Elvis Themed South Main Trolley Tour; Save the Date: Bardog Tavern 5K

What's different at this month's South Main Trolley Tour? We are promised hot rods, vintage cars, strolling barbershop quartets, an Elvis’ Leading Lady contest, an Elvis tribute concert by Elvis Tribute Artist Cody Slaughter, and a screening of the film “Elvis, That’s the Way It Is”. And why? Because Elvis Week, August 10 - 16, is fast approaching so consider this is a warm up. More importantly, this month's Trolley Night will be sponsoring The Alzheimer’s Association of Memphis. Helping the area fight Alzheimer’s disease by raising funds to find a cure. Friday, July 30, 6 pm - 9 pm.

Looking for more ways to help worthy causes? How about next month's Bardog Tavern 5K benefiting St. Jude ...

Join the Salty Dogs Sunday, August 29 for the Inaugural Bardog Tavern 5k benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Run with the pack through historic downtown Memphis. Race packet pick up will be at Breakaway Midtown Saturday, August 28 all day. Or you can pick up your packet at Bardog Sunday, August 29, 7:30 a.m. - 8:30a.m. Race starts at 9am. See races online for details and contact information.

Afterwards, stick around for the post race party. Register at Bardog Tavern or http://www.racesonline.com/ for $25 or same day for $30. Then keep celebrating at the 2nd Annual Bardog Tavern Anniversary Party, also benefiting St. Jude.

Iced Coffee

I'm still blury eyed from last night's post about boxes that may or may not exist around Memphis. I'll need the extra caffeine that Bluff City Coffee is serving up at a discount to set me right again:

"Double Dipping Allowed.....
We are excited to announce that you can Double Dip for the balance of the summer. Stop by in the morning for your normal hot or cold beverage of choice. Return that afternoon (after 3:00pm); bring your morning receipt; get a medium iced beverage for $2.00 (plus tax).
Sorry, blended drinks are not a part of this offer."

More iced coffee... I found this iced coffee recipe on the Memphis Farmers Market website :

McCarter Coffee Mexican Chocolate Iced Coffee

3 cups express roast coffee cooled to room temperature or chilled
1 cup whipped cream
6 tbsp chocolate syrup
2 tbsp sugar
¾ tsp ground cinnamon

Whip ½ cup cream to soft peaks, set aside. Combine remaining ½ cup cream, syrup, sugar, and ¾ teaspoon cinnamon in a pitcher or bowl. Stir in coffee until sugar dissolves. Fill 4 glasses with ice; pour coffee mixture over ice. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle with cinnamon. Garnish with coffee beans or shaved chocolate.

The downtown Gelato void leaves me with but few icy options. So, I seek out iced beverages. Good, but no substitute for the creamy deliciousness of G.

A Most Confusing Timeline of the Centennial and Mecklenburg Boxes

As I continue on with my Memphis history research I keep finding the most obscure things, to wit:

1775: North Carolina adopts the Mecklenburg Resolves which declared the annulment of any laws of the British King and Parliament. The Mecklenburg Resolves and the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence have a long and confusing story.

1826: Memphis was incorporated

1876: On the semicentennial of incorporation the Old Folks Historical Society assembled items for a box that was to be opened 100 years later in 1976. The box was purportedly stored safely away in the courthouse and is known as the Centennial Box. Problem: In 1876 the courthouse was at Main and Poplar and was later on destroyed by a fire.

Fast forward to 1975: A box believed to be the Centennial Box was found at the Cossitt Library, though some think it was actually another box called the the Mecklenburg Box.

Not So Fast in 2010: So if it was the Mecklenburg box, what would a box so-named be doing in Memphis? Well, when the Mecklenburg resolutions were adopted in 1775 Tennessee was part of North Carolina. Tennessee became a state in 1796. It has been said that later on some Memphians wanted to preserve that part of their forefather's history by assembling a box of items.

Back to 1876: Remember those Old Folks at the Old Folks Historical Society? If any of those people were among the people wanting to protect and preserve the Mecklenburg memory from 1775, then what kinds of things would they have put in the box?

1975: According to a Commercial Appeal article by Paul R. Coppock in 1977, the box found at the Cossitt Library was the Mecklenburg Box and he gave the following details: The box itself was 18" x 12" x 8", made of wood and had a broken handle. What was found in the box was the following:

Instructions for the 1975 opening on a zinc or lead plate

A copy of the Old Folks Historical Record

An 1875 Chamber of Commerce Report

Various Mason and Odd Fellows handbooks

Some newspapers

A sheet metal firms business card

Whoa There, Hold Up, In 1910: Mayor Crump ordered the opening of the box as there was a possibility that some papers contained in it were crucial to a pending court case. In 1910 the box contained:

an inner box made of zinc which held Confederate bills

James D. Davis' book about early Memphis

Photographs

a ticket to the Old Folks barbecue of 1873

The box was resealed to be opened again in 1975 per the instructions.

2010: Two boxes, obviously!

1975: The box (which box ?! One box had already been opened in 1975! My head hurts. ) was opened and everything in it was missing. On this box there was clear evidence that someone had chiseled it open and then resealed it. The box was repaired and is, I think, in the Memphis and Shelby County Room at the Main Library. It is to be opened in 2075 and Coppock believed it was the Mecklenburg box even though it is labelled "Centennial Box".

In the earlier 1975 description of the contents of the box, was Coppock simply relaying what people said was supposed to be in the box even though he prefaced that list by writing "...it was heavy because the contained..." ? Yet when it was opened the contents (nothing) were different from both the description and the 1910 opening?

If one box is/was the Mecklenburg Box and the other is/was the Centennial box then how would any of the 1873 - 1875 memorabilia relate to and preserve the memory of the Mecklenburg Resolves?

If the courthouse of 1876, where the Centennial Box was to have been stored, burned down how would the box have survived?

The box at the main library has survived but you'd have to be around in 2075 to find out what's in it.

Bottom Line: According to Coppock, Memphis is short one box.

Shrine Roof Cafe; Falls Building Alaskan Roof Garden; Starlight Roof Garden and Cascades Roof

On Thursday nights during the spring and summer the Peabody and the Madison hotels host rooftop parties that are wildly popular. I find myself again in the midst of doing a research project about Memphis history and as a result I have set up shop at the main library's Memphis and Shelby County Room. I stumbled across a thread about rooftop parties around downtown and searched around for more information. It seems parties have been happening on rooftops downtown for a long, long time.

In 1923 the Shrine Building at Front and Monroe was completed and its roof garden floor was occupied by the Shrine Roof Cafe. It was managed by the Peabody and the Washington Syncopators played on opening night in December 1923. Now, this cafe was not actually on the roof of the Shrine but on the top floor with those gorgeous floor to ceiling 20' (?) windows with sweeping views of the city, as well as the most remarkable river view in all of downtown. The fact that the Shrine Roof Cafe was inside explains the December opening date.

Going back even further to 1914 we find Memphis' first rooftop club, the Alaskan Roof Garden atop the Falls Building (1912) at Court and Front where W.C. Handy among others performed. That should have been a cool place.

There was also the rooftop at the Claridge Hotel, now condos, at Main and Adams. Popular in the 1920's and 30's and called at one time the Starlight Roof Garden and also the Cascades Roof. 

Superfine Poppy is Indeed Superfine

Poppy is doing OK. She just had a little upset stomach, so there are no big health problems to be worried about. This is her serious, aloof pose. We celebrated her good health on the roof last night by gazing at the full moon and taking a few night time photos:

Checking on Poppy

Well, Poppy and I had an eventful morning. The screenshot below is from her vet's online doggy cam in which you can see a tiny image of Poppy in the left hand corner of the kennel as she awaits the results of her blood tests. She woke up this morning feeling very sick so off to the vet we went to have it checked out. This is the first time I've been able to "spy" on Poppy while she's at the vet. It's nice to be able to see her and funny to see how she acts in a strange environment when I'm not around. She's been behaving very well I'm happy to report. I already know how she acts at home when I'm not there as evidenced by the wrinkled comforter on my bed. She's decided that's her daytime sleeping arrangement and since I'm not using it, why shouldn't she? Hopefully whatever is wrong is not a big deal and she'll feel better soon. You can click on the image to see a slightly larger Poppy:

Bulletin Board Guy Update

So Leigh over at the See what had happened... blog did quite a bit of research today and found that some professional sources say the Army Corps of Engineers contracts with a company who sends a unicorn, um, sorry, I mean a person out to update the bulletin board. Others think it may be the Coast Guard. She may never get to the bottom of this and do you know why? I have my suspicions! If you do a Geraldo Riveraesque camp out Leigh, bring some kind of animal feed with you - you never know.

Searching for the Bulletin Board Guy; Vance Park; No. 2 Vance

It seems that fellow blogger Leigh has taken up the challenge of finding the person who changes out the bulletin board on the bluff every day. Who will it be? The Coast Guard? The Army Corps of Engineers? NOAA? Santa Claus since it's his off season? Leigh is on it! The bulletin board (above) is in the tiny but always manicured Vance Park on the river walk. This park, by the way, has the most polite signage and the coolest park bench.

You're Welcome!

A photo I took two years ago of the coolest park bench.

As I was leaving the park I noticed this little sign advertising No. 2 Vance, a meeting/reception/party space to rent for events. It's on the backside of the Ballard & Ballard building on Wagner and has an outdoor deck facing Vance Park and overlooking the river.

Blues on the Bluff

http://www.wevl.org/bob/

River Things: Gauges, Bulletin Boards and Deadmen

I have had a river post in the back of my mind for a long time. It's funny now to say river things would be in the back of a Memphian's mind because there was a time when the river would have been the focal point of a day in Memphis. There are still visible reminders and a river vocabulary some of which is little known. So here we go:

A river gauge is the device used for measuring the river stage. This led me to look up "stage" which means the height of water flowing in a river above a nearby reference point, for example, the height of the water above the river bed. Then I ran across the term "bank full" and looked that up. Bank full stage means the stage at which a river will not overflow its river banks or cause any significant damage within the river reach. Bank Full Stage is determined by the National Weather Service. Some Memphis Mississippi river gauge photos:

This one is 37 feet from the river up the cobblestones to the wall, then -



...it continues up the wall to 47 feet BUT the river gauge continues from 48 feet to 50-something feet and is attached to one of the stone bridge columns at the foot of Beale at Riverside Drive. The record height was 48.7 feet in 1937. That's somewhere above Riverside Drive.

The board on the bluff at Pontotoc and the Riverwalk in Vance Park is called a bulletin board. This displays a number which is I believe is the current river stage and either the letter "R" or "F" which denotes whether the river is rising or falling. Who puts up the numbers and letters each day? The Army Corps of Engineers? Has anyone ever seen someone doing this? It's got to be like seeing a unicorn. I bet it happens at 4 am or some ungodly hour. I want that job anyway. It's like the Vanna White of the Mississippi River (or Van White as the case may be). Maybe I could be a guest bulletin board changer from time to time.


And then there are the deadmen on the cobblestones. These are the large metal rings you see embedded in the cobblestones that riverboats were moored to back in the day. They were called deadmen as they were sunk down six feet to ensure they could hold.






After the words walking surface, the words "and deadmen" should be added to the end of this notice. It would give visitors a much more compelling reason to stumble around down there.

Cucumber Soup and A Walk Around the Neighborhood

I have great neighbors. This weekend I was showered with squash, peppers, lots of cucumbers, mint and basil all from two neighbors. I have so many cucumbers in fact that I needed some recipes to try out to use some up this week. One of my neighbors suggested cold cucumber soup and she gave me her basic recipe. I ended up adding some things to her basic recipe and came up with two recipes to compare.

Each cucumber above weighs a metric ton. Hence, lots of soup to try this week.


Here are the very, very easy recipes:

Cool Cucumber Avocado Soup

1 large cucumber weighing a metric ton, peeled, seeded and diced
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and diced
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp chopped cilanto
1 tsp chopped mint
1 scallion, chopped
1 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 cup cold water
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Puree ingredients in a blender until smooth - this takes about 3 milliseconds. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Second recipe:
Creamy Cucumber Avocado Soup

1 large cucumber weighing a metric ton, peeled, seeded and diced
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and diced
1/2 tsp lime juice
1 tsp chopped cilantro
1 tsp chopped mint
1 tsp dill
2 scallions, chopped
3/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp labneh (remember labneh?)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Puree ingredients in a blender until smooth - this also takes only about 3 milliseconds. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

I let both batches sit in the refrigerator while Poppy and I went for our walk. Here's what we saw this evening:

I haven't mentioned it but we have again this year become the bain of some mockingbird's existence. This little guy/gal has been screeching at us as well as dive bombing us for weeks every time we walk behind the law school. Do you see that look in his/her eye? Chilling.

I like this view of the all white buildings down Front Street.

And when we got back home we settled in to test the soups. The winner was the Creamy Cucumber Avocado Soup, in my opinion. It was thicker and the dill gave it what it needed. It needs dill is what I'm saying, so you could probably use the yogurt/buttermilk/labneh/water in any combination as long as you add dill. I realize how sickly the photo below makes the soup look but I could not, in any light, get a shot that does the color justice. It is a very soothing, attractive green color in real life. A perfect summer soup.

Checking In

I have had absolutely nothing to say, comment on, opine about or observe during this past week. Or at least no motivation to do any of those things. I daresay that if some once in a lifetime momentous occasion unfolded downtown right in front of me and I had camera in hand I would probably barely notice. Maybe it's the oppressive humidity that has me feeling s l o w in general. That being said, I still always like to share photos, so here you are...

Orpheum fire escape

Old Mongo's on Front Street

Westin Hotel with Gibson light reflected

Home Grown; The Carimi House

Well look now, it's easy to turn a W into an M. For those who don't know, we wait all year for the delicious Ripley tomatoes.

And speaking of home grown, today I drove past another urban garden at Lauderdale and Linden. This one was started by St. Patrick's Catholic Church and Redeemer Presbyterian Church.

And to the south of the garden is The Carimi House.

I love the metal street signs affixed to the corner of the house...you don't see too many of these around. See the CA article from earlier this year about the house, the Carimi family and the estate sale.

Where to Watch the World Cup Germany vs Spain Semifinal Downtown

Places to watch the semifinal at 1:30 pm this afternoon:

LOCAL

Flying Saucer

Ferraro's Pizza

Rio Loco

Tug's
Bardog

McEwen's on Monroe - by the way, their specials today sound great:
Yellow Squash and Red Bean Stew
Spicy Seared Tuna Tataki (served rare and chilled) with an Orange Saffron Reduction, over Purple Potatoes, Ripley Tomatoes and Edamame

I called all these places and some were like "heck yeah we're showing it" others were "yeah, well I guess we could." That being said, I picked a variety of places I know have tvs. And if you do venture out at 1:30 pm on a weekday downtown my guess is you'll have the tv to yourself. This reminds me of a funny thing my cousin's husband said when they came to visit from Italy a couple of years back. We went out walking down Main Street at about 1:30 on a weekday so it was pretty quiet outside. We came to Court Square and stopped to take a few pictures. He asked, "Where is everyone?" and I replied, "People down here eat lunch from about 11:30 to 1 pm and then they all head back to their offices." He quipped, "They're very obedient!" I've tried not to be so obedient since then.

Seeing Stars