Month: June 2022

Categories
From My Seat Sports

’Birds Helping ’Birds

Alec Burleson (photo by Daniel Scruggs)

Since the Memphis Redbirds’ arrival in 1998, we’ve grown accustomed to the Triple-A outfit sending reinforcements up I-55 when the parent club — the St. Louis Cardinals — discovers needs on its roster. Three players we saw at AutoZone Park in April are now seeing regular duty in the Cardinals’ batting order: multi-position maestro Brendan Donovan and a pair of sluggers, Juan Yepez from the right side and Nolan Gorman from the left.

But there’s a twist this season. The Redbirds have recently received reinforcements, not from Double-A Springfield as is customary, but from the big-league club itself. Outfielder Tyler O’Neill earned National League Player of the Month honors last September when he was the key cog in a 17-game winning streak for St. Louis (the National League’s longest since 1935). But the two-time Gold Glove leftfielder landed on the injured list last month with shoulder discomfort. He joined the Redbirds for a rehab stint on June 3rd, then delivered what proved to be a game-winning home run in the ninth inning the next day. A fourth consecutive win improved Memphis to 31-22 for the season and a high-water mark (nine games over .500).

The circumstances that have Paul DeJong in a Redbirds uniform are more complicated than those for O’Neill. The 28-year-old DeJong — a National League All-Star in 2019 when he hit 30 home runs for St. Louis — has manned the shortstop position at Busch Stadium since 2017. But he struggled mightily to open the 2022 season, hitting only .130 over 24 games and striking out 25 times in 86 plate appearances. DeJong’s numbers weren’t much better in 2021, when he batted .197 and had far more strikeouts (103) than hits (70) in 113 games. With Tommy Edman — a Gold Glove second-baseman last season — moving to short for the Cardinals and Gorman stepping in at second, DeJong’s task is finding the swing that got him to that All-Star Game three years ago. Ask the Charlotte Knights and they might say he’s close to finding it. DeJong slammed four home runs in the Redbirds’ recent six-game series in Carolina. He’s driven in 19 runs in 21 games for Memphis, but continues to struggle making contact (21 strikeouts in 87 at-bats).

The fun part of this twist on talent sharing is that O’Neill and DeJong have merely supplemented the Redbirds’ regulars. Outfielder Alec Burleson — the Cardinals’ 10th-ranked prospect — earned the organization’s Player of the Month award for May, posting a .357 batting average with five home runs, 24 RBIs and 35 hits (a total that led all of Triple-A baseball). Burleson’s 42 RBIs in 46 games (through Sunday) rank fourth in the International League and have him on a pace that could threaten the Redbirds franchise record for a season (Nick Stavinoha drove in 109 in 2011).

Perhaps most significantly, the combined efforts of rising, rehabbing, and refining stars have the Redbirds sitting in third place in the International League’s West Division, four games back of the front-running Nashville Sounds . . . farm club of the very team St. Louis is chasing in the National League Central (the Milwaukee Brewers). All this with the Redbirds opening their longest home stand of the season (12 games) Tuesday night at AutoZone Park. The first guest will be the Durham Bulls (28-25), a club that lost five of six games to Memphis in its home park just over a month ago. Then the Sounds (34-18) come to town for what should be a bragging-rights series, at least for the state of Tennessee. Memphis hasn’t played a postseason game since winning the 2018 Triple-A National Championship. While the Redbirds have done their part to keep St. Louis in the playoff mix, they may secure a few critical wins — they count just as much in June as they do in September — with the help of veterans long familiar with the I-55 shuttle.

Categories
Politics Politics Beat Blog

Showdown Monday on Voting Machines

From left: Steve Mulroy, Eddie Jones, Erika Sugarmon, Sarah Wilkerson Freeman. (Photo by Jackson Baker)

Proponents of hand-marked paper ballots held a press conference Friday on the eve of Monday’s Shelby County Commission meeting, where a vote is scheduled to approve or reject a rival system employing ballot-marking devices.

The ballot-marking devices are being insisted on by a majority on the Shelby County Election Commission, which pleads that timeliness demands a favorable vote. If the County Commission provides one, the county would spend $5.8 million on new machines supplied by Election Systems & Software, LLC (ES&S) and, says the Election Commission, the ballot-marking devices would be ready in time for the August county election. 

Opposing such a vote at Friday’s press conference (held at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church) were two active County Commissioners, one former County Commissioner, one County Commissioner-elect, and a member of the Democratic Party’s state committee.

Steve Mulroy, a County Commissioner from 2006 to 2014 and currently a candidate for District Attorney General, characterized the issue to be voted on Monday as follows:  “We are getting ready …to quite possibly decide what election and voting system we’re going to use for the next 20 years. There is a chance that we’ll be making the wrong decision that we will be spending $6 million on an overpriced, glitch-vulnerable, hackable, less secure voting system that will erode further the public’s already low confidence in the integrity of our elections, when there is a much more secure, less expensive, low-tech solution, easily available, that the County Commission has already repeatedly said by resolution they’re in favor of.”

He added that if the ballot-marking machines are approved, “rather than using a 10-cent pen to mark the ballot, we have to use a $5,000 ballot marking device which is touchscreen and computerized and which election experts say can be hacked or is prone to glitches. So we are paying $4 million more for a less secure system. We are here today because the Election Commission has taken yet another run at trying to force the County Commission to fund this overpriced, less secure system.”

As Mulroy indicated, the County Commission has voted repeatedly to use hand-marked paper ballots for the badly needed new machines rather than the ES&S devices. Concurring with Mulroy’s statements and speaking remotely by phone, Commissioner Van Turner said, “The commission has spoken to this issue … I will again be supporting having paper ballots be the primary voting mode in Shelby County.” 

Commissioner Eddie Jones, calling the Election Commission’s action an example of Election Coordinator Linda Phillips’ “Jedi mind tricks,” said of the Election Commission majority, “These are appointed people trying to step beyond their legal authority and go beyond us.”

Although Mulroy had noted, correctly, that the County Commission is majority-Democratic and the Election Commission majority- Republican, County Commissioner-elect Erika Sugarmon declared, “This is a non-partisan issue. Republicans, Democrats, and libertarians have been going to the commissions. We’ve been going to the Election Commission, and the Shelby County Commission, voicing our concerns, and stating our desire to have hand-marked paper ballots. We want hand-marked paper ballots like they have in Knox County.” Sugarmon added, “Ballot-marking devices also are a way to suppress the voters rights. For example, in disadvantaged, marginalized, minoritized, and working class communities, they  cause long lines.”

Sarah Wilkerson Freeman, a member of the Democratic state committee, said the Election Commission’s attempt to force an approval of ballot-marking devices was “troubling, very, very troubling, because it is voters who put the County Commission in, and they have repeatedly said ‘no’ to these proposals from the Election Commission. And what is going on is that the administrator is dragging her heels and dragging our heels until the whole system becomes increasingly broken and broken and broken.”

Mulroy said that the County Commission, on Monday, could not only reject the Election Commission’s desire for ballot-marking devices, it could go ahead and vote for hand-marked paper ballots.  “The state of the law is we have a [Chancery] Court ruling that has not been overturned, [and] the County Commission can go forward, if it wants to. The Election Commission has appealed the Chancery ruling, but the pendency of the appeal does not prevent the county commission from going forward.”

He recommended “that people call their county commissioners between now and Monday, tell them that want to spend less money and be more secure.”

Categories
Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

We Saw You: Bain Barbecue & Bakery Has Sumptuous Soft Opening

Dinnertime at Bain Barbecue & Bakery soft opening. (Credit: Ryan Glosson)

Passed appetizers, menu samples, or a seated dinner with a limited menu is what I’ve found to be the norm at new restaurant soft openings.

Not so at Bain Barbecue & Bakery.

I was among the 70 people who attended what chef/co-owner Bryant Bain called the “soft opening for the soft opening” on June 2nd for the new restaurant at 993 South Cooper Street in Cooper-Young. Another soft opening is planned.

“We are currently open to the public for breakfast,” Bain says. They’ll begin serving lunch and dinner June 10th at the beautiful, light and airy restaurant in the old Stone Soup space.

Bain Barbecue & Bakery (Credit: Michael Donahue)

Bain recounted the evening’s menu: “Appetizer was house queso with choice of brisket or pork. Main plate was brisket, ribs, pork, a half chicken, and our scratch-made sausages, one regular and one jalapeño cheddar. The sides were mac and cheese, baked potato salad, brisket pinto beans, and lime cilantro slaw. Dessert was pecan pie, crack pie, vanilla cakes, chocolate cake, or strawberry cake.”

That main plate heaped with food resembled more of a Thanksgiving dinner instead of a soft opening. “Groaning board” was an accurate term for what the picnic table (I ate outdoors with friends) resembled with our overflowing trays.

The food was delicious. First was the queso appetizer by itself like a soup instead of with chips. I thought that was all I was going to get to eat, so I also ate almost all the chips in the basket. I was mighty surprised when an enormous platter of food appeared. It was even more surprising when Bain’s wife, Heather, said, “Wait — we forgot this.” And co-owner Ryan Glosson added the half chicken breast to my plate.

Manager Jackson Cobb, Heather and Bryant Bain, Ryan Glosson at Bain Barbecue & Bakery (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Molly and Marcus Moss at Bain Barbecue & Bakery (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Quin Teachy and Michael Ivy at Bain Barbecue & Bakery (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Emma Blau and Cooper Smith at Bain Barbecue & Bakery (Credit: Michael Donahue)

Later, when I was walking out the door, somebody asked, “Don’t you want dessert?” I was about to fall in love with Bain’s vanilla cake.

“Haley Stephens is our head baker,” Bain says. “All my recipes, but she pours her heart and soul into everything she makes.”

And then something else I’ve never seen at a soft opening party: a blessing of the smoker. The Rev. Canon Sharon A. Alexander of The Episcopal Diocese of West Tennessee did the honors. Guests gathered outside to watch.

The Rev. Canon Sharon A. Alexander blesses “Peggy” the smoker at Bain Barbecue & Bakery (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Priscilla Shaw and Pierre Shaw at Bain Barbecue & Bakery (Credit: Michael Donahue)
KK Muller and Logan Feathers at Bain Barbecue & Bakery (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Collier Roberts and Ella McLaughlin at Bain Barbecue & Bakery (Credit: Michael Donahue)

 The smoker’s name, by the way, is “Peggy.” 

 “ ‘Peggy’ is for ‘Peggy Hill’ from King of the Hill,” Bain says. “I name all my pits after my favorite cartoon women. Peggy Hill is a strong Texas woman and King of the Hill was a show far before its time.”

Bain, whose hometown is Hillje, Texas, originally opened his food truck, which specialized in Texas craft-style brisket. After he closed it, several people discussed partnering on some sort of business. But when Glosson talked to him, they just clicked.

Samantha Fong and Rita Fong at Bain Barbecue & Bakery (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Sara Sterling and Joe Rondone at Bain Barbecue & Bakery (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Billy, Curt, and Sarah Cowan at Bain Barbecue & Bakery (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Joanne and Jim Lippy at Bain Barbecue & Bakery (Credit: Michael Donahue)
We Saw You
Categories
News News Blog News Feature

Chalkbeat: Five Questions With Governor Lee After Uvalde

Credit: State of Tennessee

Gov. Bill Lee said Thursday that his administration began reviewing Tennessee’s school safety policies and programs the day after an 18-year-old gunman walked into an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, and killed 19 children and their two teachers.

“We will be taking steps in the days and weeks to come that will enhance our ability to secure students in the classroom,” said Lee, speaking with reporters for the first time since the May 24 massacre at Robb Elementary School.

Exactly what those steps will be is still being discussed. But Lee said they won’t involve repealing a bill he signed last year that allows most Tennessee adults to carry a handgun without a permit.

His top two priorities: make school campuses more secure and support mental health, especially for young people.

Lee has sought to strengthen both areas since taking office. In 2019, the new Republican governor raised the state’s annual investment in school safety funding, especially to increase the number of schools supported by law enforcement personnel known as school resource officers. And in 2021, he championed a $250 million mental health trust fund that dedicates annual investment income to support students’ emotional well-being.

He also expects school safety to be on the minds of legislators when they return to Nashville next January. 

“There will be a long list of items that people will talk about and propose — one of them being whether to arm teachers, another being passing a red flag law,” Lee said. “I think we’re going to see a robust conversation all across America about what strategies to implement.”

Lee spoke with reporters in Fayetteville, Tennessee, after announcing that Wisconsin-based Ariens, a maker of commercial lawn mowers and snowblowers, will bring nearly 370 new jobs to build its products in the rural Middle Tennessee town.

Asked later by Chalkbeat about the Texas shooting, the governor characterized his office as “very engaged” on student safety. 

“I’ve had very emotional conversations with parents who are afraid to send their children to school,” he said about how the shooting has shaken families and school communities anew.

A day earlier, about 50 pastors, parents, and physicians gathered outside of Lee’s office at the state Capitol to call for “common sense” gun control regulations. Among their demands: Ban semi-automatic assault weapons, armor piercing ammunition, and high-capacity magazines.

In Fayetteville, Lee answered five questions from Chalkbeat on gun violence and student safety. Chalkbeat lightly edited his answers for clarity and brevity.

Q: While the school year has ended, school safety is on the minds of Tennesseans after the Uvalde massacre. How are you working to prevent a similar tragedy here in Tennessee?

A: For three years, we have made investments, but we have to do more. From day one after that tragedy, we started an assessment of what has been done, and we’re developing a strategy. Part of the strategy is to make certain schools are using the resources that are available to them. 

School resource officers are a key first step. A lot of accountability is necessary to make sure schools are actually carrying out established protocols, and that can be part of the SRO’s responsibility. We’ve learned that, in this event in Texas, a missed protocol or a lack of attention to detail can have tragic outcomes.

Q: After the 2018 mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida, several Tennessee lawmakers proposed letting some teachers carry guns at school. The bills generally stalled, but there’s talk again of turning some teachers into armed security guards. Would you support such legislation?

A: I have said before that I would be in favor of a strategy that includes training and vetting and a very strategic and appropriate plan for (arming teachers). There are a lot of details that have to be right for that to be considered. But if lawmakers brought it forth, I would certainly consider it.

Q: Some of your critics have pointed to the 2021 “constitutional carry” bill you signed as part of the problem by allowing people 21 and older to carry handguns, openly or concealed, without a permit — all at a time when Tennessee has one of the nation’s highest rates of gun deaths. Was widening gun access the wrong direction?

A: Constitutional carry is a law that applies to law-abiding citizens. What we’re talking about in Texas was criminal behavior. Criminals don’t follow permit laws. They don’t follow gun laws. They break the law. Constitutional carry has nothing to do with criminals who break the law. In fact, when we passed constitutional carry, we also passed laws that strengthened penalties for those who broke the law with guns. It’s very important that we separate criminals who use guns in criminal activity and law-abiding citizens.

Q: What about limiting access to guns by people who are most likely to misuse them? Many are urging passage of red flag laws that permit police or family members to petition a court to order temporary removal of firearms when a person may present a danger to others or themselves.

A: That’s connected to mental health, but who is the arbiter of mental health? There are a lot of concerns about red flag laws — not only on issues of mental health but their effectiveness in general. Buffalo, New York (where another gunman killed 10 people on May 14) has red flag laws. So there’s just a lot of questions around those approaches.

Q: When it comes to support for mental health, Tennessee trails the rest of the nation. The state ranks 34th worst nationally for prevalence of mental illness and lower rates of access to care, and 40th for youth mental health, according to the 2022 report by Mental Health America, the nation’s leading community-based nonprofit for preventing mental illness. How are we bolstering mental health supports?

A: That is exactly why we established the mental health trust fund a few years ago. And our state’s new education funding formula actually strengthens our ability to tap into resources for mental health needs, for children in particular. The pandemic exacerbated all of the reasons why we need to be investing in these areas. So we have a commitment to investing in mental health resources and services across the state.

Marta W. Aldrich is a senior correspondent and covers the statehouse for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact her at maldrich@chalkbeat.org.

 

Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.

Categories
News News Blog News Feature

Gender Pay Gap Narrows In Memphis As Pay Falls for All

(Photo by Igal Ness on Unsplash)

Memphis-area women earned 83 percent of their male counterparts in the workplace from 2000-2019, according to new research from the Pew Research Center.

(Credit: Pew Research Center)

The pay gap in Memphis narrowed during that time, according to the research gathered from census records, based largely on the fact that pay for men in the area fell over those 19 years.

Credit: Pew Research Center

For all male workers 16 years old and older, median annual income fell from about $54,000 to around $47,800. Income for males in the 30-49 age bracket fell sharpest here, from a median of about $58,500 to about $49,600.

Pay for all female workers fell slightly from 2000 to 2019. Pew says the median annual income for women in 2000 was around $40,000 and fell to about $39,600 in 2019.

The city’s gender pay gap (83 percent) was one point above the national average of 82 percent. For the gap, Memphis ranked the city 86th out of the 250 metros Pew studied for the report.

See results from more metros here.

Napa, California, where women make 98 percent of that of their male counterparts, ranked at the top nationally. The Houma/Thibodaux area of Lousiana, where women earn 58 percent of males, ranked last.

However, Pew reports that wages for women are catching up across the country.

(Credit: Pew Research Center)
Categories
Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Penny Hardaway, Wellengood Partners to Open New Restaurant Downtown

(Credit: Westin Memphis Beale Street)

Go ahead and add “restaurateur” to Penny Hardaway’s CV. The former NBA star and current Memphis Tigers basketball coach is set to open a new restaurant just a quick jaunt from the FedEx Forum.

In partnership with Wellengood Partners and Gourmet Services, Inc., Hardaway will introduce Penny’s Nitty Gritty, a “unique, upscale restaurant with a touch of added Southern flair” at The Westin Memphis Beale Street. Gourmet Services corporate executive chef Elizabeth A. Rodgers is curating the menu; diners can expect specialty items like collard green fondue, a Penny Loaf, and some other of Hardaway’s favorite dishes.

“I wanted a concept that would serve the best food to my family, friends, and visitors to Memphis. I wanted people who come to the restaurant to have a first-class experience,” said Hardaway. “When I tasted food from the menu, I was blown away, and I know others will be too.”

“Penny Hardaway is a Memphis basketball icon,” said Glenn Malone, CEO of Wellengood Partners. “With the University of Memphis Tigers’ home court at the FedEx Forum across the street from The Westin, Penny’s Nitty Gritty is the best place to get something to eat before or after a game, or other events taking place Downtown.”

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News News Blog News Feature

Council Members Request MPD to Decline Trump Escort

Photo by Library of Congress on Unsplash

Two Memphis City Council members will request that the Memphis Police Department (MPD) decline to escort former President Donald Trump during his upcoming visit to the area.

Trump is slated to speak during the American Freedom Tour stop at Landers Center on Saturday, June 18th. That tour includes Donald Trump Jr., Candace Owens, Mike Pompeo, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Dinesh D’Souza, Sheriff Mark Lamb and more.

Billboards advertising the visit have popped up around Memphis, claiming “Memphis loves Trump”. However, many on social media have pointed out that Trump will be visiting Southaven, Mississippi, not Memphis, Tennessee.

At next week’s council meeting, council members JB Smiley and Martavius Jones plan to present a resolution to request that the MPD decline escorting Trump to the tour stop.

As we know, the Memphis Police Department is already experiencing a shortage of officers to patrol our communities.

Memphis City Council member JB Smiley

“I’m sure many Memphians have seen the billboards advertising former president Donald Trump’s visit on June 18th,” reads a statement from Smiley. “The fact of the matter is that he will not be coming to Memphis, but to Southaven, Mississippi, and he will most likely be flying into Memphis International Airport.

“As we know, the Memphis Police Department is already experiencing a shortage of officers to patrol our communities. I do not believe that it is a prudent use of police manpower and Memphians’ taxpayer dollars to escort the former president to an event in Mississippi.”

The resolution is slated to be heard in the council’s Public Safety committee and voted on at the full council meeting on June 7th. 

Categories
Politics Politics Beat Blog

A Second Juvenile Court Judge?

D.A. candidate Steve Mulroy, Judge Tarik Sugarmon, and County Mayor Lee Harris at a press conference. (Photo: Jackson Baker)

Should there be more than one Juvenile Court judge in Shelby County?

It’s a question that first came up in the wake of the 2006 county election when a newly installed Democratic contingent on the County Commission proposed the establishment of a second judge and voted to create one. 

After a drawn-out legal process that effort was disallowed, it’s now baaack! Maybe. It comes via the suggestion of Tarik Sugarmon, a candidate for what is still a solitary position of Juvenile Court Judge.

That original  move to double the number of judges was stoutly resisted by the Republican minority on the Commission and, most importantly, by Juvenile Court Judge Curtis Person, a former state Senator and longtime Court referee who was himself fresh from an election victory in 2006. Person sued to block it.

The issue was argued over back and forth, subjected to a court stay and a lifting of the stay by a Shelby County Chancellor, until, finally,  a state Court of Appeals decision in 2007 ruled invalid the Tennessee statute empowering such an action on separation-of-powers grounds. The state Supreme Court declined to review the matter back then.

What may revive it was a statement made at a press conference on Friday by Sugarmon, one of the two candidates for Juvenile Court Judge (the other being incumbent Judge Dan Michael). The point of the press conference at a park adjoining Cummings Elementary School, was for County Mayor Lee Harris and Democratic D.A. candidate Steve Mulroy to endorse Sugarmon’s candidacy.

Once that was duly done, a brief Q-and-A session with reporters ensued, at which Mulroy was reminded of the second judge issue, which took place when he was a member of the Commission and a leading proponent. 

Mulroy said on Friday  said he still liked the idea. “I’ve thought for a long time that the current system we have where there’s one person that is sort of in charge of this whole fiefdom and appoints all these judicial commissioners, is probably not the best model. It’s not even the most common model around the country. Multiple judges and juvenile courts are really the norm. And we’re the exception.”

But the courts had ruled against it, Mulroy conceded, and “that is currently the law.”

But is it? Sugarmon didn’t think so. “If I’m not mistaken,” he said, “according to the Charter now, and the court records, one of them [a Juvenile Court judge] can be appointed by the County Commission. So I think that could be permission for upgrading the office. No one in the original ruling of the Court said they had to go back to the state legislature. So hopefully, with the legislative way, that can occur because we do need more judges on the Court.”

“So you support the proposal?” Sugarmon was asked.

“Certainly,” he said.

“That’s news. Welcome news,” a surprised Mulroy said.

Note that Sugarmon cited the Shelby County charter, not the state law invalidated in 2007 by the state Court of Appeals.

And consider the possibility that a newly empaneled County Commission might act on what Sugarmon says is by the authority of the Charter and vote again for a second Juvenile Court judge. If Sugarmon, now on record as advocating a second judge, were to be elected, he would obviously decline to claim a legal standing to oppose such an action, unlike  Person in 2007.

There could be more legal bridges to cross, of course.

As of this writing, Judge Michael has not expressed an opinion on the value of a second Juvenile Court Judge.

In endorsing Sugarmon, currently a city judge, for election as Juvenile Court Judge, Mulroy had recounted his own concerns about alleged outmoded procedures in the D.A.’s office and said, among other things, “We need a new approach. We need change. And real change is only going to happen if we have change at the top. Now, the situation I described accurately describes my race for District Attorney. But it also accurately describes the situation at Juvenile Court, which is why I am very pleased to be here today to say that I am endorsing Tarik Sugarmon for Juvenile Court Judge. That is one reason why I’m doing it.”

In his turn, Mayor Harris commented on an incident at nearby Cummings Elementary in which a child was discovered to have brought a gun to school. “Behind us, of course, you see Cummings Elementary School, the site of such tragedy. But that doesn’t mean that this is a site … where we’re gonna throw away our kids. We know that no matter what happens in the lives of young people in Memphis and Shelby County, they all have potential, and we all have to remind them that their future is bright and there is opportunity ahead of them. So I’m pleased to support Judge Sugarmon, because he’s the right kind of candidate for this moment.”

Categories
Opinion The Last Word

Memphis is My Boyfriend: Shell Shenanigans

The Shell’s classes free the body and mind, sometimes the bladder. (Photo: Courtesy Patricia Lockhart)

I’m all for trying new experiences. My friends will tell you that I’m quick to happily drag them to some place or event without having the slightest clue of all of the details. Like that time I convinced my friends to go walking through the woods because it seemed like a path that people really didn’t walk on. There was a reason for that, and we ended up getting “lost” (her word not mine).

So while searching for something new to experience in 2021, I came across a post from the Shell, formerly known as Levitt Shell, but now called Overton Park Shell. They had free workout classes on weekday evenings and Saturday mornings. I love free things. After messaging my friends, we decided to give the Saturday morning kickboxing class a try. I haven’t done any kickboxing since my Tae Bo days in high school with Billy Blanks. Nevertheless, I was stoked!

That morning, I drank a levy’s worth of water and headed to the Shell. We found a good spot, high-fived each other, and began. Y’all … y’all … y’all … I was not ready. Billy Blanks ain’t got nothin’ on those Kroc Center instructors. In the first session I attended, I promise I lost two lbs. and a little common sense. I gave that class my all, my everything! After the kickboxing class ended, we moved straight to yoga. And I moved straight to sleep. In the middle of the Shell, with folks all around me, I took myself a little nappy-nap. After I woke, I needed to do one thing: take a restroom break. I tiptoed through the crowd to the bathroom with my Baptist “Excuse Me” Finger in the air, only to discover that the restroom was locked. Not wanting to leave class, even though I just slept for 20ish minutes, I held tight for dear life and waited on my friends.

I returned to the Shell for several more Saturday-morning workouts. After kickboxing, I often just laid there. Not immediately, but as time progressed, I got stronger. Eventually I was able to do 5-20 minutes of yoga before napping out. Also, bonus, the restrooms were later unlocked.

Fast-forward to the present, the Overton Shell has started up the Health and Wellness Series again. Now you too can have a healthy, life-changing experience. I have thoroughly enjoyed Twilight Yoga and Pilates, but one yoga session stretched my bladder more than I want to admit. As usual, I drank a levy of water again before driving to the Overton Park Shell. (Look, I seriously believe in hydration.) Although I arrived a little late in my cute Fabletics outfit, I found a good shady spot. I quietly rolled out my yoga mat and mentally prepared myself for this woo-say moment. As I exhaled a long, deep breath, my bladder also tried to exhale. My eyes shot open! Every muscle in my body tensed and I willed them to suck back in every ounce of moisture in my body. Once I felt I was in stable condition to move without leaking, I headed to the restroom by the side of the stage. As I walked, I saw that there was a gate and a lock on the restroom. A gate and a lock! Quickly, I thought of my options: Keep walking past the restroom in search of a bush; turn around, grab my things, and leave in search of a proper restroom; or try the restroom on top of the hill.

Afraid to exhale too hard, I took a quick, shallow breath and chose Option C. I trudged all the way up the hill only to find that those restrooms were locked, too. I went back to my mat. I sat down and regrouped my bladder. After about five minutes, my body had finally calmed down. I did about two or three yoga poses before I felt the dam starting to give way. It was now or never. In one quick swoop, I grabbed my keys, water bottle, mat, and shoes and sashayed to my car. I drove to the nearest restroom and vowed to get some pelvic floor therapy from Sundara Wellness. Crisis averted. The next Twilight Yoga and Pilates was perfect.

Since I haven’t tried all the classes, be sure you check out overtonparkshell.com for all of the Health and Wellness classes they are offering throughout the summer until October/November. Yeah, that’s a lot of free classes. I know I’ll definitely be attending more Twilight Yoga and Pilates and maybe a little body combat (aka kickboxing). But what I’m most excited about is the goat yoga on June 26th! 901Goats will help me relax while daydreaming about farm life. This is bound to be an excellent experience.

Here are a few pro tips for the Health and Wellness Series: Bring water. Ice cold water. Bring something to wipe the sweat off your face. The instructors will ask you to do some pretty amazing things. Try them out; you can always nap later. Bring a friend or make a friend while you’re there. Wear sunscreen and a hat; you are outside after all. Have fun. Most importantly, pee before you go.

Patricia Lockhart is a native Memphian who loves to read, write, cook, and eat. Her days are filled with laughter with her four kids and charming husband. By day, she’s a school librarian and a writer, but by night … she’s asleep. @realworkwife @memphisismyboyfriend

Categories
News The Fly-By

MEMernet: The Flow on Ice (For Now)

Memphis on the internet.

The Flow on Ice

Courtesy of Black & Wyatt Records

Last week was a watershed moment for The Flow, as we put our livestreamed music events calendar on ice until needed once more.

When we began The Flow on April 16, 2020, there was no telling how the coronavirus pandemic would develop. But we knew that many musicians were continuing to perform online, against all odds. Nowadays, it’s not as common, nor as necessary — for now.

When we began The Flow on April 16, 2020, there was no telling how the coronavirus pandemic would develop.

We salute Hernando’s Hide-A-Way and B-Side Memphis, the two venues that have continued to offer livestreamed shows locally for the past two years, and we hope that they and others keep doing it. Surely they will, just as surely as Goner TV will carry on sporadically.

As Covid continues to disrupt our lives, there’s no telling when we’ll look at livestream-enabled artists and venues as heroes once again. As ever, make prudent pandemic decisions, and keep tipping those performers, whether online or face-to-face.

As ever, make prudent pandemic decisions, and keep tipping those performers, whether online or face-to-face.