If you missed the Memphis Music & Heritage Festival yesterday because you were busy watching college football, you can still catch it today. It happens from 11 to 11. It continues to get bigger and better every year. Here’s the schedule. Some recommendations (sorry, some of these overlap, too much good music):
- Watoto Memphis, African dance clinic at the Tennessee Arts stage, 12:30; blues dance at the ArtsMemphis stage at 5:15; and folk dance at the Tennessee Arts stage, 7 PM. Come learn about this wonderful group that teaches children about music and dance.
- Papa Top’s West Coast Turnaround, classic country, 6:45, Folklore Hall stage
- Valerie June, folk, 8:15, Folklore Store stage
- FreeWorld, jam band, 8:15, Tennessee Arts stage
- Funzo Crush aka Young AJ featuring Al Kapone, rap, 9:00, ArtsMemphis stage
- Most of the beer vendor booths have 16 oz. PBR cans for $3
- Try the homemade guacamole at the Las Delicias booth, $5
- Try a slider with Swiss and horseradish grilled on the patio at Circa, $4
- Get some of Ella Kizzie’s greens and hot water cornbread at the kitchen to the left of the Folklore Hall Stage. At 7 she will have a cooking demo at the Cooking Stage.
If you have an iPhone or Android, don’t forget to download the Center for Southern Folklore app. It’s really good, and will come in handy when trying to decide what stage to visit next.
I had fun there yesterday… walking around, reconnecting with old friends, meeting new ones… that’s what festivals are all about. Normally I have a “no side trips” festival rule, but I bend it when the Saucer is a block away, and I made a couple of trips there too. And, of course, I frequently refreshed the ESPN app on my iPhone to keep up with football, to the point where I had to go home and re-charge my phone late in the afternoon. Looks like I may have been wrong about Tennessee being the biggest embarrassment in the SEC this year; Ole Miss stepped up yesterday to claim that role. Jacksonville State, a school no one has ever heard of, handed the Rebels a loss at home. Meanwhile, the Razorbacks of Arkansas looked strong. I think this is gonna be a good year for football.
Today I’ll be hanging out at the festival for most of the day. Come say hello!