Cruisin' for a Bruisin', and Pray 4 Ray!

So I return from vacation to learn that twenty-four people were arrested uptown last weekend. Char-Meck police are cracking down on cruising, they say. Without a city ordinance in place to forbid it, the violations center around loud music, open containers, and even illegal weapons possession.

We already know about the 2nd annual Riot After the Fireworks.

What's going on?

The same issues that have plagued any town with a successful nightlife district. In a few short years, Center City is now the place to see and be seen, and with that success breeds an attraction of all types.

Consider the difficulties facing Atlanta's Buckhead district, as well as Tampa's Ybor City. In what amounts to an inevitable vicious cycle, deserted areas under the right circumstances blossom into a bustling area soon overrun by trouble and a police presence, then return to normal.

But let's don't overreact. The arrests were largely preventive measures, and other than an unexcusable shot fired at the July 4th riot, we still love us some Uptown.

Or shall we call it Downtown again?
***************
Congratulations to our buddy Chuck Wilson, proprietor of www.carolinanightlife.com. Thanks to early success, he's made a formidable attempt at franchising, having sold three templates to Iowanightlife.com, Indianaevenings.com, and NightlifeVirginia.com.

Operating under the www.thenightlifenetwork.com mother ship, franchisors spend a measly $8,000 for a state license fee along with a $300 joining fee and $150 monthly dues.

He deserves it. For years, we've watched him prowl the bars, tirelessly hording the photo shots to take a grassroots website to buzzworthy recognition.

I had no idea Iowa was rockin' after dark! Is it even a state?
***************
While the Elizabeth area quietly creeps into a desirable Crawl stop, Visulite's recent press release indicates business as usual at perhaps the city's best live indoor venue (okay, Neighborhood Theatre deserves equal billing, and I have not seen Amos' renovations yet).

I don't follow our music scene, but the Wednesday, September 20th show for Cowboy Mouth is a bittersweet appreciation for this band I once applauded.

Lead singer/drummer Fred LeBlanc's tired "Are you glad to be alive?" chant, and his hairy gorilla arms are wearing me out, and after a lackluster attempt a year or two ago at Buckhead Saloon, this band's flame has flickered out.

"Jenny say-as! Turn off the ra-d-io." Enough. The radio already turned them off.
***************
Lazyday.com is promoting what appears to be the first fundraiser for Ray Ducharme's "Pray 4 Ray" website quickly embracing his tragic accident in Pamploma, Spain while preparing for the Running of the Bulls.

One hundred percent of the "Sharin' Sugar Pub Crawl's" proceeds will benefit Ray, with whom I already know I share two degrees of separation. My Myspace account already has at least one blast bulletin, so it appears the guy's got a lot of love around here.

My prayers for his difficult recovery.

Reach Bryan. All emails will be answered.