Paul Ryburn's Journal

I just did the “where to watch college football Downtown” post. Scroll down to see it. Here are a few other news items…

Cooper-Young Beerfest tickets are now on sale. Get tickets here. They’re adding more brewers and capping it at 700 this year, in order to keep the lines fairly short and to give people time to talk to the brewers. The date is October 15 and the beerfest is expected to sell out, so get your ticket early. I bought mine this morning.

This Friday will be the Orpheum’s annual showing of Rocky Horror Picture Show. This is the finale in their summer movie series, and it always draws a big turnout. Movie starts at 8, but get there at 7 for a costume contest. Prop bags will be sold for $5, and movie-goers are encouraged to throw toilet paper and do all of the audience-participation moves. How often do you get to throw toilet paper in the Orpheum? $7 for adults, $5 for children 12 and under (movie is rated R). Bring your ticket to BB King’s afterward for free admission, or to Itta Bena for free appetizer with the purchase of an entree.

I’m always happy to post about cheap beer, and this Sunday you’ll find it at Kooky Canuck. They’ll have 12-ounce Super Cold Bud Lights for 99 cents all day in a pre-Labor Day celebration. If you’re around the corner at the Memphis Music & Heritage Fest, stop in Kooky for a couple of quick beers on Sunday (unfortunately you can’t get to-go cups for the festival).

While we’re on the subject of beer, the Flying Saucer’s fall menu just came out. Last night I looked it over and discovered a new beer flight, where you get to sample five 5 oz. servings of different beers. The new flight is called Hop Head and includes Yazoo Hop Project, Stone Pale Ale, Victory Hop Devil, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, and Bridgeport IPA. Those are some yummy beers. Cost is $8.50.

That’s all for now… GO TIGERS!!!

Here are the results of my information-gathering this week about college football-watching venues…

Max’s Sports Bar, which opens at 4:30 PM most of the rest of the year, will open early during college football season. This is the only true sports bar Downtown, with 10 TVs plus a projection TV on the big deck out back. They get the all-access season packages, although as far as I know they’re not getting any of the pay-per-view games happening the first week. Very friendly locals and die-hard sports enthusiasts sitting at the bar, and Lauren behind the bar to take care of you all afternoon. Sound will be on for whichever is the biggest of the games currently playing (or whichever involves local/regional teams). $2.50 PBR. 9 more beers on draft, and more in bottles.

The only bar I’ve heard of that is running specials for college football is The Green Beetle. They’ll have buckets of domestic beers 5 for $10, Heineken 5 for $12.99, mix and match imports for $12.99, 4 PBR or Miller High Life for $8. They will have food specials as well, and these specials also run during NFL games. They will have the sound on. They have cable but not the all-access package.

This isn’t a Downtown venue, but I got an email saying the UT Alumni Association will be at the Racquet Club, showing Tennessee’s pay-per-view game Saturday with sound and a 73-inch TV.

For bars where fans of a particular team congregate, Local tends to be a UT bar (which is why I don’t go in there much during football and basketball season). Max’s Sports Bar welcomes fans of all team affiliations, but you’d be hard-pressed to ever go in there and not find an Arkansas fan or two.

Memphis vs. Mississippi State is tonight at 7. It’s on Fox Sports. That’s a regular cable channel, so you won’t have to find a bar will all-access. Most bars Downtown should have it on.

If I left out any bars that are having specials for college football, are showing PPVs, or are gathering places for a particular team, shoot me an email at paul@paulryburn.com and I’ll post.

My favorite beer festival of the year, Cooper-Young Beerfest, is giving away free tickets today. Submit your entry for the “caption the photo” contest on their Facebook page by 5 PM today for a chance to win. Festival date is October 15, tickets will be on sale soon, and this is most definitely worth a cab ride from Downtown.

One of the few right-wingers I’d pay money to see, Ted Nugent, plays the New Daisy tonight at 7 PM. Tickets are $35.

Time’s running out for you to see a Redbirds game before the season ends. Tonight’s special is “Wet Your Whistle Wednesday.” For $10 you get an outfield seat, a 16-ounce PBR, and a PBR koozie. The ‘birds play the Albuquerque Isotopes at 7:05.

The Flying Saucer has announced their “new, improved trivia” beginning next Tuesday. There will be two games with separate sets of prizes, an early game and a late game. For details see the flyer below (click for a larger image, and I hope you have your glasses handy):

Apologies to my visually-impaired readers, but I would need a 9,140 character ALT tag to summarize everything said on that poster. The Saucer may have set the record for “most words on a bar flyer, ever” with that trivia announcement.

They’ve moved trivia to the Garden, which I guess is a good move because people passing by on the street will see it and come in. Prizes, according to the flyer, will go up to 50/35/15 next week. I guess they’re trying to offer a better deal than competition at the Silly Goose and Ferraro’s.

My team the Rapscallions never made it to the Goose last night. We pre-gamed with beers at the Saucer, and about 8:10, 10 minutes after Goose starting time, we kind of looked at each other and said, “Well, I guess we’re not going over then.”

Still looking for info about college football: Who will have specials this weekend? Who’s showing PPV games? Where are fans of particular schools congregating? Let me know at paul@paulryburn.com and I’ll do a post tomorrow.

Yeah no lunchtime post today sorry… I didn’t get much news to report until late afternoon, and I was fighting with a software patch for our Google Mini at work.

Memphis Redbirds playoff tickets are now on sale. They have not yet clinched a spot, but with 7 games left in the regular season, they are 4 games back, so it is possible they will see the post-season. Tickets will be the same prices as regular-season games, starting as low as $8. Visit their website to get your playoff tickets. If they make the first round, they will host Game 3 on September 9, and if needed games 4 and 5 on September 10 and 11.

The season finale of the Madison rooftop Thursday night “Sunset atop the Madison” series is this Thursday, September 1, and the band is a name I recognize. A couple of Saturday nights ago I was sitting in the window at the Saucer, and this band called The Vynals took the stage. They were playing mostly ’60s and ’70s with some ’80s mixed in, and as they got a few songs into their set I noticed that they were very good. Then they played Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit.” That’s a song where it’s very easy to make a fool of yourself if you’re not a good musician. They nailed it perfectly. I felt sorry for my friends who were at their weekly karaoke night down south, that they were spending the evening listening to horrible singing and drunk drama, while I was enjoying this excellent band. I ended up staying through all three sets and their musicianship was impressive. You can see them at the Madison Thursday night. Doors open at 5:30 and the Vynals take the stage at 6. $7 cover, cash bar, tapas menu.

By the way: I have a suggestion for Saucer management since they read this blog… Ban “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” from set lists. Nearly every band who plays there does it (fortunately the Vynals didn’t), it’s an average song at best unless Tom Petty is playing it, and it is as stale at the Saucer as “Mustang Sally” is on Beale Street.

Very cool opportunity for Downtowners… enrollment is now taking place for the 9-week Citizens’ Police Academy. Classes will be held September 6-November 10 at Uptown Square. The academy, held twice a week for two and a half hours, is led by officer/instructors from different bureaus within the Department. Topics covered include: Gang Awareness, Communications, Vehicle Theft, Crisis Intervention, Sex Crimes/Juvenile Abuse, Patrol Procedures, and Crime Prevention. Once you graduate you’ll be eligible to be an Ambassador for the South Main Substation, and assist the Colonel in charge with several events every year. Contact the South Main Substation if you’re interested in participating.

It’s trivia night at several places Downtown. Saucer at 7, Silly Goose at 8, Ferraro’s at 8. I’ll be at the Goose. I hope Charles has learned his lesson… that all-movie-quote theme last week was a disaster, and totally defeats the purpose of having teammates with different areas of expertise. I’ll give it another chance though… will probably pre-game at the Saucer beforehand.

I’ve received a couple of requests to do a “Who’s showing college football?” post, listing bars Downtown that will have the first well of college ball on. Need answers to a few questions:

• Who will have the sound on, and for what games?
• What bars will be showing this weekend’s pay-per-view games?
• Are there bars where fans of a particular school (e.g. Arkansas, Ole Miss, Miss. State, etc.) will congregate?
• Any bars doing food or drink specials for the opening weekend of college football?

If you have answers to any of these shoot me an email at paul@paulryburn.com. Hopefully I’ll do a post listing my findings Wednesday or Thursday.

Yesterday I ran across this site, which shows how the continents of the world have drifted apart and come together from pre-Cambrian times until now. It also has maps projecting what will happen in the future. 150 million years from now, it projects, the Atlantic Ocean will have widened to the size of the Pacific, while Africa will have collided with Europe. Going farther into the future, the continents will drift back together. The American continents will subduct the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (bad news for the Azores and Canary Islands), then all the continents will join back into one about 400 million years from now.

Cool site if you’re into geography or archaeology.

We have a long Labor Day weekend coming up, and that means it will be time for the Memphis Music & Heritage Festival presented by the Center for Southern Folklore. It will be held Saturday and Sunday from 11 AM to 11 PM on the Main Street Mall between Peabody Place and Gayoso.

Although Memphis has several music festivals throughout the year, none captures the regional feel and the roots of the area’s music the way Memphis Music & Heritage Festival does. Everything from rock to classic country to blues to jazz to folk to Latin to rockabilly and many more genres will be represented.

The festival is more than just music, too. Every year there is a cooking stage. Throughout the day chefs explain how to prepare their signature dishes, with a tasting at the end of each demo. Free tastings? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up.

There will be dancers too: Hip-hop, Chinese, Mexican, belly dancers and many more styles. Arts and crafts vendors will be on hand as well: Paintings, jewelry, carvings, folk art, pottery and more.

Food will be available too. There will be the usual festival fare, but the item you don’t want to miss will be sold inside, at the Folklore Hall: Ella Kizzie’s greens and hot water cornbread. Plenty of good dining available at the restaurants within the festival’s boundaries too: Blue Fin, Bar None, Majestic Grille, Wang’s, Lenny’s, Maggie Moo’s.

It’s also a kid-friendly event. The mornings (10-noon) are the best time to take kids. There will be performances geared toward children, and there will be an arts area where kids can make their own masterpieces.

And, oh, yeah, the one thing that no festival can be without: BEER!

This festival has become one of my favorites of the entire year. The schedule has not been posted yet on their website, but should be within a few days.

If you’re looking for things to do tonight, here are a few ideas.

In the mood to watch a little wrasslin’ sports entertainment tonight? WWE Raw on Tour comes to the FedExForum at 7:30 tonight. Main event will be John Cena vs. The Miz, and plenty of other WWE Superstars will be on hand, incuding Memphis’ own Jerry “The King” Lawler. Tickets start at $15. More info here.

Wonder what the wrestlers will do after the show, now that Platinum Plus is gone? Oh well, I guess it doesn’t matter as much, now that Flair is no longer with the company.

South Mainers: Need a break from drama and bad singing on Saturday night? You’re in for a treat: For the second week in a row, Max’s Sports Bar will have live music on the back deck. This week it will be Kyle Garriga. Music should be excellent, weather is looking good and there’s cold PBR on draft. Plus, you can come inside and watch sports or play Buzztime trivia or poker. If you want to do a little barhopping, walk up the street to the Green Beetle and catch live music there as well. Last night they had live music, and drew such a big crowd that they had to borrow beer from Club 152.

Over at the New Daisy, there will be a Michael Jackson tribute concert performed by Pam Caudle. It’s an all-ages show. Admission is $11, which includes a $1 restoration fee.

As I mentioned previously, Big Betsy will play the Brass Door at 10 PM. Irish songs and drinking songs in the Cavern, the Brass Door’s beautiful downstairs performance space.

These are just a few of the many things happening in Downtown Memphis this Saturday night. View a full list here.

The last Friday of every month, the shops in the South Main district open their doors from 6 to 9 for Trolley Night. Many stores offer hors d’oeuvres and wine, and some have specials and discounts. Here are a few pics from this month’s Trolley Night.

The theme was “Blue Hawaii” and many people who attended had on Hawaiian shirts in honor of The King.

Many people vented their frustration that the lot next to the former Harry’s Detour, which had been used for cook-offs in the past, was blocked with yellow police tape by the owner. They were also sad to see that Harry’s deck had been torn down by the owner now that the restaurant had closed. I at first took part in the frustration and venting, but later in the evening I talked to someone involved with what will happen next to that property. He told me that the empty lot used to be the site of the former Arcade Hotel, and when it was torn down the ground was just filled in rather loosely, and although events have been successfully held there it is a legitimate hazard. He also told me that the deck was torn down because bigger, better things are envisioned.

After Trolley Night ended, I hung out at Max’s Sports Bar and consumed enough PBRs that Michele had to call me a cab to get home. “10 South M… um, nevermind, just take me to Bardog,” I told the driver. One more PBR there and I called it a night.

Next Trolley Night is Friday, September 30. If you’ve never been to one of these, you’re missing out on the fun.

Relatively short post this Friday lunchtime…

Off work this afternoon and looking for something to do Downtown? Myla Smith will sing at the Brass Door from 3:00 to 4:30 PM today.

Flyer publisher Bruce VanWyngarden wrote an editorial about Bass Pro moving into the Pyramid. I agree 100% with what he wrote. This is not just some store that will draw a bunch of rednecks; it will be a huge tourist attraction that will draw millions of people a year to Memphis. It will lead to the revitalization of the Pinch district. It will also mean jobs, both in the renovation of the Pyramid, and people working at Bass Pro once it’s ready to open. I’ll admit, when I first heard about Bass Pro, I was extremely skeptical, but I’ve since become convinced that Bass Pro is good for Downtown and for Memphis. Give it a chance everyone!

Also in the Flyer: Big changes are coming to the French Fort neighborhood. That’s the neighborhood around the Metal Museum, just south of Crump. The roundabout to be built at I-55/Crump/Riverside will increase traffic into the neighborhood, as will opening the Harahan Bridge to pedestrian and bike traffic. Great news: There will be a connector trail underneath the I-55 bridge connecting the Harahan bridge to the French Fort neighborhood. That is huge. Previously, if I wanted to walk or bike to the Metal Museum from the Downtown core, I had to take Florida Street south a quarter-mile past Crump and turn on Wisconsin. The new path sounds like it will be a lot more direct and lot less scary after dark.

I’ll be at South Main Trolley Night tonight after work. Be sure to come to the empty lot next to the former Harry’s Detour… local resident Gloria Maloney will face Chef Michael Patrick in a cook-off. You can get samples and be the judge. Free samples? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up.

Time to grab some lunch, finish the work week, and get ready for tonight.