Monthly Archives: December, 2011
Happy Hour: Columbus Sailed The Ocean Blue
- Dickson County schools are edging closer to a complete shutdown due to some budget issues and have set a deadline of October 26 for the closure. [WKRN]
- Over the weekend, a kid hopped aboard one of Metro Schools’ special education buses and took a joy ride around Antioch with police in hot pursuit. Somehow he ended up getting away. [WSMV]
- We can’t believe we missed Lewisburg’s Fainting Goats Festival this past weekend. Oh wait, that’s probably because there were two million other things going on. [Nashville Scene]
- Someone is trying to auction off a clump of Elvis’ hair, and any article that leads with “The King may be dead, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late to run your fingers through his hair,” is alright by us. [WZTV]
- Nissan is running around like crazy trying to figure out where to put all the electric car charging stations in preparation for that fancy new LEAF model they’re planning to roll out next year. [Tennessean]
Photo by 00dann.
Dickson County schools are edging closer to a complete shutdown due to some budget issues and have set a deadline of October 26 for the closure. [WKRN] Over the weekend, a kid hopped aboard one of Metro Schools’ special education buses and took a joy ride around Antioch with police in hot pursuit. Somehow he [...]
Bright & Early: Away We Go Edition
Good morning, Nashville. When we were sifting through the headlines this morning and came across this article about cuddle parties hitting Middle Tennessee, we have to admit we were almost too creeped out to write about anything else. The parties, which have apparently been a big hit in Murfreesboro lately, are a chance for adults to get together in their pajamas and eat snacks while “freestyle cuddling” and stacking themselves into “puppy piles” and giving each other foot massages. Cuddle lifeguards hang around to make sure the fun stays clean, and there is a strict set of rules for each party. Oi.
- As long as it glows. The US Department of Energy is devising a plan to ship 200 truckloads of radioactive soil to a Tennessee landfill from a New York plutonium excavation site. Environmental advocates are none too pleased.
- Child wanders off again. The 9-year old autistic girl who has led Metro police on two separate chases in her parents’ car wandered off last night in North Nashville with a two-year old boy she snagged from her foster home.
- Bits & pieces. And let’s not even talk about the Titans game … The saddest thing we’ve ever seen is the Nashville Zoo’s anteater with the flu … If you’re planning to burn all the leaves in your yard this fall, be sure to grab a permit … A Middle Tennessee man was caught driving around with 8 gallons of illegal moonshine in his car.
Photo by quinn.anya.
Good morning, Nashville. When we were sifting through the headlines this morning and came across this article about cuddle parties hitting Middle Tennessee, we have to admit we were almost too creeped out to write about anything else. The parties, which have apparently been a big hit in Murfreesboro lately, are a chance for adults [...]
Happy Hour: In Other News
- Summarizing today: NASA tried to blow up the moon, President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize, golf became an Olympic sport, Miley quit Twitter, and… it rained in Middle Tennessee. We’re so predictable. At least the time lapse video was cool. [Nashville WX]
- The TVA would like to drain one of their reservoirs near Chattanooga into Lake Nickajack, which will turn the entire lake a lovely shade of murky brown starting November 2nd. [WTVF]
- We’re two months into Tennessee’s new budget year and we’ve already worked up a spending gap of $64 million because tax revenue is still down. [WZTV]
- The historic Arcade post office has gotten the green light to remain open after threats of closure, but the Donelson, Glenview, and Northeast offices are still at risk. [Tennessean]
- Tearjerker reality show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition will be paying a visit to a mystery family in Montgomery County next weekend. The big reveal happens next Saturday, October 17th. [WKRN]
Photo by niseag03.
Summarizing today: NASA tried to blow up the moon, President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize, golf became an Olympic sport, Miley quit Twitter, and… it rained in Middle Tennessee. We’re so predictable. At least the time lapse video was cool. [Nashville WX] The TVA would like to drain one of their reservoirs near Chattanooga [...]
This Weekend: Do Your Best To Dodge The Fun [Road Closures]
… In the car, at least! Getting stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic is one of the best ways to ruin the fun on a weekend filled to the brim with places to go and people to see. Pay attention to the following road closures as you hop from festival to football this weekend:
FRIDAY
- All day: 5th Ave N from Madison to Taylor (Germantown)
- All day: Madison and Monroe Streets between 4th & 6th Ave N (Germantown)
- 12pm-11pm: 5th Avenue N, Church St to Union
SATURDAY
- All day: 5th Ave N from Madison to Taylor (Oktoberfest)
- All day: Madison and Monroe Streets between 4th & 6th Ave N (Oktoberfest)
SUNDAY
- 7am-11pm: Riverfront Park, Broadway between 1st & 2nd Ave (Dierks Bentley’s Miles & Music)
Beginning 3 hours prior to Titans game:
- Woodland St (Union) from 5th Ave North to the 1-24 westbound on-ramp
- Unnamed street or alley connecting Interstate Dr and North 1st St, running south of James Robertson Parkway
- South 4th St at Shelby Ave
- South 2nd St between Russell St and James Robertson Parkway
- Oldham St at North 1st St
- North 2nd St at Woodland St
- I-24 East on-ramp from Spring St
- I-24 West exit ramp onto James Robertson Parkway
- Left-turn lane from westbound James Robertson Parkway to southbound Interstate Dr
- Interstate Dr northbound at Shelby Ave
- Entrance into Lot B from Shelby Ave
- Entrance/Exit into Exxon Tiger Mart at corner of Shelby Ave & Interstate Dr
- 1st Ave N from Church St to Union St
- 2nd Ave N from Church St to Union St
Closed for 1.5 hours after Titans game:
- Korean Veterans/Gateway Bridge open to westbound traffic only
- Woodland St (Union) from 5th Ave N to the I-24 westbound on-ramp
- Unnamed street or alley connecting Interstate Dr and North 1st St, running south of James Robertson Parkway
- South 4th St at Shelby Ave
- South 2nd St between Russell St and James Robertson Parkway
- I-24 West exit ramp onto James Robertson Parkway
- I-24 East off-ramp to Shelby Ave
- Shelby Ave westbound lanes between South 4th St and Interstate Dr
- Shelby Ave/I-24 westbound entrance ramp
- Oldham St at North 1st St
- North 2nd St at Woodland St
- North 1st St southbound at Spring St (Jefferson St)
- Interstate Dr southbound at Jefferson St
- Entrance/Exit into Exxon Tiger Mart at corner of Shelby Ave and Interstate Dr
- 1st Ave N from Church St to Union St
- 2nd Ave N From Church St to Union St
Photo by KM&G-Morris.
… In the car, at least! Getting stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic is one of the best ways to ruin the fun on a weekend filled to the brim with places to go and people to see. Pay attention to the following road closures as you hop from festival to football this weekend: FRIDAY All day: [...]
Friendly, Smart And Oh-So-Stressed [Mixed Reviews By People Who Don't Live Here]
Today’s announcement that Nashville has once again landed the #1 spot as America’s Friendliest City (as told by Travel & Leisure) serves as a great way to lead off this batch of Mixed Reviews by People Who Don’t Live Here. We’ve been hanging on to some of these for a while, because we’re slackers, but we can guarantee that by the end of this list, you’ll be well-prepared to defend (or degrade) Nashville to everyone you know.
Nashville is The Daily Beast’s 19th Smartest City, SportingNews‘ 12th Best Sports City, The Harris Poll’s #12 Living Destination and has the 29th largest TV viewing market in the nation, according to Nielsen. Oh, and we’re the 4th Best City To See Live Music (surprise, surprise)! On the flip side, we’re America’s 38th Most Stressful City, probably due to having the 14th Highest Manufacturing Job Losses (and 12th Highest Homebuyer Closing Costs). And we’re even middle-of-the-pack on a some things, as the state with the 20th Best Business Climate. Don’t you feel enlightened?
Photo by dotbenjamin.
Today’s announcement that Nashville has once again landed the #1 spot as America’s Friendliest City (as told by Travel & Leisure) serves as a great way to lead off this batch of Mixed Reviews by People Who Don’t Live Here. We’ve been hanging on to some of these for a while, because we’re slackers, but [...]
Southern Festival Of Books: A Literary Lineup Worth Seeing
File this under “Things You Probably Didn’t Remember Were Happening This Weekend, But Definitely Should Have.” The 21-year-old Southern Festival of Books: A Celebration of the Written Word kicks off 2009′s celebration today with over 200 authors and 20,000 attendees from around the nation gathering in Nashville for a weekend of panel discussions, readings and book signings.
While we’re guilty of being distracted by, oh, the other 300 things happening this weekend (Next Big Nashville, Oktoberfest/Germantown Street Festival, the Titans game and Free Symphony Day) (just to name a few), the Southern Festival of Books has laid claim to downtown for the next three days, and Nashvillians should take note.
The Southern Festival of Books is free and open to everyone, and arriving early is the only ticket you’ll need to the hundreds of panels, readings and book signings. First come, first served! The sessions take place in the Legislative Plaza and the State Capitol building, and the Cafe Music Stage, Children’s Stage and Food & Cooking Stage events are located at War Memorial Plaza. Not limited to just literary events, you’ll also find film screenings, live music (wouldn’t be Nashville without it!) and cooking demonstrations on the schedule.
Browse the list of appearing authors to see if anything piques your interest (we’re pretty excited about seeing Buzz Aldrin, ourselves), and take some time this weekend to celebrate literature, literacy, and landing on the moon.
File this under “Things You Probably Didn’t Remember Were Happening This Weekend, But Definitely Should Have.” The 21-year-old Southern Festival of Books: A Celebration of the Written Word kicks off 2009′s celebration today with over 200 authors and 20,000 attendees from around the nation gathering in Nashville for a weekend of panel discussions, readings and book [...]
Oktoberfest-ish: A Tale Of Two Street Fests
Saturday is a big day for Germantown. It’s the day when two nearly-identical festivals, the Germantown Street Festival and Oktoberfest, take over parallel streets in the tiny neighborhood. To the casual observer, it would appear to be one big giant pile of German-themed festivity, and that’s okay – No matter which street you land on, you’ll find plenty of treats, music, pony rides and frosty mugs of beir (oh, the bier!).
The Germantown Street Festival features a 5K Bier Run at 8am, a Pup Parade at 12:30pm, three stages of live music and inflatable fun for the kids (and ponies!).
Oktoberfest promises petting zoo for the kids, polka dancing, three stages of live music, street performers, a Beer Garden, a tour of historic Germantown churches and food vendors of all sorts (and ponies!).
Both of the festivals run from 9am-6pm, but the ambitious Bier Runners will get going at 8am.
Photo by Historic Germantown Nashville.
Saturday is a big day for Germantown. It’s the day when two nearly-identical festivals, the Germantown Street Festival and Oktoberfest, take over parallel streets in the tiny neighborhood. To the casual observer, it would appear to be one big giant pile of German-themed festivity, and that’s okay – No matter which street you land on, [...]
Bright & Early: We Blame NASA Edition
Good morning, Nashville. It’s Friday (hooray!) and just in case you were starting to miss the rain, it’s supposed to storm all day and night complete with flash floods, large hail, isolated tornadoes, and scary lightning. So batten down the hatches, plan a quiet night in–except for you, Next Big Nashville attendees–and enjoy the show. The mess should clear out tomorrow and leave us with gray skies and cool temperatures.
- Fighting obesity. A group of Vandy medical students are trying to convince state lawmakers that at least a portion of the revenue from the 1.9% soda tax should to go towards fighting childhood obesity.
- Score one for Metro. Metro police made a 14-pound meth bust last night while stopping a driver on I-40 near Bellevue. Altogether, the bricks are valued at over a million dollars.
- Bits & pieces. Brown recluse bites are on the rise this year … A Nashville man has been paying homeless people to dig through dumpsters and steal people’s credit card information … The federal government has examined and approved Nashville’s 287(g) immigration enforcement program … Advocates of wine in grocery stores have started a new PAC centered around the issue.
Photo by Alexander van Dijk.
Good morning, Nashville. It’s Friday (hooray!) and just in case you were starting to miss the rain, it’s supposed to storm all day and night complete with flash floods, large hail, isolated tornadoes, and scary lightning. So batten down the hatches, plan a quiet night in–except for you, Next Big Nashville attendees–and enjoy the show. [...]
Happy Hour: Ouch
- I-440 is closing this weekend, again, this time affecting westbound traffic. We’re almost getting used to planning our route without it. [WKRN]
- TennCare has cut an estimated 84,000 folks from the program since January when they started redetermining eligibility for certain groups of clients. [Times Free Press]
- A department head in Mayor Dean’s office was discovered to be a fan of a Facebook page that questioned the convention center. After getting busted by the Tennessean, she explained that she doesn’t really know how to use Facebook and had to ask Metro IT Services director and ex-Metro councilman Keith Durbin for help in removing herself. [Tennessean]
- Also think before you poke, people. [Tennessean]
- A credit union is requesting that Steve McNair’s estate cough up the $43,000 he still owed on the Chevy Cadillac Escalade he purchased for Sahel Kazemi shortly before their deaths. [Tennessean]
Photo by rumielf.
I-440 is closing this weekend, again, this time affecting westbound traffic. We’re almost getting used to planning our route without it. [WKRN] TennCare has cut an estimated 84,000 folks from the program since January when they started redetermining eligibility for certain groups of clients. [Times Free Press] A department head in Mayor Dean’s office was [...]
Music To Our Ears: Free Symphony Day Returns [Freebies]
It feels like just yesterday that we were standing in line at the first Regions Free Day of Music at the Schermerhorn, shortly after the brand-new building was opened to the public. Now, we’re gearing up to attend the fourth year of completely free performances by some of the most talented musicians and ensembles around!
This year’s Regions Free Day of Music will showcase more than 25 performances by names including Roy “Futureman” Wooten and the Black Mozart Ensemble, organist Wilma Jensen, Nashville Philharmonic, Nashville Symphony Chamber Chorus, Nashville Children’s Choir and more. The music starts at 10am and runs for a full twelve hours, and the day ends with a bang, featuring a performance by the Nashville Symphony and some fun in the courtyard with Music City Swing.
In addition to the music, the Symphony box office will also be selling buy-one-get-one-free tickets to any Friday performance in the ’09/’10 season, an appeal to us cheapskates that storm the doors on free day. And hey, it works! Check out Saturday’s full schedule HERE, and be sure to arrive early to reserve your spot at the most popular performances.
Photo by Travis Hightower.
It feels like just yesterday that we were standing in line at the first Regions Free Day of Music at the Schermerhorn, shortly after the brand-new building was opened to the public. Now, we’re gearing up to attend the fourth year of completely free performances by some of the most talented musicians and ensembles around! [...]
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