SpringFairs & Festivals
SHARA CLARK Editor-in-Chief
ABIGAIL MORICI Managing Editor
JACKSON BAKER, BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN Senior Editors
TOBY SELLS Associate Editor
KAILYNN JOHNSON News Reporter
CHRIS MCCOY Film and TV Editor
ALEX GREENE Music Editor
MICHAEL DONAHUE, JON W. SPARKS Staff Writers
JESSE DAVIS, GENE GARD, EMILY GUENTHER, COCO JUNE, PATRICIA LOCKHART, FRANK MURTAUGH, WILLIAM SMYTHE Contributing Columnists
SHARON BROWN, AIMEE STIEGEMEYER Grizzlies Reporters
SARAI BENNETT, JAKE SANDERS Editorial Interns
CARRIE BEASLEY Senior Art Director
CHRISTOPHER MYERS Advertising Art Director
NEIL WILLIAMS Graphic Designer
KELLI DEWITT, CHIP GOOGE, SHAUNE MCGHEE Senior Account Executives
CHET HASTINGS
Warehouse and Delivery Manager
JANICE GRISSOM ELLISON, KAREN MILAM, DON MYNATT, TAMMY NASH, RANDY ROTZ, LEWIS TAYLOR, WILLIAM WIDEMAN Distribution
KENNETH NEILL Founding Publisher
THE MEMPHIS FLYER is published weekly by Contemporary Media, Inc., P.O. Box 1738, Memphis, TN 38101 Phone: (901) 521-9000 Fax: (901) 521-0129 memphisflyer.com
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Spring Fairs & Festivals
The Flyer presents our annual guide to your favorite spring (and summer) events in Memphis.
COURTESY TASTE THE RARITY
Keeping Dive Bars Alive
Midtown club owners buy iconic bar near Millington. p24
PHOTO: MICHAEL DONAHUE
NEWS & OPINION
THE FLY-BY - 4
Whistle While You Work
Disney’s Snow White is the “live action” remake no one asked for. p28
- 21
TIMES CROSSWORD - 21
SAW YOU - 22
- 24
- 25
PHOTO:
THE fly-by
{WEEK THAT WAS
By Flyer staff
Memphis on the internet.
PROPERTY APPRAISALS
Confusion and surprise roiled the MEMernet last week as property reappraisals from Melvin Burgess, assessor of property, landed in Shelby County mailboxes. First, many thought the slick, glossy mailer — largely featuring a photo of Burgess for some reason — looked like junk mail or a political ad. Many landed in trash cans, unopened. A er shing them out, property owners were surprised to nd their appraisals rose by a lot.
WHO TO FOLLOW
POSTED TO INSTAGRAM BY MEMPHISFORGOTTEN
MemphisForgotten’s Insta is an amazing Blu City Wayback Machine. It features news clips and interviews, from Playa Fly to Mr. Chuck and from America’s Most Wanted to Germantown High School’s 1992 homecoming and prom.
RAILGARTEN
Taylor Berger, one of the forces behind the establishment of Railgarten back in 2016, made a bittersweet Facebook post last week, a er news broke that the entertainment complex was closed and on the market. “ e best parts were the surprises,” Berger wrote. “People on skateboards, live band karaoke, drag before it was mainstream.”
Questions, Answers + Attitude
Edited by Toby Sells
Railgarten, Rappers, & MATA
A popular spot closes, MPD identi es shooting victims, and a CEO red.
PRIDE FLAGS
As Tennessee GOP lawmakers once again attempt to ban the Pride ag from public places, advocates say the move sends a negative message about LGBTQ visibility.
A policy brief from the Tennessee Equality Project (TEP) and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) said the ags are not inherently political and should be allowed to be displayed anywhere.
State Representative Gino Bulso (R-Brentwood) is now sponsoring a bill that prohibits government entities from “displaying or allowing display of ags other than Tennessee and U.S. ags on courthouses and public roads and sidewalks.”
RAPPERS SHOT
e Memphis Police Department (MPD) identi ed Letorian Hunt and Albert Mondane as the two rappers targeted in a recent weekend shooting Downtown.
Hunt, who performed under the stage name Sayso P, was killed. Mondane, who performs under the stage name Sauce Walka, was injured.
“ is was not a random act of violence,” MPD tweeted. “We understand the concern and reiterate that this was not random.”
SUCCESS SEQUENCE
Graduate high school. Get a job. Or graduate college or a technical school, then get a job. Get married. Have babies. is is a poverty- ghting equation Tennessee GOP lawmakers want to be taught to every single Tennessee student. e equation is called the “Success Sequence.”
A bill from Representative Gino Bulso (R-Brentwood) and Senator Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma) would require “family life curriculum [to] include age-appropriate instruction and evidence regarding the positive personal and societal outcomes associated with the method.” A version of this bill died in the Mississippi Legislature this year.
EGG PRICES STUCK
Dr. Tom Tabler, University of Tennessee poultry extension and research specialist, doesn’t foresee a decline in the price of eggs any time soon.
Tabler said avian u has decimated the egg supply in recent months. And at a time when egg demand is high, supply and demand are also helping to fuel egg prices.
RAILGARTEN CLOSED, PROPERTY LISTED
Railgarten is permanently closed and its property is up for sale, according to a listing last week from commercial real estate rm Colliers.
e entertainment complex closed in the winter, but the sign outside the popular Midtown hangout read that it was closed only for renovations. A new sign hanging on the front of the indoor music venue part of Railgarten now reads “available.” e property listing from Colliers calls it “the former Railgarten dining, entertainment, and recreational venue.”
MATA INTERIM CEO OUSTED
Bacarra Mauldin, former interim CEO of the Memphis Area Transit Authority, was red by the agency last week.
e move came a er an internal investigation found questionable purchases that included $5,000 in payments via PayPal and Venmo, $7,000 in purchases at BestBuy, $10,000 in party equipment rental, $30,000 in customizable purchases, and $1,200 in Montblanc purchases.
Tennessee Lookout contributed to this report.
Visit the News Blog at memphis yer.com for fuller versions of these stories and more local news.
PHOTO: (LEFT) SAUCE WALKA | INSTAGRAM; (RIGHT) SEQUATCHIE COVE FARM Houston-based Sauce Walka identi ed as one of two rappers targeted in deadly Downtown shooting; egg prices aren’t budging.
POSTED TO FACEBOOK BY RE-ELECT MELVIN BURGESS, SHELBY COUNTY ASSESSOR
xAI Accountability
Environmental advocates clarify what agency is responsible for allowing xAI to run gas turbines in South Memphis.
While many residents have criticized Memphis Mayor Paul Young for the city’s role in Elon Musk’s xAI project, community organizers say Shelby County o cials should not only be held responsible; they should intervene as well.
On March 24th, the group Black Voters Matter facilitated a virtual conversation called “Stop the xAI Shelby County Takeover” where KeShaun Pearson of Memphis Community Against Pollution (MCAP) said the Shelby County Health Department is responsible for regulating environmental concerns, which have been at the center of the xAI controversy.
To address this, Pearson recently met with Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris about the presence of xAI’s gas turbines, which many did not know had been operating for about a year.
In June 2024, Harris released a statement commending the Greater Memphis Chamber for “leading” the xAI project into fruition and called it a “monumental opportunity for Memphis and Shelby County.”
While Pearson addressed the “atrocity” of the situation, he said Harris was in support of a resolution that was presented last week to the Shelby County Board of Commissioners’ Hospitals and Health Committee.
e resolution, sponsored by Commissioner Britney ornton, urges the Shelby County Health Department to host a public meeting “prior to the approval or denial of the permit submitted by CTC Property LLC, an a liate of xAI for the long-term operations of 15 methane gas turbines in South Memphis.”
Pearson said this resolution would suspend the air-permitting process as the permit is not for the “current pollution” but “more pollution,” as xAI intends to bring more turbines in.
“ e damage here on a human level in an ecosystem that is trying to ourish, that is so beautiful — it’s so dangerous,” Pearson said. “It’s incumbent, and it’s a responsibility of the people who have signed the paperwork to say they ‘will be employed here and work for the people’ to show up and do that.”
Amber Sherman, local political
A poster for “Stop the xAI Shelby County Takeover” conversation
{ ENVIRONMENT
By Kailynn Johnson
strategist, said it’s important for people to know “who the power players are” and how these processes work. Sherman’s comments come a er MCAP hosted “A Fireside Chat with Mayor Paul Young” on Saturday, March 22nd.
Pearson said the conversation was “representative of what people are feeling,” noting that many people felt “le out of the entire process.” He said he was glad citizens were able to challenge Young on his “positive position” regarding xAI.
Sherman noted that several people wondered why Young “wasn’t doing anything” and felt like Young should have emphasized how “the power works.” “You’re not throwing someone
under the bus to make sure people know who’s responsible,” Sherman said.
“Saying that the Shelby County Health Department is the one who issues permits doesn’t throw them under the bus; it just points out the direct target who we should be talking to, so everyone isn’t pissed o at you all the time.”
Pearson noted that while Young may not have all the authority citizens expect him to, he isn’t “absolved” from working on the city’s end.
“What we can’t allow is for people to scapegoat other organizations,” Pearson said. “It is a bit of standing in your power and really using the authority that has been given to you in ways that exist, and not to perform this kind of learned helplessness that ‘we can’t do anything’ [or] ‘I can only do so much.’ Do everything and then get innovative on how to do more.” e commission was scheduled to vote on the resolution this week.
EACH OTHER
There’s incredible power when we come together. More than one-third of our community is at higher risk of life-threatening conditions due to obesity. Whether you want to lose some extra weight, try healthier recipes or live a more active lifestyle, Healthier 901 is here to help. Join us in the 1,000,000-pound challenge and help build a healthier Mid-South. Download our free wellness app to track your progress, find events, access discounts and more – all at no cost.
PHOTO: BLACK VOTERS MATTER
By Jackson Baker
Of This and That
What’s popping as spring gets going?
State Representative Justin Pearson, whose presence during this year’s legislative session has been fragmentary, has resumed regular attendance as the General Assembly heads into its stretch drive.
Pearson, who has avowedly been dealing with the aftereffects of his brother’s death in December, was a speaker at the meeting of the Shelby County Democratic Party (SCDP) convened Saturday at Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church to elect new party officers.
Things went downhill after rousing unity speeches by Pearson and others, as the assembled Democrats could not reach agreement on the bylaws needed to continue with the meeting, which was to have elected a new chairman and other officers. Amid chaos, the meeting was aborted, with the professed intent by those present of reconvening within 30 days.
The Tennessee Democratic Party
(TNDP), whose chair Rachel Campbell of Chattanooga was on hand, temporarily decommissioned the local party, as it had nearly 10 years earlier during a previous period of public disorder in the SCDP.
• The Democrats’ foreshortened meeting was the site for a fair amount of schmoozing from potential near-term political candidates. One such was Michael Pope, a former sheriff’s department deputy who served a brief tenure as the SCDP’s last nominal chair before its previous shutdown by the state party in 2016.
Pope later became police chief in West Memphis. He resigned during a controversy over allegedly suppressed evidence in the case of the West Memphis Three, who were subsequently released after serving several years for a notorious murder.
Pope is now an announced candidate for sheriff in 2026. An expected opponent is Anthony Buckner, the current chief deputy to Sheriff Floyd Bonner.
• Former state Senator Brian Kelsey will hold a celebration in East Memphis
on Saturday for his recent release from prison. “It’s time to party!” say the invites. Kelsey, who had been convicted of campaign finance violations and served only two weeks at a federal prison in Kentucky, was pardoned last month by Trump.
• State Senator Brent Taylor is trying again after his bill seeking the legislative removal from office of DA Steve Mulroy failed to gain traction and was taken off notice.
Taylor and state Senate Speaker Randy McNally made public their request that the state Supreme Court create a panel to investigate Mulroy, Nashville DA Glenn Funk, and Warren County DA Chris Stanford. Like Mulroy, Funk is a liberal who has ruffled the ideological feathers of the state’s GOP supermajority. Stanford is something of a throw-in. He is under indictment on charges of reckless endangerment after firing a pistol in pedestrian pursuit of an accused serial killer.
The shift in tactics from legislative to judicial was an effort to avoid the appearance of being politically partisan, said Taylor, who acknowledged that any action
on the new proposal would be delayed at least thorough the summer.
• Entities in Memphis and Shelby County seem to have done well in their entreaties for financial aid from the state. Included either in Governor Bill Lee’s original budget or his supplemental budget, announced last week, were such petitioners as the city of Memphis, the Memphis Zoo, the Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum, Agape Child & Family Services, Youth Villages, Memphis Allies, Operation Taking Back 901, Church of God in Christ (COGIC), PURE Academy, YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South, Tech901, Moore Tech, Southern College of Optometry, Hospitality Hub, Memphis Teacher Residency, Memphis City Seminary, Africa in April, Stax Music Academy, and Tennessee College of Applied Technology (for the Memphis aviation campus). Also included was funding for an audit of Memphis-Shelby County Schools. Conspicuously missing so far are allotments for Regional One Health and the Metal Museum. Additions and subtractions are to be expected before the session ends.
By Bruce VanWyngarden
Sea Change
We’re all in this together.
Apelican glides by just o shore, there, out where the blue dolphins dance, emerging and disappearing into the sea. e kite hangs overhead, side-slipping in the ocean breeze, tethered to your umbrella pole by a gracile thread. You push your new sunglasses up on your nose and soak in the sun, the blue sky, the bleached sand; you hear the surf mumbling, “Stay.”
I could do it, you think, shi ing in your canvas chair. “I could get a job renting beach umbrellas or maybe working on a shing boat. In the evenings, I’ll sip margaritas and nish the novel.”
Your young daughter hands you a sand dollar from a plastic bucket lled with saltwater currency. “Let’s go cash this in,” you say. “We’ll buy this place.
e cast is perfect, a dry y circling at the deep end of an eddy. ere is a ash of silver and a tug that feels like you’ve hooked the river and it wants o . e trout streaks into the current, jumps once, twice, takes line, gives it back a reel-turn at a time. You stand in the ri e, gravel crunching, sliding under your feet. “ is is a good one,” you think. Minutes later you net the fat rainbow, admire it for a few seconds, and release it back into the pool.
“I wonder what a piece of land on this stream would cost,” you wonder. “I could live here, deep in these dark woods, enjoying a life of shing, solitude, and contemplation — become a wise old man.”
You’re sitting on the pool steps, waistdeep in cool water, deep in the steamy jungles of Quintana Roo, south of Cancun. e house is modern, open, with glass walls overlooking the pool on one side and the twisted green jungle on the other. Every morning, a troop of monkeys swings by, screeching through the trees as you sit outside with your co ee, marveling at the strangeness of it all.
“I’ve decided this must be a drug lord’s house,” your wife says from her chaise lounge, not opening her eyes. “Who else would build a place like this in the middle of nowhere?”
“ ey didn’t mention that in the rental brochure,” you say, “but whoever owns this house certainly knows how to get away from it all.”
Two grackles land near the diving board and begin dipping their heads in the water and shivering it o . ey chortle and chatter like an old couple
in the park. You slip neck-deep into the pool and they y away, complaining at the intrusion.
“Hey, I’m thinking maybe we should look into property in this area.”
“Sure,” she says.
Two-hour layover in the Atlanta airport. You’re sitting in a bar that has a stupid name, talking to a man in gray — gray suit, socks, tie. He’s on his way to St. Louis, a so ware rep for a company you’ve heard of. You both watch as ve men walk into the place — scru y hair, tattoos, colorful funky clothes — obviously a band. You overhear them talking about going to the Bahamas to record.
“Nice work if you can get it,” says the gray man.
“I used to be in a band myself,” you say.
“Really?” says Mr. Gray. “Me, too!”
You sigh and take another pull on your beer.
How many times have you been tempted to start over, to ditch your life, your career, and make a big change? If you’re like me, those moments occurred, but were seldom followed up on, unless you count moving to a new city to take a job, which last happened to me in 1993.
Change is di cult, even when the goal is worthy and attainable. It’s much more di cult when it’s not worthy and it’s forced upon you, and when you’re not sure how to ght against it. at’s where we all are now, in the midst of an attempt to change how our country will be governed, to overturn our core human values. Democracy itself seems tethered by a gracile thread. I take solace in knowing we’re all in this together, and that that’s the only way we’ll get out of it. I don’t know how it ends. I do think that we’re well past the “have a margarita and watch the dolphins” stage. Courage, my friends.
PHOTO © LAWRENCE WEE | DREAMSTIME.COM
The Flyer presents our annual guide to your favorite spring (and summer) events in Memphis.
SpringFairs & Festivals
April showers bring April festivals, and then there are May festivals, and June ones, and July and August. And we don’t even have time to get to September. That’s right, friends (may we call you that?): It’s time for the Spring Fairs & Festivals Guide.
COVER STORY By Abigail Morici
PHOTO (ABOVE): COURTESY ART IN THE LOOP Art in the Loop
PHOTO (FAR LEFT): ABIGAIL MORICI TrollFest
PHOTO (CENTER): COURTESY MEMPHIS TATTOO FESTIVAL Memphis Tattoo Festival
PHOTO (BELOW): BRANDON DILL Cooper-Young Porch Fest
April
Month of Jazz at Crosstown Arts
A monthlong celebration of jazz. Crosstown Arts, various dates through April 30
Memphis Tattoo Festival
If you can dream it, you can tat it.
Renasant Convention Center, April 4-6
TrollFest
Don’t be a troll; instead, learn how to take better care of the environment at this festival.
Memphis Botanic Garden, April 5
Wine, Food and Music Spring Festival
Wine all you want. Notice I said “wine,” not “whine.”
Beale Street Landing, April 5
Foodees Food and Culture Festival
Does it bother me that it’s not spelled “Foodies”? A little. Do I care? Not when the festival is bringing 70 food trucks and 100 cra ers and makers.
Riverside Drive, April 11-13
Brewfest
You’re cruising for a brewski. Mississippi Ale House, Olive Branch, MS, April 12
Cooper-Young Porchfest
Get out of my head and onto my lawn (for free porch concerts, obviously). Cooper-Young Historic District, April 12
Juke Joint Festival
No need to be a juke box hero when you can go to the Juke Joint Festival. Clarksdale, MS, April 12
Orbit Fest
You’ll want this fest in your orbit: seltzers, vendors, music. It’ll be a blast. Crosstown Brewing Company, April 12
Shelby Forest Spring Fest
A Mardi Gras-themed fest with wildlife and cultural exhibits, plus music, food, arts and cra s, and more.
Meeman Shelby Forest State Park, April 12
Shop Black Fest
Black businesses for the win. Bass Pro Drive + Riverside Drive, April 12
Taco & Tequila Fest
Taco ’bout tequila.
Butteri c Bakery & Cafe, April 12
e Mid-South Korean BBQ Festival
A backyard cooking competition of traditional American barbecue and Korean barbecue.
Grind City Brewing Company, April 12
Black Arts & Wine Festival
Shop visual art by Black creatives and sample wines and liquors from Black brands.
Pink Palace Museum & Mansion, April 13
Concerts in the Grove
Enjoy an outdoor concert or two.
Germantown Performing Arts Center, select ursdays, April 17-June 26
Africa in April
Salute the Republic of South Africa.
Robert R. Church Park, April 18-20
Good Vibes Comedy Festival
LOL IRL.
Hi Tone, April 18-20
Earth Day Festival
Where fun meets sustainability, and sustainability meets you.
Shelby Farms Park, April 19
Shell Daze
Dazed and confused, more like dazed and I don’t know where I was going with this … so I guess I am confused. But this festival is not confusing! It’s all about music: Lettuce, Daniel Dato’s Cosmic Country, Grace Bowers & the Hodge Podge, and e Velvet Dog.
Overton Park Shell, April 19
Art in the Loop
Let me loop you in: It’s the art festival in East Memphis.
Ridgeway Loop Road, April 25-27
Double Decker Arts Festival
A two-day (a double-day?) celebration of food, music, and the arts.
Oxford Courthouse Square, Oxford, MS, April 25-26
Trolley Night
Explore galleries, restaurants, bars, and shops open late with activities on the street every month.
South Main, last Friday of the month
23rd Annual World Championship Hot Wing Contest and Festival Wing, wing, wing, this festival is calling for you.
River Garden Park on Riverside Drive, April 26
Spring Cra Fair
Find cra s and one-of-a-kind treasures. Meddlesome Brewery, April 26
Taste the Rarity
Get weird with beer.
Wiseacre Brewing Company, April 26
Mimosa Festival
Mimosa is a fun word to say, and this festival is even funner (and that’s a fun word).
Autozone Park, April 27
continued on page 12
PHOTO (ABOVE CENTER): COURTESY JUKE JOINT FESTIVAL Juke Joint Festival
PHOTO (ABOVE RIGHT) : COURTESY MIMOSA FESTIVAL Mimosa Festival
PHOTO (RIGHT): COURTESY MID-SOUTH PRIDE Memphis Pride Fest Weekend
continued from page 11
32nd Rajun Cajun Craw sh Festival Heads, you suck. Tails, you pinch. Riverside Drive, April 27
May
Experience Memphis Gardens Roses are red; violets are blue. I’d love to walk Memphis’ gardens with you. Various locations, May 1-June 15
Memphis in May International Festival Salute South Korea at this festival. Memphis, May 1-31
Mississippi Wildlife Heritage Festival Go wild with food, art, games, expos, contests, craw sh, and more. Downtown Leland, May 2-3
RiverBeat Music Festival is year’s headliners are Missy Elliot, e Killers, and Anderson .Paak & e Free Nationals.
Tom Lee Park, May 2-4
Cigar & Whiskey BBQ Festival Cigars, whiskeys, barbecue — it’s in the name.
Agricenter International, May 3
Bookstock is fest is for the books. Literally. Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library, May 3
Café du Memphis
Beign-yay! (And shrimp and grits and café au lait. Yay for all!)
Overton Park Shell, May 3
Overton Square Craw sh Festival
Go cray for the cray sh. Overton Square, May 3
e Big Squeeze Food Truck Festival When life gives you lemonade, wash it down with food truck fare and music.
Germantown Performing Arts Center, May 3
Memphis Greek Festival
Say: Opa! And bring three cans of nonperishable food for free admission.
Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, May 9-10
World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest
Mind your Ps and ’cues — mostly your ’cues because I’m not sure how helpful those Ps will be.
Liberty Park, May 14-17
SmokeSlam
Talk about a smoke show.
Tom Lee Park, May 15-17
DreamFest Weekend
Sweet dreams are made of this: a weekend of Memphis music.
Overton Park Shell, May 16-18
Ruby Bridges Reading Festival
Enjoy book giveaways, children’s activities, and storytelling.
National Civil Rights Museum, May 17
Trans-Fest
A celebration of the trans community. Wiseacre Brewery, May 17
Uptown Arts Festival
Expect art, music, beer, and a good time. Grind City Brewing Company, May 17
Blu City Fair is fair isn’t blu ng when it comes to fair foods, carnival rides, and attractions. Tiger Lane at Liberty Park, May 23-June 1
Memphis Dragon Boat Festival
Dragons will race. Well, dragon boats. Hyde Lake at Shelby Farms Park, May 31
14
PHOTO: COURTESY SHELBY FARMS PARK Earth Day Festival continued on page
• 3/29 – Tater Superbad Blues Festival
• 4/10-13 – Juke Joint Festival & Related Events
• 4/13 – Cat Head Mini Blues Fest I
• 5/10 – Clarksdale Caravan Music Fest
• 5/17 – Women In Blues
• 5/23-24 – Ground Zero Blues Club Anniversary Weekend
• 5/25 – Bad Apple Blues Festival
• 5/29-31 – Son House Tribute Festival
Hear Live Blues
every night In clarksdale, ms
• 6/12-15 – B.A.M. Fest (Birthplace of American Music)
• 8/8-10 – Sunflower River Blues & Gospel Festival
• 8/8-10 – Cat Head 23rd Anniversary Weekend
Experience over a dozen festivals every year
UPCOMING EVENTS 2025
• 8/30 – Red’s Old-Timers Blues Fest
• 10/3-4 – Mighty Roots Music Festival
• 10/8-11 – King Biscuit Blues Festival (Helena, Arkansas)
• 10/11 – Hopson Pumpkin Pickin’ Festival
• 10/12 – Clarksdale Super Blues Sunday: Bluesberry October Fest, Cat Head Mini Blues Fest, Ground Zero, Pinetop Perkins Homecoming, Red’s, and more!
• 10/16-18 – Mississippi Delta Tennessee Williams Festival
• 10/17-18 – Special Blues Event TBA
• 10/23-26 – Hambone Festival
• 10/25 – Cruz’n The Crossroads Car & Truck Show
• 12/31 – Celebrate New Year’s at the Crossroads!
PHOTO BY RORY DOYLE
continued from page 12
Memphis Italian Festival
Where everyone’s Italian. Marquette Park, May 29-31
Memphis Margarita Festival
Some people claim there’s a festival to blame, and it’s this one. Wastin’ away again at the Memphis Margarita Festival … Overton Square, May 31
Memphis Vegan Festival
No animals were harmed in the making of this festival. Fourth Blu Park, May 31
June
Juneteenth Shop Black Festival
Shop from 100 Black businesses. Fourth Blu Park, June 1
Tupelo Elvis Festival
Get ready to rock and roll. Downtown Tupelo, June 4-7
Memphis Pride Fest Weekend
A four-day celebration embodying the spirit of the LGBTQ community. Various locations, June 5-8
Memphis Cra s & Dra s Festival
Summer Market is event is no rough dra . It was perfectly cra ed to t all your summer market needs. It’s also put on by the Memphis Flyer, which I’ve heard is pretty awesome.
Crosstown Concourse, June 7
Fried Chicken Fest
Why did the chicken cross the road?
To get to the Fried Chicken Fest? at doesn’t sound right. e fest is fun for humans though! It’s got fried chicken (with apologies to the chickens that crossed the road), music, and lawn games.
Germantown Performing Arts Center, June 7
Cra Food & Wine Festival
Delicious food, exquisite wines, and live music, all while supporting Church Health.
e Columns, June 8
Betonia Blues Festival
With a lineup with the likes of Nick Wade, Jimmy Duck Holmes, Chris Gill & Sole Shakers, and Bobby Rush featuring Mizz Loew, you know you’re in for a good time.
Blue Front Cafe, Bentonia, MS
Memphis Brewfest
Just brew it.
Shelby Farms Park, June 21
Record Fair
Girl, put your records on. Tell me your favorite songs from Goner Records, River City Records, and Shangri-La Records ’cause this is the place to buy all your music.
Soul & Spirits, June 21
July
Delta Soule Picnic Festival
Expect R&B and Southern soul music. War eld Point Park, Greenville, MS, July 5
Memphis Summer Cocktail Festival
Get your drink on. e Kent, July 12
August
Planted Rock Vegan Festival
We will … we will … rock you (as long as you’re a plant). is fest promotes vegan foods and will give healthy living tips. Collage Dance Center, August 5
FedEx St. Jude Championship
Here’s where I’d insert a golf pun, if I knew any. If you know about golf, I assume you know about this championship.
TPC Southwind, August 6-10
Elvis Week
e Elvii are coming! e Elvii are coming! And they’re showing up for music, panels, contests, movies, fan meet-ups, tours, and more.
Graceland, August 8-16
Skol-astic Book Fair
Ah, book it. Book it real good. Soul & Spirits, August 9
Memphis Chicken & Beer Festival
People like chicken; people like beer. Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium Field, August 16
PHOTO: COURTESY ELVIS PRESLEY’S GRACELAND Elvis Week
4/5
4/8
BRACKET 2025 Challenge
steppin’ out
We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews
Pollinate and Celebrate
By Sarai Bennett
Ever dream of waking up to a beautiful garden full of roses and peonies every morning, but you just don’t have a green thumb? Or do you want to be more sustainable in your gardening practices? Well, the Overton Park Conservancy can help with its Pollinator Paradise workshop this Saturday. e workshop is designed to help beginner gardeners learn more about the art of gardening and how to properly care for their plants. Importantly, this event stresses the need for native plants to be cultivated to help preserve our native wildlife and pollinators, instead of using generic plants that are o en sold at many stores. “Eighty percent of food in this country is dependent upon pollination,” says Mary Wilder, former Overton Park Conservancy board member and Master Gardener. “We could starve to death if you didn’t have a bee, a butter y, a beetle, or a bat because the plants wouldn’t get pollinated. ey wouldn’t be able to make their fruit or grow up to be whatever plant they’re supposed to be.
“If we can educate folks to garden more naturally with the locally sourced plants, then we are helping in the long run the whole bigger [eco]system. So that’s part of why it’s signi cant,” Wilder adds.
And if you are unsure about where to purchase your domestic plants or which plants will survive in Memphis weather, there will be plants for sale to help give you a head start on improving your garden. If you are interested in attending, the workshop will be held this Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and it is pay-what-you-can, with a recommended donation of $5. To register, visit overtonpark.org/event/workshop-pollinator-paradise.
Happy Gardening!
POLLINATOR PARADISE: CULTIVATING A WILDLIFE-FRIENDLY BACKYARD, ABE GOODMAN GOLF CLUBHOUSE, 2080 POPLAR AVE., SATURDAY, APRIL 5, 10:30-11:30 A.M., $5/RECOMMENDED DONATION.
VARIOUS DAYS & TIMES April 3rd - 9th
Spring Fling: Memphis Area Master Gardeners’ Annual Spring Fling
e Red Barn at the Agricenter, 7777 Walnut Grove, Friday-Saturday, April 4-5, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., free Memphis Area Master Gardeners present their annual Spring Fling, where you can ask a Master Gardener your gardening questions. e days will have speakers and demonstrations on a variety of topics from herbs to cutting gardens. ere’ll also be an educational and recycling area, a silent auction, plants and gently used garden items for sale, vendors, photo exhibit, and more.
On Saturday, youngsters can check out the kid’s area with worm composting, cra s, and a butter y release tent. At noon to 2 p.m., there will be face painting and balloon art.
Saint Joan
Tennessee Shakespeare Company, 7590 Trinity Road, April 4-19, FridaysSaturdays, 7:30 p.m. | Saturday, April 19, 3 p.m. | Sundays, 3 p.m., $22-$44
In six scenes and with eight actors, G. Bernard Shaw chronicles the heroism of French army leader Joan of Arc who, despite leading men to victory over the English, was sold to those she defeated to be burned at the stake in 1431 and was later convicted of heresy for professing to speak directly to God. Inspired by France’s 1456 overturning of that verdict, and Joan’s eventual canonization in 1920, Shaw creates his masterwork of spiritual, political, and human inquiry — capped by an exhilarating epilogue that brings its history into current times.
Get tickets at tnshakespeare.org/ saint-joan.
Learn how to attract native pollinators like this tawny emperor butter y in your own garden.
Memphis Farmers Market Opening Day
South Front Street at GE Patterson, Saturday, April 5, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. e Memphis Farmers Market regular season kicks o with a bang. Opening day will have live music, face painting, yoga (9 a.m.), a dog adoption event (9 a.m. to 1 p.m.), and food trucks.
TrollFest
Memphis Botanic Garden, 750 Cherry Road, Saturday, April 5, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., free with garden admission Inspired by omas Dambo’s “TROLLS: Save the Humans,” this event celebrates the trolls’ mission to help us live more mindfully and better care for our environment. You’ll chat with Memphis organizations, get your hands dirty with cra s, shop environmentally friendly vendors, enjoy artwork on display using recycled and found materials, and more.
PHOTO: COURTESY OVERTON PARK CONSERVANCY
MUSIC By Alex Greene
All the King’s Heroes
A new book digs deep into the lives of the Black artists Elvis emulated.
If there’s one thing Preston Lauterbach excels at, it’s creating an almost novelistic sense of place in which his thoroughly researched histories can play out. It’s something many noted about his ambitious surveys of Memphis in the 19th and 20th centuries, which conjure up scenes of a city buzzing on every corner, before zooming in to the subjects at hand. at also applies to his latest work, Before Elvis: e African American Musicians Who Made the King. True to its title, Lauterbach, who proclaims from the start that “Elvis Presley is the most important musician in American history,” delves into the stories of those geniuses of 20th-century Black culture who inspired Presley and made him what he was, o ering a deep appreciation of their music and their lives as he does so. But he also evokes the sea in which they all swam, as waves of disparate cultures crashed on the blu s of Memphis at the time.
“ e city in the years between 1948, when the Presleys moved there from Tupelo, Mississippi, and 1954, when Elvis recorded his hit debut single,” Lauterbach writes, “was the type of furnace in which great people are forged, fundamentally American in its devastating hostility and upli ing creative energy. Elvis came of age in a revolutionary atmosphere.”
And yet Lauterbach’s rst deep dive is, counterintuitively, into the Nashville scene of the ’40s and ’50s. e revolution in radio going on there may have been the Big Bang of rock-and-roll itself, and a hitherto unappreciated element of Presley’s exposure to African-American music in Tupelo, as the 50,000 watt signal of Nashville’s WLAC carried it “from middle Tennessee to the Caribbean and Canada.” When pioneering DJ Gene Nobles broke precedent and began playing African-American jazz, R&B, and blues, he “cracked the dam of conservative white American culture,” and that included Tupelo, a full two years before the Presleys moved to Memphis. is, Lauterbach posits, was the most likely way a young Elvis would have heard Arthur Crudup’s “ at’s All Right,” prior to making his own version a hit some years later. It had already been a hit for Crudup, who very likely did not play in Tupelo, as Presley later claimed. And from there, Lauterbach begins his negrained appreciation of Crudup’s life and career, including the ascent of “ at’s All Right” up the charts in the ’40s, fueled in part by its spins on WLAC.
Zooming out for context, cutting to close-ups of Black artists’ lived experiences, and periodically panning over to how young Presley soaked it all in are what make this book a tour de force of both history and storytelling. A host of African-American innovators are celebrated along the way: Willie Mae “Big Mama” ornton and her “Hound Dog,” Herman “Little Junior” Parker and his “Mystery Train.” But lesser knowns also receive their due. e in uence of guitarist Calvin Newborn’s performance style, and brother Phineas Newborn Jr. along the way, is thoroughly explored, with Newborn’s anecdotes of Presley’s presence on both Beale Street and the family dinner table. And we read the tale of Rev. W. Herbert Brewster, the African-American minister at East Trigg Baptist Church, who not only composed classic gospel songs, but pioneered multiracial services in the Jim Crow era. One direct result of that was Presley’s regular attendance there. But Brewster’s story also reveals how mercenary the music publishing game was, as Mahalia Jackson and her accompanist eodore Frye claimed at least one of Brewster’s compositions as their own.
Lauterbach does not shy away from the matters of song the or cultural appropriation that continue to haunt Presley’s legacy. But he notes that Jackson’s usurpation of Brewster’s rights to his own song “was a the as bold as anything Elvis Presley has been accused of and worse than anything Presley actually did.”
Tellingly, Lauterbach reminds us of the courage it took to blur color lines that seem so hard and fast to many Americans, and for many African Americans this was seen as a positive change. In the nal pages, we return to Calvin Newborn’s assessment, who harbored no bitterness over his protégé’s success: “He was a soulful dude.”
Preston Lauterbach will discuss his new book with Robert Gordon at the Memphis Listening Lab on Friday, April 4th, 6 p.m.
CALENDAR of EVENTS:
April 3 - 9
Send the date, time, place, cost, info, phone number, a brief description, and photos — two weeks in advance — to calendar@ memphisflyer.com. DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS, ONGOING WEEKLY EVENTS WILL APPEAR IN THE FLYER’S ONLINE CALENDAR ONLY. FOR COMPREHENSIVE EVENT
ART HAPPENINGS
Artist Open House on Planet Luminarus
Preview the soon-to-be completed multimedia installation and performing arts space. Saturday, April 5, 11 a.m.-noon.
OFF THE WALLS ARTS
Joel Parsons: “Club Rapture and the Ecstasy Afters” Opening for Parsons’ rst solo exhibition at the gallery. Saturday, April 5, 5 p.m.
SHEET CAKE
Opening Reception for “Dialogues” Nine Rivertown Artists are featured in this new exhibition. Friday, April 4, 5-7 p.m.
ANF ARCHITECTS
“Small Works” Artist Reception
Featuring the work of Jeannine Paul and Jerry Ehrlich. Sunday, April 6, 2-4 p.m.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
“Unraveled” Art Exhibition
Exploring Black women’s use of textile arts as a means of cultural storytelling. Free. Saturday, April 5, 4-6 p.m.
ART MUSEUM OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS
BOOK EVENTS
Landon Bryant: Bless Your Heart: A Field Guide to All Things Southern Bryant presents his tongue-in-cheek “anthropological dive” into the American South. Monday, April 7, 6 p.m.
NOVEL
Preston Lauterbach: Before Elvis: The African American Musicians Who Made the King
In conversation with Robert Gordon, Lauterbach discusses his new research and extensive interviews with the Black artists who inspired and taught Elvis Presley. Friday, April 4, 6 p.m.
MEMPHIS LISTENING LAB
Sara Faye Egan: The Through Line: Finding Happiness Through the Curveballs of Life, Family, and Business
Egan shares her deeply personal journey, balancing a successful career with family responsibilities. ursday, April 3, 4 p.m.
NOVEL
Stanley Booth Memorial Service
A variety of authors and musicians will recall the late music writer and read passages from his work. ursday, April 3, 6-8 p.m.
MEMPHIS LISTENING LAB
COMMUNITY
Memphis, Let’s Sing!
Learn a new song and sing along with your Memphis neighbors. Free. Saturday, April 5, 11
a.m.-2 p.m.
ROYAL STUDIOS
Remembering MLK: The Man, the Movement, the Moment
A live and virtual commemoration featuring a keynote speaker and special performances. Friday, April 4, 5-7 p.m.
NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM
’Twas the Night Before April 4th
Celebrating April 3rd, 1968, the night MLK Jr. gave the momentous “Mountaintop” speech.
ursday, April 3, noon-2 p.m.
HOLLYWOOD LIBRARY
DANCE
Lessons Learned: A Tap Dance Concert with Hot Foot Honeys
An exploration of the human experience through the universal language of dance. $20/ general admission. Friday, April 4, 7:30-9 p.m. | Saturday, April 5, 2:30-4 p.m. | Saturday, April 5, 7:30-9 p.m.
GERMANTOWN COMMUNITY THEATRE
Tennessee Ballet Theater presents The Icon: Babbie Lovett, Fashion Legend e 92-year-old Memphian’s life in New York
fashion houses and musical productions. Friday, April 4, 7:30 p.m. | Saturday, April 5, 7:30 p.m. | Sunday, April 6, 2:30 p.m.
MCCOY THEATRE AT RHODES COLLEGE
PERFORMING ARTS
Mike Super’s Magic & Illusion: Third Time’s a Charm
Prepare to have your mind blown. $50.75. Saturday, April 5, 7:30-9:15 p.m.
HALLORAN CENTRE
THEATER
Punk Rock Girl!
Seussical
A musical that captures the essence of Dr. Seuss’ characters in a magical production by Tony winners Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty. Saturday, April 5, 2 p.m.
CIRCUIT PLAYHOUSE
Some Like It Hot
A tap-dancing embrace of musical theater. $29-$130. Tuesday, April 8, 7:30 p.m. | Wednesday, April 9, 7:30 p.m.
ORPHEUM THEATRE
The Cold Fusion Play
A spirited musical tale about discovering community and forging one’s tribe. Friday, April 4, 8 p.m. | Saturday, April 5, 8 p.m. | Sunday, April 6, 2 p.m.
CIRCUIT PLAYHOUSE
Saint Joan
George Bernard Shaw’s chronicle of French army leader Joan of Arc, with eight actors in six scenes. Friday, April 4, 7:30 p.m. | Saturday, April 5, 7:30 p.m. | Sunday, April 6, 3 p.m.
TENNESSEE SHAKESPEARE COMPANY
A piece created by Memphis youth. A group of students rehearse assigned scenes from a play called e Cold Fusion Fiasco. Friday, April 4, 7 p.m. | Saturday, April 5, 7 p.m.
VOICES OF THE SOUTH THEATER
Thoughts of a Colored Man
A play that celebrates the hopes, ambitions, joys, and triumphs of Black men in a world that o en refuses to hear them. ursday, April 3, 7:30 p.m. | Friday, April 4, 7:30 p.m. | Saturday, April 5, 2 p.m. | Saturday, April 5, 7:30 p.m. | Sunday, April 6, 2 p.m. HATTILOO THEATRE
Crossword
ACROSS
1 Veronica ___, author of the best-selling “Divergent” series
5 Green and soft, say
10 Movie with famous “dun dun” theme music
14 Measurement that might be a lot?
15 Some Japanese cartoons
17 Profess
18 Menu item #1: A bowlful of Cap’n Crunch that’s been on top of the fridge for four years
20 Rhyming opposite of break
21 Officers-to-be
22 Opera term that’s sometimes a woman’s name
24 Coffee alternative
25 Austin Powers or Jack Bauer
26 Menu item #2: The charred remains of a slice of whole wheat
29 W.C.
30 “___ Flux” (1990s sci-fi series)
32 Kinds
33 Org. whose participants wear helmets
35 Follower of Mary
37 Zip
38 Plea concerning the menu in 18-, 26-, 53- and 64-Across?
42 Chest coverer
43 “Eight more hours and I’m outta here!”
44 “Ya got that right”
46 Subject of a sleep lab study
49 Words to a backstabber
51 Go out for a bit
53 Menu item #3: A Red Delicious, assuming you find sawdust delicious
57 Writing surface
59 Wrath
60 Fail to enunciate
61 Cow sans calf
62 Ben ___, pirate in “Treasure Island”
64 Menu item #4: Something to pour in coffee for a sour surprise
67 “Stat!”
68 Pig, cutely
69 Dot on an ocean map
70 Future-gazer
71 City in West Yorkshire
72 N.B.A.’s Young, familiarly
1 Troublemaker 2 Stop sign shape
3 Sacrifice of square footage for location, e.g. 4 ___ Keller, first deaf and blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts
5 PC alternatives 6 “He still the ___” (lyric in Beyoncé’s “Countdown”)
7 Word before and after yes, in the military
8 Below-the-belt campaign tactic
9 Long (for) 10 Song one loves, in modern slang
Image next to a user name
much
Accident-___
The sky, perhaps
That woman’s
We Saw You.
with MICHAEL DONAHUE
Overton Square in Memphis turned into the Plaza de Armas in San Juan for a few hours during Puerto Rican Night. e inaugural event featured music, dancing, and food.
More than 500 turned out for the free event, which was held March 22nd in Overton Square’s Trimble Courtyard, says Dorimar Cruz with Darts Productions, which put on the event. Darts also put on Colombian Night in October 2024. And Darts wants to put on more community events, Cruz says.
e event was a great opportunity for the local Puerto Rican community to “celebrate their own culture,” Cruz says, and at the same time let others learn about Puerto Rico as well.
PHOTOS: MICHAEL DONAHUE
above: Ivan Estevanott, Sonia Estevanott, Kenneth Estevenott, and Caspian Estevanott
below (le to right): Tradición Cultural Dance Group; Brad Walton and Genie Doty; Nick and Remy Bogdanovich bottom le : Rahul Kodali, Kayla Ibarra, and Zeus Ramirez bottom right: Bryan Rollins and Jeannette Gill
above: Cheryl and Darrin Ruddy, Jonathan Marrero, Lucy Marrero, and Efrain Marrero
top right: Lamont Nesbit Sr., Gabriela Nesbit, and Lamont Nesbit Jr.
right: Wendy, iago, Veronica, Salvador, and Giovanni Alvarado below : Caleb Castillo, Justin omas, and Adriana Prieto bottom row (le to right): Sonya and Yvonne Johnson; Leo Ramos and River Myers; Carlos Ecos; Destinee and Zak Baker
FERTILOME PLANT FOODS
FOOD
By
Michael Donahue
Keeping Dive Bars Alive
Midtown club owners buy iconic bar near Millington.
Louis Connelly, owner of Louis Connelly’s Bar for Fun Times & Friendship in Midtown, is continuing his brand of buying “dive bars” with his latest addition, Kickstart Bar & Grill at 5960 Highway 51, about 10 minutes from Millington, Tennessee.
“ is is just OG dive bar feel,” Connelly says. “You can tell it’s been around for many years.”
People are going to see motorcycles parked outside. “It’s always been a biker bar. Back in the day, it was probably pretty rough, but from what I hear, all the bikers consider it neutral ground,” says Mickey Blancq, Connelly’s business partner.
Small diamond-shaped windows ank the entrance to Kickstart. A 15-foot Miller High Life beer glass made out of concrete stands on one side of the building. Inside, the place explodes with the colors of the neon beer signs that dot the walls along with photographs and old album covers. “Weasel,” one of the regulars, attached various things to the walls over the years, Blancq says. “Every inch is covered,” he says. “All kinds of stu . Old beer signs, license plates. You name it. Elvira cutouts.”
“You look around and you’re in a totally di erent world,” Connelly says.
Two pool tables stand in a separate room to the right of the bar. And a “really beautiful shu eboard table” stands to the le when you walk in. Adam Phillips, who, along with his wife Mitzi, previously owned Kickstart, “services shu eboards all around the city,” Connelly says.
e clientele ranges from “young 30s” to people “in their 80s,” Connelly says.
“Everyone here looks out for everybody else,” Blancq says. “If they have a bad character, they all band together: ‘You’re not welcome here’ kind of deal. ‘ is is our house,’ you know.
“ ey have a list of people who have been banned over the years,” Connelly says. “It’s passed down. People who currently work there have never met them. ey’ve been banned in previous administrations, so to speak. We’re keeping that list going.”
Connelly is impressed with his customer base. “Every time we’ve been out here, everyone is so super nice,” he says. “ ey all know each other and they’ve all got names for each other. at’s how they introduce themselves: ‘My name is this, but people call me this.’”
One guy goes by “Bobby Two Hats.” Another goes by “Dog.” “He barked at me,” Connelly says.
Another “Bobby,” Bobby Crisel, goes by his “Bobby Big Head” nickname. “Ever
since I was in elementary school I’ve been called ‘Big Head,’” Crisel says, adding, “I’ve had it my whole life. I just have a big head.” Crisel, 56, who lives in Shelby Forest, owned Kickstart for about four years around 2016 when it was known as e Point. But he’s been around the bar most of his life. “I kind of grew up in that place.”
Kickstart Bar & Grill went by other names over the years. It was known as e Point before Crisel owned it. en it changed to Tom Cat’s and then Chuck’s before going back to e Point. “It’s an old dive bar,” Crisel says. “Been that way my whole lifetime.”
It was called e Point because it’s at Old Millington Road and Highway 51, Crisel says. “Right there at the point of them. Still today, all the old people say, ‘We’re going to e Point.’”
For now, Kickstart serves “just beer and a couple of nice hard lemonade-type drinks,” Connelly says. “We have applied for a liquor license, and we’ll be adding liquor in a couple of weeks.”
As for its cuisine, Connelly says, “ ere’s a small food menu. All bars are required to serve food.”
Kickstart’s menu is “not as extensive” as their Midtown bar at 322 South Cleveland Street in Midtown. “ ey don’t have fryers. It’s pizzas and nachos. We may end up changing that a little bit. We just bought a new pizza oven. e current pizza oven was Bobby Big Head’s dad’s pizza oven they were borrowing.”
ey’re considering putting in one of those “gas station hot dog grilling stations,” Connelly says. And bringing in food trucks is “probably something down the road,” Blancq says.
We don’t want to change too much, but we want to put a slightly more professional face on this,” Connelly says. “Make sure the equipment is up to code.”
Like its regulars, Connelly and Blancq love Kickstart Bar & Grill, which is about a 15- to 20-minute drive from Midtown. “We want it to succeed,” Connelly says. “ is is a nice place to be when you’re not home or at work.”
PHOTO: MICHAEL DONAHUE
Louis Connelly and Mickey Blancq at Kickstart Bar & Grill
By Abigail Morici
A Homecoming
e late Floyd Newsum’s “House of Grace” brings joy to the Dixon as the artist’s rst major show in Memphis.
As Ellen Daughtery, the Dixon Gallery & Gardens’ assistant curator, prepared the current exhibition on display — “Floyd Newsum: House of Grace” — Newsum, who was based in Houston, told her the show felt like a homecoming. He grew up here, went to Hamilton Elementary and Hamilton Junior and Senior High Schools, and graduated from the Memphis Academy of Arts (later Memphis College of Art) in 1973. “He thought of Memphis as his foundation, his home, where his family was, one of the most important things for him,” Daughtery says. “He believed in Memphis, even though he hadn’t lived here in a long time.”
Unfortunately, Newsum died in August 2024, unable to see the rst major exhibition of his art in Memphis, yet his joy remains, radiating through his work in “House of Grace.”
Resembling almost a child’s sketchbook, full of scribbled shapes and drawings etched into spare space, Newsum’s works on paper captivate viewers’ attention, as their eyes travel from one image to the next, taking in each inch of the paper. e viewer is “engulfed,” Daughtery says, noting the works’ large size.
“It forces you to look up, which for him was important — the idea of ascendance.” Or you can get up close. “It’s really di erent from di erent perspectives.”
“ ey have an overpowering sense to them for sure,” Daughtery adds. “And one of the things that’s fun about them — I think they’re intended to be fun — is that you look at them for a while and you see things emerging out of them.”
is almost seek-and- nd style took decades for Newsum to develop, for it wasn’t until the 2000s that he moved away from realism and toward abstraction. He had learned of women in the Sirigu Village in Ghana who paint and repaint abstract patterns on the walls of their homes each year. “ at was the spark,” Daughtery says. “He said that was the permission: He had to become abstract.”
He wasn’t imitating the Sirigu women, but he saw them as long-distance teachers he wanted to honor in his practice. He even titled a few paintings a er their village. A er all, they were the ones who set him free in abstraction.
“And we should take free at its word,” Daughtery says. “He was a civil rights activist. He believed in the idea of freedom in many di erent contexts, so he thought that abstraction was a freeing thing. It allowed him to get rid of his worries and have a direct emotional response to art.”
And he wanted the same for his viewers — to have a direct emotional response. From simple drawings of animals and houses to cut-out photographs of his grandmother to pasted-on used pastels, Newsum “developed a kind of imagery that he used over and over again,” Daughtery says. “He liked the idea that it was childlike, that he was able to communicate on this level that he thought was universal, like little houses that look like a child’s drawing.”
e houses, a universal symbol of community, also harken to one of Newsum’s projects in Houston, where he spent the majority of his life as a beloved professor at the University of Houston and as cofounder of Project Row Houses, a social art organization that restored shotgun houses into studios in one of the city’s oldest African-American neighborhoods. With its arts-focused mission, Project Row Houses supports artists, young mothers, small businesses, and community members.
Looking back, this passion for community was ingrained in Newsum’s youth. His father was one of the Memphis Fire Department’s rst Black re ghters and a civil rights activist. “He took Floyd with him when he was in high school to rallies,” Daughtery says. “Floyd marched in 1968. He found a great inspiration in his father.”
In turn, ladders appear in Floyd’s works, in homage to his father’s job but also as a symbol of hope. Sometimes, his ladders turn and twist on the paper. “Help isn’t always straightforward, but it’s there,” Daughtery says. “It’s coming.”
It’s just another one of Newsum’s positive ways of looking at life. In life, he was known for saying: “You can delay my success, but you cannot determine it.” In terms of his art, “I would say wider success eluded him until later in life,” Daughtery says, but now he has his “House of Grace.”
“House of Grace” closes April 6th at the Dixon Gallery & Gardens. Admission is free.
Saturday, May 31st, 2025
3-6pm at Overton Square
Sample from the city’s best margarita-makers, vote on your favorite, and we’ll crown an audience winner at the end of this best ‘rita fest!
PHOTO: COURTESY DIXON/ESTATE OF THE ARTIST Floyd Newsum, Soul of Blue
NEWS OF THE WEIRD
By
the editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication
Crosstown Concourse Plaza and Atrium on June 7th! Shop 100+ of the most talented local makers and artists, enjoy delicious craft tastes at our Crafts & Drafts Beer Garden, and partake in all of the fun of Crosstown Concourse!
The Weirdo-American Community
A United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Chicago was forced to divert to Denver on Feb. 9 after a passenger became unruly, LiveandLetsFly.com reported. The man was up out of his seat repeatedly and argued with flight attendants before demanding to know “Where are the Mormons?” One passenger said the incident “escalated into a big physical altercation and several passengers had to rush out of their seats to help the crew pin down this person.” Although the troublemaker was removed from the flight in Denver, the plane sat on the ground for about five hours before continuing to Chicago.
News That Sounds Like a Joke
A high school teacher in Queensland, Australia, has taken to identifying as a cat, 7News-TV reported on Feb. 10. “Miss Purr,” as she prefers to be known, teaches at Marsden State High School, where she “screeches and growls when [her students] don’t listen,” one person posted on Facebook. She also hisses and licks the backs of her hands during class and wears a headband with cat ears. One concerned mother said Miss Purr had made her daughter “purr for a lolly.” The Department of Education said the school was aware of the complaints and the principal was speaking with the teacher.
shaved. “This behavior is completely unacceptable,” said inspector Matt Dickinson. “The cats in question are someone’s pet, part of their family.” Evidently, it’s not the first time the mysterious cat shaver has struck; two Facebook commenters said their cats had been shaved in past years.
It’s
Come to This
A manufacturer of fortune cookies contacted the owner of a Vietnamese restaurant in Sydney, Australia, to announce they would no longer fill her orders for custom messages that are offensive or contain expletives. 9News reported that Nahji Chu, owner of Lady Chu, ordered profanity-laced cookies for Valentine’s Day. But after the manufacturer mistakenly sent some of Chu’s cookies to fulfill another order, causing distress with that customer, they changed their policy. Chu wasn’t happy: “If you’re getting it mixed up with other restaurants, that’s not my fault,” she said. Some of Chu’s more PG-rated cookie messages include, “You are capable of great things. But all you do is look at your phone all day. You won’t be that great sorry! #ladychu” and “The year of the snake bears good fortune! Your divorce is coming soon.” She said she’ll “take out the profanities and be creative” with her next order.
Oops!
Cultural Diversity
On Feb. 10 in Inazawa, Japan, more than 7,000 men wearing only loincloths participated in the Konomiya Naked Festival at a Shinto shrine, The Mainichi reported. The event, which has been held for more than 1,200 years on the 13th day of the first lunar month, features a “god-man” who is thought to carry away misfortune if you touch him. This year’s “god-man” was 26-year-old Ryota Kato, who threw himself into the crowd as the men chanted and fought to touch him. About an hour later, he emerged from the crowd and entered the shrine.
Inexplicable
Law enforcement officers in South Holland, England, are stumped by a rash of pet cats returning to their homes with patches of missing fur, The Spalding and South Holland Voice reported on Feb. 12. The cats have apparently been
The Lee County (Florida, where else?) Sheriff’s Office is investigating after a Feb. 7 incident involving an allegedly intoxicated man riding on a lawnmower, WESH-TV reported. A video camera caught the mower plowing into a mailbox along the street; the man went heels over head and stumbled away from the mower, then returned and drove off, apparently hitting multiple other mailboxes along the way. Matt Clardy, whose mailbox was among the victims, called it “absolutely disgusting” but admitted, “It’s so funny. I can watch it 100 times.” The man left behind a Pittsburgh Steelers hat and sunglasses at one of the scenes; police are still trying to identify him.
NEWS OF THE WEIRD © 2025 Andrews McMeel Syndication. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Barnacles are crustaceans that form vast colonies on rocks, pilings, whales, and boats. They may grow so heavy on a ship that they increase its heft and require as much as a 40-percent increase in fuel consumption. Some sailors refer to them as “crusty foulers.” All of us have our own metaphorical equivalent of crusty foulers: encumbrances and deadweights that drag us down and inhibit our rate of progress. In my astrological opinion, the coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to shed as much of yours as possible. (I’ll be shedding mine in June.)
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In 1088, the Chinese polymath and statesman Shen Kuo published his book Dream Torrent Essays, also translated as Dream Pool Essays. In this masterwork, he wrote about everything that intrigued and fascinated him, including the effects of lightning strikes, the nature of eclipses, how to make swords, building tall pagodas resistant to wind damage, and a pearl-like UFO he saw regularly. I think the coming weeks would be an excellent time for you to begin your own version of Dream Torrent Essays, Gemini. You could generate maximum fun and self-knowledge by compiling all the reasons you love being alive on this mysterious planet.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): The mimosa is known as the “sensitive plant.” The moment its leaves are touched, they fold inwards, exposing the sharp spines of its stems. Why do they do that? Botanists say it’s meant to deter herbivore predators from nibbling it. Although you Cancerians sometimes display equally extreme hairtrigger defense mechanisms, I’m happy to say that you will be unlikely to do so in the coming weeks. You are primed to be extra bold and super-responsive. Here’s one reason why: You are finely tuning your protective instincts so they work with effective grace — neither too strong nor too weak. That’s an excellent formula to make fun new connections and avoid mediocre new connections.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): While sleeping on a recent night, I dreamed of an old friend I had lost touch with for 20 years. It was wonderful. We were remembering mystic breakthroughs we had while younger. When I awoke the next day, I was delighted to find an email from this friend, hoping for us to be back in touch. Hyper-rationalists might call this coincidence, but I know it was magical synchronicity — evidence that we humans are connected via the psychic airways. I’m predicting at least three such events for you in the coming weeks, Leo. Treat them with the reverence they deserve. Take them seriously as signs of things you should pay closer attention to.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): A star that astronomers call EBLM J0555-57Ab is 670 light-years away. Its diameter is the smallest of any known star, just a bit larger than Saturn in our solar system. But its mass is 250 times greater than Saturn’s. It’s concentrated and potent. I’ll be inclined to compare you to EBLM J055557Ab in the coming weeks, Virgo. Like this modest-sized powerhouse, you will be stronger and more impactful than you may appear. The quality you offer will be more effective than others’ quantity. Your focused, dynamic efficiency could make you extra influential.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Libran jazz pianist and composer Thelonious Monk was an influential musician in part because he didn’t conform to conventions. According to music writer Tarik Moody, Monk’s music features “dissonances and angular melodic twists and [is] consistent with his unorthodox approach to the piano, which combined a highly percussive attack with abrupt, dramatic use of switched key releases, silences, and hesitations.” Many of Monk’s most innovative improvisations grew out of apparent mistakes. He explored and developed wrong notes to make them into intentional aspects of his compositions. “His genius,” said another critic, “lay in his ability to transform accidents into opportunities.” I’d love to see you capitalize on that approach, Libra. You now have the power to ensure that seeming gaffes and glitches will yield positive and useful results.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Author Richard Wright said that people “can starve from a lack of self-realization as much as they can from a lack of bread.” That’s rarely a problem for Scorpios, since you are among the zodiac’s best sleuths when exploring your inner depths. Does any other sign naturally gather more selfrealization than you? No! But having said that, I want to alert you to the fact that you are entering a phase when you will benefit from even deeper dives into your mysterious depths. It’s an excellent time to wander into the frontiers of your self-knowledge.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Andean condors hunt for prey while flying through the sky with their 10-foot wingspan. They’ve got a good strategy for conserving their energy: riding on thermal currents with little effort, often soaring for vast distances. I recommend that you channel the Andean condor in the coming weeks, Sagittarius. Always be angling to work smarter rather than harder. Look for tricks and workarounds that will enable you to be as efficient and stress-free as possible. Trust that as you align yourself with natural flows, you will cover a lot of ground with minimal strain. Celebrate the freedom that comes from embracing ease.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Have you ever been part of an innovation team? Its goal is not simply to develop as many new ideas and approaches as possible, but rather to generate good, truly useful new ideas and approaches. The most effective teams don’t necessarily move with frantic speed. In fact, there’s value in “productive pausing” — strategic interludes of reflection that allow deeper revelations to arise. It’s crucial to know when to slow down and let hunches and insights ripen. This is excellent advice for you. You’re in a phase when innovation is needed and likely. For best results, infuse your productivity with periodic stillness.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): While hiking in nature, people often rely on their phones to navigate. And what if their battery dies or there’s poor cell service out in the middle of nowhere? They might use an old-fashioned compass. It won’t reveal which direction to go, but will keep the hiker apprised of where true north lies. In that spirit, Capricorn, I invite you to make April the month you get in closer communication with your own inner compass. It’s a favorable and necessary time to become even more highly attuned to your ultimate guide and champion: the voice of the teacher within you.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “It is advisable to look from the tide pool to the stars and then back to the tide pool.” Aquarian author John Steinbeck wrote that. I think it’s useful counsel for you in the coming weeks. What does it imply? Here are a few meditations: 1. Be tuned in to both the small personal world right in front of you and the big picture of the wider world. Balance and coordinate your understandings of them. 2. If you shift your perspective back and forth between the macrocosmic and microcosmic perspectives, you’re far more likely to understand how life really works. 3. You may flourish best by blending the evaluative powers of your objective, rational analysis and your intuitive, nonrational feelings.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): The earliest humans used bones and pebbles to assist in arithmetic calculations. Later, they got help from abacuses and crude mechanical devices. Electronic calculators didn’t arrive until the 1960s. All were efforts to bypass tedious reckonings. All were ingenious attempts to manage necessary details that weren’t much fun. In that spirit, I encourage you to seek timesaving, boredom-preventing innovations in the coming weeks. Now is an excellent time to maximize your spacious ability to do things you love to do.
By Kailynn Johnson
Whistle While You Work
Disney’s Snow White is the “live action” remake no one asked for.
Two of my favorite Disney remakes include 1998’s Parent Trap and 2004’s Freaky Friday, both starring Lindsay Lohan. I’m de nitely showing my age here when I say I was shocked to even know they were remakes — in fact, I had no interest in watching the originals because I was perfectly ne with the impression their remakes le on me. And while this may be controversial, I think that’s a mark of a good remake. Sometimes the source material may conceptually be timeless, and a few tweaks can bring the story to life for a new generation. But remakes can be tricky, especially when the legacy of the lm is revered in popular culture — especially under the Disney moniker.
It’s no question that Disney can make good lms, both animated and live action. Lately though, that’s not been the case. It seems as if recently Disney has tried to prove to us that they know how CGI works and they have to demonstrate this by using motion capture to give the “live acton” treatment to every animated feature they have in their catalog, regardless of whether anyone asked for it.
e latest lm to become the subject of this experiment is Snow White Directed by 500 Days of Summer’s Marc Webb, it’s a remake of the 1937 animated lm Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Disney’s rst full-length animated feature which cemented itself in pop culture with its timeless iconography.
Aside from taking on a property with such a heavy legacy, the lm had the odds stacked against it before it even hit theaters. e Rachel Zegler hate-train seems to have turned into a bandwagon (for reasons I’m still not
sure of, but are at least partially the result of racism) and some people just don’t like Gal Gadot. Plus, we’re all tired of remakes that we didn’t ask for.
I’ve never seen the original, so there’s no sense of nostalgia for me. e fact that this was my rst impression of the story even excited me, as I wasn’t blinded by bias for a classic. I’m all for widening representation, especially for Disney princesses, and I’m glad Zegler is able to be that for a new generation of young people. I just wish the lm didn’t seem like an extended interaction with Disneyland cast members.
Snow White (Zegler), a princess whose upbringing and in uence on her community is marked by her kindness, falls from the public eye when her mother dies and her father remarries. Her father goes out on a quest to save the kingdom from evil threats and does not return, leaving the Evil Queen (Gadot) to rule over the people. Under her reign, Snow White becomes a scullery maid.
Disney didn’t need to make this.
As she ees, she nds a cottage where she rests until she is awakened by the home’s inhabitants, the seven dwarves.
Obsessed with vanity, the Evil Queen asks her magic mirror daily, “Who is the fairest one of all?” Usually, the mirror’s response is to her liking. But one day the mirror reveals that Snow White is now the fairest, which the queen takes as a threat to her position. Enraged, she orders the Huntsman (Ansu Kabia) to lure Snow White to the forest and kill her, bringing back her heart as proof.
While in the forest, the Huntsman is touched by Snow White’s compassion and warns her of the queen’s plans.
Zegler’s acting is ne — nothing to write too strongly for or against. She de nitely has the voice of a Disney princess, yet the songs themselves aren’t memorable enough for a second listen. Gadot’s performance reminded me of something you’d see in a moviewithin-a-movie, where we’re supposed to know she’s acting badly, like in Singin’ in the Rain when Jean Hagen bombs in e Dueling Cavalier. ere was a lot of time spent showing the mines where the very scary CGI dwarves worked which could
have been better spent cra ing a more seamless story — how did Snow White go from a maid’s dress to her iconic princess garb? We don’t know! I could very well still be spoiled by the musical phenomenon known as Wicked, but I just don’t think Disney knew what they wanted to do with this lm. is could’ve been a way for them to reintroduce a beloved classic for younger audiences, but I doubt the uncanny dwarves will be invited into anyone’s house via rewatch.
Snow White
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Our critic picks the best films in theaters.
A Minecraft Movie
Who is worthy to bring the beloved game franchise to the big screen? Did you guess Jack Black? Because the answer is Jack Black, who plays Steve, a “master craftsman” who is trapped in the world of the game with Jason Momoa, Sebastian Hansen, Emma Myers, and Danielle Brooks. To escape, they must do Minecraft stuff. What does that mean? Building stuff, I guess. I dunno ’cause I’m not 12.
Hell of a Summer
Every great summer camp needs a serial killer to complete the atmosphere, and Camp Pineway’s got one! Co-directed by Billy Bryk and Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard, Hell of a Summer is a throw-
back to the great ’80s slashers like Friday the 13th. Wolfhard and Bryk have supporting roles as almost certainly doomed campers, and look out for Reservation Dogs star D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai.
Mickey 17
Don’t sleep on Bong Joon Ho’s sci-fi romp, which stars Robert Pattinson as multiple versions of the same guy, Mickey, who signed up to be an “expendable” on an interstellar colonization mission without bothering to read the fine print. Mickey takes on the most hazardous jobs in space, but when he inevitably dies, his bosses print out a fresh copy and try again. When Mickey 17 returns from a suicide mission to find Mickey 18 in his bunk, the two Robert Pattinsons have big problems on their hands.
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Students
Testing Season
A little balance goes a long way.
THE LAST WORD By
Patricia Lockhart
(top) Online resources can help; (bottom) parents can absorb the chores.
’Tis the season for testing! While the weather is warming and most of us are eager to get outside, it’s a di erent season for our tweens and teens. I’m the grateful mom of four — an 11-year-old girl, twin 13-year-old boys, and a 16-year-old boy. is spring, they’re all facing end-of-year assessments. My middle schoolers are preparing for TNReady (TCAP), while my high schooler is tackling AP Exams, ACTs, and more. ese tests are crucial for their next steps in education. Since hubby and I know the trajectory we want for their educational future, their performance matters. So we aim for balance during the testing season: work hard, play hard.
Get them tutoring or homework help
Parents, if you know that math isn’t your thing, don’t you go undoing all that hard work the teacher put in by trying to teach your child “how you did math 20-plus years ago.” While the procedural steps of mathematics haven’t drastically changed, the conceptual learning of math has. So leave it up to the professionals. My high schooler is involved with math that contains more letters and angles than numbers. Since there is nothing I can do to help him, I rely on outside resources. Check out tutoring or homework help at your school or local library. e Homework Hotline is still going strong! You can either get help with homework or free weekly tutoring at homeworkhotline.info. My favorite online resource is Khan Academy. It’s lled with standards-aligned content for a variety of subjects. What I love most are their “how-to videos” for math. Khan Academy is great if your tween/ teen already has a foundation about a subject, but just needs more practice.
Ease up on them at home
During the testing season, my hubby and I absorb all the chores and cooking. Typically, everyone in the house has chores they are responsible for, including the parents. We nd it best to consistently model the expectations rather than only voice them. But during testing, hubby and I divide the chores among only us. e kids simply come home and have a little down time before reviewing the next day’s testing subject. We do ask them to be considerate and clean up a er themselves as much as possible.
We also absorb all the cooking responsibilities. Just like the chores, everyone is responsible for cooking a healthy meal at least one night a week. But not during testing season! For three to four weeks, hubby and I cook every meal. Yes, it adds more to our plate a er a long workday, but our future goals are not hinged upon our performance on one test. So we do whatever we can to ensure that our kids have space for rest and review.
Extracurricular activities
Last year, we made a huge mistake. We removed extracurricular activities from the schedule during testing season. No ballet practice. No video games. No random outings. A er school, the kids were instructed to come home, do nothing, then study a little bit. While they were okay for the rst few days, energies began to increase because they did not have a creative outlet. It didn’t take long for the lack of creative outlets to shake things up. Activities like ballet, gaming, and random outings weren’t just fun pastimes — they were little mood-boosters and motivators. Creative outlets gave them a way to let o steam, express themselves, and come back to their studies feeling refreshed. Without them, all that extra energy had nowhere to go, which only led to bickering and boredom.
I’m a huge fan of the Memphis Public Libraries. ey have a ton of activities for tweens/teens to get involved in. Dungeons & Dragons, music labs, videography, Drumming 101, chess, cra s, and so much more! If you’re looking for a creative outlet for your tween/teen, check out the activities at the Memphis Public Libraries.
Testing season can be tough, but it doesn’t have to be miserable. A little balance goes a long way! From tutoring help and lightening their chores to letting them enjoy their favorite activities, it’s all about setting them up for success. And, once again, don’t sleep on the Memphis Public Libraries — they’ve got tons of cool programs to keep kids inspired and refreshed. At the end of the day, we’re just here to cheer them on and help them do their best!
Patricia Lockhart is a native Memphian who loves to read, write, cook, and eat. By day, she’s an assistant principal and writer, but by night … she’s asleep.
PHOTOS: PATRICIA LOCKHART