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Yesterday around noon I was sitting on a bar stool at Earnestine & Hazel’s, listening to the jukebox, taking in the smell of Soul Burgers, watching the Music Fest goers walk past the door. “You got your BBQ team situation figured out? You get some more members to join?” Clarence asked me.

“Oh yeah, as recently as two days ago we had someone sign up,” I said.

Now, Clarence knows I’m on the Moody Ques. Heck, Saturday before last we more or less turned Earnestine & Hazel’s into a Moody Ques bar, with my teammates Eric, Jeremy, and Jeana there. However, the people sitting next to me yesterday would have had no idea I was on the Moody Ques, given that my PBR bottle was in another team’s koozie.

Stepping into my Director of Public Relations role, I saw an opportunity.

My BBQ team gets rubber wristbands printed in the colors of the honored country every year. Members wear these during BBQ Fest to let the off-duty MPD officer at the door know they are team members, and to let the bartender know they have priority in line. Once BBQ Fest is over, most of those rubber wristbands get thrown in a drawer. However, I wear mine year-round. It’s a conversation piece, a way to get people to ask about the Moody Ques. It works too. I recently gave away my ’17 wristband to an out-of-town visitor. Which reminds me, I need to text our team president and have him bring me another wristband.

I’m not a stay-at-home guy. I go out most days of the week. Five of the places I frequent – Blind Bear, Silly Goose, Belle Tavern, Majestic Grille, and Earnestine & Hazel’s – have PBR in bottles or cans. When those bottles or cans sit on the bar in front of me, I realized, they need to be wrapped in a Moody Ques koozie.

To make it clear, this is something I am going to pay for out of my own pocket. I’m not going to get the team to fund it – our treasurer Misty has enough on her mind already. I am also not looking at this as a 2017 team benefit – it’s too late, BBQ Fest is too close, and I would have to pay rush pricing. That said, when I do get them, if the order is big enough I will try to make sure every team member gets one.

Instead, I plan on using the koozies as a 2018 marketing tactic. Every year there are people who think, “All right. This is the year I’m finally going to join a BBQ team.” As I learned in college psychology class (RIP Dr. Cloar), familiarity breeds likability. If they make that decision in March, and they’ve been seeing the BBQ team’s logo on my beer for nine months, and they’ve inquired about it and heard my stories, they’re very likely to ask, “Hey Paul, are there spots open on your team?” Even better would be if I could get people to ask, “Hey Paul, does your team need a sponsor?”

So, I put the word out on Facebook that I might be interested in getting some koozies printed. I did not expect the response I got. People were texting me. People were private-messaging me. People were tagging their friends in the post. By the end of the day Saturday I had fourteen different leads on getting koozies printed. Actually fifteen, because I need to see if our T-shirt printer does koozies also. Apparently I’m the only one in town without a koozie-printing machine.

On to the news… Trolley Stop Market is hiring once again. They are looking for two line cooks and two pizza preppers. Apply in person between 10 AM and 5 PM Wednesday-Friday, and bring your resume and three references.

Volunteer opportunity at a Victorian mansion: As summer approaches, the Woodruff-Fontaine House gets more tourists and more visitors. If you are interested in giving tours, working with their extensive textile collection, and helping out with special events, email contact@woodruff-fontaine.org.

If you’re looking for live music today but in a less busy environment than Music Fest, check out Songwriter Sessions at the Ghost River taproom today from 5 to 7. This week they have Alex Greene, who has played with Reigning Sound, The Subtractions, and Rolling Head Orchestra. He is rarely seen solo. He plays keys and some guitar.

Not far away, Electric Church plays Loflin Yard 3-6 PM.

Still got an hour and a half until D-RANKS with B-RAD at Blind Bear. I think I’ll go walk around and watch the freak show that Downtown becomes during Music Fest weekend. Back tomorrow with more news.

Sometimes just the right store opens at just the right time.

Just in time 4 BSMF & all your muddy needs @Outdoors_Inc has opened in the Life is Good spot directly across Main St from us! #shoplocal pic.twitter.com/Mn24aEbGmD

— The Majestic Grille (@MajesticGrille) May 5, 2017

Outdoors Inc. has opened in the Peabody Place office tower facing Main Street, in the location that used to be Life Is Good. It looks like Music Fest attendees will get by without needing rain jackets and rain boots this year, but keep them in mind for BBQ Fest.

I wonder what the last year was that we got through both Music Fest and BBQ Fest without any rain? I wonder if it’s ever happened?

For those not going to Music Fest today, or not going until later on today, here’s my suggestion: Buy a Big Ass Beer on Beale Street and go sit on the concrete blocks in front of Silky’s and watch the freak show go by. Good, cheap entertainment. Of course, as I said a couple of posts ago, you’re welcome to join me at Earnestine & Hazel’s this morning (opens 10 AM).

Discover the Dinosaurs: Unleashed comes to the Cook Convention Center tomorrow 9 AM to 7 PM. Twenty life-like dinosaurs will come to life in an exhibit for kids age 2 to 12.

Watch out for kids standing on street corners with buckets saying they are raising money for Memphis Streets Ministries. This is a scam and the executive director of the nonprofit says they do not raise money that way. The kids will usually tell you they are raising money for their basketball team, AAU team, or something similar.

The all-new Blue Suede Brigade is on the streets of Downtown. Although they will still be friendly guides who provide information to visitors, they are also licensed security guards who will patrol the streets on foot and on bike. They have been trained how to keep situations from escalating. This comes after a contracted third-party security force was disbanded late last month.

Next Friday, May 12, will be Armed Forces Night at AutoZone Park. “The Leap Frogs,” the U.S. Navy parachute team, will parachute into the park before the game. First pitch is set for 7:05 and fans are encouraged to be seated by 6:45 to witness the Leap Frogs’ entry into the park. The Navy Brass Quintet will perform in the plaza outside the park beginning at 5:30 PM, and there will be displays and interactive exhibits. Active duty and retired military personnel can receive a discount on two tickets to Redbirds games not just on Armed Forces Night, but for any game. A valid military ID is required.

I have some possibly useful information for my readers in the nonprofit sector: You can integrate Google Custom Search into your website for free without any ads if you are recognized as exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(3). You must be able to prove that you qualify. It’s very easy to set up Google Custom Search – you tell Google what domains to crawl and index, and it gives you a code snippet to add to your website that produces the search box. Google search on your site is much, much better than the search that comes with content management systems such as WordPress.

Time to spread a little sunshine in South Main! Farmers Market is first up, then Earnestine & Hazel’s. Mid-afternoon you might see me on the very concrete blocks mentioned in this post. I wonder if the Jesus freak from Tulsa carrying the big sign will be there this year. He’s gotten to know me and hopes one of these years I will see the error of my ways… and every year he sees me with the big ol’ cup of sin known as a Call-a-Cab. One day I will be burning in everlasting Hell, or so says the pamphlets handed out by his minions. Guess I better enjoy the cool weather while I can!

Reminder to those attending Music Fest this weekend: Don’t buy printed paper tickets from the “Got tickets. Need tickets” guys who work the well-traveled Downtown corners. These guys are often scammers selling copies of printed paper tickets. Once the QR code on a printed ticket has been scanned at the gate, that information is recorded and copies of that ticket can’t be used. Buy your tickets at the Music Fest ticket booth or from authorized vendor TicketFly.com.

The Redbirds will have their team store open tomorrow and Sunday, 10 AM to 2 PM, for those who want to do a little shopping on their way to Music Fest.

The Redbirds have big plans for Mother’s Day, next Sunday, May 14. Moms will get an ice cream treat (normally only given to kids 12 and under), and moms will be allowed to run the bases with their kids after the game. Gildan will have a “Pampering at the Park” event going on, with mini-massages and mini-manicures. Gildan reps will hand out T-shirts, including kids’ “I love my mom because ___” T-shirts. The first 1000 women in the gate will receive a carnation compliments of Holliday Flowers. First pitch is 2:05 PM and the opponent is El Paso.

That day, the Redbirds will also offer a special ticket that includes brunch on the Club Level and a Dugout ticket to see the game, plus catch on the field before the game. These tickets are $35 per person. Brunch is from noon to 1:30 and includes shrimp & grits, scrambled eggs with cheese, waffles, roasted garlic breakfast potatoes, country sausage, bacon, tortellini, tortellini with grilled chicken, a salad bar, fresh fruit, danishes, croissants, cornbread muffins, a champagne and mimosa bar(!!!), chocolate covered strawberries, and MEMpops.

Kooky Canuck has $5 34 oz. margaritas all day for Cinco de Mayo. They’ll have the Predators-Blues game on at 7 this evening and the Oilers-Ducks at 9:30.

Blind Bear will have $4 Silver tequila shots (the good stuff) today for Cinco de Mayo, and also $6 margaritas made with the same good stuff. $5 beef tacos.

The Broom Closet at 546 S. Main is having a Spirit Doll Workshop Sunday, May 7 from 2 to 6 PM. A Spirit Doll embodies your hopes, dreams, and prayers, and can help you communicate with the parts of yourself that are hidden or deeply protected. Dana Taylor, local artisan, will lead you in the process of birthing your Spirit Doll. Cost for the class is $20.

I already have a Spirit Doll so I guess I don’t need to attend the class.

The piece of shit who broke into a St. Jude patient’s car back in March has been arrested. The 4-year-old, in town to have a brain tumor treated, lost her luggage, her leg braces, a PlayStation, diapers, blood pressure pills, and a 6-month supply of chemo and radiation medicine. I don’t see the judge being lenient with this guy.

The latest edition of The Rub, the CA’s podcast about all things BBQ, interviews Heath Riles of Victory Lane BBQ. Victory Lane is one of the most winning teams in Tom Lee Park and around the regional BBQ circuit, and Heath is a friend of my team the Moody Ques.

Just a few more hours until Downtown turns into a freak show. I plan to lead off on the Silly Goose patio and watch it all begin. Later my spirit doll Perjorie T. Roll and I will head south to celebrate Cinco de Mayo at my “home away from home on the south side,” Max’s Sports Bar. Perjorie and I may stop in Earnestine & Hazel’s to do a little celebrating there too! Happy Music Fest weekend everyone!

I remember one of my BBQ teammates complaining recently about the new streetscape in The Edge. “I used to be able to zoom down Marshall and then Monroe to get home, but now they totally screwed up that intersection,” she said. “TABLES in the STREET? Who’s going to go sit where they could get hit by a car? What were they thinking?” To that teammate: Guess what’s going to happen right outside your favorite cocktail lounge:

Some familiar @DowntownMemphis streets will get a new look this summer! Introducing the Great Streets Pilot Project: https://t.co/7N6fG9vttY pic.twitter.com/FdyDVlDlPw

— City of Memphis (@CityOfMemphis) May 3, 2017

DowntownMemphis.com has a list of Cinco de Mayo specials going on today.

RiverPlay, the new temporary park on Riverside between Court and Jefferson, opens today at 3 PM and will stay open until 10. You will be able to rent roller skates and check out basketballs, ping-pong paddles, chess pieces and equipment for other games for kids and adults. There will be food trucks rotating through the park on a daily basis. There will also be programming including 3-on-3 basketball tournaments, theatre, live music, fitness boot camps, and yoga. YOGA!

Terence Patterson who runs DMC tweeted a preview video of RiverPlay:

#riverplay preview @DowntownMemphis pic.twitter.com/UWr9Hd2VDO

— Terence Patterson (@tpatterson901) May 4, 2017

Suggestion for anyone who wants to pre-game for Music Fest Saturday morning: Legendary dive bar Earnestine & Hazel’s opens at 10 AM Saturday. That may be 15-16 hours earlier than you usually go, but you can still get a beer, you can still get a Soul Burger, you can still play the jukebox, and you can still go upstairs and see where the working girls took their customers. If you want to hang out with your favorite blogger, I will be there from 10 AM tomorrow to noonish, 1ish, maybe even 2ish. I will play it by ear as to what time I leave. Come join me!

Before I go to E&H, of course, I will hit the Memphis Farmers Market, where Strawberry Fields Forever is this Saturday’s theme. Thanks to an unusually warm winter, strawberry season came early this year. They are big and juicy. Live music by The Skitch 8:30-10 and Austin Holcomb 11-12:30. The Market happens every Saturday under the pavilion at Front and G.E. Patterson from 7 AM to 1 PM.

Meat lovers in particular should check out this week’s Market, where Claybrook Farms will have the May Bundle on sale at a special price. You get six 12 oz. ribeyes, four 12 oz. strip steaks, and four 1.5 lb. packs of ground beef for $150. That’s normally over $185 worth of food.

If you can’t wait until 5 to get your fill of music at Music Fest, Billy Gibson and Linear Smith will perform at 11:30 AM today at the Center for Southern Folklore.

Oh dear Lord. SENSES is re-opening. Saturday night is the opening night with a $20 cover charge and “DRESS TO IMPRESS” prominently featured on the flyer. I will not be attending.

That’s it for now. Possibly a second post at lunchtime.

Yeah, I know a lot of people call today Star Wars Day, but I dare to be different.

Last night I played trivia at the Blind Bear with my friend Stacey, and she had the coolest thing: a Fidget Cube. This is a six-sided hand-held stress reliever with a different activity on each side. You can spin a dial, run your fingers over rollers, rub a surface that resembles a worry stone, flip a switch, glide a joystick-like device, or click buttons. It is one of the highest funded Kickstarter projects. I want one for my desk at work!

There will be an opening party for Open on Main at 7 and 9 N. Main tonight from 5-7 PM. These storefronts will house a different business each month through November. Tonight there will be live music from The Pocket, a live painting demonstration by Adam Exelbierd, wine and hors d’oeuvres, and a raffle with proceeds benefiting St. Jude.

Change is coming to Peabody Place – the street, not the former mall that is now the ServiceMaster headquarters. Starting June 26, the city will embark on a demonstration project that will add bike lanes to what the CA calls “a stretch of Peabody Place from Front to Fourth” (although that is the entirety of Peabody Place, not just a stretch). There will be protected bike lanes along with murals and portable kiosks where artists can show their work, in a partnership between the city and the UrbanArt commission. A few parallel parking spaces will be lost on the street. This is part of a plan to complete a cycling route between Downtown and Midtown, meeting up with cycling lanes being put on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue.

Frankie Hollie & The Noise headlines tonight’s Peabody rooftop party. Your $10 cover (or entry with $150 season VIP pass, which can be purchased at the door) gets you live entertainment plus a buffet of chicken taquitos, tortilla chips and dip. If you’re a VIP there’s also a taco bar, refried beans, chicken enchilada dip, and cinnamon churros. The drink specials are traditional margaritas, cinnamon apple margaritas, and Firefly blackberry lemonade moonshine. Doors open at 6, ladies and hotel guests free before 7.

Celtic Woman: Voices of Angels comes to the Orpheum tonight. Showtime is 7 PM and tickets are $42-102.

Random thing I discovered yesterday: I was looking at Google Maps yesterday, trying to discover alternate routes out of Downtown while Riverside is closed. Any place on the map that is known to Google is reviewable, including the Probation & Parole Office at Crump and Kentucky. Four people have submitted reviews. One user gave the office a 3-star (out of 5) review on Google, while three users gave the office a 1-star rating. That averages out to a pitiful 1.5 stars out of 5. Sounds like the probation and parole officers could stand to read a few customer service books! Those of you who visit the office, don’t forget that you can walk across Crump after you’re done and get drunk at The Dirty Crow Inn!

Scam alert: If you get an email notification that someone shared a Google Docs file with you, contact that person and asked if they really shared the file. I am hearing that there is a very sophisticated phishing scam happening on that platform right now.

Holly has a look at the new Front Street Deli. Very cool: They’re going to have delivery, including beer. Very, very cool: They’re apparently going to have a kiosk at Paula & Raiford’s for late night delivery.

I didn’t discover it until recently, but local BBQ team Porkosaurus has a really good Twitter account showing off what you can create with their locally-sold sauce and rub. Follow them at @porkosaurus.

901 Wings at 97 N. Main is now open.

Moody Ques BBQ team menu news: We’re going to have bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers and a roasted vegetable orzo pasta salad in addition to the entrees and sides I named in yesterday’s post. Who sez we got nothin’ to eat? We’re gonna have so much to eat in our booth that our members are going to have to do a 3-day juice cleanse post-BBQ Fest to atone for their sins! (Hopefully our team attorney will have less of a problem with this statement than “We’ll get you so drunk in our booth that you’ll have a seizure and die”)

Inspirational quote of the day:

To stop hiding out from each other, of course, we must stop hiding from ourselves.

— Neale Donald Walsch (@realNDWalsch) May 4, 2017

Wanna gamble? Frontier has announced a nonstop flight from Memphis to Vegas. Or, “LAS Vegas” as my friend Bicycle Bobby calls the city.

That’s it for now. Time to grind out the afternoon at work then Silly Goose happy hour. Back tomorrow with more news.

The Flying Saucer is back open, a day earlier than previously announced. They have a new beer selection and a new menu that includes gourmet burgers.

BEER IS FLOWING! OUR NEW MENU IS GOING! It feels good to be back! Retweet and then, come in and see if you can spot what we changed! pic.twitter.com/RdEl2EmkMQ

— Flying Saucer Mem (@FlyingSaucerMem) May 3, 2017

Looking to get away from the Music Fest madness that will happen Downtown Friday night? I have a suggestion. Wiseacre Brewing Co. out on Broad Avenue will host a brewery tour at 6 PM. They’ll explore beers that are “sour” versus those that are fermented with the wild yeast called brettanomyces. Sampling will include Golgi Apparatus, a Belgian Trippel brewed with brettanomyces and a Berliner weisse, Beach within Reach with watermelon. $10 per person and you can sign up here.

Bedrock Eats and Sweets at Main and Vance is looking for Saturday line cooks for an 8 AM to 3 PM shift. Additional shifts will be available but are not required. Email brandi@bedrockeatsandsweets.com to apply.

Michael McDonald has been announced for an Orpheum date. His first new album in 10 years, Wide Open, will be released September 15, and he will go on tour to support it, with a Memphis visit scheduled for November 4 with special guest Marc Cohn. Tickets go on sale at the Orpheum box office Friday, May 12 at 10 AM.

When the levee breaks, have no place to stay… if you have friends or family in Pocahontas, Arkansas, keep a close eye on the news. A Black River levee broke and the town is under a flood emergency.

I hear there’s bad flooding in southeast Missouri as well. I hope everything is OK with my BBQ teammates Jeremy and Jeana’s farm up there.

Beale Street Caravan has announced two big shows not this weekend, but next weekend (the weekend between Music Fest and BBQ Fest). On Friday, May 12, Al Gamble, George Sluppick, and Joe Restivo will put the band back together. The City Champs were a popular band in Memphis several years ago, releasing albums in 2009 and 2010. However, offers of better-paying, wider-touring projects broke the band up. They have stayed in touch, though, and on May 12, they will be back on stage together at Loflin Yard (9 PM showtime) and they have even written some new material. Tickets are $10 in advance at brownpapertickets.com. Cover charge at the door will be $12.

On Saturday, May 13 at Loflin Yard, ten-piece Lovelight Orchestra will perform the sounds you might have heard on Beale Street in the 1940s and 1950s. Think of the sounds you might have heard at The Palace on Beale, the big-band sound on Duke and Peacock Records. The sounds of hometown kids of that era who came up through the music programs of Booker T. Washington and Manassas High School. This show will be taped for broadcast on radio program Beale Street Caravan. Tickets are $10 in advance at brownpapertickets.com. Cover charge at the door will be $12.

Want to check out the new Memphis Grizzlies Memphis Escape Room at Main and G.E. Patterson? Retweet what you see below and you might get to go for free.

We’ve got tickets to the new @MemEscapeRooms Grizzlies room & Grizz swag to give away! RT for the chance to win. 👀 pic.twitter.com/0poew7OnDQ

— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) May 3, 2017

Been thinking about photos at BBQ Fest. In past years, I have taken 200-300 photos a day and have posted them to my blog the next morning. The trouble is, I have relied on Google Picasa as a fast way to edit the photos and get them online. Picasa has been discontinued, so I will be using Google Photos, which is not quite as fast or user-friendly. So, if I can only post, say, 50 photos a day, I asked myself, what kind of photos should be my priority?

The answer is obvious… the food. The Moody Ques are a competition shoulder team, but we do more than cook to impress the judges. We feed our members and their guests very well, with 2 meals planned for Wednesday night, 4 meals for Thursday, 4 for Friday, and pulled pork all day Saturday. There will be sausage and cheese plates, burgers, wings, ribs, brisket, pizza and “a surprise” by the cook team in addition to pulled pork. Of course there will be sides and desserts too. My plan is to take photos of every type of food that is served in our booth BBQ Fest weekend. There is an inaccurate, outdated perception out there that if you come to our booth, you won’t get anything to eat. That has not been true for the past two years and has not been true since our current cook team took over the kitchen. For 2017 I plan to completely squash that perception once and for all. Request for my teammates – if food is being served and you notice I am not in the booth, text me and tell me “Paul, get down here” or take photos of the food yourself and text them to me.

Don’t worry, I will get photos of the team and the booth as well – but the food will be my main focus. I feel that is the best way to fulfill my Director of Public Relations role with the camera.

All righty then, that’ll wrap this one up. I’ll be out at the Silly Goose after work getting silly.

One of the things I like to do on this blog is give my readers a sense of what it’s like to be on a Memphis in May BBQ Fest team. We’re less than two weeks away from load-in and build, so it was time to go shopping in preparation for BBQ Fest. What I bought:

Cargo shorts: Yes, I know these are a fashion no-no, but for BBQ Fest they are necessary. Four pockets are not enough. I need six. I have to carry my keys, pens, my iPhone, my external charger, a camera, spare batteries for the camera, paper wristbands for booth guests, and samples and other random stuff I get handed in Tom Lee Park. Really, thinking about it I wish we had ordered team shirts with pockets so I’d have a 7th one.

BBQ Fest sandals: No, I don’t mean Memphis in May official sandals or anything like that. The idea is that a week in the muddy, swampy park is going to ruin whatever footwear I have on, so I don’t want them ruining my good sandals. I always go to Payless and buy an el cheapo pair to wear to Tom Lee Park.

Rain ponchos: Two-mile walks from the south end of the park to the Downtown core in the pouring rain are not fun. Trust me, I know this from experience. I have three ponchos in reserve. By the way, those of you attending Music Fest or 901 Fest should keep ponchos in mind too. Gift shops on Beale sell these. I think Downtown Walgreens does too.

I’ll add a Music Fest tip for those who have moved to the Downtown core or South Main the past year and therefore don’t already know: Leave work early on Friday. Traffic and parking turns into a nightmare from about 5 on. I pay for a parking garage, but if I’m not home by 5 I find myself parking on level 6 rather than level 2 or 3.

Tacos & Tunes returns to the patio of Felicia Suzanne Restaurant this Thursday, May 4, at 7 PM with live music by Deering & Down. This is a weekly event with different entertainment every week and taco and margarita specials.

Got a couple of pieces of news about the Ghost River taproom. They’re opening up at 2 PM Friday, May 5 to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Beer-itas, their Grindhouse ale with margarita mix, will be back and will be made all day. Fuel food truck will be on site at 4 to serve up some tacos.

In Sunday brunch news, Flying Sobies has been such a huge hit that Ghost River is extending its brunch hours, formerly from noon to 4 PM, to noon to 9 PM. Flying Sobies will be there all day slinging fried Cornish game hens, in any of five sauces (or plain), paired with waffles and fries. They’ll be serving Bloody Beers and will have other beer specials on some Sundays. Crockett Hall will host Sunday Evening Slowdown: Songwriter Sessions with a guest each week 5:00-7:30 PM.

If you’re going to Music Fest Friday night and aren’t staying Downtown, I would advise you to not take Union as your route back to Midtown or out east. There will be a sobriety checkpoint at Union and East in the Medical Center District from 8 PM to 2 AM.

Janet Jackson is coming back to FedExForum for a December 6 concert. Tickets go on sale Friday at 10. The show is part of her State of the World tour.

That’s it for now. Probably a second post at lunchtime.

Planning to run or bike trip to Arkansas? You won’t get past the gate. Starting today, the gate on the Arkansas side of Big River Crossing will be locked as a precautionary measure, anticipating the yearly rise of the Mississippi River. The gate on the Memphis side will remain unlocked and accessible through the normal operating hours of 6 AM to 10 PM.

Don’t worry, the river is not going to rise enough to flood Tom Lee Park and force BBQ Fest to be moved, as was the case in 2012.

Old Dominick Distillery is open! They had their public soft opening yesterday. There are $12 tours and tastings, and bottles in its gift shop. The distillery is at 301 South Front near Gus’s. They will have a grand opening June 24.

The next in the series of Freewheel Slow Rides happens tomorrow. Meet at 603 Monroe at the former Kudzu’s for a bike ride at a leisurely pace exploring Vance, Peabody, and the Annesdale Historic District. Don’t have a bike? You can reserve one of theirs. Come early for discounted pints at High Cotton.

If you’re looking for something to do after Beale Street Music Fest Saturday night, come to the Dirty Crow Inn at Crump and Kentucky. Cam Kimbrough will bring the Hill Country Blues, with a few special guests, to the outdoor deck.

Twilight Sky Terrace on the rooftop of the Madison Hotel is hosting Titos and Tacos with live music tonight and every Tuesday 5-7 PM.

The Artery Alley Party, rained out last week, has been rescheduled for May 10. In Barboro Alley, there will be live music, games, and art on display.

Not a whole lot of news today. Back tomorrow with a longer post, hopefully!

If you didn’t get a chance to check out Old Dominick Distillery when they had their open house Friday night, another opportunity is coming up soon. The South Main Association will hold their monthly meeting there Tuesday, May 9. There will be 20-minute tours of the distillery at 6:00 and 6:20, with the meeting starting at 6:40. Owner Chris Canale will discuss the story of the distillery, its products, and why South Main was the right place to locate. There will be a Q&A as well. There will be appetizers and spirits provided by the distillery, with additional adult beverages provided by SMA. Free for members, $10 non-members. Old Dominick is at 305 South Front.

It’s the merry, merry month of May and we are ready to honor Colombia this month as the official Memphis in May country for 2017. South Main and Latino Memphis will be raising their glass to Colombia with the official Latino Memphis Festival cocktail, the Colombian Passion Fruit Mojito. You can get one at Rizzo’s, Cafe Pontotoc, or Spindini.

Award-winning Colombian artist Jorge Yances will have his work on display this month at Art Village Gallery, 410 South Main. There will be an opening cocktail reception at the gallery this Friday, May 5, from 6 to 9 PM.

The following day, Saturday, May 6, there will be An Intimate Evening with Jorge Yances at the gallery from 4 to 6 PM. Cocktails and Colombian fare will be provided, and you’ll have the chance to get to know the artist and his work. Get tickets here.

Bathhouse Soapery and Caldarium has opened at 506 South Main. There are handmade soaps, mineral salts, and bubble baths there that would make perfect gifts for Mother’s Day.

Moody Ques teammates: The tentative cooking schedule has been posted on the team website. Although we are a competition shoulder team, members and their guests will be treated to much more than just pulled pork. Wings, ribs, sausage and cheese plates, brisket, burgers, and pizza are on the menu, and Friday afternoon the cooks have a surprise for all of us. We are looking for people to sign up to bring desserts.

Dancing with the Stars Live has been announced for the Orpheum for July 13. Tickets are now on sale.

Wine Race was a blast yesterday. In past years I have stayed on the sidelines and taken photos for the blog, but this year I wanted to be a part of Team Blind Bear and march in the parade with them. Part of the reason I wanted to be with the team is that Stacey, the Bear’s Queen of the Vine competitor, has been a loyal friend, an insightful confidant, and a good listener, and I cannot tell you how much I appreciate her. Also, the grape stomp competitor for the team was none other than my regular Sunday bartender B-RAD.

Stacey (in the white hat)

B-RAD

However, going to get a second Call-a-Cab at Wet Willie’s cannot be counted among my good decisions this past weekend. By the end of grape stomp I was thinking “NEED. FOOD. NOW.” So I missed the wine relay and went over to Flying Fish.

That’s it for now. Probably out at Bardog for Melissa Monday after work.

Shitshow. There is no other word to describe it.

The Beale Street Wine Race happens today on Beale Street and in Handy Park (corner of Beale and B.B. King). It is the most glorious hot mess you will find in Memphis outside of BBQ Fest. Bars and restaurants enter teams to compete in four events.

Wine Race begins with an opening parade, as teams march down Beale Street in floats and into Handy Park. Best performance wins.

Next up, beginning about 1:20 in the afternoon, is the must-see event: Queen of the Vine. This is a beauty pageant/talent contest of sorts with the creepiest emcee in the city. Contestants are told to keep it classy but sometimes a nipple or something else accidentally slips out.

Following that is a grape stomp. Contestants get a tub of grapes and whoever can stomp the most juice in a set time limit is the winner. For those partial to the Blind Bear, B-RAD will be your grape stomp contestant this year.

Last up is the wine relay, with teams of four competing. The first participant opens a bottle of wine, pours a glass, and then puts the bottle, glass and bar tool on a tray and runs to the other end of Beale Street. Then the second teammate takes the bar tool, opens another bottle of wine, pours a glass, puts everything on the tray… and so on. As you can imagine there is quite a bit of spilled wine. However, some teams (Huey’s comes to mind) practice and do really well.

This is the best free entertainment a Downtowner can ask for, so don’t be afraid of the rain – come on out. If and only if you’re not driving, stop by Wet Willie’s for a Call-a-Cab, probably the most alcoholic drink on Beale. If you can’t handle that, get you a Big Ass Beer.

In other news, I recruited a new Moody Ques member while drinking out of another BBQ team’s koozie yesterday at a massive three-and-a-half-hour session at Earnestine & Hazel’s. Every year I marvel at the way our BBQ team pulls it all together in the final weeks and enters BBQ Fest week strong as an ox. That’ll do it for now. Time to put on my Team Bear shirt and get things started.