Paul Ryburn's Journal

MLK50 day has arrived and the eyes of the world are on Memphis. Here’s hoping we present ourselves as a city of peace, progress and dignity, and not one of violence and divisiveness.

Allow extra time and plan alternate routes if you go Downtown today. The area around Main, Talbot, Second and GE Patterson is closed to traffic. Also, according to TDOT Smartway, Danny Thomas is closed from Madison to Crump, and portions of Madison, Beale, Pontotoc, Vance, Mississippi and Crump near Danny Thomas are also closed. The streets southwest of Crump and Danny Thomas are closed as well, in the area of Mason Temple where Dr. King gave his final speech.

There will be a nationwide bell toll for Dr. King this evening at 6:01.

Bass Pro at the Pyramid will have a job fair/hiring event for its two restaurants 10 AM to 7 PM this Thursday and 8 AM to noon this Friday. Interviews will be done on site for server, cook, host, busser and steward positions.

Dweezil Zappa plays the New Daisy tomorrow night, Thursday, April 5 at 8 PM. It’s a stop on the “Choice Cuts” world tour. This is an all ages show and tickets are $25-90.

Details of Penny Hardaway’s contract have been reported by the CA. The new Memphis Tigers men’s basketball coach will get $1.3 million his first year, $1.6 million his second, and $1.9 million his third, with an option for contract negotiation after year two. He will receive a $300,000 bonus in any year where average turnstile count at FedExForum exceeds $12,000. He will also receive a $50,000 bonus any year season ticket sales exceed $5 million.

Jerry Lawler’s Bar and Grill on Beale Street will host a watch party for the 2018 WWE Hall of Fame inductions this Friday at 7.

If you drink Stella Artois bottles, switch to something else for a while. They have been recalled due to contamination by glass particles.

From Rolling Stone: Hear Elvis perform a rare, stripped-back take of “Suspicious Minds”

Maya Angelou would have turned 90 today. “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time” is my favorite quote of hers. I definitely kept that in mind when I responded to a Facebook friend request a few months ago.

Michael Vick is hosting a football camp in Memphis this weekend. If I wrote that this is a sign our city is going to the dogs, would that be inappropriate?

It’s time for “what I had for lunch in my Germantown work neighborhood.” Yesterday I had to make a Target run to get diapers for Panda’s diaper party, and I learned something valuable: How to get to the Target at Poplar and 240 without ever setting tires on Poplar. North on Kirby to Quail Hollow to Briarcrest to Ridgeway Loop Road. Got there in only 3 minutes. After getting the diapers, I ate at (appropriately, considering who I was shopping for) Panda Express in the same center.

I had the Beijing Bowl, with crispy beef, bell peppers and onions in a sweet-tangy sauce over a choice of side (I chose fried rice). It was my first time ever at a Panda Express and I liked a couple of things about it. First of all, the food is already prepared. If there’s no line, you’re sitting down with your food in about 2 minutes. The other thing I like is that I can see the kitchen and see that it is clean. In some Chinese restaurants I wonder about that. And, of course, any time I can get lunch in East Memphis/Germantown that’s not at a crappy fast food place for under $10, that is good.

That’s it for this post. Back tomorrow.

Downtown is getting a new park. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Reflection Park at MLK Avenue and Second Street will be a place people can go to get a better understanding on why Dr. King came to Memphis in 1968 and the impact his presence had on this city. It will be a place for meditation and reflection on the life and service of Dr. King.

Big River Crossing will put on 15-minute light shows tonight and tomorrow after sunset in observance of MLK50.

ServiceMaster honored Dr. King with a day of cleaning yesterday. The employees spent the day beautifying the route Dr. King took as he marched from MLK Avenue (then Linden) to City Hall in 1968.

I have a suggestion: Find a lifelong Memphian who was old enough at the time Dr. King was here to understand what was going on. So, someone who was at least 12 or 13 at the time. Ask him or her what Memphis was like in those days, how Dr. King changed things. In another 30 years we won’t have people who had first-hand memories of Dr. King in Memphis. We need to learn all we can from our elders while they are still here with us.

Strong storms are expected to cross the Mississippi River into Tennessee around 6 tonight. Stay alert if you have to be outdoors for MLK50 events or other events. Tonight was supposed to be the first week of free Our Yoga Downtown in Memphis Park, but I bet it gets canceled.

When I went to the New Wing Order tasting last Thursday, I got a copy of their menu for the new food truck they will roll out in September. One item I didn’t get to try, but which drew interest from people I showed the menu, was the hot wing nachos. They tweeted a preview this week:

What happens when you combine two of the best dishes in the world? You get hot wing nachos! We load tortilla chips with boneless wing strips, queso blanco, pico, Buffalo sauce, jalapeño ranch, queso fresco, & cilantro! Get yours from the New Wing Order food truck this September! pic.twitter.com/OyjBEYER2c

— New Wing Order (@newwingorder) April 2, 2018

The Memphis Tigers baseball team hosts Ole Miss tomorrow night at AutoZone Park. Throwing out the first pitch will be none other than the Tigers’ men’s basketball head coach, Penny Hardaway.

The Redbirds are upgrading their Papa John’s Rockey’s Kids Club for kids age 12 and under and their families. Kids can join Rockey’s club for $35 and get a bluff ticket to every Sunday home game, including the May 27 Redbirds game. They also get invitations to special events, catch on the field, a special gift, and Fast Lane access to “Kids Run the Bases.” Also, members of the club will be selected randomly to participate in exclusive experiences prior to each Sunday home game. Families can purchase packages for $80 to joint their child/children on the Bluff. Family package also includes a photo on the field.

Jennifer Biggs of the CA reports that Paulette’s will celebrate its 44th anniversary with a three-course meal for $19.74, featuring a throwback menu.

Biggs also reports that we now have an opening date for 117 Prime. It will open on April 23 for dinner, with lunch service to follow soon after.

The Grizzlies have signed Marquis Teague, who was the Memphis Hustle’s standout star this year, for the rest of the season.

Plans for tonight: I’m going to a diaper party, but the guest of honor won’t be there! Panda had the baby three weeks early. Still gonna drop off some Huggies at Bardog and hang out there for a little while. Back tomorrow with more news.

There’s a diaper party tomorrow, Tuesday, April 3 for bartender Amanda “Panda” at Bardog Tavern tomorrow during her 3 to 7 shift. Bring a pack of diapers so she will be well supplied as she prepares to have her baby later this month.

That’s not the only Panda news I have today, though… remember a few weeks back, I mentioned that a top name on the Downtown bartending scene had expressed interest in working the Moody Ques’ bar at BBQ Fest? Yep it’s Panda! And this weekend we finalized a deal with her. She will be behind the bar from 7 PM to midnight Thursday and Friday of BBQ Fest.

Joe Biden is coming to the Orpheum June 15! It’s part of his American Promise Tour. The ex-vice president will discuss the biggest moments of his political career, life choices he has made, and how he perseveres through times of trouble. I don’t go to a whole lot of events at the Orpheum, but this is one I would be interested to attend.

Texas de Brazil has extended its VIP gift card sale through April 15. You can purchase the cards online or in-store.

Historian Jimmy Ogle’s walking tours of Downtown will return this month. Here’s a schedule.

In observance of MLK50, Makeda’s Cookies at 488 S, Second will have Dr. King’s favorite dessert, pecan pie, all month long.

Also, Makeda’s offers 10% off to all city, state and federal employees every Tuesday. However the discount applies every day to teachers, MPD, MFD, veterans, and senior citizens.

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

Yesterday I led off at Blind Bear for Hung Over Like a Bear brunch, then about 2 I wandered down Main to Pontotoc Lounge for D-RANKS with B-RAD. After he got off, Brad told me, “A bunch of us are going to Loflin Yard. Do you want to come?”

“I’ll come if Tony promises to keep at least 5 feet away at all times,” I replied. Our friend Tony has a habit of getting a bit too handsy when he’s had a few drinks and his favorite mens are around. Tony agreed and I rode with Brad in his truck.

Got an unexpected surprise when we got to Loflin Yard: Cerrito Bingo was happening!

Kevin Cerrito hosts bingo various days and nights around town, and Sunday is Loflin’s day. I got a card and started playing.

The front yard. Such a nice place to hang out when the weather gets warm.

 

My bingo card. Kevin plays several variations: standard rules, can’t use the free space in the middle, standard + four corners counts, and cover the card. There were 10 rounds and most of the prizes were items from Loflin’s menu: free order of wings, free brunch, stuff like that. The last two rounds, though, were for Loflin gift cards. Fun way to spend a Sunday. The great thing about bingo is, it doesn’t require a whole lot of mental effort. If you can count to 75, you can play.

The drink menu. One of the reasons I haven’t been to Loflin Yard a lot lately is because in my first two visits, they didn’t have PBR. Now they do. They have some great local and regional beers on draft too.

Giant Connect Four game in the front yard.

Even Dutch likes Loflin Yard.

Dutch liked the back yard too.

The menu

I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. Several employees came up to me and said, “We’re so glad you’re here and we hope you will start coming more often.” It’s nice to be appreciated. I will try to get down that way more.

Here’s the complete Cerrito Trivia/Bingo schedule.  Play at Loflin Yard 5-7 every Sunday.

I have Monday news to report, but… I’m out of lunch hour! I’ll get a post up around 5:45 PM after I get home, so check back.

 

Last Sunday I led off at Pontotoc Lounge for brunch. Pontotoc, re-opened last November by Daniel Masters (Silly Goose/Civil Pour), is known for soft jazz playing in the background. For their newly-started brunch they have items like a chorizo scramble, banana nut French toast, a grit BLT and bagels & lox. They have a big breakfast as well, and for those not hungry for breakfast food their famous Mississippi pot roast is on the brunch menu.

And they also have this bitch.

Yep. D-RANKS with B-RAD will happen every Sunday at Pontotoc Lounge brunch from 11 to 3. I went down there last Sunday and got there right at 11. It started off slow but by 12:30 most of the tables and the bar area were full, with a mix of Brad’s regulars, South Main people, and people pre-gaming for Wicked at the Orpheum.

Couple of things that are different: First of all, it is all ages and there were a few kids in there last Sunday. That means I am going to have to be a little bit better behaved. Got to think twice about dropping the F bomb or speculating out loud on the things Brad’s regulars Rahul and Tony do when they’re all alone behind closed doors. Secondly, because all ages are allowed, you can’t smoke at the bar. You have to go outside.

It will be good to have a South Main spot to visit for brunch. I know my Squeal Street friends used to come there now and then when it was Cafe Pontotoc. Hope to see you there some Sunday in the near future! It’d be good to catch up. Brad has some good stories about me. He might have some good stories about other people you know, too!

Just to make it clear… I am in no way abandoning the Blind Bear as my Sunday brunch spot. With Pontotoc brunching until 3 and Blind Bear until 6, I have plenty of time to do both! My tentative plan is to lead off at Bear on the days I would suspect kids would be at Pontotoc – Orpheum show days, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Easter, which is today. The other weeks I will reverse the order.

Happy Easter! However, I have some advice for you… if you walk the streets of Downtown today, pretend to be Jewish. I just went to get breakfast (pint of Oreo ice cream and a 1-liter Mountain Dew) from City Market and the bums at the Madison Avenue trolley stop wished me happy Easter. If you say “happy Easter” back, though, they’ll go into their standard spiel of “Hey big time, let me aks you a question…” and of course the question will be can they have a dolla.

Check back tomorrow for more news, including BIG news about who will be pouring drinks at the BBQ team booth.

 

Music on Main kicks off today at 11 AM. This concert series was established by South of Beale and Shawn Gates of MyBlock Music. There will be free, family-friendly performances by School of Rock Memphis and the Visible Music College Performance Band. Promoting local music and South Main, there will be event-themed drinks and giveaways.

Can’t make it to Memphis for the MLK50 program on Wednesday? No problem, it will be streaming live from 10 to 6:30 that day. Allow extra time for driving if you come Downtown. There will be 100,000 to 150,000 people in the area, and if former presidents attend that will require additional security.

I wonder where President Trump will play golf on Wednesday…

Whiskey news!

This beauty is half price through Saturday! Came in second as best whiskey in the world in San Francisco. Came in second to its big brother the Boss Hog IV.#memphistn #alleytime #belletavern #ilovememphis #choose901 #bosshogoldworld #bosshog pic.twitter.com/ux9G93qWPx

— Belle Tavern (@belletavern) March 30, 2018

J-E-double F,  J-A-double R-E-double T, “Double J,” Jeff Jarrett, will make an appearance at Jerry Lawler’s Bar and Grill this afternoon at 2:30. Jarrett is the co-founder of TNA Wrestling, a former NWA and TNA world champion, and was known as “The King of the Mountain” in that promotion. Known best for smashing guitars over his opponents’ heads, Jarrett was also WCW world champion and WWF Intercontinental champion. He will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 6 days. This afternoon at King Lawler’s he will be available for autographs and photos.

Hey King… when we getting a Reggie B. Fine appearance at your bar? Maybe in June when it’s appropriate weather for him to put the fur coat on? We need to get him out to mingle with all us low-budgets.

The Mountaintop, a fictional depiction of Dr. King’s last night on Earth, will be performed tonight at the Halloran Centre. It is set entirely in Room 306 of the Lorraine Motel.

If you go to SneakFest today at FedExForum, you’ll get a complimentary ticket to the Grizzlies game vs. Sacramento on April 6. With Zach Randolph and Vince Carter on the Kings’ roster, the game will be a blast from the past.

The Easter Bunny will be at Bass Pro today for those of you who want a picture with your kids.

Today at 1, professional dance instructors will lead Dancing for the Dogs at Rumba Room. $10 per person, benefiting Blackwell Animal Rescue Center which has rescued over a thousand animals in the past 3 years.

Yesterday for lunch I went back to Cafe Med across Kirby Parkway from where I work. I walked this time and it was absolutely no problem. With a divider in the median, I only had to cross half of Kirby at one time. I got the Aleppo gyro yesterday.

The Aleppo has gyro meat, pesto, provolone, lettuce, tomatoes and roasted peppers. Once again they piled it so high with meat that I couldn’t finish it. I have to say, I never thought about pesto and cheese on a gyro but it was quite good. This will be one of the go-to items I get from the place I have decided is my walkable go-to restaurant across the street. Next on the agenda for me is the Spartan gyro with hot giardiniera.

Do I have any Syrian readers, and if so, do you really put provolone on your gyros? I suspect that the gyros are named for important cities in the region where gyros are common, and the names don’t really reflect how gyros are actually made in those cities.

I’m discovering that I have quite a few restaurants that are walkable from work: Cafe Med, One and Only BBQ, Tropical Cafe, Danver’s (yes it is open and it is a Danver’s), City East Bagel, T.J. Mulligan’s, and Jersey Subs. If I cross Poplar then Swanky’s, Petra, and George Lapides favorite Mister B’s are also in play. Other walkable dining options include the dumpster behind Bougie Kroger and McDonald’s, but I will try to avoid those. There’s also a First Tennessee ATM within walking distance of work. It’s a drive-thru ATM but yes, I will be “that guy” who walks up to it.

You know what’s odd? Last night I was out at the Blind Bear. That was supposed to be my reward for a week of work, but you know what I was doing? I was on the maps app on my phone, looking at websites, trying to decide where I’m going to eat lunch on Monday. I’m actually looking forward to Mondays now…

Not to fast-forward through the weekend, though, because there is important business to be done. Today I will support our BBQ team president John D as he wraps up a major deal. Can’t let the cat out of the bag yet, but this deal plus loosening up our door policy will return us to the party team feel we had for many years but were lacking last year. This is also a move that will do wonders for our tip jar. I may have an announcement as soon as tomorrow.

I’m wearing our 2016 team T-shirt featuring Terrance and Phillip today. “Stuff your fat cap face Uncle Faux’cue…You’re a brisket biting, broasting Uncle Faux’cue…” Some of our team members dislike that shirt, finding it offensive. I disagree. I think it’s brilliant. If you don’t get the reference, see below. (If you’re reading this blog at work I would put headphones on)

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

Happy Good Friday to all of my readers, and to those of you who have the day off work, Happy Better Friday.

Memphis Tigers men’s basketball coach just won me over as a fan big time. Arkansas Online reports that Penny wants to renew the basketball rivalry with Arkansas. The Tigers and Hogs played 12 times between 1991 and 2003, and it was very much a rivalry. Penny wants to bring that back. Excellent, and the sequel to a great story. Larry Finch’s protege (Penny) vs. Nolan Richardson’s protege (Mike Anderson). Let’s make this happen!

Of course, to get Arkansas on the schedule, the Tigers may have to give up heated rivalry games against teams like Mercer, Samford, or Bryant. Whoa, the Tigers may get their strength of schedule into the double digits if Penny is successful booking these SEC opponents.

Loflin Yard will have its two year anniversary party Saturday, April 7. Special brunch with acoustic music in the Coach House at 11, Adult Field Day at 2, live music at 8.

Art Village Gallery will have the opening of its MLK50 tribute exhibit, Beyond the Balcony, tonight from 7 to 9 PM. Seven local, national, and international artists will explore what it means to ascend beyond the past. Refreshments and hors d’oeuvres will be provided.

117 Prime still needs a few cooks, a couple of oyster shuckers, a dishwasher, and a few server assistants.

The CA has five things you need to know about MLK50 parking and security next week. At this time it is unclear if any former presidents will attend.

PreLaw Magazine has rated the University of Memphis Law School as the best facility in the country. This is the second time in four years the school, located Downtown at Front and Madison, has earned the honor.

If you have the MyFitnessPal app, change your password ASAP. It was hacked.

Tankathon has current probabilities of teams getting each pick in the NBA draft lottery. As of this morning they have Memphis at 51.4% to get one of the top three players in the draft.

Morris Glass is hiring a full-time delivery driver. This is a great family-owned company. You need to be okay carefully handling windshield glass weighing 20-45 pounds but no experience is necessary; they are willing to train. Must have a clean driving record, and there is a background check and drug test.

I decided to keep lunch close to the office yesterday, going across Kirby Parkway to Cafe Med, a Mediterranean restaurant in a strip mall just east of Bougie Kroger. They have 18 different kinds of gyros on the menu – 14 steamed, 4 grilled. I decided to stick with the classics and ordered the Original for my first visit.

Gyro meat in a pita topped with lettuce, tomato, onion and cucumber sauce. In case the photo doesn’t do it justice, let me make it clear that they HEAPED the meat on this thing. Excellent value – getting lunch at a Germantown restaurant for under $11 is uncommon. Also, I got the sense that the staff truly strives for customer satisfaction in everything they do. I will be back to try other gyros on the menu. The restaurant was not busy when I left around noon, normally peak time for restaurants. There is a better-known Mediterranean restaurant (Petra) half a block away. I hope people won’t overlook Cafe Med as a result.

Now, having said that, I am irritated about one aspect of my lunch experience, and it has nothing to do with Cafe Med. It has to do with me. I violated one of my core beliefs as a Downtowner yesterday at lunch. Looking out my office window, I would estimate Cafe Med to be about 150 feet away. And yet, how did I get there?

I DROVE THE CAR.

It never even occurred to me that I could walk there, and it would in fact be faster to get there than driving. Yes I would have to cross Kirby Parkway on foot, but you know what? I’ve probably crossed Union 10,000 times and have yet to get run over. I think I would make it.

I cannot believe I drove. Germantown is rubbing off on me, and in this case, it’s not a good thing.

THIS:

Next time Donald Trump doesn’t have the time to call a family of a dead US servicemen killed in action, remember that he has the time to call Roseanne Barr to congratulate her on ‘ratings’

— Roland Scahill (@rolandscahill) March 29, 2018

This is my second post of the day. Early this morning I did a preview post of the excellent food to be served by the New Wing Order food truck. If you haven’t read it, scroll on down. Back tomorrow with more news.

New Wing Order is a team that competes in Southern Hot Wing Fest here in Memphis. In 2015 and 2017 they were Grand Champions, and in 2016 they came in third. This September their wings and other offerings will be available for the public to purchase, as they roll out their food truck here in Memphis. New Wing Order was kind enough to invite Memphis food writers, bloggers, and social media gurus to an event last night to preview the food truck’s menu.

Before the food came out, principal owner Jesse explained how this all happened. Originally from Nashville, he came down to Memphis to watch New Wing Order compete in Wing Fest. He knew he had to be a part of it and before long he added an obsession with wings to his obsessions with cooking and entrepreneurship. He worked his way up through the food truck industry in Nashville to learn the ropes. Now he and the team are ready to get the food truck on the road and start serving the Memphis area. I have said for years that the best restaurants are extensions of their owners’ personalities and that is what we have here.

Memphis Buffalo Traditional Wings, the wing that led them to two grand championships. Buffalo sauce with a nod to Memphis BBQ. Good stuff and the heat is there. It’s my belief that if you eat 8 or 10 hot wings your eyes should be watering a bit. These would do it.

Boneless wings. Clockwise from trollie trollie at the top: garlic parmesan, Tennessee teriyaki, Cajun honey hot, Lynchburg fire.

The Cajun honey hot was the most flavorful in my opinion, although I liked them all. It’s good to have variety. It’s also good that they have a boneless wing (garlic parmesan) that does not depend on heat or sauce. Something for everyone.

I don’t know if I have any longtime readers who are vegetarians or big fans of avocado, but if I do, these fried avocado tacos have you in mind. They are vegan friendly. The taco was tasty and had a good mix of flavors, although I would probably stick to the meat options.

They NAILED it with the pork verde taco. Having been on a BBQ team for 12 years, I know good pork, and this was the stuff. Slow smoking does wonders. Tender and juicy, the pulled pork soaked in the flavor. The best dish of the night and I made sure the New Wing Order folks knew I felt that way. I know they are a wing team but do not miss out on these tacos.

Paul Gagliano of Southern Hot Wing Fest was nice enough to gift each of us with a free ticket to the festival this year. The festival is expanding and moving to Tiger Lane.

The festival schedule.

They gave us a copy of their food truck and catering menus. After the event I showed the menus to a few people at the Blind Bear and it drew oohs and ahhs.

Thanks to New Wing Order for a delicious and informative night. I predict success in their future and look forward to seeing them on the streets of Memphis.

Yesterday’s lunch was so good that I am going to lead right off with “what I had to eat on my work lunch hour.” I went to PizzaRev next to the International Paper headquarters on Poplar. Build-your-own-burrito fast food places have become a dime a dozen around town, but PizzaRev is doing something fresh by extending the concept to build-your-own personal pizza. Yes, I said fast food and pizza in the same sentence.

The way it works is, you look at their menu and you choose your crust, you choose your sauce, you choose your cheese, and you choose your toppings (proteins and veggies). If you’re not feeling creative you can order one of their “our way” pizzas.

So, I started building my pizza. I told the lady behind the counter I had never been there before and she was super sweet and helpful. I got the signature thin crust, alfredo sauce, and mozzarella. “I’ll have the smoked ham for my meat,” I told her.

“You realize it’s unlimited toppings, don’t you?” she replied. “With what you have now and a drink, it’ll be $11.80 with tax. You won’t spend more if you add more toppings.” So I added crispy bacon as a second meat, along with mushrooms, black olives, and red onions. They build your pizza on a wooden paddle, which they then stick in their 900-degree stone oven. It’s done in 3 minutes, which is how pizza can be fast food. This was my pizza:

This was delicious and I was done less than 35 minutes after I walked through the door, giving me a little time to explore the neighborhood. They are on UberEats and BiteSquad if you need your pizza delivered. They have an app as well with a rewards program, and while I don’t usually download restaurant apps, I see myself returning to PizzaRev often enough to earn some serious rewards. If you decide to get the PizzaRev app enter PAULRYB3053 as the promo code.

You can also host a fundraiser at PizzaRev and keep 20% of the proceeds.

I know Pyro’s is a similar concept. I will eventually get there too, but PizzaRev is a much more convenient drive.

I am really starting to embrace my Germantown work location and the great places to eat nearby (although, PizzaRev is technically within the Memphis city limits by a block or two). I am also starting to embrace going to lunch right at 11 AM. I get there before the restaurants get busy, and when I get back to the office at noon my co-workers are at lunch and I have the place to myself for a little while. Also, I since I return to the office about the time many are leaving for lunch, I get their good parking spaces.

On to the news… MATA will offer free bus rides next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in conjunction with the MLK50 observance.

Explore Bike Share has announced locations for its first 60 stations and there will be quite a few Downtown. There will be weekly, monthly, and yearly memberships ranging to $12 to $120. That gets you unlimited bike rides on state-of-the-art bikes with solar powered panels that have GPS and tell you things like miles traveled and calories burned. All you have to do when you’re riding on a membership is check in at one of the stations once every 60 minutes. A single ride without a membership will cost $5.

There’s also one other very cool membership option: “Give Your Neighbors a Lift,” for $200 a year. That buys you, and one Memphian in need of transportation, a one-year membership to the bike sharing service.

Belle Tavern hosts Michter’s Class Whiskey Tasting Saturday afternoon from 1 to 3:30 PM. $65 plus tax and grat gets you heavy hors d’oeuvres and 1 ounce pours of Michter’s

• US*1 Rye
• Small Batch Bourbon
• US*1 Sour Mash
• 10 Year Bourbon

Seating is very limited, so if you want to attend, to not delay to make reservations.

The Memphis Flyer has the complete story about the court case that resulted in Christopher Reyes, Sarah Fleming and their two small children to be evicted and to owe more than $100,000 in damages. I will say it again: The Madison Hotel and associated properties can expect no further promotion in my blog of events being held there.

Noel King of NPR is coming to town for the MLK50 celebration. He is interested in collecting stories of memories of Dr. King and how Memphis has changed since his death. Share your story on this comment form and an NPR producer may get in touch with you.

The Memphis in May Beale Street Music Fest app is now available for Apple and Android devices. You can view the musicians, set up your schedule, and view food vendor options.

Max’s Sports Bar will have a crawfish boil again this Saturday. You know the drill… bar opens at 11, first batch of crawfish out around noon, cooked by Glaze and his team, some of the best crawfish in town. You can get 1 or 2 pounds and they come with sides of corn, taters, sausage, and mushrooms.

There will be Games on Front the next five Fridays after work in the Cossitt Library courtyard, Front at Monroe. Free live music, free yard games, free hot dogs. There will be beer as well but I am assuming that isn’t free. This week’s live entertainment is Misti Rae and Adam Holton.

Downtown Night at the Grizzlies has been postponed until next season.

South of Beale is hiring for multiple positions. Apply in person between 1 and 4 PM Monday-Friday.

The CA’s Jennifer Biggs recently discovered the Snohaus Memphis snowcream truck and has a review. The truck will be on South Main tomorrow night.

My troll and I have a tasting to attend after work, so I won’t be out at the usual spots for happy hour. Look for a report on the tasting tomorrow, as well as more news.

There will be street closures in the South Main district Tuesday, April 3 at 12:00 AM through Thursday, April 5 at 12:00 AM. The closures are to set up a border for a safety zone for the MLK50 festivities on the grounds of the National Civil Rights Museum. The boundaries will be Second on the east, G.E. Patterson on the south, Main on the west, and Talbot on the north. The main program for MLK50 will be Wednesday, April 4, the 50th anniversary of the death of Dr. King, from 8 AM to 6:30 PM. There will be speakers, music, dance, and spoken word on a large stage.

Artist Chris Reyes, his partner Sarah Fleming and their two small children have lost their court battle to remain in their home for the past 25 years at 1 South Main. They were forced out by the new owners of the Madison Hotel, who want to take over the space. Madison owners: Do not expect coverage of events held at your facilities in this blog anymore. You did wrong by good people. You’re going to find that Downtown is a tightly-knit community, a village within a big city. This kind of thing does not play well here.

You have four days left to buy tickets for Tour de Grizz 2018. This is a special ticket that gets you a ticket to the Sunday, April 8 Grizzlies game vs. the Detroit Pistons, a 1.5-mile bike ride to FedExForum with fellow Grizz Fans, and a tour T-shirt. There will be live music and entertainment from noon to 1 PM at the Tennessee Welcome Center, 119 N. Riverside Drive. At 1:15 the bike ride to FedExForum will commence, with an escort by MPD for riders’ safety. There will be special Bike Valet Parking for the riders at the arena. Tip-off is 2:30, and following the game there will be a bike ride back to the welcome center. Riders must be at least 10 years old and provide their own bike and safety equipment including helmet and lights. All fans attending the game (Tour de Grizz or otherwise) will receive a free Grizzlies poster.

The Grizzlies host the Portland Trailblazers at FedExForum tonight at 7. Portland point guard Damian Lilliard will miss tonight’s game, having flown home for the birth of his child. The Grizz have their best chance for a two-game winning streak in quite some time.

A portable recording booth called Truth Booth will be set up at Memphis Park Tuesday, April 3 from 2 to 6. This is the public’s chance to have their voices amplified as they share their thoughts, ideas, dreams and truths about anything that inspires them. The DMC sought advice from the National Civil Rights Museum on the most appropriate place to locate this booth. The booth will have a second stop in Memphis Friday, April 6 3-6 PM at RedZone Ministries in Orange Mound.

The Memphis Flyer has an article on big changes at the Riverfront Development Corporation including a new leader, a new name to be rolled out later this month, and a new business plan.

Got a piece of major Downtown brunch news that I am holding until Sunday morning. Make a note to check back at that time. This will not be an Easter or April Fool’s Day announcement. Hmmm… wonder if any parents will not put out Easter baskets and tell their kids “the bunny didn’t come” as an April Fool’s joke? That’d be pretty funny. Good way to save some money on candy too, and possibly dentist bills.

A couple of weeks I discussed how to know if one of your friends is hiding posts from you on Facebook: Put them on your Close Friends list. You’ll get notifications every time they post. If on multiple occasions you click the notification to see what they posted, and you get a notification the post cannot be displayed right now, there’s a good chance they are hiding posts from you. I now have a screen capture of what you will see on a phone:

I saw a screen like this approximately once every week or two September 2015-May 2016. I even saw a screen like this one Friday in December 2015 when I was in a hospital in Little Rock, believing that my mom had a stroke and might not recover.

No new Germantown lunchtime discovery to tell you about today, because I returned to the Indian buffet yesterday. Well, I did discover that they change up some of the dishes on the buffet daily. Goat vindaloo for the win! BAAAAAAA!

Trump is starting a trade war with China. Statistics site FiveThirtyEight has built a trade war simulator that will give you a sense of what it takes to win a trade war.

That’ll do it for now! Back tomorrow.