The 31st Annual Memphis Music and Heritage Festival isn’t the only way to celebrate the soul of Memphis. On the first day of September, more than 150 arts organizations and businesses will gather in AutoZone Park for a different kind of party. Memphis loves its area code so much a new holiday is emerging — 9/01. To mark the occasion, New Memphis Institute is bringing back a free event called Exposure on 901-Day.
New Memphis wants to attract talent to Memphis and keep it here. They also serve people who are new to the Bluff City as a kind of engagement-oriented welcome wagon, helping new arrivals adjust and discover all the good stuff Memphis has to offer. Exposure on 901-Day is an opportunity for newbies — and everybody else who’s ever wondered how they might engage with their community — to get involved with everything from performing arts to animal rescue.
Kickball, 901-style
“We believe in making Memphis magnetic — for newcomers and longtime Memphians alike by creating connections,” New Memphis communications specialist Anna Traverse explains. “That’s why we make it possible for people to connect with the city in a multitude of ways at Exposure.”
The event kicks off at 6 p.m. with entertainment by the Beale Street Flippers, the Grizz Drumline, and more. The main event is a Memphis celebrity kickball game. Engagement is the name of the game, and the overarching goal of 901-Day exposure is matching people with the kinds of places, things, charitable causes, and social opportunities they love. Organizations in attendance range from ArtsMemphis and Opera Memphis, to Project Green Fork, Explore Bike Share, Stax, WEVL, the YMCA, and the NAACP.
“We found, to our delight, that lots of longtime Memphians were eager to get involved in and enjoy Memphis life,” Traverse says.
