Saturday, June 13 from 3 to 8 PM. This thoroughly-curated event will pair champagnes with a menu by specialty food trucks on site. There will be libations, live music, and art. Note that this event has a “Spring Chic” dress code, and if you don’t adhere to it you get no admission and no refund. Tickets

Well, I screwed up in my role as Director of Public Relations this week for the BBQ team. I sent out an email, bolding words here and there to highlight important topics. What I didn’t realize is, that made my email look like a marketing email to spam filters, some of which flagged it. If you got two emails from me this week, sorry. I had no choice but to un-bold and re-send.

We will see what today’s news brings. There’s not much left to cancel, so there should be less to talk about than the past two days. Back tomorrow with more.

Thursday update

What a day yesterday was.

It started off with the World Health Organization officially recognizing coronavirus COVID-19 as a pandemic.

In the afternoon, the AAC announced that its basketball tournament would take place in an empty arena as a precaution against coronavirus. (Assuming the NCAA does not suspend the season today, you can catch the Tigers vs. East Carolina at 9 on ESPNU.)

Then medical officials got the attention of the referees minutes before the NBA’s Utah Jazz-Oklahoma City Thunder game. The refs canceled the game, and the building was quickly cleared. Later information was released that Jazz center Rudy Gobert had tested positive for coromavirus a couple of days after hanging out with visitors from France.

A couple of hours later it was announced that the NBA had suspended the season. Makes sense, as teams who played against Gobert recently need to be tested. ESPN has an update – what is known and what is not about the season suspension. The Raptors, Pistons, Celtics, Knicks, and Cavs had recent contact with Gobert and will have to be tested. The suspension of the season will last at least 14 days since that is the amount of time people testing positive for the virus are quarantined.

Trump announced a 30 day suspension of travel between the U.S. and Europe yesterday to seal off the country from the pandemic. The UK will not be included in the travel ban.

Rhodes College and UT have suspended in-person classes. The U of M is deliberating on the matter.

More announcements will come today, no doubt. Cher is scheduled to perform at FedExForum Monday night. I wonder if that will be called off?

At least there’s good news for those who want to stand on Beale Street while drinking an $11 beer from King’s Palace Cafe Tap Room: The St. Pat’s parade, set for this Saturday, has not been called off yet.

On to some good news… Precious Achiuwa has been named the American Athletic Conference Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year.

That recognition may move him up a few spots in the NBA draft this year.

There’s a Latte Art Competition tonight at Dr. Bean’s Coffee Emporium at Puck Food Hall, 409 S. Main, starting at 7 PM.

Prime Cut Band performs at Wknd Hang Suite, Vance at Mulberry, tonight at 8.

Children’s show Diary of a Wombat comes to the Orpheum this Saturday at 10 AM.

I messed up bad at trivia last night, forgetting to take Perjorie T. Roll out of my pocket and stand her on the bar until the first round bonus question. Without her help, I had fallen too far behind to catch up. I did win best team name, “Support bacteria. It’s the only culture some people have,” which I totally stole from a Facebook meme.

Time to get to work. Back tomorrow with more news.

Wednesday update

Half the country is freaking out about the coronavirus, and I’ll have plenty to say about COVID-19 later in this post, but there’s plenty of non-virus related good news, so let’s do that first.

Members of the Memphis Tigers men’s basketball team were honored yesterday:

Precious Achiuwa was the only unanimous pick to the all=American Conference team… and remember, he wasn’t a pre-season pick for the all-AAC first team or even the second. He went out and earned his accolade.

Speaking of earning accolades:

Congratulations to the Peabody!

Memphians have a big reason to come out and support the Big3 tournament when it comes to Memphis June 20: Former Grizzly Zach Randolph has joined Trilogy as its new team captain. Big3 is a 3-on-3 basketball tournament founded by Ice Cube, coming up on its fourth season. The game is played half-court, with a 14-second shot clock. First to 50, leading by two or more, wins. It’ll be exciting to see Z-bo back on the FedExForum hardwood.

A made-for-Netflix film produced in Memphis last year is coming out later this month:

The Grizzlies 5K, with the start and finish lines on the FedExForum Plaza, will happen the morning of Saturday, April 4. Race packages are $45 and include a ticket to either the game vs. Dallas April 3 or vs. Oklahoma City April 11. (PRO TIP: Take the Dallas ticket and get there early. First 5000 that night get a Brandon Clarke mini-hoop set.) There’s also a shorter one-mile Fun Run with race packages starting at $35. Group packages are available; contact the box office for more information.

Saturday is National Pi Day, 3/14. To celebrate, the Silly Goose is offering half-off the price of its wood-fired pizzas noon to 5 that day. Pre- or post-game the 2 PM Beale Street parade with a pizza! My favorite is the spicy Cajun Louisiana Saturday Night, but they’re all good.

Local pro fisherman Lawson Tilghman will be at Bass Pro at the Pyramid this weekend, leading seminars as part of their Spring Fishing Classic. Seminars include

  • Saturday, March 14, 11 AM: Boat Setup for Efficiency: Benefits of new trolling motor technology, electronics, set, and efficient storage tips for tackle.

  • Saturday, March 14, 2 PM: Fishing Rods – How to Pick the Right One: Understanding power and action of the rod and the application.
  • Sunday, March 15, 1 PM: Technique and Setup from A to Z, from Cranking to Finesse: Building the right rig, correct line, and the right reel and rod.

Free COB LED Light to the first 25 seminar attendees who are 18 or older. Bass Pro will also have a rod & reel trade-in this weekend.

There’s a free comedy show in the basement of Local Gastropub tonight at 8.

Coachella is postponed to October due to coronavirus concerns. When that was announced yesterday afternoon, people began speculating if other festivals would be canceled or postponed as well – particularly Music Fest, Memphis’ biggest festival of the year. Memphis in May announced yesterday that they plan to go on as scheduled with Music Fest and other programming. To me that sounds like the right move, based on what we know at this time, with only one coronavirus case in Shelby County. Besides, it isn’t a decision they need to make right now, the festival still 7 weeks out.

The Grizzlies, along with all NBA teams, are making adjustments to prevent the coronavirus from affecting their team. There are no plans to play games in empty arenas, but they are restricting access to their locker rooms. Players are also asked to refrain from high-fiving or shaking hands with fans, or giving autographs. I bet the players hate that, but at the same time they understand it is for the good of the organization.

The Memphis Flyer discusses precautionary steps to prevent coronavirus being taken at organizations around town: Shelby County Schools, the zoo, colleges and universities, St. Jude, the airport, MATA.

I will say there’s an event, and it’s not in Memphis, that I am keeping an eye on to gauge whether it’s reasonable to postpone or cancel spring gatherings of people like the Memphis in May events, Beale Street Wine Race, and Rajun Cajun Crawfish Fest. It’s an event that happens later this month at a location in the continental U.S., it’s an event that by its very nature would involve multiple people handling the same objects, and it’s an event that attracts mainly older people. Coronavirus is most deadly in those over 60. Currently the event’s organizers are taking a lot of precautions but the event is planned to proceed on schedule. I am monitoring their website and a message board frequented by attendees of the event daily.

All right. Time to get this day started. Back tomorrow with more news.

Tuesday update

The Grizzlies released some good news yesterday. Both Jaren Jackson Jr. and Justise Winslow are expected to be back within the week. The Grizzlies, at 32-32, are in 8th place in the West, with the New Orleans Pelicans and the Sacramento Kings four games back. That cushion and the return of Memphis’ starting forwards may be just enough to get through the remaining 18 games on the regular-season schedule.

One of those games is tonight. The Grizzlies host the Orlando Magic in a 7 PM game with TV coverage on Fox Sports Southeast.

Wiseacre is hosting a Star Wars Night this Saturday night to benefit those who suffered loss in the Middle Tennessee tornadoes. $1 of every pint sold will be donated, and there will be photo opportunities, a silent auction, and Star Wars trivia.

Jerry Lee Lewis Cafe on Beale Street will host open interviews for bartenders, servers, and barbacks tomorrow 7-10 PM.

Don’t forget that tonight is Drag Bingo with Pattie O’ Furniture and Pee Wee at Silly Goose at 8 PM.

That’s it! Coronavirus is so thoroughly dominating the news that there’s not much else to report. Back tomorrow with more.

Coronavirus and the art of the fake sick day

The first case of coronavirus, or COVID-19, has been confirmed in Memphis. Everyone is going to lose their damn mind anytime someone coughs or sneezes. That sets up perfect conditions for a fake sick day. Let’s go over some tips to set this up properly.

  • A $9 investment in a bottle of DayQuil makes a great prop. It needs to be prominently displayed on your desk. You don’t want it to be full – minus 2 doses sounds about right. You want the plastic cup sitting on your desk near the bottle, with residue in the bottom of the cup.
  • A thermometer is an excellent prop as well. Most of the time, display it on your desk near the DayQuil, but several times a day put it in your mouth. Be overheard mumbling “one oh one point eight” and ask your co-workers “Is it cold in here or it just me?”
  • Always remember there is tremendous power in the phrase “explosive diarrhea.”
  • When you go to the doctor for routine visits, take photos of the waiting room, the exam room, the medical building, etc. You can then post those photos to social media when you take your “sick” day.
  • Befriend a doctor so you have someone to write notes when you are sick. Although, befriending anyone who works in a doctor’s office and therefore has access to the stationery will do. Just remember if you write your own note that DOCTORS DO NOT WRITE LEGIBLY.
  • If you send work emails while you’re out “sick”, prposely misspell words, at raNDOM TIMES TUrn the caps lock key on and off, and leave      six spaces between words now and then. This will make it look like you’re trying the best you can to be productive while sick.

I bet the coronavirus announcement caused a run on the stores yesterday, people buying bread and milk, milk and bread like Ron Childers had predicted 0.05″ of snow to fall overnight.

I hope you’re ready to stay up late this week, because if you’re a Memphis Tigers fan, you’re going to have to. These are the game times in which Memphis will play if Penny’s team wins all the way to the end:

  • Thursday, March 12 at 9:30 PM (vs. East Carolina)
  • Friday, March 13 at 9 PM (vs. Tulsa)
  • Saturday, March 14 at 4:30 PM
  • Sunday, March 15 at 2:15 PM

After that, unless the Tigers hoist a trophy on Sunday against all odds, the NIT will probably come a-calling, with a 2 or 3 seed for Memphis.

At least the Tigers will be in the later semifinal Saturday afternoon, if they make it that far. That means people will be able to go watch the Beale Street St. Patrick’s Day parade and still make it to their favorite watch spot for that day’s game.

I wonder if the coronavirus will hurt attendance at the parade? I bet it will. You know how a lot of parents tend to be overprotective of their children.

Insider tip: Go to Blind Bear for lunch today. If Phillip makes the special he told me he had in mind for today, it is going to be awesome. (No Ariel, it isn’t vegetarian.)

All right. Gotta hit Publish and then turn my attention to writing a BBQ team email. Back tomorrow with more news.

Sunday update

Sunset is 7:02 tonight! Part of the reason I stayed up so late last night is I wanted to see the time on my phone change from 1:59 to 3:00. I guess it would have been more exciting to see it change on my Apple Watch but I didn’t think of that.

How many of you have a car whose dashboard clock has the right time for the first time since November?

As your number-one source of news and information about The Edge District, it’s my pleasure to link you to this Memphis Business Journal slideshow spotlighting the new Rise apartments in the former Wonder Bakery space. The apartments are at the corner of Monroe and Lauderdale.

Longshot, the shuffleboard bar in the Arrive Hotel, has announced the following all day, every day specials:

  • The Long Shot – shot of bourbon + any domestic – $6
  • The Hot Shot – shot of tequila + any domestic – $10
  • The Not Shot – shot of fernet branca + any domestic – $10

Texas de Brazil VIP dining cards are back on sale. You pay $64.99 and get 50% off up to 12 dinners. Use this three times and the card pays for itself. The catch is, it’s not good during the popular times, Friday and Saturday nights, or Easter, Mother’s Day, or Father’s Day. But if you live Downtown, does it matter? You can walk down there any old random Wednesday you want. Or Sunday brunch! (I’ll repeat my pro tip: Dip the bacon in the lobster bisque)

Post Malone interrupted his Friday night Memphis performance to let his fans know he’s not on drugs.

This toilet timer will let bathroom hogs know when they’ve been in there too long. Every bar Downtown with a lock on their bathroom door (BARDOG, PONTOTOC) needs one of these.

The Memphis-Houston game will be nationally broadcast on CBS this morning at 11. Max’s Sports Bar is opening early for the game. Considering it’s 10:39 and I haven’t hit Publish yet, I’m not sure how much help this will be.

Loflin Yard invites you to get lucky on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17. Live music at 9, half price Jameson, Jello shots, green beer, and more.

Primas Bakery + Boutique will have Brunch at the Bakery Saturday, March 21. Quiche Lorraine, Nutella donuts, almond raspberry coffee cake, and banana bread macarons will be on the menu. Complimentary punch for those 21 and up.

There’s a macrame wall hanging class at the Memphis Made taproom this afternoon.

Today is the final day of Disney’s Aladdin at the Orpheum. 1:30 and 6:00 performances.

Sen. Kamala Harris has endorsed Joe Biden for president.

Leading off at Bardog today. Back tomorrow with more news.

Saturday update

If you are a cat owner on Mud Island, might want to think twice about letting it run around outside for a while. There’s been a Nextdoor thread about a group that is trapping cats on Mud Island, which apparently has a large feral population. They take the cats to the vet and get them spayed or neutered. The vet also clips off the top of one of the cats’ ears to indicate “this cat has been previously trapped.” Cats are then returned to the area they are found, and turned loose. The trouble is, they are not checking as thoroughly as they should as to whether the cat is collared or chipped, and people’s pets are being trapped and fixed.

CONGRATULATIONS to FedEx for doing right by their employees, changing their policy effective June 1 to start new employees with three weeks vacation, rather than starting them with two weeks and making them wait five years for the third week. I hope other companies notice and consider following suit.

Last night someone asked me what an upcoming event is like, and I replied, “When you were little, did you ever watch TV with your grandparents?” They said yes, and I told them that the event “is kinda like The Lawrence Welk Show of drinking games.” This morning I woke up and thought to myself, I wonder if that show is on YouTube?

An’-a-one, an’-a-two, an’-a…

(Fast forward to about 1:58 to skip over the boring part… wait, no, fast forward to 51:18 to skip over the boring part)

Memphis 901 FC’s regular-season home opener against Indy Eleven is tonight. If you don’t pre-game with Bluff City Mafia at the Brass Door, you ain’t doin’ it right. For those of you who can’t make the matches in person, they will be broadcast locally on CW30 this season. In other 901 FC news, here are some photos of the kits they will wear at home matches.

Outer Ring plays The Lounge beneath 3rd and Court diner tonight. Scroll down to yesterday’s post to see photos of The Lounge. Nice place. Free validated parking in the Indigo Hotel garage. This is part of the Yazoo Concert Series and there will be drink specials.

Jack Rowell & Triplthret play Loflin Yard tonight at 9.

The Memphis Flyer has a look at the new Downtown Slider Inn.

Forging on the River, a dinner and auction, happens at the Metal Museum Saturday, April 4. Tickets include a visit with internationally known blacksmith Heiner Zimmermann, as well as an opportunity to connect with visiting artists. You’ll also have the chance to bid on some of the finest metalwork in the country as you enjoy dinner and drinks overlooking the river. Cocktail hour at 6 PM, dinner at 7, and auction starts at 7:30. Tickets are $50 for museum members, $75 for non-members. Buy tickets

In other Metal Museum news, there’s a Cognac, Cars & Cigars event there tonight benefiting Make-A-Wish.

Drew Hill of The Daily Memphian has scenarios in which the Memphis Tigers earn a top-4 seed and therefore a first-round bye in the AAC tournament next week. The most cut-and-dry scenario has Memphis beating #21 Houston on the road tomorrow, but that’s easier said than done.

Not a Downtown event, but how can I not mention that an event called TRAPPIN 4 JESUS Revival happens tonight?

Don’t forget to set your clocks forward an hour tonight. It’ll be that magical hour when 1:59 AM is followed by 3:00 AM, marking the return of Daylight Saving Time.

Hipsters around the world are disappointed to learn that the city of Austin has canceled SXSW due to the threat of coronavirus outbreak.

Moody Ques teammates: Be on the lookout for an email early next week, with opportunities for those of you who are handy. We have an awesome booth idea for 2020 and we are going to start building it – in March. Are we organized this year or what? This may mean that your #1 source of news and information about The Edge District will actually visit The Edge District.

This weekend is going to be “Wunnerful! Wunnerful!” as Lawrence Welk would say. Back tomorrow or Monday with more news.

British Bingo @ The Lounge and Friday news

Yesterday I mentioned that I was thinking about checking out Diamond Dave’s British Bingo at The Lounge in the basement of 3rd and Court Diner. My neighbors Pete and Tracy saw the post and texted me that they’d meet me there, and my plans were set. I took a seat at the bar a few minutes before 6.

I inquired about the taco bar, and the bartender told me it was $5 for bingo players and $10 if I stayed to hear the band. The bartender ran my card and I got a plate. It was all you can eat, for $5. That’s a screaming value!

They had cauliflower tacos for the vegetarians as well as chicken tacos, build-your-own. Quality ingredients, and the tacos were excellent. They had four varieties of Nashville’s own Yazoo beer for $3 a 12 oz. can. I ordered a Yazoo Dos Perros to go with my dinner.

There are six rounds of bingo. For those unfamiliar with British Bingo, you get a card, each round a different color with 15 numbers, numbered 1 through 90. Dave has rhymes or sayings for many of the numbers – “27, duck and a crutch,” “62, tickety-boo,” “89, nearly there,” and the first one to have all 15 numbers on their card called wins. The numbers that have been called are displayed on a screen, for those who fall behind, and that helped me in the later rounds.

Those who are longtime readers of this blog know that I have a terrible record at bingo. The last time I won a prize at a bar bingo night was 5 years ago. Since then I have bingoed a few times but lost the tie-breaker each time. So last night, in the first round I got down to two numbers left. “And here we go,” I thought, “Now he’ll call a bunch of numbers I don’t have, and someone else will win.”

Then Dave called 26. I marked it off.

Then he called 84. BINGO!!!

Amazingly, no one else bingoed on that number, and I went to the front to collect my prize. The six rounds of bingo pay out $10, $10, $10, $10, $20, and $40 respectively. My $10 came in the form of two $5 Diner Dollars gift cards.These can’t be used the night they are won, and can be used upstairs or downstairs. Dave also pulled out a box of swag and had me choose something. I picked out an Espolõn hat.

There are breaks between the second and third round, and between the fourth and fifth round. During the first break I walked around and took some photos of the place. It was very dark but I touched them up the best I could.

I got a photo of their bar menu too (click to view in larger size):

Dave returned to the table and we continued with the third round. I got all but one number but someone beat me. On the fourth round, however, I bingoed again, earning another $10 in Diner Dollars.

No additional wins on the two final big-money rounds, but I quite happy with my prizes. My tab for the taco bar and two Yazoo Dos Perros was $12, and I won $20, so The Lounge basically paid me $8 to come eat their tacos and drink their beer. I can live with that!

I plan on spending my winnings at breakfast or lunch at the diner upstairs. Have a look at their breakfast menu, their lunch specials, and their lunch menu. The diner is open 7 AM to 2 PM every day, and The Lounge opens at night.

No bingo this evening, but you can catch the sounds of John Paul Keith at The Lounge tonight.

Big night for music here in Downtown Memphis tonight. Post Malone headlines a show at FedExForum, a stop on his Runaway Tour. Swae Lee and Tyla Yaweh will open. Tyla Yaweh and Friends will perform at the show’s after-party at Paula & Raiford’s Disco.

Over at the Halloran Centre for the Performing Arts, Robert Moody presents the latest installment of The Orchestra Unplugged – Devil at the Crossroads: Robert Johnson Meets Igor Stravinsky. This work combines A Soldier’s Tale, a piece Stravinsky wrote during World War I, with the music of legendary bluesman Johnson. Tickets are $35. This is a one hour show with no intermission.

There’s been a lot of discussion about the coronavirus and whether it has had an effect locally. Here are some links I found on a message board yesterday.

And here’s a camera that can detect body temperature within 0.3F degrees. I bet those will be in high demand for location where there are large gatherings of people.

The Beale Street St. Patrick’s Day parade has been announced for Saturday, March 14 at 2 PM.

REMINDER: The King’s Palace Cafe Tap Room charged me $11 for a large PBR at the Liberty Bowl parade, and I have heard of them charging as much as $14 for a large PBR at other special events. Other venues on the street (even ones managed by the same company) charge as little as $6 for the same beer.

Heaven Luxury Lounge at 333 Adams is hosting a Purple Prince Party tonight. It will be a celebration of the artistry and creativity of Prince, and if you wear purple you get in free. Doors open at 9.

As your number-one source of news and information about The Edge District, I want to remind you that the first event of the Taste & See chef series at Boxlot, 607 Monroe, is tonight.

There’s a Civic Data Hackathon this weekend, starting tonight at 6, at the Universal Life Insurance building, 480 MLK Ave. Come brainstorm solutions to issues facing the city, including

  • Transportation and mobility
  • Health and safety
  • Neighborhoods and the upcoming census

You do not have to be a techie to participate, although each team will include at least one person who is comfortable with computers and data. $10 registration includes meals, snacks, and a T-shirt.

The Grizzlies play a road game against Dallas tonight at 7:30. You can watch on Fox Sports Southeast. They’ll be back at home tomorrow for a 7 PM game against the Atlanta Hawks, and the first 5000 fans in FedExForum will get a free Grizz pillowcase.

MIFA needs birthday bags. These are special goodie bags that are handed out to their senior/disabled Meals on Wheels clients on their birthdays. Birthday bags can contain

  • Socks
  • Stationery
  • Pens or pencils
  • Winter caps
  • Sweaters
  • Blankets
  • T-shirts
  • Mittens or gloves
  • Games like puzzles, crossword puzzles, playing cards, dominoes
  • Lotion
  • Flashlights
  • Toiletries
  • Tissues

This could be a fun packing project to teach kids the meaning of giving.

Tony Manard and his Big Ol’ Band play Loflin Yard tonight. Special guest Kathy Driftwood.

That’s all for now. Ready for the weekend! Back tomorrow with more news.

Thursday update

Memphis’ USL soccer club Memphis 901 FC had a huge announcement yesterday. Former MSL/USMNT goalkeeper Tim Howard has been a minority owner of the team and was appointed sporting director a couple of months ago – only to find that he still has the itch to play. Pending league and federation approval, Howard will guard the goal for 901 FC in 2020. Very exciting for Memphis, and if you see Tim wish him a happy birthday – he turns 41 tomorrow.

Check out this cool PBR tap handle my friend Russian Aleks brought me from Colorado!

Love it! My apartment has turned into a PBR museum over the years.

Memphis will be on national TV this evening. The Memphis Tigers, having played the last two on the road, return to FedExForum tonight for an 8 PM game against the Wichita State Shockers, broadcast on ESPN. I thought for sure the Tigers were completely out of the NCAA tournament after their loss to SMU, but they are still listed as “second four out” with two remaining opportunities to get quality wins.

In other Tigers news, the James Wiseman recruitment case will be the first one reviewed by the NCAA’s new independent investigative arm. The new investigative body has no ties to any NCAA member school.

Downtown Slider Inn will have a St. Patty’s Day Pre-Party Friday, March 13 10 PM-2 AM with DJ Tree.

Diamond Dave calls British Bingo at The Lounge in the downstairs of 3rd and Court diner, tonight 6-8 PM. $100 in prizes will be given away and there will be some good specials: $5 taco bar, $5 classic cocktails, $4 house wine, $3 Yazoo beers, $2.50 domestic beers. Dave’s bingo is a lot of fun. I am seriously considering walking up there tonight to check this out. I have not been to The Lounge since it opened.

Arts & culture magazine Memphis Current will have the release party for its latest issue at Downtown Slider Inn Sunday, March 22 from 6 to 9 PM. Tickets are $15 and include hors d’oeuvres, live music by indie rock band Daykisser, (weather permitting) a 901 Wrestling match, and art by Noah Miller, Adele Winn, Taylor Loftin, Sara Moseley, Michele Noiset, and Kong Wee Pang.

Drag Bingo comes to the Silly Goose Tuesday night at 8. Host Pattie O’ Furniture does the Sunday bingo at Atomic Rose, and she previously hosted bingo at Oshi. She and her sidekick Pee Wee will host this first-ever bingo night at the Goose. Owner Daniel says if this night proves to be popular, he will bring it back on a regular basis. There will be Jello shots, prizes, and wood-fired pizzas.

New menu item at the Goose:

Pizza balls are sort of a cross between pizza rolls and sausage balls. They make a good snack. You get six of them for $10.

The Moody Ques received word that we’ve been accepted for BBQ Fest 2020. Let the games begin!

I got second place in trivia last night. The Blind Bear usually posts the four trivia topics to its Facebook page a day in advance. I noticed “Marching Music” was one of the topics, not surprising since Patrick’s day job is directing a high school band. The bonus question is usually a “make a list” type of thing, and this week I got in Patrick’s head and figured out what the bonus question would be in advance – name some marches by John Philip Sousa. A little research and memorization paid off on that one.

I completely blanked on team name though. The coronavirus names are overdone at this point, and Trump didn’t say anything stupid this week. Well, I’m sure he said lots of stupid things, but none that got reported by the media.

Mike Bloomberg did the right thing. He recognized that he wasn’t going to be the Democratic nominee and got out of the race. I make the following pledge and invite my readers who are Democrats/progressives to make the same:

  • If Bernie is the nominee, I will vote for him in November;
  • If Biden is the nominee, I will vote for him in November;
  • If there’s a brokered convention that results in another candidate being nominated, I will vote for him or her in November, even if it’s Hillary (please dear God don’t let it be Hillary)

That’s it for today. Back tomorrow with more news.