🤸 9 Things To Do in the 901 This Weekend

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Good afternoon, Memphis!

There are festivals galore happening this weekend and for the next month. The options are almost endless from wings to wine, so we hope you get out and explore Memphis!

In today’s newsletter:

• Overton Park announces Summer free concert series

• MSCS asks for $25M from city

• Elvis Presley’s Alma Mater Closing

• 9 fun things to do in the 901 this weekend

Let’s get to it. 💪 

-Jonah Baer & Reuben Skahill

Presented by Memphis Moms

☕️ And the #1 coffee in Memphis is…

It came down to the wire between JoJo’s Espresso and City & State… but only one coffee shop could be voted the best in the Bluff City.

The winner of the Best Coffee in Memphis, presented by Memphis Moms, is…

JoJo’s Espresso!

With their signature espresso, cold brews, and pastries, JoJo’s proved that they have raving fans behind their back to win and stand as the #1 coffee shop in Memphis.

And as promised, we have two lucky $50 gift card winners to JoJo’s chosen randomly from our email subscriber list. We will be emailing the winners shortly. :)

What bracket do you want to see us do next? Best BBQ? Hot wings? Bars? Something else?? Reply to the email and let us know.

🗞️ The Rundown

MSCS asks for $25 million from City of Memphis 💰️ 

Memphis-Shelby Count Schools asked the City of Memphis for $25 million in their upcoming budget, according to The Daily Memphian. The new superintendent Marie Feagins wrote a letter to the City Council stating that she asked Mayor Paul Young for $25 million for the school district’s infrastructure.

The city is expected to bring its first fiscal year 2025 budget proposal to the Memphis City Council next week, as the new fiscal year begins July 1. This news comes at the heels of Mayor Young proposing a property-tax hike as the city faces a $30 million shortfall.

Learn more here.*

Elvis Presley’s alma mater is closing 🛑 

Humes Middle School in North Memphis will close at the end of this school year after a decade in Tennessee’s failed turnaround district for low-performing schools. The 100-year old building where Elvis attended high school is a change in plans since the fall, when the school said it would stay open. The students will be rezoned to Booker T. Washington 3 miles away in South Memphis.

Old historic buildings in Memphis receive $300k grant 🏢 

The Lowenstein House, Sterick Building and Dermon Building developers have each received a $300,000 Tennessee Historic Development Grant. These three Memphis buildings were chosen amongst 26 historic buildings across the state, as the program aims to bring investment to abandoned historic buildings.

Learn more here.*

Overton Park Shell announced free concert lineup 🎙️ 

From May 17 through October 12, the outdoor concert venue will host more than 30 free shows with the Summer Series lasting until June 29. Some of the headliners this Summer include Sunset Symphony, Black Opry, Perpetual Groove, Blvck Hippie, and the Annual Stax Academy Summer Showcase.

Check out the whole lineup here.

_{*3rd party source requires paid subscription}

🎨 PHOTO OF THE WEEK

📸 by @901memphis10ec | Did you know: Hyde Lake at Shelby Farms is shaped like a buffalo? A WATER Buffalo.

DM us @This_Is_Memphis_ for the chance to be featured next week!

〽️ A Trip Down Memphis’ Memory Lane

Big fan of Memphis in May?

In honor of festival season around the corner, we wanted to share a little bit about the very first Beale Street Music Festival in 1977 on May 14th and May 15th. Below is a little background on how the festival started, according to the Memphis in May website:

In the early 1970s, the Memphis Area Chamber of Commerce developed plans for a festival, which would serve as a promotional umbrella for the numerous events Memphis hosted each May, including the Cotton Carnival, the Danny Thomas Golf Classic, the annual visit by the Metropolitan Opera and others.

The organization, which began over 40 years ago with a modest budget of $52,000 has grown to become a 8.0 million dollar non-profit organization, which is recognized across the country and around the world as one of North America’s leading festivals.

🤸 9 Things To Do in the 901 This Weekend

Festival season is here! Hope you enjoy all Memphis has to offer this weekend.

• Jazz in the Box | Friday, 7 PM | Germantown Performing Arts Center
  
  Featuring both new and established artists, Jazz in the Box gives you an opportunity to get up close and personal with live jazz.
  
  Cost: $35
  Get your tickets here.
  

• Vintage 901 | Saturday, 6 - 9 PM | The Medicine Factory, 85 W. Virginia Ave.
  
  The 8th annual festival celebrates a wide array of wine, food, and music. The Grand Tasting is the flagship event, featuring wine vendors from numerous Old World and New World wine producers.
  
  Cost: $105

  Get your tickets here.
  

• Porchfest | Saturday, 12 PM - 6 PM | Cooper Young, 2144 Young Ave.
  
  Welcome back to Porchfest with an afternoon of music, community, and fun. This festival on the eclectic porches of Cooper-Young will feature local bands and a grassroots celebration of spring, music, and this historic neighborhood.
  
  Cost: Free
  

• Hot Wing Contest & Festival | Saturday, 10 AM - 6 PM | River Garden Park at 51 Riverside Drive
  
  The 22nd annual hot wing festival is a nonprofit event with proceeds benefiting families of the Ronal McDonald Charities of Memphis. f you’re not competing, make sure to go out and support by eating some of the best hot wings in the world.
  
  Cost: $20
  Get your tickets here.
  

• Earth Day Festival | Saturday, 10 AM - 3 PM | Shelby Farms Park

  
  Celebrate Earth Day at Memphis’ biggest urban park to experience, explore, and learn different ways of going green in Memphis.
  
  Cost: Free or $22 to run in the race and get a t-shirt.
  Learn more here.
  

• Good Vibes Comedy Festival | Friday and Saturday All Day | Hi Tone
  
  Memphis’ largest comedy festival brings you talent from all over the country with 2 days and 14 shows. The 2024 headliners are Renard Hirsch, Jayson Acevedo, Hannah Belmont & Night Classy.
  
  Cost $50
  Get your tickets here.
  

• Shell Daze Music Festival | Friday and Saturday, Doors at 5 PM | Overton Park Shell
  
  The 3rd annual Shell Daze Music Festival returns to Overton Park Shell in midtown Memphis April 19-20, 2024, with a funk-filled lineup led by JJ Grey & Mofro and Oteil & Friends with so much more.
  
  Cost: 1-day pass for $50, 2-day pass for $90
  Get your tickets here.
  

• 901 FC vs. Monterey Bay FC | Saturday, 7 PM | AutoZone Park
  
  Catch your 901 FC soccer team play this weekend at Autozone Park.
  
  Cost: Starting at $11
  Get your tickets here.
  

• Mimosa Fest | Sunday, 11 AM - 5 PM | Tom Lee Park

  
  Go down to Tom Lee Park for a Sunday Funday filled with mimosas. Mimosas will be creatively crafted and available to all attendees designed for the ultimate mimosa connoisseur.
  
  Cost: Starting at $66
  Get your tickets here.

LOCAL NON-PROFIT SPOTLIGHT: CodeCrew 

📸 Learning how to code is one of the most valuable skills we can teach our youth.

And that’s exactly the mission for CodeCrew: to mentor underrepresented youth to become tech innovators through practical, hands-on computer science education.

Here’s a bit more about CodeCrew from their website:

CodeCrew programming includes a number of summer camps, after school programs, in-school electives classes, internships and special events.

Since May 2015, we have taught more than 11,800 students to code through our summer camps, after-school programs, in-school electives, and exposure events. Of the 800 students we serve weekly, 92% are black and latino youth, 44% are girls who code, and overall, 85% of our students are more likely to study computer science. Furthermore, 79% of our students write their first line of code with CodeCrew!

Find out more about how you can support or work with CodeCrew at these links:

• Website

• Facebook

• Instagram

🌡️ WEEKEND WEATHER

Friday

66 🌡️ 52 | ☁️ | 24%

Saturday

64 🌡️ 49 | ☁️ | 24%

Sunday

61 🌡️ 43 | ⛅️ | 24%

THANK YOU MEMPHIS!

Thanks for reading the This is Memphis newsletter today. Please share it with someone who loves festival season.

And feel free to reply to this email with anything else you’d love to see us cover in the newsletter.

Let’s do this again next week!

This is Memphis Team

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