RSVP Magazine July 2014 by RSVP Magazine

July 2014

Zoo Brew Princess Ball Memphis Italian Festival Moon River Music Festival Crown and Sceptre Coronation Ball Q&A with Dr. John and Judy Lang

CONTENTS

Contents July 201 4

From the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Signature Memphis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 RSVP stops by AutoZone Park to chat with Memphis Redbirds General Manager Craig Unger.

Crown and Sceptre Coronation Ball . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 All hail the king and queen! Carnival Memphis honors this year’s royal court during their coronation ball at the Memphis Hunt & Polo Club.

12 CROWN AND SCEPTRE CORONATION BALL Ginger Collier and Amy Dudek

StreetSeens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 & 24 He settles disputes with a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors for the good of all mankind. He bestows bean burritos on bicycles. StreetSeens highlight Patrick Halloran and Reverend Tommy Clark.

48 MEMPHIS ITALIAN FESTIVAL Sandy and Steve Roe

Princess Ball . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 The Carnival Week festivities continue as the fairest maidens in the kingdom of Carnival Memphis are formally presented. J U L Y 2 0 14

Ambassador Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 Healy at Large People Magazine writer Laura Sanderson Healy talks travel with our own wordsmith, Eugene Pidgeon.

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Onsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38, 39, 59, 60 & 61 Gatherings that have earned an honorable mention.

44 Vox Popular . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 ZOO BREW Renee and Nick Huddleston

Q&A with Dr. John and Judy Lang of Compassion Neighborhood Clinic, Inc.

Zoo Brew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

26 PRINCESS BALL Sarah and Paul O’Neal

The nationally ranked Memphis Zoo embraces its nocturnal side during its biannual brew-based bash.

Memphis Italian Festival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 Pride and pasta were on the line as a record number of teams competed for top honors at this iconic festival held annually at Marquette Park.

Moon River Music Festival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54 Memphis-native Drew Holcomb returns to his hometown to host this inaugural music festival at the historic Levitt Shell in Overton Park.

RSVPhillippi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65

54 MOON RIVER MUSIC FESTIVAL Toni Menna and Wes Beagle

Seriously, No Thank You Dennis Phillippi implores people to keep their religion, politics, craft beers and overly verbose literature to themselves.

Cover Photo Chelsey and Jeff Savage at Zoo Brew Photo by Baxter Buck

10 SIGNATURE MEMPHIS Craig Unger

Volume XIX

Number X

July 201 4 PUBLISHER

Roy Haithcock EDITOR

R achel Warren CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Jeannie Ashford Emily Adams Keplinger Dennis Phillippi Eugene Pidgeon Suzanne Thompson Lesley Young ART DIRECTOR

Patrick Aker s PHOTOGRAPHERS

Baxter Buck Patrick L antrip Don Perry Steve Roberts

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ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

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Chris Pugh Robin Morgan ACCOUNTING

Ruth Cassin EDITORIAL INTERN

Patrick L antrip RSVP Memphis is published monthly by Haithcock Communications, Inc. First class subscriptions are available for $55.00 per year. Send name and address with a check to: Haithcock Communications, Inc. 2282 Central Avenue Memphis, TN 38104 For advertising information contact Roy Haithcock Phone (901) 276-7787, ext. 101 Fax (901) 276-7785 e-mail publisher@rsvpmagazine.com WEB

www.rsvpmagazine.com For editorial information or to request coverage of an event, please contact RSVP Magazine one month prior to the event. Call 901-276-7787, ext. 105 or fax to 901-276-7785. e-mail editor@rsvpmagazine.com Follow us on

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R SV P S TA F F

CHRIS PUGH, ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE 901.276.7787, EXT. 103 chris@rsvpmagazine.com

ROBIN MORGAN , ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE 901.276.7787, EXT. 104 robin@rsvpmagazine.com

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Chris has been exercising his talent in the advertising world since 1999. He joined the RSVP team in 2009 and brought with him a love for laughter and creativity. Originally from New Albany, Mississippi, Chris has settled in Memphis and enjoys being active in the fashion community.

PATRICK LANTRIP, EDITORIAL INTERN 901.276.7787, EXT. 107 patrickl@rsvpmagazine.com

Patrick Lantrip is currently seeking his journalism degree at the University of Memphis, where he also serves as the managing editor of The Daily Helmsman. A native of Midtown Memphis, Patrick is an avid outdoors enthusiast who enjoys mountain biking, hiking, camping and wildlife photography. He enjoys spending his downtime with his daughter, Anna and their cat, Bella.

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7 Having worked in advertising for 13 years, Robin is most passionate about magazine print. Her energy is contagious and she counts as her hobbies running, shopping and spending time with her girl friends. Robin's "bright spot" is her daughter Emily Anne. Robin loves living in downtown Memphis, which affords her the opportunity to run down Riverside Drive anytime!

From the Editor

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e have just hit what I like to refer to as the dog days of summer. Nowhere but in the South is that more true, and, right about this time in Memphis, it is an understatement to say it is hot out there. After a quick search on the internet about dog days, Wikipedia informed me that the phrase “dog days” and its usage may go all the way back to ancient Greece and Rome, linked to the star Sirius and its ancient occurrence in the night sky during the hotter months of the year. Not surprisingly, this cosmic link and phrase were not always positive back then. Summer heat in ancient times equated disease, death and, therefore, some angry masses in the overpopulated cities. No wonder rich nobles always vacationed outside the city limits during the summer time! Fortunately, for us modern day folks, summer means barbecues, pool time and, hopefully, beach vacations. Although, when you are sitting in your car in the Memphis heat, stuck in traffic on I-40, it is easy to slightly imagine the pain those ancient people may have felt as you send psychic waves of anger at the black asphalt, auto line-cutters and your broken AC in the car. Regardless, dog days always remind me of basking in a pool of sunshine like a lazy puppy dog, which is what I plan to do on my porch throughout the months of July and August. In this month’s issue, we have featured some Memphians that are making the most of their summers like the Reverend Tommy Clark on page 24 and his uplifting mission of city fellowship with his nonprofit organization, the Urban Bicycle Food Ministry. For those looking for some lively and active fun this summer, Patrick Halloran gave RSVP a taste for kickball when he shared the Memphis Kickball League’s ongoing story of camaraderie and charitable support on page 22. Nowhere else is like summer in Memphis. Go out there and make the most of it!

Rachel Warren editor@rsvpmagazine.com

Editor’s Corrections: Emily Adams Keplinger was mistakenly identified as Emily Keplinger Adams.

SIGNATURE MEMPHIS

Craig Unger General Manager of the Memphis Redbirds

Your Best Quality: Loyalty. Best Dish You Cook: Lobster pasta. Biggest Pet Peeve: Not being proactive. The Highlight of Your Day: My family.

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Favorite Southern Idiom: “Bless your heart.” Best Memphis Hangout: Local Gastropub. First Car You Drove: Chevrolet Caprice Classic. Best Gift You Ever Received: World Series ring. Hometown: Relocated to Memphis from Waterloo, Ill. Your Most Annoying Habit: Cracking my knuckles. Coolest Thing About Memphis: The people and the food. Who Would Play You in a Movie: Matthew McConaughey. Proudest Moment of Your Life: Being named General Manager of the Redbirds.

One Goal You’d Still Like to Accomplish: Visiting family I have never met in Germany.

Something You’ll Never Live Down: Dressing up as an elf for a Cardinals stadium promotion.

Photo by Steve Roberts

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EVENT CROWN AND SCEPTRE CORONATION BALL

he Crown and Sceptre Coronation Ball marks the beginning of Carnival week, but this year’s party was the living end. Where else but at a Carnival Memphis bash can you find a duck, a dog and grown men in giant bug costumes amid a throng of people dressed in formal wear? The party started off tame enough with a cocktail hour during which the 54 princesses chatted excitedly with their escorts, friends and family as they awaited their formal introductions to society. Baily Phillips, who represented the Memphis Hunt & Polo Club, Lockie Dearman, the president’s princess and Sarah Schaeffer, the king’s princess, were among them. For many of the girls, mostly college age like Schaeffer, who attends the University of Georgia, participating in Carnival is a family tradition. Phillips’ sister is a past queen of Carnival, and her father was a past president. Schaeffer said her sister was a princess, too. “I’ve been really excited to do this,” remarked Schaeffer. She understood the purpose of the Carnival parties is much deeper than just a good time. “It’s so good to see the impact Carnival has on the city. It’s so much fun, but it has so much impact,” she added. Guests and friends found their way to their tables after cocktails, and the program began with the procession of the royal pages, kindergartners and elementary school children, most of whom are family members of past and present members of the royal court. Scarabs, college-age young men, were presented next, followed immediately by the 2014 princesses, ladies of the realm and crown princesses. Members of the 10 Grand Krewes followed. Queen Suzette Randolph Coors, acclaimed as the fairest lady in the make-believe kingdom of Carnival, ascended to her throne where she awaited her king. Music from a bagpipe rang out to introduce the entry of his royal majesty, King Jim Leonard McCullough Jr., whose royal attire was adorned with Tartan plaid. “Tonight is for the upcoming week,” said McCullough. “Let the celebration begin.” During Queen Suzette’s comments, she shared her history with Carnival, saying, “Being the queen of Carnival has been a lifelong dream since I was a page. My father and grandfather were kings and my mother was a queen.” The program concluded with a salute to the Royal Order of Boll Weevils, during which both masked and unmasked members joined the Carnival royalty. After the Boll Weevils entered, Andy Lamanna brought his duck, Henry, out for a visit and Jack Conway cruised through the crowd with his Pomeranian, Roxy.

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Crown and Sceptre Coronation Ball Reigning Royalty

T John and Gwen Brown

Brooke Veneklase and Louis Frank

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Cindy and David Gambrell

Story by Suzanne Thompson Photos by Don Perry

Jim McCullough and Suzette Coors

Buddy and Lanetta Lanier

Mimi Taylor, Sandra Cooper and C.C. Myers-Brewer

Lisa and Hugh Mallory

Tiger Bryant, Ross Capwell and Jeff Capwell

Jeff and Floy Cole

EVENT CROWN AND SCEPTRE CORONATION BALL

Maria and Jim Lammey

Callie Wallace and John Wallace

Mark Phillips and Alex Phillips

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Marzette and Herman Stallings

Ben Stallings and Caroline Stallings

Steve and Pam Guinn

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Lori and Harris Lewis

Marion Marr and Bernie Krock

John and Christy Sharpe

Trip and Elaine Spear

David Halle Jr., Peyton Halle and David Halle III

Andy and Jana Lamanna

EVENT CROWN AND SCEPTRE CORONATION BALL

Chris Heinemeyer and Alli Heinemeyer

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Herrick Norcross and Lillian Norcross

Dr. David and Anne Brand with Paige and Glen Evans and Elizabeth Evans RSVP

Lee Wilson and Rebekah Shappley

Bob Gammon and Carolyn Warren

Alan Barfield and Judith Johnstone

Bill Ferguson and Lydia Sullivan

EVENT Lillie Kay Mitchell and Albert Markle

Lida Kruchten and Lance Kruchten

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Sarah and Dennis Norton

CROWN AND SCEPTRE CORONATION BALL

Alex and Shea Wellford

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Kemp and Anne Conrad with Suzanne and Erick New

Nayla Nassar and Chris Fiedler

Jack and Chris Conway

EVENT CROWN AND SCEPTRE CORONATION BALL

Neely Powell and Christy Murphey

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Dexter Witte and Madison Witte

Allison and Trevor Yant with Martha and Mike Hess RSVP

Jessica Phillips and Cindy Phillips with Colton Rook

Shelley and Coors Arthur

Deborah Tipton, Dr. Sam J. Cox, Mary Elisabeth Tipton and Meredith Taylor

EVENT Leslie Dunavant and Grayson Dunavant

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Hulon Warlick and Ginger Chapman

CROWN AND SCEPTRE CORONATION BALL

Ed Galfsky with Tracey Catanzaro and Mary Katherine Catanzaro and Ander Galfsky and Tony Catanzaro

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Martha Carr, Maureen Smithers, Hope Cook and Vickie Carwell

Jennie and Walker Robbins

Gary and Kay Stavrum

EVENT CROWN AND SCEPTRE CORONATION BALL

Paul Patrick and Paula Wyatt

John West and Mary Alice Ruleman

Len Pennock and Sandra Cooper

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Chuck and Mary Stewart

Elizabeth Grace McLarty and Kaki Lackie

Steven and Patty Welch

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Teresa and Richard Shannon

Ivy and John Phillips with Paul and Paige Gillespie

Sadler Sanders and John Sanders

Will and Jennifer Yandell

Ann Stimson, Laura Dearman, Jenny Wharton and Emmy Schaefer

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STREETSEEN

Patrick Halloran Kickin’ It for the “Good of All Mankind”

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ons of Pitches. 99 Problems but a Kick Ain’t One. Varsity Squid. Bluff City Brewsers. These are just some of the teams that make up the Memphis Kickball League (MKL). The names that we can print anyway. Anyone familiar with the MKL knows that these are some of the less risqué team names that the creative folks of the MKL have invented. It is all part of the fun of the MKL. From its beginnings in 2003, fun and camaraderie have always been the mission of this nonprofit co-ed league. “It was started with just four teams. It was just a bunch of us from downtown that started playing just for fun. It was like that for a couple of years. All of the sudden more and more people wanted to join. Now we are at 62 teams,” says Patrick Halloran, the founder and commissioner of the MKL or “Commish” as everyone in the Memphis kickball world calls him. There are no practices, and there are no umpires. All disagreements and disputes are settled with a quick game of Rock–Paper–Scissors. Teams meet for games on Wednesdays and Thursdays at either Willow Park or Tobey Park depending on the team. As their webpage proudly states, the league was “created for the good of all mankind,” and the league truly strives to fulfill this statement by going above and beyond playing a sport and lending a hand to the Memphis community where it can. In the last 11 years that the league has been around, they have organized and planned kickball tournaments that have benefitted St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Stand for Children, Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Memphis, CASA of Memphis & Shelby County, Inc. and the Memphis Youth Sports Association, to only name a few of the organizations the MKL has raised funds and support for. Halloran says that the first mission of the MKL was to create a light-hearted competitive setting, but he also wanted it to be something that spoke louder than just a sports league. “I don’t want this thing to just be a kickball league. I want it to give back to the community as much as we can,” remarks Halloran, adding that he invites kickball teams from the Shelby County area as well as surrounding cities like Little Rock to participate in these fund-raiser tournaments. Halloran and his boisterous teams are always ready to look out for their neighbors, saying that the response from the kickball players when MKL asks for players to volunteer at various fund-raisers or charitable events is lightening fast and always positive. Whether it is buying backpacks for students or teaching the children at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Memphis how to play kickball, Halloran states that the league is always open to new ideas and is willing to participate in many different capacities. For Memphians looking to get involved in the community and participate in some light competition, the MKL is the shining example of how sports and community service can go hand-in-hand. Halloran notes how it is not only individuals that are excited to try out their kick. Just as many companies and businesses have organized teams, providing a great atmosphere to network in a casual setting. It doesn’t get more casual than shorts and an postgame beer. Additionaly, crowd support is always welcome, says Halloran, and don’t forget to bring your coolers and most creative cheer squad. You can find MKL kickballers at their after match hangouts at Brookhaven Pub & Grill and Lost Pizza Co. Interested in getting in on a piece of the rubber? Take a look at the MKL webpage at www.memphiskickball.com and send Halloran a message. The league is always looking for new teams and fresh faces. Story by Rachel Warren Photo by Steve Roberts

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STREETSEEN

Reverend Tommy Clark Memphis Fellowship – One Burrito at a Time

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urritos usually equate a calorie splurge at the local Tex-Mex restaurant. To Reverend Tommy Clark and his group of loyal volunteers, burritos mean making friends and spreading love. Specifically, both of these things are done on two wheels. The Urban Bicycle Food Ministry (UBFM) has been digging deep and passing out burritos with a large side of fellowship on bikes since 2012. Founder and creator, Clark, says that it started out as he and a group of friends getting together once a week and making some easy-to-make, delicious food: bean burritos. Eventually, an idea occurred to Clark, and it took off with the group. What if he gave his burritos away to people he met on the Memphis streets? “I came up with the idea out of a seminary class that I was taking. The class was based on different types of churches, the concept of a church being revitalized and the structure of more active churches. I thought, ‘I am going to try this.’ I did it, and the next day I told my friends about it. They told their friends, and their friends told their friends. People wanted to get involved. People that weren’t even necessarily bicycle riders wanted to be part of it,” remarks Clark, remembering the way people quickly embraced this ministry enacted on bikes. Every Wednesday night the group started meeting. Making fresh burritos, using whole and simple ingredients, Clark and his group set off on bikes within the Midtown and downtown Memphis areas with burritos packed with them. One-by-one, under bridges, in alleyways, on sidewalks, every burrito would be passed out to anyone who wanted one. Clark comments that the bicycles make it easier to reach people in their own space. The bicycling group merely asks people that they pass on their ride if they have eaten dinner that night. No one is turned down, and food is not rationed out. “We always say yes. We just ask, ‘How many do you need?’ If the individual needs ten, and I’ve got ten, I will give them ten burritos. We never ask questions. We made them to give them away,” explains Clark. Clark is quick to point out that this mission is more about fellowship than it is about conquering homelessness or hunger. He simply wants to remind people that there are people out there thinking about them. “One meal isn’t going to cure homelessness in Memphis. What we give is friendship, and we offer people love. That is the type of nutrition that will stick with you,” says Clark, adding that the point is to share food and forge new friendships. They are not simply handing burritos out to people they see on the street. The group is stopping, asking people their names and striking up a conversation so that next time they see each other they can personally say hello. Clark admits that biking at night in Memphis may be slightly dangerous but responds saying, “Jesus did some dangerous things. His ministry was very risky. I think we need to step out of our safe boundaries. I think that’s healthy, and I think sometimes we need to take some risks, especially when we are willing to give something.” The small group of friends has created a network of supporters, new participators and has even begun handing out breakfast burritos on Saturday mornings. Eventually, the service became an official nonprofit. Eventually, the UBFM outgrew Clark’s house as it became crowded with all the donations that were pouring in from people inspired by the UBFM’s work. First United Methodist Church downtown offered a space in their building for the nonprofit to meet. UBFM has quickly doubled in size and it is not uncommon to see up to 25 riders sharing the love in the streets of Memphis. While Clark will soon be dividing his time between Memphis and Columbia, Tenn. where he has taken on the role of minister at a local church, UBFM will always be his baby, but, now that the group as grown exceptionally, he feels he can give it some room to grow in the hands of good friends while he is away for part of the week. Everyone is welcome to participate, says Clark. Email fattire77@gmail.com for more information about donations and meeting times. Story by Rachel Warren Photo by Steve Roberts

EVENT

Princess Ball

PRINCESS BALL

Welcoming New Royalty

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James Lammey and Payton Halle

Mary Beth Turner and Rob Hawkes

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n May 31, hundreds of revelers gathered for fun and frivolity at the Memphis Hunt & Polo Club as they took part in the Princess Ball of Carnival Memphis. The upbeat tunes of Mark Anderson’s PARTY TRAIN provided musical background while guests circulated among the clubrooms awaiting the formal presentation of the 2014 princesses. Attendees dined on miniature quiches, pineapple chicken kabobs, catfish nuggets, fried oysters and pizza. Sugared bacon, offered by wait staff, proved to be a crowd favorite. This year’s royal court consisted of 54 young women, mostly rising college sophomores, from across Memphis and the Mid-South. Throughout Carnival Week, the princesses attended events and participated in community service work on behalf of Carnival Memphis. The Princess Ball took place on the second night of Carnival Week. For the occasion, the princesses wore custom-made gowns in colors of lime green, turquoise or fuchsia that featured a contrasting reverse front pleat and an empire sash with a bow. The “special princesses,” those serving at the request of Carnival’s king, queen, president and chairman, wore gowns of the same styling that were fashioned in purple. Resplendent in their traditional royal finery, Jim Leonard McCullough Jr. and Suzette Randolph Coors reigned as this year’s king and queen of Carnival. A rising senior at The University of Georgia in Athens, Suzette was the third generation of her family to serve as a Carnival monarch. Also on the Royal Court were six college men who served in the Loyal Order of Scarabs as guards for the king and queen and 14 children who participated as royals pages. With the crowd witnessing their procession, the princesses entered the club’s ballroom and were presented to the Royal Court. Serving as Carnival president, Will Yandell read the list of recipients’ names as medallions were bestowed. Buddy Dearman was this year’s chairman of the board. To begin the evening of dancing, fathers squired their princesses to the dance floor as the band played “My Girl.” The young men serving as the princesses’ royal escorts danced with their mothers and soon other guests joined them. The celebration fostered the organization’s theme of “The Party with a Purpose” as it tied together Carnival Memphis’ commitment to commerce, community, and celebration.

See all the party photos at rsvpmagazine.com Password: RSVP

Lillie Burrow and Hayden Combs

Story by Emily Adams Keplinger Photos by Baxter Buck

Kyle Cofer and Sadler Sanders

Wallace Cowart and John Cowart

Mary Carson Pitts and Fraser Humphreys

Bob Loeb and Nanette Harris

Ross Capwell and Caitlin Holland with Jeff Capwell and Nora Capwell

Hugh and Lisa Mallory

EVENT PRINCESS BALL

Price Byers and Katie Reese

Chuck and Mary Stewart

Chris Mosley and Patrick Mosley

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Alli Heinemeyer and Walker Bussey-Spencer

Cindy and Russ Mire

Jeffery Holt and Callaway Cole

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Suzette and Bill Haag

Phillip, Elsie and Debbie Freeburg

Callie Wallace and Lisa Thompson

Alex and Shea Wellford

Allie Anderson, Landyn Dooley and Mary Ann Wagster

EVENT PRINCESS BALL

Kris Ausburn and Alex Phillips

Lee Anne and Michael Demere

Eric and Elizabeth Montesi

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Charlotte Ausburn and Cindy Phillips

Kate Loveless and Mary Tipton

Kathy and Don Johnson

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Peyton Woodson and Bob Berry

Jeff, Katie, Maggie and Helen Maples

Ryan and Jennings Barnes

Ann Cole and Mary Kathryn Phillips

Jeannie Smith and Margaret Carr with Ann and Jimmy Cole

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Sara and Phil Reese

Anna Pallme and Haley Dutch

Elizabeth Brady and Campbell Lewis

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Harris and Lori Lewis

Davis Rolfe and Kimberly Gibson

Ryan Buchanan and Madeline Porter

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Hayes Westlake and Julia O’Keefe

Chris and Susan Heinemeyer with Tyler Heinemeyer

Toni and Greg Parker

Sara Howard and Mignon Canale

Allison and Trevor Yant with Francie and Wade Harrison

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THE AMBASSADOR SERIES

The Ambassador Series By Eugene Pidgeon

HEALY AT LARGE

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“I

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’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel,” Maya Angelou said. Whether they know it or not and no matter how they might express it, either in wafts of Proustian effulgence or in a tidy, frill free and succinct point to point chattering, evoking feeling is the target and market package for most writers. Ultimately, the goal of any writer worth his or her soul in misplaced commas…and gooey, extended ellipses is to make you feel something. Angelou is exactly right here. How did it make you feel? Laura Sanderson Healy is a very successful writer from Memphis. Her particular lyrical concoctions have entertained and inspired any number of supermarket speed readers, the closeted voyeurs and soccer mom devotees of pop culture and social media for years. The chance is slim for you to have never probed her work while nibbling on a Butterfinger in the checkout line at Walgreen’s or Kroger. If you have ever picked up a copy of People Magazine, her stories will have you turning pages faster than the heads which turn via the outrageous antics of the celebri-tantes she writes about. They are legion. Still, what may make Healy even more effective as a journalist and as a writer is Healy herself. There is an old slogan which suggests it is better to be lucky than it is to be good or smart. Healy seems to be all three. She is always at the right place at the right time. Fearless, with finely honed reflexes and a flair for composition, a trait or a gift she may have inherited from her mother, Healy is an advanced amalgam of, say, Forrest Gump and Walter Mitty sans the guffaw and the imperiled trajection of destiny. She is no victim of circumstances. Nor is she an unrooted and unwitting traveler swept into the celeb and flow of an ever-changing condition of popular culture and social priority. Long after the DNA of any Kardashian, Honey Boo Boo and Justin Bieber has been thoroughly expunged from the pages of People Magazine and the very fabric of history, there will be a Laura Sanderson Healy. Perhaps her success and her longevity can be attributed to three basic principles. “I am not competitive. I am not analytical. I am not political,” Healy asserts with a chuckle. Healy graduated from the College of William and Mary in Virginia in 1981. It was here that she met her husband, and it was by being a graduate of William and Mary that she would find herself in London, England and in the company of Queen Elizabeth II. “In 1993, it was the 300th anniver-

sary of the royal charter given by Queen Mary to endow the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, and they were having a birthday party in London at Draper’s Hall. My husband and I were invited! And of course we attended. We drank champagne and met the Queen,” Healy excidely recollects. Healy was married in 1985. Her husband John Healy is an Irishman who was raised in Peru. This might help to explain a little of her considerable, though immediately accessible, worldliness. “He could

work in the UK because he had an Irish passport,” says Healy. “So when we got married, we moved to London. He worked as a controller for the Marriott Hotel. That was his first job over there!” To rewind the clock a little and to offer some local perspective, Healy is the daughter of Jane Sanderson, a much read and respected arts writer for the former second daily newspaper, The Memphis PressScimitar. This may provide some insight into Healy’s own journey into a world that may only be excavated with the blank page and fully inked pen. “My mother worked for the PressScimitar. She edited the “Showtime” section of the Friday paper,” Healy recalls. “She was the reporter and the editor, and I just grew up by going to the paper and meeting with all the writers and photographers. I just became enamored with it all.” As Healy got older, her enthusiasm for both line and location grew. In college, Healy accompanied her mother to interviews. One of her great memories is going with her mother on a person-to-person interview with “The Killer” Jerry Lee Lewis at his private home in Mississippi. “Mom would do her interview and then I would do one for my college radio program,” states Healy. “I think she joined the paper in ’72 and stayed with it until it folded. My mother always encouraged me. She gave me all of

her support and shared all of her connections, including those at People Magazine when I walked into their offices in New York City,” says Healy. “When I was in college my mom introduced me to all of the editors and writers at People Magazine. So with that and as a graduate of William and Mary, they said, ‘Sure we’ll be glad to give you a job.’ I mean, they knew me!” Healy moved to New York in 1981. “I stayed for three years at People Magazine, but I resigned when I couldn’t move forward in the New York office,” she says. “There was too much competition from seasoned and veteran writers.” As a new writer, Healy remembers her first by-line for People Magazine enthusiastically. “It was a story on choreographer Bob Fosse’s daughter Nicole. She was performing a role in a production of “Can-Can” in Atlantic City, New Jersey. So I went to Atlantic City and interviewed her. I even met her mother, Gwen Verdon.” On many of her assignments for People Magazine, Healy details how she would report the story and someone else at the desk would actually write it. “I could give them whatever I wanted. I didn’t have a word count or a limit, but I just wasn’t going any further. So I left. However, within one year after moving to London with my husband, I was working as a staff correspondent for the London bureau of People Magazine.” Her stories for People have taken her everywhere from Simon Le Bon’s capsized yacht on the UK coast, to having a pint or two with Roger Daltrey of The Who during an interview him in a hotel lobby. When she was still in college, she even met and interviewed Tennessee Williams in Key West, Florida. From Memphis to New York and from Europe to South America, Healy has traversed the globe. Healy and her husband now reside in Marina del Ray near Los Angeles. In addition to her work at People, Healy has been published in Life Magazine and Who Magazine in Australia. Additionally, she has launched a sister publication to People. Today, her pace is a bit more relaxed. “I am writing stories right now for myself. And I am kind of working on a memoir,” she reveals. But the details are hush-hush. “I cannot talk about it while I am writing it.” More than an accomplished writer and an astute arbiter of the turning phrase, Healy is an ebullient and generous person. After an hour on the phone with anyone, your ears can grow numb and your fingers tired, but not with Healy. It is all in the way she makes you feel. Laura Sanderson Healy just makes you feel good. Real good!

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Grand Krewe of Phoenix Coronation

Grand Krewe of Ptolemy Coronation

Anna’s Closet Preview Party

When the FedEx Pilots’ Wives Association say they party like rock stars, they mean it. Their annual fundraiser, which benefitted Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Memphis and the FedExFamilyHouse, was appropriately named “Rock the Houses.” Partiers showed up dressed like famous musicians. A Janice Joplin look-a-like worked the registration table, and some of the other rock icons represented included Slash, Baby Spice, Dolly Parton and the Blues Brothers. No rock party would be complete without Elvis, so Glynis and Stan Sampson both came dressed as the King.

When it comes to the coronation ball of the Grand Krewe of Phoenix, expect the unexpected. The coronation is always held at a different location, and this year was the lobby of the Crescent Center. The theme, “Into the Future with Phoenix,” gave guests a chance to show their creativity with additions to their formalwear. Long before the program, The Dantones! had dancers out on the floor. Queen Tara Bodansky, wearing a shimmering silver beaded gown, and King Richard Hendricks, sporting a kilt, mingled with the crowd before the program began. The royalty was greeted with a hardy “Hip Hip Hurray!” Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell was on hand to offer his congratulations.

For the 15th year, the Grand Krewe of Ptolemy held its Coronation ceremony at the University Club. Queen Rebekah Shappley and King Lee Wilson took their thrones after the presentation of a half dozen duchesses. The club was filled to the rafters as usual, and guests enjoyed a buffet that included pork tenderloin sliders and chicken strips with honey mustard sauce as well as crudités. Representatives from this year’s three children’s charities, Baptist Memorial Health Care’s Kemmons Wilson Family Center for Good Grief, Binghampton Christian Academy and Juvenile Intervention and Faith Based Follow-Up also joined in the festivities. After the band The Super 5 took the stage, dancers headed toward the floor, which stayed crowded until the party ended around midnight.

Anna’ Closet held its 8th annual Preview Party in honor of the memory of Anna Menkel, whose life was taken in 2005. Held at St. Agnes Academy where Anna attended high school, the Preview Party was the precursory event to the actual dress sale that was held the next day; in which donated dresses, ranging from cocktail attire to full-length evening gowns, were sold for $10 each. Guests at the Preview Party were given first dibs on the dresses for sale. “It helps us to know that we could do something in her memory to help others,” said Kathy Menkel, Anna’s mother. Over 700 dresses were donated to Anna’s Closet, and those that weren’t sold were donated to the Emmanuel Center to help young women enjoy their prom and graduation. The concept for Anna’s Closet was inspired by Anna’s actions in 2004 when she lent a designer dress to an underclassman at St. Agnes struggling to find a perfect dress. Anna later insisted that the student keep the dress. A committee of St. Agnes Students established Anna’s Closet to forever memorialize the kindness of Anna as well as continue her legacy of generosity. Funds raised by the Preview Party and sale went toward a Crisis Fund Scholarship

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Story and Photos by Suzanne Thompson

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Story and Photos by Suzanne Thompson

Michael and Julie Sparrow

Story and Photos by Suzanne Thompson

Paula Wyatt, Fontaine Moore and Ann Newell Caren McCoy, Molly Fenwick, Michelle Heck, Kathryn Baker, Elizabeth Montesi and Mary Alice Ruleman

Jeremy and Wesley Dembinski with Kathy and Dale Menkel

Mike and Donna Scearce with Vicki and Reuben Atkinson Kim Leonard, Phyliss Fickling, Mayor Mark Luttrell and Jeff Box

Rebekah Shappley and Lee Wilson Barbara and Mike Daush

Glynis and Stan Sampson

Richard Hendricks and Tara Bodansky

Annie Taylor, Ally Luciano and Kim Flynn

Colenzo Hubbard and LaVerne ComerieHubbard with Angie Johnson

Fishes for Wishes

President of the Memphis Branch of the NAACP, Keith Norman, was excited about the turnout for the organization’s annual Freedom Fund Gala. “It’s literally a who’s who of the community,” Norman, also the senior pastor at First Baptist Church, said. “Both mayors, Congressman Cohen and local judges are all supposed to be here,” Norman added. The 38th annual gala serves to raise money as well as raise awareness of social justice issues. “We want to make sure these issues stay at the forefront of people’s minds, namely affordable health care and sustainable wealth for people of color and creating wealth for people of color,” Norman said. The evening included a dinner as well as several presentations and recognitions. Daniel Weickenand, president and CEO of Orion Federal Credit Union, as well as Dr. Reginald Coopwood, president and CEO of the Regional Medical Center, were recognized for serving as fund-raising cochairs this year. Norman comments that “both men are doing an outstanding job in the community and helping to do the things that are meaningful and helpful to people of color and all people.” The highlight of the evening was a presentation delivered by Dr. Sampson Davis, author of “Living & Dying in Brick City – An E.R. Doctor Returns Home” and a Board Certified Emergency Medicine Physician in New Jersey, shared his memoirs of returning to his own community after becoming a successful doctor. “Hopefully he will inspire people of this community to do the same,” Norman said.

Every year the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Memphis honors its donors and sponsors by serving them burgers. It’s the kids who get the steaks. “There’s a lot of bartering that takes place,” Claire Rossie, a BGCGM development specialist, said. “It’s an opportunity for our donors and supporters to sit with the kids, and they get to know each other. It’s family style.” The traditional Steak ‘N’ Burger night dates back 43 years and has become a national model. “It started here in Memphis and has been implemented across the nation,” Rossie adds. This year the event was held at Minglewood Hall. Early in the evening, attendees mingled in the halls adjacent 1884 Lounge. Hors d’oeuvres, cooked up by club members who participate in the BGCGM Technical Training Center’s culinary arts program, were served. Two types of bruschetta and three versions hummus, which are sold every Saturday downtown at the Memphis Farmers Market, were available to taste along with cocktails served at the bar. “Club members ages 16 to 21 can participate in our programs offered at the Technical Training Center. They go for job training skills, resume building and interview skill development. It serves to fill the gap for those ages who seek skills to get a job,” Rossie said. Jay Martin, president and founder of Juice Plus+®, sponsors the TTC. Martin sat in as guest speaker for the evening, and provided attendees with a copy of his book “I Might Have Told You This Before.” All sales from Martin’s book will go toward the BGCGM.

In the early 2000s, four close friends and police officers had the privilege of experiencing the granting of a wish by the Make-AWish® Mid-South to a fellow officer’s son. In 2004 the foursome decided to form their own foundation, Cops for Kids, in an effort to raise money for a cause they knew was worthy. Since that spring 10 years ago, the police force has generated $300,000 for the Make-A-Wish® Mid-South foundation through their annual crawfish boil Fishes for Wishes. April always equals crawfish in the Mid-South, and the Fishes for Wishes event helped kick it off this year with their crawfish boil held at the Snowden House in Southaven. Hundreds of pounds of crawfish were cooked up by Cops for Kids founding member and Southaven Chief Deputy Macon Moore, and a variety of beer and other adult beverages were available to wash it down with thanks to A & B Distributing Company, Inc. For those who couldn’t stomach the freshwater shellfish, barbecue was available. Inside the Snowden House over 180 items were available for bidding in the silent auction. Outside, Clifton Brown kept the crowd moving with live entertainment as well as the opportunity to root for their favorite cop on a bike during the Motor Rodeo. Designed to train law enforcement officers on motorcycles, the obstacle course drew 40 police officers from the tri-state area. “During the first year, they raised $15,000. We hope to do $44,000 this year, Make-A-Wish® Mid-South development officer Brooke Ehrhart said.

Story and Photos by Lesley Young

Trezevant Episcopal Home Board Member Reception Trezevant Episcopal Home recently held their annual board member reception. Members of Trezevant Residents Association joined the board of directors and staff to honor retiring board members, recognize new officers and welcome new members onto the board. “We are proud to kick off the year by honoring our board’s service to the Trezevant community – our residents, staff and surrounding neighborhood,” said Trezevant CEO John Webb. “Their tireless work enables our facilities to provide the highest level of services and amenities as well as a quality retirement lifestyle for the seniors we are privileged to serve.” New members of Trezevant’s board of directors include John Ivy of Frazee Ivy Davis; Carolyn Johnston, incoming chair of The Mary Galloway Home board of directors; and the Reverend Mimsy Jones of Calvary Episcopal Church. Story Submitted Photos by Jamie Elkington

Wallace and Carolyn Johnston with Gloria and Dr. John Hodges

Story and Photos by Lesley Young

Ginny Webb and Reverend Mimsy Jones with John Webb Darryl Black, Charmeia Douglas, Corey Smith and Clyde Brown

Larry Lewis, Ora Jackson and Elsie Lewis Bailey

Erin Meyer and Doug Meyer Miriam and Joseph Stafford

Damon Rodgers, Kevin Hill, Keenan Floyd and Latario Dockery

David Cooper, Shelby Drinkard, Brandon Cooper and Rhonda Cooper

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Steak ‘N’ Burger Night

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NAACP Freedom Fund Gala

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Bruce Hopkins and Scott Crosby

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Vox Popular Q&A with Dr. John and Judy Lang

RSVP: What makes the Compassion Neighborhood Clinic a unique healthcare service? Judy: It is a clinic for the medically uninsured. John: It is free, primary care on a walk-in basis provided at Caritas Village on Tuesday nights. We operate from 6-9 p.m. We are closed the first Tuesday of every month, and sometimes we close to take a vacation or two throughout the year. RSVP: How many volunteers do you have that help out at CNC?

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Judy: On any given night we have any where between four and five nurses, and that is not counting myself. Sometime there are seven nurses. We don’t have a schedule. I just say if you can come on then come on. Now we have two doctors that come and volunteer on a pretty regular basis. Sometimes we have a third that comes on the last Tuesday of every month. They are family practice doctors.

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John: One is a retired doctor, Dr. John Young. Dr. Sandra Randolph also volunteers, and she is a family practice doctor from Memphis. Then we have some volunteer Spanish translators that also help out on Tuesdays. So we have those folks, and then we have two professors of urban studies from Rhodes College that also come, and they help us out with the administration factors. All these people really help us lighten the load of service. RSVP: Why does the CNC operate in Caritas Village? Judy: How we originally even found the need was we worked with a couple, Rachel and Harry Greer, and she owns Rachel’s Flower Shop, and they were working with inner-city children in the Binghampton neighborhood. 12 or 13 years ago, John and I read an article in the newspaper about the wonderful things the Greers were doing as far as service to the community, especially with the children. I showed my husband the article on Christmas day and said, “You know that money we send to the Union Mission Ministries every month? I think we need to send to send it to the Greers instead.” His answer was no. He said, “If you think the work they are doing is so impressive, let’s go down there and see what they are doing.” John: That was a different idea for us. Judy: It was something way out of our comfort zone. I called Rachel’s Flowers and got in touch with the Greers. She gave me her cell phone number and her house phone number as well as all of Harry’s phone numbers. She encouraged me to call either of them at any time if we wanted to get involved in anything they were

doing. The Saturday after Christmas, John suggested we go down and meet the Greers. Again, way out of my comfort zone. We arrived, and Rachel and Harry treated us as if they had known us all our lives. From that moment on, we tried to do everything they did.

Photos by Don Perry

any Memphians go without health care because they cannot afford coverage or are not eligible to receive it. Doctor and nurse, Dr. John and Judy Lang, are on a mission to assist those who have no other medical coverage options. The Langs are the founders of the Compassion Neighborhood Clinic, Inc. (CNC), a nonprofit, free, primary care clinic located in Caritas Village in the Binghampton neighborhood since 2009. RSVP editor, Rachel Warren, meets up with this dynamic couple to find out more about the services they offer on Tuesday nights from 6-9 p.m. or until the last patient has been seen.

John: They were tutoring kids in the Binghampton neighborhood where Caritas Village is located. They were giving out Thanksgiving baskets in this neighborhood. Then they actually built a house and moved into the Binghampton neighborhood. They did this all on their own with their own money. As we started working with the Greers and helping them tutor the kids, we saw that the parents also had a need. Debt collectors were running down the parents because they could not pay for simple medical procedures. We kept hearing about all these financial hardships and simple things we knew we could fix for the parents. So we started out helping the parents where we could instead of sending them to the Emergency Room. Eventually, though, it started to be a distraction to what Harry and Rachel were doing with the kids. As people found out I was offering these small services, the medical thing started to get bigger than the tutoring. I have a business degree from CBU, and I helped Harry write a business plan to turn what they were doing out of their house into a nonprofit business. It became Rachel’s Kids, Inc. After awhile, Harry suggested the idea that I do a nonprofit medical practice. We got together with some doctors and figured out how we could do such a thing for free for the parents. Judy: How we found Caritas Village because Harry Greer had a couple of houses in the neighborhood. He wanted us to take the house next door to where he and Rachel lived. There arose a large issue with zoning because it would be a business in a residential area. We went to talk to Onie Johns who founded Caritas Village about how she got zoning to do her community services out of that residential location. Eventually, it occurred to me to ask if Onie would be interested in hosting the clinic and us. She thought it was a fantastic idea. We signed an agreement with her, and that is how we found ourselves at Caritas Village. John: We got it all planned out. We did not advertise, but word got out. It was just word of mouth. In August of 2009, we saw one or two people. Judy: We would see one or two people for the first couple of months.

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John: When word got out we started to see about 30 people a night. We would be there for until midnight. RSVP: How many patients on average does the CNC see on a Tuesday night now? Judy: 25-30 people, every Tuesday night we are open. John: About half of the patients need to see the doctors. The nurses take care of a lot of people as well. Judy: I think the biggest obstacle with many of the patients that we see is that they have not sought care for themselves in a very long time. John: That is because these patients haven’t had a place that would treat or diagnosis them without medical insurance.

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Judy: So many of the patients we see are really sick. It is a big challenge for us because we have no place to send them. Some patients cannot afford the medicine they need. That is the reason we have started giving out medicine and keeping a stockpile of the medicines needed to treat what we see more commonly at the CNC. It is frustrating because the resources out there are very limited.

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John: We treat diabetes and high blood pressure along with some other diseases. We do wound care for people that have gotten some cuts or scrapes. We do follow-up care for people that have been released from Regional One Health. They have no doctor outside of that setting, and they are unsure of how to follow-up on their care or don’t have to resources to do that. We help them to figure out what they need next.

RSVP: How does Onie Johns’ mission at Caritas Village compliment the CNC’s mission? John: Onie has created a center of trust that brings all different types of people together. Also, her mission is to break down barriers and help people trust each other. That is what we also aim to do here with the CNC, and the space Onie has created and generously let us use has lent to that effort greatly. A lot of people just want to talk, and Caritas Village a very comfortable environment here that allows that. A lot of people want to know if we are planning on growing and expanding. The more we grow then the further we get away from doing what it is we do. We don’t want to get away from our original mission. People ask us if we want to franchise and be in other parts of the city. While that might be nice, if we delegate to somebody else, it doesn’t have the same fervor. We want to prove to people that providing free medical care to those who need it can be done. We want to keep that passion. RSVP: How do you keep the CNC’s medical services free? John: We used to just fund it all out of our own pocket. At some point I said, ”We are out of money Judy.” Seeing 30 patients a week and buying their medications was getting hard. Our friend Dottie Cull Burana offered to throw a fund-raiser for the clinic called Taste of Compassion at her restaurant she owns, Bangkok Alley on Brookhaven Circle. We have done the fund-raiser every year, and it has raised enough funds for us to cover our malpractice board insurance and pay for our medicines for an entire year. That is how a lot of the amazing things happen at the clinic. We will be sitting there wondering how we can ever keep going when someone or something

RSVP: What are your backgrounds in medicine? Judy: I went to Eastern Kentucky University and got my bachelors degree and joined the Navy. I stayed in the Navy for five years, and they trained me in every area of nursing. Military training is incredible. When we moved here, I was out of the Navy and worked for a local cardiologist.

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comes along the way and answers our need.

RSVP: Has the new Affordable Care Act diminished the need for free health care services? Judy: There is a huge gap because we did not expand Medicaid to people in Tennessee. There are people that do not have the financial means to receive coverage from the Affordable Care Act. People fall between the cracks. John: Many people also don’t qualify for Medicaid. So they have no access to medical insurance. Now that more people have insurance, it is really hard to get a doctor’s appointment if you don’t have insurance. Those people have to go to the Emergency Room to receive care. If there is something we can fix, we try to help them out so they don’t have to go to the E.R. There are some things the E.R. is equipped to do that we just can’t do, but we try help where we can. RSVP: What are some of the health resources or education services you try to connect your patients to? Judy: That is hard because so many of those services are ones you have to pay for. We would love to have a social worker on board with us to help us navigate those waters and point our patients in the right direct as far as resources that are available out there. We also offer diabetes information and demonstrations of how to test blood sugar and things like that. We want to move more toward educating people on how to take care of themselves in this era. I think that is the biggest need in healthcare right now, especially if you can’t afford to go to the doctor. We want to teach people how to recognize certain signs of illness and things they can try at home first. There are so many things people can treat at home. We are always looking for new people to volunteer with us and fill in some of the gaps in our services. Anyone interested can email me at judy2981@comcast.net. Donations of common medicines, ointments, wound supplies, diabetes care supplies and, of course, financial support are always welcome.

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Judy: Rachel and Harry made us realize that we weren’t just created just to be doctors. We weren’t given that talent just for our own wealth or our own wellbeing. We were created to help others. We can also see in our own adult children the disparities in getting access to care. We just kept thinking that if we are having so many troubles in our own middle-class setting of accessing care and getting the things we need then people with no resources whatsoever must struggle getting coverage. At least we can be a resource of some kind. We call ourselves a Band-Aid, a big Band-Aid.

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John: I went to the military medical school in D.C. That was where I was trained as a military physician. Then I did my training in Charlotte, South Carolina at a family practice, and that is where I did my residency. That is where I met Judy. I was sent to the Middle East for awhile and then completed my residency in South Carolina. I was a family practice doctor in rural areas. When we moved to Memphis, I continued practicing medicine. I went to Christian Brothers University and got a MBA degree. I ended up working for the Dobbs family. They had started a Medicaid Health insurance program. I was their first medical director in Tennessee because they had ties with Christian Brothers University with the CBU business school. There I learned a little bit about how TennCare works, how care for the poor works and how some of the money works in health care. I did that, and it was actually my first job where I only had to work 50 hours a week, not a 100 hours a week. I enjoyed that extra time. It wasn’t too long after I got that job that we read that article about the Greer’s work, and, because we had that extra time, we were able to think about doing more than just working and surviving. That is when we started working with Harry and Rachel. I work for United Healthcare now as a medical director for their Medicaid program.

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Zoo Brew

ZOO BREW

Wild Things

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Jennifer Magness and Mary Ruth Yates

Meredith Mahaffee and Jeff Gross

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n most days of the week the Memphis Zoo receives guests from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. During certain times of the year, however, guests have the opportunity to experience the 70 acres and 3,500 animals from over 500 species under a blanket of stars. After getting their IDs checked, of course. For the past eight years, the top-rated Memphis Zoo has opened its doors after hours for the biannual Zoo Brew event. Every year twice a year on Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends the Memphis institution offers a beer-tasting event that rivals any in the city. “It’s the single biggest beer-tasting event in Memphis,” Laura Doty, communications specialist for the Memphis Zoo, said. This year’s Memorial Day weekend event, held on Friday, May 23 and presented by Macy’s, made available 35 beer stations with 250 beers as well as two wine bars. “You get a tasting cup and then have at it,” Doty said. Food was available for purchase from Zoo concessions, including soft pretzels and other pub food, unless attendees purchased tickets to the VIP lounge. Held in Teton Trek, the VIP lounge included early entry before the event opened as well as a tram to carry VIPs from the Wolf Gate to the Great Lodge. VIP guests enjoyed beers unique to the lounge, light appetizers and their own live entertainment. Gerneral admission guests enjoyed music from the Kathryn Stallings Band, the Donnie Wilson Band and Dingo Entertainment and had the chance to stroll through most of the Zoo, including the upper and lower courtyard, the Herpetarium, China Road, the Primate Pavilion and the Primate Canyon. The tasting has grown since past years with anywhere between 3,000 to 3,500 beer enthusiasts walking through the gates for the nighttime affair. “It grows exponentially year after year. Everyone always loves it. They get to taste beer from around the world, plus they get to come to the Memphis Zoo. What else could be better? It’s really a lot of fun,” Doty said. “It’s a fun way to get everything going for summer. It kind of kicks off Memorial Day weekend and summer, and then we’ll close out summer during our Labor Day Zoo Brew.”

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Valerie Pruitt and Shakerra Milan

Story by Lesley Young Photos by Baxter Buck

Cecilia Walker and Ryan Carter

Justin Veach and Alyce Calkins

Sabrina Remaley and Courtney Rice

Ashlye McCormick and Nikki Dildine

Brent Gaia with Erin and Michael Nunn

Cory York and Claire Freeman

ZOO BREW E V E N T Jason and Lara Leiness

Logan Kicklighter and Jennifer Regan

Tyler Brown and Tuesdey Hiner

Alex and Hannah Stricker

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Italia and Charles Weeks

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Rozzanne Conopio and Meghan Riley

Anna Mary Jordan and Rachel Tillery

Megan Arthur and Jodi Runger

Paige Stoebner and Collier Turner

David and Jenny Fehrenbacher

Tim Doolin and Elizabeth Hollingsworth

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Katelyn Moore, Jasmine Powell and Lauren Monday

Trevor Basehart, Fred Culver, Rebecca Day and Danielle Williams

Chrissy and Stephen Dodd

Brett and April Emerson

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Tiffany Fowler and Daniel Teran

Craig Dorff and Beth Bond

Joseph Fernald, Nick Schmall, Melissa Greenway, Warren Wilson and Brenda Buckman

Ashley and Ralph Thibodeaux

William Dickens, Drew Thomas, Colby Taylor and Lauren Sims

ZOO BREW E V E N T Chris and Megan Olney

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Rocky Murphy and Traci Pangonas

Derek and Gaynor Mann with Jack and Monica Nichols RSVP

Jon and Elena Conner

Felicia Coleman and Payton Tucker

Devan Holt, Amanda Prevost and Derek Holt

EVENT MEMPHIS ITALIAN FESTIVAL

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Memphis Italian Festival “A Taste of Italy in the South!”

April Knopp and L.A. Nowell

Joey Bousson and Sandra Hannah

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or the 25th year in a row the Memphis Italian Festival made the city of Memphis an offer it couldn’t refuse. Held annually at Marquette Park near the intersection of Park Avenue and Mount Moriah Road, this family friendly festival has grown substantially from its humble beginnings in the parking lot of Holy Rosary Catholic Church into a massive Memphis mainstay. “It’s great for the community,” event organizer, Vickie Ranson, said. “It’s a place to have a family reunion every year and raise money. If you see them only once a year; you see them here.” Presented by Holy Rosary Church, this year the festival boasted 51 cooking teams (each with their own Italian–themed tent), Luigi Land, a children’s play area complete with carnival style rides and games, two stages of musical entertainment, cooking demonstrations, arts and crafts booths, a beer garden, a café and a market where patrons could purchase authentic Italian food and ingredients. The cooking teams competed against one another for top honors in several categories, ranging from best-decorated “powder room” to the highly coveted best gravy trophy. Several big name musical acts entertained the crowd including Deering and Down, Kix Brooks and Star & Micey. Team Oliveus won best overall booth while other non-cooking awards went to Casa di Pasta for most decorative powder room. FOODFELLAS was recognized for best t-shirt and The Prosciutto’s for best happy hour. The Screaming Luigis won the corn-hole tournament and Pazzo! won the wine race. As for the cooking awards, Twisted Noodles took home top honors in the anything Italian category and A Fist Full of Garlic won the blind gravy tasting. However, it was The Prosciutto’s who procured the award for best gravy, and the team got to take home the traveling trophy until next year. All of the awards were given with gift cards with a balance ranging from $50 to $1000 – the vast majority of which were donated to the church on the spot. Luigi’s Market and Café provided a place for those not involved with a tent an opportunity to dine on traditional Italian food. Friday night at Luigi’s Café, Pete & Sam’s Restaurant catered a dinner of lasagna or cheese manicotti with a salad and desert, and on Saturday night Coletta’s Restaurant offered spaghetti and meatballs or eggplant parmesan, also with a salad and dessert. Additionally, salami, torrone, cannoli, and a litany of imported olives and other traditional Italian comestibles were available for purchase at Luigi’s Market. All proceeds were donated to the parish and school of Holy Rosary.

Amber Fletcher and David McAlister

Marie and Bill Pettit

Story and Photos by Patrick Lantrip See all the party photos at rsvpmagazine.com Password: RSVP Jennifer and David Lowe

Kim and David Douglass

Tracy Severs and David Chance

Peter Giannini with Vickie and Richard Ranson

Sam and Cindy Smith

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Kelly Snodgras and Rob Payne

MEMPHIS ITALIAN FESTIVAL

Justin and Devin Troy

Linda Pettit, Mike Pettit and Kimberly Bradley RSVP

Laura Dyer and Chris Champlain

Lauren Boaz and Addison Hayes

Matt Coleman, Greg Weaver and Blake Kerley

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Nikki Jimenez, Jason Backey and April Johnson

Eli and Susan Walker with Megan and Stuart Hellen

Marie Blount and Greg Gaia

Ashley and Jeff Breunig

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Linda and Robert Rose

Sammy Bryan, Kara Flemister, Brooke Neal and Laura Azzarello

Matthew and Madison Davidson

Lindsay Maze and Scott Brown

Lori, Kate, Derek, Jeff and Brian Vincent

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EVENT MEMPHIS ITALIAN FESTIVAL J U L Y 2 0 14

Val Mercado, Frederik Kolderup and Melanie Murray

Deana Cail, Robert Wiley and Kelly Gonzales

Darren Walton and Lisa Moore

Elizabeth Deskins and Chad Smith

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Winn Miller and Patricia Sewell

Jeana McCullough, Darlene Shepard and Ashley Ealy

Robert Mitchell and Vicki Gill

Carolyn Winstead and John Gatti

Daniel Pitman with Dylan and Brittany Pieraccini

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Frank Rogers and Karen Campochiaro

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John, Van, Emma and Candy Wolf

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Drew Connors, Helen Richardson and Michelle Connors

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Jill and John Richards

Bill, Angela, Olivia and Audrey Stemmler

Mike Motta and Joseph Catrone

Glenn and Renee Little

Rob, Amber, Emma and Riley Miller

EVENT MOON RIVER MUSIC FESTIVAL

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Moon River Music Festival Great Music for a Great Cause

Emma McNeil and Caroline Smith

Nicole Huie and Andy Keene

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ver 3,000 people showed up for the inaugural Moon River Music Festival that was held at the historic Levitt Shell. Memphis native Drew Holcomb, who also headlined the show with his band, Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, presented the all-day event. “I got my start in Memphis, and I really built an audience here before anywhere else,” Holcomb said. “I always thought that if I made it, I would come back here and put on a music festival.” The lineup included some of Holcomb’s close friends, and well, neighbors such as Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Will Hoge, The Dirty Guv’nahs, Judah & the Lion, Holly Williams, Rob Baird, Ellie Holcomb and Dwan Hill in addition to local acts like Myla Smith, Apollo Williams and the Stax Music Academy Alumni. “I just wanted to share the music with Memphis, and share Memphis with the rest of our fans around the country,” Holcomb added. General admission tickets were available for $25, and a portion of the revenue generated by the festival went to support St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, the Soulsville Foundation and the Levitt Shell. Parched patrons had a choice between Yeungling and Wiseacre Brewing Co., both of whom sponsored the event, to quench their thirst while Central BBQ and Sleddog’s provided the festival goers with edibles such as BBQ nachos and gourmet quesadillas. Despite a brief summer storm during the last performance that threatened to end the festival early, Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors emerged to the delight of the faithful crowd – still in the thousands – to end the show on a high note. With the festival winding down, Holcomb had a coalition of the previous acts return to the stage to assist him with a rendition of the Lennon-McCartney song “With a Little Help from My Friends.” For the final song Holcomb remained on stage to sing the festival’s titular tune “Moon River,” which was originally preformed by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 movie “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” Holcomb said the festival exceeded even his expectations, and looks forward to making the Moon River Music Festival a Memphis tradition. “Memphis is a great town, and I’m honored to be a part of the long history and tradition of music in this city. I hope to continue to be a part of that with this festival as we hope to make it an annual event,” Holcomb remarked.

Marie Cushing and Austin Beckford

Caleb Moss and Macy Stem

Story and Photos by Patrick Lantrip See all the party photos at rsvpmagazine.com Password: RSVP Tyler and Margaret Beard

Drew and Ellie Holocomb

Karlie Woodard and Katelyn Gentry

Annie Mandrell, Ashton Clark and Hannah Sellers

Ashley and Tyler Godwin

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MOON RIVER MUSIC FESTIVAL

Deborah Elam with Erin and Devin Conners

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Justin Pitner with Courtney and Charlie House

Bill, Karen and Max Johnson

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Danny and Marjorie Knight

Heather Burke and Chris Ashbrand

Michael Wolf and Devinn Little

Cameron Dobbins and Taylor Anderton

Jami Hazlerig and Elly Hazlerig

Adrienne Lay and Annese Jeffery

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Ben Akers and Kalin Ledbetter

Danielle McCleave, Dominique McCleave and Emily Moncrief

Jenna Brotz and Kasey Carpenter

Jack Jeong and Lindsey Miller

Haley Thornton and Grace Jorgensen

EVENT Kristen and Jeff Tyler

Billy and Summer Ray

MOON RIVER MUSIC FESTIVAL

Madison Pearson, Cole Pearson and Laiken Pearson

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Joe Hemphill, Rachel Arthur and Paula Hemphill

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Sarah Currie and Melissa Thomas

Hannah Olsen, Amber Knowing and Savannah Tyreo

Sheronda Williams and Meredith Banks

Katie and Jason Yaun

Cislie Kilzer, Kelsey Woodard and Megan Cloutier

National Multiple Sclerosis Society Mardi Gras Masquerade

Approximately 150 people attended the Junior League of Memphis’ Preview Party for their 2014 Estate Sale. JLM members and sustainers and their guests moved through the downstairs rooms of the Junior League’s Community Resource Center and spilled onto the front patio to view items donated for the event. The purpose of the preview party was to showcase the offerings and build enthusiasm for the actual estate sale two days later. During the evening, guests dined on toasted ravioli and artisan pizza as well as several dishes prepared from recipes in the JLM cookbooks. The Gary Johns Band provided musical entertainment. A silent auction area called “Trash to Treasure” featured furniture and decorative objects that had been spruced up by JLM members. Furniture that had been given a second life with refurbishing coats of chalk paint were prevalent, and bidding kept guests on their toes as they vied for items. The estate sale items ranged from picture frames and decorative accessories to collectible items such as porcelain Limoges and enamel Halcyon Days boxes. There were also sets of etched crystal barware, china and serving pieces available. Larger items included upholstered furniture, antique rugs, a tapestry and crystal chandeliers, one of which originally retailed for $10,000 and was on sale for $1,800. Buyers seemed pleased with their finds and all proceeds will be used to support JLM community projects.

Admission was a ticket. No secret passwords were required for guests attending the third annual SpeakEasy Gala of the Memphis Oral School for the Deaf. The event was held at the Great Hall & Conference Center in Germantown. The atmosphere transported hundreds of guests back in time to the Roaring Twenties. Attired as dazzling flappers, Mary Price and Kendall Pasley greeted guests with vouchers for “casino cash” for games of roulett and black jack. Attendees became “Hearing Helpers” with their support of the event. The proceeds will be used to provide speech therapy for children at MOSD. Local restaurants set up food stations around the perimeter of the room. Blind Bear Speakeasy concocted signature cocktails made of blackberry or peach moonshine and mixed with sweet tea. The Jack Cooper Trio kept the crowd on their feet with jazzy tunes befitting the era. Andrew Douglas of WMC-TV was the evening’s emcee and auctioneer. Several special items made by MOSD students, such decorated step stools, highlighted the silent auction. MOSD graduate Brittany Pellegra, along her parents, Sally and Fred Pellegra, addressed the crowd and shared her story of the impact that MOSD had on her life. The live auction included Lindsey Donovan who modeled a wedding gown to showcase the offering of a wedding package from Ballew Bridal and Formal Salon. The event was presented by Subsidium, Inc.® and raised over $76,000. For the children at MOSD, the benefits of this annual fundraiser will be priceless.

The Mid-South Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society hosted its inaugural Mardi Gras Masquerade at The Columns at One Commerce Square downtown. Guests donned festive attire, many sporting the traditional Mardi Gras colors of purple, gold and green. Colorful beads and masks completed some of the outfits. More than 40 volunteers along side Danielle Discepoli, the organization’s development coordinator, coordinated the event. Mary and Roger Cole and their family were presented with an award as they were honored for their dedication and support to helping find a cure for multiple sclerosis. As J D Highway provided musical entertainment, attendees circulated between several food-stations that offered Cajun-inspired cuisine. Guests who opted for the Masquerade VIP admission were treated to an exclusive party in the Columns Vault that included a sneak peek at select auction items, a tour of the bank vault, fine wine and bourbon as well as entry to the main event. The silent auction included numerous entertainment packages and jewelry. The auction also featured paintings by several local artists, including a mixed media on canvas piece titled “Bright Lights of Memphis” by Ron Olson of WMC-FM 100. A live auction showcased sports-related trips for duck hunting and fly-fishing as well as a real live yellow Labrador puppy. The auction’s pièce de résistance was an exclusive balcony package for Mardi Gras 2015 in New Orleans. All proceeds benefited the Mid-South Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Story and Photos by Emily Adams Keplinger

Women of Achievement Awards Women play a major role in making Memphis the great city that it is, and, on a late Sunday afternoon Women of Achievement, Inc. recognized seven of them. You may not be familiar with the names of all of the 2014 Women of Achievement Award winners, but you certainly have benefited from what they have done. This year’s recipients were Margot McNeeley, founder and executive director of Project Green Fork; Meaghan Ybos, who has worked to eliminate the statue of limitations for rape in Tennessee; Gayle Rose, the chair woman of the Rose Family Foundation who helped lure the Grizzlies to the Bluff City; and Cristina Condori, a community activist and organizer fighting for immigrant rights. Posthumous awards were given to Bessie Vance Brooks, whose generosity led to the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art and Martha Ellen Maxwell former executive director of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and the Memphis in May International Festival. The last award of the afternoon was given to storyteller, playwright and actor Elaine Blanchard, whose storytelling gift has given a voice to female prisoners through her “Prison Stories” series. Blanchard is also known for her autobiographic onewoman shows: “For Goodness Sake” and “Skin and Bones.” The event, which attracted about 300 guests, was held at the Holiday Inn University of Memphis. Story and Photos by Jeannie Ashford

Story and Photos by Emily Adams Keplinger

Regina Walker, Deborah Chubb, Yvonne Acey, Carolyn Chism Hardy and Joe Towns Jr. Keating Lowery and Stephanie Simpson Mary Price and Kendall Pasley Mary and Roger Cole Sr.

Lisa Mallory, Lana Holmes and Erin Phillips

Teresa Schwartz and Ken Pasley

James and Linda Gattas with Laura and Bill Hendrix

Sophie Theodore, Father Nicholas Vieron and Jeanne Ybos

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Junior League Estate Sale Preview Party

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Taste of Compassion

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Compassion Neighborhood Clinic, Inc. (CNC) held their annual Taste of Compassion fund-raiser at Bangkok Alley on Brookhaven Circle. Volunteers and supporters of the CNC along with Dr. John and Judy Lang, CNC founders and operators, gathered at the restaurant to celebrate the wonderful work the clinic does on Tuesday nights at Caritas Village in the Binghampton neighborhood. Open Tuesday nights from 6-9 p.m. except for the first Tuesday of every month, the CNC is a nonprofit, free, primary care clinic that provides services to the medically uninsured. Its staff of primary care physicians, nurses and medical Spanish interpreters are all volunteers. Guests enjoyed heavy hors d’oeuvres and drinks while mingling and checking out the plethora of silent auction goodies up for grabs. Art prints by Elaine Neeley, jewelry, pottery and gift certificates to several local restaurants were available to the highest bidder. Star Distributers, Rachel’s Flower Shop, Bangkok Alley and M. Palazola sponsored the event. Proceeds from the event went toward CNC and will help to provide the clinic with medicines, essential lab test, x-ray services, and health education. Story and Photos by Rachel Warren

Noir Fashion Show & Soiree The second annual Noir Fashion Show & Soiree was held at the Visible Music College downtown. A night of style and elegance, this runway fashion show was hosted by a number of local businesses and honored Black History Month. The fashion show kicked-off the event with a special lounge open to VIP ticket holders. The lounge featured specialty cocktails, food, and a designer meet-and-greet. An open stage in the VIP Lounge displayed the models getting their hair and make-up done was an added element to the entire experience and allowed guests to see fashion from behind the scenes. The long runway wrapped around the college’s distinctive atrium, which is made up entirely of windows and concrete. Models showed off unique couture pieces from several local businesses and designers such as Quintessential Rags, No Love Get Money, Heartless Clothing Co., Dare Threads Vintage, Fabulously Exclusive and Ilobal Clothing. Natural Divinity, Geno’s Professional Salon, Styles by Teon and Bella Donna Salon stunned the crowd with a one-ofa-kind couture hair show. Pouts & Winks Cosmetics tempted the fashion-forward crowd with samples of their make-up line. Local band Concrete Soul added to the party atmosphere by providing a lively musical touch to the night. Story and Photos by Rachel Warren

Dr. John and Judy Lang with Dottie Cull Burana and Thara Burana

Memphis Fashion Week VIP Preview Party

Josephine Circle Silent Auction and Fashion Show

The fashionably hip and trendy of Memphis gathered at the Wiseacre Brewery Co. taproom to mark the beginning of the annual Memphis Fashion Week (MFW) with a VIP Preview Party. The party gave MFW VIP ticket holders the chance to meet models, designers and get a sneak peak of some of the fashions before they hit the runway. Freeze models, standing in various corners of the taproom, fiercely and professionally, albeit statically, displayed a taste of some of the clothing that would hit the runway at the Annesdale Mansion and the General DeWitt Spain Airport the next few nights. The real fashion show, though, took place in the crowd. Memphians showed off their own individual fashion clout with attendees arriving in a great mix of modern, edgy and classic looks. The Henny Penny Mobile Boutique was parked out front of Wiseacre, offering partygoers the chance to do some inspired shopping. Guest hankering for a snack found what they were looking for at the Fuel Café food truck, which was selling some tasty tacos. Frost Bake Shop provided the desserts for the evening. Wiseacre sated the large crowd’s thirst with a selection of their craft beers like their Neon Brown ale. MFW benefits the Memphis Fashion Fund, which supports the education and growth of the local fashion industry. The Fund is responsible for the Emerging Memphis Designer Project, the project that gathers the local design talent presented in MFW, and works with local organizations to create opportunities and training for these designers.

Josephine Circle, one of the oldest charitable organizations in Memphis, turned 100 this year! The group celebrated with its usual annual fund-raiser but included some extra special touches to make this event one to remember. As guests walked into the Tennessee Ballroom of the Hilton Memphis they were greeted with classical music provided by Overton High School students. A an abundance of silent action items was the focal point of the cocktail hour, offering an array of jewelry, clothing, pottery, beauty packages and vacation excursions to those with the highest bid. As lunch began the fashion show got underway. Models, dressed in the newest styles from Laurelwood Shopping Center, rocked the runway that spanned across the length of the ballroom. Honorary members, Jo Walt and Josephine Crestman, great granddaughter of founder Josephine Millsaps Fitzhugh, also joined in on the afternoon’s festivities. All proceeds benefit the Josephine Circle program that provides interestfree scholarships and loans to young men and women pursuing a higher education.

Story and Photos by Rachel Warren

Eula Horrell, Jane Kimzey and Sue Taylor

Lucresha Wilson and Michael Suggs

Kay Rutherford and Robin Rutherford

Gloria Murphy and Terri Brown

Erica Qualy and Amy Dobbins

Andrew Keathley and Peyton Couch

Sandra Neyman and Linda Neyman

Jamia Williams and Nina Holley

Molly Lambert and Eric Farrell

Jo Walt and Josephine Crestman

Tennessee’s First Lady, Crissy Haslam, entertained members of The River Oaks Garden Club and the Suburban Garden Club of Germantown at a reception at the Governor’s Mansion in Nashville. During the reception Susan Plough, president of The River Oaks Garden Club, and Patty Brigance, president of the Suburban Garden Club, presented the First Lady with a check from the two clubs for $2,500 to The Tennessee Residence Foundation (TRF) to be used for landscaping projects on the grounds of the mansion. The TRF is a nonprofit, non-political organization founded to furnish and maintain the public areas of the Tennessee Residence. Some 65 members of the two clubs attended the reception and presentation. Also included in the group’s itinerary was a visit to the Nashville Antiques and Garden show.

The Carnival Memphis Queen Bees Wine and Cheese party, held at Sheffield Antique Mall in Collierville, is unlike most Carnival parties. “It’s just different,” says Chuck Stewart, husband of Mary Stewart, queen of the Grand Krewe of Ptah. The guest list includes present and past queens of Carnival and its krewes. Part of the festivities included a treasure hunt, of sorts, in which attendees searched throughout the booths of antiques for yellow tickets. The lucky folks who found numbered tickets were awarded prizes at the end of the evening but not until they had enjoyed Central BBQ, chilled shrimp, fruit and of course wine and cheese. For those with a sweet tooth, cupcakes and cookies were available, and Sheffield provided frozen margaritas served in the yellow Queen Bee cups.

Senior Games Day People from retirement communities throughout the city gathered at the Jewish Community Center for Senior Games Day, held by the Center for Creative Aging. Board games included mahjong, Monopoly and Scrabble, and, as participants enjoyed games, conversation and music, volunteers passed among the tables offering cookies and beverages. As a special treat, Godiva® Boutique of Wolfchase Galleria® provided samples of sumptuous truffles. Students from Paul Mitchell The School Memphis were on hand, offering free waterless manicures, and ladies who received a beauty consultation were given cards for a free cut and style. Event sponsors, including Zounds Hearing, Home Instead Senior Care and Edward Jones set up CignaHealthSpring tables. Story and Photos by Suzanne Thompson

Story and Photos by Suzanne Thompson Story Submitted Photos by Plum Nobles

Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary Founders Day Luncheon The Salvation Army Greater Memphis Women’s Auxiliary held their annual Founders Day Luncheon at the Hilton Memphis. Guests enjoyed a lavish lunch inside the hotel’s beautiful Tennessee Ballroom. Nancy Barnhart, Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary assistant treasurer, was awarded with the Sally award. The award is reserved for an individual that best exemplifies the heart of the Salvation Army and was award to Barnhart for her commitment to serving the community and the city of Memphis. Keynote speaker Charlotte Jones Anderson, executive vice president and chief brand officer of the Dallas Cowboys, gave a passionate and fiery speech about the Cowboy’s ongoing partnership with the Salvation Army. Anderson, who was the first woman to chair the Salvation Army Advisory board and who was recently named chairman of the NFL foundation, remarked that the Salvation Army has always been their for people in need, saying, “we may not know when we will need the Salvation Army, but we know they will always be there.” Story and Photos by Rachel Warren

Terrie Kirksey, Frances Christian, Lisa Shurden, Diana Stein and Meryl Kline Natalie Brown, Coleen Wilson, Tiffany Brimhall and Kelly Acree Diane Davis, Cristina Barnes and Diane Champlin

Charlotte Jones Anderson and Carolyn Gates

Rosa Houston and Denise Cowen Lynda Smith, Martha Hester and Priscilla Thompson

Karen Gahan, Hilda Mullin and Donna McManus

Kim Leonard, Bernie Krock and Robin Owens

Martha Hester, Patty Brigance, Maggie Cobb-Boyd, Crissy Haslam, Mary Jane Hamlett, Susan Plough and Rose Garrett

Mary and Jack Marsh with Donna Parker

Gloria Durr, Dwight Haley and Ethel Robinson

Nancy Barnhart

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Suburban Garden Club and The River Oaks Garden Club Reception

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AFTER HOURS

After Hours A photo collage of the latest business happenings

The Orpheum Theatre Wicked the Musical and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Christina Torres and Walker Price

Pat Halloran and Lauren Steinkamp

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Dena Morris and Ansleigh Morris

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62 Shane Waldrop, Valerie Morris, Chris Funky and Brian Douglas

Peyton Couch and Andrew Keathley

Midtown Message Second Year Anniversary Celebration

Michael Ingalsbe and Larrie Rodriguez

Bill Stemmler, Tamara Look, Leah Roen and Jim Cunningham

Curtis Petty and Will Batts

Laura Braslow and Kal Rocket

Deborah Smith, Larry Rice and Julie Lansky

Tom Dillehay and Karina Meuller

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44 Whole number 46 Caucasion 49 Route 50 Lager 51 Mesh 53 __ A Small World...

56 George __ (“War of the Worlds” author) 58 Elias ___, sewing machine 59 Hand weapon 61 Night bird 62 Adult females 63 Old English sailor

64 Downwind 65 List of highly desired guests 66 Test 67 Cook in oil 68 Demise DOWN

1 Hand shovel 2 Southern Californian city 3 Ogled 4 Shrek, e.g. 5 Drunk 6 Throat infection 7 Lawyer attire 8 Adeptly 9 A/C unit 10 Thorned flower 11 Exits 12 Eye infection 15 Tiny 20 Russian Marx 21 Actual 24 Fish lifting hood 26 Annually 28 Rat 30 Direction from Memphis to Louisville 31 Explosive 32 Observe 34 Pen fill 36 Pressure unit

37 Hotel 38 Dozens 39 Nocturnal S African dog 40 Feel concern 42 2014, e.g. 43 Make angry 45 __ two shoes 47 Inability to recognize objects 48 Freshest 50 Back street 52 After ninth 53 Vacation spot 54 Stick candy bar brand 55 Biological body 57 Water pitcher 58 Cavity 60 Radioactivity unit 62 Compact bundle

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1 Farm buildings 6 Direction from Memphis to Birmingham 9 Sisters sibs. 13 Ragu’s competition 14 Dinner jacket 15 Hefty 16 Forestall 17 Tear 18 Stale, moldy smell 19 Dreadful 20 Et __ (so on and so forth) 22 Direction from Memphis to Chattanooga 23 Direction from Memphis to Knoxville 24 Empty space 25 Depend 27 Author Poe 29 Skills 33 Pro football assoc. 34 Sickly 35 Green Gables dweller 36 Rice dish 39 One of these 40 Greek island 41 Frozen precipitation 42 Chatter 43 My __ Sal

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RSVP Crossword | Edited by Ruth Cassin 1

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By Dennis Phillippi

beer I’m ever going to drink from now on.” Then, inevitably, she insisted that I take a sip of this liquid ambrosia. Understand, I am a domestic light beer drinker. I make no secret of this, but I also don’t ever insist that anyone taste my beer. Out of politeness, and the fact that I’m a little afraid of her, I took a sip of the noxious ale. It was exactly like taking a swallow of liquefied grass. Somehow I was able to keep my face expressionless while I

Nobody enjoys reading “Moby Dick” no matter how hard they try, but occasionally some blowhard trying to make him or herself look all smart and stuff will proclaim it a “terrific read.” It is not a “terrific read.” pretended to find it fascinating, and said something like “there’s a lot going on in there.” For the next hour I was burping up what tasted, for all the world, like a handful of yard clipping. The truth is; I don’t like beer that causes me to make a face when I drink it, especially when it runs seven bucks a pop. I’m both boring and cheap. It took close to a decade to convince my friend John that there was never going to come a day when I was going to be interested in going tubing on the White River and then camping overnight. It’s very possible that any number of you just read that sentence and thought that tubing and camping is a pretty ideal way to kill a weekend. To me it would just constitute killing a weekend. A weekend when I could have been doing things that I enjoy like

playing pool in a bar and then watching a ball game with my wife. At no point in that activity will I be subject to drowning, finding a tick on my neck, or sleeping anywhere close to the ground. There are some things you can politely decline because they are so obviously a singular taste. “No thank you. I’d rather not ride your scooter.” “I think I’ll pass on joining you for some cocaine.” “I’m good. I don’t really need to go square dancing.” Still, there’s a chance those people might be offended, particularly the cocaine person. Some people claim to like something to impress other people. Like, say, reading “Moby Dick.” Nobody enjoys reading “Moby Dick” no matter how hard they try, but occasionally some blowhard trying to make him or herself look all smart and stuff will proclaim it a “terrific read.” It is not a “terrific read.” It is seven hundred pages about whaling in the eighteenth century, half of which is footnotes about whaling in the eighteenth century. How do I know this? Because some blowhard convinced me it is a “terrific read,” so I read it. It may not be seven hundred pages, and it might not be set in the eighteenth century. I don’t know because I was so numbingly bored by it that I have almost no memory of the book. And, by the way, I am certain that said blowhard has never actually slogged through the thing. He owes me two months of my life that I can never get back. I like lots of things that other people may not. I can eat a can of Vienna sausages. I’m not proud of it, but I’ve watched far-fetched police procedurals on the TV. I enjoy a glass of straight Irish whiskey. The only one of those things I might, might, insist that someone else try is the whiskey, and, honestly, it’s not so much on the off chance that they may like it, but more that I enjoy seeing the look of mortification when they realize they are expected to swallow this burning substance and pronounce it delicious. Mostly I enjoy the weird look of grudging admiration on their faces for someone who would choose to routinely enjoy it. Enjoy what you enjoy friends, but like with politics, religion, or your marriage, how about keeping it to yourself?

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don’t like fish. Shellfish I do like, but fish…fish I do not. Doesn’t matter what it is, mahi-mahi, salmon, tilapia, I don’t care for it. See, no one ever says that their pork is too “Porky” or their steak is too “Beefy.” If something can be unpleasant because it tastes too much like what it is, I’m going to pass. My wife, on the other hand, loves her some fish, and it took close to twenty years for me to convince her to stop insisting I take a bite of her fish because it “doesn’t taste too fishy.” Every single bite, ever, tasted too fishy. I would dutifully take a small bite, choke it down and say, “Yeah, I don’t like fish.” Twenty years people. Twenty years. That’s no knock on my wife. It’s just human nature, I suppose, to assume that since you like something someone who doesn’t just hasn’t seen the light yet, but I think once you reach a certain age, in my case fifty, you can safely decide for yourself what you do and do not enjoy. Sadly, other people still stubbornly insist on testing my stubbornness. It’s all well and good for you to enjoy a television show about a teacher with cancer becoming a meth dealer, or a bunch of people trading partners while zombies keep crashing the party, or one where a group of miserable young women trade partners between long stretches of complaining about one another, but that doesn’t mean I have to do the same thing. These are all well produced shows employing writers and actors and bully for all involved, but, you know, pass. I started to write that it is also all well and good to watch reality shows about obnoxious stereotypes in baby beauty contests or pawnshops, or some godforsaken swamp, but it’s just not. Luckily, those people understand that they should be ashamed and generally don’t proselytize watching those things. A couple of weeks ago, my friend Amanda announced that she had discovered the “best beer ever” and “the only

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Progressions of Cooper–Young

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1955

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group of earnest men stand at the 1955 groundbreaking ceremony for the Esso station at the northwest corner of Cooper Street and Young Avenue. Depicted here from left to right: Boots Jones, Mr. McCrary, J.T. Chapman, R.A. Parks, H.A. Jones, A.M. Joanson and Al Goldschmidt. Located at this corner today are the Bank of America and the offices for the Cooper Young Business Association. PHOTO COURTESY OF COOPER YOUNG BUSINESS ASSOCIATION If you have a past photo you would like to share with RSVP readers, please contact Rachel Warren at 276-7787 ext. 105 or e-mail the photo and caption to editor@rsvpmagazine.com All photos will be returned promptly.