Month: March 2025

Categories
Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

FOOD NEWS BITES: Mix Odyssey Is Back

Mix Odyssey 2020 winners included Nick Lumpkin, Daniel Quinlan, and Mitch Marable. (Photo: Courtesy Volunteer Odyssey)

Mix Odyssey returns.

The Volunteer Odyssey fundraiser, where bartenders compete with each other to make the best drink of the night, will be back after a five-year hiatus. It will be held from 6 to 9 p.m., April 30th, at Baron Von Opperbean (BVO), the site of the old Mississippi River Museum at Mud Island.

Bartenders Mitchell Marable (The Lobbyist) and Nick Lumpkin (The Cove) were the instigators. “We wanted to start the competition back up,” says Marable, who is also a butcher at Buster’s Butcher. “We missed it and figured it was about time. The last one we did was the end of February 2020 right before everything started locking down.”

The event is “a fun time for bartenders to get together and see each other. We’re usually working on the same evenings. We can’t get out and have cocktails with our other comrades. We’re just working the same schedules. It’s a good cause. A good organization and just a fun night.”

Mitchell Marable (Photo: Michael Donahue)

Caroline Norris, Volunteer Odyssey president/CEO, is grateful for Marable and Lumpkin. “If I did not have their support and expertise, it could not have happened,” she says. “They have such big hearts and they’re really good at what they do.”

The previous Mix Odyssey was the last, or close to the last, big fundraiser before Covid hit in March 2020, Norris says. “We just want to make sure that people remember how much fun it it is. And they can come and vote for their favorite bartender.”

And, she says, “With each ticket you get a couple of votes. And with each donation you get another vote. You can cheer on your favorite bartender and support work to build capacity for our hundreds of nonprofit partners to provide technology platforms, recruiting, and best practices to manage their volunteers.”

Nick Lumpkin (Photo: Rachel Mary Harris)

Bartenders come up with their own cocktails with spirits provided by Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits. “Each bartender will basically be crafting their signature cocktail to compete.”

Guests get six tastings. Snacks will be provided by Paradox Catering  & Consulting, thanks to owner Jimmy Gentry, who also is chef/owner of The Lobbyist. Beer and wine also will be available.

Norris says, “The whole event is to celebrate the end of Global Volunteer Month,” which begins April 1st.

Categories
Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

FOOD NEWS BITES: Barksdale’s Set to Reopen

Barksdale's restaurant at 237 Cooper Street is coming back

Sunny side up, everybody! Barksdale’s will reopen Monday, April 14th.

The iconic eatery at 237 Cooper Street that closed after a fire in June, 2024 will be back in action with breakfast and lunch. It will be open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. seven days a week, says Ryan Glosson, one of the owners along with Bryant and Heather Bain. They also are the owners of Bain Barbecue down the street at 993 Cooper Street in Cooper-Young.

Heather and Bryant Bain and Ryan Glosson at the recent A Taste of CBHS (Credit: Michael Donahue)

The walls will feature “lots of memorabilia from before,” Glosson says.”We got the (Ameican) flag that’s back up in the hallway. New flooring, new ceilings, new booths.”

As for the food, Bryant says, “It’s the same type of food, it’s just updated to be fresher and scratch made every day. Some new items on the menu, but I don’t know what they did on their daily lunch menu off the top of my head. Just tell people to come in and eat.”

Asked in an earlier interview why they wanted to buy Barksdale’s, Bryant said, “We’ve all eaten there. And it’s been in the community for so many years.”

They weren’t going to let Barksdale just belong to the ages. They wanted it open again. It was “Hey, if we can do something about it, we’re going to,” Bryant said.

Categories
Film Features Film/TV

Music Video Monday: “Manic” by Frank McLallen

Frank McLallen is a familiar face to Memphis music fans. He’s been in Ex-Cult, was a founding member of The Sheiks, backed Jack O, wailed with the Tennessee Screamers, and rocked with Model Zero. Now, he’s going solo.

McLallen’s solo album is called Extra Eyes, and he says getting to a place where he could make and release the music he wants has been a journey. “I got chewed up and spit out of a decade of a rock and roll career and lost myself for a few years,” he says. “There were only two ways this was gonna go, north or south … I got my shit together and tried to do this thing all over again. I fell in love with music again.”

McLallen recorded the songs that would become Extra Eyes at Memphis Magnetic, and the album is being released on the studio’s Red Curtain Records. “I’ve spent so much time collaborating with bands, where writing and direction were shaped by group dynamics,” McLallen says. “Being in a band is a wonderful experience, and I still love it, but I’ve enjoyed this whole trip of getting to know myself again. This project has allowed me to write and record ideas with no goal in mind other than to be completely honest in my expression.”

The music video for the lead single “Manic” was directed by Noah Miller, with art direction by Sarah Moseley. “It’s a Southern gothic daydream,” says McLallen. “We filmed it at my uncle’s property in North Mississippi, built before the Civil War. The place has a surreal element to it, and it’s so lush, so green out there in the springtime.” 

If you would like to see your music video featured on Music Video Monday, email cmccoy@memphisflyer.com.

Categories
News News Blog News Feature

Work Underway to End Greensward Parking, Open New Forest Area

Work has begun on a project that will forever end parking on the Greensward at Overton Park and open new trails in a new part of the Old Forest, according to the Overton Park Conservancy (OPC).

A decades-long struggle to end Memphis Zoo overflow parking on the park’s signature field ended with an agreement by the zoo, OPC, and the city of Memphis in 2022. Read our story about the deal and a timeline of the saga here. 

Credit: Overton Par Conservancy

Parking project

The project to end Greensward parking is a multi-phase dance with specific choreography. OPC outlined those steps in a Greensward update on its website Monday.

The first phase — repaving and re-striping the zoo’s main parking lot — is complete. 

Credit: Overton Park Conservancy

The second phase will include demolishing crumbling asphalt in the park’s southeast corner (an are close to the corner of Poplar and East Parkway). That area will then be leveled and paved for a new public parking lot. This phase will also include getting some old city-owned buildings ready for the zoo’s new maintenance facility. 

This phase is now in the engineering and permit phase, OPC said, and work will begin when those permits are in hand. No timeline was given for its completion. 

When all the construction in Phase 2 is complete, the zoo will move its maintenance and adminstrative functions to that space, the former General Services facility on the park’s east side. This move will leave empty the zoo’s current maintenance area along North Parkway. 

That area will, then, be razed for a new parking lot there in Phase 3 of the plan. 

“When that lot opens,” OPC said in a statement Monday, “cars will no longer park on the Greensward.”

Credit: savethegreensward.com

In Phase 4, OPC will create a new walking loop around the Greensward.  

”We appreciate your patience as we complete all these steps!” OPC said. “We’re very fortunate that this project is being funded through a $3 million HUD Community Project Funding grant, thanks to Congressman Steve Cohen. 

Credit: Overton Park Conservancy

“We received HUD’s approval to proceed in fall 2024 and began the environmental review process at that time. Since then, the Conservancy has been working closely with the city and the zoo to refine the design of the parking area and new zoo maintenance facility.

“We’re happy to be teaming up with our partners at the zoo and the city on this long-awaited project, and to see so much progress underway.”

New trail, Old Forest

The deal for parking also included the zoo restoring 17 acres of forested parkland back to the OPC and the Old Forest. Work to open these acres has already begun and it will intensify and continue. OPC hopes to have access open and new trails ready by fall. 

Credit: Overton Park Conservancy

“If you’ve walked in the forest recently, you may have noticed some activity in the fenced acreage that’s currently on zoo property and will come under Conservancy management soon,” the statement said. “Crews have finished building a new boundary fence for the zoo that will allow us to eventually remove the old fence and open up these forested acres to the public.

“Before the old fence comes down, we have two more tasks to complete. We’ll be going out to bid in the next few weeks for a contractor who will build the new walking trail over the summer. 

“After the trail is created, we’ll have another contractor come in to remove invasive plants. When that work is substantially complete, we’ll take the fence down. Our goal is to have a ribbon-cutting and open the trail this fall!”

Categories
Politics Beat Blog

Local Dems Hit Snag Again

Frustrated Democrats included (l to r) TNDP Chair Rachel Campbell, chairmanship candidate Willie Simon, event moderator Will Richardson, and chairmanship candidate Jeff Etheridge

They came, they saw, they quarreled, and nobody conquered.
Several hundred Shelby County Democrats gathered at Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church on McLemore on Saturday for the express purpose of electing new officers, but their meeting dissolved in chaos and confusion and the various party factions finally agreed to try again “in 30 days” to reach agreement.

Meanwhile, the party must endure a reprise of sorts of the situation of 2016, when local party disunion became so flagrant that the state party organization dissolved the local party, which did not reorganize itself into a functional organization until a year later.

As of Saturday, the Tennessee Democratic Party (TNDP) is once again in control of things, and the Shelby County Democratic Party (SCDP) is once again officially dormant.

The issues on Saturday were complicated, but, on the surface, they seemingly had to do with what the county party’s governing bylaws should be, and whether proposed revisions to them had or had not been successfully promulgated and acted upon in time for Saturday’s reorganization meeting.

The meeting had begun in a spirit of unity with a series of exhortatory speeches by party principals, including a particularly spirited pair by the party’s legislative caucus chair Karen Camper, who warned that Republicans in state government had set their sights on displacing Democrats from all local posts, and state Representative Justin Pearson, who declaimed the advantages of organized “people power.”

Order began to crumble when local Democrats Inez Warner and Rickey Peete rose to question whether the body, which included the party’s executive committee, its grassroots representatives, and Democrats at large had been properly apprised of new party bylaws and given a chance to examine and approve them.

What ensued from that point, was a succession of  responses, amid ever-deepening cacophony, from party figures in both the local and the state Democratic organizations.

As to the bylaws, there are several overlapping issues: 

One issue is whether voting on the local party’s leadership should include members of the local party’s “grassroots” (general membership) organization  of 100-odd members or limited to the 30-member executive committee, the core of which is two members from each county commission district. (The larger, combined voting base is traditional. A motion to limit voting to the executive committee had been defeated at a recent SCDP meeting.)

Another issue concerned whether the voter base, however construed, should elect all local party officers at once, as recommended by the TNDP, or only the chair, who would appoint the other officers. (The latter method is the local tradition.)

It is unclear how the chances of either declared chairmanship candidate — Jeff Etheridge or current acting chair Willie Simon — would be affected by the choice of bylaws.

An animating circumstance underlying the party’s reorganization efforts was the removal last year of former chair Lexie Carter, ostensibly for performance reasons, by then-SCDP chair Hendrell Remus.

For whatever reason, holdover adherents of Carter seem to favor changes in the bylaws to limit the franchise, and supporters of Etheridge, who began Saturday expressing confidence in the outcome, appeared to be especially aggrieved by the snag in Saturday’s planned election.

A largely unspoken but looming aspect of the situation is that Etheridge is white and Simon is African-American, though both candidates have supporters across racial and ethnic boundaries.

In any case, after Saturday, the local party will, in every sense, have to start all over. Again.

Categories
Beyond the Arc Sports

Post-Jenkins Era Begins with Loss to Lakers

Desmond Bane goes up for a layup against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday, March 29, 2025 at FedExForum (Photo by: Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Memphis Grizzlies’ loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, 134-127, on Saturday night only added to the shock of head coach Taylor Jenkins’ abrupt firing on Friday morning. Jenkins, who had been with the team for six seasons, was let go despite the Grizzlies’ 44-29 record, which has them tied with the Lakers for the 4/5 seeds in the Western Conference.

The decision to fire Jenkins was made by Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman, who cited “urgency” as a core principle of the team. Kleiman stated that he came to the conclusion that firing Jenkins was in the best interest of the team. 

Jenkins’ firing sent shockwaves through the NBA, with many questioning the timing and reasoning behind the decision. The Grizzlies named assistant coach Tuomas Iisalo as the interim head coach. 

Prior to the game Iisalo expressed shock and surprise at Jenkins’ sudden firing, stating he had no inkling it was coming. He then accepted the role of interim head coach and has been scrambling to get organized and adjust to the new situation. 

The Grizzlies’ first-quarter struggles remained unchanged despite the coaching change, as they trailed the Lakers 39-28.

Iisalo attributed the loss to a poor first half, citing the team’s failure to execute the basics. He acknowledged the Lakers’ potent trio, but emphasized that the Grizzlies’ slow start was the decisive factor. Iisalo stressed the need for improvement, particularly with back-to-back games looming.

“The goal of the game is to win, obviously,” said Iisalo. “So we can’t be happy with our performances — but it was encouraging to me after that lackluster start, we did a lot of things a lot better in the second half.” 

Iisalo continued: “We had better on-ball pressure — we did better in our pick and roll defense. We did not allow the opposition to get easy offensive rebounds. We applied friction, as we like to say, in the full court, to wear down their best players, and not just allow them to jog into their spots and get the exact shots.” 

Desmond Bane led the Grizzlies, scoring 29 points to go along with six assists, four rebounds, and two steals.

Jaren Jackson Jr. shook off early foul trouble to deliver a strong performance, scoring 24 points on an efficient 8-of-13 shooting.

Following a six-game absence, Ja Morant returned to the lineup and nearly recorded a triple-double, posting 22 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds.

“Anything we want — we just got to lock back in,” Morant said when asked about what the team can still accomplish this year. “It’s not like we are eliminated from the playoffs,” Morant added. 

Morant emphasized the need for focus, communication, and teamwork to improve performance. He highlighted the importance of reading the game, making smart decisions, and playing with effort, while also stressing the need to correct simple mistakes and communicate effectively with teammates.

Zach Edey made a notable impact in his return to the starting lineup, contributing 14 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, and swatting three blocks in 26 minutes of play.

Off the bench, Scotty Pippen Jr. provided a spark, scoring 16 points and dishing out five assists.

The Grizzlies continue a three-game homestand, hosting the Boston Celtics at FedExForum on Monday, March 31, at 6:30 p.m., with the game set to air on TNT.

Categories
Beyond the Arc Sports

Grizzlies Part Ways with Head Coach Taylor Jenkins

Former Grizzlies' Head Coach Taylor Jenkins. (Credit: Joe Murphy/NBAE/Getty Images.)

Shortly before noon on Friday, the Grizzlies announced that they were firing head coach Taylor Jenkins and assistant coaches Noah LaRoche and Patrick St. Andrews.

It comes on the heels of Thursday night’s brutal 125-104 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Here is the official release:

With only nine games left in the regular season, while your team is fighting for its life to stay out of the play-in tournament, it would not seem to be the optimal time to make a move such as firing your head coach, but here we are.

No interim coach has been officially named, but current Grizzlies’ lead assistant coach Tuomas Iisalo is the most likely choice.

Fans and critics of the team have called for Jenkins’ ouster at various points this season, and while this news might be unexpected for some, it really doesn’t come as much of a surprise.

The team has been in a noticeable slump since the all-star break, as evidenced by its 8-11 record. Jenkins appears to have lost the locker room’s confidence, and once the players lose faith in a coach, the relationship is nearly impossible to recover.

Jenkins was hired as part of the guard-change during the 2019 offseason, when longtime general manager Chris Wallace was replaced with Zach Kleiman. It was otherwise known as the end of the Grit and Grind era — marked by the trades of Marc Gasol and Mike Conley, the last two remaining members of the Core Four that lifted the team to relevance.

Jenkins’ tenure has been mostly positive, but it’s been bolstered by the arrival of star-caliber talent and the drafting and development of solid, dependable role players — areas that are largely outside his control.

Would a Taylor Jenkins-coached team without the Grizzlies’ big three of Jaren Jackson Jr., Ja Morant, and Desmond Bane be as successful, or has his ability been masked by Kleiman’s prowess in drafting players?

Spoiler alert: probably not.

Keeping a head coach who appears to have reached his ceiling would hinder the team now and in the long run. Given all the injuries they have been dealing with, the Grizzlies were never going to win the championship this year. So, while the timing is inconvenient, making such a major personnel change so close to the playoffs won’t necessarily prevent the team from hanging a championship banner in the rafters of FedExForum in the future.

Categories
We Recommend We Recommend

Sir Meatball Hosts Dogchella This Saturday

Sir Meatball and Milkshake at the most recent Dogchella (Photo: Mary Lauren Stewart)

Memphis dogfluencer Sir Meatball is turning 7, and all (including leashed pups) are invited to his birthday party this Saturday at Grind City Brewing Co. The theme: Dogchella. 

“It’s a play on Coachella,” says bulldog Meatball’s mom Mary Lauren Stewart. Saturday’s event will be their third, after last year’s hiatus while their family got ready for their new addition: a baby.

Fortunately, Meatball hasn’t had too much trouble sharing the attention with his new human brother Rush, nor has his bulldog brother Lord Milkshake. “Milkshake and the baby have really bonded,” Stewart says. “But they both are really great with kids.”

Milkshake (left) and Sir Meatball (right) are ready to party. (Photo: Mary Lauren Stewart)

Both Meatball and Milkshake will be in attendance for Dogchella, the two having gained Instagram fame for a post of them in costume. “Milkshake’s the sidekick, and I think that’s where he likes to be,” Stewart says. “Meatball is always the one, when we’re out on a patio, who’s trying to wander up to people to get pets and scratches. He loves lying in the middle of a walkway so people have to acknowledge him. And Milkshake is very much a mama’s boy.” 

For Saturday, Meatball, ever the star, will judge a dog costume contest that will kick off at 4 p.m. “He’ll whisper into one of the Grind City’s employee’s ears who the winner is.” 

The day will also have birthday treats for the pups (while supplies last), adoptable dogs, $5 beers, local vendors (including a dog caricature artist!), and a food truck. Admission is free, and the party will happen rain or shine. 

Dogchella, Grind City Brewing Company, Saturday, March 29, noon-6 p.m.

Categories
Film Features Film/TV

Snow White

Rachel Zegler as Snow White. (Courtesy Disney)

Two of my favorite Disney remakes include 1998’s Parent Trap and 2004’s Freaky Friday, both starring Lindsay Lohan. I’m definitely showing my age here when I say I was shocked to even know they were remakes — in fact, I had no interest in watching the originals, because I was perfectly fine with the impression their remakes left on me. And while this may be controversial, I think that’s a mark of a good remake. Sometimes the source material may conceptually be timeless, and a few tweaks can bring the story to life for a new generation. But remakes can be tricky, especially when the legacy of the film is revered in popular culture – especially under the Disney moniker.

It’s no question that Disney can make good films, both animated and live action. Lately though, that’s not been the case. It seems as if recently Disney has tried to prove to us that they know how CGI works and they have to demonstrate this by using motion capture to give the “live acton” treatment to every animated feature they have in their catalog, regardless of whether anyone asked for it.

The latest film to become the subject of this experiment is Snow White. Directed by 500 Days of Summer’s Marc Webb, it’s a remake of the 1937 animated film Snow White and The Seven Dwarves, Disney’s first full-length animated feature which cemented itself in pop culture with its timeless iconography. 

The Dwarves (Courtesy Disney)

Aside from taking on a property with such a heavy legacy, the film had the odds stacked against it before it even hit theaters. The Rachel Zegler hate-train seems to have turned into a bandwagon (for reasons I’m still not sure of, but are at least partially the result of racism) and some people just don’t like Gal Gadot. Plus, we’re all tired of remakes that we didn’t ask for. 

I’ve never seen the original, so there’s no sense of nostalgia for me. The fact that this was my first impression of the story even excited me, as I wasn’t blinded by bias for a classic. I’m all for widening representation, especially for Disney princesses, and I’m glad Zegler is able to be that for a new generation of young people. I just wish the film didn’t seem like an extended interaction with Disneyland cast members. 

Snow White (Zegler), a princess whose upbringing and influence on her community is marked by her kindness, falls from the public eye when her mother dies and her father remarries. Her father goes out on a quest to save the kingdom from evil threats and does not return, leaving the Evil Queen (Gadot) to rule over the people. Under her reign, Snow White becomes a scullery maid. 

Obsessed with vanity, the Evil Queen asks her magic mirror daily “Who is the fairest one of all?” Usually, the mirror’s response is to her liking. But one day the mirror reveals that Snow White is now the fairest, which the queen takes a threat to her position. Enraged, she orders the Huntsman (Ansu Kabia) to lure Snow White to the forest and kill her, bringing back her heart as proof.

While in the forest, the Huntsman is touched by Snow White’s compassion and warns her of the queen’s plans. As she flees, she finds a cottage where she rests until she is awakened by the home’s inhabitants, the seven dwarves.

Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen. (Courtesy Disney)

Zegler’s acting is fine; nothing to write too strongly for or against. She definitely has the voice of a Disney Princess, yet the songs themselves aren’t memorable enough for a second listen. Gadot’s performance reminded me of something you’d see in a movie-within-a-movie, where we’re supposed to know she’s acting badly, like in Singing in the Rain when Jean Hagen massacres The Dueling Cavalier. 

There was a lot of time spent showing the mines where the very scary CGI dwarves worked which could have been better spent crafting more seamless story — how did Snow White go from a maids dress to her iconic princess garb? We don’t know! 

I could very well still be spoiled by the musical phenomenon known as Wicked, but I just don’t think Disney knew what they wanted to do with this film. This could’ve been a way for them to reintroduce a beloved classic for younger audiences, but I doubt the uncanny dwarves will be invited into anyone’s house via rewatch. 

Categories
News News Blog News Feature

MATA Announces Termination of Former Interim CEO

Bacarra Maudlin, former Interim CEO of MATA (Photo Credit: Memphis Area Transit Authority)

Bacarra Mauldin, former interim CEO of the Memphis Area Transit Authority, has been fired by the agency. The decision was made by acting CEO of John Lewis and backed by MATA’s board of commissioners.

“This action follows an internal investigation which concluded that Ms. Mauldin violated MATA’s Procurement and Travel Policy, and did not take sufficient steps to ensure compliance among her direct reports,” a statement from the agency said.  “These findings represent a serious breach of the standards and expectations we uphold for all MATA leadership and staff.”

Earlier this month, officials revealed that  a “preliminary review of FY24 General Administrative expenses,” which showed that out of $9.9 million, $848,000 was spent in discretionary spending. This included $603,000 in sponsorship of the Memphis Grizzlies and $144,000 in “other AMEX purchases.” 

Officials said this did not include charges for travel and meetings.

“We asked for detailed statements of that, had to do some digging with American Express — the agency at the time did not have itemized monthly bills, which was not a best practice to say the least,” Lewis said. “After we received itemized statements going back the last couple of years, we found within those purchases, seemingly non-business-related purchases.”

Lewis said these included $5,000 in payments via PayPal and Venmo, $7,000 in purchases at BestBuy, $10,000 in party equipment rental, $30,000 in customizable purchases, and $1,200 in Montblanc purchases to name a few. 

He added that  they brought this to the attention of the city auditor, and as a result the state comptroller has been notified. Lewis and his team has been advised to seek outside counsel for a more thorough investigation. 

At the time, officials said “the former leadership that had possession of the AMEX card has been placed on administrative leave.”

“While personnel matters are typically confidential, we acknowledge the public interest in this situation, given the leadership role involved,” MATA said in a statement. “ Our focus moving forward is to ensure stability, restore trust, and continue providing safe, reliable, and equitable transit services for the people of Memphis.”

Mauldin was named interim CEO following the retirement of former CEO Gary Rosenfeld in February 2024.