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The South Main Association will hold their monthly meeting this Tuesday night at South of Beale, one of the newest restaurants on South Main.  Real estate developer Henry Turley, one of the main people responsible for the revival of Downtown Memphis over the past 25 years, will be the featured speaker.  There will also surely be updates about RiverArtsFest, which is only two weeks away.

Social at 6, program starts around 6:30.  SOB will have complimentary hors d’oeuvres for SMA members.  Free food?  Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up.  You’ll also be able to check out their new fall menu and their fall drink specials, including the pumpkin pie martini pictured below.

Yummm…. I may have to show up late for trivia this week and get me one of those martinis.

Last week I wrote that Lansky Bros. in the Peabody invited me to come in and pick out a Robert Graham sportshirt, as their gift for winning the Memphis Flyer poll.  They knew I love Robert Graham shirts, and there was a trunk show with the new fall line Saturday before last.  I was like a kid in a candy store.  I wanted ALL of them… finally I settled on the one pictured below, which I wore to the rooftop party last night.

Click the image to see a higher-resolution pic of the shirt, with stitching and a different pattern on the upturned cuffs.  Robert Graham shirts are some of the finest you will find in the Memphis area.  The one I got is called the “Gretsch.”  Click here to view Lansky’s complete line of Robert Graham shirts. Or, just go to the Peabody, where the store will be open this afternoon… it’s actually better to see them in person, because there’s no way pics of them online can do these shirts justice.

Thank you so much to Lansky for the shirt.  I’ve received many compliments on it.  I have a feeling I’ll be adding to my Robert Graham collection in the future.

One of the most fun things we do Downtown is nail one of our friends with a surprise birthday party.  This weekend we totally got our friend Shawn.  We had a get-together at the Flying Saucer Friday night, which Shawn thought was his birthday party.  Here are a few pics of that.

Shawn smiles as bartender Katie announces a toast for his birthday

Lauren and Chad, with Stephanie unsuccessfully trying to lean far enough back to get out of the pic.  What’s up with the ’80s one-shoulder top Steph?

Lights out!  No, this isn’t a bad pic.  The Saucer went totally dark for about 7 or 8 minutes.  I found out the next day that some kids were arrested for messing with a fuse box at the Peabody.  They must have hit the Saucer too.

Now let’s move on to Saturday, the REAL party.  Shawn had some friends in town, and the Nuh-Uh Girl invited them over to her place in Number 10 Main (the same building I live in) for some drinks.  “Why don’t we go up to the rooftop?” she suggested.  “The view of Downtown is beautiful.”  So she rode up to the rooftop, and Shawn and his friends (who delayed him a minute or two) followed up on the next elevator.  Little did he know that this was waiting for him:

SURPRISE!  We totally got him.  He never suspected a thing.

Prior to Shawn’s arrival, Mikey and Otto took care of the most important piece of business related to the party – tapping the PBR keg.

Clay, Moody, Lee, the Nuh-Uh Girl, and Mikey

Joe, the mastermind behind the surprise party

This picture reminds me of an Our Gang episode from 1935 where Buckwheat was in the dark and all you could see were the whites of his eyes and his teeth.  Meanwhile, Chad marvels at the wings, which came from Kooky Canuck.

So Chad went and got wings of his own, and OF COURSE the Nuh-Uh Girl picked a wing off his plate and ate it.

Lauren appointed herself protector of the Jello shots.

Full photo album will have to wait until Facebook’s buggy photo upload Java applet stops crashing my browser.  Wow, pretty much anyone can write code that’s bad enough to crash IE, but crashing Firefox?  That’s an accomplishment.

Food was great, friends were great, beer was outstanding.  The only thing that didn’t cooperate was the weather.  On October 10, it should easily still be warm enough to have rooftop parties.  Not so last night.  The temp hovered around 50 all night and the wind chill on the roof made it feel colder than that.

About 10:30 I made an unexpected early exit.  I went to my apartment to warm up for a few minutes.  I sat down in front of the laptop to check e-mail.  “Hey, there’s PokerStars!” I thought.  So I entered a 6-person turbo Sit’n’Go tournament, figuring those things only last about 30 minutes and then I’d head back up.  I came in second, good enough to win some money, so I entered a second one.  I won that one, and decided to enter a third.  Third one didn’t go so well… by that point, it was after midnight, and I decided to just lie down on the couch for a while.  Next thing I knew, it was 2:30 AM.

In other news this morning:  Air Traffic Mike has a great blog post this morning about Ole Miss’s exit from the Top 25.

I’m up early enough to do Sunday brunch this morning, and even though I’m really not hungry yet, I guess I’ll be sociable and join the gang at the Majestic.  I have a huge backlog of posts in Drafts… thinking about taking the laptop and posting from the Saucer this afternoon.  Plus, I can play PokerStars.  Sounds like a plan.

South of Beale finally has their new fall menu online.  Some good stuff on there.  Mmmm that five spice seared duck sounds like a winner for sure… duck fried rice and a sunnyside egg on the side.  The steak, the grilled salmon, and the vegetable lasagna are also on my to-eat list for the near future.  I’m sure my health guru AL will probably fall out of her chair in shock when she sees that I want to try the veggie lasagna.

It’s College Football Saturday.  Let’s have a look at games of note:

Auburn at Arkansas, 11 AM on ESPN.  Go Hogs!  Auburn is ranked 17th but a lot of people I’ve talked to think the Razorbacks can take them down.

Georgia at Tennessee, 11:21 AM on ESPN360.  Glad to see ESPN understands that the important SEC game at that hour is the Arkansas one.  Go Dawgs!

Regular blog reader Moody e-mailed me this week and ask why I never talk about Alabama in my football notes.  This one’s for Moody:  ROLL TIDE!  GO BAMA!  They play at Ole Miss today at 2:30 on CBS, and hopefully ‘Bama will knock the Rebels out of the Top 25 once and for all.

6:15:  This one’s for my friend Chad:  GO BUFFS!  Colorado at #2 Texas on ESPN.

#1 Florida at #4 LSU, 7 PM on CBS.  Hmmm I don’t have any plans for tonight.  Guess I’ll be at the Saucer watching the game then.  The thing I like about this game is, I don’t have a favorite team.  So I can just sit back and cheer for good football, which I’m very likely to get.  Go SEC!

And if you prefer bad football, here’s a game for you… UTEP at Memphis.  7 PM, no TV coverage.  Go Tigers, but let’s face it, we’re probably going to lose again.  UTEP knocked off a Top 25 team, Houston, last week.  Basketball season hurry up and get here.

Playing a 27-person $3 buy-in tournament on PokerStars… about to move the laptop to a seat in front of the TV, so I can watch the Hogs while I play.

More info on the 100th anniversary celebration at the Shelby County Courthouse on Tuesday, October 13.  It’s an open house sponsored by the Memphis Bar Association with free food (wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up), free beverages, free speeches, and tours of both the exterior and parts of the interior.  Tours will include Grand Lobby, Supreme Court Courtroom, Law Library and Antique Courtroom. You’ll get to see the six statues outside the Courthouse, each made from a single block of Tennessee marble, the largest of their kind in the nation.  You’ll also get to see a 174 year old bust of Andrew Jackson, which was on display in Court Square in 1859.  It will be one of the rare occasions when you are allowed to take pictures inside the courthouse.  Event starts at 4:30 PM.

The info above, by the way, came from an e-mail from historian Jimmy Ogle that someone forwarded to me.  He’s the one that does the fantastic Tuesday lunchtime history tours.  Tuesday’s tour will be a stroll down Adams Avenue, including a stop at the Mageveney House, Memphis’ oldest residence.  Meet up with him at 11:45 AM Tuesday if you want to go.  Tour is free to the public.

In case you missed these:

Bardog was chosen as a “Best Bet” for breakfast sliders.

The CA also did a “Meet the Chef” with Antony Field, chef at Flight.

An account exec from the Memphis Grizzlies contacted me yesterday to offer readers of this blog a deal on tickets.  For regular season opening night, October 28, at the FedExForum for the game against the Detroit Pistons, you can get

• Plaza level seats for $25 (regularly $82 or $62)
• Club level seats for $35 (regularly $99)
• Terrace level seats for $10 (regularly $35 or $47)

This PDF has the details. You can either print it and fill it out and fax it to the attention of Carlos Sinde at 901-205-1444, or you can call Carlos at 901-205-1491 to order tickets.

Disclosure:  Carlos comped me 10 tickets to Monday night’s game to blog about this.  I e-mailed a bunch of the usual suspects and so far only have two yeses/maybes.  Attn people I know: If anyone wants to see Monday’s game shoot me an e-mail at paul@paulryburn.com and ask if there are tickets left.

RiverArtsFest is only two weeks away. A South Main resident forwarded me the street closings that will happen due to the festival, and I thought it might be of interest to those who live or work in the area.

South Main, south from GE Patterson to Webster, will be closed from 9 AM Thursday, October 22 to 10 PM Sunday, October 25.

South Main, north from GE Patterson to Huling, will be closed from 8 AM Friday, October 23 to 10 PM Sunday, October 25.

The Main Street Trolley will turn at Linden from noon Friday, October 23 through Sunday, October 25. The Riverfront Trolley will remain on its regular route.

Those who live in the closure boundaries and park in a garage or gated area will be issued a parking pass the week of the event.

According to the e-mail I received, the festival is again expanding and artist booths will run all the way from Webster to Huling. 70,000 people attended last year’s festival, and they’re hoping to exceed that mark this year.

Needless to say, I’ll be at the festival both days, Saturday the 24th and Sunday the 25th (and I mean actually AT the festival, not sitting in Calhoun’s watching football all day as many of my friends do). Hope to see you there!

Two big parties are coming up this month at Kooky Canuck. Here’s the info.

This Sunday, October 11, there will be a St. Jude Red Carpet Bash Kickoff Party. You’ll be able to purchase tickets for the Red Carpet Bash, which will happen November 7, and you’ll be able to preview auction items. They’ll have $2 margaritas, $2 wine, and $2 longnecks. $2 margaritas on Sunday Fun Day after I’ve already been out drinking beer for 6 or 7 hours… oh dear. Sunday will be a fun day but I have a feeling Monday will hurt.

Thursday, October 29 will be Kooky Canuck’s annual Halloween party. Music by DJ Bobby Smith, a costume contest with a $300 cash prize for the winner, $2 34 oz. Super Cold Bud Light, and other drink specials. This is always one of the best Halloween parties of the year, and there are plenty of unique and creative costumes.

14 days until the first Halloween party of the season and I still don’t have any idea what to be… I may end up just buying some crappy costume off the shelf at Party City. There had been talk of doing a group costume with other people, but what if I go to parties they don’t? Which would surely happen, since I tend to go out more than the others, and since I generally prefer the core over South Main.

In the news today: Convicted felon Joe Cooper tried to get his 6-month home confinement waived so he can pursue his newest business idea. He wants to open up a consulting service for newly convicted felons, preparing them for what to expect in prison. My God. Only in Memphis. The full story is here.

Great party in the Gayoso Alley last night… due to Saucer glass night I didn’t get there until after 8, so the only band I got to see was Pezz. If you missed them, there’s a video on the Downtown Download blog.

What to do tonight? No plans but the weather is way too nice to sit at home and play on PokerStars… I’m going to have to get out and do something. Not sure what, but beer will be involved. Hmmm maybe I’ll just buy a Big Ass Beer and sit on the concrete blocks on Beale or something. It’s been a long time since I did that. I think the Dempseys play Blues City tonight, could do that too. I have a $5 coupon for the Saucer so I’ll surely be by there for at least one beer. Lots of options…

There’s a group that’s organizing a party to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the courthouse at 140 Adams. I’m awaiting more details, but have been told it will happen at 4:30 PM on Tuesday, October 13, and that there will be free food from Felicia Suzanne’s and drinks from D. Canale, and various other donations. Drinks provided by D. Canale, a beer distributor? Hey, I didn’t realize I was such a big fan of the courthouse, but suddenly I am. Also, free food? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up.

Attn pro wrestling fans: You have a chance to own a piece of wrestling history. The original NWA title belt, worn in the 1970s and 1980s by Harley Race, Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair and other superstars, is up for sale. The catch is that the minimum offer is $75,000. If you want to buy the belt, click here.

Shelton Clothiers is now making made-to-measure suits for women. You pick the style, the fabric, and the lining, and then your suit is custom fit for you. They are kicking it off Thursday, October 15 with a party in conjunction with the Peabody Place block party going on outside that night. The first five women to purchase anything grom the M2M (made to measure) line that night will receive a 50% discount; after that, M2M women’s items will be at a 30% discount for the remainder of the night.

Since the Sheltons read my blog, I’m going to throw an idea out there: Next June when Tube Top Month rolls around again, how about a made-to-measure tube top sale? That would be a good way to get women in your store during the casual summer months. I’ll even volunteer to help with the measurements.

That’s enough news for now… check back for info on street closings during RiverArtsFest, and two very kooky parties happening this month.