Category: Uncategorized

Saturday update

Last night was a night of wild, vivid dreams. I dreamed I was at the opening of a new grocery store. The produce section was expanded and named after my friend John D – not sure why because when I think of produce, John does not immediately come to mind. But anyway, John told me there were vending machines in the back, and I went back there to check them out, a security guard keeping a close eye on me, worried I would steal something I guess.

There was a vending machine that had “chicken snack” for 50 cents, and I thought that sounded interesting, so I put in two quarters. Out came a live chicken, about the size of my thumbnail. This was a fully grown brown chicken, not a chick. I guess I was supposed to eat it in one bite. I couldn’t do it though. I put it on the floor and it hopped around for a minute and then its head fell off. Maybe I need to go to that Broom Closet place that specializes in magick and spells and tarot and ask them the significance of dreaming that a chicken’s head fell off.

I wonder if they actually have vending machines like that in Vietnam?

As I drifted in and out of sleep, a Krystal commercial I had seen on TV last night flashed in my head, and I thought, Krystal Kondiments would make a good stripper name.

A lot of people Downtown are excited about John Prine playing the Orpheum tonight at 8 PM. Tickets are not cheap ($69-$109) but the ticket price includes a copy of Prine’s new album of original music.

The Redbirds won last night’s game in 11 innings, 2-1, so all it will take is a win over Fresno today or tomorrow to secure a second straight PCL championship. $1 Dugout and Field Box tickets will be on sale, and tonight is a fireworks game.

For those of you who are into beer, Wiseacre has a good educational post on the difference between dry hopping and wet hopping. Their Ananda IPA, which has been around for years, is dry hopped. Next Friday they will release Tacky Wet Hopped Pilsner.

Six Degrees to Tennessee Roots Jam is this evening at the New Daisy.

That’s all the news I can scrape up this morning. Those of you going to Cooper-Young Fest, keep hydrated because it’s going to be a hot one. Back tomorrow with more news.

Friday update

The Memphis Flyer’s Hungry Memphis blog reported yesterday that BurgerFest will indeed be back this year. BurgerFest, the successor to Best Memphis Burger Fest that was organized by Seth Agranov and his team, will be at Tiger Lane on October 27. However, this year it will be a little bit different: There will be no cooking competition among teams this year, although they do plan to bring that back in the future. There will be a ticket that gets you burger and beer samples, and there will be a burger bar where you can get full-sized burgers. There will also be kids’ activities.

Personally, I am quite fine with hearing there will be no team competition. My team the Moody Ques accomplished what we needed to last year. We proved we could run with the big boys on the burger scene, hauling in two trophies; we proved we could still function as a team after a couple of key departures. A personal goal of mine was to beat one other team in particular, and we did that too – I won’t say which team or I will get lectured by a redhead. Given our success last year, taking a year off from burgers sounds good to me. I did talk to our vice-president Jamie this week and we’re looking into options for a fall get-together for the team.

The Memphis Tigers host Georgia State at the Liberty Bowl tonight at 6 PM in a nationally televised game on ESPN. For those going to the game, there are throwback dog specials:

Food truck Fridays are back at the FedExForum plaza today through October 5.

John Mellencamp comes to the Orpheum Sunday, March 17 of next year. He’ll perform his classic hits plus some new songs.

Mick Jagger was in Memphis this week, meeting up with Jerry Lee Lewis at Sun Studio. The CA learned the reason Sir Mick was here: He’s doing reconnaissance for an upcoming movie project.

There was a joke on Twitter that Mick is making more appearances in Memphis these days than Tennessee Senate candidate Marsha Blackburn. How true…

For those of you into all things pumpkin, the Gourmade food truck will be at Ghost River this evening (starting at 3 PM) with a limited batch of their pumpkin amaretto pound cake. They’ll have banana pudding too.

The Commercial Appeal is in the kitchen with a Q&A with Majestic Grille chef Patrick Reilly.

The University of Tennessee is giving Carolinians escaping Florence free admission to their home game against UTEP tomorrow. Man, given the choice between the hurricane and Neyland Stadium, I think I’d take the hurricane.

Belle Tavern is opening early this weekend for soccer:

Statistical analysis site FiveThirtyEight has its Senate projections online. As of this morning the Republicans have slightly more than a 2 in 3 chance to retain the Senate. They also have projections for all the individual Senate races. As of this morning Marsha Marsha Marsha has a 7 in 10 chance of defeating Phil Bredesen, although she is projected to win by only 2 percentage points.

For those more interested in sports than politics, FiveThirtyEight has NFL projections too.

Oh, My Squash! is the theme at the Memphis Farmers Market this Saturday. It’s the perfect time of year for those who love this vegetable, with summer squashes still around, but also with winter squashes starting to make their debut. Market sponsor Char Restaurant will be there with a demonstration on how to make their Plum Peachy Iced Tea. The demo will be 9-11 AM at the Glass Silo, Trainside South. Shamicheal Hallman of the Cossitt Library will be there with a Reading Corral for kids 10-noon. There will also be a kids’ crafts table. Live music all day long. The Market runs from 8 AM to 1 PM under the pavilion at Front and G.E. Patterson every Saturday.

Former Trump campaign manager has reached a plea deal with the Special Counsel’s office. The Special Counsel has arranged a charging document, charging Manafort with lying to the FBI, witness tampering, money laundering, tax fraud, failing to report foreign bank accounts, and failing to register as a foreign agent. Now, here’s the interesting part… Manafort must admit that he committed all the crimes in the charging document, but he’s only pleading to two of the charges. That means the other charges could still be prosecuted by the State of New York at a later date – and remember, state convictions are not pardonable.

The next question is, by accepting the plea deal, does that mean Manafort is now cooperating in the investigation of Donald Trump? Based on what I’ve read, I tend to believe not, at least not yet. Manafort’s lawyers and Trump’s lawyers still have a joint defense agreement, meaning they share everything they know in order to help each other’s cases. Trump’s lawyers had joint defense agreements with Michael Flynn, Rick Gates, and Michael Cohen… but it was announced those agreements were ended a few days before the aforementioned three defendants flipped and starting working with prosecution. Not until we hear a similar announcement from Paulie Walnuts’ attorneys will we know he is cooperating. (EDIT: Two minutes after I hit Publish, I saw this. Manafort will indeed be cooperating with Mueller.)

That’s it for now. Back tomorrow or Sunday with more news.

Thursday update

I’ve now confirmed from a former Purple Haze employee that the place is closed for good. The former employee told me, after two employees got injured after last weekend’s fight/shooting, Charlie who ran the place reportedly said “I’m over it” and shut it down. In related news, a suspect has been identified in the shooting.

Walking Pants Curiosities is holding a Sunday in September Sip Shop-a-Jam this Sunday from noon to 4. Grab your favorite musical instrument and come jam out.

Memphis River Parks Partnership is hiring for two very good positions. If you love the riverfront and want to be a part of its redevelopment, this is your chance. The positions are

Field Ops Analyst

Garden Ranger

If interested, apply with a resume and cover letter to info@memphisriverparks.org.

Memphis Made Brewing Co. is working with Memphis Music Export on a project. Memphis Music Export, whose goal is to make people in other cities in the region aware of great Memphis music, has sent a couple of artists to Americana Fest in Nashville this weekend. Specially-labeled Memphis Made Americana Junt will be served at the Pure Memphis Happy Hour at the festival tonight from 5 to 8. Some of the musicians will have a return date at the Memphis Made taproom on October 6, and six-packs of Americana Junt will be available for sale during that time.

I tried another one of the $6 lunch specials at Pontotoc Lounge yesterday.

Chicken casserole is the Wednesday special. It comes with a side of fruit or salad. Pontotoc’s famous Mississippi Pot Roast is the $6 special today.

I heard something about the River Rat Rounders that makes their games my recommended games for those who are looking to get into the bar poker scene: They expect players to play real poker there. If you make a bunch of crazy moves that reduce the game from a game of skill to a game mostly of luck, you will be pulled aside and told that if you keep doing that, you will be asked to leave.

For those who have never played, let me give an example. Say it’s the first hand of the game with small blind 25/big blind 50, and I have 4000 chips. That’s 80 big blinds, allowing me plenty of room to place strategic bets to try and elicit information about my opponent’s hands. I look at my cards and decide to raise to 150, three times the big blind. If I have a starting hand like A♠Q♦, that raise is saying, “I have a big hand.” If I have a hand like 6♥5♥ that isn’t a very good hand but could turn into one if the right community cards are dealt, the raise is saying, “I want you to believe I have a big hand.” In either case, I still have 3850 left in my stack, plenty to respond to re-raises and play the flop, turn, and river properly.

When the flop (the first three community cards) come out, I have options. If one of the cards in my A♠Q♦ pairs up, I want to bet a little over half the size of the pot, because I probably have the best hand and I want to build the pot. I also bet here because I want to see if anyone re-raises me, possibly giving me information that my top pair might not be good and I need to be careful. On the other hand, if I have a speculative hand like 6♥5♥ and it doesn’t connect with the flop, I can bet a little over half the pot here anyway, because I represented in the first round of betting that I had a big hand. I’ve built the credibility to bluff and possibly take down the pot right then and there.

On the turn (the fourth community card) and the river (the fifth community card), I have two more opportunities to bet and gain additional information about my opponents’ hands, and because I had a large starting stack relative to the size of the big blind, I have the chips to size my bets properly. The turn in particular is considered the most important betting round of Texas Hold’em when played with skill, the card on which you decide if you want to go all the way with the hand or fold to cut your losses.

At a lot of bar games, however, there tend to be players who go all-in before the flop, even with deep stacks, whether they have a premium hand like A♠Q♦, a speculative hand with potential like 6♥5♥, or total hot garbage like J♣2♥. That reduces poker to a game that involves only slightly more skill than roulette, and it only takes one player at the table who does that to screw up the experience for everybody. Let me tell you, at bar poker, there is ALWAYS that one player at the table, and usually there are two or three of them. If the River Rat Rounders take people who do that aside and tell them “stop it or leave,” then I fully endorse their games.

That’s all, folks! Back tomorrow with more news.

Wednesday update

You can meet the leaders of The Daily Memphian, Memphis’ new online publication by locals for locals, tonight at Loflin Yard at 6:30. This is your chance to ask them any questions you have. Geoff Calkins, Jennifer Biggs, Otis Sanford, Eric Barnes and other staff members will be there. The first 50 people to arrive will get a free beer.

The City Council has voted to reinstate Beale Street Bucks. This means there will once again be a cover charge to get on Beale during peak times on weekends. The Bucks program, when in place last year, was found to be very effective reducing fights and stampedes on the street. The Bucks program will be implemented by the Downtown Memphis Commission. Specifics of the program (cost, what days and times) have yet to be worked out.

Birmingham has asked Bird to remove its scooters from the city. The issue is that they do not have a business license to operate there. That is not the case with Memphis, where Bird worked with the City Council to come in properly. Although Bird is operating properly here, it doesn’t mean the scooters are being used properly here. Yesterday I saw a guy on a Bird scooter blow through a red light at Main and Gayoso at about 15 MPH. People don’t seem to understand that they are supposed to obey traffic laws on those things.

The annual Cooper-Young Fest is this Saturday. This is one of the city’s largest block parties, and it actually spans many blocks, with Cooper being blocked off from Central to Meda. Holly has a really excellent guide to Cooper-Young Fest on the I Love Memphis Blog. Pay special attention to the notes about parking, which can get insane down there during peak hours. Expect to do a lot of walking, as you may have to walk nearly a mile from your car to the festival. Also, she’s exactly right that cell service will be unavailable during the peak hours. Just too many people and too many signals for the cell towers to be able to handle. Despite all that, there’s a reason this festival draws over 100,000 people a year – it’s a lot of fun.

Great news for baseball fans: The Redbirds have partnered with KTG USA to offer $1 Dugout and Field Box tickets for Friday’s playoff game, and if necessary Saturday and Sunday’s games. Get tickets here.

The Redbirds, by the way, took Game 1 of the PCL Championship Series yesterday by a score of 10-4.

Two pieces of Amazon news: First of all, they are launching one-hour grocery delivery in Memphis. Delivery is provided through Whole Foods, and beginning today Amazon Prime customers can get free delivery on orders of $35 or more.

One of my favorite days of the year when I was a kid was going to the lot with my mom to pick out our Christmas tree. Soon, kids may not know that joy. Amazon will sell and ship live Christmas trees this year.

Last night I heard from someone who lives in the area that a traffic light is going in at Riverside and Georgia. That is a dangerous intersection, as people try to turn left from Georgia onto Riverside. Further complicating the fact is that almost no one obeys the posted speed limit of 35 on that part of Riverside. A traffic light will slow them down. I was told this is a temporary solution, and the ultimate goal is to build a roundabout there.

There will be a traditional Vietnamese festival at Crosstown Concourse Saturday, September 22 from 6 to 9 PM. Dragon dance, moon cakes, lanterns, kids’ crafts. Free to the public.

A local food truck is going to be on national TV next week. Soi Number 9 will be on Andrew Zimmern’s show “Big Food Truck Tip” on the Food Network next Wednesday, September 19 at 9:30 PM.

The Memphis Business Journal has a photo gallery of the new Trader Joe’s in Germantown that will open Friday.

That’s all for now. Back tomorrow with more news.

Tuesday update

Purple Haze is temporarily closed for two weeks following ANOTHER shooting at the club this past weekend. The club has been the scene of multiple shootings and fights the past year. Haze supposedly has “strict security measures” but the shooters were somehow able to circumvent them and get the guns in anyway.

You know, I used to really enjoy going to Purple Haze late at night. Back around 2013 I would go over there with the Blind Bear folks after the Bear closed at 3. It was a lot of fun and I got to hang out with my service industry friends. The last time I went, though, which was probably around two years ago, I didn’t feel safe at all in there. It felt like the wild, wild west in there, a place to which law & order did not extend. I haven’t been back since and fear for my friends who go there after they get off work. Haze is developing the reputation that the Plush Club had for years, and they need to clean it up or shut it down.

UPDATE: I was just shown a post from an employee at Purple Haze, saying “in case you haven’t been watching the news, my co-workers and I are now unemployed and looking for jobs.” Have they shut down permanently? I will try to find out more details when I get out today.

If you’re curious about the ancient practice of Tai Chi, Downtown Yoga is hosting a four-week beginner’s class September 18-October 9. Sign up here.

Songwriter Jordan Booker, originally from Indiana and now based in Nashville, will give a free concert at the Tin Roof tonight at 8 PM.

Memphis’ conference rival UCF lost a marquee nonconference matchup today. It was announced that UCF vs. North Carolina is being canceled due to Hurricane Florence, expected to hit the Carolinas on Thursday. NC State’s home game against good ole West Virginny has also been called off, and Duke is heading to Baylor early.

The Orpheum is warning that fake tickets are being sold for Hamilton. The show is a Broadway craze like no other, and the only way to be guaranteed a seat is to be a season ticket holder.

In other Orpheum news, Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite will play there at 8 this evening.

Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel is the half-off whiskey at Belle Tavern this week.

The Redbirds take the field in Fresno tonight for Game 1 of the Pacific Coast League championship series. The Flyer’s Frank Murtaugh reports that Stubby Clapp, a native of Windsor, Ontario, has become a talking point since the Toronto Blue Jays announced that their manager would not be returning in 2019.

MakeUseOf has a handy list of apps to help you identify a song when you only know a few of the words or can only hum it.

You can now pre-order bop bags with the images of Donald Trump and his boss Vladimir Putin.

That’ll do it for now. Back tomorrow with more.

Monday update

At 2:05 yesterday, the Redbirds began what was scheduled to be a 7-inning Game 4 in the Pacific Coast League playoffs… but it went 10. Behind in the bottom of the 7th, the Redbirds scored on a sacrifice fly to tie it up and send the game into extra innings. The 8th and 9th went scoreless, and then Oklahoma City scored two in the top of the 10th… but then the Redbirds scored three to take the series and advance in the playoffs. Memphis will play either El Paso or Fresno in the PCL Championship series. The Redbirds will play the first two games on the road in the best-of-five series, returning to AutoZone Park Friday for Game 3, and (if necessary) Games 4 and 5 Saturday and Sunday.

Tonight’s the first week for MN MF’N F, Monday Night Football, and Local has a wing special.

Tikka Masala wings? Hmmm I do have a $25 Local gift card I’ve never used. I may have to check this out.

The South Main Association has its monthly meeting tomorrow night at 11 West Huling, a former Nabisco warehouse. There will be four speakers: Doug Carpenter, founder and principal of DCA; Bill Ganus, owner of Edible Memphis; Cara Greenstein, founder of Caramelized lifestyle blog; and Cristina McCarter, founder of City Tasting Tours. The SMA will provide light appetizers, wine, and beer. 6:00 social, 6:30 presentation.

This weekend I received confirmation that people have been arrested for DUIs on Bird scooters. While they are fun, always keep in mind you are operating a motorized vehicle on a public roadway and are expected to obey traffic laws.

Ed Weathers shows he gets what’s really going on in this Memphis Flyer editorial: Look up, not down. Completely accurate.

All right, short post today. Tired because I stayed up way late last night catching up with a friend. Back tomorrow with more news.

New Wing Order food truck debut @ Ghost River

Yesterday, with the aid of an umbrella, I walked down to the Ghost River taproom for the Downtown debut of the New Wing Order food truck. New Wing Order is a multi-time championship team from Southern Hot Wing Fest, and they decided to turn their winning ways into a business.

Of course, there are kinks to be worked out with any new restaurant, including food trucks. When I got there at 4, they weren’t serving yet because they were having problems with their generator. I got a Ghost River Grindhouse cream ale – which I was happy to find was on a $4 special – and waited it out. About 5:30 they got everything running and opened for business.

A long line developed within minutes. I had been watching from the patio and got down there right after they opened, so I avoided the line.

They explained to me that they had a limited menu, since they’re still working everything out. Makes sense. My buffalo wing nachos would have to wait for another day. The good news was, they did have 15 wing flavors, 3 flavors of fries, and a seasoned salad. For those curious about the wing flavors, they are

Signature flavors
Memphis Buffalo (award-winning)
Tennessee Teriyaki
Lynchburg Hot
Cajun Honey Hot

Seasonings
Backyard BBQ
Lemon Pepper
Garlic Parmesan
Ragin’ Cajun

BBQ sauces
Mild
Hot
Chipotle Honey
Alabama White

Buffalo sauces
Classic
Hot
Inferno

Because I had their signature flavors during the tasting I attended back in March, I decided to try other things on the menu. However, if you’re a wing fan I would encourage you to start with the signature flavors. The Memphis Buffalo sauce is what won them their Southern Hot Wing Fest championship, combining heat and a nod to Memphis’ BBQ tradition.

I inquired about the Inferno wings and was told, “they’re so hot, I can only eat 2 or 3 of them.” I decided not to take the chance. I ordered 6 wings with the Buffalo Hot Sauce.

My BBQ team pitmaster Kris made me a big fan of Alabama White BBQ sauce earlier in the year, so I ordered six of those as well. The fries were available as classic fries, Cajun fries, or garlic parmesan fries. I got the garlic parmesan.

One thing to note: These are breaded wings, unlike many wing restaurants that serve them naked. Very good though. The hot sauce was not too hot, making me wonder if I should reconsider the Inferno wings next time I visited the food truck. Love that Alabama white  sauce. The garlic parmesan fries were a hit too. You get celery with each wing order, which my troll liked because it’s the same color as her hair. You can request ranch, blue cheese, or jalapeno ranch dipping sauce.

For my vegetarian and vegan readers, New Wing Order has an avocado taco that I got to try at the tasting in March and it is yummy.

I started the day with a walk to the Farmers Market about 10 in the morning. The forecast said there might be a little rain later in the day, so I took the umbrella, thinking how stupid I must look carrying it around in the sunshine. I wasn’t looking stupid on the walk back from Ghost River, though. Almost as soon as I stepped onto the sidewalk on Main Street, it started pouring.

Although my hair stayed dry, the wind was blowing rain onto my shorts and sandals, and I decided that a walk all the way back to the core was not a good idea. So I stopped off at my home away from home on the south side, Max’s Sports Bar, to wait out the rain. I got a seat at one of the tables against the back wall facing the bar. The line at the bar was 2-3 deep, and it was unavoidable that people trying to get down the center aisle would brush up against me. Anyplace else, I would have been incredibly annoyed. But at Max’s, it’s just part of being there. We’re all friends there and we’re all there to watch sports.

Also, I have to give compliments to Mike the bartender. No matter how busy it was at the bar, no matter how many people were clamoring for his attention, he always knew when I was down to about 3 sips left of my beer, and asked me, “Another one, Paul?” I appreciate the way Mike, and really all of the staff at Max’s, take such good care of the regulars.

The Memphis loss to Navy was disappointing. It’s going to be tough for Memphis to get into a position to be the Group of Five representative in a Big Six bowl now.

I couldn’t dwell on the Memphis loss for long, though, because I had Arkansas to watch. They played the Colorado State Rams starting at 6:30. My friend Krisma, a fellow Hogs fan, came in and we watched the game together. It turned out to be the second disappointment of the night, with Colorado State coming from way behind to beat Arkansas 34-27. “I was hoping we wouldn’t be the doormat of the SEC this year,” she said.

“Yeah, looks like we’re the Tennessee Vols of the SEC West,” I replied.

Despite the bad day for my teams, it was a reminder how much fun College Football Saturday at Max’s is. I will be back soon!

Last night’s Pacific Coast League playoff game at AutoZone Park was postponed due to bad weather. Game 4 of Memphis vs. Oklahoma City will be played at 2:05 today as a 7-inning game. If necessary, Game 5 will start 30 minutes after the end of Game 4.

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

Saturday update

The Memphis Redbirds came back in the bottom of the ninth last night, scoring 3 runs to beat the Oklahoma City Dodgers, 5-4. The Redbirds take a 2-1 advantage in the playoff series and could win it tonight. Tonight’s game at AutoZone Park will have fireworks after the game.

Tickets are now on sale for the Cooper-Young Beerfest. This festival, to be held on Saturday, October 20, features 35 breweries from around the region as well as beer from local homebrewers. In my opinion, this is Memphis’ best beer festival because you aren’t there to see and be seen; you’re there to sample, ask the brewers questions, and learn all about the beer you are drinking. Tickets are $45 and they go up to $50 October 1.

Yesterday I tried one of Pontotoc Lounge’s lunch specials. Every Friday they have their burger for $6 from 11 to 2.

 

This was no Big Mac. It was a gourmet burger, with grilled onions, pickles, and a sweet sauce. It was so juicy too, and so big that I couldn’t finish it. I was also pleasantly surprised to see my $6 included fries. A lot of places, when they run burger specials, run the special on only the burger and fries are extra. Pontotoc does it right.

Plus, Perjorie T. Roll got to stand on a butcher board, which always makes her happy.

Pontotoc Lounge has the $6 burger every Friday. They also have $6 specials at lunch Wednesdays (chicken casserole) and Thursday (Mississippi pot roast).

On the way down there, I met a boxing coach who is trying to use boxing as a way to get kids off the streets and keep them out of trouble. (Click for a larger image to view the sign)

If any of my readers feel like talking to him and possibly supporting what he does, Coach McKinnon told me he’ll be at the corner of Main and Beale most every day.

The Grizzlies are moving fully to mobile ticketing this season, and there will be no more option to print tickets at home or store them as a PDF. This will reduce problems with lost, stolen and fraudulent tickets. I wonder how it will work for people who have the old-style flip phones that can’t display images, though? Or people who forget to bring their phone to the game.

The Peabody Hotel’s bakery and deli has announced its ice cream flavor of the month for September. In observance of the hotel’s 149th anniversary, it will be a cake batter ice cream with shortbread cookie pieces and swirls of raspberry jam.

Downtown Memphis is getting a second Lisa’s Lunchbox location. Many Raymond James employees were making the six-block trek to the popular deli on South Front Street, and they expressed to the staff there that it sure would be nice to have a Lunchbox location in their building. Kickin’ chicken spaghetti every Wednesday!

From the Today Show: Mustard pizza is a thing. That’s a pizza that uses mustard as its base rather than tomato sauce. Sure, I could get behind that.

I’m going to be spending a lot of time on the south side of Downtown today! I’m leading off at the Farmers Market, then over to Earnestine & Hazel’s to say hello to Clarence. Then my “DAWG” John D and I made plans to switch our usual Saturday spot from Bardog to Max’s Sports Bar for one week only (he’s friends with the bartender apparently). Then at 4 I will head to Ghost River for the New Wing Order Downtown grand opening. The buffalo wing nachos are high on my list to try. Pictures tomorrow probably.

Friday update

Memphis has lost one of its true greats in the restaurant, bar, and nightclub scene this week. Bud Chittom passed away this week at age 67. In recent years Bud has grown Blues City Cafe and Club 152 into highly successful businesses, and he was involved with the re-opening of Earnestine & Hazel’s and the Five Spot following Russell George’s death. I knew Bud best from Club Six-1-Six which was my spot back in the ’90s. Bud was always very kind to me, always complimented me on the blog when he saw me around town. Rest in peace, Bud. Memphis is better in many ways, and many people have a lot of cherished memories, because of the businesses you built.

Seth Agranov, former operator of Best Memphis Burger Fest, tagged me in a post this morning. The folks who bought the rights to run a burger festival from him have re-branded it Burgerfest Memphis and have a tentative date of October 27th. The location of the festival is unclear at this time. The logo has a drawing of the Liberty Bowl and says “Tiger Lane,” but the Facebook post announced a location of Bobby Lanier Farm Park in Germantown. That’s a bye week for the Tigers so a game wouldn’t preclude the use of Tiger Lane. I’ll post more details as I get them.

That date for Burgerfest Memphis is later in the fall than they’ve had it in the past. On October 27, you’re looking at normal temperatures of high 71/low 50. If that day is normal or above, everything will be fine. Just got to hope a cold front doesn’t pass through and drop it down into the 30s.

The playoff series, tied at 1-1 between the Memphis Redbirds and Oklahoma City, comes to AutoZone Park tonight. Game time is 7:05 and the first 1500 people get a 2018 playoff rally towel. There is a special cookout ticket that includes burgers, hot dogs and all the trimmings, a free ticket to Game 4 on Saturday, and a free ticket to Game 5 on Sunday (if necessary).

The Peabody is bringing back its Sunset Happy Hour Fridays and Saturdays this month 4:30-8:30 PM. It’s free to go up to the hotel’s rooftop and watch the sun set, and libations will be available for purchase.

I don’t know if I have any readers who go to the Memphis Farmers Market and who own dogs, but in case I do, you’ll want to be at the Market tomorrow where the theme is Treat Your Beasts. Vendors at the Farmers Market sell dog treats made from natural, locally-sourced ingredients, and there are also meat vendors who will sell you a bone for your dog. Free pet-sitting is available while you shop. Featured sponsor Hollywood Feed will have a booth there tomorrow. M4, the Mini-Mobile Metal Museum, will bring the Metal Museum’s smithy and casting to the Market. Kids can get their oink on in the crafts booth 8 to noon, and there will be live local music all day. The Market runs 8-1 every Saturday under the pavilion at Front and G.E. Patterson.

YOGA! Tomorrow there will be an all-levels yoga class on the rooftop of Old Dominick Distillery, followed by “mimosas” with Old Dominick products. $15 includes the class and one specialty cocktail. Check in at 10:30, yoga at 11, cocktails following yoga.

The Brass Door is inviting the public to come watch the USA vs. Brazil soccer friendly at 6:30 this evening.

There will be a free concert outside the Halloran Centre for the Performing Arts next Wednesday, September 12, from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM. Kirk Whalum will be presented with his Brass Note.

Project Green Fork is seeking a Program Manager.

The Travel Channel will be filming at LUNCHBOXeats tomorrow and they are inviting the public to come be on TV. Filming will happen 12:30 to 2 PM.

A man was killed after being hit by a train this morning at South Main and Virginia Avenue.

Disney on Ice presents Frozen is in town for the weekend at FedExForum.

The New Daisy has announced Hoobastank will play on November 16.

Rhonda Vincent and the Rage play the Halloran Centre tonight.

Memphis in May has announced an open call for visual artists to submit work for its 2019 salute. Rather than honoring a country this year, the month-long festival is honoring Memphis for the city’s bicentennial.

So, today I find myself with an important decision to make.

A couple of days ago I blogged that my friend Dennis, who climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise money for St. Jude a couple of years ago, is making a trip to Everest Base Camp to further raise money. Yesterday I got an email from Dennis with an offer to come along…

No, not for me to come along.

Dennis has invited Perjorie T. Roll to accompany him on his trip. “Perjorie would have stops in Philadelphia, Qatar, Kathmandu, Lukla (including an exhilarating flight into the worlds most dangerous airport), Namche Bazaar, Tengboche, Dingboche, Lobuche, Gorakshep (the original Everest Base Camp), Everest Base Camp, and a side trip up Mount Kalapatthar to see the sunrise over Everest’s peak,” Dennis wrote. He said she would fit in a carry-on bag on the plane and in a backpack hiking up the mountain, and that (connectivity permitting) he could send back a picture of the day to put on the blog. As Dennis points out, not many trolls have been to Mt. Everest, and it would be a great way to raise awareness for his fundraising for St. Jude.

The downside is that I’d be without Perjorie for two-thirds of the month of October and I would miss my little troll terribly. I also need to find out if my BBQ team has any interest in doing Burgerfest Memphis. If there’s a Moody Ques event during the time she’s overseas, that could be a deal-breaker. She is too valuable an asset to the team to miss an event of that magnitude.

Also a concern is, what if she gets lost over there and I never get her back? I trust Dennis completely, and since she’ll be in a carry-on, lost luggage is not a concern. However, Everest is a dangerous environment, and it’s possible that an emergency situation will arise in which the protection of a plastic figurine is not the highest concern. I could get another troll, but there’s only one Perjorie. She’s my scar, a remnant of a deep injury, but an emotional one rather than a physical one. I wish I could say more but this is a public website so I won’t.

I’m going to think about it over the weekend.

Headed to Pontotoc Lounge here in a bit where they have their burger as a $6 lunch special 11 AM to 2 PM. Back tomorrow with more news.

Thursday update

Saturday will be a big day for dog lovers Downtown. The new Mud Island dog park, sponsored by Hollywood Feed, will open that day.

The Dr. Bill Herd Jazz Ensemble will perform at Pop-up Sunset Jazz at Court Square this Sunday from 5 to 7 PM. Food trucks will be available for those who are hungry.

Construction is coming to Poplar and Danny Thomas. The Memphis Business Journal reports that the Union Mission is building a facility west of its current 383 Poplar location that will comfortably house and feed 350 people in a variety of spaces.

There will be a free performance of Shakespeare’s Two Gentlemen of Verona Friday, September 21 at 6 PM at Beale Street Landing.

Cemetery Cinema will return to Elmwood Cemetery on Friday, October 5 with a double feature to get you in the mood for Halloween. The gates will open at 5:30, and you can enjoy rides on mule-driven buckboards around the cemetery as costumed characters talk about those who are buried there. At 6:45, once the sun has set, the first movie will begin, being projected onto the roof of the cemetery’s historic 1852 cottage. The films will be The Wolf Man (1941) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935).

Gizmodo has a list of 9 apps you should try if you want to learn something new every day. I have installed Curiosity and Blinkist and am enjoying them so far.

My trivia team won for the third week in a row at Blind Bear. Early on, Elton John was on the TV in front of us in one of his snazzy outfits, and Cady commented, “Elton John is like an elegant Ric Flair.” Then she said, “That should be our team name.”

By now you’ve probably all heard about the op-ed piece in the New York Times yesterday, written by an anonymous senior official in the White House. It confirms one of the major points of Bob Woodward’s book, that White House officials have to contain President Trump’s impulses to avoid situations that would endanger national security. I wonder who this person is. Pence? Mattis?

That’ll do it for now. Back tomorrow with more news.