WRVR » Bill Bannister

Nature’s last big show

Bill Bannister — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 15:45:52 +0000

Greetings my fellow Memphians!
This has always been one of my favorite times of the year. The leaves on the trees are giving us a vibrant display of colors before they fall away for the long cold winter and we can enjoy the last of the warm weather. The Banns are taking the autumn in at one of the most beautiful places to witness natures artwork, Gatlinburg Tennessee. It’s morning here and we’re taking in the breathtaking scenery from our deck overlooking the mountains with a hot cup of coffee. We’ll be back home this weekend, but for now time seems to have slowed down just a bit for our family vacation. Here’s a picture of the view from our eyes. Have a great week, and I’ll see you next week. Bill

Memphis pride!

Bill Bannister — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 20:52:14 +0000

Greetings my fellow Memphians!
These days when you pick up the paper or turn on the news it’s not uncommon to hear that another American company has shipped local jobs overseas creating more pain in an already painful economic enviornment. That’s why I’m proud to live in a city where there’s at least one company who bucks that trend by hiring local and thereby doing their part to keep folks at work here at home. That company is the Gibson Guitar Company. John Lennon, Chuck Berry, Dickie Betts, Duane Allman, Robbie Robertson, Angus Young, Jimmy Page, Chet Atkins, and the legendary Les Paul wouldn’t think of going onstage or into the studio without their Gibson Guitars. Orville Gibson first began selling his fine instruments back in 1894 in Kalamazoo Michigan. Today musicians from around the world recognize Gibson as the standard in fine guitars. Next time you’re downtown take some time to visit the Gibson Guitar Factory and Museum and watch how these unique and cherished guitars are made. The experience of living in the birthplace of Rock and Roll just isn’t complete without a trip to Gibson Guitars, a genuine source of Memphis pride!

Greek for a day!

Bill Bannister — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 19:55:15 +0000

Greetings friends!
Wow! Is it just me, or did this week go by in the blink of an eye? One thing’s for sure, we are experiencing some of the most amazingly wonderful weather I can remember. Things in October in Memphis can go either way, so we are blessed to have these sunny pleasant days and cool dry nights, and this weekend promises to deliver more of the same. If you spend this weekend shut up indoors watching TV, well shame on you! One of the most fun family events of the year takes place Saturday at St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 6984 Highway 70 in Bartlett. The Bannisters never miss this one. It’s a great opportunity to enjoy authentic, homemade Greek food and the beauty and jubilant spirit of Greek music and culture. A true family festival! Tickets can be purchased at the door. Adults: $14 Children: 10 & under $7. There’s a pavilion available for dining and enjoying the live music and Greek Dancing. And oh my goodness the food! A Greek Feast is served for lunch and dinner, which includes Souvlaki (Marinated and charcoal broiled authentic Greek Style shish kebab) and Kota Riganato (Grecian-style baked chicken with Greek Seasonings) along with Spanakopeta (spinach pie), rice pilaf, Tossed Greek Salad, homemade Greek bread, and Greek Dessert. You can dine while you enjoy the entertainment stage featuring live Greek music and dance. A live Greek Band will be performing throughout the festival as well as The Athenian Dance Troupe (a group of young children) will perform at 1:00 & 3:00 pm in authentic Greek Costumes and will win your hearts with their energy and talent. All this plus sanctuary tours, during which you get to see the beautiful icons and learn the rich history of the 2000-year-old Greek Orthodox faith. Father Antonio Kotis will be there to share his love of the Orthodox faith. So put this on your calendar this weekend. You won’t regret it friends.

Bartlett Festival!

Bill Bannister — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 19:35:32 +0000

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Greetings my fellow Memphians!
My, how this year is flying by! Seems like just yesterday I was flipping burgers on my backyard grill at 8:30pm listening to our A/C unit humming overtime to compensate for the stifling dog day Memphis heat with plenty of daylight to spare. Now we’re into October, and the days are getting shorter, the temperatures a little more brisk. Fall has always been one of my favorite times of the year. It’s great to get outside and enjoy the sunshine and blue skies without sweating. And that’s just what we plan to do this weekend! Check out the 2011 Bartlett Festival and car show at W. J. Freeman Park located at 2629 Bartlett Blvd. Food, Fun, Rides, Music and more for the whole family! Saturday’s events will include an amateur BBQ cooking contests, musical stages, arts & crafts, a car show, children’s activities, and much more. The perfect place to spend an autumn weekend!

Zoo Rendezvous 2011

Bill Bannister — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 02:40:49 +0000

In April 2003, the Memphis Zoo became one of only four zoos in the United States to exhibit giant pandas. Giant pandas Ya Ya and Le Le reside the Zoo’s exhibit, CHINA – a brand new, three-acre facility that features animals indigenous to China and authentic Chinese architecture and gardens.
The Memphis Zoo is home to the world’s longest living hippopotamus, “Adonis”, who died in 1965 at the age of 54. The male hippo sired approximately 25 offspring in his lifetime giving the Zoo claim to being the “hippo capital of the world.”

A Zoo membership offers families from the mid south countless hours of fun, entertainment and education for just pennies on the dollar. There is one annual event which allows us as Memphians to give back to this wonderful place and have one heck of a good time doing it. I’m talking about the annual ZOO RENDEZVOUS. It’s a celebration of epic proportions featuring food from some of Memphis’ best restaurants, such as B.B Kings, Bonefish Grill, Huey’s, Itta Bena, Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, Houston’s, Automatic Slim’s, and Folk’s Folly to name just a few. Also copius libations and the opportunity to dance to the best music Memphis has to offer. This years musical lineup included The Plaintiffs, Party Planet, Brian “Breeze” Cayolle, Keith and the 145’s and more. Amanda and I took part in this years ZOO RENDEZVOUS Saturday night. Friends, I have attended parties all over Memphis for the last 30 or so years and I can tell you without the slightest trepidation, this is the biggest and most awesome event I have EVER been witness to! The food was provided by only the best Memphis restaurants, The wine selection rivaled anything I have ever seen, and the entertainment was strictly top tier! It was simply one of the biggest and most exciting parties in Memphis history, and as an annual happening, it just seems to get bigger and better every year. If you missed this year’s ZOO RENDEZVOUS, be sure and make your plans to attend next year. I guarantee it will be one of the best times of your life! Click the link below to see pictures from Zoo Rendezvous 2011! www.photobucket.com/zoorendezvous

Let’s Party!

Bill Bannister — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 22:26:15 +0000

Greetings friends and neighbors!
You know Memphis has a lot to be proud of. From the rich and diverse culture from which modern music was born more than a hundred years ago down on Beale Street, to our beautiful parks and eclectic neighborhoods which reflect our unique southern heritage. In my 30 plus years as a Memphian I have watched our city grow from a sleepy river town into a sleek modern icon of progress. A city that offers visitors from around the world something to write home about and remember for a lifetime. There are many examples of what sets us apart from other destinations, but the one shining jewel of which I am most excited about and proud of is our Memphis Zoo and Aquarium. It all began in 1906 with a black bear named Natch, a retired baseball mascot. Today, the Memphis Zoo spans 70 acres and is home to more than 3,500 animals representing over 500 different species.
In 2008, the Memphis Zoo was ranked America’s number one zoo by TripAdvisor.com. In 2009, the Memphis Zoo was rated the top zoo in the country in a national survey by Morey Associates.The Memphis Zoo has completed more than $77 million in renovation and expansion since the early 1990s. The Zoo’s animal inhabitants reside in one-of-a-kind exhibitry, such as Once Upon A Farm, Commercial Appeal Cat Country, Primate Canyon, Animals of the Night, Northwest Passage and CHINA. In April 2003, the Memphis Zoo became one of only four zoos in the United States to exhibit giant pandas. Giant pandas Ya Ya and Le Le reside the Zoo’s exhibit, CHINA – a brand new, three-acre facility that features animals indigenous to China and authentic Chinese architecture and gardens.
The Memphis Zoo is home to the world’s longest living hippopotamus, “Adonis”, who died in 1965 at the age of 54. The male hippo sired approximately 25 offspring in his lifetime giving the Zoo claim to being the “hippo capital of the world.” A Zoo membership offers families from the mid south countless hours of fun, entertainment and education for just pennies on the dollar. There is one annual event which allows us as Memphians to give back to this wonderful place and have one heck of a good time doing it. I’m talking about the annual Zoo Rendezvous. It’s a celebration of epic proportions featuring food from some of Memphis’ best restaurants, such as B.B Kings, Bonefish Grill, Huey’s, Itta Bena, Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, Houston’s, Automatic Slim’s, and Folk’s Folly to name just a few. Also copius libations and the opportunity to dance to the best music Memphis has to offer. This years musical lineup includes The Plaintiffs, Party Planet, Brian “Breeze” Cayolle, Keith and the 145’s and more. Zoo Rendezvous 2011 will be one of the biggest and most exciting parties in Memphis history, and it’s a place where us grown-ups can kick up our heels and have some wild fun! This year’s Zoo Rendezvous is themed “Shake, Rattle and Roar”, and I guarantee it’ll be an unforgettable event. Tickets for Zoo members are $200 and You can get yours by calling (901) 333-6757. I’m looking forward to seeing you there for all the festivities! Let’s Shake, Rattle, and Roar for our Memphis Zoo! Bill

Delta Fair!

Bill Bannister — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 14:35:20 +0000

Greetings my fellow Memphians!
Wow! This summer has flown by hasn’t it? Hard to believe we’re staring at the first of September already. One of the best family fun events is coming back to The Agricenter September 2-11. It’s the Delta Fair and music Festival, and I can’t WAIT to chow down of a foot long Pronto Pup all slathered with mustard and wash it down with some fresh squeezed lemonade! Of course Amanda and I are both excited about our ritual ride on the Crazy Mouse, a family tradition since 2008. There’s great music too, like Hanson (I confess to occasionally cranking up Mmmm Bop in my car and singing along) And the Fabulous Thunderbirds. Plus this year features Sumo Wrestling, the Lions and tigers show and some insane guy walking the ferris wheel! Be sure to go to our website at WRVR.com and sign up for a family 4 pack of tickets. We’ll look forward to seeing you there!

Pico!

Bill Bannister — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 18:58:04 +0000

Greetings my fellow Memphians!
Driving in to work today I noticed that the thermometer on my dashboard read 106. The dog days of Memphis are here with a vengeance and it’s enough to literally take your breath away. I thought I’d share one of my favorite summer recipes with you. It’s the most refreshing natural snack I know of, and you can eat it all by itself, with chips, or you can do what I do and put it on darn near everything from eggs to steak to seafood! Here is my recipe for knock your socks off Pico de Gallo…….

4 ripe plum tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
1 small white onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup cilantro leaf, chopped (more to taste!)
2-3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1 tablespoon lime juice
salt (to taste)
Allow the combination of above ingredients to soak overnight in lime juice and get ready to give your tastebuds a fiesta! Bill

You say tomato….

Bill Bannister — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 22:13:05 +0000

Greetings my fellow Memphians!
Hope you’re having a great summer so far. I love this time of year for so many reasons. Long afternoons that stretch until almost 9pm, standing over my backyard grill with an ice cold brew listening to the cicadas in the trees while I think about what to serve with that juicy steak sizzling in front of me. When I was a kid, on those rare occasions when we had steak, my mom would serve up thick slices of the freshest red tomatoes she could find, just the way they do with dinner in her native Ukraine. Last summer when my sister Elizabeth and I stayed with our Ukrainian family in Kramatorsk, the tomatoes we ate took me back to my childhood. Sweet, full bodied, and rich, with just the right amount of acidity. Oh my they were delicious! So much so that I wanted one just like it when I got back to America. A quick trip to the store and I brought home four of the reddest, roundest, blemish-free beauties I could find and sliced them up to serve with dinner. That first bite left me feeling, well, just betrayed. This tomato had no flavor at all! It was red and flawless, but instead of the rich earthy sweetness I was expecting, my taste buds were surprised to find….nothing. Surely in the good old south I could find a decent tomato! So I decided to do a little research in my quest for some of that fruit of the vine I was craving. What I found out surprised me. The best climate on earth for growing tomatoes is in Italy. Here in America, there are many good tomatoes to be found, but most of them are home grown in what amounts to more organically pure conditions. The reason I was so disappointed in the tomato from the big grocery is that these jewels were imported from Florida, the state that can produce huge volumes of tomatoes, but at the same time turns out to have some of the very worst conditions for imparting that soul-satisfying flavor. Namely humidity, very sandy soil, and many predatory insects, which requires the big agra farmers who sell to the big stores to deploy various chemical agents, creative genetics, and other artificial techniques to produce a good looking fruit that is harvested green, taken to a special warehouse and treated with ethylene gas to produce that perfect shade of red before being shipped off to the store where you see them in all their round shiny glory. As one farmer said, they don’t pay me for the flavor, they pay me for the volume. And it’s been that way for so long I think most people who have tasted authenticity have forgotten what it tastes like, and millions more have never tasted it. This sent me on my search for an honest tomato. I am happy to report to you that I found it. At Whole Foods Market at Poplar at Mendenhall. It’s called an Heirloom tomato, and it comes in various colors and shapes. It has all of natures flaws, from the irregular shape, to the tomato’s natural perishability and fragility (you can’t drop one of these and expect it to bounce), but oh my GOD, the flavor took me back to my childhood, long before things like freshness, goodness, and nutrition got in the way of the bottom line. These are grown in California, where abundant sunshine and low humidity make for near Italian conditions. They are genetically pure and 100% organic. No pesticides are used near them, and they are grown from seeds that have been passed down from generation to generation. It’s truly like tasting a delicious and long forgotten past. You’re going to pay a little more for that (about $5.99 a pound) but when you think of all the garbage that vaccuums up your dollars nowadays, I believe it’s worth it. Try one today and tell me you don’t agree. Bon apetit! Bill

Happy 4th!

Bill Bannister — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 21:45:20 +0000