Paul Ryburn's Journal

Downtown coffee and beer bar Tamp and Tap is expanding. The Memphis Business Journal reports that a second Tamp and Tap will open in East Memphis, on the 6400 block of Poplar.

Trivia host Kevin Cerrito has announced a big prize coming up for Thursday night Green Beetle trivia: A trip for a team to Nashville to see the Tennessee Titans play Johnny Football and the Cleveland Browns. It will be an 8-week contest, and each week the first-place trivia winner will get 3 raffle tickets, second place will get 2, and third place will get 1. Best Team Name winner will also get 1 ticket. At the end of the eight weeks a raffle ticket will be drawn for game tickets and a gas card to travel to Nashville. It’s free to play and there will be weekly prizes by Budweiser of Memphis as well. You don’t have to play every week, but your team must be present to win the night the raffle is drawn.

The MBJ reports that the Exchange Building may be converted into a 19-story hotel. Earlier in the day, the Daily News’ @tdnpols account tweeted that part of the building may remain apartments, with separate entrances for tenants and hotel guests.

Save the date: MIFA’s Feed the Soul fundraiser/party will happen Thursday, October 2 at The Warehouse at Front and G.E. Patterson. This event tends to be quite the shindig. There will be live entertainment by Earl Randle, Karaoke King Tim Bachus and DJ Stan “The Bellringer” Bell of radio station V101. There will also be bourbon and rum tastings, an oxygen bar, and a raffle. It’s a fun crowd of about a thousand people and it supports an excellent cause.

Cafe Keough has Spake and Duckworth jazz lined up for Friday night, starting at 7 PM. No cover.

MEMFix has put up a Facebook page for its October 18 event MEMFix: Edge District, a one-day, community-driven event to re-imagine the Edge neighborhood around Monroe and Marshall. You can view and “Like” the page here.

On my way out to say thank-you to some police and firefighters and enjoy National Night Out. I hope to see you there.

Don’t forget that tonight is National Night Out from 6 to 8, at the pavilion at Front and G.E. Patterson that houses the Memphis Farmers Market on Saturdays. Food from many local restaurants, beer, wine, music by Ashley McBride, and the chance to connect with your local police officers and firefighters. You can view complete details on the Facebook event listing.

I learned of some awesome news last weekend. I spend a lot of time at Bardog, and I’m used to looking out the window and seeing Jimmy, a homeless guy who lives in the alley next to the bar, walking around. A lot of people call him “Scratchy” because he tends to scratch his beard as he walks. Jimmy is just the nicest guy, who never asks for anything but will thank you for leftover food or cigarettes if offered to him. He’s been known to follow a couple of my female neighbors from the bar to our building’s front door, not in a creepy way but just to make sure they get home safe. The past few weeks, I hadn’t seen Jimmy. That worried me a bit. Did he die? Did he get arrested? Is he sick? All of those thoughts went through my head.

None of those were the reason Jimmy has been missing. This past weekend I found out that with the help of some kind people, Jimmy now has an apartment. That is fantastic news. Jimmy has been wandering the streets ever since I first moved Downtown. Very happy to see him get to a better place in life. I guess we can’t call Center Lane between Monroe and Union “Scratchy’s Alley” anymore.

On August 21, the 18 startup companies participating in Start Co.’s accelerators will hold Demo Day, pitching to investors in the hopes of securing funding. However, one Start Co. company has already secured $250,000. Graph Story is a company that uses logistics information compiled by multiple companies to help avoid problems before they happen and reroute drivers. Graph Story participates in Sparkgap, Start Co.’s logistics accelerator, and has secured funding through the Start Co. Angels Network.

The Downtown Central BBQ is holding a Bluff City Beer Dinner Wednesday, August 20. There will be beer by High Cotton Brewing Co. and Memphis Made Brewing Co. This won’t be a stuffy dinner. There will be snacks and a few reception beers while everyone shows up, and then there will be a four-course dinner, each course paired with local beers. You’ll get to sample six beers total, in a commemorative pint glass you get to take home. The main course will be a whole hog “pig picking.” 901-672-7760 to make your reservation. $35 plus tax and grat. Credit card number required to hold reservations, and cancellations after August 18 will be charged.

The Washburns are the reason the Breakaway-Bardog 5K got started. Their son Ethan had ALL, a type of leukemia. Without treatment, it can be fatal within a few months. The family was referred to St. Jude, where he received treatment at no cost to his family. He received his last planned chemo on August 17, 2012, exactly two years to the day before this year’s Bardog 5K and alley party. In the four years of its existence, the 5K/alley party has raised nearly $100,000 for St. Jude.

I’ll be at National Night Out tonight, then back north to Blind Bear to watch my friends play in the poker league final table. Too bad those 70s temps from last week didn’t stick around for National Night Out but it’s what’s to be expected from August.

I wrapped up my four-day weekend with a third-place finish at poker at the Blind Bear. I haven’t played much recently and it was good to get back in the game.

Emerge Memphis is hosting the first ever South Main Food Truck Friday this Friday, August 8, from 11 AM to 1:30 PM. The Stickem food truck will be serving lunch. Emerge Memphis is located at 516 Tennessee Street, at the corner of G.E. Patterson. There is limited parking available on the street.

South of Beale is holding its fifth anniversary party this Thursday, August 7. Weather permitting, there will be live music by Sunday Thrills featuring Amelia Warren at 7, Andrew Cabigao at 8, and Britt & T.O. at 9. There will be special beer tappings by Ghost River and Yazoo that night. There will also be passed hors d’oeuvres, $5 birthday cake shots, $3 draft beers, and cupcakes from Muddy’s.

Elvis Week starts this Friday. Here is a schedule of events. Downtown happenings for Elvis Week include the Last Chance Ultimate Tribute Artist contest at Hard Rock Friday and Saturday and Elvis Night with the Redbirds on Saturday. Also, although it’s not an “official” event, don’t forget about the Stumblin’ Elvis pub crawl that starts at the Flying Saucer at 7 Saturday.

Felicia Suzanne’s is hiring hostesses. Details here.

That’s all for now. After work I will head to Bardog for Monday with Melissa.

This is the time of day when you would expect to see my first post of the day, but this is my SECOND. Make sure you keep scrolling down after you finish reading this post and read the one I put up about 9:30 this morning. It contains info about a lot of things happening Downtown this weekend, including an event in Victorian Village tonight that will appeal to fans of Memphis history. With the weather being so nice, I just might hop on my bike and ride out there this evening!

I’m munching on lunch as I type this. I walked down to the FedExForum for Food Truck Friday. After looking over the available options, I decided to try the chicken and shrimp platter from the Stick’em food truck.

Good stuff. Two chicken skewers and a shrimp skewer with seasoned fries. It was $9.82 with tax. All the tables were taken and I forgot to put on sunscreen, so I put it in a bag and walked home for lunch.

The FedExForum posted that you could get your photo taken with Kofi Kingston or Ryback from the WWE. Well, actually, cutouts of Kofi and Ryback. Come on guys, if you’re going to use cutouts can’t you do a little better than that? Neither one of those guys has won a match since like 1972 or so.

Journey will play the Mud Island Amphitheater on Saturday, September 13. Tickets will go on sale one week from today.

Great news, even if not Downtown news: High Ground News reports that part of Memphis Made Brewing Co.’s expansion will be a tasting room. They plan to have it open by the end of the year. Hmmm we may have to get in a cab and take a field trip out there this fall. Since Memphis Made is very close to the new Aldo’s Pizza Pies, maybe we’ll have to check out the rooftop deck there too.

Kevin Cerrito has announced his themed trivia nights for next week. Wednesday at Tamp & Tap (7 PM start time) there will be Seinfeld trivia. Then on Thursday he will be at the Green Beetle (8 PM start time) saluting the start of the school year with “Are you smarter than a 5th grader?” trivia.

Oh God. Monday is the start of the school year. Which means there will be tons of “here’s my kid going back to school” pics. Maybe I will stay off Facebook and Instagram on Monday.

The Orpheum’s Backstage Bash is next Thursday, August 7. You can experience the theatre as the actors do, entering through the stage door and seeing what life is like backstage. There will be food by Gus’s, Central BBQ, and Frost. Buster’s will provide a specialty cocktail and there will be Memphis Made and Ghost River beer. If you’re a VIP ticket holder, you’ll also get to enjoy food from the Majestic and a private bar with complimentary wine and beer.

Every month South of Beale benefits a local nonprofit by adding a line to customers’ checks. On that line you can write any extra amount you would like to donate to that month’s nonprofit. This month’s nonprofit is a great one… Memphis Farmers Market! Go grab some food at SOB and support MFM.

Here’s a petition to terminate Memphis Animal Services administrator James Rogers and replace him with someone who knows what the fuck they are doing. From everything I’ve heard MAS is a complete mess and dozens of animals are being killed needlessly.

If you missed Food Truck Friday at the FedExForum, the Fresh Gulf Shrimp truck will still be Downtown this evening. It will be at the High Cotton Brewery taproom at 598 Monroe.

If you make a reservation at Bluefin and put “I want the free tickets” in the Special Request section, they’ll give you free tickets to The Princess Bride at the Orpheum tonight. Limit two per reservation.

Ay ay ay! So much going on this weekend. Time to put some air in my bike tires in case I decide to go that route this evening. (Bob from Squeal Street fusses at me when I ride on underinflated tires.) After that it’ll be time for a little day drinking with Bloom at Bardog, Courtney at Local, and Fancy Nancy at the Goose. Ya never know who you’re going to run into Downtown on an unseasonably mild August day, so look out!

 

There’s a fun event happening in Victorian Village tonight, starting at 6. It’s called “Wealth and Death – Millionaire’s Row Meets Yellow Jack.” You’ll learn the story of how yellow fever hit Millionaire’s Row as you stroll through the Woodruff-Fontaine House enjoying a cocktail and hors d’oeuvres. You’ll find out how the residents of Millionaire’s Row fought back against the fever. There will be a special guest, Sister Constance, who died of yellow fever on September 9, 1878. The event costs $15 per person.

Good thing I rely on multiple sources for Downtown news. The Millionaire’s Row event ALMOST slipped under my radar. Cheers to those who communicate effectively.

Nancy Apple’s Rhythm and Roots Revival is the featured entertainment at the free weekly Friday concert series in Handy Park, Third and Beale. Music starts at 6:30.

Don’t forget that it’s Food Truck Friday at the FedExForum. Several food trucks will be parked on the Forum plaza from 11 to 1 today for lunch. Stickem, Mark’s Grill, and Fresh Gulf Shrimp are among the participating trucks. For those who need to dine and dash, Chick-Fil-A will be onsite as well with a variety of food options. There will be TWO Food Truck Fridays Downtown next Friday. More info coming soon.

1987 movie The Princess Bride plays on the big screen at the Orpheum tonight at 7. Doors open at 6. Come early for a lesson in stage combat and a swashbuckling swordfight presentation by Tennessee Shakespeare Company.

Next Friday the Orpheum will be showing JAWS, and all local police and firefighters are invited to watch for free. Just show badge or equivalent ID to get up to two free tickets per person.

This week’s theme at the Memphis Farmers Market will be Watermelon Roll. Up to 12 kids, 10 years old or younger, will compete in a watermelon roll at 9 AM. The winner gets $5 in market tokens, and all kids who participate get to keep their melons. There will be pet adoptions at the market as well. Live music by Paul Waits at 7, Heather and Sam at 8:30, and Mason Jar Fireflies at 11. 7 AM to 1 PM tomorrow, on the pavilion at Front and G.E. Patterson.

Second day of my 4-day weekend. I’m going to wander down to Beale in a bit and see if I can find any additions to my Annoying Elvis Tourist costume for Stumbling Elvis a week from tomorrow. Maybe I’ll hit one of the food trucks at the FedExForum while I’m down there. After that, perhaps a little time at Bloom’s bar/Panda’s bar this afternoon. As for this evening, you never know where I might show up. I need to branch out and not just go to the same four bars all the time.

All right, time to get this published. It’s possible I’ll get a drunk post in sometime this afternoon, so check back.

 

If you came here looking for the “Thursday update” news post, this is it, but it will be in a slightly different format today. In 2008-09 when I was between jobs, I used to take the laptop to the Second Street Branch Office, AKA the Flying Saucer, and drink while I typed my posts. That’s what you’re getting today in this #tbt post. I have a shot of Fireball and a Dos Equis Lager sitting next to my netbook, and Lacey is behind the bar. Let’s do this.

*shoots Fireball*

The Fire Sale is Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, in case you wanted to know.

Big event coming up next Tuesday, August 5 at the pavilion at Front and G.E. Patterson. It will be National Night Out, a chance to come out and meet and thank the police officers and firefighters who keep Downtown safe. It’s also a night to promote neighborhood camaraderie and police-community partnerships. There will be live music by Ashley McBride, and food from the Arcade, Central BBQ, Double J Smokehouse and Saloon, Jack Pirtle’s Chicken, the Blue Monkey, Papa John’s, and Roy Hughes on the grill. There will be wine and beer too. 6 to 8 PM. Weather permitting I will be there!

Looks like a lot of people who live in East Memphis, Whitehaven and North Mississippi who work Downtown were late to work this morning. An over-height truck got stuck on I-55 NB at Third Street. Cops had to shut down Malfunction Junction and back the truck all the way up to the 240. Gotta love idiot drivers, especially in trucks!

I need to stop by and say hello to the Lanskys while I’m in the immediate area. Their Clothier to the King store is back open in their original building, at 126 Beale, which also houses the Hard Rock Cafe.

The second annual Big One for One Drop poker tournament is going on right now, with a $1 million entry fee and a $50 million first-place prize. If you hold pocket Aces pre-flop and lose your million to some hand like 9♦7♦ that hits two pair or a straight or a flush, well, that’s poker. But when you lose to this hand, well, that truly truly sucks.

Is there a Memphis Flyer Best of Memphis poll category for “best black yoga pants on a Memphis bartender” category? If not I would like to suggest its addition next year.

TJ Mulligan’s Pinch has its closing party today. They will close for remodeling and will reopen at some point in the future.

If you sign up for the Breakaway-Bardog 5K by 11:59 PM today, you’ll be entered for a chance to win a 75 minute session at Memphis Myofascial Release. I have no idea what that means but it sounds like something girls would like.

Happy birthday to Kaylea from the Blind Bear. I give her a lot of shit but I hope she knows I don’t mean it and think she’s a beautiful person inside and out. Also happy birthday to our BBQ team treasurer Frank from “Mr. Load-in”.

I just walked to the restroom and noticed the screen saver on the Saucer’s UFO computer. It was advertising an event called “Pigskin Pickin” on Saturday, August 30. “College football and a whole roast pig,” said the on-screen flyer. You have to be a UFO Club member to attend. Ask your Saucer bartender or server how to join the club if you’re not a member. It’s not expensive and you get a T-shirt. The 2014 Beerknurd T-shirts are pretty cool as opposed to the 2013 ones which I thought kinda sucked ass.

Dammit I just squirted a lime all over my netbook. At least it’s tax-free weekend if I have to go buy a new netbook.

The Orpheum is having a Grease sing-along tonight at 7. Doors open at 6. Come early for drink specials and movie-related activities.

Speaking of sing-alongs, John Lennon’s “Imagine” is playing at the Saucer and Stacey is singing along to it.

Swingin Leroy headlines the Peabody rooftop party tonight. Doors open at 6, $10 cover, ladies and hotel guests free until 7.  Admission includes a buffet of assorted mini pizzas, meatballs and garlic sticks. Now that the Nuh-Uh Girl has moved out of town there’s still food left on the buffet after 7:15. If you’re in VIP there will be a second buffet of mozzarella, basil and cherry tomato skewers, tortellini salad, and fettucine alfredo with grilled chicken.

The AP Stylebook tweeted that a group selfie is known as an usie, and is deeper than a selfie because of the social interaction displayed in the photo. This is one of the many reasons I hate the AP Stylebook and will never follow it on this blog.

Memphis Barbecue Supply has donated a Kamodo grill to be raffled off at Best Memphis Burger Festival on Sunday, September 21. Tickets to win the grill will be $5 apiece.

One of my Facebook friends posted a really good article from a site called The Mind Unleashed which lists 10 toxic relationships that mentally strong people avoid. Yep, any of those 10 would send me running. Sadly, I know quite a few people who don’t really feel like they’re in a relationship unless at least a few of these signs are present.

Actually, that entire Mind Unleashed site is good and worth a bookmark.

South Mainers: I’m going to have food truck news for you soon. It’s a couple of days early to post because it could get forgotten by the day of. But, good news coming soon.

From Mother Jones: Bud and Miller re trying to hijack craft breweries – and it’s totally backfiring. They have started fake craft breweries like Shock Top that are not breweries at all, but subsidiaries of the large beer companies. The idea was to take market share away from small craft breweries, but that hasn’t happened. Instead, the fake breweries are cannibalizing their parent companies’ sales. Serves you right, Bud and Miller. Craft beer is here to stay.

Okay, after two hours this post is finally ready. Apologies for any spelling or grammar errors. It’s hard enough to type sober on a 10 inch netbook, and I’m not exactly sober as of now. Going to hit Publish and move on to Bloom’s bar at Bardog.

Today is the last day to vote in the Memphis Flyer’s Best of Memphis poll. Don’t miss your chance to make your voice heard in Memphis’ most respected “best of” poll.

There’s karaoke at the Mad Earl tonight at 9. Normally I wouldn’t encourage that kind of thing Downtown, but a friend of mine’s sister is running it. Maybe Robo and Katie Mac can do a duet of a Neil Diamond song. I’m sure it will sound like the noise a cat makes when someone steps on its tail.

Sandlot Memphis is hosting a second sandlot game between Downtown and Midtown on August 24. Midtown beat Downtown 6-5 in the first one and Downtown is looking for some revenge.

Last night I blogged about the Grizzlies’ plan for a pop-up fitness park at Tom Lee Park. Not only would there be exercise stations (to be designed with the help of Envision Fitness), but there would be a soccer field and beach volleyball court as well. Very cool!

Grizzlies staff: You realize you have access to a resource who is an expert at moving equipment into Tom Lee Park, right? Feel free to call on the services of “Mr. Load-in” if you want. I would be happy to sit at the Flying Saucer drinking a Dos Equis Lager while I direct the unloading process remotely via iPhone or laptop. I would also be happy to run errands for you. For example, you could send me to Bardog to confirm that the PBR there is sufficiently cold. I’m here for you!

From WREG: People sound off on changes to Riverside Drive

From Mashable: Bull tramples, almost kills man trying to take selfie in France. Dumbass.

I’m just a few hours away from a long weekend. I plan to get a bit wild and take the filter completely off the next four days. Kind of like I did at BBQ Fest, but minus all the hard work I had to put in during the load-in process. Expect some interesting blog, Facebook, and Twitter updates. I’ll kick it off around 5:30 tonight at Jessica’s bar at the Silly Goose. Get the Fireball ready!

Very cool news came out this afternoon: The Grizzlies want to turn Tom Lee Park into a pop-up fitness park. The organization would like to see more done with the park during the 10 months of the year it’s not in use, They want to put a number of pop-up fitness stations in the park to help make Memphis more healthy.

Speaking of Tom Lee Park, if you’re on Twitter the @bealestlanding parody account is a good one to follow. If you like @midtownkrogers you’ll probably like @bealestlanding.

The Daily News reported that the Blue Plate Cafe has re-opened following a fire several weeks ago. Not all the paintings are back on the walls yet, but the restaurant is open.

Here’s a link to the latest Bark & Herald newsletter from Bardog Tavern with complete details of the Sunday, August 17 alley party.

Michael Buble is in concert tomorrow evening at the FedExForum. Except heavy traffic in the Downtown core. Allow extra time to get where you need to go and expect to pay an upcharge for parking in the area.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: I am taking vacation Thursday and Friday of this week. There will still be posts, but they will not necessarily happen at the times you expect to see them on weekdays. I may also break information into multiple posts the way I used to do it before I had to cram everything into a lunch break.

That’s it for now. Home from work and on my way out for beer.

If you have feedback about the recent switch of Riverside Drive from 4 lanes for vehicles to 2, don’t forget that there’s a community meeting about the street tonight. It’s at Beale Street Landing, 251 S. Riverside Drive, at 6:00 this evening.

Important bacon news: There will be a bacon lovers’ Dishcrawl at three restaurants in Memphis on August 13.

The Grizzlies have announced an official Memphis Grizzlies Tennessee license plate. They need 1000 pre-sale orders for the plates to be produced, and once they have the 1000 it will take 4-5 months to produce the plates.

Speaking of the Grizzlies, they’ve dropped the “interim” from Chris Wallace’s general manager title, and signed him to a long-term extension. A good move.

Local cat lady @stephMEM tweeted some exciting news yesterday. A cat circus is coming to Memphis this fall. It will be in the Evergreen Theatre in Midtown in November. Cats will push shopping carts, ride skateboards, and perform other tricks. Also a band made up of cats will perform.

Also in November, Terri Lee Freeman will take over as president of the National Civil Rights Museum. It sounds like they made an excellent hire, someone who will work to increase national and international awareness of the museum.

Social networks screwing up their apps, part 1: Facebook is moving all messaging to its Messenger app. If you try to send messages via Facebook’s mobile app, you’ll be told to go download Messenger. Not a big fan of this decision.

Nor am I a fan of something Foursquare did. It is now forcing users to switch to Swarm to check in. That I don’t mind, but Foursquare went and screwed up the best thing it had going: mayorships. There is no more “mayor” concept, in that the person who checked in the most at a place over the past 60 days became mayor. Instead you get a crown sticker for having checked in the most days of any of your friends. So my 2+ year reigns as mayor of Flying Saucer and Blind Bear have come to an end. BOOOOOOO!!!!

The Midtown Aldo’s Pizza Pies that is opening soon will have a rooftop patio.

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

Only one news item today, and it is not something happening Downtown, but I’m blogging it anyway because it’s a good organization supporting an excellent cause. This Saturday, August 2, The Phoenix Club will hold its summer party featuring the Soul Shockers. It will be from 7 PM to midnight in the Overton Square Tower courtyard. Tickets are $20 in advance and price of admission includes unlimited cold beer and specialty drinks from local sponsors. Proceeds go to the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Memphis and will help pay for mountain bikes for their summer camp.

If there is more news this afternoon I will do an after-work post. I’ll be out for Melissa Monday at Bardog around 5:30.