From ghastly haunted houses to spine-tingling ghost tours, Memphis boasts a bevy of Halloween activities.   But as you’re delighting in some seasonal fright, don’t miss out on a chance to sport your favorite costume and join in some Halloween revelry at any of the many parties in town.


Mud Island River Park’s Halloween on the Island

Location: 125 North Front Street
Date and Time:  Friday, October 31 beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Admission:  $2
Age Restriction:  none
Enjoy some Halloween fun for the whole family as Mud Island takes on a creepy atmosphere.  Give yourself a scare on the Haunted River Walk or the haunted train ride and have a blast with Trick or Treat, children’s costume contests, games, hay rides, and more.

Big Foot Lodge Halloween Bash 2008

Location:  97 S 2nd Street
Date and Time:  Thursday, October 30 beginning at 8:00 p.m.
Admission:  none
Age Restriction:  21+
Sink your teeth into a juicy burger (take on the Sasquatch Burger Challenge if you’re up for it) and take advantage of plenty of drink specials.  The bash will include a costume contest and music from DJ Tree.

Hard Rock Café Halloween Bash

Location:  315 Beale Street
Date and Time:  Friday, October 31; 9:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m.
Admission:  $1
Age Restriction:  18+
This year’s bash will feature live music from On a Dead Machine and Prosevere and a costume contest with a $200 prize for the winner.  All door proceeds will be donated to the Memphis Chapter of Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.


Earnestine and Hazel’s Hell on Earth Party

Location:  531 S Main Street
Date and Time:  Friday, October 31; 9:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m.
Admission:  $7 cover
Age Restriction:  21+
The historic—and rumored to be haunted—bar hosts the 23rd annual Hell on Earth Party.  Grab a beer and a burger and rock out to a night full of music featuring Devil Train, The Gleaners, Dirty White and Skinny Pimp, Grunt, and Whatever Dude.



Chicken Tractor Halloween Costume Party

Location:  Newby’s, 539 S Highland Street
Date and Time:  Friday, October 31; 8:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m.
Admission:  $20
Age Restriction:  21+
Relive a bit of your frat party days while doing some good for charity at the 7th Annual Chicken Tractor Halloween Costume Party.  The brainchild of UT grads Nick Rice, Donny Kwon, and Rick Brillard, the party will feature music from Adam Ant Farm, and proceeds from the night will go to the Boys and Girls Club of America.  Costumes are required.


River Arts Festival
And if you thought Halloween would mark an end to the big fall festivities in Memphis, don’t worry.   The River Arts Festival, one of the Mid South’s longest running fine arts festivals, offers a plethora of visual and performance art attractions for all ages.  Set on Historic South Main, this year’s festival takes place November 1 (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and November 2 (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.).  The event will feature 183 artists from across the U.S., live entertainment on five stages, food from local restaurants, a demonstration of new artistic techniques from Artists in Motion, and Art du Jour, a hands-on attraction for children.  Admission is free.  

For more information, check out www.riverartsfest.org

You can always feel the change in the air about this time of the year. There is an element of  excitement as we start to shift from the heat of the summer to the ever so slightly cooling trend you start to feel in the wind…and then there are the fight songs that you can hear blowing in the air if you listen closely enough on a Saturday afternoon. That’s right – it’s football season. And it’s also about to be basketball season…and baseball season is winding down…and then hockey season is about to break too. Now that I think about it, I think we should change to name of the season from Fall to Ball considering how much is going on in the wide world of sports this time of the year. So…put on your favorite team jersey and check out some of these sporting events around Memphis…

Football

University of Memphis Tiger football is turning the season around with their confidence building win over Nicholl’s State on Sept. 13th with a 31-10 win at the Liberty Bowl. Tailgating goes all blue on Saturday afternoons when the Tigers play home games at the Liberty Bowl. Check out the entire schedule at gotigersgo.com.

Here are a couple of staple tailgating tips:

• Pack key items that everyone forgets. Chairs for the older folks, corkscrews, bottle openers, tons of paper towels, and garbage bags are some things that are easy to forget and are very helpful.
  
• Pack toys: A football to toss around, a Frisbee or even a whiffle ball and bat can all be great fun, but the newest tailgating game on the scene, corn toss!
  

Basketball

Well, if you have ever been to Memphis, ever heard of Memphis or are planning to come to Memphis you probably already know that this is a basketball town. We love some round ball alright and the season is about to tip off. The fun thing about basketball in this town is that we have both the Grizzlies AND the Tigers to root for. And what is even more fun is when they play what the locals call a “double header” at the FedExForum on Saturdays. This is when the Tigers play a morning or afternoon game and then the Grizzlies come in and take over for the evening game. You can’t beat that scenario to give you your complete fix of basketball for the season.

University of Memphis Tigers
As many of you know the University of Memphis Tigers went all the way to the National Championship game in San Antonio this March. Can it happen again? We are keeping our blue fingers crossed! The new schedule and the new roster is available on gotigersgo.com. Be sure to check out all of the expo games. You can also buy season tickets to the games on gotigersgo.com.

Memphis Grizzlies NBA
The city is all a-buzz about the new recruits that are in town to complete our new 2009 roster. O.J. Mayo has been seen around Memphis getting to know his new fans and signing balls and jerseys before the season kicks off. Mayo heralds from USC and was amazing to watch during his college career. Another new name on the roster isn’t exactly that new…Marc Gasol…yep, he’s Pau’s brother. Does anyone else giggle at that? Anyway, his stats are looking very promising and all the buzz right now is that our new guys along with Rudy Gay, Mike Conley and team are looking very synergistic. Go Grizz!
Check out the entire new roster and this season’s schedule. Don’t forget to go ahead and buy your season passes while you are there.

Ice Hockey

While it seems odd that a southern town like Memphis has an ice hockey team, the Mississippi Riverkings have grown a cult-like following around the area. Maybe it’s how they keep the games icy-hot with all of those aggressive moves. The Riverkings play regularly in the DeSoto Civic Center which is only a 10 minute drive from downtown Memphis. The 2008-2009 season gets underway on October 10th. View the season schedule.

Racing

NASCAR and Drag Racing fans should be so happy to be in Memphis these days. It seems like every time I turn around I see or hear something mentioned about the events taking play out at Memphis Motorsports Park. They are really moving out there…quite literally.

NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series starts back up on Sept, 21st.  The annual O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals is presented at the Memphis Motorsports Park. Three days and nights of nitro-burning horsepower and 330+mph racing on the area's only championship drag strip, where every car is a rocket, and every ticket is a pit pass!

NASCAR fans can get their fill at the park as well on October 24th and 25th at the NASCAR Nationwide Series - Memphis 250 presented by the Southern Dodge Dealers. See your favorite speed demons race around the track for a good cause – The Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Rodeo

Yes, folks we have some rodeo activity for the livestock lover in you. And just think, if you go to one, you will forever be able to use the phrase, “this ain’t my first rodeo,” and mean it! This very week – Sept. 19-20 – at the DeSoto Civic Center you can check out the All New Rodeo of the Midsouth featuring world famous rodeo clown, Lecile Harris, calf roping, steer wrestling, bull riding and women's professional barrel racing. A Rodeo Queen of the Mid-South will even be crowned.

Vying for the barrel racing audience this weekend as well is the Fortune 5 Barrel Race being held at the Show Place Arena off Germantown Parkway. And more bull riding will commence on Oct. 4-5 at the Agricenter ShowPlace Arena when the International Bull riding Championships take place.

Racquetball

The US OPEN Racquetball Championship takes place at the Racquet Club of Memphis from October 22-26 . Pros and amateurs from many different countries including the US, Canada and Mexico participate. As the biggest and best racquetball event, the championship attractions not only the US, but the rest of the world as well. Check it all out a the Racquet Club of Memphis.

Sportsbars

Now – what do you do if you are here in Memphis and – GASP – your favorite team is not?? No worries, man. Memphis is loaded with sports bars full of big screen projections, your favorite beer behind the bar, and plenty of pompoms and friendly rivalries. Here are some of our favorites to check out the next time you are looking for a fun place to cheer on your boys (or girls!)

Buffalo Wild Wings
Fox and Hound
Jillian’s
Calhoun's Sports Bar
Brookhaven Pub
TJ Mulligan’s
Hooter’s

For more details on all things sports in Memphis, visit memphissportscouncil.com. 

Over the last year, media outlets far and wide have reported on America’s newfound desire to stay home and eat local.

Most recently, the New York Times published this story about Slow Food USA’s decision to host Slow Food Nation, a party for 50,000 people in San Francisco on Labor Day weekend.

Here in Memphis, locavores of all ages have a dizzying array of options and activities to choose from.

For a minimal time investment, start your epicurean staycation by connecting directly with area farmers by shopping for super-fresh produce (and some meats and cheeses) at area farmers markets, including the Memphis Farmers Market, the Agricenter’s Farmers Market, and the Farmers Market at the Memphis Botanic Garden. Be sure to bring small bills (these guys are cash only, and they can’t always change a $20), and a cloth shopping bag to carry your goods home.

Or you can make a real outing of it by picking your own fruits and veggies at Millington’s Jones Orchard (peaches, nectarines, and blackberries are currently in season) or at the Nesbit Blueberry Plantation in North Mississippi. Arrive prepared to pick, with water, sunscreen and buckets or bags to hold your bounty.

“Kids are becoming more and more removed from rural settings, and they don’t know much about farming anymore,” says Jones Orchard matriarch Juanita Jones. “I really like to see young families have a hands-on experience out here, teaching their children that fruit grows on trees, not in a grocery store. And nothing tastes better than freshly-picked fruit!”

For less than a tank of gas, you can take the entire family on a field trip to Whitton Flower and Produce, which is located just outside Tyronza Arkansas, or to Downing Hollow Farm in Olive Hill, Tennessee.

When you’re dining out this month, opt for Memphis restaurants that serve homegrown ingredients, like Jarrett’s, which has a Tennessee smoked trout ravioli on the menu, or the Inn at Hunt Phelan, Interim, and Collierville’s Tennessean restaurant, which all serve local produce and Neola Farm’s Black Angus Beef.

Or, take those ingredients you’ve picked yourself and expand your culinary skills by signing up for the Memphis Botanic Garden’s Taste of the Garden demonstration series, or a class at the Viking Cooking School, which is located at Park Place Mall.

Of course, this staycation is about much more than food: Family traditions, social habits, and economics all tie in to what – and why – we eat.

Atlanta chef/cookbook author Scott Peacock just wrote a meditative essay on fresh shelled peas, explaining,

“As a young child, I looked forward to field pea season with enthusiasm – and not just because it signaled the arrival of so many good things to eat. It also provided an escape from the sweltering Alabama heat, as my mother's ‘shelling bees’ were an air-conditioned affair.” Before this summer ritual commenced, the braided Sears, Roebuck rug in our den was rolled up, and the window unit turned to its coldest setting. Grandmothers and great-grandmothers from both sides of the family sat in a circle, their laps cradling roasting pans and Tupperware bowls filled with the harvest brought from our farm in bushel baskets. Sharing gossip and wisdom to pass the time, they nimbly shelled for hours, tossing the empty hulls into a large galvanized washtub in the center of the room. Not yet in grade school, I apprenticed at their feet, captivated by their stories and chasing the occasional errant pea as it rolled across the floor. This nostalgic scene, in one version or another, is no doubt familiar to many a Southerner – particularly those of a certain age. But seriously, when was the last time you sat in a shelling circle?”

Luckily, for us Memphians, it’s not too late.

For more on Memphis’ locavore culture, contact Slow Food Memphis, peruse a copy of Edible Memphis magazine, or read local food blog Squirrel Squad Squeeks.

Earlier this month, Commercial Appeal journalist Frederic Koeppel put Life books, Dream Destinations:  100 of the Worlds Best Vacations, to the test, visiting Graceland, the Stax Museum of Soul Music, the National Civil Rights Museum, and the Rock N Soul Museum with a gaggle of enthusiastic teenagers serving as his co-critics.

For the rest of the summer, I’m going to delve into the specifics of self-piloted “theme” tours – think history, cuisine, sports, and shopping, i.e. everything that, when gas was under $3 a gallon, would pull you to New Orleans, St. Louis, Atlanta, and Dallas.

I’ll start you off with a few hints for a rock’n’roll getaway.

If you’re willing to splurge, book a room at the Peabody Hotel, where rock legends like the Rolling Stones and Aerosmith like to stay when they’re in town. Take a vacation from road rage by signing up for a music-themed tour with Backbeat Tours, Shangri-la Projects Ultimate Rock ‘N Roll Tours, or American Dream Safari.

 

 

If you’re on a tight budget, you don’t have to dream that big.

Load up your CD player with plenty of Memphis-centric tunes (for ideas, check out online radio station AllMemphisMusic.com), then start off on a driving tour of Memphis’ Top 5 recording studios at Sun Studio.

 

Acknowledged around the world as the birthplace of rock’n’roll, Sun is located just east of downtown at 706 Union Avenue. This humble building is where recording guru Sam Phillips helped upstarts like Howlin’ Wolf, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ike Turner, and, yes, Elvis attain everlasting fame.

 

Sam Phillips’ Recording Studio, which opened after Phillips sold Sun to Shelby Singleton, stands a few blocks north of Sun at 639 Madison Avenue. It’s the funky green building with classic ‘50s architecture. Don’t stop in without an appointment, though – Roland Janes, the engineer at Phillips, stays busy working on projects with the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis.

 

American Studios might not be a name you recognize today, but from the mid-1960s through the mid-‘70s, American was pumping out hits, including the Gentrys’ “Keep On Dancing,” the Box-Tops’ “The Letter,” Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline,” Elvis’ “Suspicious Minds,” and Dusty Springfield’s “Son of a Preacher Man.” Today, however, the studio site at Thomas and Chelsea in North Memphis is nothing more than a vacant lot.

 

At 2000 Madison, Ardent Recording Studios bustles like a hive full of bees as artists ranging from Jack White and the Raconteurs to contemporary Christian star Todd Agnew work on future masterpieces. With a client list that boasts such names as Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Cat Power, R.E.M., the Replacements, Three 6 Mafia, Soundgarden, and ZZ Top, Ardent is the city’s topnotch recording facility. If you’re planning a celebrity stake-out, I recommend the Kwik Chek convenience store/deli across the street, Molly’s La Casita, next door, or the venerable indie store Shangri-la Records, just down the block.

 

South of Ardent, Young Avenue Sound, which is located at 2258 Young Avenue in the Cooper-Young neighborhood, serves as a haven for rappers and indie rockers alike. The sleek studio spaces at Young Avenue Sound were designed by Alan Stewart, the genius behind Abbey Road’s Penthouse Studio and Jimi Hendrix’ New York haven Electric Ladyland. Don’t miss garage rock hangout Goner Records store, a few doors west at 2152 Young.

If guitars are your thing, take a tour at the Gibson Guitar Factory, where you’ll be able to watch replicas of B.B. King’s Lucille model – the Gibson SG – roll down the assembly line. Or visit Xanadu Music & Books in Midtown, where store owner/inventor John Lowe sells cigar box “Lowebows” as fast as he can make them.

 

Spend a day absorbing the details of Memphis’ music history, then spend your evening club hopping. Whether you’re local or a tourist, Beale Street proves hard to resist – but if blues is your bag, you may want to check out the scene at the tiny Wild Bill’s Social Club, located at 1580 Vollentine Avenue. And no matter who’s on the bill, adventuresome rock types will dig the vibe at the Hi-Tone Café, which will host the Memphis Pops Fest July 25-26th and Rock For Love 2, an annual benefit for the Church Health Center, in late August.

Don’t get me started on politics!

Hot topics like the impending presidential election, the war in Iraq, and the current gas crisis are better left untouched when we have so many other fun Memphis things going on around here.

Even so, when it comes to the Independence Day holiday, I love to show off the red-white-and-blue via an all-American celebration. A cook out is de rigueur – I don’t have a grill (yet), so I’ll probably join Midtown friends at their place, and chow down on perfectly charred hamburgers with all the fixings. Fun cocktails are a necessity – after all, in 1778, General George Washington’s soldiers celebrated the second-ever Independence Day with a double-ration of rum and an artillery salute (hopefully not in that order!).

 

If I’m up in time, I’ll head over to the historic Central Gardens neighborhood for their homey Fourth of July Parade, which starts in the early a.m. on the tree-lined corner of Carr and Rozelle. And whether you’re a Memphis resident or a tourist just visiting for the weekend, you’ll want to head downtown to Tom Lee Park for the Star Spangled Celebration, a family-friendly affair that actually kicks off at 3, with fireworks scheduled for 9 p.m.

 

This year, however, I’m gonna start my Fourth of July celebration a day early, by having what my friend Jason Potter calls “a nine-inning vacation” at AutoZone Park, where, Potter estimates, the national anthem has been sung more than 800 times since the stadium opened in 2000. After all, what’s more American than baseball? On July 3rd, the Memphis Redbirds take on the Nashville Sounds. I’m gonna grab a foot-long hot dog, and maybe a bowl of those Rendezvous barbecue nachos. When the time comes, I’ll stand up, place my hand over my heart, and proudly sing, “Oh say can you see,” the opening lines of Francis Scott Key’s “Star Spangled Banner.” Then I’m gonna sit back and watch Rico Washington sink a homer over the fence. I’ll laugh at the kids dancing the Rocky Shuffle, and I’ll ooh and ahh over the pyrotechnics display that will light up the night. Of course, I define myself as a Memphian first and foremost. I’m equally proud of my Southern roots. But I know that the rights and privileges that being an American entails matter most. If you want to see the Redbirds wallop the Sounds on July 3rd, get your tickets now – Potter, the team’s marketing director, says the game is a guaranteed sell-out. Buy tickets here, or at the AutoZone box office. Looking for other ways to celebrate Independence Day?

 

Bellevue Baptist Church gets the party started a week early, with their Starlight Spectacular (patriotic and contemporary Christian music, games, food, and fireworks) on Sunday, June 29th, beginning at 7 p.m.

 

 

On July 3rd, you can catch the Bartlett Fireworks Extravaganza at Bobby K. Flaherty Municipal Center, which is located at Highway 79 and Appling Road. Expect a car show, food, music, and more, from 6:30 - 9:30 p.m.

 

Also on July 3rd: Collierville’s 23rd annual Independence Day Celebration, held at H.W. Cox Park, which is located at 350 W. Powell Road; and Hernando, Mississippi’s kid-oriented Picnic and Parade around the town square, which is less than 20 miles south of Memphis.

On July 4th, Germantown hosts its Annual Family Fourth of July Celebration at the Municipal Park on Exeter Road. The party starts at 5 p.m.; fireworks are scheduled for 9:10.

 

The same day, Olive Branch, Mississippi hosts a “Celebrate Your Independence” event at the Olive Branch City Park. In Southaven, Snowden Grove Park will be the site of a fabulous fireworks display slated to begin at dusk.

 

 

 

 

Memphis is one hot city and is absolutely full of ways to cool down.  Whether you want to dive in a pool, splash around in a fountain, or cool off with a great big decadent ice cream Sunday you can get your cool on here:

 

Check out the rooftop pool at downtown’s Comfort Inn (100 N. Front Street, 901-526-0583,  ). From the street, you’d never know it, but this hotel is home to the most panoramic swimming pool in the city. First, you’ll need to check into a room, of course, so slap down your credit card (rooms are typically $139.99-149.99), then make your way to the ninth floor. There, a watery oasis awaits you – 30,000 gallons of the blue stuff, in a palatial pool that measures approximately 20 by 40 feet. Plop down in one of the dozen chaise lounges set up on the gleaming deck, or dive right in and practice your backstroke. Just be sure to keep your eyes open and appreciate the view.

 

Get wet in the fountains and water sprays at Peabody Park (2135 Higbee Ave, at Cooper Street). Midtown moms in the know bring their kids to Peabody Park for ice-cold playtime. Just look for the whimsical space-themed sculptures (created by local metalsmith Yvonne Bobo under the aegis of the UrbanArt Commission), which guide visitors to the perfect spot for cooling off. Peabody Park access is free, and running through the water spray is fun for all ages.

 

Take in Mud Island River Park (125 N. Front Street, 901-576-7241, ). Learn a little bit of geography as you cool off in Mud Island’s River Walk, a 5-block long replica of the lower Mississippi. Older visitors will appreciate the natural history lesson, while youngsters will love wading from Cairo, Illinois all the way to New Orleans. Admission to the park is free – or, for $2, you can rent a pedal boat and spend 30 minutes cruising around the park’s 1-acre, 1.3 million gallon replica of the Gulf of Mexico. For more adventurous sorts, harbor canoe or kayak rentals are $20 an hour.

 

Treat yourself to an old-fashioned frozen dessert at Wiles-Smith Drug Store (1635 Union Avenue, 901-278-6416) or Sweden Kream (1472 National, 901-454-5882). Both of these places are considered local institutions, for good reason: Made-to-order icy concoctions that have delighted generations of Memphians for nearly 50 years. At Midtown’s Wiles-Smith, you can’t go wrong with the Joe’s Special ($4.25), the thickest, richest, most gooey shake you can suck through a straw. Over at Sweden Kream, which is located in an older neighborhood on the north side of town, go for the Hot Fudge Cake ($3), a scoop of soft-serve vanilla that’s been sandwiched between two slices of chocolate cake, then coated in fudge sauce and whipped cream.

 

Cool down with a cocktail. I recommend the Pimm’s Cup ($6), which is served with a slice of cucumber, at Cooper Young’s Beauty Shop Restaurant (966 S. Cooper Street, 901-272-7111); the highly addictive CosmoPama ($13), which bartenders at Binghampton hang-out the Cove (2559 Broad, 901-730-0719) makes with Stoli vodka and pomegranate liqueur;  or anything mixologist David Parks of downtown’s Inn at Hunt Phelan (533 Beale Street, 901-525-8225) can shake and stir on the hotel’s shade-drenched veranda, which was originally built in 1824.

 

For the coldest drink of them all, just stroll right down Beale Street and straight into Wet Willies for a variety of frozen concoctions (209 Beale Street, 901-578-5650).  Try the mojito or strawberry daiquiri for starters or if you are really feeling up for a night of Memphis nightlife, go for Call-A-Cab…and you might need to after drinking this.

 

 

If you think you know a thing or two about Memphis, just wait!  We've got the goods on all the best kept secrets of this super cool city that will keep you wanting to come back for more.  Starting Thursday, June 19th we will be posting something new, different, out of the ordinary and just plain funky about M-town.  Be sure to check us out each week before you make your weekend plans because we are sure to sway your decision and turn you on to something you never knew about Memphis before...

Andria Lisle is the author of Waking Up in Memphis. Over the past decade, her stories and essays about the Memphis music scene have been chronicled in  MOJO, the Oxford American, NWA World Traveler, Stop Smiling, Wax Poetics, and Living Blues magazines, and in the books Jeff Buckley: A Wished For Song, Bill Wyman's Rolling with the Stones, and the Encyclopedia of Southern Culture. Her studies of southern food and culture have been published in Garden and Gun, Paste Magazine, Edible Memphis, and Where the Locals Eat. A former music columnist for the Memphis Flyer alt-news weekly, Lisle currently writes for Memphis' daily newspaper, the Commercial Appeal. She has also worked in the production department on Memphis-centric film projects including 21 Grams, Black Snake Moan, and Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story. Read her music blog, Memphis Music Confidential, at MemphisMC.com. 

The cool artwork you see on this blog is all original work by local artist, David Lynch.  Like what you see and want it for yourself?  Be sure to check out his work at www.davidlynchart.com.