Hey, Mr. Tangerine Man, tell a lie for me: Saturday update

Doesn’t apply to post titles.

Just got back from my Saturday morning caffeine run to City Market. On the way back, I saw a new business doing good things for Memphis and I thought I’d give them a shout-out. Give Good empowers the life of young adults on the autism spectrum. It offers them a place to work, and a place and purpose within our community. You can buy Give Good toffee at locations around town or in their online store.

The 36th annual Outdoors Inc. Canoe and Kayak Race kicks off this morning at 10 AM this morning. Racers will start at the mouth of the Wolf River, taking them out into the Mississippi River. They will go under the I-40 bridge, come back around the foot of Mud Island, and finish in the Memphis Harbor. Wind, strong currents, and eddies are challenges with which the racers must contend.

Loveland Duren will provide live music at the Ghost River taproom tonight from 6 to 8, and the Sushicide Squad food truck will be parked outside. For my readers out in the U of M area, there will be a Ghost River tap takeover today from noon to 3 at Buster’s. You might get some free swag.

MATA will begin testing trolleys soon. No passengers will be allowed, only bags of sand to simulate passenger weight. If they pass the tests, passenger trolleys will start being phased back in by the end of the year.

WWE Monday Night Raw returns to FedExForum on August 28 and tickets go on sale this coming Friday at 10 AM. That will be the second Raw after SummerSlam.

Okay, if you don’t want to read about politics, you can exit this post now without missing any Downtown news. However, if you didn’t read about everything that happened in the White House yesterday, you might want to keep reading.

EDVA = Eastern District of Virginia. In subsequent tweets, Claude said that Bannon physically confined two White House staffers, blocking the exits. So he obstructs exits as well as justice. More on that…

In other news, the House committee investigating the Trump-Russian connection has said it wants to talk to Brad Parscale, who was digital director of the Trump campaign. Here’s a chart showing the connections between Trump, Parscale, and others involved.

Trump’s longtime lawyer Michael Cohen has hired a lawyer of his own in the Russia probe. When lawyers start hiring lawyers, that’s a sign that things are getting ugly.

Vice President Mike Pence has lawyered up too. Pence’s lawyer has experience with government investigations. He served on the staff of a Republican Congressman during Watergate, and he served as counsel to a senator investigating Iran-Contra. He also represented Sepp Blatter, corrupt former president of soccer’s governing body.

The investigation is gathering momentum so fast that I kinda just want to stay home and reload Twitter every few minutes to make sure I don’t miss anything. However, there is no PBR here at home, so out I go. I’ve been asked to pay a visit to Max’s Sports Bar this afternoon, and I may hit other spots in the area as well – try The Vault for the first time, go over to Earnestine & Hazel’s to see Clarence, and maybe a stop by Cafe Pontotoc to see Michele. No shortage of places to go down here. Back tomorrow with more news. Hopefully more Downtown news than politics, but they way things are going, I’m making no promises.

Friday update #2: Wunderlich understands recruiting

Wunderlich Securities wants to attract the best and brightest candidates to work at their corporate headquarters here in Memphis. They want the smartest people in their office to serve their clients. To recruit the best of the best, they are moving their corporate HQ to Downtown Memphis, with 100 employees to work in a 28,000 square foot space in One Commerce Square.

When they bring in people from other cities to interview, those people currently see the Memphis airport, their current HQ and a hotel in the Poplar and 240 area, and miles of Interstate 240. It isn’t the best way to convince well-qualified people that Memphis is the place where they want to spend their life.

With the move Downtown, Wunderlich candidates will get to eat in Downtown restaurants and stay in a Downtown hotel. They’ll have time after hours to explore the area, the most walkable part of Memphis, on their own. Perhaps they’ll get taken to The Little Tea Shop for a meat-and-two lunch with Miss Su. Maybe they’ll get to catch a Redbirds game. Maybe they’ll walk down to Beale and discover Brad Birkedahl’s band, or whoever is cranking out the blues at the Blues Hall that evening. They could walk over to Bass Pro and do some shopping, or rent a bike and ride down to the Ghost River tap room. Maybe they could catch a trolley to South Main to visit the National Civil Rights Museum and then have dinner at Central BBQ.

Welcome to Downtown, Wunderlich. Good to see a company that “gets it” when it comes to selling a lifestyle to potential corporate employees.

The Bar-Kays and Confunkshun play the Cannon Center for Performing Arts tonight in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Juneteenth Memphis. Doors open at 8, show at 9.

South Main Sounds hosts a Summer Blockbuster Songwriter Night at 550 S. Main tonight, 7 to 9 PM, with Nightingail, Parker Hodges, R.J. Comer, and Adam Naylor.

Hear about the progress of the Memphis 3.0 master plan at one of these meetings next week:

Memphis Made Brewing Co. is teaming up with Goner Records and the Stax Museum of American Soul Music to brew Hop Swap IPA. This golden, hazy IPA with notes of citrus and fruit will help promote the Second Annual Soulsville Record Swap, to be held tomorrow, Saturday, June 17, from 11 AM to 4 PM at the Stax Museum. Record dealers from Memphis, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, Virginia, New York, and Minnesota will be on hand. There will be DJs all day long, and food trucks Arepa901, Sandwiches & More, and MEMpops. Admission to the swap is free, but if you want first pick there’s an early bird admission for $10 at 10 AM.

Memphis Made will have a pre-party for the event tonight from 7-10 PM in its taproom at 768 S. Cooper.

On Sunday, Memphis Made will present Hops for Pops, a special edition of its Community Concerts Sunday series. Live music by Incredible Universe and of course, plenty of beer. A portion of beer sales go to A Step Ahead Foundation.

Your Inner Yogi will offer Yoga for a Cause tomorrow, Saturday, June 17, at its location at 10 N. Second from 11 AM to 1 PM. Donations of dog-related items (leashes, toys, dog beds, etc.) are encouraged and will go to Streetdog Foundation. Certified instructor Caroline Miles will lead you through 108 Sun Salutations in observance of the summer solstice, bringing balance, gratitude, and positive energy. Yogis are asked to arrive 15 minutes early for the class to have time for parking and pre-class prep. There will be giveaways and pups will be there to adopt. YOGA!

Well, well, well.

Weekend! That’s it for now. I’ll be out at the usual places after work.

Friday morning update

Get there early if you’re going to see the Redbirds tonight. The first 1500 fans get a Stubby Clapp half-and-half jersey. Half the jersey features the current logo, and the other half has the classic logo from 1999-2002 when Clapp was a Redbirds player. Gates open at 6:00, with a 7:05 first pitch. Before the game there will be a block party in the plaza with live music by John Paul Keith and $2 beers.

Fourth Bluff Friday is back at RiverPlay tonight from 4 to 10. DJ Capital A will bring the music at 5:30, and then at 6:30 Memphop legends Iron Mic Coalition will take over. The Fuel food truck will be there, and TapBox will be back serving 10 craft beers. Memphicity Design will have a pop-up T-shirt shop there too, and there will be basketball, roller skating, and ping-pong as well.

Rent: The 20th Anniversary Tour comes to the Orpheum today through Sunday.

It is always nice to see a vacant building in the Downtown core being renovated into living space. Frank Corkren, a ServiceMaster employee, is redeveloping 134 Monroe into an apartment building. He was drawn to the location because of the proximity to his company’s new office building down the street on Second, as well as of all the great dining in the immediate area. He will keep one unit for himself and rent out the others using short-term rental services like Airbnb. What a great idea… think of the money he will make during Music Fest and BBQ Fest and Grizzlies playoff season.

Let’s Go Fishin’ is the theme at the Memphis Farmers Market this Saturday. The Market has vendors selling seafood from the Gulf as well as farm-raised catfish. From 10 to noon the Dixon will be at the kids’ table with a Scratha-Art koi fish craft that you can cut and glue and give to Dad on Father’s Day. Live music by Andrew Cabigao 8:30-10, Joe Johnson 10-11, and Amaris 11-12:30. The Market is held under the pavilion every Saturday at Front and G.E. Patterson from 7 AM to 1 PM.

Cordova’s new craft brewery, Meddlesome Brewing Co., scheduled to open June 30, is already garnering attention for the name of one of its beers, 201 Hoplar. It generated what the Memphis Flyer’s Bruce V accurately described as a “kerfluffle” on Twitter Wednesday afternoon, with some finding the reference to the infamous Downtown jail inappropriate. I personally see nothing wrong with it. I was checking @WooPigBrewey yesterday to keep up with beer news from my home state of Arkansas, and I see that North Little Rock’s Diamond Bear brewery has re-released a beer called “Stripper Sweat.” I wonder if feminists in the LR metro are up in arms over that name.

LUNCHBOXeats sent out their Father’s Day brunch menu if you’re looking for somewhere to take Dad. 10 AM to 3 PM.

The Rusty Pieces play the Flying Saucer this evening from 6 to 9.

That’s it for now. Off to work, possibly another post at lunchtime.

Thursday update: Help create Great Streets, Rizzo’s goes Italian for a day and more

BikePedMemphis’s work on the Great Streets Project is underway, and they are putting out a call for volunteers. This project will create a bike path from the river to Midtown, create areas that protect cyclists and pedestrians from traffic, and create pedestrian promenades where people can lounge or eat. They are looking for volunteers for morning and afternoon shifts next week, June 19-23. Volunteers will be needed to assemble IKEA furniture, paint streets, and assist with litter pickup. If you want to volunteer, email Emily Rooker at erooker@urbanartcommission.org and let her know your hours of availability.

On Saturday, June 24 they will have a massive Great Streets Volunteer Build Day from 8 AM to 1:30 PM to put the finishing touches on the project. If you can’t volunteer during the week due to work, the 24th could be your day.

After the work is done, it will be time to celebrate with a Street Party for Great Streets on the Main Street Mall from Peabody Place to Gayoso on Tuesday, June 27. There will be live music, games, and sidewalk sales from businesses along that block. That same day, hundreds of pedestrian and bike experts will be in town for the conference of the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals.

Rizzo’s is going Italian for an evening on Tuesday, June 20 from 6:30 to 10 PM. Everyone has that one Italian mom in the neighborhood who prepares delicious dishes from the old country. Pam Conte was that Italian mom for Chef Michael Patrick. Join Pam and Michael as they serve a four-course dinner made from recipes passed down through La Familia. Cost is $60.

Cruisin’ Heavy, with special guest Mike Posner, is the featured entertainment at tonight’s Peabody rooftop party. $15 to get in, ladies and hotel guests free before 7. Your admission includes a buffet of catfish nuggets with house-made tartar sauce and warm mini-pretzels with honey mustard. If you’re in VIP you have a second buffet of carved Jack Daniel’s glazed tenderloin, garlic mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, and watermelon wedges. Tonight’s drink specials will be a honey margarita and Backwoods blackberry moonshine.

It’s all-inclusive night at the Redbirds – a special $20 ticket lets you walk up to any concession stand and get burgers, hot dogs, chips and cheese, popcorn, and small sodas. It’s also Thirsty Thursday with select draft beers $2. First pitch is 7:05 and Colorado Springs is the opponent.

The Memphis Second Line Jazz Band will lead a parade from Memphis Park on Front Street to RiverPlay on Riverside Drive tonight at 5:30. Following that there will be a Heavy Metal Skate Party with DJ The Hook-Up from 6 to 8 at RiverPlay.

Trent Tomlinson kicks off the KIX (see what I did there) on Beale Concert Series in Handy Park tonight at 7:30. These concerts are all-ages and free to attend.

Clayborn Reborn is partnering with On Location: Memphis to bring a series of 15 films to Clayborn Temple this summer. The first is tonight. Fruitvale Station is a critically acclaimed film about a Bay Area resident who crosses paths with friends, enemies, family and strangers on the last day of 2008. Prior to the movies there will be block parties outside including local vendors, food trucks and a DJ. The block parties and movies are free and will include a discussion by an expert curator.

Louisville men’s basketball coach Rick Pitino has been suspended for five ACC games as a result of the investigation into an escort scandal involving his players. The school may also be forced to vacate games won 2010-2014, if it is shown that any ineligible player played in those games. That could endanger L’ville’s NCAA championship for the 2012-2013 season.

If anyone is interested in learning to become a web developer, this bundle currently being offered for $49 by Mashable looks like a great value. You’ll learn HTML5, the language of web pages; CSS3, the language of the look and feel of web pages; and JavaScript, the language of dynamic client-side web pages. You’ll also learn MySQL, a popular flavor of the SQL database query language. You’ll learn popular programming languages like PHP and Python. Plus there are extras like an intro to cloud computing. These are the very tools (except Python, which I have never used) I work with in my day job as a web developer.

Interesting… judges are starting to require convicted drunk drivers to install Uber or Lyft on their phones. Sounds good… easy way to help people make better decisions.

Former Memphis Tiger Austin Nichols has an interview with Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace. Probably unlikely Nichols would appear in a Grizzlies uniform this coming season, but he might get to do the Hustle. He’s got the size and the skills to develop into an NBA player, if he has the passion for the game.

Mainstream media is finally starting to report that President Trump is under criminal investigation. “Obstruction of justice” is what everyone is talking about, but read the last paragraph in the New York Times article I linked here. “Money laundering” is the real gold they’re going to dig up.

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

Wednesday update

Stock & Belle at 387 S. Main will host a special event Sunday evening, June 25, from 5 to 9 PM. Bre Lasley was a victim of a horrible home break-in with an attempt on her life. She fought back and survived the attack. She founded the organization Fight Like Girls to tell her story and to encourage other women to fight back too. Bre will come to Stock & Belle to spread her inspiring message and celebrate unlimited strength in all women.

Check out the new Orpheum website! Looks good!

The annual Juneteenth celebration is going on all week, leading up to an outdoor urban music festival in Robert Church Park, on Beale just east of Fourth, Friday-Sunday June 16-18.

The free Envision Memphis boot camp is back at RiverPlay tonight, on Riverside between Court and Jefferson. The class is for age 18 and up. There is no need to RSVP, just meet at 6 PM at the Gear Shack at RiverPlay.

Job news: Memphis College of Art is hiring a Chief Financial Officer.

This is interesting:

Time for thoughts on U.S. events this week. Feel free to stop reading if you don’t care about politics. You won’t be missing any Downtown news.

  • That Cabinet meeting where they went around the room and praised Trump and the progress his administration has made: You realize that’s what happens in Kim Jong Un’s meetings right?
  • Anyone else have the feeling that Defense Secretary Mattis looks at all this and thinks “WTF have I gotten myself into?”
  • As much as we heard “I can’t recall…” or similar from Attorney General Jeff Sessions, perhaps he should be examined for early onset dementia.
  • On the other hand, Sessions could totally be the poster boy for a campaign to get Americans to drink more water.
  • Sen. Kamala Harris could well be a rising star in the Democratic party by the time all these hearings are done.
  • As for this morning’s shooting at the Congressional baseball practice, it proves there are kooks on both the left and right.

That’s the news for now. I plan to be out at my usual Wednesday Silly Goose happy hour. Back tomorrow with more.

Tuesday update

The Downtown Neighborhood Association has scheduled its June monthly meeting, and the guest will be a good one: none other than the mayor of Memphis, Jim Strickland. The mayor will share his administration’s strategy of looking at new ways to solve old problems. The meeting will be held at The Vault, in the former Double J space on G.E. Patterson, on Tuesday, June 27 with a 6 PM social and 6:30 meeting. The Vault has two levels, 26 TVs, Memphis’ only frost bar, and a menu that is a mix of Creole, Italian oysters, jambalaya, and pizza.

Speaking of the City of Memphis: I put in my first ever 311 request this morning. The light at Front and Peabody Place is malfunctioning and never turns green for those trying to turn southbound onto Front from Peabody Place. The pedestrian signal for Front counts down to 0, but then instead of the light turning red, the little walking man reappears and Front gets a new cycle. For the time being I would recommend avoiding that intersection.

Lansky Bros. is now selling a children’s book entitled Come on in, Young Man! by Hal and Julie Lansky. It starts off with that day in 1952 when a teenage Elvis Presley was standing outside the clothing shop, peering through the window. “Come on in, young man!” said Bernard Lansky to Elvis, beginning a life-long friendship that allowed Elvis to dress and perform in his own unique style when he hit it big on the music scene a few years later. The book shows children that hard work and confidence can make dreams come true, and encourages them to “follow that dream.”

Crop Hop 5K, the annual 5K benefiting the Memphis Farmers Market, is this Friday, June 16. $25 registration gets you a run, a T-shirt, and admission to the race after-party under the pavilion at Front and G.E. Patterson where there will be live music, food and beer. Runners have told me they consider this one of the better after-parties on the circuit. If you just want the T-shirt and the after-party without the run, sign up as a Spirit Runner for $25. Just want the after-party? $15 for that. Sign-up goes up to $30 the day of the event. First 200 to sign up are guaranteed a T-shirt.

South Main residents have discovered they have video of the South Main creeper on their security system. This pervert cruises South Main in a white pickup in the mornings before sunrise, Saturdays in particular. When he sees a woman out running or walking her dogs, he parks the truck, gets out, and follows her, touching himself and mumbling obscenities.

You know, I hate reporting negative news about Downtown, but I also think to myself, oh boy, did this creep pick the WRONG neighborhood to target. They are a tight-knit community down in South Main and they are going to get this guy. I betcha there are lots of residents up early this Saturday keeping their eyes open for that white pickup truck. Everyone looks out for their neighbors down there. He’d be better off targeting an area like Cordova, where people know what times the potato skins are half off at Applebee’s but they don’t know their neighbors.

Wiseacre hosts A Midsummer Night’s Beer Dinner on Sunday, June 25 from 6 to 9 PM. The dinner will be in the brewery’s newly tinted Chautauqua Pavilion, pairing four courses from Bounty on Broad with Wiseacre’s summeriest beers. Tickets are $50 and can be purchased here.

Congratulations to three Memphis agencies, DCA, Red Deluxe, and archer > malmo, that were recently honored on a national stage, bringing home Silver ADDY awards. DCA’s award was for a marketing campaign for Loflin Yard, and Red Deluxe’s was for a photo illustration of one of Downtown’s most famous alleys (Rendezvous alley).

It’s dollar hot dog night at the Redbirds, courtesy of King Cotton. First pitch 7:05. Colorado Springs is the opponent.

Space Jam is tonight’s free movie on the big screen at Beale Street Landing. 8:30 start time.

Wine and liquor are back at the Green Beetle effective today.

The Memphis Medical District Collaborative will hand out grants to fund public art, with preference being given to those who live or work within the district.

Your library card will get you free or discounted admission at many Memphis museums and attractions June 1-July 31.

Bloomberg reports that the Russian breach of the 2016 U.S. presidential election was wider than previously thought, hitting 39 of the 50 states.

That’s it for now. I’ll be out somewhere after work. Tuesday is kind of my wild card day, so I kind of play it by ear as to where I go. Back tomorrow with more news.

Monday update

Work on the bike and pedestrian corridor that will connect Downtown to Midtown has begun. Front and Peabody Place were re-paved and re-striped this past weekend. Peabody Place will have a pedestrian promenade with tables where pedestrians can lounge, much like the promenade at Monroe and Marshall over in The Edge.

There are a couple of events coming up at Old Dominick Distillery on Front. On Saturday, June 24, the distillery hosts an event called The Memphis Spirit Returns. $30 admission includes Old Dominick handcrafted cocktails. There will be a full bar with cocktail samples. Famed Memphis chefs will supply the food, including Kelly English of Iris, Jose Gutierrez of Entourage, Felicia Willett of Felicia Suzanne’s, and Patrick Reilly of the Majestic Grille. Live music by the South Side Supper Club, Bluff City Backsliders and the Memphis Second Line Jazz Band. Cocktail crafting by talented Memphis bartenders and mixologists. A portion of the proceeds will benefit New Memphis Institute.

The Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau will host Double Vision, a Memphis travel cocktail mixer, this Thursday, June 15, at 5:30 at Old Dominick. This is an event for Memphis businesses that are interested in capitalizing on an annual audience of 11 million visitors.

The Memphis Grizzlies will be holding auditions next month for my very favorite thing about attending Grizzlies games: The Grizzlies Grannies and Grandpas, a 50-and-over dance squad that performs during breaks in the game.

A new art gallery is coming to the South Main district: Calliope Gallery at 456 Tennessee Street. The gallery will host a reception for its inaugural exhibit, “Transmissions: New Works by Amy Hutcheson” on Saturday, June 24 from 5 to 8 PM. Amy is the owner of Downtown Yoga on South Main Street and is strengthening her connection to the neighborhood through her art,

The Salty Dogs running club will run a 3-miler through Health Sciences Park this evening. It is free to participate and the run starts and ends at Bardog Tavern. 7 PM start time. Following the run there will be specials in Bardog’s Underdog Room.

Legal problems continue to pile up for the Trumpster: The District of Columbia and the state of Maryland are suing him in his official capacity as president. They claim that Trump is using the presidency to enrich himself, violating the foreign and domestic emoluments clauses of the Constitution.

Even Smirnoff Vodka is trolling Trump now. Their new ad campaign touts that the vodka is made in America, “But we’d be happy to talk about our ties to Russia under oath.”

In other news, Attorney General Jeff Sessions will testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee in an open session at 1:30 tomorrow afternoon.

That’s it for now. Probably going to hit Bardog after work. Back tomorrow.

Sunday update

I never expect Sundays to be big days for reporting the news. My Sunday updates tend to be recaps of what I did Saturday. A typical Sunday post might contain photos of what I had to eat the day before, maybe one or two photos of the troll (I got asked “where’s your gremlin?” yesterday), commentary on President Trump’s latest tweets, and maybe one or two news items that I stumbled upon or forgot to put in Saturday’s post. That is not the case this week! Nearly every conversation I had, nearly every time I opened a social media app, produced a nugget of news that I threw into Evernote for reporting this morning.

The biggest news of the weekend is that The Front Porch is open! A couple of years ago, the people who ran Beale Street Landing went through the motions of opening a restaurant. It was not bad but it was nothing spectacular, and I was only convinced to walk a quarter mile out of my way to go there one time when Charvey Mac was playing. Due to lack of interest, the restaurant shut down in the fall of 2016. The re-opening this weekend, however, is something special. This time they brought in the experts; they brought in people who know a thing or two about running a very successful restaurant. Specifically, they brought in Patrick and Deni Reilly, whose restaurant The Majestic Grille has been wildly successful since day one. Patrick and Deni will be consulting on the operation of The The Front Porch through the fall. Can’t wait to see what they have done with the place!

By the way, Deni, happy birthday yesterday!

The Dirty Crow Inn on E.H. Crump Boulevard is hiring kitchen staff. Apply in person and ask to see Paul (not me, different Paul).

On a macro diet but tired of eating the same 5 meals over and over because you don’t know what else to cook? Bedrock Eats & Sweets has a class for you on Thursday, June 29 from 5 to 7 PM. You’ll get several tricks for balanced macro meals that are quick to make, and you’ll get recipes that will add variety to your diet. Class is limited to 15 and the cost is $50 per person. Email brandi@bedrockeatsandsweets.com to reserve your place.

Good editorial from the Daily News on the Tom Lee memorial in Tom Lee Park. I did not realize it but the memorial uses some language which is highly inappropriate in this day and age.

Ghost River will begin hosting tours of the brewery every Saturday at 11 AM beginning next Saturday, June 17. The first tour will be led by the always hilarious Tyler Nelson. Tours are $20 and include three beer samples as you tour, a Ghost River pint glass to take home, and a pint of Ghost River beer at the end of the tour. Email emma@ghostriverbrewing.com to reserve your place.

Puerto Rico is holding a referendum on becoming the 51st state this week. Other options include remaining a U.S. Commonwealth, entering “free association,” or becoming an independent nation.

The Great American Beer Festival did the right thing in a recent announcement that Big Beer will no longer be able to be a sponsor of the festival. From now on, only breweries that meet the craft brewer standards are eligible to be Featured Brewery sponsors. Large breweries can still compete at the festival, however. In fact, last year the greatest beer ever brewed, Pabst Blue Ribbon, took home a gold medal.

The Redbirds play today at 2:05 with the usual Sunday promotions: Kids under 12 get an ice cream treat and get to run the bases after the game. Prior to the game, select Redbirds players will sign autographs in the concourse.

That’s it for now. Time for Sunday brunch at the Blind Bear. Back tomorrow with more news.

Saturday update

Yesterday I mentioned that there is a new dessert place, Rolling Sweets, at 26 S. Second. Michael of the One901 blog went by there and took a video: What is rolled ice cream? and he has a review of the place. I’ve got to get by there and check them out soon. Maybe today!

I finally paid a visit to the new and improved Flying Saucer last night. They expanded the kitchen without taking away any seating room, and actually expanded the number of seats in the place. They have more flat-screen TVs above the bar (3 at each end), giving customers more options when they want to see “their” game. They have live music during happy hour on Fridays. I like the improvements, but I also like it that it is still the Saucer I recognize.

… Unfortunately, it was the wrong place to try and have a BBQ meeting. This was an official board meeting wrapping up the 2017 BBQ season, which we are required by law to have as an LLC. We were spread out over two tables and a booth, and due to all the ambient noise it was hard for people sitting on the ends to hear each other. I will have more on the content of the meeting at a later date.

The Sandlot plays on the big screen at the Orpheum this afternoon at 2 as part of its summer movie series. Doors open at 1 and there will be trivia and a Wurlitzer organ concert prior to this 1993 movie about kids coming of age. It’s rated PG due to some language and kids chewing tobacco.

Your Inner Yogi starts a 5-week series of Hip-Hop Yoga classes today at their studio at 10 North Second Street from 3 to 4:30. Certified yoga teacher Kandace Stewart will guide students through a vinyasa flow to the energetic music of your favorite hip-hop and R&B tunes.

Arepa901 and the Fuel food truck will be at RiverPlay pop-up park on Riverside from 3 to 10 today. The TapBox will also be there serving 10 craft beers.

Steal a Game, Steal a Taco: Taco Bell had a deal where everyone gets a free taco if a visiting team beat a home team in the NBA Finals. Golden State sealed the deal with a 118-113 victory in Cleveland. Tuesday, June 13 is free taco day. One free taco per customer.

The Gibson 5K is tonight. This is a fundraising race for St. Patrick Community Outreach, which helps the Vance Avenue community by feeding the hungry, providing education, and encouraging individual development.

That’s it for now. Time to go to the places and do the things. Back tomorrow with more news.

Friday update

Jack O and The Sheiks, headlined by Jack “Oblivian” Yarber, play tonight’s Fourth Bluff Friday from 5 to 10 this evening. The TapBox will have 10 beers on tap, and Yippie Trippie & the PorkStars will be selling food out of their truck. Textstyle Bags will have park games for all ages including Giant Jenga and cornhole.

The Memphis Redbirds return to town tonight to host the Nashville Sounds at AutoZone Park at 7:05. Gates open at 6:00 and you might want to get there early, because the first 1500 fans get a grab bag prize. Your grab bag will contain a classic logo novelty item, either a helmet, mini-bat, or baseball. Block party on the plaza prior to the game with live music by Side Street Steppers and select draft beers $2.

Tomorrow’s game offers one of the best giveaways of the year. The Redbirds will play Nashville again, first pitch at 6:35, gates open at 5:00, for Beach Night. The first 1500 fans get a Rockey Redbird beach towel. There will be a Bahama Mama drink special at The Brewhouse with coconut-flavored rum, grenadine, orange juice, and pineapple juice. Post-game, there will be fireworks.

I need to go grab a Rockey towel tomorrow… then I need to find someone with a pool to invite me over.

There was a raid on Mud Island early Thursday morning. The DEA confirmed it has an ongoing investigation in Memphis under the Department of Justice, and other agencies are assisting. There were a swarm of unmarked cars on the Island early Thursday morning and a helicopter was flying low. The car of interest, which they pulled over in a driveway, is said to be a car that is not normally seen in the area.

Memphis Bike Share has announced a Spring 2018 launch bringing 600 BCycle smart bikes to the streets of Memphis. The bikes will have color touchscreen displays, on-board GPS, 8 speeds, and automatic lights.

The Flying Saucer will celebrate its 20th birthday all day long Saturday, June 24. There will be bar olympics with beer pong, human foosball, a big wheel race and more events. A trophy goes to the winner. They’ll be tapping Sweetwater 20th Anniversary, Yazoo Embrace the Funk and more beers.

Somi Decor & Daiquiris will celebrate its grand opening tonight from 6:30 to 9. Free daiquiris! The pop-up shop has African inspired home decor, specialty candles, home fragrance, works of art from local artists, vintage accessories, and more. Drinks are sponsored by Zone Vodka and served by 2 Chics & a Bottle. For more info visit www.somidecor.com.

The Memphis Daily News has a good article on Coach Cyprien of the Memphis Hustle. When you coach a D-League team, you’re not only teaching basketball skills, but life skills as well.

Streets near the National Civil Rights Museum will close tomorrow, Saturday, June 10, for a special event, Night at the Lorraine. Butler will be closed between Main and Mulberry, Huling will be closed between Main and St. Martin, and St. Martin will be closed between Second and Butler. Closures will begin at 3 PM.

That’s it for now. Got a meeting after work, but it’s a meeting where there’s PBR so it’s all good. After the meeting, will decide whether to head to South Main for the evening. Back tomorrow with more news.