HAPPY HALLOWEEN

My stab at pumpkin carving. Sinister, no?

Have a Safe and Happy Halloween!

Halloween in Downtown Memphis Recap

Ok, all through the month of October I have been posting information and ideas about Halloween events downtown. Here is my complete list:

The annual Hell on Earth Halloween Party will be at Earnestine & Hazel's this year. Some of the bands include Dirty White with Skinny Pimp, Grunt and The Gleaners. The cover charge is $7 and the party starts around 9 pm.

Mud Island is having "Halloween on the Island". It starts at 6:30 pm on the 31st; it's great that Halloween falls on a Friday this year. There will be lots of activities such as hay rides, a haunted river walk and trick or treat stations. It sounds like it would be really fun for kids. Visit their site for all the details: http://www.mudisland.com/

View Elmwood Cemetery in a different light this Halloween night. Our first-ever flashlight tour will take place on Friday, October 31st from 10:00-11:00 pm. Guided tours of the cemetery's little known "haunts" await you. The cost for this tour is $20/person. Please bring a flashlight and wear comfortable walking shoes. Space for each tour is limited. Reservations and payment must be made in advance. The deadline to make reservations is Wednesday, October 29th.

Victorian Village (600 block of Adams) will have a Night in the Village on Saturday, November 1st, All Saints Day. This evening of festivities begins at St. Mary's Episcopal Cathedral, moves to the Woodruff Fontain House and ends up at Mollie Fontaine's. Click here for more information: http://www.victorianvillageinc.org/

The Grizzlies will be playing Orlando Magic in Memphis on the 31st and there will be trick or treating on the FedEx Forum plaza.

Since this month's South Main Trolley Tour falls on the 31st I am assuming the theme will be Halloween in general.

The Rumba Room will have a costume contest on Halloween at 11pm, 303 S. Main. $300 prize. And yes, there will be dancing as well.

Raiford's - Last year they had a costume contest but there is nothing on their website so far about Halloween. It doesn't matter, it's always Halloween at Raiford's. 115 Vance.

Backbeat Tours offers a 90 minute Haunted Memphis walking tour of some of the haunted places downtown, such as The Orpheum and some spots along Cotton Row.
http://www.backbeattours.com/index.cfm?section=haunted

If none of these options appeal to you, you can always order a pizza, stay at home and watch a scary movie. For me that would be The Blair Witch Project. If you're staying at home, depending on where you live downtown, you're probably not concerned with handing out candy. I've lived in my building for 5 years and there has not been one trick or treater; not surprising as there is a general shortage of kids of trick or treating age downtown. But if you live in South Bluffs, Harbor Town or Uptown remember the Peanut Shoppe at 24 S. Main or Wayne's Candy Company at 164 E. Carolina would be good places to get candy. I know you could buy bags and bags of miniature Snickers and Hershey's at Walgreens or the Dollar Store but we only do this once a year so give some business to the mom and pops before the whole world is (more) homogeneous. And while you're at it, if you do order a pizza call Roma Pizza at 22 N.Third Street, 521-1977. They don't deliver but once you taste it you won't mind the trip. Plus it's fun to go in there as these guys are ACTUALLY ITALIAN.

Memphis Marathon

The Memphis Marathon is Saturday, December 6th. I was reminded about it last night when Poppy and I were out for our walk. We were way down on South Main walking back to the core and we kept seeing runners jog past; about 1 runner every minute or so. Seeing runners isn't unusual but these were runners we had never seen before downtown and they were coming in formation, like geese except more spread out. One runner stopped to ask if the Blue Monkey was close by and when I told her it was just around the corner she seemed relieved. It finally dawned on me that these runners must be training for the marathon. The marathon starts downtown, moves on through midtown and ends up back downtown for the finish. If you want to run the full marathon or the half, time's a wastin' as they say so get on a program and good luck. If you don't see yourself running 13.1 miles let alone 26.2 but you want to be a part of the event, there are opportunities to volunteer. http://www.stjudemarathon.org/

Memphis Farmers Market Fundraiser

The Harvest Celebration is the Memphis Farmers Market annual fundraiser. The funds raised are used to operate the market next season. There will be a silent auction as well as a live auction and tastings from 15 local restaurants. Sunday, November 2, 4pm - 7pm at Bridges 477 N. Fifth Street. Go to the farmers market website to buy tickets and download sponsorship forms and donation forms:
http://www.memphisfarmersmarket.com/index.htm

Lost and Found Pets

I went to the Humane Society website prompted by the thought of Killer the lost dog who I think is still missing. Some useful information about lost or found pets: The Humane Society of Memphis & Shelby County has a lost and found section on their website that helps reunite people with their pets. http://www.memphishumane.org/LostFoundSite/default.asp. You can see a list of missing and found pets and you can report a missing pet.

Coffee Bar & Chien Bizarre

Harbor Town Coffee is open on Harbor Town Square and they have a good latte I can tell you. The front of the shop is open and bright but the back is full of cozy seating, reading material and a flatscreen TV. They also have a few pastries from Big Ono Bake Shop which are great.

And somewhat randomly, I am posting this sign I saw on Main St. which makes me think of my own chien bizarre...



Most bizarre

River Arts Fest & Harry's Detour

The 2nd Annual River Arts Fest is coming up this Saturday, November 1st (10am - 6pm) & Sunday, November 2nd (10am - 5pm) on South Main just south of G.E. Patterson. This is Downtown Memphis' largest free urban street festival showcasing art and music (5 stages) and of course, food. The festival features 180 juried local and national artists.

Speaking of South Main and food, Harry's Detour at 106 G.E. Patterson has (or maybe had - call them to be sure 901-523-9070) a mussel special for $7.95. Harry's is in a tiny spot that you can walk by a hundred times and not take much notice of but you should. The food is always great and the atmosphere is cozy and relaxed and the service is friendly. Open Tuesday through Saturday for lunch and Wednesday through Saturday for dinner.

Halloween in Downtown Memphis

Continuing my posts about Halloween events downtown, the Rumba Room will have a costume contest on Halloween at 11pm, 303 S. Main. $300 prize. And, as always, there will also be lots of salsa-ing going on.

Raiford's, which is actually now called Hollywood Disco (I just cannot call it that) might be the best place to be on Halloween. Last year they had a costume contest but there is nothing on their website so far about Halloween. It doesn't matter, it's always Halloween at Raiford's. 115 Vance.

Downtown Dog

A couple of kids were handing out lost dog flyers this afternoon on Main Street. Apparently they lost their Yorkie at the Farmers Market this morning. If you see him his name is Killer, though from his photo I'd say he looks more lovable than homicidal. I intentionally left their contact numbers off the picture as I wasn't sure if they would be thrilled about having their numbers posted here. If you see him you can contact me by leaving a comment or email me at poppysit@aol.com. Thanks

La Traviata: Kallen Esperian

Giuseppe Verdi's three act opera "La Traviata" will be performed Saturday, October 25th through Tuesday, October 28th at the Orpheum Theater, featuring Kallen Esperian.
La Traviata was first performed in 1853 at La Fenice Theater in Venice. There is an interesting book (in my library in the sidebar) by John Berendt called "The City of Falling Angels" about the 1996 fire that destroyed La Fenice opera house, the investigation of the fire and the theater's subsequent restoration. Berendt introduces us to some of the most interesting and eccentric people living in Venice.

Orleans on Front Grand Opening and Alcenia's on the Food Network

Orleans on Front will have its Grand Opening tonight and tomorrow night so stop in to sample their New Orleans style fare and welcome them to downtown. 94 S. Front



Downtown soul food restaurant, Alcenia's at 317 N. Main will be featured on Guy Fieri's "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" on the Food Network November 3rd. B.J. may give you an extra hug the next time you go in for your salmon croquettes and plate of sweet potato fries. Those sweet potato fries will make you want to cry they're so good. Read about her restaurant and check out the menu here: http://www.alcenias.com/menu.html

See you at brunch, baby.

Hell On Earth Party: Halloween in Downtown Memphis

The annual Hell on Earth Halloween Party will be at Earnestine & Hazel's this year. Some of the bands include Dirty White with Skinny Pimp, Grunt and The Gleaners. This party used to be at Premier Palace on Monroe and has been at E&H's in recent years. This must be one of the longest running annual parties in existence in Memphis. The cover charge is $7 and the party starts around 9 pm. One year at this party way back in the 90's I remember seeing a guy "dressed" as a marble column. He actually had on shorts and his whole body, shorts included, was painted to look like marble, which it did. That's my Hell on Earth memory. Remember Halloween will be on Trolley Tour night so I think South Main will be the place to be. I was also told that there will be another zombie walk during the trolley tour like the one earlier this year in the spring but I have not be able to confirm that yet.

The Orpheum's 80th Anniversary

This Friday, October 24, The Orpheum Theatre will host "Rock 'n Roll, Brews & Q" at The Warehouse, 36 G.E.Patterson between Main St. and Front St. just past the train bridge.
The event celebrates The Orpheum’s 80th anniversary. Tickets are $25.

Admission includes wine, Corky’s BBQ, and Boscos beer. There will be a silent auction including original art by David Lynch and Mike Maness. Doors open at 7pm. Food will be served until until 9pm, but don't worry you can have wine and beer all night long. The band, John Paul Keith & the One Four Fives will start at 8:30pm. The theme is meant to attract a younger crowd who will become lifelong benefactors of the Orpheum.

When I took this picture half of the lights were off. I need to go back and take a better night shot.

Pumpkin Pie

I love the fall for many reasons. One is that Memphis weather is beautiful in the fall, especially in October, another is that I love when the leaves change colors and yet another reason is pumpkin pie. I have a recipe for pumpkin pie that includes the best food product ever manufactured by man: Nutella. I made the Nutella pumpkin pie last night. The chocolate hazelnut flavor along with the pumpkin and pumpkin pie spices make this so, so very good. I'm sure there are people out there who use real pumpkin (i.e. not canned) and who manage to make homemade pie crust. I'm not one of those people. I like short cuts when they make sense and they seem to make sense here.

Nutella Pumpkin Pie

1 14oz can pumpkin

1 cup sweetened condensed milk, divided

2 egg yolks

2 whole eggs

1/2 cup Nutella

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 frozen deep dish pie crust (thawed)

Preheat oven to 375. Mix Nutella, eggs yolks and 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk together. Pour the mixture into the pie crust and bake for 25 - 30 minutes until set - this will look like a brownie. In the meantime mix the remaining sweetened condensed milk, 2 whole eggs, pumpkin and 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice together. Gently spoon the pumpkin mixture over the brownie layer of the pie and continue to bake for 35 - 40 minutes.

If you've never had Nutella before you can find it next to the peanut butter in any grocery store in town.

Halloween in Downtown Memphis

Elmwood Cemetery is not downtown as it is in the Midtown 38104 zip code but it feels like it's in a hinterland area somewhere in between. For my Halloween event purposes it's close enough to downtown to include in my continuing list of things to do. What better place to be on Halloween than the city's oldest active cemetery? The following text was taken from the Elmwood website:

Flashlight Tour
Friday, October 31
10:00-11:00 p.m.

"View Elmwood in a different light this Halloween night. Our first-ever flashlight tour will take place on Friday, October 31st from 10:00-11:00 pm. Guided tours of the cemetery's little known "haunts" await you. The cost for this tour is $20/person. Please bring a flashlight and wear comfortable walking shoes. Space for each tour is limited. Reservations and payment must be made in advance. The deadline to make reservations is Wednesday, October 29th."

Imagine seeing some of these monuments and headstones at night:

Cannon Center for the Performing Arts: Heartbeats and Rachmaninoff Tonight

The Memphis Symphony Orchestra presents "Heartbeats and Rachmaninoff" tonight featuring guest percussionist Colin Currie. At the Cannon Center, 8pm, 255 N. Main Street.
The Program: James MacMillan Veni, veni Emannuel / Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27

Click this video link to learn about Colin Currie: http://www.intermusica.co.uk/film-popup/45847

The Cannon Center downtown is a beautiful facility, see for yourself : http://www.thecannoncenter.com/facility3.php

Memphis has more to offer than just the Blues and Elvis.

Un-Fun Friday

Today was bad. I was beat by lunch time and in need of comfort food. And a lot if it. I went to Papa Pia's on Union right next to Parking Can Be Fun. I ordered the Rigatoni with Italian Sausage and Cream Tomato Sauce. Perfect. Perfect for a fall day, perfect for making you feel right with the world again. Good service and a cute place. http://www.papapias.com/home.html



I also want to give a shout out to the Corkscrew Downtown Wines on Front near G.E. Patterson. http://www.corkscrewmemphis.com/ I went in to buy a bottle of wine and the guys there were genuinely helpful. I ended up with a bottle of Ruffino Chianti that I had not tried before and it was very nice.

Block Party

And the partying continues tonight with a "Best of" Block Party celebrating those winners of the Memphis Flyer Best Of Awards located on the block of Main Street between Gayoso and Peabody Place. Two outdoor stages will be set up - one in front of Circa and the other down
near Blue Fin and the Majestic Grille. 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Downtown Alive Goner Records Alley Party

Last night I ended up at the last Center City Commission Downtown Alive concert sponsored by Goner Records. There was a great turnout, especially considering Widespread Panic (at Mud Island) and Lyle Lovett/John Hiatt (at The Orpheum) were happening at about the same time. Lots of people were eating outside on patios up and down Main Street enjoying the perfect warm weather before setting out to one concert or another.


Harlan T. Bobo performed : http://www.goner-records.com/harlantbobo/
Several other bands played as well: The Limes, Jack Oblivion & the Tennessee Tearjerkers, Jeffrey Evans and Ross Johnson.


The Barbaras

This last concert was held in Barbaro Alley.

The Crepe Maker restaurant was set up on Main Street. I don't know what CCC has planned for the future but I hope these concerts continue.

Downtown Neighborhood Association

There is a Downtown Neighborhood Association (DNA) meeting tomorrow, October 16 at 7pm in the Lincoln American Tower at 62 N. Main Street. The University of Memphis Provost will give an update on the progress of the Law School. The historic old post office at Madison and Front pictured above, is being renovated and is scheduled to become the new home of the U of M Law School by fall 2009. For information on joining the DNA, click here: http://www.memphisdna.org/join.asp

Coffee, Copies, Coiffeurs and more...

Bank Tennessee moved from it's former nondescript location at 150 Court to this beauty at 30 N. Second, which looks across Second west toward Court Square. This building, known as the Snyder Building aka The Welcome Wagon Building, was built in 1903. It housed the offices of Welcome Wagon which was founded in Memphis in 1928.

Just a few doors south of Bank Tennessee on N. Second is a new salon aptly named, The Salon. It is between Court and Madison across from the Exchange Building.

FedEx Office opened a new store at 149 Union (at the corner of Union and Third) in the Peabody Hotel. Good for all the downtown offices in the core to know they are there within walking distance. They offer generally everything any office needs: copying and digital printing, professional finishing, document creation, Internet access, computer rentals, videoconferencing, signs and graphics, notary services, direct mail, office products, Web-based printing, and a full range of FedEx ground and global shipping. So, "Don't Panic". Does anyone but me remember that?

According to the Memphis Business Journal, Harbor Town Coffee will open in Harbor Town Square Wednesday, October 15. Their mantra is free trade coffee and they sound seriously committed to that concept.

Frank's Market is open at Vance and S. Main though the shelves are still semi-stocked and I'm not sure if the deli is up and running 100% yet.

Very Busy Wednesday Downtown

There are a couple of major concerts this Wednesday night and also the last show of the Downtown Alive concert series. Here's what's happening:

Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt (acoustic) at the Orpheum at 8pm.




Widespread Panic will be at Mud Island Ampitheater Wednesday at 7:30pm.

And the last Downtown Alive Wednesday concert will be in Barboro Alley and is sponsored by Goner Records.

Halloween in Downtown Memphis

I put my gang of scary Halloween sock monkeys out on my dining room table today. Since Halloween is one of my favorite days I am passing along information about other Halloween events happening downtown which I'll be doing during the month:
Mud Island is having "Halloween on the Island". It starts at 6:30 pm on the 31st; it's great that Halloween falls on a Friday this year. There will be lots of activities such as hay rides, a haunted river walk and trick or treat stations. It sounds like it would be really fun for kids. Visit their site for all the details: http://www.mudisland.com/

The Grizzlies will be playing Orlando Magic in Memphis on the 31st and there will be trick or treating on the FedEx Forum plaza.

Since this month's South Main Trolley Tour falls on the 31st I am assuming the theme will be Halloween in general. If I learn anything more specific I will pass it along.

Photos From The Duck Race and Mud Island

Today was the 1st Annual Great American Duck Race on Mud Island and it was a beautiful day for it. Proceeds from the event went to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. http://www.cff.org/chapters/memphis/ The emcee of the event said they had about 8,000 duck adoptions just before the 1pm duck drop into the harbor. At $5 a duck that's not a bad chunk of change. Thousands of rubber duckies were dropped into the harbor from the monorail bridge.



Someone won this Harley Davidson, which was the Grand Prize.



I used to occasionally run over the Auction Street bridge to Mud Island, down to the flags at it's southern tip and back home. I forget what nice grounds they have there and that you have a great view of the city. For those who don't know Mud Island(http://www.mudisland.com/riverwalk.asp) has a river museum, an ampitheatre, canoe and kayak rentals and a 5-block long replica of the lower Mississippi river, from Cairo, IL, to New Orleans, LA. The "1,000" mile journey ends at the Gulf of Mexico.


This is a section of the river replica at Memphis.










Gulf of Mexico replica

McCain and Obama: More Information

I would love to watch a program about the candidates where people are not screaming, talking over each other and saying ludicrous things. I watched one news show (see - those two words should not go together) last week when the guest brought JFK into the conversation and one of the anchors stupidly (and she was serious) said, "I wasn't born until after Kennedy was assassinated", to which the guest replied, "Well, life was happening before you were born." God help us all. I don't know if the following program will be fair and balanced, or if there is even such a thing, but this Frontline program looks somewhat promising:

taken from the press release:
"FRONTLINE presents "The Choice 2008" , Tuesday, October 14, 2008, from 8 to 10 P.M. (Memphis time) with PBS Encore broadcasts: Sunday, October 26, and Monday, November 3, 2008.

It has been called one of the most historic presidential elections in our nation’s history--Barack Obama versus John McCain. It is a race that pits the iconoclast against the newcomer, the heroic prisoner of war against the first African American nominated by a major party. FRONTLINE's critically acclaimed series "The Choice" returns this election season to examine the rich personal and political biographies of these two men.
This program draws on in-depth interviews with the advisers, friends and those closest to these unlikely candidates, as well as with seasoned observers of American politics, who together tell the definitive story of these men and their ascent to their party's nominations."

The last Presidential debate will be next Wednesday, October 15th.

Also of interest locally:
The Society of Professional Journalists will host a panel of journalists and political commentators to answer the question, "How Much Do We Really Need to Know About Presidential Candidates?" In other words how pertinent is it to know how many cars or homes they have, what foods they like or dislike, what drugs they tried in college, etc. This will be at the Central Library at 3030 Poplar in Room L-56 on October 21st at 7 pm. RSVP to: ljones@memphisdailynews.com

Urban Pumpkins and Graffiti Arts Program

This is my "yard art" with a small pumpkin next to it representing my nod to fall. Generally, I don't miss having a yard but when I see seasonal plants out like mums, pansies and decorative cabbage I wish I could buy a few. No matter, I can at least have a pumpkin. But lots of people do have yards down here and there are a few places downtown to get plants and pumpkins:

The Farmer's Market - Central Station pavilion - only three Saturdays left! - pumpkins and plants

Gestures - South Main near G.E. Patterson - a few pumpkins and plants

Miss Cordelia's - Harbor Town Square - pumpkins and some plants

Easy Way - N. Main at Jefferson - pumpkins only

Merchants and owners in the Edge neighborhood just east of downtown have put a Graffiti Arts Program (GAP) in place according to an article in today's Commercial Appeal. The program intends to cover unwanted graffiti with, well, wanted graffiti. Blank walls on privately owned buildings will be the canvas for artists who abide by two rules: no gang-related images and nothing profane. After 90 days the art will be painted over and another artist will have the chance to paint.

Lucky Ducks

The Great American Duck Race is this Saturday, October 11 at Mud Island River Park. 15,000 ducks (rubber ducks, that is) will be released into the river. Each duck is numbered and assigned to a Lucky Duck Adoption Number. Once you adopt a duck, your Lucky Duck Number will be activated and assigned to the number of ducks you adopt. Prizes for winning ducks include a 2009 Harley Davidson Sportster and a chance to win a million dollars, two round trip coach tickets to any American Airlines destination in the US48, and there are other prizes. The day begins at 10 am and the race will be at 1pm in the harbor. Proceeds benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Visit the duck race website to see all the race details, the day's schedule and to adopt a duck:
https://www.duckrace.com/cf

Also coming up this weekend downtown: Repair Days at the National Ornamental Metal Museum http://www.metalmuseum.org/ , the opening of the William Eggleston inspired show at Power House http://www.deltaaxis.org/ on Friday as well as the Dowtown Churches Tour on Sunday, call Trinity Lutheran Church for details on the tour 901-525-1056.

Downtown Alive Wednesday Concert

Apropos of the current financial meltdown and that painfully drawn out spectacle we call a presidential election, this week's Downtown Alive concert will feature the Blues! The concert will be in Jefferson Davis Park on Riverside Drive between Court and Jefferson. 5 pm - 8:30 pm.

The Pyramid

I really don't know what to think about the Pyramid, a former sports and entertainment arena, possibly becoming an elaborate Bass Pro Shop, I suppose the word to describe it would be more accurately a "complex". When I saw this rendering though I couldn't help but think of the phrase "the north end of downtown brought to you by Bass Pro Shops!" According to a project report presented to the City Council and County Commission on August 25 "this is equal parts retail, conservation, aquarium/museum, conservation education and natural history exhibits". To read more about the bass pro/pyramid plan and to see the full report go to:

http://www.friendsforourriverfront.org/2008/09/bass-propyramid-plan.html