From February 13-22, don’t miss top ATP and WTA pros in action at the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships and Cellular South Cup at the Racquet Club of Memphis, the only private club to host an indoor event for the men’s and women’s pro tours combined. 

The ATP (the men’s tour) has been making a stop in Memphis since 1977 when the tournament was known as the U.S. Indoor National Championships.  Since Bjorn Borg took home the title that year, the tournament has seen the likes of other men’s greats like Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl, Stephan Edberg, Jim Courier, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, and Andy Roddick.  This year’s field features seven players ranked in the ATP Top 25, including American star James Blake, who finished the 2008 season ranked 10th in the world.  A three-time champion at this event, Tommy Haas will also vie for the title.  Haas was saddled with injuries throughout much of the 2008 season but is healthy now and looking to grab a record-breaking fourth title in Memphis.

In the fall of 2001, tournament owner Mac Winkler bought the rights to a WTA event that had been hosted in Oklahoma City, and in 2002, Cellular South signed on as the title sponsor, hence the tournament’s title.  Since moving to Memphis the tournament has included two two-time champions (Lisa Raymond and Vera Zvonareva) and greats such as Venus Williams and Lindsay Davenport, last year’s champion.  This year’s field features 2006 champion Sofia Arvidsson as well as Caroline Wozniacki, who is ranked 12th in the world, and Victoria Azarenka, ranked 16th.

The legendary Pete Sampras, the all-time leader in Grand Slam singles titles (14) who finished #1 a record six consecutive seasons, will face former world #1 Lleyton Hewitt in an exhibition match on February 16th to kick off the event.   Hewitt holds a narrow edge in their head-to-head match ups, most notably besting Sampras in the final of the 2001 U.S. Open.  

Tickets are going fast.  Order now by calling 901-765-4401 or emailing ticketsales@racquetclubofmemphis.com.  For more tournament information go to http://www.rmkchampionships.com/1/home/.

Jason Middlekauff

Chances are unless you’re a hardcore outdoors enthusiast, the recent frigid temperatures haven’t compelled you to leave the cozy confines of your house. But come warmer temperatures, get off your couch and head to Shelby Farms Park. The 4500-acre park draws over a million visitors a year, delighting young and old alike with its running trails, bike paths, lakes, playgrounds, and serene natural beauty.

And as wonderful as the park already is, the Shelby Farms Park Conservancy aims to make it even better. In 2009, the park will undergo the first of many improvements included in the $80 million plus master plan unveiled last August. With a flagging economy, prospective donors have been harder to come by. The Hyde Family Foundations, which offered a $20 million challenge grant, extended the deadline until the end of 2009 to offset the increasing fund raising challenges. Still, $4 million will be released this year to set the master plan in motion.

This year’s improvements include an expansion of Patriot Lake from 54 to 150 acres, the addition of a Park Pedestrian Circle, and an overhauling of the Plough Park Playground. The improvements aren’t all simply to make the park more aesthetically pleasing or to bolster its recreational appeal, though. The plans coincide with the SFPC’s green initiatives. Construction has already begun on new restroom facilities in Plough Park that will utilize sustainable elements, and in the spring the planting of a million new trees in Shelby Farms Park will get underway. On April 19^th the park will host an Earth Celebration, welcoming a host of Green Vendors and EcoArtists to display their work and share their green-living ideas.

Speaking of "going green," the concept was at one time a countercultural idea, but now even the corporate world is beginning to adopt more environment-friendly practices. If you’re looking for some simple ways to help the environment, consider some of these ideas:

The City of Memphis Solid Waste Management offers a recycling service to all single- family homes. On regular trash pick up day, just place your recyclable items in the tan recycling bin. For a list of what’s recyclable and what’s not, check out their website here: http://www.cityofmemphis.org/framework.aspx?page=666

Join MLGW’s Green Power Switch. The program, headed by the Tennessee Valley Authority, raises funds for the expansion of green electric generation technology. "Funds?" you ask. "What’s this going to cost me?" Not much. Here’s an explanation from MLGW’s site: "Each unit, or ‘block,’ adds $4.00 to your bill. One ‘block’ equals 150 kilowatt hours (kWh), which represents 10-12% of the average household’s monthly electric use. You can buy as many blocks as you wish." Just $4.00. For more information, go here: http://www.mlgw.com/frameset.php?head=about&content=greenpower

For some more tips on how you can "go green," particularly when you travel, take a look at the list of ideas on our main site: http://www.memphistravel.com/visitors/goinggreen.aspx

Few cities boast a musical heritage as rich as Memphis'. It is after all the Home of the Blues and the Birthplace of Rock'n'Roll, the city where the likes of B.B. King, Al Green, Jerry Lee Lewis, and the King himself, Elvis Presley, reshaped the country's musical landscape. But music runs through the city's veins as powerfully today as it did decades ago, and from festivals to a new state-of-the-art venue to a chance to shine in the national spotlight, 2009 promises to be a big year for Memphis music.

2009 International Folk
Alliance Conference
Memphis Cook Convention Center
255 N. Main
www.folkalliance.org
The Downtown Marriot and Cook Convention Center will host the 21^st annual International Folk Alliance Conference from February 18-22. The five-day event offers a host of activities, including over 50 workshops, panel discussions, and peer group meetings; 200 juried performances; over 300 unofficial private showcases; and various special events, such as awards ceremonies, networking receptions, booking sessions, and community outreach concerts. The Folk Alliance’s aim is to bring together artists from across the globe to celebrate and preserve folk music and dance. Over 2000 people are already registered for the event. For more information, see the Folk Alliance’s website.

Minglewood Hall
1555 Madison Ave.
www.minglewoodhall.com
Undaunted by construction setbacks and a struggling economy, The DeHart Group is set to open Minglewood Hall in Midtown in the old Strings and Things building early this year. After renovations, the new building boasts nearly 80,000 sq. ft. of space, including the concert hall, offices, and room for retailers and a restaurant. Mike Smith of Young Avenue Deli will serve as general manager of the concert hall, which will seat up to 1,500 people. Without a "tweener" venue (bigger than a club, smaller than an arena) as DeHart describes Minglewood, Memphis doesn’t draw a ton of national acts. But with the opening of Minglewood Hall that could change. The building is still undergoing some finishing touches, but five shows are already slated for early 2009—Old Crow Medicine Show, Lotus, Stetsons and Stars, Ryan Adams and The Cardinals, and Umphrey’s McGee. In addition to hosting concerts, Minglewood will also be available for weddings, graduations, and other events. To book an event, call 901-312-6058.

$5 Cover
Craig Brewer, the local filmmaker best known for 2005’s Hustle and Flow, has partnered with MTV to create $5 Cover, a 15-episode online program featuring Memphis musicians and actors. Shot last summer at various Midtown venues, the program will be online in the spring and will feature the musicians playing fictionalized versions of themselves as they "fight for love, inspiration, and the money to pay the rent" according to Brewer. Each eight-minute "webisode" will be based around a song by the featured artist. Brewer hopes that $5 Cover will garner some national attention for Memphis’ music scene. Here’s a list of the cast:

Amy LaVere; Ben Nichols, singer for Lucero; Cody Dickinson, drummer for North Mississippi All-Stars; Al Kapone; Kate Crowder of Two-Way Radio; Brad Postlethwaite of Snowglobe; Harlan T. Bobo; Muck Sticky; Valerie June; Alicja Trout of River City Tanlines and Mouserocket; Jack "Oblivion" Yarber; Clare Grant; Jeff Pope; Claude Phillips

New Releases
Some notable local acts will be releasing new albums in 2009. Here are just a few to anticipate:

Jay Reatard (his debut for Matador Records)
Jack Yarber
Harlan T. Bobo
Lucero (major label debut on Universal)
Charlie Wood

International Blues Challenge
Orpheum Theatre
203 S. Main
http://www.blues.org/ibc/
From February 4-7 the Blues Foundation will present the 25^th annual International Blues Festival. The event, the largest gathering of blues musicians from across the globe, features performers vying for cash, prizes, and industry inroads as the competition judges search for artists ready for the big time. This year’s event promises to be at least as big as last year’s, which included 100 bands and 60 solo/duo acts. Musicians will showcase their talents in clubs along Beale before the event culminates with the finals at the Orpheum Theater on Saturday. This year’s event will also feature a Youth Showcase. For more information, see the IBC website.

But Wait, There’s More
For a look at some more events and artists sure to shape Memphis music in 2009, check out the What’s New on our main site: http://www.memphistravel.com/visitors/january.aspx.

Jason Middlekauff