August 2011
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09/02/11Fireworks? Are the Tigers Actually Celebrating a LOSS?Last night I was working at home, not too far away from the Liberty Bowl, where the University of Memphis Tigers were opening their football season against the Mississippi State Bulldogs.I was too busy to watch the game, but around 10:30 or so, I noticed the BOOM BOOM BOOM of fireworks.Fireworks at the Liberty Bowl? Why? I couldn't figure it out at first, and then it dawned on me. Something unbelievable had happened. The Tigers had chewed up the Bulldogs, and were celebrating their first victory of the season. Wow. That was unexpected, but I was very happy for the home team.So later that night, I switched on Sports Center to see the score, to see how Memphis had accomplished this. A close game, I thought, with maybe a Hail Mary pass to cinch the win. It took a while to learn the real... |
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08/31/11Children's Museum Wins Top RankingThe Children's Museum of Memphis (CMOM) took first place in its category — "Best Children's Museum" — in the AAA "Best of South" membership poll for 2011. Readers of AAA Southern Traveler Magazine, with a circulation of 250,000, cast their votes. Results were published in the July/August 2011 issue.In addition to beating out the Louisiana Children's Museum (second place), and the Museum of Discovery in Little Rock (third place), CMOM was also the the only Memphis organization listed in any category.Clearly the organization has a handle on its purpose: Creating "memorable learning experiences through the joy of play in hands-on exhibits and programs." As CMOM's CEO Richard C. Hackett says, "It's nice to have... |
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08/26/11This Just in: Happiness Happens UpdateWell, the Happiness Happens nanas are at it again. Or, to be more precise, they never stopped being "at it" in the first place. As communicated in a May 16 blog post (www.memphismagazine.com/Blogs/901/April-2011/Happiness-Happens-Group-Takes-It-on-the-Road/), these nine anonymous women kicked off 31 days of giving in all 50 states during August. Now, the results are trickling in.Says a news release from The Nine Nanas' media relations specialist, Sarah Hughes: "Although this month-long deed was to find people throughout the U.S. and surreptitiously make happiness happen, 75 percent were 'do-gooders,' but all were well-deserving."A few of the recipients of the nanas' generosity include Kimberly Carter, a music teacher in Lithonia, Georgia, who inspired her mother to... Posted at 11:13 AM | Permalink | Comments: 1 |
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08/19/11West Memphis Three - The Makings of a StoryThe best stories usually come from close observation of the world around us. There is hardly a more gruesome account than the actual events which occurred near West Memphis in 1993 when three 8-year-old boys were left to die in a ditch. But those convicted — Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley, and Jason Baldwin — have been freed as the result of an Alford plea in which the defendants — who became internationally known as the "West Memphis Three" — plead guilty to reduced charges while maintaining their innocence.Echols was formerly sentenced to death and Misskelley and Baldwin to life in prison. They are also allowed to present new evidence to the court to prove that innocence. The surprise hearing came as a shock, as the Arkansas Supreme Court had called... |
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08/18/11Freedom for the West Memphis Three?Few crimes have horrified our community so much as the 1993 murders of three Arkansas children — Christopher Byars, Stevie Branch, and Michael Moore — whose bound and strangled bodies were found in woods outside West Memphis. The resulting trial of teenagers Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley attracted international attention, not just because of the horrific nature of the crime, but because of the allegations of Satanism that crept into the prosecution.Despite any definite evidence against the "West Memphis Three," as they came to be known, a guilty verdict was handed down. Echols was sentenced to death, and Baldwin and Misskelley received life sentences.Over the years, many people have begun to question their guilt, including a number of... Posted at 05:28 PM | Permalink | Comments: 2 |
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08/11/11Literacy Mid-South Touts Its MissionLouretta Rias grew up on a farm in Mississippi, and let's just say the agrarian life wasn't conducive to book-learning. But the wife and mother eventually decided her time for literacy had come. So she signed up for classes at Literacy Mid-South in the Cooper-Young area. There, she learned to read."Now I can go online, y'all!" she said at a board luncheon earlier today. "Ooh, thank you Jesus!"Who knew being able to pay bills on the internet could be so liberating? But to a person who once struggled to write notes to her children's teachers, and whose husband, Charlie, wasn't much better off, it's tantamount to a miracle. And it's even something cynical media types can appreciate.Something that's a little harder to appreciate is the fact that about 120,000... |
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08/10/11A Sneak Peek at This Year's Ostrander Awards — Saluting the Best in Memphis TheaterShhhh. Can you keep a secret? We don't see any point in waiting until the end of August to announce the 2011 winners of the Ostrander Awards — saluting the best work from the local theater community — so read on, and we'll tell you the winners right here.No, wait. We can't do that, even though Memphis magazine is the proud sponsor of this annual awards extravaganza, now in its 28th year. Rules are rules. What we can do is tell you that acclaimed actor Mark Chambers will host the ceremony, to be held August 28th at Memphis Botanic Garden.And we suppose it's okay to tell you that Ron Gephart will be the recipient of the 2011 Eugart Yerian Award, honoring a lifetime of achievement on-stage.But for the rest, all we can is provide you with a list of the talented nominees,... |
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08/08/11A Carroll Cloar ReadingIn our June 2011 issue dedicated to culture, we ran a story that was originally published in 1993 titled "The Life and Work of Carroll Cloar." The story presented an in-depth look at a man who was arguably the most famous painter to emerge from Memphis.Now those interested in this artist — who would have turned 100 years old next year and whose early works still fetch prices ranging from $20,000 to $60,000 — can hear that story read to them in the rich Southern voice of Kingsley Hooker. To listen, go tohttp://soundcloud.com/memphismagazine/the-art-life-of-carroll-cloar Posted at 03:58 PM | Permalink | Comments: 2 |
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08/08/11"Day of Music" Supports "Bad Dog" McCormack Trust FundOn Sunday, August 28th, friends and supporters of John "Bad Dog" McCormack will host a special event to raise funds for the beloved radio personality's children. McCormack died in March 2011 after an 18-month battle with leukemia."The Day of Music" — presented by Lanny Fowler and Creed Brotherhood Motorcycle Club L.L.C. — will take place at Latimer Lake Park, 5633 Tulane Road, in Horn Lake, Mississippi, with Chris Jarman of 98.1 The Max serving as host. Gates will open at noon; admission is $10 and all proceeds will go to the John "Bad Dog" McCormack Trust, which provides educational and living expenses for "Bad Dog's" two sons.Among the performers who will take the stage from 1 to 9:30 p.m.. are Jonezn; Young Guns; R.T.... Posted at 11:56 AM | Permalink | Comments: 2 |
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08/08/11Elvis Remembered: A Number SharedIt was a short, significant drive after the longest trip home of my life. After a year in Turin, Italy (where my parents had done research for their dissertations), my family had flown home to the States. Following a week on the Carolina coast and another in east Tennessee, we found ourselves at my grandmother’s home in Memphis. August here can be sweltering, but I have no memory of the heat on August 16, 1977. Thirty-four years later, though, I remember a short drive Dad and I made to a convenience store near my grandmother’s house in Central Gardens. (If not baseball cards, my prize was likely a slurpee of some kind.)When we pulled back into my grandmother’s driveway, Dad turned off the engine and told me something that shook my 8-year-old world: Elvis Presley... Posted at 09:06 AM | Permalink | Comments: 2 |
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08/01/11Fiction Contest: New DeadlineThe entry deadline for our annual short story contest, now in its 22nd year, has been extended to August 15th. Entries should be postmarked on or before that date.Other than the deadline extension, rules remain the same: Authors must live within 150 miles of Memphis You may submit as many stories as you like, but each must be accompanied by a $10 entry fee (check or money order) payable to Memphis. Please include a cover letter that gives us your name, address, phone number/email address, and the title of your story. Please do NOT put your name anywhere on the manuscript itself. Manuscripts may be previously published as long as they did not appear in a national magazine with over 20,000 circulation or in a regional publication within Shelby County. Authors wishing... |
