Two Memphis City Council members will request that the Memphis Police Department (MPD) decline to escort former President Donald Trump during his upcoming visit to the area.
Trump is slated to speak during the American Freedom Tour stop at Landers Center on Saturday, June 18th. That tour includes Donald Trump Jr., Candace Owens, Mike Pompeo, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Dinesh D’Souza, Sheriff Mark Lamb and more.
Billboards advertising the visit have popped up around Memphis, claiming “Memphis loves Trump”. However, many on social media have pointed out that Trump will be visiting Southaven, Mississippi, not Memphis, Tennessee.
At next week’s council meeting, council members JB Smiley and Martavius Jones plan to present a resolution to request that the MPD decline escorting Trump to the tour stop.
As we know, the Memphis Police Department is already experiencing a shortage of officers to patrol our communities.
Memphis City Council member JB Smiley
“I’m sure many Memphians have seen the billboards advertising former president Donald Trump’s visit on June 18th,” reads a statement from Smiley. “The fact of the matter is that he will not be coming to Memphis, but to Southaven, Mississippi, and he will most likely be flying into Memphis International Airport.
“As we know, the Memphis Police Department is already experiencing a shortage of officers to patrol our communities. I do not believe that it is a prudent use of police manpower and Memphians’ taxpayer dollars to escort the former president to an event in Mississippi.”
The resolution is slated to be heard in the council’s Public Safety committee and voted on at the full council meeting on June 7th.
Two soccer teams in town, that is. At a press conference at the Landers Center in Southaven, MS, executives unveiled both the newly-formed National Indoor Soccer League (NISL), and one of the first teams to join the burgeoning venture: the Memphis Americans.
Even better, it’s a two for one deal when it comes to this league. The NISL – formed by executives with extensive experience at every level of the indoor game – will support professional squads for both men and women. That means each matchday will see both male and female professional sides take to the turf come game time.
“This will be the first professional indoor soccer league in the country to have both a men and women’s division,” said Joshua Blair, a member of the NISL’s executive board of directors. “It will be the only league in the United States that will have women’s indoor professional soccer. By building both men and women’s teams, we will be able to reach a broader range of fans.”
Each NISL matchday will feature doubleheaders, with the men and women’s teams playing back to back. One ticket will gain spectators access to both matches. The Americans will play 24 matches, and host 12 of those at home in the Landers Center. The season will start “right after Christmas this December, and then run through April,” according to Blair. Capacity at the venue will be around 8,500 people.
For now, the NISL is committed to fielding teams in a minimum of four cities for the upcoming season. But the league is already in talks with several other ownership groups across the country. “Our plan is to start here in the southeastern United States,” he continues, “and build outward from there with the goal of being nationwide in three years.” Meanwhile, the league received a huge boost after signing a five-year strategic partnership with Nike, which will the NISL’s official uniform, apparel, and accessory brand through the 2025-26 season.
L to R: NISL executive board members Jason Gibson, Joshua Blair, and Andrew Haines; Southaven Mayor Darren Musselwhite; Landers Center executive director Todd Mastry
On a local note, the “Americans” moniker chosen for the team has history in the Mid-South. In 1981, the group Athletes in Action purchased the Major Indoor Soccer League team known as the Hartford Hellions and relocated it to Memphis. The team was rebranded as the Memphis Americans and played at the Mid-South Coliseum through 1984, before new ownership moved the organization to Las Vegas, Nevada. The current name builds on the legacy of that bit of Memphis history, all while taking the name forward.
With the team officially announced, feelers are being put out to gauge interest from coaches around the country. According to fellow NISL board member Andrew Haines, many candidates have already made contact with the team. “We’ve already had discussions on potential candidates, “he says. “We’ve been blowing up over the last 48 hours since word started leaking out. So we’re going to really go through that process slowly and want to make sure we get that right fit.”
When it comes to building a playing squad, the Americans are looking to build a large chunk of the roster out of local athletes. “If you look at the Greater Memphis Area and a three-hour radius around here, the college soccer programs on both men and women’s sides, you’ve got some of the best programs in the country, especially on the women’s side. The talent in this region is unmatched.
“So that’s our first focus. Obviously we want to bring in the best possible talent, so there might be players from other countries. We’ll be working on that, and we’re working with Todd [Mastry, Landers Center executive director] and his staff to do some tryouts in the arena once the turf arrives.”
The tryouts are one product of Haines’ commitment to the value of community. And the Memphis Americans offers the NISL an opportunity to put down roots and bolster the game in the region. “Community is really what I believe in. Every organization I’ve been a part of, we really do get out there. … We have a youth club partner program, and we’ve already started reaching out to youth clubs to work with in the area. We will be club neutral. We have no interest in starting our own youth academy and competing with other clubs; we want to partner with them.”
Beyond academy partnerships, the NISL will host other communal events. Think 3v3 tournaments, youth clinics, or the league’s Play Like the Pros program, where kids can play on the field prior to a game. Many of the professional players will also be available to work with kids through training sessions or other community appearances.
Andrew Haines
After the presser, the Flyer spoke with Haines about some of the NISL’s goals in the community, and why the Memphis market was so appealing.
Memphis Flyer: You’re launching a brand new league; what made this an attractive market for one of your first teams?
Haines: My history coming to the market [from St. Louis], and knowing about the arena over the past 15-20 years, and working with Todd and his staff. … When they make you feel like a part of the family, part of the team, it’s important. We need that partnership with the facility, because if you don’t have that partnership, you’re just renting the building. With their involvement and interest, that will help us be successful. I’ll be honest, I haven’t been this excited in a while. We’re adding the women’s component, and I just think this market will be very successful.
You’d mentioned that your focus for building a roster would be very local. Have you already reached out to specific programs or universities?
We’ve reached out to every university and soccer program within an hour-and-a-half from here to start. Obviously I’m not going to be the coach, so I want them to build those relationships, but I at least wanted to make initial contact. So far, we’ve gotten a really positive response. They’ve got players who are graduating or who have already graduated they want us to look at. University of Memphis, we’ve got some great feedback there from both the men and women’s programs. We have to tap into these local resources. There’s so much talent within the region, and we just have to find it.
You’ll be the second soccer team joining this market. Do you have any interest in having a partnership or crossover with 901 FC?
We’re open to anything. In the past, for organizations I’ve run, we’ve always partnered with the other sports teams in the market, whether that be an NBA team, MLB, soccer. For us, we’re all about collaboration. We understand we might be competing for sponsor dollars every now and again, but the more successful we all are as teams, the better it is for everyone. We’ve started building relationships already. The Grizzlies invited us out to the game last night, we’ve talked with 901 FC, the Hustle was here today. From our standpoint, that’s what it’s all about.
For the coaching search, I know it takes a certain amount of time to find the right fit. Do you have a timeframe for when you’ll make that decision?
No, we want to make sure we have the right coach. We have such a cool opportunity here. We want to make sure we hit it out of the park, and get someone who’s the right fit for who we need. So we’re going to be careful about that. We’d love to have it sooner than later, of course, but we’re going to take the time we need.
For the most part, 2020 has been canceled. Without our regularly scheduled fairs and festivals, this has sadly meant a severe lack of fair foods. We’re talking Pronto Pups, chicken on a stick, turkey legs, roasted corn, and funnel cakes. Wouldn’t those things make this COVID-stricken year a tad bit better?
Enter the 901 Fair Food Fest (formerly named the 901 Fair Foods Drive-Thru), organized by Brian Ellsworth of Southwood Entertainment Group. The event, which was originally scheduled to begin October 15th at the Agricenter, has been moved to the Landers Center in Southaven, Mississippi, and will be held October 21st to 28th.
“This has been a devastating year financially in the entertainment world, and especially for food vendors,” says Ellsworth. “This gives them a shot to bring in some money and also give them a sense of some normalcy, getting out there and doing what they love to do.
“For the public, the restrictions have been loosened a little bit, we’ve gotten out there, but this gives us some sense of normalcy as well. It also gives us something to do with the family outside of the house that is still safe, socially distanced.”
The revised event in Southaven will not be a drive-thru setup, but will allow visitors to walk up to vendors and order food.
“We’ll be encouraging masks, and there will be social distancing at each vendors’ location,” Ellsworth says. “You’ll be led where to park, and we’ll have the food vendors spread out. We will have some seating areas arranged there, but most people will take it back to their cars, take it home, or eat in their car.”
The 901 Fair Food Fest is free to attend, with opening day on Wednesday, October 21st, from 4 to 9 p.m. The event will also be open Thursday, October 22nd, through Wednesday, October 28th, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. More than 100 fair food items will be available for purchase.
The Mid-South Fair, originally scheduled for September 24-October 4, today announced the event will be postponed until late October.
In a press release, Todd Mastry, executive director of the Mid-South Fair, stated:
“It is and always will be our goal to provide a safe and healthy environment for all employees and guests of the Mid-South Fair, which is why we felt this postponement was necessary. We’re communicating regularly with government officials and our midway provider to stay abreast of developments that will shape the safety precautions we’ll have in place at the Fair.”
The 161st Mid-South Fair is now scheduled for October 23-November 1 at Landers Center in Southaven, Mississippi.
The Landers Center in Southaven has announced that multi-Grammy Award winning singer, songwriter, model and actress Jill Scott will bring her summer tour to the venue on Saturday, July 30th. Tickets for Jill Scott go on sale this Saturday, May 21st at 10 a.m. and can be purchased by stopping by any Ticketmaster location as well as the Landers Center Ticket Office.
JIll Scott’s latest album, 2015’s Woman debuted at no. 1 on the Billboard chart and the singer is also the author of the New York Times Bestseller The Moments, The Minutes, The Hours. Check out a video from Scott’s 2015 album below.
Lil Wayne returns to the Mid-South when he plays the Landers Center (formerly known as the DeSoto Civic Center) this Thursday with Rae Sremmurd. Lil Wayne has been a rapper since the age of 9, signing to Cash Money Records before forming the group Hot Boys in 1996 with the likes of Juvenile, B.G., and Young Turk. Among other hits, the group was responsible for a song you may have heard called “Bling Bling.” While other members of the Hot Boys, especially Terius Gray, aka Juvenile, experienced a fair amount of success over the last 20 years, Lil Wayne was no doubt the star in the group, and the rapper has the Grammys and the platinum-selling albums to prove it. Lil Wayne has released some questionable albums during his impressive career (see 2010’s strange rock album Rebirth), but his status as one of the most popular figures in pop music is undeniable. He’s sold over 100 million albums worldwide and surpassed Elvis Presley as the most successful male artist of all time on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Also on Thursday’s bill is Rae Sremmurd, the Tupelo, Mississippi, hip-hop duo most known for their songs “No Flex Zone” and “No Type.” Tupelo, Mississippi, hasn’t really been considered a Southern hip-hop hot spot, but that didn’t stop Khalif “Swae Lee” Brown and Aaquil “Slim Jimmy” Brown from creating some of the most popular club jams in recent memory with “No Type” and “Throw Some Mo.”
901 Fair Food Festival/Facebook 
Mid-South Fair/Facebook 
