The Mary Elizabeth; Hot Dogs on Twitter; Mojitos at Rumba Room; Casablanca and Itta Bena; Marker #23

In the Butcher Shop on Front Street the painting above has been hanging on the wall for many years. This is a painting of two tugboats, one named the G.H. Tamble and the other is the Mary Elizabeth; if you double click the picture you can see the names painted on the boats. The Mary Elizabeth is also known as Proud Mary according to a local historian who recently pointed this painting out to me. This would be the same Proud Mary made famous by the song "Proud Mary" written by John Fogerty and recorded by Creedence Clearwater Revival. I always thought that the song was about a riverboat as the lyrics, "big wheel keep on turnin" and "til I hitched a ride on a riverboat queen" would seem to infer. But according to the historian "wheel" refers to the tugboat propeller and not the paddle wheel of a riverboat. The Wikipedia entry for Proud Mary states that the song was written aboard a steamboat named the Mary Elizabeth but there is a "citation needed" link there waiting for verification. Hmm, at any rate I like that painting.

Hound Dogs hot dog cart is Twittering. Follow him at http://twitter.com/mainsthounddogs to find out when he's set up, if he's got any specials and what he's got going on in general. He may start setting up on Saturdays.

The Rumba Room is having Mojito Madness tonight - 1/2 off mojitos from 6pm - 8pm and $5 appetizers all night.

The Orpheum is showing "The Way We Were" this Thursday night and "Casablanca" this Friday night. Take your movie ticket to Itta Bena or B.B. King's afterward for $3 selected martinis and 1/2 off an appetizer.

The marker of the day marks the spot of one of the oldest downtown restaurants, Bon Ton Cafe: