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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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Inside the MPD
A new Department of Justice report exposes deep dysfunction in the Memphis Police Department.
PHOTO: CITY OF MEMPHIS
Reba Russell’s Life in Music
e blues, rock, and soul singer gets by with a little help from her friends.
p16
PHOTO: JAMIE HARMON
NEWS & OPINION
THE FLY-BY - 4 POLITICS - 8 AT LARGE - 9
COVER STORY
“INSIDE THE MPD” BY KAILYNN JOHNSON, CHRIS M c COY, TOBY SELLS - 10
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
WE RECOMMEND - 15
MUSIC - 16
AFTER DARK - 17
Toothless Wonder Circuit Playhouse’s Junie B. Jones production has humor, drama, and superb storytelling. p24
PHOTO: MEGAN CHRISTOFERSON
CALENDAR - 18
NY TIMES CROSSWORD - 19
WE SAW YOU - 20
FOOD - 23
THEATER - 24
METAPHYSICAL
CONNECTION - 25
NEWS OF THE WEIRD - 26
ASTROLOGY - 27
CLASSIFIEDS - 30 LAST WORD - 31
fly-by
MEM ernet
Memphis on the internet.
HOLIDAY SHOPPING ON
FACEBOOK
Looking for unique gi s this giving season? Here’re a few posted recently on Facebook Marketplace Memphis.
“Homemade Iron rone chair. Made for a murder mystery party and used during that night. It is cra ed from a plastic Adirondack chair, wood supports, and di erent types of foam. $100.
Banksy Keep It Real gra ti sign original, 2004. $3,000. “A holy grail piece for any street art collector.”
{WEEK THAT WAS
By Flyer staff
Questions, Answers + Attitude
Edited by Toby Sells
Homeless, Black Leaders, &
Hemp
Counting those on the street, Akbari takes a lead role, and state sued on new rules for smokeables.
HOMELESS COUNT
e Community Alliance for the Homeless (CAFTH) and the Memphis and Shelby County Homeless Consortium will be working with volunteers to collect data to develop resources, programs, and funding for those experiencing homelessness.
One of two oil paintings on o er; $150 for both.
POSTED BY CHARLIE BARNETT
Autographed photo of Dr. Phil with the quote: “Walking around with a stick up your butt will not make you a corndog!” $20.
e Point-in-Time (PIT) Count is an annual initiative scheduled for January 22nd. Volunteers will meet at First Congregational Church, 1000 South Cooper Street, at 3:15 a.m., where they will form teams to survey unsheltered locations, including streets, parks, and encampments.
e count is required nationally by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). e 2023 PIT summary for Memphis and Shelby County showed there were a total of 1,292 people experiencing homelessness, 1,172 individuals were sheltered, and 165 were categorized as unsheltered.
ose aged 25 and over made up a majority of these numbers at a total of 908 people. Youth under the age of 18 accounted for the second largest group with 295 individuals.
NATIONAL BLACK CAUCUS LEADERS
State Senator Raumesh Akbari (D-Memphis) and state Representative Harold Love Jr. (D-Nashville) will take the top leadership positions at the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL). e move marks the rst time two Tennessee legislators will lead NBCSL simultaneously.
“As president and president-elect, Representative Love and Senator Akbari shape NBCSL’s agenda and advocacy e orts, ensuring that the voices of Black state legislators remain at the forefront of policy discussions nationwide,” reads a statement from Akbari’s o ce. “ e organization champions legislative solutions to promote equity, improve access to opportunities, and empower underserved communities in critical areas such as education, economic development, healthcare, and voting rights.”
STATE SUED ON HEMP LAW
Tennessee’s hemp industry is making a last-ditch legal e ort to halt sweeping new rules that would ban the sale of popular
hemp products legally available in the state since 2019. Attorneys representing Tennessee hemp retailers and producer associations were expected in a Nashville court this week just ahead of new state product testing rules scheduled to take e ect December 26th.
e rules would bar the manufacture, distribution, and sale of many of the best-selling hemp products that have helped drive a nascent state industry to generate $280-$560 million in sales annually, based on survey data cited in legal documents.
e hemp products haven’t been outlawed by the Tennessee legislature or the federal government. Rather, new legislation designed to impose rst-time regulations on Tennessee’s 5-year-old hemp industry — such as license requirements, taxes, and age restrictions — have been interpreted by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture in a way that would render certain hemp products illegal.
e rules require products to be tested for the rst time for so-called TCHA content, a naturally occurring and still-legal substance found in all hemp plants. When hemp owers are heated or smoked, the substance converts to THC, an illegal substance in Tennessee when it is present in greater than trace amounts.
e Tennessee Growers Coalition and the Tennessee Healthy Alternatives Association are seeking a temporary injunction they say is necessary to prevent widespread devastation to the burgeoning industry.
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: NATIONAL BLACK CAUCUS OF STATE LEGISLATORS
Tennessee state Senator Raumesh Akbari and state Representative Harold Love Jr. stand at the far right of the stage during their induction into the National Black Caucus of State Legislators.
Velsicol Settlement { ENVIRONMENT
By Ashli Blow, Tennessee Lookout
A deal to hand over polluted land to the state comes a er shocking new allegations of potential fraud.
Velsicol, a legacy polluter that manufactured pesticides, is proposing to hand over its 83-acre defunct facility in North Memphis to Tennessee as an environmental response trust. Should the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) accept a settlement agreement from the company, the state will be le to determine what to do with wideranging contamination including a baseball diamond-shaped pile of hazardous waste and a uctuating groundwater plume of chemicals beneath it.
e proposal comes a er the company faced questions this fall from environmental regulators and bankruptcy attorneys about inappropriate management and potentially fraudulent activity.
State officials say the company is still responsible for up to $143M in cleanup costs.
ese new allegations shocked environmental justice advocates and residents in the historically Black community neighboring Velsicol. ey have long expressed frustration over the company’s slow e orts to clean up, now more than 20 years in the making.
e North Memphis plant’s closure in 2012 was already a staggering delay compared to the nationwide action prompted by Rachel Carson’s 1962 book Silent Spring, which exposed
PHOTO: ASHLI BLOW
e
Velsicol plant in North Memphis
reckless pesticide production and application. As environmental policy changed and Velsicol plants shut down nationally in response, the Memphis facility continued creating these chemicals from a bygone era through the turn of the 21st century.
But even without a plant, the company has continued brokering chemicals in Memphis under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), a federal law designed to protect human health and the environment from hazardous waste disposal. Over the last few months, Velsicol has been undergoing its oncein-a-decade renewal process for its RCRA permit.
In September, the TDEC sent a “Notice of De ciency” to the company that their RCRA application was incomplete, followed by 36 pages outlining missing data and unsatisfactory plans for soil contamination across its property. Now, Velsicol is proposing that it
pay a $3 million settlement to TDEC over ve years in exchange for a release of their permit obligations.
TDEC estimates the company is still responsible for between $137 and $143 million in cleanup costs, according to claims it has led as part of Velsicol’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy case. Velsicol did not respond to the Lookout’s request to comment, and TDEC declined citing pending litigation.
Velsicol disputes TDEC’s and other claims brought forth in its bankruptcy case, in which nearly 600 organizations allege that Velsicol owes them money. Among them is the District of Columbia, whose O ce of the Attorney General sued Velsicol in 2022 for contaminating local waterways and wants them to be held nancially responsible.
e District of Columbia’s legal counsel led a motion to investigate Velsicol’s nancial condition in October. ey presented evidence that company leadership received $10.6 million in salaries, expense
reimbursements, bonuses, and consulting fees from 2012 to 2023.
“Investigation is needed to review the excessive transfers made to the shareholders over the past ve years,” the counsel wrote in the motion, signed by attorney Kevin Morse. “In addition to potential fraudulent transfers prior to the bankruptcy, the District is very concerned about the viability of [Velsicol] moving forward.”
Paying for contamination
Moving forward, Velsicol as a company will no longer be in Memphis, should things go according to its plan of reorganization as led in bankruptcy court this November. But its toxic legacy will be long felt.
It’s still deep in the Wolf River, where sh absorb chlordane as they swim through waters contaminated with the chemical, which doesn’t break down easily. If people eat these tainted sh they could experience tremors, convulsions, or even death. Velsicol produced chlordane — a by-product of a WWII nerve gas used by the Army — for commercial use starting in 1945. Although the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banned its use in the 1980s, the Memphis plant continued to manufacture it as the sole producer in the U.S. through the 1990s for international export.
By the time the EPA banned it, more than 30 million homes and commercial buildings had been treated with chlordane, with the chemical washing into streams and rivers throughout the country like in Memphis and Washington, D.C., as detailed in the District of Columbia’s rst complaint against the company. e District anticipates spending over $35 million to address contamination throughout the city.
POLITICS
By
Jackson Baker
Seeing Red
Shelby Republicans vie for local chairmanship as GOP balance of power shi s eastward.
e Shelby County Republican Party is scheduled to hold its biennial convention in January, and the party has a bona de chairmanship race on its hands.
One candidate is Bangladesh-born Naser Fazlullah, manager of a food-and-beverages rm and the local party’s vice chair, who has been highly active in Republican outreach e orts over the years. Most unusually, he professes a desire to “bring both parties together” for the bene t of Shelby County and has numerous friends both inside and outside GOP ranks.
e other candidate is insurance executive Worth Morgan, the former city council member who in 2022 ran unsuccessfully for county mayor and had been rumored as a possible candidate for Memphis mayor the next year before deciding not to make the race.
Both candidates are running as the heads of slates for a variety of other party o ces.
Morgan’s campaign in particular, run under the slogan “Revive,” is in the kind of high gear normally associated with expensive major public races and has employed a barrage of elaborate online endorsements from such well-known party gures as state Representative Mark White, state Senator Brent Taylor, and conservative media commentator Todd Starnes.
e GOP convention is scheduled for January 25th at e Venue at Bartlett Station.
• Morgan’s choice of the campaign motif “Revival” is interesting. Not too long ago, Republicans dominated county government, but demographics now heavily favor Democrats in countywide voting. As one indication of that, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris outdistanced the GOP’s Donald Trump in November by a margin of 201,759 to Trump’s 118,917.
In a series of post-election analyses, however, veteran Republican analyst Don
Johnson, formerly of Memphis and now heading the Stone River Group of Nashville, has demonstrated the GOP’s supremacy virtually everywhere else in Tennessee. He has published precinct-speci c maps of statewide election results showing areas won by Trump in red. Patches of Democratic blue show up only sporadically in these graphics and are largely con ned to Memphis, Nashville, and the inner urban cores of Knoxville and Chattanooga. Even Haywood County in the southwest corner of the state, virtually the last Democratic stronghold in rural Tennessee, shows high purple on Johnson’s cartography.
Post-election analysis shows something else — a shi of the Republican center of gravity eastward, toward the GOP’s ancestral homeland of East Tennessee. For the rst time in recent presidential elections, Republican voting in Knox County outdid the party’s totals in Shelby County.
Looking ahead to the 2026 governor’s race, it is meaningful that a recent poll of likely Republican voters by the Tennessee Conservative News shows two Knoxvillians — Congressman Tim Burchett and Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs — leading all other potential candidates.
• e Shelby County Commission ended its year with a full agenda of 89 items, several of which were matters involving schools and school funding. e commissioners navigated that agenda with admirable focus and aplomb, considering that the bombshell news of Tuesday’s scheduled Memphis Shelby-County Schools board meeting regarding the potential voiding of superintendent Marie Feagins’ contract exploded midway through their discussions.
• One of the more inclusive political crowds in recent history showed up weekend before last at Otherlands on Cooper to honor David Upton on the occasion of his 60th birthday. Upton is the proverbial man-behind-the-scenes in Shelby County politics and has had a hand — sometimes openly, sometimes not — in more local elections and civic initiatives than almost anybody else you could name.
PHOTO: COURTESY DON JOHNSON e 2024 presidential election results by precinct
Margaritaville
How we got here, I haven’t a clue.
There’s a Mexican restaurant near me where I go for dinner every week or so. e hostess and the waitresses know me. I’m the guy who always orders the sh (or camarones) tacos, a side of queso dip, and a house margarita — and tips nicely. ey even know the booth I like.
e place is usually populated with diners of all ethnicities. e background music is some kind of Ameri-Mexican blend with bright pop hooks and a beat you could dance to if you had more than one house margarita. ere’s usually a soccer game on the television. It’s a clean, lively, friendly place. I can eat, look at my phone, and sip my margarita in peace.
e hostess and waitresses speak English better than most of their customers. ey’re smart and engaging and easy to chat with. e busboys, not so much. Sometimes, I’ll stop one and ask for something — a fresh napkin, a straw — and they just shake their heads and smile, and go get a waitress.
ey don’t understand English very well, I assume. ey could have crossed the border legally and are waiting for a work visa or a disposition on their application for asylum, but it’s also quite possible they are here without papers, working hard and laying low, hoping to avoid the coming storm.
West that rely on millions of immigrants to harvest the nation’s crops? Will they raid the packing plants where immigrants prepare the beef, poultry, and pork for our grocery stores?
If it happens, it’s going to be another of those moments when ideology meets reality and it’s not going to be pretty. When ful lling a campaign promise leads to a major disruption of the economy, when ensuing worker shortages lead to abrupt price increases, when oranges, tomatoes, and all our other produce lie rotting in our elds and orchards, will Trump and the GOP hard-liners blink? Will they really risk an economic meltdown to own the libs? Will the Americans who voted for this madness nally gure out how e edup it is?
When millions of families are separated from loved ones, when there are mass camps of “illegal” humans of all ages across the country, when the real costs and the enormous cruelty of trying to deport 10 million people become obvious, will the politicians who ran on this xenophobic bullshit back down? Who knows?
PHOTO: BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN
Who’s to blame?
From my seat, I can hear the busboys and kitchen sta chattering in a Spanish spoken so quickly and colloquially that it would ba e Duo the Lingo Owl. It makes me wonder what’s going to happen in a month or so if the new president and his minions follow through on their campaign pledge to institute “mass deportations.”
Will sheri ’s deputies, U.S. Marshals, or even the National Guard barge through the front door of my favorite little haunt at dinner time and march o with half the sta in handcu s? Will they then sweep their way down Summer Avenue, stopping at all the Hispanic-owned businesses, demanding, “Papers, please”?
Will the same law-enforcement brigades start hitting up the construction sites around town, taking away the crews who build our homes and o ce buildings? Will they begin visiting the massive farming operations across the South and
Reporters around the country are already asking governors whether they will cooperate with federal deportation plans. Such cooperation might well involve authorizing state National Guard troops to help with rounding up suspects. In red states, including Tennessee, governors have mostly spouted the GOP party line when questioned, saying that they would do whatever the president asked them to do. In blue states, the opposite reaction has mostly occurred, with governors, mayors, and other regional o cials saying they would not use local resources to help with mass deportation.
Look, if Republicans really wanted to x immigration, they would start at the top and start prosecuting employers who hire undocumented laborers. Problem solved. But that’s never going to happen. Employers are the wrong color and they have money to grease political palms. And since the polarization game plan just won an election, I suspect it will be in play for the next four years. My advice is to speak out for justice when and where it’s possible. en go have a margarita, if you can nd one.
NOV. 29 - DEC. 29
By Kailynn Johnson, Chris McCoy, and Toby Sells
INSIDE THE MPD
A NEW DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE REPORT EXPOSES DEEP DYSFUNCTION IN THE MEMPHIS POLICE DEPARTMENT.
In the wake of the killing of Tyre Nichols by members of the Memphis Police Department’s SCORPION Unit in January 2023, the Department of Justice (DOJ) initiated an investigation of the MPD to determine if o cers regularly violated citizens’ rights. A er 18 months of reviewing case les and video, interviewing Memphians, riding along with o cers, and observing the inner workings of the MPD, the DOJ released its ndings on December 4th. e 70-page report concludes, “A er an extensive investigation, the Department of Justice has reasonable cause to believe that the MPD and the city engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives people of their rights under the Constitution and federal law.”
“DON’T
KILL ME!”
e DOJ investigators highlighted four key ndings: 1. MPD uses excessive force. 2. MPD conducts unlawful stops, searches, and arrests. 3. MPD unlawfully discriminates against Black people in its enforcement activities. 4. e city and MPD unlawfully discriminate in their
response to people with behavioral health disabilities. To support these ndings, investigators cited numerous instances of violence by MPD o cers against the citizens of Memphis. “Excessive force is routine in MPD,” DOJ investigators write. “O cers use force as a rst resort, demand unquestioning obedience, and exact punishment if they do not receive it.”
Nine police cars and 12 o cers responded to a call where a mentally ill man stole a $2 so drink from a convenience store. A er he put his hands up to surrender, he was beaten. He screamed, “Don’t kill me!” and tried to run away. He was subdued and repeatedly tased while facedown on the ground, then served two days in jail for disorderly conduct and the .
In another case, three o cers tackled a man who had littered in a public park. “ e man had done nothing wrong, but was ‘talking all this shit,’ according to one o cer, and would not tell the o cers his name. When the man dropped his drink while leaving the park, four o cers surrounded him. … While handcu ed in the patrol car later, the man told a lieutenant that he was trying to follow the o cers’
directions, but they had already decided to charge him: ‘I even o ered to pick the can up.’”
e DOJ report nds fatal aws in the MPD’s frontline strategy. “Memphis has relied on tra c stops to address violent crime. e police department has encouraged o cers in specialized units, task forces, and patrol to prioritize street enforcement. O cers and community members have described this approach as ‘saturation,’ or ooding neighborhoods with tra c stops. is strategy involves frequent contact with the public and gives wide discretion to o cers, which requires close supervision and clear rules to direct o cers’ activity. But MPD does not ensure that o cers conduct themselves in a lawful manner.”
In two instances cited in the report, ofcers followed drivers to their destinations and confronted them for tra c violations. One woman was standing on the porch of a relative’s house. A er she didn’t produce ID and told the police they were “not welcome on the property,” o cers cu ed her, roughed her up, and threatened to pepper spray her. e report states, “A er locking
her in a police car, one o cer asked, ‘So what did we see her do?’ When an o cer suggested the woman’s car had improperly tinted windows, another o cer responded, ‘All this for a tint?’ e o cer shook his head and gestured with his hand that the woman talked too much.”
In another incident, o cers forced their way into the home of a woman accused of driving with expired tags and failing to stop at a stop sign. “No exigent circumstances demanded they enter the woman’s home, and the o cers had no justi cation to use force to push their way inside for a nonviolent tra c infraction,” reads the report. A er arresting the woman in front of her crying child, “… one o cer re ected, ‘In the grand scheme of things, this does not seem like it was worth it.’”
O cers frequently use potentially deadly neck restraints, similar to the one Minneapolis Police Department members applied fatally to George Floyd when he was killed in 2020. In Memphis, an intoxicated man was repeatedly choked into submission until he urinated on himself. “He was not charged with any crime.”
PHOTO: CITY OF MEMPHIS
Memphis Mayor Paul Young, anked by chief legal o cer Tamara Gibson and Police Chief C.J. Davis, responds to the DOJ MPD report at a press conference on December 5, 2024.
A er o ering a ride home to a man su ering a mental health crisis, the police uncovered an outstanding warrant for the . e o cer pulled the man from the police car, saying, “You’re xing to get your ass whupped.” When the man tried to ee, the o cer beat him and put him in a neck restraint.
O cers were frequently observed beating, tasing, and pepper spraying people who were already restrained and posed no threat. “One o cer hit a handcu ed man in the face and torso with a baton eight times.”
In addition, “O cers repeatedly permitted police dogs to bite or continue to bite people, including children, who were nonresistant and attempting to surrender.”
In one incident, an o cer investigating a stolen vehicle report “ red at a car at least eight times at a fast food drive-thru in the middle of the day, jeopardizing other o cers and bystanders. … MPD’s investigation improperly found that this use of deadly force was justi ed.”
In a sidebar titled “Sick of his fucking mouth,” the DOJ investigators write, “MPD o cers escalate incidents involving minor o ensives by responding to perceived insults, disrespect, or ‘verbal resistance’ with unconstitutional force. … Some MPD ofcers seem to believe that questioning their authority justi es force — as one supervisor told us, ‘If someone says, “I ain’t under arrest,” that’s resisting arrest right there.’”
Children were not spared the MPD’s methods. When one 16-year-old girl called police to report that she had been assaulted, she ended up in handcu s. “A er three hours, o cers removed the handcu s to reposition them. As she complained that her hands were hurt and swollen and tried to move her wrists, the o cers grabbed her and pushed her face down onto the ground to handcu her again. e girl was then arrested and charged with disorderly conduct.”
When o cers were dispersing a crowd a er a ght at a high school football game, one o cer singled out a “relatively smallstatured teen girl trying to leave the premises, yelling ‘Bye! Bye!’ at her. e o cer’s taunts provoked the girl, who talked back. In response, the o cer shoved the girl, yelling, ‘Get out this motherfuckin’ lot.’ e girl pushed back, and two other o cers approached the girl from behind and threw her on the ground. e o cers then li ed the girl in the air and slammed her face down into the pavement. e o cer who started the altercation told her to ‘Get your dumb ass up,’ and called her a ‘stupid bitch’ as the girl was led away in handcu s.”
When o cers chased two Black boys, aged 15 and 16, who were suspected of a curfew violation, one o cer, who had dropped his mobile phone in the chase, said, “I am fucking these little kids up, man. … I am fucking you all up. I just wanted to let y’all know that.”
In another incident, “One o cer shot a teenager, and then another o cer hit the teenager three times in the head with the
butt of his handgun and at least 12 times with a closed st. e teen was disarmed, seriously injured, and posed no threat at the time. Prosecutors later sent a letter to MPD stating that they ‘seriously considered recommending criminal charges’ against the o cer because of the ‘more than one dozen closed st punches to the face’ that the o cer delivered. e prosecutors wrote, ‘We trust that you will handle this as an internal matter and leave it to your sound discretion.’ We saw no evidence that any further investigation took place or that any discipline was imposed. e o cer remains employed at MPD.”
e report concludes, “Supervisors do not address these recurrent practices, and some at MPD defend these practices. As one eld training o cer told us, ‘We’re not excessive enough with these criminals. We
baby them.’”
BLACK PEOPLE BEAR THE BRUNT
On page 37 of the report, DOJ investigators write, “MPD’s own data show that across a range of di erent law enforcement actions, MPD treats Black people more harshly than white people when they engage in similar conduct.”
While 64 percent of Memphians are Black, 81 percent of the MPD’s tra c violations are issued to Black people. O cers issued 33.2 percent more moving violations in predominately Black neighborhoods than they did in predominately white neighborhoods. Black drivers were cited for equipment violations at 4.5 times the rate of white drivers; for improperly tinted windows, the rate was 9.8 times. Public health data indicates that both Black and white
people use cannabis at the same rate, but MPD arrested Black people for marijuana possession at more than ve times the rate of white people.
e report found that the MPD stopped and cited one Black man 30 times in three years. In another case, “MPD stopped a Black man outside a dollar store ‘due to multiple robberies of dollar stores in the area,’ according to the police report. e o cers had no reason to suspect that this particular man took part in the robberies, and the man told them he was just waiting for a friend. When he didn’t leave or produce ID, police handcu ed him, beat him with a baton, and pepper sprayed him. e o cers had no reason to believe that the man engaged in criminal activity and lacked reasonable suspicion to stop him. But they arrested him anyway, and he spent a night in jail. Prosecutors declined
continued on page 12
PHOTO: DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
O cers use force as a rst resort; MPD treats Black people more harshly.
Out of Love
continued from page 11
to pursue any charges stemming from the incident. After the incident, the man noted, ‘They had no reason to do this. And they’re out here doing this to people every day.’”
MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS
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In 1988, after the MPD killed a mentally ill man who was cutting himself, the city founded the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT). Composed of officers who have specialized training in dealing with behavioral health issues, the CIT became a model other city’s police departments emulated. But the DOJ found “serious problems with the CIT program,” and that “officers often escalate behavioral encounters and use combative tactics almost immediately after arriving to behavioral health calls. … We observed CIT officers in Memphis belittle and mock people with behavioral health disabilities. In one incident, a CIT officer hit a man in the head and threatened him with a Taser while officers called him a ‘motherfucker,’ ‘bitch,’ and a ‘dumbass.’”
One CIT officer earned the nickname “Taser Face.”
One 8-year-old Black boy with four behavioral health diagnoses encountered the MPD nine times between December 2021 and August 2023. He was threatened with tasing, handcuffed, and repeatedly thrown onto a couch. In one incident, when the boy stuck out his tongue, the CIT officer responded by bending his arm back and screaming, “I can break your arm with the snap of my wrist.”
The report says that while 75 percent of 911 calls involving people with mental illness are nonviolent, “MPD’s training on behavioral health primes officers to approach people with behavioral health disabilities with force and aggression, and our review revealed they often do. For instance, a training given to all new officers erroneously teaches that people with bipolar disorder do not feel pain.”
THE CITY RESPONDS
At a press conference on December 5, 2024, Mayor Paul Young responded to the DOJ’s findings — while repeatedly emphasizing that he had not read the report. “I believe that even one incident of mistreatment by the police is one too many. … The report the DOJ released last night is going to be difficult to read. Some of the incidents the DOJ report described are simply not acceptable, and our hearts go out to every person who has been impacted by those actions.”
In cities such as Seattle, New Orleans, and Chicago which have previously been the subject of DOJ investigations, city governments entered into consent decrees, negotiated with the DOJ, that outline the steps police departments must take to improve. At the press conference, Young ruled out signing such a decree. “We believe adjustments we’ve already begun making must continue, and that they must expand. It’s my job as mayor to fight for
the best interests of our entire community. Every member. After carefully considering the information we received from DOJ, we didn’t believe that entering into any agreement in principle or consent decree right now, before even thoroughly reading the DOJ report, would be in the best interest of our community. It’s crucial that the city has the time to do a thorough review and respond to the findings before agreeing to anything that could become a longterm financial burden to our residents, and could, in fact, actually slow down our ongoing efforts to continuously improve our police department.”
Young cited recent statistics which show a 13 percent drop in crime overall, and a 19 percent drop in violent crimes. Police Chief C.J. Davis echoed the mayor’s position that the department is on the right track. “In some of the areas that have been outlined in the report, we have made significant changes aligned with the Department of Justice, getting their support with some of the training that has been ongoing, not just this year, but in previous years.”
“This is not something new. This is the way police have been taught to operate.”
In response to the sections of the report regarding the MPD’s treatment of children, Davis said, “We spend a lot of time with our children in our community. We graduated over a thousand children from our D.A.R.E./G.R.E.A.T. program, and work consistently to try to improve those relationships. We’re going to look through the report to ensure that we’re not missing anything.”
Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy has studied the full report. “I think it’s very concerning and shouldn’t be dismissed. I still think the vast majority of folks on the force are people of good faith. They have a hard job, having to make quick decisions in stressful, sometimes dangerous situations. But that doesn’t mean there can’t be systemic issues of culture, training, and supervision that cry out for reform.”
When Shahidah Jones of the Official Black Lives Matter Memphis Chapter read the report, she recalls thinking, “Not to be cynical, but it was just like, ‘Duh.’ We didn’t choose to target police because we didn’t have anything else to do or we were looking at these one-off instances. A very large part of organizing is for us to learn history and do our political study. … This is not something new. This is the way police have been taught to operate.”
Josh Spickler, executive director of criminal justice-reform nonprofit Just
continued on page 28
steppin’ out
We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews
An Art Crawl
By Abigail Morici
Before Covid postponed events or canceled them altogether, Marshall Arts hosted an open studio event each December, welcoming the public into makers’ creative spaces and boosting the artistic community’s spirits. But the gallery hasn’t hosted one since 2019 — a fact that wasn’t lost on Lauren Holtermann, aka Holtermonster, who started renting studio space from Marshall Arts post-pandemic.
In fact, Holtermann didn’t even know about the previous open studio events until gallery manager Anthony D. Lee mentioned it one day. “I was like, ‘Let’s do that again,’” she says. “And then it turned into a whole thing.”
By “whole thing,” she means the rst-ever Edge District Art Crawl. With Holtermann’s excitement to motivate him, Lee wanted to make the usual open studio event bigger. “Now, it’s not just us, Marshall Arts,” he says. “We extended the invite to all the new guys [Sheet Cake, Ugly Art Co., and Solid Ground Studio]. So it takes it from us, an isolated venue, and now we kind of have a district. I always kind of knew that was coming because I’ve been here for 20 years, and Marshall Arts has been for 32 years.”
e “new guys,” as Lee calls them, have all opened their spots in the past year or so. Sheet Cake, owned by Lauren Kennedy, celebrated its rst year with a party on December 14th, and Anderson Goin’s Ugly Art Co. opened this spring. Solid Ground Studio is artists Jodi Brewer, Pam McDonnell, Lisa Williamson, and Paul Behnke’s private studio that’ll be open to the public for the art crawl. ese four artists just closed their show, “Something Solid,” on December 14th at Marshall Arts, the gallery’s rst show since Covid.
For the art crawl, guests can expect special gallery hours as they take a self-guided tour of the four arts venues. Marshall Arts will have work on display by its artists, plus open studios by Lee, Holtermann, Emma Self, Wiley Bros Music, and others. Sheet Cake’s new exhibitions “Loose Ends” and “Back for Seconds” will be on display with work by Brittney Boyd Bullock, Roger Allan Cleaves, Melissa Dunn, Stephanie Howard, and Clare Torina. Meanwhile, Ugly Art Co. will have an exhibition by Sam Reeves Hill.
“We want to let people know that the Edge is an active third space,” Lee says of his hopes for the art crawl. “ e district’s still in its formation, but it’s a walkable locale with interesting things to do.”
“And it’s cool to show o that we have a blooming arts district popping up with some old heads, like Marshall Arts, and all these new bloods,” adds Holtermann. “It’s really exciting.”
EDGE DISTRICT ART CRAWL, MARSHALL ARTS, 639 MARSHALL | SHEET CAKE, 405 MONROE |
GROUND STUDIO, 669 MONROE, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, 5-8 P.M., FREE.
VARIOUS DAYS & TIMES December 19th - 25th
Holiday Bazaar
Arrow Creative, 653 Philadelphia Street, Wednesdays/ ursdays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. | Fridays/Saturdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. | Sundays, 10 am.-4 p.m., through Sunday, December 22
Join Arrow Creative for a monthlong shopping event with over 100 artists and makers in the Memphis area, with art, home goods, jewelry, and more.
Magic of Memphis!
Cannon Center of Performing Arts, 74 Poplar Avenue, Saturday, December 21, 2:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m., $5-$90
Experience Memphis’ most beloved holiday tradition, joined by a continuous collage of Memphis performing groups for a nonstop light and music show with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, Dancing Santas, and Memphis Black Arts Alliance Singers.
Wurlitzer Wonderland
Orpheum eatre, 203 S. Main St., Saturday, December 21, 7 p.m., $10/ cash at the door
Resident Orpheum House
Organist Tony Thomas will get attendees in the holiday spirit with festive tunes played on the Orpheum’s 96-year-old Mighty Wurlitzer Organ. The evening will include selections from the recently released album The Orpheum Theatre Group presents A Very Mighty Christmas
Joyce Cobb & Band: A Holiday Concert
Memphis Public Libraries Orange Mound Branch, 843 Dallas Street, Saturday, December 21, 11 a.m.-noon
Join the library for an unforgettable performance by Memphis’ own Joyce Cobb, hailed as “one of Memphis’ great musical treasures.” Joyce’s il-
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lustrious career has taken her from recording with Stax Records and landing a Top 40 hit with “Dig e Gold,” to opening for legends like e Temptations and Muddy Waters. Kenneth Jackson will perform the day before, from 2 to 3 p.m. He has performed worldwide with renowned artists such as Ray Charles, Solomon Burke, Sam & Dave, and e Dells, as well as many other greats.
Celtic Crossing Santa Paws
Celtic Crossing Irish Pub and Restaurant, 903 Cooper, Saturday, December 21, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Santa Paws is coming to town! You and your furry friends are invited for Santa photos, pup cups, doggy cocktails, and $1 off Doggy Burgers. Dress your pals in their finest ugly sweater for a chance to win a prize.
UGLY ART CO.,
MADISON
SOLID
PHOTO: HOLTERMONSTER e art crawl will go to four venues.
MUSIC By Alex Greene
Reba Russell’s Life in Music
e blues, rock, and soul singer gets by with a little help from her friends.
Last Saturday at Hernando’s Hide-A-Way, the Memphis Blues Society recognized nine artists for their regional and global impact with its Lifetime Achievement Awards. Among the awardees were omas Bingham, Charles Gage, Mike Glenn, Eric Hughes, Al Kapone, Memphis Gold, Andrew “Shine” Turner, and Jay Sieleman, a roster marked by its eclecticism and inclusiveness. Yet there was one more recipient who was especially notable: Reba Russell. As one of the few local women still regularly singing the blues in this town (also including Barbara Blue, the incomparable Joyce Cobb, and others), the celebration of Russell’s decadeslong career was signi cant beyond the music itself.
It was an appropriate award for the artist who only last year released the powerful single, “Women Rule.” As Russell says, “You know, I am a woman-lover. I believe in women, and I want women to do good, and I have even been ugly and kind of mean to men over my career and in life! It’s one of my favorite themes. But I’m really passionate about that. I really believe it. I just don’t think we get a good enough shake and that we’re still trying to overcome that.”
Saturday’s ceremony, then, meant a great deal to Russell. “Memphis doesn’t support the blues or the Memphis Blues Society like it could, you know,” she says. “I just wish there were more people that cared, but at the same time, it was just a big, warm hug. And for me personally, Wayne and James and Sally were there, and they were at the very rst gig I ever played at RP Tracks.” at would be Wayne Russell, her husband and bass player; drummer James Cunningham; and longtime friend Sally Raburn, who, Russell says, “has been a music fan her whole life.”
Speaking of that rst RP Tracks show back at the dawn of the ’80s, accompanied by her husband-to-be and Cunningham, Russell says today, “I told the dude who was giving me a ride there, my friend Bill Turner, ‘Take me home. I don’t want to do this. I’m scared!’” Luckily for the club-goers that night, Turner stayed the course.
But it was still nerve-racking for the young singer. “I pretty much sang with my back to the audience,” she laughs, and that was not lost on Raburn. “She was the one who, at the end of that night, came up and said, ‘You are an amazing singer, but you know,
“When I started, I came here and, boom, everybody helped me.”
it’d be nice if we could see your face. You should turn around while you’re singing!’”
It may be hard for today’s fans to reconcile that stage fright with the bold, bawdy blues (and soul and rock) singer they know. at’s summed up by longtime Memphis multiinstrumentalist and erstwhile guitarist for the Reba Russell Band, Paul Taylor, now living in Wisconsin. “You could ask anybody about Reba,” he says, “and they would say that she’s one of the most electrifying vocalists you’ll ever hear in person, and she never
fails to deliver, and she has the same powerful voice that she’s had for her entire career. I just marvel at her every time because she just has such an intense power.”
at power was apparent to friends who heard her even before that rst show, and Russell credits their encouragement as a key motivator back in those early days. rough a series of bands, rst Visions, then Portrait, and nally Reba and the Portables, Russell, Wayne, and a rotating cast of band members took the city by storm, performing mainly covers at clubs
like Solomon Alfred’s or the Bombay Bicycle Club. In the meantime, the singer and her bassist were clicking romantically, marrying in 1986.
Yet on her journey, from the Portables becoming one of the city’s premier cover bands, to a production deal with Chips Moman, to nally leaning into singing and recording her originals with the Reba Russell Band, the singer has remained appreciative of friends who helped her along the way. At Saturday’s event, Russell says, “I just got up there and praised Memphis and Memphis musicians and producers and engineers and everybody who perpetuates the whole blues scene. Because, you know, I had no experience when I started. I came here and, boom, everybody helped me. Nobody was ugly to me or told me to go away. So I was just trying to express my appreciation to the fabulous musicians in this town, many of whom aren’t here anymore, that have le the planet, yet were so instrumental in helping me and other people get on our feet and become worthy and hardworking musicians.”
at gratitude extended to her fellow awardees as well. “It was really awesome to be included in that group because there were some really cool other people that were given awards that night,” says Russell, noting that it re ected well on the the Memphis Blues Society. Founded in 2005, it gave aid to blues artists during Covid, then launched its Lifetime Achievement Awards in 2021. “ ere are blues purists, and then there are people who are into opening the blues up,” she observes. “It was really cool that Al Kapone was honored last night, and he spoke about that. He has been advocating and adding a blues feel and blues themes to his rap, and I’m sure that there are a lot of blues purists who kind of thumb their nose at that. But from my point of view, it’s absolutely amazing that he’s doing that, and teaching kids, and passing that blues legacy on. I really enjoyed his speech. What he said was really important.”
Re ecting a bit more on the evening and Al Kapone, she continues, “I think he was as proud as I was about receiving the award. And, you know, he’s a lot younger than I am, and he’s got a long time to perpetuate his artistry. So yeah, that part was lovely to me because it was about the continuation of this genre. It’s important for younger people to get hip to it.”
PHOTO: (ABOVE) JAMIE HARMON; (BELOW) MARK CARDWELL (above) Reba Russell re ects on her career; (below) Memphis Blues Society president Angela Ghoreishi and Russell at last Saturday’s event
AFTER DARK: Live Music Schedule December 19 - 15
Ashton Riker & The Memphis Royals
ursday, Dec. 19, 8 p.m.
B.B. KING’S BLUES CLUB
Baunie & Soul
ursday, Dec. 19, 7 p.m. |
Sunday, Dec. 22, 7 p.m.
RUM BOOGIE CAFE
Chris Gales
Saturday, Dec. 21, 4 p.m. |
Sunday, Dec. 22, 12:30 p.m.
RUM BOOGIE CAFE
Flic’s Pics Band
Led by the legendary Leroy “Flic” Hodges of Hi Rhythm.
Saturday, Dec. 21, 4 p.m. |
Sunday, Dec. 22, 3 p.m.
B.B. KING’S BLUES CLUB
FreeWorld
Friday, Dec. 20, 8 p.m.
RUM BOOGIE CAFE
FreeWorld
Sunday, Dec. 22, 6 p.m.
BLUES CITY CAFE
Memphis Soul Factory
Sunday, Dec. 22, 7 p.m. |
Wednesday, Dec. 25, 6 p.m.
B.B. KING’S BLUES CLUB
Mule Man
Saturday, Dec. 21, 12:30 p.m.
RUM BOOGIE CAFE
Rockin’ 88’s
Monday, Dec. 23, 7 p.m.
BLUES CITY CAFE
Sister Lucille
Saturday, Dec. 21, 8 p.m.
RUM BOOGIE CAFE
Soul St. Mojo
Wednesday, Dec. 25, 7 p.m.
RUM BOOGIE CAFE
The B.B. King’s Blues Club Allstar Band
Friday, Dec. 20, 8 p.m. |
Saturday, Dec. 21, 8 p.m.
B.B. KING’S BLUES CLUB
Vince Johnson
Monday, Dec. 23, 7 p.m. |
Tuesday, Dec. 24, 7 p.m.
RUM BOOGIE CAFE
Mannheim Steamroller
Christmas by Chip Davis
America’s favorite holiday tradition for more than 35 years. $45-$95. Sunday, Dec. 22, 6:30 p.m.
ORPHEUM THEATRE
Wurlitzer Wonderland
Featuring house organist
Tony omas on the historic Mighty Wurlitzer Organ. $10.
Saturday, Dec. 21, 7 p.m.
ORPHEUM THEATRE
Five O’Clock Shadow
Sunday, Dec. 22, 4-8 p.m.
NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM
John Németh & The Blue Dreamers
Sunday, Dec. 22, 3 p.m.
HUEY’S POPLAR
Joyce Cobb & Band: A Holiday Concert
An unforgettable performance by Memphis’ own Joyce Cobb, hailed as “one of Memphis’ great musical treasures.”
Monday, Dec. 23, 11 a.m.noon.
MEMPHIS PUBLIC LIBRARIES
ORANGE MOUND BRANCH
Carozilla
A Miami-born Cuban/ Honduran vinyl selector and MC, Caroline Cardenas (aka Carozilla) has a deep-rooted love for a variety of sounds.
With DJ Alpha Whiskey.
Friday, Dec. 20, 9 p.m.
EIGHT & SAND
Live & Local Music
Live and local music, every Wednesday night on the all-weather patio. Wednesday, Dec. 25, 7-10 p.m.
MOMMA’S
Magic of Memphis Memphis’ most beloved holiday tradition, with the MSO and other Memphis performing groups. It’s a nonstop light and music show like you’ve never seen. With Robert Moody, conductor.
Saturday, Dec. 21, 2:30 p.m. |
Saturday, Dec. 21, 7:30 p.m.
CANNON CENTER FOR THE
PERFORMING ARTS
Memphis Funk n Horns, Christmas/Holiday Dance
Listen and dance to your favorite horn band classics, including Chicago, Earth Wind & Fire, Tower of Power, Blood Sweat & Tears. Free. Friday, Dec. 20, 8 p.m.midnight.
NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM
Sounds of the Season:
Cordova High School
Choir
Bringing beauty, joy, and the fun of the holidays, it’s the nal 2024 Sounds of the Season performance. Friday, Dec. 20, 11 a.m.
BENJAMIN L. HOOKS CENTRAL LIBRARY
’Tis a Soulful Season: Holiday Concert with Kenneth Jackson
Kenneth Jackson, who has performed with artists such as Ray Charles, Solomon Burke, Sam and Dave, and e Dells, ushers in the holiday season for the Orange Mound
community. Friday, Dec. 20, 2-3 p.m.
MEMPHIS PUBLIC LIBRARIES
ORANGE MOUND BRANCH
Twin Soul
Saturday, Dec. 21, 8 p.m.
NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM
Van Duren
e singer-songwriter, a pioneer of indie pop in Memphis, performs solo.
ursday, Dec. 19, 6:308:30 p.m.
MORTIMER’S
Zazerac Soul Jazz Trio
Friday, Dec. 20, 9 p.m. BOG & BARLEY
40 Watt Moon
Saturday, Dec. 21, 8 p.m.
RAILGARTEN
616 Reunion
Saturday, Dec. 21, 9 p.m.
THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS
Bailey Bigger’s Yuletide
Show
With Sarah Spain, Mark Edgar Stuart, Alexis Grace. Saturday, Dec. 21, 7 p.m.
BAR DKDC
Davy Ray Bennett
Album Listening Event
Bennett debuts his latest release Out Here in an album listening event and discussion.
Free. ursday, Dec. 19, 6 p.m.
MEMPHIS LISTENING LAB
Deep Roots
Wednesday, Dec. 25, 7 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Devil Train
Bluegrass, roots, country, Delta, and ski e. ursday, Dec. 19, 10 p.m.
B-SIDE
Doug Macleod
Sunday, Dec. 22, 3 p.m.
HUEY’S MIDTOWN
Jacksmas with the Jack Oblivian Band
A special Christmas show with this globally celebrated garage rocker. Wednesday, Dec. 25, 8 p.m.
BAR DKDC
Jazz Holiday Extravaganza with Steve Lee and His Band, Featuring Gavin Wigginson
An evening of festive jazz presented by Memphis native Steve Lee, with guest artist Gavin Wigginson. $18/general admission. ursday, Dec. 19, 6-8 p.m.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
Joe Restivo 4
Guitarist Joe Restivo leads one of the city’s nest jazz quartets. Sunday, Dec. 22, 11 a.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Joyce Cobb
With a career spanning several decades, Cobb has earned a reputation as a true icon in the world of jazz, blues, and R&B. $30. Saturday, Dec. 21, 7:30 p.m.
THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS
Joyer
With Total Wife, Hail Maria, Melinda [Small RoomDownstairs]. ursday, Dec. 19, 8 p.m. HI TONE
Louise Page: Farewell to Memphis Party
A celebration and show on the occasion of the singersongwriter’s move away from Memphis. Friday, Dec. 20, 8 p.m.
BAR DKDC
PHOTO: (LEFT) COURTESY MEMPHIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Magic of Memphis, with the MSO and Chorus
Speak No Evil Speakeasy
e Goddessie hosts a night of music and other entertainment, with an open mic and photos with Black Santa. Sunday, Dec. 22, 6 p.m. HI TONE
Stinson’s Industrial Christmas Party
With Al Kapone, e Bar-Kays, and Freeworld. A toy drive for Porter-Leath. Bring a gi for children ages 2 through 5 for free entry. Saturday, Dec. 21, 6-10:30 p.m.
MINGLEWOOD HALL
Vinyl Happy Hour
PHOTO: CHLOE LITTLEFIELD Louise Page
With Guest DJs every Friday. Friday, Dec. 20, 3-5 p.m.
MEMPHIS LISTENING LAB
Mike Cooley (Drive-By Truckers)
ursday, Dec. 19, 8:30 p.m.
HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY
The Double D’s Sunday, Dec. 22, 6 p.m.
HUEY’S SOUTHAVEN
Victorian Christmas Carols
Get ready to be enchanted by Victorian carols. $20/general admission. ursday, Dec. 19, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Magik Hours With San Salida, Turnstyles. Friday, Dec. 20, 8 p.m.
LAMPLIGHTER LOUNGE
Marcella Simien & Her Lovers
Friday, Dec. 20, 8 p.m.
RAILGARTEN
MESH:/FOCUS with DJ Nico, Qemist, and Strooly
Qemist’s MESH:/FOCUS event returns to DKDC for another epic installment, featuring some of the South’s most prominent icons. Saturday, Dec. 21, 8 p.m.-2 a.m. BAR DKDC
Mike Cooley (Drive-By Truckers)
ursday, Dec. 19, 8:30 p.m.
HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY
Owlbear
With Los Psychosis, Cheyenne Mars. [Small RoomDownstairs]. Free. Saturday, Dec. 21, 9 p.m.
HI TONE
Roxi Love
Sunday, Dec. 22, 7 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
Smith 7 presents Smithmas
With Chloie P, Shamothy, Wicker. Monday, Dec. 23, 7 p.m.
GROWLERS
Southern Grind Sessions
ursday, Dec. 19, 7 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
ELMWOOD CEMETERY
Duane Cleveland Band
Sunday, Dec. 22, 6 p.m.
HUEY’S OLIVE BRANCH
Make Music Day Winter 2024
Make Music Day at Music Box in Collierville is a free, familyfriendly, and fun holiday celebration for our community. Saturday, Dec. 21, 4-8 p.m.
Experience a heartwarming holiday celebration. $35/ general admission. Saturday, Dec. 21, 8-9:30 p.m.
GERMANTOWN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Singer Songwriter
Sundays
Enjoy some of the area’s best local musicians every Sunday. Sunday, Dec. 22, 4-6 p.m.
MEDDLESOME BREWING COMPANY
The Chaulkies Sunday, Dec. 22, 6 p.m.
HUEY’S MILLINGTON
CALENDAR of EVENTS: December 19 - 25
ART AND SPECIAL EXHIBITS
“All Aboard: The Railroad in American Art, 1840 - 1955”
Exploring relationships between American painters and the trains that criss-crossed the nation. rough Jan. 26.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
“ANA•LOG” – Lester
Merriweather e gestural treatment of layered and excavated surfaces here pays homage to the experimental processes of the mid-’60s developer tool works by the late Jack Whitten. rough Jan. 19.
CROSSTOWN ARTS AT THE CONCOURSE
Andrea Morales: “Roll Down Like Water”
Featuring 65 photographs by the Memphis-based PeruvianAmerican photographer. rough Jan. 31.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
“A River I Loved”Maysey Craddock
Works that examine the dualities and mysteries of nature through saturated earth tones and translucent layers. rough Dec. 21.
DAVID LUSK GALLERY
“Back for Seconds”
Featuring work by Roger Allan Cleaves, Melissa Dunn, Stephanie Howard, and Clare Torina. rough Feb. 1.
SHEET CAKE
Bartlett Art Association’s Happy Holiday Winter Exhibit
A wide range of work from local artists. rough December 27.
WKNO DIGITAL MEDIA CENTER
Carol Adamec Exhibit: In a Japanese Garden Images of owers, kimonos, and gardens in oil on canvas and acrylic gouache on rice paper and panel. rough Dec. 30.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Fall 2024 BFA Exhibition
With work by Christian Brothers University graduating seniors Ciridany Genchi Cortez and Piper Grokulsky. rough Feb. 14.
BEVERLY + SAM ROSS GALLERY
Jana Jones: “Heartfelt Hues: Living in Full Color”
Jones’ yearlong journey of transforming ideas and thoughts into visuals. rough Jan. 2.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Justin Bowles: “Green Fountain”
An ecstatic rendering of a fantastical garden. rough Feb. 16.
TOPS GALLERY: MADISON AVENUE PARK
“Loose Ends:” New Work by Brittney Boyd Bullock
Bullock examines the intricate narratives of Black labor, migration, and cultural identity through textile-based art and collage. rough Feb. 1.
SHEET CAKE
Master Metalsmith
Preston Jackson: “A Hidden Culture”
Revealing “history that has been buried, forgotten, or deemed unimportant by society.” rough Jan. 26
METAL MUSEUM
Natural Histories: 400 Years of Scientific
Illustration
Gems and unique masterworks from the American Museum of Natural History’s rare book collection. rough Jan. 26.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
“Pissarro to Picasso:” Masterworks from the Kirkland Family Collection
Treasures from the L.A.-based family. rough Jan. 26.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
“Pompeii: The Exhibition”
In a media-rich, object-based immersive experience, discover the bustling commercial port and strategic military and trading center that was Pompeii before Mount Vesuvius erupted. rough April 13.
GRACELAND EXHIBITION CENTER
Preston Jackson: “Tales of the River Cities”
Narrative vignettes that speak to Jackson’s family history near the Mississippi River. rough Jan. 26.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
R.P. Funderburk: “Birdhouses”
Artful birdhouses by a member of the Cra smen Guild of Mississippi. rough Jan. 2.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Scott A. Carter: “Energy States”
Objects and environments combining sculpture, architecture, design, and sound. Friday, Nov. 15-Jan. 19
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
“Size Matters” – Alex Paulus
A series focused on the juxtaposition of small gures within expansive landscapes, alongside large-scale portraits depicting gures from the artist’s childhood. rough Jan. 19.
CROSSTOWN ARTS AT THE CONCOURSE
Southern Heritage Classic Exhibit
A special exhibition in honor of the Black college football experience and a rich HBCU tradition, celebrating the story of Fred Jones Jr., the founder
PHOTO: COURTESY MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN In Jana Jones’ “Heartfelt Hues: Living in Full Color,” the artist explores the chromatic spectrum.
of the Southern Heritage Classic. rough Feb. 28.
NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM
“Starry, Starry Winter Garden”
Artist Greely Myatt uses found objects to create an illuminated starscape. rough Jan. 31.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
“Still” – Michelle Fair Figures and landscapes conjuring ideas of solitude and loneliness, that also explore the meditative aspects of painting. Sunday, Nov. 10-Jan. 19
CROSSTOWN ARTS AT THE CONCOURSE
“The Funny Pages:” MidSouth Cartoonists
Association
See the shows, buy the art, and meet the artists. rough Jan. 17.
GERMANTOWN COMMUNITY
THEATRE
ART HAPPENINGS
Temple of Souls Art & Vintage Shoppe
Jana Wilson’s handmade items from cute to creepy, pop-art shrines, and funky holiday decor; Tracey Yarbro’s purses, art, and jewelry from vinyl records; and Stephanie Albion’s clever word-themed art. Other local artists will also rotate through. Friday, Dec. 20, noon-6 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 21, noon-6 p.m. | Sunday, Dec. 22, noon-6 p.m. | Monday, Dec. 23, noon-6 p.m.
VINTAGIA MEMPHIS
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 LISTINGS, SCAN THE QR CODE OR VISIT EVENTS.MEMPHISFLYER.COM/CAL.
Comedy Night with Ben Pierce
Pierce heads up this open mic event that’s becoming the talk of the town. ursday, Dec. 19, 8 p.m.
BAR DKDC
Hoppy Hour Comedy
Enjoy tasty Hampline brews while sharing laughs with fellow Memphians. Free. Friday, Dec. 20, 7:30-9 p.m.
HAMPLINE BREWING
Open Mic Comedy Night
Everyone’s favorite comedy club. Tuesday, Dec. 24, 8 p.m. HI TONE
Saturday Night
Showcase
A diverse line up that cracks smiles and causes uproarious laughter. $15. Saturday, Dec. 21, 7 p.m.
MEMPHIS CLOVER CLUB
DANCE
Santa Rave
Get merry, get lit! e ultimate holiday-themed rave. Friday, Dec. 20, 9 p.m. GROWLERS
EXPO/SALES
Gifts of Green
The Edge District Art Crawl
With visits to Marshall Arts, Sheet Cake Gallery, e Ugly Art Co., and Solid Ground Studio. Free. ursday, Dec. 19, 5-8 p.m.
MARSHALL ARTS GALLERY
CLASS / WORKSHOP
Cocktail Chronicles
A monthly bartending class. ursday, Dec. 19, 7-8 p.m.
BAR HUSTLE AT ARRIVE MEMPHIS
Hobby Kick-Start: The Art of Candle Making
Keith McBride II of Candles by Deuce will explain the signi cance of candles, explore their environmental bene ts, and teach you to create seasonal scents that light up the holiday vibe. $25. ursday, Dec. 19, 6 p.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Super SaturdayHoliday Gift Bags
Participants receive a blank bag to transform with markers, crayon, pompoms, ribbons, and pipe cleaners. Free. Saturday, Dec. 21, 10 a.m.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
COMEDY
Benefit Comedy Show for Chandra Massey With Chris Crazy Legs Fonesca and Mo Alexander. ursday, Dec. 19, 8 p.m. HI TONE
With tropical and unusual plants, stylish pots, and other botanical novelties. rough Dec. 30.
With over 20 arts and cra s vendors and live performances by local bands Melinda, Screamer, Oakwalker, and Massey Lane. $10/presale, $15/day of show. Friday, Dec. 20, 7 p.m.
MINGLEWOOD HALL
FILM
Space: The New Frontier 2D
From self-assembling habitats to the Lunar Gateway to deep space. rough May 23.
MEMPHIS MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY
Tapeworm
From lmmakers Milos Mitrovic and Fabian Velasco. Sunday, Dec. 22, 7:30 p.m.
LAMPLIGHTER LOUNGE
The Muppet Christmas Carol e 1992 musical lm adapted from the Charles Dickens novella. Saturday, Dec. 21, 4:30 p.m.
MEMPHIS MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY
FOOD AND DRINK
Celtic Crossing Whiskey Pairing Dinner
Hosted by connoisseur DJ Naylor. $80/general admission. ursday, Dec. 19, 7-9 p.m.
CELTIC CROSSING IRISH PUB
Shaken + Stirred Cocktail Class
Wow guests by learning a few tricks of the trade. $125. Wednesday, Dec. 18, 5:30 p.m. MOXY MEMPHIS DOWNTOWN
HOLIDAY EVENTS
Celtic Crossing Santa Paws
Santa Paws is coming to town. Expect Santa photos, pup cups, doggy cocktails, and $1 o Doggy Burgers. Dress your pals in their nest ugly sweater for a chance to win a prize! Saturday, Dec. 21, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
CELTIC CROSSING
Celtic Crossing Ugly
Christmas Sweater Party ’Tis the season for ugly sweaters. Saturday, Dec. 21, 9 p.m.-midnight.
CELTIC CROSSING
Friday Night Lasers:
Laser Holidays
A planetarium light show with holiday music. $18. Friday, Dec. 20, 7 p.m.
MEMPHIS MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY
Holiday Bazaar Shop 100+ local artists and makers. rough Dec. 22. ARROW CREATIVE
Holiday Wonders
See the garden’s landscapes bedecked with lights, with cocktails, hot chocolate, and apple cider. Closed Dec. 24 and 25. rough Dec. 28. MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Last Minute Holiday Market
Still looking for that perfect gi ? is market will help you nd it. Saturday, Dec. 21, 11 a.m. GROWLERS
Memphis Arts Collective Holiday Market
Over 30 Memphis artists showcasing their artworks in pottery, glass, jewelry, metal, fabric, mixed media, and photography. Includes a silent auction to bene t the Miracle League of Memphis. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. rough Dec. 24. GATTAS PLAZA
Photos with Santa Free. Friday, Dec. 20, 2-7 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 21, 2-7 p.m. | Sunday, Dec. 22, 1-5 p.m. SADDLE CREEK SOUTH
Porter-Leath Toy Truck Donate to help bring holiday joy to 2,000 preschoolers. Friday, Dec. 20, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 21, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. IKEA
The Enchanted Forest Festival of Trees
A benefit for Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital that fills the Pink Palace with decorated trees, teddy bears, trains, elves, and penguins. Through Dec. 29.
MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND HISTORY AT THE PINK PALACE
WinterArts 2024
With unique hand-crafted works by our region’s finest artists. Through Dec. 24.
SHOPS OF SADDLE CREEK
Winter Wonderland
Sock skating, snowball challenges, igloo making, themed art projects, gingerbread story time, and more. Through Jan. 5.
CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF MEMPHIS
Zoo Lights
The zoo transforms into a twinkling wonderland full of festive fun for the whole family. Wander through the sparkling Truist Courtyard Winter Wonderland and visit Santa at Santa’s Workshop. $20. 5-9:30 p.m. Through Jan. 4.
MEMPHIS ZOO
PERFORMING ARTS
A Drag Queen Christmas
With winners, fan favorites, legends, and Miss Congeniality. Thursday, Dec. 19, 8 p.m. | Thursday, Dec. 19, 8 p.m.
ORPHEUM THEATRE
Season Serenade: A Jazzy Holiday Performance
The Collage Youth Ensemble and Memphis Jazz Workshop present a soulful holiday performance on this season’s theme of “Reframing the Narrative.” From the timeless melodies of Duke Ellington and Beethoven to the spirited grooves of the Pointer Sisters and Glen Miller, each piece weaves a tapestry of hope and resilience. Saturday, Dec. 21, 2:30 p.m.
CROSSTOWN THEATER
“Sweet Tea Sundays”
Featuring a tea dance and show. Sunday, Dec. 22, 3-6 p.m.
DRU’S PLACE
SPORTS
Memphis Grizzlies vs. Golden State Warriors
Thursday, Dec. 19, 7 p.m.
FEDEXFORUM
Memphis Grizzlies vs. Los Angeles Clippers
Monday, Dec. 23, 7 p.m.
FEDEXFORUM
Race: Reindeer Run Diaper Drive 5K Course route includes the Jones Pond Pavilion. Saturday, Dec. 21, 7 a.m.
SHELBY FARMS PARK
THEATER
A Christmas Carol
Miserly Ebenezer Scrooge is approached by the ghostly vision of his former business partner, Jacob Marley, who warns him of an upcoming spiritual journey. Based on the novella by Charles Dickens. Thursday, Dec. 19, 7 p.m. | Friday, Dec. 20, 7 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 21, 3 p.m. | Sunday, Dec. 22, 3 p.m.
LOHREY THEATRE
A Motown Christmas
Nate Jacobs’ exciting, family-fun Christmas musical celebrates the most wonderful time of the year. All your holiday favorites from such celebrities as Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, and The Jackson 5 will be performed with that dazzling West Coast signature style coupled with a soulful Motown flair. Through Dec. 22.
HATTILOO THEATRE
A Stubborn Holiday
An evening brimming with laughter and intrigue that will fill your heart with festive cheer. How will it all end? Written and directed by Mary Ann Washington. Thursday, Dec. 19, 7:30 p.m. | Friday, Dec. 20, 7:30 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 21, 3 p.m. | Sunday, Dec. 22, 2 p.m. THEATREWORKS @ THE SQUARE
Annie Jr., the Musical Everyone’s favorite little orphan will be singing her way into your hearts this holiday season at GCT. Bring the whole family to this uplifting irresistible show. $16/students (under 18 or in any school level), $16/teachers (part & full time), $16/military (current or retired), $21/seniors 60+, $26/adults, $10/sensory friendly with sign language, $14/group of 10+ at one performance. Friday, Dec. 20, 7:30-9 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 21, 7:30-9 p.m. | Sunday, Dec. 22, 2:30-4 p.m.
GERMANTOWN COMMUNITY THEATRE
Junie B. Jones: Toothless Wonder
Junie B. Jones is facing a challenging week, with her first tooth about to fall out and questions about the Tooth Fairy’s intentions. Adding to her woes, she’s the only one not invited to classmate Jim’s birthday party. Will she get an invite, and what happens when her tooth falls out? Find out in this fun adventure. $25/single ticket. Saturday, Dec. 21, 2-4 p.m. | Sunday, Dec. 22, 2-4 p.m.
CIRCUIT PLAYHOUSE
One Man’s Christmas Carol, with Marques Brown It wouldn’t feel like Christmas without the Charles Dickens classic tale of Ebeneezer Scrooge. Marques Brown presents a new perspective on this familiar story, portraying every memorable character. $10/adults, $5/students. Friday, Dec. 20, 2:30-4 p.m. | Sunday, Dec. 22, 6:30-8 p.m.
The Wizard of Oz Swept to the enchanting land of Oz by a tornado, Dorothy Gale teams up with a Scarecrow, a Tin Woodsman, and a Cowardly Lion to find the Wizard. Friday, Dec. 20, 7 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 21, 2 p.m. | Sunday, Dec. 22, 2 p.m. PLAYHOUSE ON THE SQUARE
Twelfth Night
Shakespeare’s most charming comedy for the Christmas season, cast in a topsy-turvy world of cross-dressing lovers, yellow cross-garters, and crossed identities. Shipwrecked, Viola has lost her country and beloved twin brother. Disguising herself as Cesario, a boy page, she falls in love with Duke Orsino even as she delivers his affections to the lovely Lady Olivia. Between beautiful songs, high comedy, and delicate poetry, love redeems all. Directed by Stephanie Shine. Fridays-Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. | Sundays at 3 p.m. Through Dec. 22.
TENNESSEE SHAKESPEARE COMPANY
Who’s Holiday!
Prepare for a riotously funny and heartwarming adults-only comedy, where Cindy Lou Who takes center stage to recount the Christmas Eve she met the Grinch and the unexpected twists her life has taken since. Through Dec. 22.
TOURS
Graceland Christmas Tours
Enjoy the beauty of Elvis Presley’s Graceland decorated for the holidays. Through Dec. 23.
GRACELAND MANSION
Haunted Pub Crawl
Visit three local bars for ghost stories, dark history, and tales of the paranormal. Named one of the spookiest ghost tours in the country by House Beautiful magazine! Friday, Dec. 20, 7:30-10 p.m.
THE BROOM CLOSET
Starry Nights
THE BROOM CLOSET CALENDAR: DECEMBER 19 - 25
CIRCUIT PLAYHOUSE
GERMANTOWN COMMUNITY THEATRE
ACROSS
1 Firearms without serial numbers
10 Capital known as the City of Trees
15 Part of a wedding weekend
16 Something holding up the works?
17 It was discovered on Mars in 2018
19 Some suits
20 Take a furtive look
21 The third of three X’s
22 “Cómo es ___?” (Spanish for “What’s the deal?”)
23 Peabrain?
24 Nonreligious observance: Abbr.
Crossword
25 U-Haul competitor
27 Not up
28 Substantial
30 He works with bugs
32 Lift
33 They’re chewable but not meant to be eaten
36 Evening service
37 County in northeast England
38 Old Testament prophet
39 Feature of many a general’s statue
40 Political commentator Pfeiffer
41 A caddie may retrieve one
45 To give: Sp.
46 Matched (up)
48 “South Park” brother
49 Hair clump
50 Ancient supercontinent
51 “Shoot!”
52 “What a dang shame”
55 Some bar signs
56 1965 hit by the Kinks
57 “Money says …”
58 Perch for a deer hunter DOWN
1 Seller of staples
2 Martin Luther’s crime
3 “Glad to hear it!”
4 They’re blue on maps
5 Trig. function
6 Beef
7 The 23rd one took place in 2010
8 Catholic celebration
9 Quenched
10 “It’s ___ real”
11 Part of many a rowing club logo
12 “Can I come out now?”
13 Kelp forest resident
14 Magazine that’s weekly in France but monthly in the U.S.
18 No later than 23 He has a Wild Ride at Disneyland
Oracle’s home
The spirit of the season comes to life with dazzling displays featuring millions of lights dotting the landscape of Shelby Farms. Festive fun is in store for both kids and kids at heart at this drive-through holiday event. $38, $200. Through Dec. 29.
SHELBY FARMS
The Original Memphis Brew Bus
The Memphis Brew Bus is a Saturday afternoon trip into the amazing Memphis craft brewing scene. Visit three local breweries for tours, talks with the brewers, and of course beer. $59. Saturday, Dec. 21, 2-5:30 p.m.
Edited by Will Shortz No. 0330
This or that
Totally screw up?
Extended warranty fig.
Court venue
___ deck (bodybuilder’s machine) 33 Deg. that requires the study of
“Well, that was weird”
Didn’t go anywhere 47 Message on the “cake car” in the
PUZZLE BY GREG JOHNSON
We Saw You.
with MICHAEL DONAHUE
You might be a bit of a Scrooge if you didn’t get a little thrilled when all those lights turned on at Season of Delight at Crosstown Concourse, which was held December 6th.
“Seeing the entire building come alive with people of all ages and backgrounds — gathered under one roof, enjoying everything from a 20-person gospel choir to a 40-piece orchestra, and counting down to the moment the lights lled the atrium — was unlike anything I’ve experienced before,” says Adrian Perez, Crosstown Concourse communications manager.
More than 3,000 people attended Season of Delight. ey spread out “across every oor and activated space. Choose901 hosted a holiday market on the fourth oor, Crosstown Arts had open studios and a lm screening in the theater, and e End of All Art pop-up bookstore lled the East Atrium. And outside? e ice skating rink, games, and a DJ.”
All these attractions and more were featured. “ e coalescence of these di erent audiences and experiences truly embodies the Crosstown Concourse ethos of ‘Better Together,’” says Crosstown Arts executive director Stacy Wright.
PHOTOS: MICHAEL DONAHUE
above: Derek, Ava, Lydia, Eliana, Jonathan, Harvey, Ben, and Elliott Cooper circle: Hopper Harmon below: (le to right) Nylon Webb; Levi Stull and Emily Metzger; Alex Upton and Mark Lynch bottom row: (le to right) Ayana Walls and Daveren Coburn; Jacob Bellah and Brooke Steger
above: Raelea, Paul, Gabe, Courtney, and Luke He below: (le to right) Magda Sakaan, Cindy Hastings-Sakaan, and Ayan El-Oglah; Allen Duckworth; Daniel Lynn
right row: (top and below) Jenna Clar, Sarah He, Yulianna Diaz-Tirado, Nadine Emile, and Tamar Bar Ziv; Annelise Danielson and David Swider bottom le : Juan Guerrero and Liv Gan
FOOD By Michael Donahue
Keeping It Under $10
J
e rey Dunham did a lot of construction when he was chef/owner of e Grove Grill. But he was using ingredients you could eat. Like meat and sh.
Now, he’s constructing things with ingredients you wouldn’t eat. Like wood and paint.
For the past six months, Dunham, who closed e Grove Grill in 2020, has been working on woodworking, plumbing, and painting jobs with his buddy Ben Homolka of Quality Painting. He’s also been looking for places to eat lunch under $10.
“Most of his business is out in the Cordova-Bartlett area,” Dunham says. “So, every day it’s lunchtime and he likes to sit down and eat, so we just started going out to eat.”
It wasn’t anything planned days in advance. “It was just, ‘Okay. Let’s go get lunch.’ And you take a break and get in the car. ‘Where do you want to go?’ ‘I don’t know. Where do you want to go?’ ‘I don’t know. Where do you want to go?’”
Dunham says, “Being an interested observer in the restaurant business and industry, I started evaluating these places. With in ation and all the cost pressures that restaurants have, it’s tough to keep your prices down. As a customer, it’s quite a lot to go out and eat a $20 lunch every day.”
Dunham began looking for lunches under $10. And he found them. “I don’t know if I consider it a challenge. It’s not necessarily a budgetary motivation, but it’s fun to nd places like that. Especially independents.”
“As a customer, it’s quite a lot to go out and eat a $20 lunch every day.”
He was happily surprised to nd a great deal at TJ Mulligan’s. “You get two fried pork chops, a couple of sides, and a couple of rolls. And it’s a well-prepared, quality product.”
Dunham said, “Wow. Look at this. I can’t believe this is such a reasonable price.”
e pork chops were a half to three-quarters of an inch thick. ey were seasoned with our and maybe a little cornstarch because “there was some crispness to it.”
Dunham changes up his sides,
which include a spinach casserole. “ eir rolls are very good, as well. But, yeah, it’s just a well-done meat-andthree kind of meal.”
Dunham discovered another lunch under $10 at My Favorite Place. “It’s a Hispanic restaurant,” says Dunham, who’s known the owner Dennis Zamora for a long time.”
Dunham ordered one chile relleno for $9.99. “I love my grandma’s. She used to make them for me.”
e ones at My Favorite Place also are great, Dunham says. “ ey are roasted poblano chilis stu ed with cheese and typically pan-fried in an egg white batter.”
It has a “rich chili tomato sauce” on top, he says.
Dunham also likes the chili seasoning on top of the chips. “ en just a simple fresh picante salsa, which is, again, great.
“Everything I had over there is always on point,” he adds.
Waldo’s Chicken & Beer is another lunch favorite. “You can get three chicken tenders for $9.99.”
e tenders come with fresh handcut fries and a drink. “ ey have several cases of potatoes in the dining room.”
And, he says, “ eir fried chicken is solid.”
Dunham was pleasantly surprised when he discovered Abbay’s. He thought it was a chain until he learned it was locally owned. “ ey’ve been going at it for a long time.”
“You can have chicken-fried steak and a side for under 10 bucks,” he says. “Apparently, a lot of folks in the area come and get their sides for the holidays.”
Dunham can see where Abbay’s could have been designed as a chain restaurant. “It’s set up like that. You order and it’s ready in ve minutes. Again, good side, good center of the plate, and great rolls. It’s a classic meat-and-three. Bookend meatand-threes here with Abbay’s and TJ Mulligan’s.”
In addition to local eating spots, Dunham says they’ve tried “some chain places that are solid for $10.”
Chipotle Mexican Grill is one of them. “You can get three tacos that are enormous for $10. I generally eat just two of them and maybe have another one in the a ernoon.”
Serving lunch under $10 isn’t di cult, Dunham says. “Lunches are not all that expensive. But it costs more money to do some things.
ey are trying to achieve a price point and selling that price point. At every one of the restaurants you go into, you can always get something more expensive: ‘Let me have the hamburger and onion rings.’ All of a sudden you spend $15. The ultimate objective is revenue. And sustainable revenue.”
Asked why he closed The Grove Grill, which he opened in 1997, Dunham says, “It shut down for Covid and we just never reopened.”
Dunham was one of the owners of Magnolia & May with his son Chip and daughter-in-law Amanda until Chip bought him out. Jeffrey also did a lot of the physical work on the restaurant before it opened, including knocking out a wall and putting in a bar. He and Chip built all the tables and chairs.
Construction isn’t something new to Jeffrey. “When I was a kid, I worked for a contractor. But that was
a long time ago.”
He also worked on his grandfather’s ranch. “Whatever we needed to do.”
The only similarity between construction work and cooking is maybe the “prep work.” Like sanding the walls before painting, which is akin to cleaning a case of Brussels sprouts before cooking them.
Jeffrey still cooks elaborate meals from time to time. He and his wife Tracey recently drove to Jasper, Alabama, where he prepared a “Chamber of Commerce sit-down dinner for 30” for a good friend.
“Tracey and I joked about how it wouldn’t be the Christmas season if we didn’t have at least one 40 top.” By the way, customers could eat for under $10 at one point at The Grove Grill. “When we first opened, our hamburger was $9.13 But, as a rule, most of our stuff was over 10 bucks.”
Chef Je rey Dunham scouts budget lunch places.
PHOTO: COURTESY JEFFREY DUNHAM Je rey Dunham and wife Tracey
Toothless Wonder
Circuit Playhouse’s Junie B. Jones production has humor, drama, and superb storytelling.
It’s easy to forget, as adults, just how much of our time as children is spent worrying about our teeth coming out. I haven’t given it a thought in probably 20 years, but my son is now at the age when this is a Very Legitimate Concern. He asks me questions like, “When you were a kid, did you pull your teeth out or just let them fall out?” And I inevitably scramble to remember, how did I feel about the whole thing? It does cross my mind that this isn’t something we completely leave behind as we pass through adolescence. A quick Google search tells me that dreaming of your teeth falling out is fairly common, a ecting around 39 percent of people, although I’ve never had it myself. I will confess that if my son hadn’t recently begun to lose his teeth, it probably wouldn’t have occurred to me to attend e Circuit Playhouse’s production of Junie B. Jones: Toothless Wonder ankfully, however, the stars aligned, because it would have been to my detriment to miss it. My 7-year-old son accompanied me, and it’s a performance we both loved.
true for Junie B., a schemer who has a wiggly front tooth, with all the subsequent Tooth-Fairy-related worries that come with it, on top of being the only one who isn’t invited to her classmate’s birthday party. Junie B. is an over-the-top dramatic kind of girl, which is perfect for the theater and also for reminding us that even the loudest, most hyperbolic behavior can sometimes represent very real, raw feelings. is is a theme that seems to be getting more and more traction in today’s entertainment for kids, which I love to see. Junie B.’s “what if” soliloquies remind me of Pixar’s Inside Out 2’s character Anxiety, who was popular with adult audiences.
Junie B. Jones — she wouldn’t have us leave out the “B,” reminiscent of Anne “with an ‘e’” — is a character most people would describe as “precocious.” To me, she was fabulous — a refreshingly powerful female character and inspiration to all. A line in the show stood out: Junie B. looks at her re ection a er she nally does — spoiler alert — lose her tooth. In that moment, she regains her brie y lost con dence, but she doesn’t make a reference at all to beauty. What she says is, “I think I look fascinating.” To that I say HELL YES, Junie B.! Would that we all could celebrate ourselves with such honesty. Brooke Papritz nailed that moment and, for that matter, this role. Watching an adult play a child can be an extremely unpleasant experience, especially if it’s obvious that the performer has lost connection with their own childlike wonder. Papritz, along with all the cast members playing children onstage, gave Junie B. and her classmates all the spunk and pizzazz an audience could hope for.
Junie B. Jones: Toothless Wonder reminds us that when children are facing problems every molehill can look and feel like a mountain. is is certainly
Regardless of the emotional poignancy present in this play, it remains resolutely a comedy. Walking back to our car a er the show, my son went through a list of his favorite moments.
“And my fourth favorite part was …” It’s a good sign for any performance to garner one or two stand-out moments, let alone four. I laughed out loud several times in the show and appreciated how o en timing was a punch line all on its own.
is play may be a simple, hour-long production with a target audience of young children, but it nevertheless has every component necessary for great theater. Humor, drama, and superb storytelling (the callback to recycling is top-notch writing) make this a show worth anyone’s time. If my son’s reaction was anything to go by, your kids will love it. ey may consistently call it a “movie” a erward when trying to puzzle out if the actor playing Junie B. actually lost her tooth, but they’ll still love it. Junie B. Jones: Toothless Wonder runs at e Circuit Playhouse through December 22nd.
PHOTO: MEGAN CHRISTOFERSON Brooke Papritz leads the cast as Junie B. Jones.
A Holiday of Lights
Winter holidays use light as a symbol of warmth and faith.
Winter was a di cult time for our ancestors. Except for those living in the equatorial part of the world, winters were cold and harsh. Food was scarce, and your food supply depended on your harvests and abilities to put food away for a later time. Even now with modern conveniences and technology, most of us are not looking forward to winter. It is no surprise that our distant ancestors created many holidays during these cold months to help them get through the darkest part of the year.
Late fall and winter are full of various holidays from around the world. e ancients tracked the turning of the seasons and o en celebrated the most obvious shi s in the natural world. Many ancient cultures celebrated the end of fall (or summer for those parts of the world that don’t have a lot of seasonal changes) and the beginning of winter. You can see this in ancient Norse, ancient Celtic and British, and even modern traditions. e Norse called this Vetrnætr, or Winter Nights. e Celtics, British, and modern Pagans call this Samhain (or Halloween).
week of Advent emphasizes themes such as hope, peace, joy, and love. e use of the wreath and candles during Advent are a long-standing Catholic tradition that was originally adopted by Christians in the Middle Ages as part of their spiritual preparation for Christmas. An Advent wreath is typically made of evergreen branches and holds four candles, each representing one of the four weeks, and intentions, of Advent.
Yule is the ancient practice of celebrating the winter solstice. Yule was practiced by our ancient ancestors and has been revived by modern Pagans. Yule represents the end of the dark half of the year on December 21st and the returning strength of the sun. Over time, di erent myths and stories have been attached to Yule, such as the Oak King and the Holly King story, as well as the birth of the God who is honored by Wiccans and Pagans. Christmas is a holiday we are all familiar with and is the source of our modern gi -giving season. Christmas is the Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of their God, as well as hope and peace for the world.
Hanukkah is an eight-day celebration in the Jewish faith that is the “festival of lights,” during which gi s are given, and each day a candle of the menorah is ritualistically lit.
As the year winds down to December, we’re nearing the coldest, darkest months of the year. Our ancestors had comparatively little to help them through the season, and they used the symbolism of light to ease their anxiety. If you look at holidays happening in December, and in the later part of winter, many of them focus on candles, light, and the return of the sun.
Advent, Yule, Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa are some of the more popularly celebrated holidays in America in December. Each of these has a strong connection to candles and lights.
Advent is a period of preparation and anticipation for some Christians, leading up to Christmas and marking the four Sundays before December 25th. Each
Kwanzaa is an AfricanAmerican holiday celebrated from December 26th to January 1st. It is a time to learn, celebrate, and honor the ancestors. It’s based on African principles and ideals, and is rooted in rst-fruit celebrations from across Africa. Kwanzaa celebrations include lighting a candle each night in a kinara, a candleholder with seven candles. is is by no means a complete list of December holidays. Many more are celebrated in America and around the world. Every winter holiday may not include lights or candles, but it is easy to see how the need for hope and reassurance permeates many of them. Even in the 21st century, we cling to the hope of spring and warmer, easier days ahead.
No matter which holidays you celebrate (or don’t celebrate), keep the faith. Winter may be here, but it is not forever. e light will return, spring will come. In the meantime, all we have to do is take care of each other.
Emily Guenther is a co-owner of e Broom Closet metaphysical shop. She is a Memphis native, professional tarot reader, ordained Pagan clergy, and dog mom.
PHOTO: THEO CRAZZOLARA | CREATIVE COMMONS | WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Our ancestors used the symbolism of light to ease their winter anxieties.
Nominate
NEWS OF THE WEIRD
By the editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication
Family Values
Indonesian police have arrested a man near Jakarta, identified as RA, after he allegedly sold his 11-month-old baby on Facebook for $995 to fund his gambling addiction. The Telegraph reported that when the baby’s mother returned home, she asked him where the child was. “RA saw on Facebook that the buyers were looking to purchase a toddler so he sent them a message and arranged the purchase,” the police chief said. Police found the child in a rented home and arrested two adults suspected of human trafficking.
Suspicion Confirmed
Customs officials at the Lima, Peru, airport spotted something unusual about a man boarding a flight on Nov. 8, The New York Times reported. The unnamed 28-year-old, a citizen of South Korea, was returning home with a planned stopover in France, but he was notable because of his extremely swollen stomach, officials said. When asked to lift his shirt, he revealed a creepy, crawly cargo: 320 tarantulas, 110 centipedes, and nine bullet ants. Each bug had its own plastic bag, all of which were attached to two girdles wrapped around the man’s body. The 35 adult tarantulas were each about the size of a human hand. All the bugs are native to the Amazon region of Peru, said Walter Silva, a government wildlife specialist. He added that the discovery was “part of the illegal wildlife trafficking that moves millions of dollars.” The tarantulas are on the country’s endangered species list. The man was arrested with charges pending.
Field Report
Norwegian fisherman Harald Engen got a message on Nov. 11 that his 32-foot boat’s trawl nets had snagged something most unusual, the Anchorage Daily News reported. Turns out the USS Virginia, a 377-foot nuclear-powered submarine, had been chugging away from Tromso, Norway, with a Norwegian Coast Guard vessel escorting it, when its propellers became entangled with the nets. As a result, the Coast Guard had to cut the nets to free the submarine. They assured Engen that he would be reimbursed for his nets. [Anchorage Daily News]
Can’t Possibly Be True KSNW-TV reported on Nov. 17 that Gina Morgan and her husband Ronnie
felt double the bad luck when they both struck a deer while driving. Not such a weird occurrence near Wichita, Kansas — but Gina and Ronnie hit the SAME deer while driving in different directions. “We were in two different vehicles, driving in two different directions, and we managed to hit the same deer,” Gina explained. “It was just at the point where the sun had gone down.” Damage to Gina’s car was estimated at $6,000; Ronnie’s car had a push bar, so it sustained less impact.
Gimme a Sign
Transportation workers in Boulder, Colorado, had to go out on Nov. 19 to take down some “freelance” road signs that had mysteriously appeared in the city, 9News-TV reported. The signs, which appeared in four different locations, warned drivers to “Get Off Your Damn Phone” and “Don’t Kill Any Kids Today,” along with other messages. Boulder Police spokesperson Dionne Waugh said the signs are professionally made and installed, but officials don’t know who put them up. “I’m guessing that it’s a concerned citizen that is kind of fed up with the behavior they’re seeing in their neighborhoods,” said police commander Darren Fladung. He suggested there are more appropriate ways to get those messages out.
Latest Religious Message
Why settle for a middleman when you can confess your sins straight to Jesus Christ himself? Worshippers at St. Peter’s Church in Lucerne, Switzerland, are baring their souls to a hologram Jesus powered by AI, the Daily Mail reported on Nov. 20. And already, at least two-thirds of the people who have received the image’s grace have called it a “spiritual” experience. “Though it’s a machine, it gave me so much advice,” one person said — like, “Your task is not to judge, but to accompany with love.” The AI Jesus can even speak 100 different languages. It was trained at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts using the New Testament.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): If you worked eight hours per day, seven days a week, it would take you 300 years to count to the number one billion. I don’t recommend you try that. I also discourage you from pursuing any other trivial tasks that have zero power to advance your long-term dreams. In a similar spirit, I will ask you to phase out minor longings that distract you from your major longings. Please, Aries, I also beg you to shed frivolous obsessions that waste energy you should instead devote to passionate fascinations. The counsel I’m offering here is always applicable, of course, but you especially need to heed it in the coming months.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In 1951, minister and author Norman Vincent Peale was working on a new book. As he wrote, he would regularly read passages to his wife Ruth. She liked it a lot, but he was far less confident in its worth. After a while, he got so discouraged he threw the manuscript in the trash. Unbeknownst to him, Ruth retrieved it and stealthily showed it to her husband’s publisher, who loved it. The book went on to sell five million copies. Its title? The Power of Positive Thinking. I hope that in 2025, you will benefit from at least one equivalent to Ruth in your life, Taurus. Two or three would be even better. You need big boosters and fervent supporters. If you don’t have any, go round them up.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): I love how colorfully the creek next to my house expresses itself. As high tide approaches, it flows south. When low tide is on its way, it flows north. The variety of its colors is infinite, with every shade and blend of green, grey, blue, and brown. It’s never the same shape. Its curves and width are constantly shifting. Among the birds that enhance its beauty are mallards, sandpipers, herons, grebes, egrets, and cormorants. This magnificent body of water has been a fascinating and delightful teacher for me. One of my wishes for you in 2025, Gemini, is that you will commune regularly with equally inspiring phenomena. I also predict you will do just that. Extra beauty should be on your agenda!
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Just 81 billionaires have commandeered half of the world’s wealth. Even worse, those greedy hoarders are usually taxed the least. That’s hard to believe! How is it even possible that such a travesty has come to pass? I also wonder if many of us non-billionaires have milder versions of these proclivities. Are there a few parts of me that get most of the goodies that my life provides, while other parts of me get scant attention and nourishment? The answer is yes. For example, the part of me that loves to be a creative artist receives much of my enthusiasm, while the part of me that en-
joys socializing gets little juice. How about you, Cancerian? I suggest you explore this theme in the coming weeks and months. Take steps to achieve greater parity between the parts of you that get all they need and the parts of you that don’t.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Anthropologist Robin Dunbar theorizes that most of us have limits to our social connections. Typically, our closest circle includes five loved ones. We may also have 15 good friends, 50 fond allies, 150 meaningful contacts, and 1,500 people we know. If you are interested in expanding any of these spheres, Leo, the coming months will be an excellent time to do so. In addition, or as an alternative, you might also choose to focus on deepening the relationships you have with existing companions and confederates.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Uncle Tom’s Cabin was the best-selling novel of the 19th century. It was written by a Virgo, Harriet Beecher Stowe. Her story about the enslavement of African Americans in the U.S. was not only popular. It awakened many people to the intimate horrors of the calamity — and ultimately played a key role in energizing the abolitionist movement. I believe you are potentially capable of achieving your own version of that dual success in the coming months. You could generate accomplishments that are personally gratifying even as they perform a good service for the world.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): According to my reading of the astrological omens, you will be teased with an abundance of invitations to grow in 2025. You will be encouraged to add to your current skills and expertise. You will be nudged to expand your understanding of what exactly you are doing here on planet Earth. That’s not all, Libra! You will be pushed to dissolve shrunken expectations, transcend limitations, and learn many new lessons. Here’s my question: Will you respond with full heart and open mind to all these possibilities? Or will you sometimes neglect and avoid them? I dare you to embrace every challenge that interests you.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Scorpioborn Rudolf Karel was a 20th-century Czech composer who created 17 major works, including symphonies and operas. His work was interrupted when Nazi Germany invaded and occupied his homeland. He joined the Czech resistance, but was eventually arrested and confined to Pankrác Prison. There he managed to compose a fairy-tale opera, Three Hairs of the Wise Old Man. No musical instruments were available in jail, of course, so he worked entirely in his imagination and wrote down the score using toilet paper and charcoal. I firmly believe you will not be incarcerated like Karel in the coming
SAGITTARIUS
(Nov. 22-Dec. 21): What is the perfect gift I could offer you this holiday season? I have de cided on a large square black box with nothing inside. There would be a gold ribbon around it bearing the words, “The Fruitful Treasure of Pregnant Emptiness.” With this mysterious blessing, I would be fondly urging you to purge your soul of expectations and assumptions as you cruise into 2025. I would be giving you the message, “May you nurture a freewheeling voracity for novel adventures and fresh experiences.”
months, Scorpio. But you may have to be extra resourceful and resilient as you find ways to carry out your best work. I have faith that you can do it!
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): One of my paramount wishes for you in 2025 is this: You will deepen your devotion to taking good care of yourself. You will study and learn more about the sweet secrets to keeping yourself in prime mental and physical health. I’m not suggesting you have been remiss about this sacred work in the past. But I am saying that this will be a favorable time to boost your knowledge to new heights about what precisely keeps your body and emotions in top shape. The creative repertoire of self-care that you cultivate in the coming months will serve you well for the rest of your long life.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): To fulfill your life mission, to do what you came here to Earth to do, you must carry out many tasks. One of the most important is to offer your love with hearty ingenuity. What are the best ways to do that? Where should you direct your generous care and compassion? And which recipients of your blessings are likely to reciprocate in ways that are meaningful to you? While Jupiter is cruising through Gemini, as it is now and until June 2025, life will send you rich and useful answers to these questions. Be alert!
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Mysteries of the past will be extra responsive to your investigations in 2025. Persistent riddles from your life’s earlier years may be solvable. I encourage you to be aggressive in collecting previously inaccessible legacies. Track down missing heirlooms and family secrets. Just assume that ancestors and dead relatives have more to offer you than ever before. If you have been curious about your genealogy, the coming months will be a good time to explore it. I wish you happy hunting as you search for the blessings of yesteryear — and figure out how to use them in the present.
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City, agrees. “I’m not particularly surprised by the report. I recognize some of these stories, some of the examples from media reports. Many of these things are well-documented and well-known incidents. And the findings are bad and awful, and as even Mayor Young said, hard to read, but they are not surprising.”
For Amber Sherman, who lobbied the city council for reform in the wake of the Tyre Nichols killing, the report felt like vindication. “My immediate action really was that it just corroborated everything that, you know, we as organizers here in Memphis have been saying for so long, especially with Decarcerate Memphis, where we’ve been really pressing the issue about pretextual stops and how dangerous they are.”
Decarcerate Memphis’ Alex Hensley, who drafted the reform ordinances which were passed by the city council in reduced forms after the Tyre Nichols killing, says she, too, feels vindicated by the report. “Activists and organizers have been saying all of these things for years on end, and then to have the DOJ — which is a policing entity, by the way — to say that, yeah, we need to not prioritize these low-level violations.”
DA Mulroy says, “We need to rethink about using specialized units for routine
enforcement. And distinguish between traffic stops that actually affect safety or real crime, like moving violations and drive-out tag fraud violations, which make sense. But some of these minor equipment violations, the data shows the hit rate on those is very low — you’re talking like 2 to 3 percent of the time do you find weapons or drugs or somebody that’s wanted on a serious charge. But the data also show those are precisely the types of offenses that are associated with racial profiling. You really have to think about what kind of a bang you’re getting for your buck. You’re potentially alienating the community that you most want to cooperate with law enforcement because they’re the ones who see the crime.”
City council member Dr. Jeff Warren said he had not yet read the report. “If you remember, around the time that Black Lives Matter occurred after the George Floyd killing, the council began a process where we were involved with the police department, trying to initiate reforms. Some of the reforms that we actually initiated were negated by the state legislature. … I think we’ve been in the process of reform since this current police chief came on board; we’re doing that right now. That’s one of the reasons I don’t really think that the city needs to be entering into a consent decree that will cost taxpayers multiple
millions of dollars, when it’s something we’re already trying to do.”
When asked about the DOJ’s finding that MPD recruits are taught that people with bipolar disorder cannot feel pain, Dr. Warren, a family physician, responded, “I don’t know where they got that from. Just because it’s written in a report doesn’t mean that’s the truth.”
The treatment of what the MPD calls “mental consumers” is one issue where there may be consensus on reform. The DOJ report cites multiple high-ranking MPD officers, as well as Memphis Fire Department officials and 911 call-takers, who believe that a new department specializing in mental health situations is needed to shift the burden from the MPD.
“We should listen to them on that,” says Hensley. “If this city is so pro-police, listen to them on this subject. Clearly, there are a lot of mental health calls and a lot of mental health issues within our community that I think tie back to these issues of poverty, lack of housing, lack of investments in basic necessities. We have to come up with something different.”
Spickler says, “There’s data that shows that most interactions with people in mental health crises are not violent. There are ways of responding that wouldn’t lead you to have to tell people falsely that people with bipolar don’t feel pain. One of
the great suggestions of this report is that we don’t have to send an armed person to some of the things that we send them to, like a stranded motorist, traffic accidents, and mental health calls. These are all things that can be handled with someone who has safety and resolution as their mission and not what we have in this police department — and most police departments, frankly — and that is a warrior mentality. There’s an arrogance to it, and there’s an offensiveness to it.
“There’s nothing about policing that should be offensive. It’s ‘to protect and serve,’ right? Many police departments across America have tried to shift to a guardian model, which is how policing, I think, is most effective. But throughout that report, you see very clear evidence that that is not the case at the Memphis Police Department. There is no guardian mentality. It’s not taught; it’s not modeled. It’s really not expected. What is expected is that you get what you want by whatever means necessary.”
WILL ANYTHING CHANGE?
The election of Donald Trump, who has promised a “brutal approach” to law enforcement, has brought the next steps into question. Whether a future DOJ would sue to impose a settlement with the city is an open question.
“I’m not gonna speculate about their motivations, but I think it’s obvious to anybody that there’s a very good chance that a lot of this will be dropped or, at a minimum, they’ll be less aggressive about enforcing it with the new administration,” says DA Mulroy. “We’ve seen that before with the prior Trump administration. That could be anyone’s calculus in dealing with the aftermath of November 5th.”
At his press conference, Mayor Young said, “We would have the same position regardless of the outcome of the presidential election.”
A consent decree with the DOJ would result in federal monitors being assigned to the MPD in order to ensure that they do not violate citizens’ constitutional rights. In his regular Friday email on December 6th, Young wrote, “Instead of a broad and potentially prolonged federal oversight via a consent decree —
which could impose millions in costs on our residents — we believe by taking a holistic, community-focused approach we can move further and faster toward the change we need with less cost to our community.”
These costs must be weighed against the costs of not acting, says Hensley. “I think they’re going to pay for it one way or another. First of all, they’re bloating the costs. We’ve looked at other cities, some of them have been high, but it’s spread out over time. There are just all these other elements that are being left out to make it seem like we’re going to go bankrupt next year. That’s disingenuous. Tyre Nichols’ family is suing them for $500 million — and that’s just one person. I’m not their chief financial officer, but you can look at that clearly and see the costs are going to be far worse if they don’t sign the consent decree, or if they don’t do these reforms.”
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Home Is Where the Ho Show Is
A pinch of Memphis magic helps us make it through December.
“Have you ever had a good birthday?” my wife asked, incredulous, a er I had lovingly described one of my childhood’s better birthdays.
“Well, sure,” I countered, “I’ve had all great birthdays since I met you. Also when I turned 7 years old and got walkie talkies. My friends and I played ashlight tag outside, so it must have been a warm December. at was de nitely a good birthday.”
My wife and I had this discussion on the way home a er my most recent celebration of another spin around the sun, a quiet day spent bopping around Memphis and culminating in a leisurely stroll around a holiday art market at Minglewood Hall. We went to the market to see my sister-in-law, Kaylee Hammer (@k.hammer.art on Instagram), and critique her art display. Because we had already had a full day — and we’ve got quite a few Kaylee Hammer originals and prints on our walls — we almost decided to head home early. We caught a second wind, though, and it blew us back to Midtown and into the big building that used to house Strings and ings. at was when my wife and I stumbled upon the Ho Show, a special holiday-themed “early Ho Ho Ho party” at B-Side inside the Minglewood Hall plaza, in the form of a writers-in-the-round-style performance from Memphis songwriting greats Susan Marshall, Reba Russell, and Bobbie Stacks. Russell’s voice, instantly recognizable to any amateur-level appreciator of Memphis music, called to me from around the corner. I wandered toward B-Side in a trance, like a sleepwalker summoned forth. Nothing sounds quite so sweet as unexpected and familiar music.
e concert was fully audible at the art market in Minglewood’s central gallery, so I perused the locally made art while grooving to a soulful cover of e Beatles’ “Don’t Let Me Down.”
Of course, most cities have some music on o er most nights, and in bigger or wealthier cities the variety on display can be a veritable cornucopia of concerts. ere is something distinctly magical about the quality of art on display in the Blu City, though. To stumble onto a packed concert featuring respected and veteran performers, all cracking jokes and getting loose in a decidedly unscripted performance, side-by-side with a local artists’ market on a doggone cold, drizzly Sunday night in a city as small as Memphis? at’s magical.
e level of Memphis-cana on display was notable as well. I chatted about Memphis-made beer (including Memphis Made beer) with a local candlemaker. I saw Tigers and Grizzlies aplenty, recreated in di erent artists’ individual styles. References to the pyramid’s crystal skull or ree 6 Ma a illustrated the erce hometown pride that seems to permeate the air here.
Chatting with one of the artists, I learned about a Holiday Bazaar at the Lamplighter Lounge — yet another chance to supplement my traditional locally made and bought seasonal gi s with even quirkier options!
e long and the short of it is that, instead of calling it a night and retiring with Net ix and some le overs, I spent a little time in our city, and it rewarded me with music and art and conversation. ose kinds of unplanned moments can o er a little soul sustenance when the grind toward year’s end gets going in overdrive, and I know I am looking for every opportunity to feed my soul these days.
As an adult, it’s easy to feel strapped to the wheel, careening from anksgiving to Christmas to New Year’s Day at a breakneck pace. If there are children in our lives, it can be tempting to focus on the added responsibilities of ensuring their happiness. Holiday and end-of-year parties o er a welcome chance to unwind, but so too do they clutter up the already over lled calendar with more appointments. Year-end goals loom, and next year’s resolutions await.
In my limited experience, this season brings stress in exponential levels — and so much of that self-same stress is absolutely unnecessary and utterly unproductive. Kids seem to be as enchanted with the season itself as with the speci c presents. It’s fun to have time o school, make a tremendous mess with wrapping paper, and have the go-ahead from parents and grandparents to watch cartoons and eat cookies all day. Parties and reunions should be a chance to catch up and reconnect, not a reason to worry about the menu or the wardrobe or an appropriate gi to bring. And anyone who always meets their annual goals and perfectly sticks to their resolutions is trying too hard; cut yourself some slack.
More o en than not, magic falters when forced. It’s by keeping our eyes open to whatever magic comes our way that we create a memorable experience. True, that requires trust and letting go of control, but it’s worth it. e cultural undercurrents here are as wild and weird and strong as the Mississippi. Go with the ow, and Memphis will reward you. Jesse Davis is a former Flyer sta er; he writes a monthly Books feature for Memphis Magazine. His opinions, such as they are, are setting up rm boundaries about talking politics with family.
PHOTO: JESSE DAVIS
Susan Marshall, Reba Russell, and Bobbie Stacks perform at B-Side.
