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Mayweather-McGregor at Loflin Yard and more Saturday news

Prayers to any readers who have friends or relatives living on the Texas Gulf Coast. That area took a hard one overnight and it looks like Harvey is going to stick around and dump rain for days to come.

If you want to watch the Mayweather-McGregor fight tonight, Loflin Yard has it. There is a $10 cover. Interestingly, I ran into a friend last night who is involved with V3Fights locally and who was handing out flyers for their September 2 show at Minglewood. I asked him if he thought McGregor had a chance, and he surprised me with his answer: “I think he has a very good chance.” He said that McGregor has been taking hard punches to the head his entire life and won’t be fazed by Mayweather’s. He also said that McGregor is smart enough not to forget it’s a boxing match and get disqualified for a takedown or a kick. I defer to his knowledge of MMA, but he is one of very few people I have talked to who does not think Mayweather will slaughter McGregor.

The R. Kelly concert at FedExForum tomorrow night has been canceled.

Yesterday afternoon I was waiting on a script to finish running at work, when I had a thought: Halloween weekend is to the fall what Music Fest weekend is to the spring. What I mean by that is, it seems like many years the weather tends to be excellent right up a day or two before the Saturday on or preceding Halloween, which tends to be the big party night. Then on Saturday or shortly before, the temperatures plummet, leaving everyone in costume (especially ladies who like to show off their naughty side that night) shivering as they get to and from their parties.

I did a little research to see if I was out of my mind. I got on Weather Underground and looked up the recorded high and low for Memphis for October 28, which will be Halloween party Saturday this year. The average high and low for that date is 70/50. Over the past 20 years, there have been 6 occurrences where the high and low were significantly below average on the 28th.

  • 2012: 58/38
  • 2011: 58/40
  • 2008: 52/34
  • 2005: 66/39
  • 2001: 61/36
  • 1997: 57/36

If you remember, last year the temps were in the mid 80s (almost TOO warm for costumes) on Halloween party night. I have a feeling we’re going to be due for a cold one after getting lucky the past four years. Hopefully it won’t be as bad as Halloween 1993 though: That day the high was 44, the low 30, and it snowed!

Does this make me a climate change denier? Maybe Trump will tweet a link to this post.

John Paul Keith plays The Front Porch 6:30-8:30 tonight.

Life goals:

The Center for Southern Folklore is seeking volunteers for next week’s Memphis Music & Heritage Festival. Apply here.

Will Hurricane Harvey affect the Mid-South? The MemphisWeather.net blog has the answers.

The Memphis Hustle will host open player tryouts in Memphis and Southaven September 23 and 24.

Another Redbirds playoff promotion:

I ended up missing Trolley Night last night, and I hate that because I wanted to take some pictures inside 409 S. Main to post here. However, a large group of BBQ teammates showed up at Silly Goose happy hour. We got talking about ideas for our first practice cook for Burger Fest and time flew. I hope 409 has another preview night soon.

Time to get out and about. I am going to be keeping my eye on Twitter for Harvey updates all day. Back tomorrow (or maybe Monday, if I don’t have time before cooking practice) with more news.

Friday update #2

The Memphis Hustle, the Grizzlies’ G-League team, have released their 2017-18 schedule. Home games are played at The Landers Center in Southaven, but the Friday, November 24 game vs. Salt Lake City will happen at FedExForum.

In other Hustle news, the MBJ reports that Renasant Bank has signed on with the Hustle as founding bank partner.

Job news: GE Capital is hiring a Branding and Marketing Specialist in Memphis.

From Memphis magazine: The End of the Lovin’ Kate Adams Riverboat, which burned while docked at the foot of Monroe in 1927.

Harmonica.com has a great article about the Memphis Music & Heritage Festival, happening on the Main Street Mall September 2 and 3. They really did a good job spotlighting how the diversity of this festival – both in genres of music and other celebrations of regional culture – just can’t be beat.

The More You Know, the More You Grow is the theme at the Memphis Farmers Market this Saturday. They’ll have a full day of education for you. UT College of Pharmacy will have information on allergy and asthma solutions. American Red Cross will be there to educate you on all the services they provide the community. The Master Gardeners will be there to answer all your fall gardening questions. Live music by Buck Hutcheson 8:30-10. The Market runs every Saturday 7 AM to 1 PM under the pavilion at Front and G.E. Patterson. Also, don’t forget about Market Squared every Wednesday 4-7 PM in Court Square!

Get the latest Johnny Cash reissue at Sun Records:

That’s it for now. Probably going to hit South Main Trolley Night tonight. In particular I want to check out what is happening at 409 S. Main. Back tomorrow with more news.

Friday update #1

There will be a preview of South Main Market, the new food hall going into 409 S. Main at the corner of Main and Huling, at South Main Trolley Night this evening. Holly has the details on the I Love Memphis events calendar.

The four Redbirds playoff games for which tickets are currently available will all have an all-you-can-eat specialty ticket option. Burgers (twice), wings, and tacos.

Beer news: Ghost River’s Oktoberfest has been released. You can get it in stores or at the taproom at Main and Crump.

More beer news: Crosstown Brewing Co.’s website is live,

Singer-songwriter J.D. Souther comes to the Halloran Centre September 23. Souther wrote Eagles hits “Heartache Tonight” and “New Kid in Town.” He has also written songs for Linda Rondstadt, Brooks and Dunn, Don Henley, Roy Orbison, James Taylor, Trisha Yearwood, and George Strait.

The Downtown Memphis Commission has put out a Request for Proposals for a public art mural decorating the railroad underpass and trestle crossing G.E. Patterson between Front and Main. Proposals are due October 2, an artist will be selected October 16, and the work must be completed by December 1.

WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar is scheduled to be there, along with John Cena, Roman Reigns (pictured above), Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, Braun Strowman, The Miz, and Samoa Joe. RAW General Manager Kurt Angle and his “son” Jason Jordan (God what a stupid storyline) will be there too.

Off to work. Very possible I will post again at lunchtime, so check back.

Oyster roast, Orion could be coming to The Edge, and more Thursday news

The Front Porch is having an oyster roast the Sunday of Labor Day weekend, 3-8 PM. Fresh-shucked raw oysters, po’boys and more will be on the menu. There will be both East and West Coast oysters, Gulf Oysters, wines by Valkyrie Selections, and local beers. For those not into oysters, a limited Front Porch menu will be available. Live music by Marcella Simien and others. Oysters will be sold by the half dozen until sold out. You don’t have to make reservations.

They will also have a limited number of VIP tickets. With these you get a cheese & game sausage platter, half dozen raw oysters and a half dozen char-grilled oysters, Low Country corn and potatoes. These tickets also come with two tickets good for beer and featured wines. VIPs get shaded seating with waiter service. Call 901-524-0187 to order these in advance of the event, because they will not be sold the day of. $50 inclusive.

Keep in mind that this event will be only two blocks away from the Memphis Music & Heritage Festival, so you can easily hit both. You’re going to be hearing a lot more about MMHF on this blog the next couple of weeks. It is a street festival on the Main Street Mall, from Union to Peabody Place, put on by the Center for Southern Folklore Saturday-Sunday, September 2 and 3. This fest features over 100 music acts, craftspeople, cooks, dancers and drum lines. If you want to find out what culture in the Mid-South region is all about, you must check out this festival. Absolutely one of my fall favorites.

Felicia Suzanne Restaurant’s patio is getting a face lift so for the time being, they request you enter through the Brinkley lobby for your safety.

The Memphis City Council approved a $6 million loan for a 481-space parking garage that will be part of the redevelopment of the Wonder Bread building out in The Edge. Another piece of great news about that project – it was announced that Orion Federal Credit Union is in talks to move its headquarters from its current space on U.S. 64 to the Wonder building on Monroe Avenue. Developers believe that a solid corporate citizen like Orion in the neighborhood would spur rapid growth in residential and retail.

The G-League expansion draft is complete, and new team Memphis Hustle got the rights to some quality players:

D.J. Stephens, Adonis Thomas, and Jimmer Fredette! Keep in mind that these are just the RIGHTS to these players, should they choose to join the G-League. They may not make that choice due to more lucrative contracts overseas. So we’ll probably never see the Jimmer play in DeSoto County… exciting to think about though.

100 Lives is this week’s film in The 15 Film Series at Clayborn Temple. The daughter of a school teacher becomes the 100th shooting victim of the year. The teacher realizes he must decide how he and others in the community will deal with the violence, and discovers that the greatest change is a change made in the heart. The writer, director, and star of this film, Phil Darius Wallace, will be there.

Next Tuesday at Clayborn, I AM A MAN Plaza Workshop #3 will happen 5:30-7:30 PM. Add your voice to this session, the third of four. The developer will discuss project details and design elements, and will have quotes from civil rights leaders to be incorporated. The plaza will honor the 1968 Memphis sanitation workers whose strike brought Dr. King to town.

Beer recommendation: I had a Ballast Point Manta Ray at the Flying Saucer last night. It was delicious, and it had a good Value Drinking Index. Value Drinking Index = (alcohol by volume) * (ounces) / (price). A VDI of 15 or higher represents an excellent value. Manta Ray has a VDI of 16.

Also, I think I found my favorite Saucer burger last night. It is the Terlingua, topped with Havarti cheese, beef chili, red onions, corn chips, and garlic herb mayo. I grew up on chili burgers at The Black Angus in Little Rock, and the Terlingua seems like a more grown-up version of those burgers.

Great news for Memphis Tigers football:

From Lifehacker: America’s worst trolls live in Vermont, an Illinois suburb, and the South. Don’tcha just hate those crazy trolls?

Bad news for those on the Texas coast: Tropical Depression Harvey could strengthen into a very slow-moving hurricane, dumping up to four feet of rain by early next week.

Remember when Trump proposed a joint cyber-security unit with Russia? That is a horrible idea and Congress agrees. Legislation moving through the Senate would require the Trumpster to notify Congress before any such unit is created. He’d have to report on intelligence to be shared with Russia, counterintelligence concerns, and how those concerns would be addressed.

That’s it for now. I’ll be out at Silly Goose happy hour after work. Back tomorrow.

Wednesday update #2

The annual showing of Rocky Horror Picture Show on the big screen at the Orpheum is this Friday starting at 8 PM with the doors opening at 7. I have been to this and it is a LOT of fun, You can purchase a prop kit ($5) and audience participation is encouraged. Let me amend what I just said: This event is a LOT of fun, unless you’re part of the crew that has to clean up the theatre after the show is over. There is a costume contest prior to the show, and also a photo booth.

YOGA! The Ghost River taproom will host a yoga benefit for Grizzlies Prep Academy Thursday, September 7 at 6 PM (check-in starts at 5:30). $15 gets you an all-levels yoga class followed by a delicious Ghost River beer with your fellow yogis. You provide your own water and mat. Click the link to read more and to register. Class size is limited to 25.

Believe it or not, August is almost over… making this Friday the last Friday of the month and therefore a South Main Trolley Night! The shops of South Main will stay open til 9 or later Friday night, so you can come see what they have and mingle with your neighbors. At South Main Book Juggler, 548 S. Main, Kristi Bradley will be signing copies of her book Mysta. Stock & Belle at 387 S. Main will have As Above, So Below, a night of magic and mystic discoveries. It’ll be Songwriter Night #64 at South Main Sounds, 550 S. Main. The house band will be playing at Earnestine & Hazel’s. Cosmic Hate Destroyers will perform in front of 465 S. Main, and Grape will be at The Vault at 124 G.E. Patterson. 901drift, a new jewelry line, will be selling their stuff in front of 474 S. Main.

West Crown Tennessee and Rizzo’s will partner Thursday to bring Flor de Cana Nicaragua’s first rum in the Memphis market. It will be paired with a four course dinner by Chef Michael Patrick.

News from City Tasting Tours:

My hometown of Little Rock will be in the path of totality for the next solar eclipse in 2024. Here’s a list of major cities along that path.

Music in the pocket park!

Wednesday food truck night is back at Miss Cordelia’s tonight with live music by Jamie Baker, Diamond Bear as the featured brewery, and Stanley’s Sweet Street Treats and Sobies Hen House trucks selling food.

Excited to see that the Moody Ques cook team is coming together this weekend for the first of our three Best Memphis Burger Fest practice cooks. I’m even sacrificing my Sunday morning at the Blind Bear so I can be a part of it. I’m not a cook but I am a former Burger Fest judge and want us to aim for 9s (the highest score) in every burger and every criteria for scoring.

If you missed my earlier post today, it is double your dollars gift card day at Kooky Canuck.

That’s it for now. I’ll be out at the Silly Goose for happy hour after work. Back tomorrow with more news.

Kooky Canuck having Double Your Dollars gift card sale today

Hey, everyone. I’ll be back at lunchtime with a longer post, but I’ve got one time-sensitive item that I wanted to get up quickly. Kooky Canuck will be doing a double-your-dollars gift card sale from 11 AM to 11 PM today at both locations. If that’s a place you like to go to eat, you can double your purchasing power today. Minimum $10 purchase, available in any increments.

Sunday update

Run. Drink. Eat.

That is all you need to know for today. Monroe Fest, or the Bardog alley party as it has been known in the past, is the place to be this afternoon. Monroe Avenue between Front and Main. Noon to 6. Be there.

I was in Bardog yesterday, and I saw a really nice kayak that is one of the many raffle prizes to be given away throughout the afternoon. Come be a part of this and remember, donations raised go to the kids of St. Jude.

For those of you who know the Send Bob to the Dunk Tank fundraising team, the big payoff for that will be at 2 this afternoon.

I did the Stumblin’ Elvis pub crawl at Flying Saucer, Club 152, and Blind Bear last night. Here are a few pics.

Ariel n me lookin’ all legit. She and I competed in a Big Wheel drag race for a Saucer gift card. Despite falling off the Big Wheel three times before the race started, I somehow managed to win.

Elvis impersonator at Club 152. For a minute I thought that was my neighbor Buddha up on stage.

My neighbor Liz getting her Jailhouse Rock on at Blind Bear for the final stop of the crawl.

Staci stole my Annoying Elvis Tourist outfit. She needs to bring her friend Hot Vegetarian Katie from D.C. down for Burger Fest. Vegetarians love the Moody Ques!

Earlier in the day, I stopped by LYFE Kitchen for some $2 PBR. I got a request for clarification – LYFE has $2 PBR all day, every day, whether or not you are sitting at the bar. I ended up trying another beer too:

Memphis Sands by Wiseacre, a tribute to the pure water in the aquifer deep beneath the ground here, is a light, refreshing beer that is great in the summertime.

Time to get out and about. I’ll lead off with an hour of dranks at the Blind Bear at 11, then over to Monroe Fest. I’ll be there all afternoon, so come say hi!

I ordered way too much

Yesterday I had dinner at Bangkok Alley, ordering off the sushi menu. The sushi chef doesn’t play around with quantity of food. I ordered way more than I could eat (and the troll was not much help) so more than half of it is in my refrigerator in a to-go box.

They had a nice selection of craft beers, including some local offerings, at very reasonable prices. I had a Memphis Made Fireside with my sushi.

Fried bananas with ice cream for dessert. This was not the cheapest tab I have ever had, but I decided to treat myself on the first day of my 4-day weekend.

Cerrito Trivia has announced that they will no longer be at the Green Beetle starting this coming week. You can still play Cerrito Trivia and Bingo at Loflin Yard, Tamp & Tap, and The Arcade.

Independent R&B/soul music pioneer Eric Roberson plays the Orpheum tonight.

I swiped my MOU card (Master of the Universe – it replaces your UFO card when you get 5 plates) at the Flying Saucer yesterday… and it worked! I thought it was broken forever, but it turned out the old kiosks, which they got rid of during the renovation, were actually what was broken. I found that I was a little farther along to my 9th plate – 129 beers out of 200 – than I thought. I bumped that number up to 132 yesterday. It’s the first time in several years I’ve made a serious effort to go for a plate. I plan to have it done early to mid October, probably waiting until after Burger Fest so my plate party won’t conflict with a team practice cook.

The Annoying Elvis Tourist will be out today. With his Elvis movie T-shirt, pink bedazzled ELVIS hat, Blue Hawaii lei, sunglasses, Elvis arm band, and pink Elvis coin purse, he is hard not to notice. He is going to run around Downtown and take pictures of people dressed as Elvis. Needless to say, he will be at Stumblin’ Elvis tonight starting at the Flying Saucer at 5. Put on your Elvis or Priscilla gear and stumble with us to some of the Downtown Memphis core’s best bars.

Time to eat some leftover sushi and get this day started. Back tomorrow with more news.

Friday update

Recently I was asked, “Paul, there are certain events you really promote hard on your blog,” (like Breakaway-Bardog 5K and Monroe Fest this Sunday. Would you like more information about that event?) “How do you decide which ones you push to the moon when you write?” Well, I don’t really have a conscious process. But subconsciously, I guess I ask myself three questions.

Do people benefit from this event? And/or does it make the vibe of my city richer, make it more interesting?

Do I know the organizers? Do I know of the organizers? Are they good people?

Are the people the organizers associate with also good people?

An event that scores 3/3 on this quiz is likely to get heavily promoted in my blog. That’s why I recommend Plunge to Expunge at Memphis Made this evening. That’s why I recommend making Stumblin’ Elvis your plan for tomorrow (starts at Flying Saucer 5 PM). That’s why you’re going to read a lot on here about the Memphis Music & Heritage Festival over the next couple of weeks.

Songwriter Night #63 is tonight at South Main Sounds, 550 S. Main. Newcomers Abby Frances and Lauren Moscato kick things off, followed by acoustic sets from Thompson Springs and Coyote. 7-9 PM, free to attend.

First 1500 fans at AutoZone Park tonight receive a tire gauge that can be put on a keychain, courtesy of AutoZone. There will be fireworks post-game and it’s Scout Night and Teacher Appreciation Night. Block party in the plaza with select $2 beers and music by Big T prior to the game. Gates at 6, first pitch 7:05.

Hey, there’s Jubi and Sarge’s dad!

The Rusty Pieces play the Flying Saucer tonight 6-9 PM.

I had one of the new appetizers from the Silly Goose’s new happy hour menu last night, the fried chickpeas.

Tasty and high in protein, you get a very good sized bowl of these for $5. For those of you who want to graduate from popcorn to the next level, this is an ideal bar snack. High in protein too!

Loflin Yard is hosting a Mayweather vs. McGregor viewing party on the 26th. I like Conor McGregor but he gonna get his ass beat. He could have a lucrative career in the WWE if he wanted it.

Bring It Food Hub is now signing people up for its fall fresh produce subscription. Locally grown produce you can pick up at a point near you every week, September 5-November 17.

Off work today. I like to take the Friday before the Breakaway-Bardog 5K and Monroe Fest off and go down to Bardog to show my support. I show my support by getting to the bar at 9:30 AM and drinking PBR and playing the jukebox. Might stop by the Saucer this afternoon too. Time to get out there and enjoy not being in a cubicle. Back tomorrow with more news.

Thur update #2: Tried a gourmet Flying Saucer burger, Stumblin’ Elvis (costume contest insider tip) and more news

As many of you know, the Flying Saucer closed temporarily for a couple of months in early spring. When they reopened in late April, they had a greatly expanded kitchen. For the new menu, they drew on gourmet burgers from Rodeo Goat, another chain of restaurants within the Saucer family. Up until now I hadn’t tried one – simply because my mind hadn’t been conditioned to think of the Saucer as a burger joint! However, last night I was in there for a couple of beers, and started looking at the menu, and thought, “I need to take one of these burgers home.”

I ordered the Telluride, a burger topped with green chiles (Hatch when available), lettuce, beefsteak tomato, red onion, poblano goat cheese, and green chile chutney. I asked them to hold the tomato, because I don’t like tomatoes on my burger; and the lettuce, because I didn’t think it worked with the other toppings. I ordered a side of fries, with ranch for dipping instead of ketchup.

It was really good! The peppers gave the burger a taste unlike any burger I ever had, and the meat was quality and cooked medium as I requested. While adding a lot of flavor, the peppers did not make the burger’s taste overwhelmingly hot. The fries were outstanding! Nice, thick, hand-cut with the skin on. I would definitely get a Saucer burger again, although I will probably try a few others from the menu before coming back to the Telluride.

Sorry I didn’t get a picture… my troll had already gone to bed for the evening, and I knew she would be very unhappy if I took a food photo without her standing nearby.

The Blind Bear has announced that those stumbling through the Bear for Stumblin’ Elvis Saturday night will get $3 moonshine, $3 Fireball, and $5 16 oz. draft Yazoo Hefeweizen. By the way the event starts at the Saucer at 5 PM with the Big Wheel races happening at 5:30. I believe I may have previously posted 7 PM, in error.

Oh also, the Saucer posted this morning updating who will win prizes at Stumblin’ E:

Remember to dress up as The King or as Priscilla for a chance to win some AWESOME prizes:
Best Dressed – VIP Tour of Yazoo Brewing Company + Hotel Stay + Gas Card + $100 gift card from Saucer
Best Couple – Gift Basket from Yazoo + $30 gift card from Saucer
Sexiest Priscilla – Gift Basket from Yazoo + $30 gift card from Saucer
Big Wheel Champion will receive 2 rounds on brew on us plus some Yazoo swag.

INSIDER TIP: Some of the usual Elvises who do this annual pub crawl will be away from Downtown Saturday night attending another event. This is a great costume contest for a dark horse to swoop in and win the thing unexpectedly. So get your Elvis on and come crawl!

But for the Grace is the film tonight in Clayborn Temple’s 15 Film Series. Free to attend and the film starts at 7. Here’s a description:

“Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. pointed out that Sunday morning at eleven o’clock is the most segregated hour in America. Decades later, the church still remains one of America’s most segregated institutions. Although church-going Americans believe that all believers in Christ are part of an extended family, the concept is limited along racial lines. Efforts for racial reconciliation within the church generally emphasize transformation of the heart, repentance and forgiveness. Though these efforts are well intentioned, they often fall short of addressing the deep rooted issues of a segregated American church, which tend to be ideological. But For The Grace addresses these issues.”

I am so proud to have David Fizdale as head coach of my city’s NBA team. Fiz’s comments about statues and Donald Trump yesterday were on point. The passion with which the coach spoke is inspiring.

Great idea to get Trump to go away:

Counting down the hours to my long weekend! Back tomorrow with more news.