Wine on the River benefiting Youth Villages will happen tonight at Mud Island River Park from 5 to 9 PM. You will be able to sample over 90 wines from national and international vineyards. $59 general admission ticket gets you a souvenir glass and all beverage samples. Live music by Young Petty Thieves, Chinese Connection Dub Embassy, and J.R. Moore. Food by The HoneyBaked Ham Compay, Newby’s, Runway Grille, City East Bagel and Grille, Cordova Catfish, Pronto Pups, Central BBQ, Cafe Society, and SideStreet Burgers will be available for purchase. Needless to say, you must be 21 or over to get in.
A Halloween Cocktail Tour of Downtown Memphis will happen Saturday, October 29 from 4:30 to 7 PM. Stops include Belle Tavern, Cafe Pontotoc, and Rizzo’s Diner. In addition to cocktails, plenty of food will be served. Be prepared to walk about 1.5 miles. You’ll get to go behind the scenes with chefs and bartenders. Tickets are $55.
387 Pantry and City & State will be transformed into Luke’s Diner for a day to celebrate the anniversary of the premiere of The Gilmore Girls on October 5.
The AutoZone National Sales Meeting this week is said to be pushing the renovations to Cook Convention Center. With AutoZone adding 150 stores a year, the meetings get bigger and bigger. On Tuesday they rented out FedExForum for a PBR event for their sales staff (Professional Bull Riders, not my kind of PBR).
Tonight is Blues Night at Loflin Yard with the Daddy Mack Blues Band playing from 7 to 10.
Real2Reel, the photography studio on South Main, is being kicked out of its home at the end of October. They are not sure where they will relocate. I will miss seeing David and Moo Moo on Saturdays as I walk to the Farmers Market.
PANTYRAID comes to the New Daisy tonight at 10.
Paulette’s has published the menu for its October wine dinner with executive chef Jeremy Jaggers Tuesday, October 4.
Last night as I walked to Trolley Tour, I thought about how excited I am going to be having Slider Inn occupying the space that is currently the bocce ball court and the building behind it on Mulberry. With Slider Inn having such a huge outdoor component, that will be a lot more eyes on South Main into the wee hours… which will make that block of main considerably safer. With Slider Inn on that block and the Chisca occupied a couple blocks to the north, there really won’t be an easy point of entry from the east for the bad guys anymore.
Downtown Memphis is losing two good people this week. Longtime Downtown Memphis Commission marketing and communications director Leslie Gower is off to Chattanooga to accept a position there. Also, Mandy Marie, bartender/server at Blind Bear and Agave Maria and instructor at Painting with a Twist, is off to St. Louis today. I wish both of you luck in whatever the future brings.
It’s time for me to go shopping for fresh produce at the Memphis Farmers Market on a beautiful Saturday morning! Plans for the rest of the day TBD. Back tomorrow with more news.