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OUR 1677TH ISSUE 04.15.21 Did you know that the word “gullible” does not appear in any dictionary? It’s true. Look it up. I’ll wait.

JERRY D. SWIFT Advertising Director Emeritus KELLI DEWITT, CHIP GOOGE Senior Account Executives MICHELLE MUSOLF Account Executive DESHAUNE MCGHEE Classified Advertising Manager ROBBIE FRENCH Warehouse and Delivery Manager JANICE GRISSOM ELLISON, KAREN MILAM, DON MYNATT, TAMMY NASH, RANDY ROTZ, LEWIS TAYLOR, WILLIAM WIDEMAN Distribution 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 CONTEMPORARY MEDIA, INC. ANNA TRAVERSE FOGLE Chief Executive Officer ASHLEY HAEGER Controller JEFFREY GOLDBERG Chief Revenue Officer BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN Editorial Director MARGIE NEAL Production Operations Director KRISTIN PAWLOWSKI Digital Services Director LYNN SPARAGOWSKI Circulation and Accounting Manager KALENA MATTHEWS Marketing Coordinator

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For those of you who did not fall for the best joke I knew in seventh grade, I’ve got another one for you: Did you know that Tom Hanks, Hillary and Bill Clinton, George Soros, Adam Schiff, Chrissy Teigen, and many other rich and famous liberals and Hollywood types are members of a cult that sexually abuses children and then sacrifices and eats them? Except, it’s not a joke. It’s a bizarre fantasy that is believed by the tens of thousands of Americans who buy into the QAnon conspiracy. They look for cryptic clues on the internet that suggest “a storm” is coming in which all the pedophilic evil-doers will be arrested and executed. They share the clues in chat rooms and discuss what they might mean. And I repeat: They really think liberal leaders kill and eat babies. QAnon is considered a violent threat by the FBI and has been banned from most social media platforms. And yet, it persists, having become an especially potent force in the Republican party. There have always been cults, mostly religious-based to some degree, most often designed to channel the twisted beliefs of some charismatic leader: Jim Jones, Charles Manson, David Koresh, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, et. al. But those cults were small in comparison to QAnon. And instead of a charismatic leader, this cult is fronted by an unidentified individual called “Q,” a “top government insider close to the [former] president” who has proof that global elites extract from their child victims’ blood a life-extending chemical named Adrenochrome. Q gets on the internet to post cryptic clues and set dates for when “the storm” might be coming. When one of Q’s predictions doesn’t pan out — which is always — he tells his adherents to “trust the plan.” You see, even the wrong predictions are part of the plan. It’s like a pyramid scheme of stupid: “Where we go one we go all.” In an effort to educate myself, I started watching Into the Storm, the six-part HBO series that looks into the phenomenon that is QAnon. After 45 minutes of watching various deluded idiots proclaim unutterably insane things as fact and brag about getting a wink or a thumbs-up from Trump at a rally for flashing their “Q” gear, I grew weary and started fast-forwarding. I watched the part where an adherent “investigates” a Washington, D.C., parlor called Comet Ping Pong, the one where Hillary Clinton’s sex ring supposedly tortured babies in the basement. “Cheese Pizza,” you see, is code for “child pornography.” I’m not making this up. The investigator concluded “something suspicious” was going on behind a door employees kept going through, and posted his report online, neglecting to mention that the pizza joint didn’t have a basement. I still don’t know if he tried the cheese pizza. His “report” was convincing enough to compel a QAnon true believer to drive 300 miles to Comet Ping Pong and open fire with an assault rifle a few weeks later. I decided then that there was no way I was going to spend six hours of my life learning more about these fools. So I read reviews, and what I learned was that after six episodes, Into the Storm reveals that Q is most likely an American shyster named James Arthur Watkins, who owned the controversial anonymous message board 8chan, and his son, Ronald Watkins, who runs its successor, 8kun. Watkins’ umbrella company, N.T. Technology, also hosted Japanese child pornography sites, according to a 2020 story by Mother Jones. So, yeah, he seems nice. I still don’t quite know how we got here, how a cult as obviously deranged as this one could suck in so many adherents. Unless it’s just that ideas, even (or especially) stupid ones, can spread virally now. Charles Darwin wrote about “natural selection” and survival of the fittest in his theory of evolution. We may be seeing an accelerN E WS & O P I N I O N ated version of that phenomenon, with THE FLY-BY - 4 folks buying into ludicrous online cults NY TIMES CROSSWORD - 6 and absurd anti-vaccination fears and POLITICS - 8 science-denying foolishness at unprecCOVER STORY edented rates. “DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE” BY TOBY SELLS - 10 The outcome is yet to be decided, but WE RECOMMEND - 14 as a sage named P.T. Barnum once said MUSIC - 16 about Americans: “There’s a sucker born CALENDAR - 18 every minute.” Or maybe every second, FOOD - 24 these days. SPIRITS - 25 You could look it up. FILM - 26 Bruce VanWyngarden C LAS S I F I E D S - 28 brucev@memphisflyer.com LAST WORD - 31

CONTENTS

BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN Editor SHARA CLARK Managing Editor JACKSON BAKER Senior Editor TOBY SELLS Associate Editor CHRIS MCCOY Film and TV Editor ALEX GREENE Music Editor SAMUEL X. CICCI, MICHAEL DONAHUE, JON W. SPARKS Staff Writers JESSE DAVIS Copy Editor, Staff Writer JULIE RAY Calendar Editor LORNA FIELD, RANDY HASPEL, RICHARD MURFF, FRANK MURTAUGH, MEGHAN STUTHARD Contributing Columnists AIMEE STIEGEMEYER, SHARON BROWN Grizzlies Reporters ANDREA FENISE Fashion Editor KENNETH NEILL Founding Publisher

THE

fly-by

MEMernet A roundup of Memphis on the World Wide Web. NEW TEAM

POSTED TO TWITTER BY THE CITY OF MEMPHIS

The city of Memphis tweeted footage of Team Waste crews on the streets here Monday morning. Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland fired Waste Pro on Sunday after residents complained the company frequently missed collections. WHICH TVA?

April 15-21, 2021

POSTED TO TWITTER BY THE TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) did a double take last week when it saw its famous initials in the new trailer for the Loki television series. “If we spot him, we’ll reach out to the Time Variance Authority (aka other TVA),” tweeted the TVA. HOLY SMOKE

POSTED TO TWITTER BY MEMPHIS FIRE FIGHTERS

Memphis Fire Fighters posted this photo by Bill Adelman to Twitter showing a crew working a house fire on Hernando Street last week.

{

Questions, Answers + Attitude Edited by Toby Sells

W E E K T H AT W A S By Flyer staff

COVID-19, NBA, & Tom Lee Park Virus protections in jail, local orgs get a basketball bump, and project funding hits a milestone. TOM LEE PARK Funding for the $60 million Tom Lee Park renovation project is now 80 percent complete, according to the Memphis River Parks Partnership (MRPP). The project will completely transform the now-flat and wideopen riverside park with small hills, paths through forests, a cafe with a porch, a covered space for recreation, a new entry plaza, a canopy walk, and more. Construction on the Cutbank Bluff portion of the project is underway now. Half of the project funding will come from state, city, and county coffers. The remainder will be raised privately, an effort that got MEMPHIS RIVER PARKS PARTNERSHIP an early boost with a $5 million gift from the Hyde Family Foundation. MRPP said other gifts have come from AutoZone ($1 milAbove: A rendering of the Memphis River Parks Partnership’s plans for lion), First Horizon Foundation improvements to Tom Lee Park ($1 million), Baptist Memorial Health Care ($750,000), Campbell Clinic ($250,000), and Regional One Health ($250,000). All to a program for young adults training to be entry-level software funds for the 30-acre park project now total $48 million. developers. In the nine-month comprehensive course, students “It’s exciting to know that we’re so close to achieving a goal work in a small classroom and use real-world technologies to that Memphians have dreamt of for nearly a hundred years,” learn the fundamentals of coding and system development. The said Tyree Daniels, MRPP board chair. “The new Tom Lee students, who receive a stipend, also get leadership training. Park will be one of the best parks in America and will create a The Collective Blueprint, which partners with CodeCrew, signature place that Memphis — and Memphians — deserve.” has similar programs for young adults, such as assisting with The public can get a look at the latest design on Wednesday, credential attainment in in-demand career fields including IT, April 14th. Project designers from Studio Gang and SCAPE healthcare, and the skilled trades. The nonprofit initiative was will present the latest details with new visuals and a questionstarted in 2016. and-answer session at the end. COVID PROTECTIONS NBA GRANTS U.S. District Judge Sheryl Halle Lipman of Tennessee’s Western The NBA Foundation has announced a total of more than $3 District approved an agreement between civil rights advomillion in grants aimed at creating employment opportunities, cates and the Shelby County Sheriff ’s office last week that will furthering career advancement, and driving greater economic improve health conditions in jail and protect people from the empowerment in Black communities. ravages of COVID-19. Two of the nine organizations chosen to receive grants are The agreement guarantees that the jail will implement based in Memphis — CodeCrew and The Collective Blueprint. monitoring and reporting, additional jail inspections, imCodeCrew, founded by Nnaemeka Egwuekwe in 2015, proved airflow and ventilation measures to keep people safe educates and mentors Black students and professionals who from airborne transmission of COVID-19, and better quality are underrepresented in tech to become tech innovators and protective equipment for people being detained in the jail. leaders through practical, hands-on computer science training. Visit the News Blog at memphisflyer.com for fuller versions of these stories and more local news. Egwuekwe said the grant would be used to provide support

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Crossword ACROSS

Mount Rushmore figure, familiarly 4 Bit of camp gear 7 Gave personally 13 Setting for peak viewing? 15 “O ___” (greeting on many lolcat memes) 16 Kevin ___, one of the sharks on “Shark Tank” 17 “My goodness!” 19 Alternative to plugs 20 Title for Prince Charles’s Camilla 22 Lug 23 This day and age 24 Biblical “father” 28 General amount of money that something sells for

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Some teasers “Lincoln in the ___” (2017 George Saunders bestselling novel) Young fowl Winter festival Militant org. in a 1994 peace agreement “Mona Lisa,” e.g. Org. for the Philadelphia Union and D.C. United Sticky stuff They’re related Ones whose work is strikingly controversial? “You ___ right!” Detective’s asset Behind-thescenes worker in TV news

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Large bird of the pampas Good name for a tort lawyer Yank who retired with 2,086 R.B.I. Common farming technique … or a hint to solving this puzzle Composer Mahler Chain with a pepper in its logo Make it Common female middle name Scrubbed Piece of deli counter equipment Serving often accompanied by a cinnamon stick Went for a seat

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April 15-21, 2021

South Point Grocery planned for South Main by Cash Saver company.

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PUZZLE BY KYLE DOLAN

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2017 World Series champ Friend to none “We’ve been fooled!” One who goes hog wild? Emphasize Becomes slippery, in a way Bit of trash around a fraternity house Back vocally

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Obtained from milk Fulfilling Party that might have a bouncer “That’s really bad!” First wife of Pablo Picasso Superbright Super time Modern citation info Foreign title of respect

Ardent 52 12 31 2 Erykah of R&B 3 Stunning 53 32 creatures of the 14 36 Amazon 54 18 4 Staples of 55 action films 21 41 56 5 Crew gear 25 6 Hook up with, 26 57 in a way 43 7 Third base, in baseball lingo Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 7,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year). 8 Skin cream ingredient Read about and comment on each puzzle: nytimes.com/wordplay. 9 Kind of network 1

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Fresh foods will be focal to a new grocery store planned for Downtown Memphis. Castle Retail Group, parent company of Cash Saver and High Point Grocery stores, will bring a new store to South Main at 136 Webster. The store, to be called South Point Grocery, is sandwiched between Central Station on the west and the U.S. Postal Service facility on the east. Tom Archer, owner and president of Archer Custom Builders, bought the building in 2017 with visions to bring a grocery store to Downtown Memphis. The store will be small — with a sales floor of about 8,000 square feet — compared to other stores. Its size and the neighborhood pushed the focus on fresh foods, said Rick James, owner and CEO of Castle Retail Group. “We know in a space of this size, we’re not going to have 48-roll toilet paper; it just won’t work,” James said. “But we can handle high-end, fresh produce, deli, bakery, and butcher shop. Quality and freshness would be two of the key words.” Another grocery store has been on the Downtown to-do list for more than a decade, as some have said Miss Cordelia’s feels far away and disconnected from Downtown’s Central Business District. James said many now drive five miles to Midtown stores, like Cash Saver or Kroger, to stores in West Memphis, Arkansas, or to big-box stores like Costco on Germantown Parkway. James and Archer said South Point Grocery makes sense now with Downtown’s new population density. Nearly

TOBY SELLS

From left: Vera Stanfield, Tom Archer, Taylor James, and Rick James

26,000 people lived Downtown last year, according to the latest numbers from the Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC), up slightly from the nearly 25,000 people who lived there in 2010. DMC data says nearly 88,000 occupy Downtown during the day. “We’ve been down here all these years and South Main has been kind of on the edge of busting wide open,” said Archer, whose company is headquartered on South Main. “We wanted to get ahead of that but it beat us. It’s been crazy down here the last couple of years. So, this is perfect timing.” South Point Grocery was, in part, inspired by Castle’s success at High Point Grocery. James said before buying the beloved community grocery store, his company had not really done a smallformat store. Without it, “we wouldn’t have had the confidence that we can” run a smaller store Downtown. Archer said he’d been looking for a partner for his Downtown grocery building, saw James talking about High Point Grocery on the news, and walked away impressed when he went to see it for himself. The building features a parking deck on the east side with plenty of on-street parking available on Webster. A covered patio with ceiling fans fronts the street, which James said will be used for dining and, perhaps, live music.

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POLITICS By Jackson Baker

Holy Anger Rev. Bill Adkins asks for community focus on crime control.

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Surrounded by a phalanx of African-American ministers, the Rev. Bill Adkins of Greater Imani Church stood in front of the Memphis Public Library last Friday afternoon. He quoted new dismal statistics about overnight killings in some Black neighborhoods of Memphis and uttered a call to action. “What are we going to do?” he asked. “Why aren’t we upset? Why aren’t we as angry about the shooting of the little children in Memphis as we were about the shooting of Breonna Taylor in Kentucky? Why aren’t we as angry as we are about the death of George Floyd and the trial of his murderers. Why are we not angry? I’m asking the citizens of Memphis to develop a righteous indignation of holy anger!” Adkins has a standing in the larger community of Memphis, well-earned from his long-term immersion in the affairs of the city. In 1991, he was instrumental in the call to action that resulted in the waves of Black voters who made Willie Herenton the first elected African-American mayor in Memphis history. He hosted a radio show for years that drove home the unmet needs of Memphis. And here he was again, at a time of crisis, sounding the alarm. The following distillation of his remarks indicates how it went: “We should be willing to open our mouth and we should be willing to testify,” Adkins said. “We should be willing to turn people in. It’s not snitching. We should be willing to do the things necessary to rid our communities of the violence that is taking hold. We have communities that are worse than some communities in Iraq, worse than communities in war zones. “We need forums, town hall meetings, honest discussions regarding the real problems that we have here in Memphis. We need more community policing, neighborhood watch stations, police stations. We need more church involvement to offer collective alternatives for youth, such as sports programs, summer camps, job training. We need to hold our elected officials

accountable, along with our boards. But most importantly, we must care! “I was born in an impoverished neighborhood; everybody was poor. Poverty was never an excuse to kill. … We have problems and we know our problems. We have socio-economic problems. But we can’t stop making excuses for rapid crime that’s hitting the lives of citizens every day. We’ve got to stop worrying about the problems that existed forever before.” Adkins insisted that his listeners needed to take personal responsibility. “We are guilty of the crime that is in our midst. We don’t fall asleep by the raindrops falling down on the roof every night. We fall asleep by gunshots. And it’s not one night. Not just tonight, every night. Every night they fear for their life.” Adkins addressed himself to the passage of a state law allowing permitless carry of handguns. “This constitutional carry law is ridiculous. All that means is more guns are gonna be in the hands of people who don’t need them. People are going to have these guns stolen out of their cars. They’re going to be taken from them. If you haven’t had training with a gun, it’s just as good for you as a paperweight. People think that they are trained. It’s one of the worst ideas from one of the worst governors we’ve ever had.” Adkins addressed the current search for a new leader of the Memphis Police Department. “We are looking for a police director. He or she will have to be a very, very special person. … one who will be a presence in our community and not a military person. And for the purpose of community support, [we need] a presence of police officers who show, not just their badge and their gun, but their heart and their intent and their good nature. “We must hold everybody accountable. From the mayor down to city council and county commission. And not only do we hold them accountable, we’ve got to look at our own responsibility for funding the programs, resources, and community education. You can bite the bullet and deal with the budget. We’ve got to have jobs. We’ve got to find activities. We’ve got to teach them. We’ve got to help the parents.”

So, as we enter this new year, resolve to support the free, independent local paper that’s always here for you. Even a little helps a lot.

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COV E R STORY BY TOBY SELLS PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY MEMPHIS AND SHELBY COUNTY ROOM, BENJAMIN L. HOOKS CENTRAL LIBRARY

Riverside DOWN BY THE

Will a new pedestrian-friendly plan for Riverside Drive slow traffic and increase accessibility?

The grand-opening ceremonies included a parade of 300 cars, a Greyhound bus, a string of locomotives, towboats in the river, and even airplanes buzzing overhead to represent all forms of transportation that would benefit the city.

April 15-21, 2021

t’s a major Memphis street. It’s a Downtown connector. It’s a park. It’s a festival grounds. It’s for going fast. It’s for taking it slow. It’s an urban planning laboratory. It’s for cars. It’s for everyone. It’s a front door. It’s a dump. It’s a movie set. It’s open. It’s closed. When it comes to Riverside Drive, it’s complicated. And it’s been complicated even before the street opened in 1935. Back then, Riverside was built as a way to shore up and clean up the bluff. It was thought that the street might help connect Downtown to the city’s iconic riverfront for motorists, pedestrians, cyclists, locals, tourists, and anyone who wanted an up-close look at the Big Muddy. Since 2014, no fewer than five projects have transformed Riverside in one way or another, and now the street is back to its original four-lane configuration. But that will change. Data from numerous public meetings shows people want “transformative” change there to make it 10 “less of a highway,” says Nicholas Oyler, bike and pedestrian program manager for the

city of Memphis. But there’s been plenty of disagreement on what that change looks like and how to do it. Maybe no other Memphis street has gotten so much attention over the years. Oyler says Riverside is scenic, it’s the access point to our riverfront, and it’s the “doorstep to our city. Part of the fact that there is so much attention on [Riverside] is that — no matter what somebody’s opinion is — the street is not living up to its potential.” “GOD’S FOOT” … AND GARBAGE Garbage and trash planted the seeds for Riverside Drive. Burning debris and rusted junk blanketed the bluff in the 1920s, from Beale Street to the Frisco

…

A vintage postcard shows Riverside Drive shortly after it opened, before any landscaping helped beautify “the most costly highway in the world.”

COURTESY OF VANCE LAUDERDALE

once fell away and literally created an up-and-down ravine of about 15 feet. This and other issues were finally fixed with a $2 million renovation project in 1990. That fix came just in time for Riverside’s close-up in Sydney Pollack’s 1993 film version of John Grisham’s novel, The Firm. In the movie, Riverside symbolizes a free and wide-open escape from Memphis and the firm by Mitch and Abbie McDeere (Tom Cruise and Jeanne Tripplehorn)

down Riverside, and the worries about public safety all of it brought to the street. All of those concerns continue to this day. A “COMPLETE STREET” In 2008, spades of dirt were turned to break ground on Beale Street Landing, a $44 million river passenger boat dock along Riverside, which was completed in 2014. That year began years of a low-heat controversy on Riverside that has simmered in the

Clean up your own backyard — garbage dumped along the riverfront bluff created noxious fumes and an excellent reason to improve the area.

…

Construction for Riverside Drive began in 1930, with a price tag of over $1 million.

who cruise the street at the end credits for, maybe, one last look at the city before returning to Boston. Fast forward through the 1990s and most of the 2000s and nothing much changed on Riverside, except the annual closing of the road for Memphis in May International Festival (MIM). There were always complaints of loud parties in Tom Lee Park, complaints of cruising up and

minds of many Memphians ever since, and may continue for a while yet. At the end of MIM that year, city officials announced they’d keep Riverside closed for an additional two weeks to reconfigure the street, making it more accessible for bikes and pedestrians. The decision was based on recommendations for Riverside in a 2013 report from landuse consultant Jeff Speck.

“Riverside Drive, which is annually narrowed and closed with little negative impact on the Downtown, should be converted from a four-lane speedway to a two-lane ‘complete street,’ including parallel parking and a protected bicycle track along the Mississippi River,” the report read. The pilot project reduced car traffic lanes from four to two lanes between Beale and Carolina. The “road diet” was to make the riverfront “safer, more active, and accessible.” “The pilot project helps the public envision how Riverside Drive could be repurposed for greater enjoyment by bicyclists and pedestrians,” said John Cameron, (who was at the time) the city engineer. “It also gives technical experts a chance to evaluate traffic impacts on Riverside Drive and the Downtown street network as the ultimate configuration of Riverside Drive is determined.” A 2016 report from a city engineers project found that traffic volumes and traffic patterns remained mostly unchanged during the 12-month “complete street” project. Traffic speeds lowered from an average of 47 miles per hour in 2006 (when the posted speed limit was 40 mph) to an average low of 38 mph during the pilot project in September 2014 (when the posted limit was 35 mph). That average rose to 48 mph in July 2015, after the project concluded. Car crashes increased during the 2014 pilot project, too. From June to May 2013, 20 crashes were reported on Riverside. From June to May 2014, 32 were reported, a 14 percent increase. No crash on Riverside was fatal from 2012 to 2015. Injury accidents were cut nearly in half during the pilot project, from 30 percent in the year before it to 16 percent during it. The report said the types of crashes “changed significantly.” “Prior to the pilot phase, nearly half of crashes were out-of-control, run-off-theroad crashes typically linked to excessive driving speeds,” reads the report. “During the pilot phase, however, these types of crashes greatly reduced and were replaced by slow-speed, rear-end and sideswipe crashes, oftentimes located near the entrance of Tom Lee Park parking lot.” Then-Memphis Mayor A C Wharton cited the rise in crashes as one reason to reopen Riverside to four lanes of car traffic in June 2015. But he told reporter Bill Dries, then at The Memphis Daily News, that “there will be bike lanes” on Riverside but he wanted to ensure that “we have the best configuration … considering everybody’s views.” People for Bikes, the cycling advocacy group, ranked the Riverside bike lane project in its top 10 bikes lanes of the year in 2014, calling it a “perfect example” of an “agile” continued on page 12

COVER STORY m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

Bridge (just south of the Harahan Bridge), according to a 2019 Memphis magazine story by Michael Finger. In the early 1900s, riverboat captains on the Mississippi knew they were nearing Memphis by the smell and the trash dumped on the city shore. In 1922, erosion on the bluff sucked a Frisco Railroad locomotive into the river. In 1926, Tennessee Brewery employees found “deep, yawning fissures in the bluffs behind their building running parallel to the river,” and others heard “ominous rumbling noises coming from deep underground,” Finger wrote. In July of that year, a chunk of the bluff nearly three city blocks long plunged into the river “taking with it houses, railroad tracks, and the entire West Kentucky Coal Company.” “God has just done set His foot right down on this here earth,” a woman who lived nearby told newspapers at the time. “Yes, He’s just stepped on it.” Something had to be done, city leaders knew. The motivation mostly came from the stink, according to one version of the story. In that version, according to Finger, Memphis Mayor Watkins Overton and political boss E.H. Crump were standing in Confederate Park (now Memphis Park) one evening when both were almost overcome with the noxious fumes drifting from the dump. “A wall of smoke and evil-smelling fumes from the almost continuously burning trash piles made the riverfront desolate by day and the harbor of bad odors at night,” Overton told a newspaper at the time. He said that he and Crump discussed how to improve the situation. “Out of this conversation came the plan to make the Memphis riverfront something of which the city could be proud.” Another story has Riverside Drive first proposed as a bluff-top north-south connector for North and South Parkways. A wrinkle in another version has a harbor engineer placing the street at the bottom of the bluff instead of the top. No matter where the idea came from, construction began in 1930. Complications pushed the cost over $1 million, causing local newspapers to label it “the most costly highway in the world.” Once complete, though, a Corps of Engineers official said “Memphis now has the most beautiful waterfront on the river.” “We have not only completed a beautiful scenic highway, but we have protected millions of dollars’ worth of property, eradicated a menace to health, and erased Memphis’ poorest advertisement, a dump and garbage heap in its front yard,” Mayor Overton said at Riverside’s grand opening on March 28, 1935. Riverside Drive has had its ups and downs in the years after the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The garbage under one section

continued from page 11 planning approach. “In bike planning, Memphis is the antiSan Francisco,” read the People for Bikes web post at the time. “The city reasons that there’s no better way to make its planning process public than to rapidly get a project on the ground, listen to the ways people react to it, and adjust as needed. ‘Ready, fire, aim,’ Memphis planner Kyle Wagenschutz says.”

April 15-21, 2021

TINKERING ON THE RIVER City leaders have tinkered with Riverside four other times since that pilot project in 2014. A host of public meetings surrounded a proposal to bring bike lanes back to Riverside to help connect the newly opened Big River Crossing to Downtown. The comments collected during those public meetings show Memphians’ often divergent thinking about changing Riverside Drive. Some love it for bikes. Some hate it for cars. Some want tax money spent on cops and not on projects that benefit “only a few.” Others (usually cyclists) gave technical advice on turns, crossings, and more. “This looks awesome!” reads one comment. “Thank you for bollards. Everyone treats Riverside like a racetrack!” But another comment said, “Of all the proposals, this is the most extreme and the most harmful to the flow of traffic in an area that requires more than a single lane of traffic in each direction. This proposal should be shelved.” “Riverside needs to be slowed down for certain,” reads another comment at the time. “I do not feel safe as a cyclist or pedestrian in the area. The naysayers have to accept to share the road with other users.” Another commenter said, “absolutely not.” “Have you even studied the use of these lanes!” the commenter said. “Simply building bike lanes will not make bike riders out of non-riders. Stop wasting tax dollars to benefit a few hundred people!” That proposal was, ultimately, shelved. But it didn’t stop leaders from further tinkering with Riverside. RiverPlay closed a section of the street from Court to Jefferson for a few months in the early summer months of 2017. The popup installation brought basketball courts, a roller skating rink, food trucks, and more to the street. The most recent closure of Riverside Drive was not driven primarily by urban planning, though. The street was blocked off from Georgia to Union in March 2020 in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. The move was a broader effort to limit access 12 to parks and the “first restriction will be to cars,” Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said

on March 30, 2020. “Riverside Drive will be closed, and I will be closing as many roads in and around parks that the fire marshal will let me,” Strickland said. “Second, even though our Safer at Home Order sets this out, I will repeat — no groups of people will be allowed to congregate in our parks.” The street was reopened to car traffic in July 2020 for weekday traffic, though the Tom Lee Park parking lots were still barricaded. The street opened completely in late March 2021. During that year, many Memphians, especially many Downtowners, grew to love the quiet street. Social media was alive with positive comments from cyclists, roller skaters, snow sledders, dog walkers, and more. But Jerred Price, president of the Downtown Neighborhood Association (DNA), says another group felt left out. “We had a lot of disabled neighbors come to us and say, ‘This isn’t equitable

Riverside. He argued for safety and access to the riverfront and against “more traffic easing or slowing or speed bumps or lane reductions or any other euphemism for cars on Riverside below the bluff bordering Tom Lee Park. “Nobody with a baby carriage should have to play dodge ’em with cars to get across Riverside,” Conaway wrote. “Nobody with a cooler, or a cane, or a leash, or the hand of a child should have to risk life and limb to get to the river.” THE NEWEST NEW PLAN Opinions diverge when it comes to Riverside, and they have for years. But when the Memphis River Parks Partnership (MRPP) unveiled its newest plan for Riverside last week, those opinions began to converge. The new plan announced that it would make a “safer, slower Riverside Drive” by introducing a number of traffic-calming interventions along the stretch bordering

The construction of Riverside Drive required working with private landowners, railroads, city and federal government, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. for us because the parking lot with the handicapped spaces is closed,’” Price says. “‘Our tax dollars — everyone’s tax dollars — paid for the parking lot but now we’re being forced way up on the bluff.’” Traffic began to rise Downtown, too, and Price said neighbors worried emergency services vehicles were slowed on interior city streets, instead of the wide-open Riverside. For these reasons, Price and his group advocated for Riverside to reopen once COVID-19 restrictions began to lift and helped secure the partial reopening in July. Temporary handicap parking was added near the corner of Front and Riverside, though Price said the walk to the park was still too far for some. Others advocated for Riverside to be permanently closed. Columnist Dan Conaway recently opined in The Daily Memphian that roads around Riverside can easily absorb any traffic caused by a closed

Tom Lee Park. The plan would focus on three crossings across Riverside: one at Vance, another at Huling, and one at Butler. These would be pedestrian crossings to connect Tom Lee Park, combining several elements to slow traffic and make crossing safer. As motorists approach a crossing, they’ll first encounter a speed hump, warning them of the crossing ahead. At the crossing, they’ll find a speed table, a ramp larger and steeper than a speed hump. The tops of these speed tables would be level with sidewalks on both sides of the street, so pedestrians would not have to step down as they crossed. And the tables will be high enough to force slower speeds. “You’ve got this combination of design mechanisms that force traffic to slow down,” says MRPP president and CEO Carol Colletta. “Otherwise, your car gets damaged and, maybe so do you because of the jolt

you’ll feel.” Spots for parallel parking along the street are also expected to slow traffic. Such parking will be available only in three “pods” along the western edge of Riverside. Together, these areas are expected to yield 60 parking spots along the street. To the immediate west of the parallel parking pods will be a median to separate cars parked there and a straight path for bikes and scooters. Coletta says that path is hoped to keep that faster traffic out of the main part of the park for strolling pedestrians. The new design also removes the decorative median strip from the center of Riverside Drive. Smaller medians will remain, though, closer to the three street crossings. The combination of all of these interventions is expected to slow traffic at the crossings to 15 miles per hour. The plan is expected to slow Riverside’s fastest traffic to 30-35 mph and slow average speeds to 20-25 mph. Coletta says rules enforcement and traffic signs will still be needed along Riverside, but she hopes the new plan will slow traffic more naturally. “The more we rely on design to make streets safer, the better off we’ll be and the more likely we are to sustain the slow speeds that deliver safety,” she says. Construction of the new Riverside Drive is slated to begin when construction of the new Tom Lee Park begins. That project kicks off after MIM wraps up later this year. DNA president Price, who is oft-times at odds with the MRPP, says the plan is “what we’ve been advocating for and asking for since late last year. We’ve finally been heard and we can’t thank [MRPP] enough for finally allowing that to move forward.” Oyler, the city bike and pedestrian program manager, says the plan knits together two concerns that are in direct conflict with one another: quick, easy access for cars to the area and slowing cars there for better pedestrian access. “[The MRPP plan] is one of the best attempts at a compromise between these two diametrically opposed positions,” he says. Riverside Drive is a complicated situation. Solutions haven’t been easy, and that’s not from a lack of trying — for decades. So far, the new MRPP plan has most everyone singing from the same song book. So far, there’s not any of the city’s usual and plentiful public backlash. Coletta says the plan meets the criteria set out in mediation with MIM and it has the approval of Mayor Strickland. So maybe, just maybe, MRPP has devised a solution that’s been sought after for decades. We won’t know for a while, though, so, until then, we’ll keep a watch on the riverside.

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We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews

In the Loop

COURTESY OF ARTWORKS FOUNDATION

Work by Lester Jones

By Julie Ray

After a tumultuous year of cancellations and setbacks, ArtWorks Foundation’s annual Art in the Loop festival tested the waters with a scaleddown socially distanced event last October. It was a huge success. “The artists were ready to sell and the art lovers were ready to buy,” says Greg Belz, ArtWorks Foundation CEO and event organizer. “It was time to take a stand and save art festivals for posterity. We couldn’t stand by and let them just evaporate. People who depend on these festivals for a living shouldn’t be ignored.” The annual festival in April is back, complete with festival fan favorites like felting artist Chris Armstrong from Nashville and local sculpture artist Lester Jones. Food trucks will be on-site, including Cousins Maine Lobster, VooDoo Cafe, MemPops, Eat at Eric’s, and 2 Buck Grilled Cheese. Memphis Dermatology Clinic will offer free skin cancer screenings daily. On Sunday, The Bartlett Community Concert Band will close festivities starting at 2 p.m. with classic favorites. Meander through the Ridgeway Loop in the open air as regional artists talk to you about their art and provide demonstrations. You will find fine crafts and art made from metal, glass, wood, clay, and fiber, plus jewelry, paintings, photography, and more. If you can’t partake in the festivities in person, consider doing something sweet for our regional artists by ordering from See’s Candies. Click the Yum Raising fundraising link on ArtWorks Foundation’s Facebook page and a portion of your See’s Candy purchase will benefit the organization that supports the arts.

RICHARD MURFF

MICHAEL LEDRAY | DREAMSTIME.COM

ART IN THE LOOP, RIDGEWAY LOOP AT BRIARCREST, FRIDAY-SUNDAY, APR. 16, 1-6 P.M., APR. 17, 10 A.M.-6 P.M., AND SUNDAY, APR. 18, 11 A.M.-4 P.M., FREE.

Old Dominick’s No. 10 Gin is just the thing for a summer cocktail. Spirits, p. 25

Out-of-town investors are pricing local families out of homeownership. The Last Word, p. 31

April 15-21, 2021

VARIOUS DAYS & TIMES April 15th - 21st

Juke Joint Festival Various locations in Clarksdale, MS, jukejointfestival.com, ThursdaySunday, Apr. 15-18, $30 Art exhibitions and talks, festival merchandise, blues music, and more. Events held in outdoor common areas and venues throughout Clarksdale. Central Gardens Association’s Film & TV Walking Tour Central Gardens, centralgardens.org, Thursday, May 15, through May 2, free Virtual, self-guided tour of homes that have been used as film/TV sites, plus Elmwood Cemetery tour.

Annual Volunteer Plant Sale Lichterman Nature Center, 5992 Quince, starts Friday, Apr. 16, 9 a.m., continues through May 29, on-site shopping by appointment Thousands of plants will be available via online and on-site shopping. Neat Hattiloo Theatre, 37 S. Cooper, opens Fri., Apr. 16, 7:30 p.m., continues through May 9, $150 for four seats The story of an urban African-American girl bursting into adulthood, experiencing first love, and embracing both Black pride and feminism.

Murder for Two Streaming live from Playhouse on the Square, playhouseonthesquare.org, closing weekend Fri.-Sat., Apr. 16-17, 7 p.m., and Sun., Apr. 18, 2 p.m., $25 When Arthur Whitney is shot and killed, a would-be detective must solve the mystery before the real detective arrives.

Novel at Home: Sidney Thompson and Kristee Lane Online from novelmemphis.com, Saturday, Apr. 17, 4 p.m., free with registration Author of Hell on the Border will be joined in conversation by 103.5 WRBO radio personality, educator, and parenting coach Kristee Lane via Zoom.

“Victorians & Dinosaurs” Mallory-Neely House Museum, 652 Adams, Saturday, Apr. 17, 6 p.m., $10 Steve Masler will talk about what Victorians thought about dinosaurs and how it affected Victorian life.

Artist Reception for “A Flowering” Flicker Street Studio, 74 Flicker, Saturday, Apr. 17, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., free The show encompasses a natureinspired theme that celebrates the arrival of spring.

GPACweb.com

COURTESY OF COOPER-YOUNG COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION

“Got to sit down, take a rest on the porch.”

Porch Swingin’ By Julie Ray The Cooper-Young community’s roots are showing — grassroots, that is. Like most events in Cooper-Young, a few folks got together and said, “Hey, you know what we ought to do?” And Memphis’ first Porchfest quickly grew into a grassroots celebration of spring, music, and Cooper-Young. The first Porchfest was held in Ithaca, New York, in 2007, and has spread to more than 100 cities since. Now, the festival has found a place in the historic Cooper-Young neighborhood. Staged on the many eclectic porches in the area, musicians can perform on their own porch or find a friend who lives in the neighborhood and play on their porch. Coupled with this event, the Cooper-Young Community Association will also be bringing back their annual community yard sale. Those CY folks are a neighborly bunch and have been missing the many community events that usually take place throughout the year. “After a lot of reflection about what can and cannot be done safely, and our collective need to come together as a community, the association has decided to host yard sales and Porchfest in 2021,” says Amanda Yarbro-Dill, executive director of the Cooper-Young Community Association. “We had quite a bit of success with the porch shows and the Light the Way event we hosted in 2020. What better way to welcome spring, and shared optimism about a return to something resembling normalcy, than an event celebrating music and facilitating connections between neighbors and the greater Memphis community?” The yard sale starts at 8 a.m., followed by the Porchfest at noon. Follow the Cooper-Young Community Association on Facebook for more information.

SPRING INTO THE GROVE!

THURSDAY, 4/15 FEATURING

BLACKWATER TRIO

COOPER-YOUNG PORCHFEST, COOPER-YOUNG DISTRICT, SATURDAY, APR. 17, NOON- 6 P.M., FREE.

BLACKWATER TRIO

GPAC YOUTH SYMPHONY PROGRAM

TWO PERFORMANCES

2:00 PM AND 4:30 PM

IRIS ORCHESTRA Rajun Cajun Crawfish Festival Minglewood Hall, 1555 Madison, Sat., Apr. 17, and Malco Cordova Theatre, Sun., Apr. 18, noon-5 p.m., crawfish/$25 per bucket Drive-through crawfish caravan with music from local talent R2DJ, benefiting Porter-Leath. Virtual Reception for “Measured Making: The 150mm Challenge” Online from metalmuseum.org, Sun., Apr. 18, 2-3 p.m., free Exhibition by amateur and professional blacksmiths who each turned a 150mm steel rectangle into something special.

Sugar Brown Chuckles Comedy Club, 1700 Dexter, Sunday, Apr. 18, 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., $27-$50 Comedy featuring Sugar Brown, the seductive alter ego of Lanita Shera.

Yoga on the River Mississippi River Park off Riverside Drive, Tues., Apr. 20, 5:30 p.m., free Candace with Yoga Kickback teaches yoga in-person or online from the Downtown Memphis Instagram.

La Bamba Malco Paradiso, 584 S. Mendenhall, and Collierville Cinema, 380 Market, Collierville, Sunday, Apr. 18, 3 p.m., and Wednesday, Apr. 21, 7 p.m., $15 The story of Ritchie Valens — you’ll never hear “Sleepwalk” by Santo and Johnny the same way again.

Working: A Musical Online from the University of Memphis Theatre and Dance, memphis.edu/theatre, opens Wednesday, Apr. 21, 7:30-9 p.m., continues through Apr. 24, free Features an exciting, eclectic score that juxtaposes individual songs and spoken stories, showing us a glimpse at how Americans view work.

MICHAEL STERN, MUSICAL DIRECTOR

NANCY ZHOU, VIOLIN SUNDAY 5/1 2:00 PM

NANCY ZHOU, VIOLIN 1801 EXETER ROAD GERMANTOWN, TN 38138 901.751.7500 • GPACweb.com

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Star power — Memphian Carmeon Hamilton (center) stars in the first season of HGTV’s Design Star: Next Gen. TV, p. 26

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

SATURDAY 4/24

MUSIC By Alex Greene

The River’s Invitation

ALBUM COVER ARTWORK BY LILLYE HOPE ALBUM COVER PHOTOS BY DAN BALL AND WES EDMONDS

Robert Allen Parker’s new LP is classic rock reimagined.

April 15-21, 2021

If you love classic rock — not just the hits, but the deep cuts — you may be shocked to find that it’s still being made with its original pioneering spirit right here in Memphis. Not by a tribute band, but by a loosely affiliated group brought together by guitar-slinger Robert Allen Parker, who emulate the foundational “anything goes” ethos that made the genre take the world by storm in the first place. Many know Parker from his appearances on Beale Street, or as a clerk at the Memphis Music record shop there, but his interests and ambitions go far beyond the blues. And what’s more, he has the guitar and songwriting chops to create just the kind of venturesome album that could have been born in the early ’70s. That’s just what he’s done with The River’s Invitation, a new double LP he released on his own Broken String Records last month. And while Parker does play in an Allman Brothers tribute band, Trouble No More (and looks the part), this album goes far beyond simply recreating the sounds of 50 years ago, opting instead to cultivate the same experimental, collaborative energy that informed the entire era. Memphis Flyer: It’s impressive that you created an album that sounds both old and fresh at the same time. Robert Allen Parker: The stuff I love the most was from the classic era of rock-and-roll and, of course, that’s vinyl albums. Exile on Main Street, the “White Album,” Electric Ladyland: These are albums that are very comprehensive and allow the artist to stretch out into all kinds of musical territory. And you have the different sides, which are like different trips that you take as a listener, like five or six songs that have a flow to them.

really into Memphis garage rock. I love that straight ahead, driving rock-and-roll that’s not so much about the instruments, it’s more about the song or the feeling. I love combining that with the way I play guitar and write.

DANNY DAY

Robert Allen Parker Even though it’s different musical genres, it feels seamless. Because it’s all coming from the same place, really. From my musical vision. You even incorporate some Eastern scales and harmonies, not unlike some Led Zeppelin deep cuts. That’s the Eastern, Indian, or Arabic scale that was used by Zeppelin and a lot of the earlier psychedelic bands. I wanted to have that be a part of my vision. I love when you’re listening to an album and the songs are not so traditional. Another example would be having short songs between the longer pieces. The spoken word segments on the new album, that’s a guy named Smokey Yates who I work with Downtown. He’s up there in age, and he’s been Downtown pretty much all his life. Another influence that may be harder to hear is, I’m

With horns and wah-wah guitar, there’s lot of soul and funk in the mix as well, including a track with the Hi Rhythm Section. The first 20 songs were recorded at Doug Easley’s studio in 2015, and I was more focused on original material — guitar-based instrumentals and rock songs. I was like, “I have an album ready,” but I felt like I didn’t have all my genres covered. I needed more blues, more soul, more funk. To have the complete vision, I needed to have another session at a different studio, just to get a different sound and feel. And Scott Bomar’s studio, Electraphonic, was perfect for that. You don’t sing on this, but have a stellar cast of guest vocalists, like Candice Ivory, Chris Stephenson, Lahna Deering, Jason Freeman, and Yubu Kazungu. And the real standout is Kennard Farmer, who sings most of the songs. How did you end up working with him? He’s an amazing discovery. I met him through Khari Wynn, who plays bass and guitar on the album. He’s done a lot of R&B and soul, so I wanted to experiment and get him in the studio with old-school blues. He sounded so good on those songs, I just kept the experiment going. He’s one of these obscure talents of Memphis, and there are so many of them. People who should be singing in stadiums or something. The River’s Invitation can be purchased at robertallenparker.com.

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CALENDAR of EVENTS:

April 15 - 21

T H EAT E R

Hattiloo Theatre

The Women of Color Monologues, featuring monologues written and performed by Ruby Bright, Judy Maina, Beverly Sakauye, Maritza Davila, Mahal Burr, and Yancy Villa-Calvo. hattiloo.org. Ongoing. Neat, the story of an urban African-American girl bursting into adulthood, experiencing first love, and embracing both Black pride and feminism. $150 for four seats. Saturdays, Sundays, 2 p.m., and Fridays, 7:30 p.m. Through May 9. 37 S. COOPER (502-3486).

The Orpheum

Orpheum Virtual Engagement, join Orpheum staff, artists, and students for activities, interviews, and more on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Visit website for more information. Ongoing. 203 S. MAIN (525-3000).

Playhouse on the Square

Murder for Two, hilarious whodunnit musical puts the laughter in manslaughter. Live-streamed from the stage. playhouseonthesquare.org. $25. Sun., 2 p.m., and Fri., Sat., 7 p.m. Through April 18. 66 S. COOPER (726-4656).

Theatre Memphis

Online on Stage, a Theatre Memphis Facebook group that serves as a clearinghouse for performers wanting to share their talents. Featuring storytime, readings, or performance art. Ongoing. 630 PERKINS EXT. (682-8323).

University of Memphis Department of Theatre & Dance

April 15-21, 2021

Working: A Musical, features an exciting, eclectic score that juxtaposes individual songs and spoken stories, showing us a glimpse at how Americans view

Artist reception for “A Flowering” at Flicker Street Studio, Saturday, April 17th, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Beverly and Sam Ross Gallery at Christian Brothers University

“Rome: A Study of The Changing America,” exhibition of works that fuse anime and digital art with a traditional style to create new visions often drawn from the artist’s dreams by Kenneth Wayne Alexander II. View online or by appointment. cbu.edu/gallery. Through April 16.

work. memphis.edu/theatre. Free with registration. April 21-24, 7:30-9 p.m. VIRTUAL/ONLINE.

A R TI S T R EC E PT I O N S

Flicker Street Studio

650 EAST PARKWAY SOUTH (321-3243).

Artist reception for “A Flowering,” exhibition of 14 works by seven artists from across the country, the show encompasses a nature-inspired theme that celebrates the arrival of spring. Sat., April 17, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Binder Projects

“Bright Lites,” exhibition of work under $1K by Jim Buchman, Roger Allan Cleaves, Nancy Cheairs, Phil Donohue, Taylor Loftin, Whitney Lorenze, and others. www.binderprojects.com. Through April 30. “A Flowering,” exhibition of work from artists all over the country who are working through the lens of nature. binderprojects.com. Through April 30.

74 FLICKER STREET (634-1698).

Metal Museum

Virtual Reception for “Measured Making: The 150mm Challenge,” exhibition of work by amateur and professional blacksmiths who each turned a 150mm steel rectangle into something spectacular. During this virtual reception, the museum will provide live viewing of artworks exhibited. metalmuseum.org. Free. Sun., April 18, 2-3 p.m.

74 FLICKER (634-1698).

Clough-Hanson Gallery

“Art 260: Curation in Context,” exhibition of work by student artists in partnership with seasoned artist curators. rhodes. edu. Ongoing.

374 METAL MUSEUM DR. (774-6380).

OTH E R A R T HA P P E N I N G S

Art in The Loop

Featuring works of fine-craft in metal, glass, wood, clay, and fiber, as well as 2-D disciplines. Food trucks will be available. Fri., April 16, 1-6 p.m., Sat., April 17, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., and Sun., April 18, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. RIDGEWAY LOOP, EAST MEMPHIS, ARTINTHELOOP.ORG.

Ceramic Silly Pots

Becky Zee will teach participants the basics of pinch pot construction. Includes all supplies and tools. $40 members, $50 non-

LICHTERMAN WWW.MEMPHISMUSEUMS.ORG

Send the date, time, place, cost, info, phone number, a brief description, and photos — two weeks in advance — to calendar@memphisflyer.com or P.O. Box 1738, Memphis, TN 38101. DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS, ONGOING WEEKLY EVENTS WILL APPEAR IN THE FLYER’S ONLINE CALENDAR ONLY.

members. Sun., April 18, 2-4 p.m. MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN, 750 CHERRY (636-4100).

Jewelry: Leaves in Fine Silver Clay

Join Brandy Boyd to learn techniques to use fine silver paste to immortalize a leaf in pure silver. Materials and tools provided with class fee. Call for more information or to register. $85 members, $99 nonmembers. Sat., April 17, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN, 750 CHERRY (636-4100).

Memphis Flyer Coloring Book

Order your book today benefiting local artists and journalism. $35. Ongoing.

O N G O I N G ART

Art Museum at the University of Memphis (AMUM)

Peruse the art and craft of fine metalwork digitally. Featuring past gallery talks from previous exhibitions, interviews with artists, and demonstrations. Free. Ongoing.

“Africa: Art of a Continent,” exhibition of African art from the Martha and Robert Fogelman collection. Ongoing. “IEAA Ancient Egyptian Collection,” exhibition of Egyptian antiquities ranging from 3800 B.C.E. to 700 C.E. from the Institute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology collection. Ongoing.

METAL MUSEUM, 374 METAL MUSEUM DR. (774-6380).

142 COMMUNICATION & FINE ARTS BUILDING (678-2224).

MEMPHISMAGAZINESTORE.COM.

Metal Museum Online

RHODES COLLEGE, 2000 N. PARKWAY (843-3000).

Crosstown Concourse

“Nightlife,” exhibition of an outdoor light installation by Lake Roberson Newton. (604-3420), Ongoing. 1350 CONCOURSE.

David Lusk Gallery

“Wonderstruck,” exhibition of new paintings by Beth Edwards. Through May 1. 97 TILLMAN (767-3800).

The Dixon Gallery & Gardens “America’s Impressionism:

Starts April 16th at Lichterman Nature Center

CALENDAR: APRIL 15 - 21

Fratelli’s

“Beauty in Isolation: Perspectives from a Father and Son,” exhibition of watercolors and pen and ink work by father and son artists David and Jared Rawlinson. Through April 30. 750 CHERRY (766-9900).

Jay Etkin Gallery

Permanent Collection: “The Flow Museum of Art & Culture,” Ongoing. 942 COOPER (550-0064).

L Ross Gallery

“Natural Ground,” exhibition of landscape paintings by Dolores Justus and wood turned vessels by Gene Sparling. Through April 17. 5040 SANDERLIN (767-2200).

Medicine Factory

“Gore + Gore,” exhibition of paintings and photography by sister and brother, Kat and Sanford Gore. Through April 17. 85 W. VIRGINIA (581-5815).

Memphis Botanic Garden

Bartlett Member Showcase, exhibition featuring work in oils, acrylics, pours, alcohol ink, photography, digital, and more by Association members. Through April 30. 750 CHERRY (636-4100).

Memphis Brooks Museum of Art

“Power and Absence: Women in Europe,” exhibition explores the representation of women in Europe from around 1500 to 1680, known as the Renaissance and Early Baroque period. brooksmuseum.org. Ongoing.

“Arts of Global Africa,” exhibition of historic and contemporary works in a range of different media presenting an expansive vision of Africa’s artistry. Through June 21. “Drawing Memory: Essence of Memphis,” exhibition of works inspired by nsibidi, a sacred means of communication among male secret societies in southeastern Nigeria by Victor Ekpuk. Ongoing. 1934 POPLAR (544-6209).

Memphis Heritage

“Newman to Now” Virtual Exhibit, exhibition of historic photographs taken by Don Newman between the 1940s and ’60s and contemporary photographs of the same sites taken by photographer Gary Walpole to explore continuity and change in Memphis’ built environment. memphisheritage.org. Ongoing. 2282 MADISON (272-2727).

Memphis Pink Palace Museum

“Through Darkness to Light: Photographs Along the Underground Railroad,” exhibition of photographs by Jeanine Michna-Bales documenting the path of roughly 2,000 miles and is based off of actual sites, cities, and places that freedom-seekers passed through during their journey. Through June 20. 3050 CENTRAL (636-2362).

Metal Museum

“Measured Making: The 150mm Challenge,” exhibition of a curated selection of 150 metal objects, chosen from over 400 pieces created by amateur and professional blacksmiths from around the world. Through July 3. “Tributaries: Andrew Meers,” exhibition which recognizes

emerging and mid-career artists in the metals field. Includes a selection of knives and forged work. Through July 17. 374 METAL MUSEUM DR. (774-6380).

Mid-South Artist Gallery

“4Sights,” exhibition of American and European artists, each on permanent exhibit at Christian Brothers Collection, the Chrysler Museum, and the Louvre plus award winning artists presenting their debut creations of 2021. Through April 30. Mid-South Artist Gallery Artists, exhibition of work by Becky McRae, Sandra Horton, Jean Wu, Jon Woodhams, Marina Wirtz, Michelle Lemaster, Pat Turner, and others. Ongoing. 2945 SHELBY (409-8705).

OPERA

30 Days of Opera

Participate in the virtual version of this annual festival featuring virtual events, drive thru arias, and more. Free. Through April 30. OPERA MEMPHIS, 6745 WOLF RIVER (257-3100), OPERAMEMPHIS.ORG.

Wednesday Opera Time

Join Opera Memphis every Wednesday on Facebook for an assortment of live events including “Opera for Animals,” Bingo Opera, and more. Free. Wednesdays, 7 p.m. OPERA MEMPHIS, 6745 WOLF RIVER (257-3100).

C O M E DY

Chuckles Comedy Club

Matt Rife, $20-$35. Thur.-Sat., Apr. 15-17, 6:45 p.m., 8:45 p.m. Sugar Brown, comedy and burlesque show featuring Sugar Brown, the seductive alter ego of diva Lanita Shera. $27-$50. Sun., April 18, 7 & 9:30 p.m. 1700 DEXTER.

continued on page 20

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

4339 PARK (761-5250).

Plant Sale at Lichterman Nature Center, April 16th through May 29th

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Echoes of a Revolution ,” exhibition of work by late 19th century to World War II American impressionism painters. Through May 9. “Signs and Wonders,” exhibition of a variety of media by visual artist, textile designer, and leathersmith Brittney Boyd Bullock. Through June 20.

CALENDAR: APRIL 15 - 21 continued from page 19

TO U R S

The Comedy Junt

Bicycle Tour of Elmwood Cemetery

Deric “Sleezy” Evans at The Comedy Junt, $20. Fri.-Sat., Apr. 16-17, 8 p.m. 4330 AMERICAN WAY (249-4052).

LECT U R E / S P EA K E R

“In Living Color: Looking More Carefully at the Dixon Collection”

Join Kevin Sharp, Linda W., and S. Herbert Rhea for a virtual munch and learn via Zoom. Wed., April 21, noon. THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS, 4339 PARK (761-5250), DIXON.ORG.

Novel at Home: Sidney Thompson and Kristee Lane

Author of Hell on the Border will be joined in conversation by 103.5 WRBO radio personality, educator, and parenting coach Kristee Lane via Zoom. Free with registration. Sat., April 17, 4 p.m. NOVEL, 387 PERKINS EXT. (9225526), NOVELMEMPHIS.COM.

“Victorians & Dinosaurs” Steve Masler will talk about what the Victorians thought about dinosaurs and how it affected Victorian life. $10. Sat., April 17, 6 p.m.

April 15-21, 2021

MALLORY-NEELY HOUSE MUSEUM, 652 ADAMS, MEMPHISMUSEUMS.ORG.

Bike through the past during a history tour taken from your bicycle. $10. Saturdays, 2 p.m. Through May 29.

Davey Jones’ Locker: The Shipwreck Tour of Elmwood Cemetery

ELMWOOD CEMETERY, 824 S. DUDLEY (774-3212).

Central Gardens Association’s Film and TV Walking Tour

Virtual, self-guided tour of homes in the Central Gardens neighborhood used as film/TV sites, plus Elmwood Cemetery. Includes 13 locations and 9 “selfie stops.” Free. Through May 2. CENTRALGARDENS.ORG.

Tales from Elmwood: A Cemetery Walking Tour

Get to know the residents of Elmwood Cemetery on this 90 minute walking tour of the cemetery grounds. $20. Satur-

SOUTH MEMPHIS FARMERS MARKET, CORNER OF MISSISSIPPI BOULEVARD AND SOUTH PARKWAY EAST, THEWORKSCDC.ORG.

COOPER-YOUNG DISTRICT, CORNER OF COOPER AND YOUNG.

IHRA Bracket Series

Juke Joint Festival

MEMPHIS INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY, 5500 VICTORY LANE.

Visit website for music schedule, social distancing rules, and related events. $30. April 15-18.

ELMWOOD CEMETERY, 824 S. DUDLEY (774-3212).

Elmwood is the final resting place for the sailors and civilians who lived through, and sometimes perished from, these tragic shipwrecks. Learn their history. $20. Sat., April 17, noon.

the event is intended to be a grassroots celebration of spring, music, and Cooper-Young. Free. Sat., April 17, 12-6 p.m.

CLARKSDALE, MISSISSIPPI, JUKEJOINTFESTIVAL.COM.

Rajun Cajun Crawfish Festival days, 10 a.m. Through May 8. ELMWOOD CEMETERY, 824 S. DUDLEY (774-3212).

E X PO S/ SA L E S

Dixon Garden Fair Plant Sale

Featuring a wide range of plants from difficult-to-find natives to choice shrubs and herbaceous perennials. Friday is member preview day. Fri., April 16, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., and Sat., April 17, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Rajun Cajun Crawfish Festival at Minglewood Hall and Malco Cordova, April 17th & 18th Plant Sale

Thousands of plants predominantly native to the Mid-South including milkweeds, coneflowers, and a variety of shade plants will be available via online and on-site shopping. April 16-May 29.

THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS, 4339 PARK (761-5250).

LICHTERMAN NATURE CENTER, 5992 QUINCE (767-7322), MEMPHISMUSEUMS.ORG.

Mid-South Jewelry and Accessories Fair

F E ST IVA LS

Fri.-Sun., Apr. 16-18, 10 a.m. AGRICENTER INTERNATIONAL, 7777 WALNUT GROVE (757-7777), HELENBRETT.COM.

Cooper-Young Porchfest

Staged on the eclectic porches of the historic neighborhood,

Enjoy a drive-through crawfish caravan and more benefiting Porter-Leath. Sat., April 17, and Sun., April 18, noon-5 p.m. MINGLEWOOD HALL, 1555 MADISON; MALCO CORDOVA, 1080 N. GERMANTOWN PKWY., RAJUNCAJUNMEMPHIS.ORG.

S PO R TS / F IT N ES S

Catch Em Lake

$10, $5 kids. Saturdays, Sundays, 8 a.m.-6 p.m., and Wednesdays-Fridays, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Through Nov. 5. AGRICENTER INTERNATIONAL, 7777 WALNUT GROVE (757-7777).

Glide Rides

Attendees should be able to ride for about an hour at an easy pace. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Arrive early to borrow a bike, and air up the tires if needed. Free. Saturdays, 10:30 a.m. Through April 24.

Sat., April 17, 9 a.m.

Mid-South Quarter Horse Show Sat.-Sun., Apr. 17-18.

AGRICENTER INTERNATIONAL, 7777 WALNUT GROVE (757-7777), MIDSOUTHQUARTERHORSE.COM.

Shell Health & Wellness Series

Featuring mindfulness and good health practice events featuring Zumba, pilates, and more. New classes and workshops are added weekly. Free. Through April 28. LEVITT SHELL, OVERTON PARK (272-2722), LEVITTSHELL.ORG/HEALTHSERIES.

Slow Your Roll Saturday Morning Meditation

Join mindfulness and meditation teacher Greg Graber’s meditation session in the Church Health Meditation Garden. No sign-up is required. Masks are a must. Saturdays, 9:30-10 a.m. Through Dec. 25. CROSSTOWN CONCOURSE, 1350 CONCOURSE.

continued on page 22

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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Transform your life

Tai Chi

and our city.

Volunteer. Find year-round opportunities Memphis hunger, to serve. Learn more about poverty,

Wednesdays, 3 p.m. SHELBY FARMS PARK, VISITOR’S CENTER, 6903 GREAT VIEW DRIVE NORTH (767-7275).

Ghost Tours

and homelessness in our community. Memphis Ghost Walk and Haunted Memphis Bus Tour Give. See how your support can help. historicalhauntsmemphis.com

Visit community.mifa.org

Virtual Earth Day Dash 5K Run/Walk

Your gear will be mailed to your door. Run/walk and submit your photos/results to Southwest Tennessee Community College’s FB @SouthwestTN. Proceeds benefit Science Club. $10. April 17-24. (482-2939), SOUTHWEST.TN.EDU.

Yoga in the Gardens

Bring a mat and enjoy some zen with Peggy Reisser. All levels welcome. Free. Saturdays, 10:30 a.m. THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS, 4339 PARK (761-5250), DIXON.ORG.

Transform your life

and our city.

Yoga in the Grove

Join Beth Ross for Vinyasa yoga. Reservations required. $6. Tuesdays, 6:15 p.m. Through April 30. GERMANTOWN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, 1801 EXETER (751-7500).

April 15-21, 2021

M E ETI NGS

Volunteer. Find year-round opportunities to serve. Learn more about poverty, hunger, and homelessness in our community. Give. See how you can help support highimpact programs. Visit community.mifa.org

Churches from the Presbytery of the MidSouth: Sunday Worship Livestream

Combined livestream worship. Visit website for more information and livestream link. Sun., 11 a.m. IDLEWILDCHURCH.ORG.

Virtual-T

Weekly Zoom gathering for anyone 18+ who identifies as a member of the trans or GNC community. For login information, email ahauptman@ outmemphis.org. Tuesdays, 6 p.m. OUTMEMPHIS.ORG.

S P E C IA L E V E NTS

Blue & Green Day

Shine the light on organ and tissue donation. Register to be

“Through Darkness to Light” by Jeanine Michna-Bales at the Pink Palace Museum, through June 20th counted, recognized, and win prizes. Fri., April 16. MIDSOUTHTRANSPLANT.ORG.

Clean, Organize, Donate: IKEA + Junior League of Memphis

Junior League of Memphis will be at IKEA collecting household goods in good condition. Gift for first 30 donations. Sat., April 17, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. IKEA, 7900 IKEA WAY (888-8884532), JLMEMPHIS.COM.

Countdown to 100

Join Theatre Memphis on their social media for special items counting down to the theatre’s 100th birthday. Follow using #TM100 or #SHINEONTM. Through May 20. THEATRE MEMPHIS, 630 PERKINS EXT. (682-8323), THEATREMEMPHIS.ORG.

Dinosaur Adventure Drive-Thru

$49 per car. Fri., April 16, 1-8 p.m., Saturdays, 9 a.m.-9 p.m., Sundays, 9 a.m.-8 p.m., and Wed., April 21, 1-8 p.m. Through April 25. LIBERTY BOWL MEMORIAL STADIUM, 335 S. HOLLYWOOD (727-4344), DINOSAURADVENTURE.COM.

“Dinosaurs in Motion”

Visitors are invited to touch and learn. $15. Through May 2. MEMPHIS PINK PALACE MUSEUM, 3050 CENTRAL (636-2362).

Spring Clean-up and Mulch Days

Celebrate Earth Day by caring for the park on clean-up and mulch days. Saturdays, 8-11 a.m. Through April 24. SHELBY FARMS PARK, VISITOR’S CENTER, 6903 GREAT VIEW DRIVE NORTH (767-7275).

FO O D & D R I N K EVE NTS

Cook Well, Be Well

For ages 16 and up. In-person on Tuesday and virtual on Wednesday. Wed., 5:30-7:30 p.m., and Tues., 10 a.m.-noon. CHURCH HEALTH CROSSTOWN, 1350 CONCOURSE AVE, CHURCHHEALTH.ORG.

Spice Cabinet Fire Cider Join Sherri McCalla to learn the benefits of apple cider and traditional herbs used as food and immune support. Registration includes Rosemary Gladstar’s Fire Cider! : 101 Zesty Recipes for Health-Boosting Remedies Made with Apple Cider Vinegar. $20 members, $30 nonmembers. Wed., April 21, noon. MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN, 750 CHERRY (636-4100).

F I LM

2021 Oscar Nominated Short Films Visit website for more information from Malco Theaters. Through April 30. MALCO.COM.

Chimes Square Spring Movie Nights

Family-friendly movies on an outdoor screen with state-ofthe-art surround sound. Free. Fridays, 8 p.m. Through June 4. OVERTON SQUARE, 2101 MADISON.

Indie Memphis Movie Club

Weekly virtual screening opportunities, plus online Q&As on Tuesday evenings between programmers and special guests. Ongoing. INDIEMEMPHIS.ORG.

Oxford Virtual Film Festival

A lineup of 158 films in an online/in-person hybrid. Screenings in person March 24-28 at special outdoor theaters. In April, films available virtually. $40-$175. Through April 30. DOWNTOWN OXFORD, TOWN SQUARE, OXFORDFILMFEST.COM.

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FOOD By Michael Donahue

Greek (Food) Odyssey How JoBeth Graves created The Grecian Gourmet Taverna.

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April 15-21, 2021

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hen it comes to food, it’s all Greek to JoBeth Graves. Graves is the owner/ founder of The Grecian Gourmet Taverna on South Main. Customers dine on traditional Greek food, including spanakopita and moussaka. They also take home the restaurant’s products, including bottled infused olive oils and Greek vinaigrettes, which, along with her frozen Greek dinners, are commercially sold in stores. And they can take classes on Greek cooking from Graves. For the record: Graves isn’t Greek. “My first husband was Greek and we did a lot of entertaining,” Graves says. “I basically had to teach myself how to cook Greek food.” Born in Jackson, Tennessee, Graves grew up on “just Southern food like you would normally eat when you grow up in Jackson. Green beans, white beans, cornbread, fried and roasted chicken.” She and her first husband had the traditional big fat Greek wedding at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church. Graves and relatives cooked all the food. “We would get together every Sunday for six weeks. We made 1,000 Greek wedding cookies, 500 stuffed grape leaves. We hand-made spanakopita. We rented a freezer on Southern and put everything in there.” Graves loved everything about the food, which is a reflection of the Greek people. “Greek people are just naturally vibrant and the food is expressed through that. Food is a part of every experience, every occasion. When someone comes to your house, you have food. Lots of food.” Over the years, she was given recipes for Greek food, but she put her own spin on them. Graves, who doesn’t fry any of her Greek food, designed her own dishes, figuring out what flavors work best. Her cooking extended to other functions, as well. “I would cater weddings for my friends.” Around 2016, Graves, a nurse practitioner who worked for 30 years at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, began selling her Greek bottled products at St. Jude’s farmers market. She also sold her hummus, feta dip, and homemade feta chips. “It snowballed from there.” She began setting up at flea markets all over Memphis. Graves, who remarried, and her husband, Jeff Watkins, ended up rent-

ing an industrial kitchen at Arkansas State University, where they prepared their food. In 2018, they decided to open a restaurant. They found a space that belonged to artist Ephraim Urevbu, whose studio is next door. “He liked the vision of food as art.” The restaurant was an instant success. “We had people lining up from the street to the door and people waiting on tables. Trolley Night would be crazy. Ephraim would have music playing out on his patio, and we would have people outside. We set up additional tables. The buzz and the energy was exactly what I wanted when we considered having a restaurant. We just felt good to be here.”

MICHAEL DONAHUE

JoBeth Graves During the pandemic, the restaurant “never closed,” Graves says. “We stayed open. During that period of time when they went into the initial lockdowns, so many restaurants just shut down. Jeff and I had a really long conversation. We came back and told the employees, ‘We want you to go home and shelter in place and stay there.’ We paid them. We never laid anyone off. Jeff and I worked the restaurant every day. We did a big pivot and changed everything to online ordering and to-go.” The restaurant is now open for indoor dining. In 2019, Graves and Watkins moved to South Main. “I live a block away. We love South Main so much, we bought our home in this neighborhood. We walk back and forth to work. This community and the South Main Arts District, it’s home to us. We enjoy the people here. Our customers are also our neighbors and friends.” The Grecian Gourmet Taverna is at 412 South Main Street; (901) 249-6626.

S P I R ITS By Richard Murff

Memphis Gin Old Dominick’s No. 10 is a big-league contender. I was pretty excited about Old Dominick’s box promotion with Jack Rudy’s tonic syrup. Pour your gin over ice, add the tonic, top off with soda water and a slice of citrus. The thing I really love about Jack Rudy is that while the bottle suggests using .75 ounce of syrup to 2 ounces of gin, you can modify that. If, for example, the charming Mrs. M has ruined the standard G & T for you — or perhaps you know Alex Castle and she’s doing the ruining — you have options. The new math: The recommended .75 ounce is equal to 4.5 teaspoons. I use one teaspoon (or 0.1666 oz.) and leave it at that.

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Old Dominick No. 10 Which brings us back to the concept of balance; you find whatever works for you. For me, that’s a well-balanced gin that is interesting but doesn’t make itself obvious, with a tonic that is however you like it. Give it a twirl in the ice and let it sit before diving in, so the botanicals open up and soften. The weather is getting warmer, the tweed has gone away, and the seersucker is calling me from the closet. It’s gin season, and with a little tinkering on your part, a gin and tonic — perfectly blended for you — is waiting. On a final note, tonic is made with quinine, which supposedly retards malaria. Intrigued, I tested its impact on COVID and I didn’t get the plague, but I understand that the test sample — me — was statistically insignificant. So go get your shot.

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m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

MAY 28

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

lex Castle grew up in Kentucky, so she knew bourbon when she jumped into the boys’ club of professional distillers. Now, as the master distiller at Memphis’ Old Dominick Distillery, she’s president of the Tennessee Distillers Guild. As the father of a daughter, I think the image of a lady hurling a whiskey bottle through a glass ceiling is pretty groovy. Her approach to gin is refreshing, as well, and with spring upon us, I have opinions. Alex told me that when developing Old Dominick’s No. 10, what she wanted was a balanced gin. Which is not as obvious as it sounds. Hendrick’s Gin was probably the first out of the gate with its botanical-forward approach, then came Junipero, and then a flood of others. It was a good time for gin because people were paying more attention to it. But as tends to happen when something gets fashionable — things go too far. Innovation slips easily into parody. Enter the age of a new artisanal gin hitting the market every week, each trying to outdo the other. If a little more botanicals are good, then a lot more must be better. Alex had another vision: “I didn’t want a gin that tasted like a Christmas tree,” she says. Which is what I like about Old Dominick’s No. 10. It’s got some interesting angles to it, but not at the expense of just being refreshing. Mrs. M, who never liked Hendrick’s or its army of imitators, approves. She lets the gin sit in the ice for a bit. Then it sparkles. What about the other side of the G & T equation? What’s the tonic of choice? Alex admitted — in something akin to embarrassment — that she drinks her gin with soda. And maybe that’s why I liked No. 10; it doesn’t need tonic to work. Years ago, back when Mrs. M went by Ms. C, she introduced me to the gin and soda. I’d never heard of it before, and thought she was just being quirky (you know what it’s like when you first start dating). At any rate, I quickly found that I couldn’t go back to the old standard gin and tonic — it was too cloying and made me want to suck the enamel off my teeth. Plenty of higher-end tonics have come out since, but I’ve never warmed to them. Except …

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TV By Chris McCoy

Design Star! Memphis’ Carmeon Hamilton wins HGTV’s Design Star: Next Gen.

April 15-21, 2021

he first space Carmeon Hamilton designed was her dorm room at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway. It was there she caught the design bug, and carved out a niche for herself as a blogger and, eventually, social media influencer, with her work appearing in the pages of Southern Living, Architectural Digest, and Memphis magazine. She built up a big following on Instagram, and in February 2020, her social media prowess paid off. “I got a message from a casting producer on Instagram,” she says. “I couldn’t tell anybody about it at the time, but I auditioned, and recorded a few interviews. I didn’t even know what show I was being cast for! He told me it was a competition. I had been through the reams of interviewing and casting for a couple of years, trying to get my own show, but it never worked out. I never imagined that I would be competing for my own show!” It wasn’t until late July that she found out what she was auditioning for. The show was Design Star: Next

Memphis designer and entrepreneur Carmeon Hamilton (above, right) takes home the big prize on HGTV’s Design Star: Next Gen.

ing spaces inside train cabooses and city buses, they were becoming fast friends. “We were all very leery of going into a competition because there’s always a villain and animosity and drama, and none of us wanted that,” says Hamilton. “We all ended up being really close and supportive, and I think that aspect made the show experience that much more positive. We’re still close to this day. We talk almost every day, because we’ve all had to keep the secret to ourselves.” The main shoot took place during the height of the pandemic, so elaborate precautions had to be taken to avoid an outbreak on set. “The production team was incredible,” Hamilton says. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt as safe.” In the final episode, which aired on March 31st, the final three contestants were tasked with creating a

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Gen, a reboot of a beloved HGTV series, which ran from 2006 to 2013. Hamilton was set to compete with seven contestants from all over America in a series of interior design challenges over six episodes. The show’s grand prize is $50,000 and a contract for the winner to create their own show for HGTV. But it almost didn’t happen, Hamilton says. “My business blew up right before I was supposed to leave, so I almost didn’t do the show. I was very leery about leaving a very successful and profitable business, but my husband and my best friend convinced me to go. I’d have my business for as long as I wanted it, but it’s a rare opportunity to be cast for a show.” At the end of October, Hamilton flew to Los Angeles for a month of taping. “The entire process was very surreal, but definitely one I will cherish for the rest of my life,” she says. As Hamilton and her fellow contestants were being pitted against each other in competitions such as redesigning “the ugliest rooms in America” and creating invit-

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love it even more.” Hamilton has spent the beginning of 2021 preparing to launch her own show on HGTV. “We don’t have a start date yet, but we’re getting all the details together to get the final stamp of approval from the network. Hopefully, we will start shooting soon. It will be here in Memphis. I wanted to bring that element of production here, to the city, to showcase my love for Memphis and how great it is.”

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VolunteerMemphis.org Nomination Deadline: April 30, 2021

SPONSORS: Gold

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

bedroom that reflected their signature styles, and then raced to create a full build out of their “dream room.” When guest host Jonathan Scott of HGTV’s Property Brothers announced the winner, Hamilton was shocked to hear her name. She says the reaction to the show has been extremely positive. “I am still opening messages from a week ago with all the congratulations. I got thousands of messages before lunch the day the finale aired. The wave of support I’ve gotten from just Memphis in general has been incredible! I was already in love with this city, and now I

DO GOOD. BETTER. Silver

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We help Mid-South nonprofits succeed.

Special thanks to Memphis City Council and the Shelby County Commission!

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

TV By Chris McCoy

Meet staff and leadership of area camps and learn more about summer enrichment programs for your child at this fun and safe event!

April 15-21, 2021

Saturday, April 17th, 10am-2pm Fedex Event Center at Shelby Farms Park Save the date and we'll see

hosted by

you there! Camp Expo is committed to being a safe, socially distanced event -