Monthly Archives: December, 2011
The Weekendist: Sparkly Sparkly Edition
TGIF, Nashville. One of these days we will write The Weekendist before it’s actually the weekend. Sorry about your Friday night (it’s ok, we’re sitting at home watching Netflix too), but here are our picks for the rest of the weekend:
CHOMP! Saturday, July 30 at the Adventure Science Center, 11am-4pm, regular admission price. Who doesn’t want to go to an event called CHOMP!? The Adventure Science Center is hosting a day dedicated to food, and we’re totally on board with that. Chomp Olympics? Sign us up! Edible zucchini art? Yes please. Special guests from Blue Bell Creameries, Bongo Java and Olive & Sinclair? We’re there. Crunchy bugs? Uh, we’ll have to get back to you on that.
Music City Brewer’s Festival. Saturday, July 30 at Walk of Fame Park, 12-10pm, $35. Hope you’re ready for some day drinking, because the evening session for this year’s Music City Brewer’s Festival is as sold out as sold out can get. Tickets to the earlier session (12-4pm) are still available but will definitely sell out, so grab your tickets tonight! Sample beer from more than 50 breweries while listening to live music and sweating, then call a cab home. Yum.
Big Band Dances. Saturday, July 30 at Centennial Park, 7-10pm, free. Don’t forget about Nashville’s Big Band Dances, Nashville’s summer dance series held annually in Centennial Park. Each week features a free ballroom dance lesson, live music and dancing fun for all ages.
Ke$ha with LMFAO and Spank Rock. Sunday, July 31 at Municipal Auditorium, 7:30pm, $27.50-47.50. There’s glitter, and then there’s glitter. So yeah. There is going to be a lot of the latter downtown on Sunday night, and we highly recommend that you come roll around in it with us.
Official Star Trek Convention. Friday – Sunday, July 29-31 at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. Allow us to whisper two magic words in your ear: People watching. We found ourselves a new hobby during the Twilight convention in March, and while it’s possible that nothing can top sparkly vampires, the promise of an appearance by Captain Kirk himself is enough to lure us out to the Opryland hotel this Sunday. We’ll sit back with our Spocky Road gelato and watch people line up to pay $80 for an autograph and photo with The Shat! It’ll be grand!
Photo of glitter at a real live Ke$ha concert by morganlevy.
TGIF, Nashville. One of these days we will write The Weekendist before it’s actually the weekend. Sorry about your Friday night (it’s ok, we’re sitting at home watching Netflix too), but here are our picks for the rest of the weekend: CHOMP! Saturday, July 30 at the Adventure Science Center, 11am-4pm, regular admission price. Who [...]
Bright & Early: Around And Around We Go Edition
Good morning, Nashville. Quick tour of the headlines this morning:
- Davidson County’s unemployment rate shot up 0.6% from May to June, landing at 9.1%. This is still 0.7% lower than the statewide average. [City Paper]
- The Country Music Hall of Fame will be getting one heck of a makeover soon that will more than double their current square footage. The monster expansion project, expected to be complete in spring 2014 will integrate the Hall and the new convention center and hotel and will include new exhibit space, an 800-seat theater, a children’s area, classrooms and a recording studio. [WTVF]
- In addition to the Chattanooga and Cleveland Amazon facilities, the company announced that they’ll also be putting a 500,000 fulfillment center in Lebanon. Jobs all around! [Tennessean]
- The Tennessean spent yesterday trying to bake biscuits on the dashboard of a car. It did not work. [Tennessean]
- The Titans have finally cut Vince Young loose, officially ushering in the age of Hasselbeck. [City Paper]
- We could see a thunderstorm or two today. Same ol’, same ol’. [Nashville WX]
Photo by Amy Allmand.
Good morning, Nashville. Quick tour of the headlines this morning: Davidson County’s unemployment rate shot up 0.6% from May to June, landing at 9.1%. This is still 0.7% lower than the statewide average. [City Paper] The Country Music Hall of Fame will be getting one heck of a makeover soon that will more than double [...]
Bright & Early: Hustle Back Edition
Good morning, Nashville. We’re not gonna lie: We were nearly convinced that football season wasn’t happening this year. However, the gates of the Baptist Sports Park swung wide open yesterday morning and many of our boys “shuffled” back into work after a 136-day vacation–or funemployment, if you will–following a new collective bargaining agreement reached between players and owners. (But seriously, “shuffled!?“) For those keeping track at home, our brand new rookie quarterback Jake Locker was one of the first through the gate, and the team managed to snatch up 14 free agents before the day was even over. And speaking of quarterbacks, the team finally struck a deal with former Seattle Seahawk Matt Hasselbeck in the wee hours of this morning , so it looks like we’ve finally filled that Vince Young-shaped hole once and for all. Training camp officially starts Friday and we certainly hope they can shuffle their way to the Super Bowl somehow, or at least a winning season.
- Tens of thousands of Nashvillians uninsured. Not only are 85,000 Nashvillians without health insurance (and that’s just the adults!) but an estimated half of them don’t even know about the low-cost safety net clinics in town. Only about 20% of all uninsured adults take advantage of these clinics which are largely government-funded.
- Kroger is as Kroger does. East Nashvillians are a little upset that the fancypants Kroger at Green Hills (which no longer seems to have valet parking?) got a pretty extreme makeover while the Eastland Kroger can’t even get fresh produce. “It doesn’t matter what your income is,” said East Nashville resident Elizabeth Bush, “You deserve fresh food.”
- Bits & pieces. A gay woman was asked to turn her “Marriage is so gay” shirt inside out at Dollywood … Nashville was ranked the third best value city in the country behind Omaha and Charlotte … Nicole Kidman is filming a new movie here in town, and we will certainly be all ears for any and all Matthew Goode sightings … The USPS is studying 62 Tennessee post offices for possible closure … Here’s a first glimpse of the new Metro school inside of the Hickory Hollow Mall … A local Iraqi refugee will be representing Tennessee at UNHCR’s Refugee Congress in DC next week.
Photo by Eric Chalifour.
Good morning, Nashville. We’re not gonna lie: We were nearly convinced that football season wasn’t happening this year. However, the gates of the Baptist Sports Park swung wide open yesterday morning and many of our boys “shuffled” back into work after a 136-day vacation–or funemployment, if you will–following a new collective bargaining agreement reached between [...]
Bright & Early: Do You Believe In Magic Edition
Good morning, Nashville. We’ve all heard about the federal budget woes ad nauseum over the past few weeks, and now the money troubles are hitting us where it really hurts: Our airport. The Nashville International Airport has been undergoing some extensive renovations recently which have resulted in some awfully confusing Monday mornings trying to pick our way around construction and figure out which yellow brick road will lead us to the sacred Economy Lot. But since the feds didn’t exactly pass the new FAA budget (or any other budget, really) with flying colors, several of these projects could be halted now that funding is in jeopardy. Fortunately the largest construction project at BNA is a fancy new rental car facility for which the government isn’t even paying. BNA officials are still trying to figure out exactly which projects will be affected.
- Lethal injection drugs confiscated. Tennessee and several other states have had some of their lethal injection drugs seized by the Drug Enforcement Administration after improperly importing the sedative from overseas. The only US manufacturer stopped making the drug, so several states took it upon themselves to look for it elsewhere.
- The cat got your ____? Every so often in Nashville, a driver blames an unsuspecting cat for some sort of destructive car accident, and this is one of those occasions. This one happened in the wee hours of Monday morning, when the driver claims he simply swerved to miss the cat sauntering across the street, causing his vehicle to flip over onto someone’s front steps. Both the cat and the human were unhurt.
- Bits & pieces. You are so Nashville if you publicly thank God for Goodyear Tires and your smokin’ hot wife at the NASCAR track … Not everyone is on board with the call for County Clerk John Arriola’s resignation … A 19-year old Belmont student pleaded guilty to making a bomb threat back in May … The Titans are so over this lockout nonsense … The TVA’s coal ash plant in Gallatin is officially contaminating the groundwater … So we didn’t get a whole lot of rain out of this front, but we did get some more boiling hot temperatures!
Photo by pink_fish13.
Good morning, Nashville. We’ve all heard about the federal budget woes ad nauseum over the past few weeks, and now the money troubles are hitting us where it really hurts: Our airport. The Nashville International Airport has been undergoing some extensive renovations recently which have resulted in some awfully confusing Monday mornings trying to pick our way around construction [...]
Bright & Early: Bigger Fish To Fry Edition
Good morning, Nashville. With Metro’s election day just around the corner, it seems relevant to note that six of our candidates, including two incumbents, have criminal backgrounds. As misdemeanors don’t bar someone from running for office in Davidson County, it’s totally legal for these folks to run. Offenses seem to mostly include DUIs with a little trespassing and assault on the side. And speaking of, er, interesting Metro Council races, there never seems to be a dull moment in East Nashville’s District 5 where candidate Pam Murray decided to have a little fish fry directly across the street from opponent Scott Davis’ house on Saturday. Murray, who was ousted by District 5 voters and replaced by Jamie Hollin last year, also got in a bit of trouble last week for offering free fish sandwiches in exchange for taking voters to the polls.
- As The County Clerk’s Office Turns. Meanwhile, members of the Metro Council are now calling for County Clerk John Arriola’s resignation following weeks of controversy about Arriola allegedly charging a $40 “gratuity” for all weddings performed, then pocketing the cash. The TBI has been checking into it, and it’s recently come to light that he never disclosed the estimated $30,000 per year in gratuities on his ethics forms.
- Stabbing at downtown Provence. A Metro Police officer and homeless man both wound up in the hospital on Friday afternoon after the homeless man cornered the officer in the bathroom at Provence Breads & Cafe downtown and allegedly tried to swipe his gun. The officer pulled out a knife and stabbed the man in the leg and got a little scuffed up himself in the process. The homeless man is expected to recover and will be charged with attempted aggravated assault on a police officer.
- Bits & pieces. We could see some more thunderstorms today … Humans aren’t the only ones struggling with the heat these days … Tennessee has automated the parole check-in process for 3,500 felons, including convicted murders. This means that instead of reporting to a real person, they call in and select options from a phone tree … Shoplifting is on the rise in Hillsboro Village.
Photo by Eva Maria.
Good morning, Nashville. With Metro’s election day just around the corner, it seems relevant to note that six of our candidates, including two incumbents, have criminal backgrounds. As misdemeanors don’t bar someone from running for office in Davidson County, it’s totally legal for these folks to run. Offenses seem to mostly include DUIs with a little [...]
The Weekendist: Dog Days Edition
TGIF, Nashville. It’s hot. The only things we really want to do this weekend are:
a) Play in a sprinkler and/or kiddie pool in the backyard
b) Have a contest to see who can keep their head in the freezer the longest
c) Only eat frozen things, preferably ice cream
d) Build a tent over the air conditioner vent and have a campout
But since we know that you’re all probably way less wimpy than we are, we compiled a list of things to do this weekend anyway. Here are our top picks:
Red Caboose Concert featuring the Western Swingers. Friday, July 22 from 7-9pm at the Red Caboose Amphitheater in Bellevue, free. Pack your dinner and head for the park, where you can settle in for an evening of swing tunes from the Western Swingers. Bring the kids, it’s family friendly!
Nashville Flea Market. Friday (8am-5pm), Saturday (7am-6pm) and Sunday (7am-4pm), July 22-24, Tennessee State Fairgrounds, free (parking $5). It’s flea market weekend in Nashville. The fairgrounds will be packed to the gills with treasures all weekend, but get there early to snag the best finds. Don’t forget cash!
Nashville Sounds vs. Iowa Cubs. Friday (7:05pm), Saturday & Sunday (6:35pm), July 22-24 at Greer Stadium, regular ticket price. The Sounds are kicking off another 4-game home series tonight at 7, and the weekend is full of special events. Catch fireworks after the Friday & Saturday games, or chow down on $1 ice cream sundaes on Sunday (get it?). Saturday is also the 4th Purity Faith Night Concert of the season, featuring a pre-game concert by Jaci Velasquez. Can’t make it this weekend? The 4th game is on Monday at 7, and it’s dollar hot dog night.
OMG Urban Flea Market. Saturday, July 23 from 8am-4pm at Old Made Good (1304 McGavock Pike), free. More than 20 local vendors will showcase their wares at local vintage boutique Old Made Good this Saturday. We went to the inaugural OMG Urban Flea Market a few months ago and stumbled across everything from vintage kitsch to handmade crafts to potted herbs to a milkshake stand. And it’s an outdoor event in Nashville, so obviously you can count on a food truck kicking around, plus some musical entertainment.
Ice Day at the Nashville Zoo. Saturday, July 23 from 9am-4pm at the Nashville Zoo, regular admission price. So, has anyone mentioned how hot it is lately? Ice Day is super appealing this year, because of, y’know, ice. Any way to beat the heat, we say! Anyway, you can enjoy a day at the zoo plus all things frozen: popsicles for the animals, an ice cream eating contest for the humans, a “winter wonderland snow tent” (mysterious!) and more.
Grassy Knoll Movie Night: Harold & Maude. Sunday, July 24, sundown in the side lot next to Bongo Java East, $5 ($4 with canned food donation, $1 for kids). We’ve already told you how excited we are about Grassy Knoll Movie Nights, a new outdoor movie series in East Nashville. This week’s film is Harold & Maude, beer will be flowing and pizza will be sizzling, and everyone will be sweating under the stars. Bonding over body odor is part of the fun!
Photo by rebeccaseung.
TGIF, Nashville. It’s hot. The only things we really want to do this weekend are: a) Play in a sprinkler and/or kiddie pool in the backyard b) Have a contest to see who can keep their head in the freezer the longest c) Only eat frozen things, preferably ice cream d) Build a tent over [...]
Bright & Early: It’s Friday Friday Edition
Good morning, Nashville. A quick tour of the headlines this morning:
- A group of protesters hung out around the Davidson County Clerk’s Office yesterday demanding John Arriola’s resignation. [WTVF]
- Tennessee’s unemployment rate keeps creeping back up toward 10%, but we’re not quite there yet. [WRKN]
- Home break-ins are up by 29% in Davidson County’s south precinct. [WTVF]
- Once upon a time, a bear got a plastic jug stuck on its head in Tennessee for a few weeks and it kept making the national news. We’re happy to report that this story does have a happy ending! [Tennessean]
- Good news about these pop-up afternoon storms: They are making things a little less stupid-hot around here. [Nashville WX]
- Congratulations, Tennessee! You’re one of the 20 states with the most toxic air in the country thanks to coal and oil-fired power plants. [WTVF]
- Not even a week after announcing their impending closure, the Elliston Place Soda Shop reached a deal on their rent and signed a new 5-year lease. Milkshakes all around! [WTVF]
- Things got a little rowdy at a community meeting in LaVergne last night, putting our recent string of Metro Council shouting matches to shame. [Tennessean]
Photo by Kerry Woo.
Good morning, Nashville. A quick tour of the headlines this morning: A group of protesters hung out around the Davidson County Clerk’s Office yesterday demanding John Arriola’s resignation. [WTVF] Tennessee’s unemployment rate keeps creeping back up toward 10%, but we’re not quite there yet. [WRKN] Home break-ins are up by 29% in Davidson County’s south [...]
Bright & Early: Blast From The Past Edition
Good morning, Nashville. Everyone in Tennessee (and probably most people outside of Tennessee, by now) knows that there are some unfortunate things that go down at our state’s Legislative Plaza. However, we did not realize that the actual plaza and War Memorial Building aren’t even ADA-compliant. Despite completing some hefty renovations within the past five years, no one thought to bring the buildings up to standard. Take it from House Speaker Beth Harwell who scooted around in a wheelchair for a day just to see what it was like trying to navigate the plaza and found it to be quite a challenge. A feds say we have two years to make some changes to these buildings and bring them up to par with the regulations set forth in the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was passed all the way back in 1990. Like, children who were born in 1990 can mostly drink now–that’s how long ago 1990 was. But we digress!
- Something in the water. If you think our tap water has been tasting a little, er, “earthy” lately, you’re not alone. Metro Water Services has received numerous complaints and they say the heat wave and lack of rainfall are to blame, as higher temperatures cause a bloom of blue-green algae that makes the water taste weird. They stress that there are zero health effects involved, but they will be adding some activated carbon to the process in hopes of getting rid of the funky taste.
- OEM battles the heat. The Office of Emergency Management kicked things into high gear this week, sending out teams of volunteers to check on folks and pass out bottles of water in hopes of preventing any heat-related tragedies. The city, Red Cross and Salvation Army have also opened up cooling centers for people who can’t otherwise escape the heat.
- Bits & pieces. Sinkhole! … The Dickerson Road and Antioch Pike emissions stations will now be open on Saturdays … There’s a new beer festival in town … We’re glad someone is benefitting from this heat wave … A suspicious backpack outside the Criminal Justice Center shut down James Robertson Parkway yesterday … Franklin’s African American population is definitely on the decline according to the latest census data … 50 Cent has filed a bankruptcy objection in response to Nashville rapper Young Buck’s plan to pay back his label, G-Unit.
Photo by Dave Delaney.
Good morning, Nashville. Everyone in Tennessee (and probably most people outside of Tennessee, by now) knows that there are some unfortunate things that go down at our state’s Legislative Plaza. However, we did not realize that the actual plaza and War Memorial Building aren’t even ADA-compliant. Despite completing some hefty renovations within the past five [...]
Bright & Early: Sweat It Out Edition
Good morning, Nashville. At what point does a heat wave stop being a heat wave and just become that thing we know as a Tennessee Summer? Either way, a heat advisory is now in effect for today and tomorrow as sky-high humidity nudges the heat index into the dangerous zone of 110 degrees and we’re sort of longing for the days of citywide snowball fights and four-hour snowy traffic jams. There’s a chance we could also see some storms, though probably nothing severe. Is it fall yet?
- Food truck fiasco. Many restaurant owners are getting up in arms about food trucks parking near their businesses, claiming they create instant competition without having to pay property taxes or fees. Both restaurant and food truck owners will get to say their piece in front of the Metro Public Works Traffic and Parking Commission next month and the commission will likely be setting some guidelines for food truck parking.
- Uncommon sense. At last night’s meeting, the Metro Council opted to expressly ban personal use of city vehicles, which is something everyone thought was common sense until Criminal Court Clerk David Torrence was busted a few weeks ago for using his car for liquor store runs and other personal errands.
- Bits & pieces. It may be hot outside, but Nashville’s electrical grid seems to be standing up to the challenge … A study by the US Department of Education revealed a strong racial divide in Tennessee’s AP classes … Tennessee is the 14th most stressed out state in the country, and we’d believe it … A former Central Parking employee pleaded guilty to embezzling $1.9 million from the company … Spring Hill may soon be removing fluoride from their drinking water … The County Clerk’s office has temporarily lost its buying power thanks to John Arriola’s various snafus … 6,200 of us have taken advantage of early voting just three days into the process. Way to go, Nashville!
Photo by Amy Allmand.
Good morning, Nashville. At what point does a heat wave stop being a heat wave and just become that thing we know as a Tennessee Summer? Either way, a heat advisory is now in effect for today and tomorrow as sky-high humidity nudges the heat index into the dangerous zone of 110 degrees and we’re [...]
Photo Of The Day: Brit & Britt Doing What?
So it’s possible that your Nashvillest editors went to the Nicki Minaj/Britney Spears show at the Bridgestone Arena last night. It’s also possible that we saw Britney Spears give Titans wide receiver Kenny Britt a lap dance on stage and then drive away backstage with him in a sparkly pink convertible. Just maybe, that’s what happened.
Photo by @rayzate.
So it’s possible that your Nashvillest editors went to the Nicki Minaj/Britney Spears show at the Bridgestone Arena last night. It’s also possible that we saw Britney Spears give Titans wide receiver Kenny Britt a lap dance on stage and then drive away backstage with him in a sparkly pink convertible. Just maybe, that’s what [...]
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