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- 🥩 New BBQ Contest Announced at Tom Lee Park
🥩 New BBQ Contest Announced at Tom Lee Park
Plus Ja gets big legal win, Best Coffee in Memphis championship, and more!
This is Memphis 〽️
April 12, 2024
Good morning Memphis! It’s the best time of the year… the Masters teed off yesterday, festivals and concerts happening every weekend, and we have Memphis in May right around the corner. We’re here to give you the full scoop.
In this week’s newsletter:
Ja gets major win in lawsuit ⚖️
Puppypalooza this weekend 🐶
Remembering Adventure Water Park 🛝
Championship round for Best Coffee in Memphis Challenge ☕️
And much more! Let’s get to it.
-Jonah Baer & Reuben Skahill
Presented by Memphis Moms
☕️ Final Showdown for the #1 Coffee in Memphis
Are you a coffee shop connoisseur always debating the best coffee in the 901?
Well, the Best Coffee Shop in Memphis bracket, presented by Memphis Moms, has dwindled down from 16 coffee shops to just 2.
Across three rounds, there’s just two Memphis staples remaining in the championship, a Cinderella story to the very end:
#1 JoJo’s Espresso vs. #14 City and State.
Make sure to vote on our Instagram story when we drop the championship bracket this weekend.
Craving more coffee? Check out Memphis Moms’ comprehensive Coffee Guide, including 40+ cafes to try in the Memphis area.
And don’t tell anyone, but we will be giving away gift cards to the winning coffee shop, only if you’re subscribed to our newsletter! 🤫
🗞️ Biggest Stories This Week
New BBQ Contest at Tom Lee announces lineup & opens tickets
In the first inaugural Smokeslam BBQ Contest, St. Paul and Broken Bones will headline the live music lineup as 59 BBQ teams will compete for $250,000 in prize money. Organized by Mempho, this new BBQ contest will replace the World Championship BBQ Cooking Contest at Tom Lee Park, as the aforementioned festival decided to move its four-day run to Liberty Park.
The new festival will take place May 16-18 with single-day passes on sale for $24.99 and three-day passes on sale for $65. They said they will put a higher focus on those not competing to have closer interaction with the competitors and more opportunities to eat BBQ.
Unstructured Playground Opens in Lichterman Nature Center 🛝
In a $500,000 development, the Lichterman Nature Center is officially opening their new Discovery Forest on Friday, April 12. This unstructured play area includes a trail, picnic tables, and places to pick up and dump rocks.
Kevin Thompson, the Museum of Science and History Executive Director, told the Daily Memphian* the reasons they built this new playground: “This is just designed to let kids get back to the developmental stuff of full creativity. Just go play in the woods, find some sticks, build something with it.”
Ex-U of M Coach John Calipari leaves Kentucky for Arkansas 🐗
Love him or hate him (or simply respect him), John Calipari was hired as the next Arkansas men’s basketball head coach this Wednesday.
Calipari will be making $7 million per year over the next five years — $1.5 million less per year than he was at Kentucky, per ESPN.
After a national title in 2012 and four final fours in his first six seasons with the Wildcats, he went to the Elite Eight twice in 2017 and 2019, but has only won one NCAA tournament game since then. The ex-Memphis head coach will look to take the Razorbacks back to relevance after they made two Elite Eights and one Sweet Sixteen from 2020-2023 but failed to make the NCAA Tournament this year.
FedEx institute Launches 901 AI series
Power Chat GPT user or simply AI curious? This new meetup is focused on artificial intelligence (AI) and its real-world applications for Memphians. It will give members a glimpse into the current AI projects being built in the Memphis area, as well as networking opportunities with other people who think AI will have a massive impact.
Stay tuned for the next meetup happening quarterly on their website.
Ja Morant gets major win in lawsuit from 2022
A Tennessee judge ruled that Morant can argue self-defense under the state’s “stand your ground” law in a civil trial over a punch he threw at a 17-year old in July 2022.
It’s a major win for Morant because now the burden of proof moves from Morant to Joshua Holloway (who Morant punched) — and will have to prove that Morant did not act in self-defense. One step closer to getting Morant’s issues of last year completely behind us for the Grizz to focus on winning basketball games.
*3rd party source requires paid subscription
🎨 Photo of the Week
📸 by @grizzlieslegend | Grit n Grind 4eva — the Core 4 was all there for Marc Gasol’s jersey retirement last weekend. Absolute legends 🫡
〽️ A Trip Down Memphis’ Memory Lane
Did you know Memphis had a water park in the 80s and 90s? If you’re born in the mid-90s or later (like myself), you might not remember (or know about it).
It was called Adventure River Water Park, and it opened in 1985 with a beach, a wave pool, concession stands, and several water slides, including the biggest, most well-known slide called Geronimo. The park even included “dive in movies” and live concerts that you could watch from the water and other small rides in the kiddie area.
But unfortunately, the park had to close in 1998 due to decreasing attendance, rising costs, and rise in property value in the area.
If you remember your time at Adventure River in the 80s and 90s, send in your favorite memories by replying to this email or messaging us on Instagram. 🌊
🤸 What’s Happening in Memphis This Weekend
Check out all the fun things you can do in Memphis this weekend!
Into the Woods | Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays April 11-20 at 7:30 PM | University of Memphis 3745 Central Ave
Bringing together a mix of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Jack & The Beanstalk with a new tale of a baker and his wife — this U of M musical is running for the next 10 days.
Cost: Starting at $20 for children and $25 for adults
Memphis Redbirds vs. Nashville Sounds | Friday at 7:05 PM, Saturday at 3:05 PM, Sunday at 1:05 PM | Autozone Park
Go see your Redbirds this weekend in this beautiful Spring weather.
Cost: Starting at $27
Mempho Presents: The Wood Brothers Heart of the Hero Tour | Friday at 8 PM | Minglewood Hall|
The Wood Brothers have partnered with the American Friends of Canadian Conservation so that $1 per ticket will support The Nature Trust of British Columbia, along with $2 matched by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Cost: Starting at $35.78
Memphis Flower Show | Saturday & Sunday, 9 AM - 6 PM | Dixon Gallery and Gardens
This weekend you can immerse yourself with art and flowers with this year’s theme of Rhythm & Hues. This showcase has been running for 40 years, presented by the Memphis Garden Club. On Friday, there’s a Preview Party that you can purchase tickets to.
Cost for the Preview Show: Starting at $125
Cody Johnson": The Leather Tour | Saturday, 7:30 PM | FedEx Forum
Platinum recording artist and CMA Male Vocalist of the Year nominee Cody Johnson is coming to the FedEx Forum this Saturday. The tour is aptly named after his new album Leather.
Cost: Starting at $65
Puppypalooza at Crosstown Concourse | Saturday 12 PM - 3 PM | Crosstown Concourse
This Saturday, dogs and their owners can enjoy DJs, games, and even a pet costume contest — along with portraits for pet parents and their dog. Local shelters will have adoption centers available (for those looking for their new furry friend).
Cost: Free + open to the public
Hopped 2024 | Saturday, 12 PM - 7 PM | Memphis Made Brewing Company
Celebrate Spring with a day full of hoppy beers, music, food, comedy, and more. The festival starts at noon and they will have several limited run beers available, along with live music all day and a comedy show at 7:30 PM.
Cost: Free (well, besides the beer)
Keyshia Cole and Trey Songz: The Love Hard Tour | Sunday, 7 PM | Landers Center
Cost: Starting at $76
Local Business Spotlight 💚
The Green Beetle on S. Main Street
Long-time fan of The Green Beetle’s burgers and beers?
Well, the team behind the The Green Beetle will officially be expanding into a breakfast place next door in the former Bedrock Eats and Sweets space, according to The Daily Memphian.
The new breakfast place will be called Frank’s Biscuits and Briskets, named after a liquor store that used to be there called Frank’s Liquor. The Green Beetle Lunch Room originally opened in 1939, closed after MLK’s assassination in 1968, and then reopened in 2011 and will be expanding for the first time.
Stay tuned for the next breakfast restaurant — who aims to serve breakfast eaters on the go that don’t have time to wait 15-20 minutes — to open on S. Main Street in the next few months.
*Requires paid subscription
🌡️ Weather This Weekend
Forecast is looking way too nice. Go on and get outside this weekend y’all!
Friday
71 🌡️ 49 | ☀️ | 1%
Saturday
82 🌡️ 61 | 🌤️ | 5%
Sunday
81 🌡️ 66 | 🌤️ | 2%
THANK YOU MEMPHIS!
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Let’s do this again next week!
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