The Early Word: Aldi eyes spot near Downtown, and one Grisanti is gone
Omigod, you guys, it’s Friday, May 31! And that means “Legally Blonde: The Musical” takes the stage at the Germantown Community Theatre. Prepare to have this song stuck in your head for days. But first, Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert is due in court for a preliminary hearing in the ouster suit she’s facing. And Memphis Italian Festival is well underway with all the carbs.
Get your rainbow gear ready, because the Memphis Pride Parade and Festival is happening on and around Beale Street all day Saturday. And later that night, you’ll want to change into your daisy dukes for a good old-fashioned, Beyoncé-themed hoedown at Parlay.
There’s more Queen Bey on Sunday with a Bey Out Pride Party at Black Lodge. And if you’d rather watch football than slay all day (hey, to each their own), the Memphis Showboats and Houston Roughnecks play at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. And Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Theismann will be honored at the annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl Distinguished Citizen Awards. For more weekend ideas, consult our To-Do List.
Discount grocery chain Aldi may be coming to a neighborhood near you, Downtowners and Midtowners. The no-frills shop is eyeing a spot in the Medical District, which would make it the largest grocery store close to Downtown (which is practically a food desert, let’s be honest). It would also prevent the need for Midtowners to haul it out east to Summer Avenue to buy stuff they don’t need from the store’s famous “Aisle of Shame.” (Because of course you needed that purse that dispenses wine from a box.)
Frank Grisanti Italian Restaurant in the Embassy Suites by Hilton Memphis has served its last Elfo Special. The restaurant closed last weekend after 35 years in business. But no worries, Grisanti fans: The family still has four restaurants left in the area. Read more about that in Food Files, plus a big change for Plant Based Heat’s still-kinda-new Downtown location.
Plus, the city’s elected officials in D.C. have mixed reactions to Trump verdict, predatory towing gets the boot and why you should watch out for ticks this summer.
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Bianca Phillips
Bianca Phillips is a Northeast Arkansas native and longtime Memphian who’s worked in local journalism and PR for more than 20 years. She’s a diehard morning person who spends her free time running marathons and ultras. She’s the author of “Cookin Crunk: Eatin’ Vegan in the Dirty South.”
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