RiverArtsFest, the region’s largest arts festival, happens on the river this coming weekend. Its centerpiece is a juried market featuring the creations of 150 artists. This is a great opportunity to pick up Christmas/holiday presents for the art lover in your life or some new conversation pieces for your home.
However, the festival affords you the opportunity to not only consume the art of others, but to create your own. Kids of all ages can come to the free interactive art station, sponsored by Art Center Supply Store, and create their own masterpiece.
There will be live music too. Here’s the lineup:
Saturday
- 11:00-12:15 – Jeff Hulett Trio
- 12:30-1:45 – Graham Winchester
- 2:00-3:15 – Rachel Maxann
- 3:30-5:00 – Alexis Jade & The Gemstones
- Throughout Saturday: Strolling performances by Jeff Hulett
Sunday
- 11:00-12:15 – Beth Luscombe String Trio
- 12:30-1:45 – Jeremy Stanfill
- 2:00-3:15 – Loveland Duren
- 3:30-5;00 – Tennessee Mass Choir
- Throughout Sunday: Strolling performances by Brad Fielder
There will be a performing arts stage as well. Its schedule:
Saturday
- 10:45-11:30 – Tennessee Shakespeare Company
- 12:00-12:45 – Harmonic South String Orchestra
- 1:15-2;00 – Memphis ChoralArts
- 2:30-3:15 – Hot Foot Honeys Tap Dance Company
- 3:45-4:30 – Hatiloo Theatre
Sunday
- 10:45-11:30 – Memphis Youth Symphony Program
- 12:00-12:45 – Cazateatro Bilingual Theatre Group
- 1:15-2:00 – PRIZM Ensemble
- 2:30-3:15 – Opera Memphis
- 3:45-4:30 – SubRoy Movement
The festival also tends to have well-above-average food vendors, so come hungry!
The men’s college basketball preseason AP Top 25 poll is out and the Memphis Tigers didn’t make it. With 7 total votes, Memphis finished 37th in the voting. Memphis would have needed another 97 votes to tie for 25th.
The blue bloods dominated as usual, with Kansas 1st, Duke 2nd, and Michigan State 4th.
Memphis’ conference foe Florida Atlantic, predicted to win the AAC, came in ranked 10th.
SEC teams in the rankings: 9 Tennessee, 14 Arkansas, 15 Texas A&M, 16 Kentucky, 24 Alabama. Auburn, Mississippi State, Missouri, and Florida got votes but finished outside the top 25.
From Tiger Blueprint: Why Memphis is underrated in the preseason AP poll
Cactus chili is one of the weekly specials at the Blind Bear. There are little pieces of cactus in it – not the prickly parts, though. The chili is slightly sweet, possibly because cactus contains sugar.
According to a Facebook post by Tony, in addition to the cactus chili, the other specials this week at the Bear are
- Mushroom Velouté herb chicken – I had never heard of Velouté sauce before. Wikipedia to the rescue – velouté is French for “velvety.”
- Homemade brownies with vanilla ice cream topped with strawberry and caramel syrup
In other Blind Bear news: For a Halloween one-night-only special, they’re bringing back Velvetina’s Speakeasy Burlesque this Friday at 10 PM, with live music provided by James and the Ultrasounds.
Smart City Memphis says that the lawless behavior allowed by police officers – for example. people literally hanging out off car windows – is making consumers and companies reconsider doing business Downtown. If you are a Downtown stakeholder or a government official, this is well worth a few minutes of your time to read.
Silky’s will have a Nightmare on Beale Street Halloween party beginning at 7 PM on Tuesday the 31st. There will be a DJ and a costume contest.
Today is Edge Day. To celebrate, I recommend visiting Sun Studio, then a Venezuelan dinner st Sabor Caribe, then a nightcap at cocktail bar Inkwell. All of those businesses are in Memphis’ Edge District.
It’s also National Pasta Day. Celebrate with spaghetti & Grandma’s NJ meatballs at Bardog.
Celebrate Spreadsheet Day by watching the Microsoft Excel World Championship:
Coyote Ugly is hiring for all positions.
MATA is proposing the suspension of all services after 7 PM. I assume that would include the Main Street trolleys, which run until 11 weeknights and 1 Friday and Saturday. It’s also proposing eliminating lesser-used bus routes around the city, including the buses that run the former Riverfront and Madison Avenue trolley lines.
Memphis Tigers defensive lineman Andres Fox will be suspended for the first half of the UAB game on Saturday. Fox was ejected for a nasty hir to a Tulane player in last week’s game, and his actions exasperated head coach Ryan Silverfield to the point that Silverfield felt the need to apologize.
From ABC 24: Local entrepreneurs with dreams of a retail location, learn how the Downtown Memphis Commission’s Open on Main project can help you.
That’s it for today. Back with more news tomorrow.