Donald Trump can appear on Tennessee election ballots in November after the Tennessee Attorney General refused to issue an opinion on the matter last week.
Rep. Vincent Dixie (D-Nashville) requested the opinion from Tennessee AG Jonathan Skrmetti, a Republican, earlier this month. Dixie pointed to a Tennessee law that says anyone convicted of an “infamous crime” is “disqualified from qualifying for, seeking election to or holding a public office in this state.”
Dixie said the law is meant “to protect the public from individuals who refuse to adhere to the laws they are meant to uphold.” He then pointed to Trump’s convictions on 34 felony counts of election interference last week.
Skrmetti’s office said it could only render opinions to officials “in the discharge of their official duties.” The letter added emphasis to the words “in the discharge of their official duties” but did not offer further details.
“Your letter also rests on an incorrect premise that (the state law’s) reference to ‘a public office in this state’ somehow includes the U.S. President,” reads the letter from Tennessee solicitor General Matt Rice. “The U.S. Presidency is not a public office in Tennessee. And any State effort to add new qualifications for the U.S. President would raise serious constitutional questions.”
Dixie said he was “disappointed” but “not surprised” by the response from the AG’s office.
“This just highlights the broken criminal justice system in this country,” Dixie said in a statement. “There is no rational explanation for a way that a person can possibly be elected [President of the United States] by this state, and if that same person lived in Tennessee, they wouldn’t even be able to cast a ballot and vote. How does that make sense?”
Dixie’s request came after Trump was convicted in New York last month on 34 felony counts. Trump was convicted of all counts as part of a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election by falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments to a porn star who alleged she had sex with him.
Secretary of State Tre Hargett’s office told Tennessee Lookout earlier this month that Trump will be on Tennessee’s election ballot.
About 200 people braved flash-flood warnings and a downpour to attend a Memphis-Shelby County school board candidate forum at Idlewild Presbyterian Church on Monday, June 17, 2024. (Caroline Bauman / Chalkbeat)
Improving literacy rates, preparing students to compete globally, and combating teacher shortages are among the top challenges facing Memphis-Shelby County schools, candidates for the school board said at a forum Monday night.
About 200 people braved flash-flood warnings and a downpour to attend the forum at Idlewild Presbyterian Church. It was organized by Chalkbeat Tennessee and the Memphis Interfaith Coalition for Action and Hope, and co-sponsored by the Memphis Education Fund and the Urban Child Institute.
Five of the board’s nine seats are up for election on Aug. 1. Four of the candidates — board Chair Althea Greene, Stephanie Love, Frank Johnson, and Mauricio Calvo — are incumbents.
They and 15 other candidates took questions from Chalkbeat and the audience on how they would guide Tennessee’s largest school district if elected.
Besides prioritizing boosting student literacy — nearly 80 percent of MSCS students aren’t proficient in reading, based on standardized test scores — some of the candidates said they would also focus on curbing teacher shortages and approach the city of Memphis about helping to fund the school system.
An audience question about what the candidates would do to listen to teachers’ concerns without their fearing retaliation sparked a number of responses. Most said that they would do that by fortifying relationships with the teachers’ unions.
Natalie McKinney, who is vying for the District 2 seat currently held by Greene, said that teachers must trust the process, but they “don’t have a process in place that they believe they can trust.”
The current board sparred with Feagins last week over proposed staffing cuts that were communicated ahead of a budget deadline.
To see what the candidates said at the forum, watch the full video recording. And to learn more about the candidates, check out Chalkbeat’s school board candidate voter guide.
Bureau Chief Tonyaa Weathersbee oversees Chalkbeat Tennessee’s education coverage. Reach her at tweathersbee@chalkbeat.org.Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.
Tennessee’s first brick-and-mortar cannabis bar is slated to land in Memphis soon.
The former Bounty on Broad space will soon become a Buds & Brews location. No timeline for the opening was given in a news release.
Nashville-based Buds & Brews opened its first restaurant and bar in that city’s Germantown neighborhood in 2022. It will open a second location in East Nashville later this month.
The restaurant allows patrons to “enjoy cannabis in a safe, legal and fun environment,” the company said in a statement. It offers a unique menu of upscale bar fare like the Buds Burger, hot chicken tacos and a Wake and Bake Brunch.
Credit: Buds & Brews
“We are excited to bring the Buds & Brews experience to Memphis,” said Michael Solomon, owner and president of Craft Cannabis, the restaurant’s parent company. “This dynamic arts community is the perfect location for a new and innovative restaurant and bar concept.
“We are proud to collaborate with some of the best in the food and beverage industry in order to bring Tennesseans a truly unique culinary adventure.”
Craft Cannabis is an umbrella group for three brands. Craft Cannabis offers seed-to-shelf cannabis flower grown in Nashville. That brand also offers an array of edibles like cannabis cookies, gummies, and suckers. Tri-Star Medical offers cannabis tinctures, capsules, and topicals. Sticky Tomato has a full line of gummies.
At Buds & Brews, diners can choose their favorite condiment sauces infused with Tennessee-grown-and-extracted hemp-derived THC. The restaurant will also have a craft cocktail menu, cannabis-infused cocktails like the Smoky Margarita and Spliff Sangria, beers on tap, their own brand of THC-infused beers and New Highs seltzers, and dessert edibles.
Bar Leafy Green was slated to become Memphis’ first cannabis restaurant. Owners announced the plan on social media in 2022. It is unclear, however, whether the restaurant ever opened.
Memphis Reddit users tried to figure out exactly why Kroger seems to only use half of its self-checkout machines, leaving long lines snaking down the aisles. The company wants to pay fewer employees, one said. The move deters shoplifting, said another. Cash-using customers will use a card-only machine and create a headache, one suggested. Many agreed, though, that they hate self-checkout.
Big Boogie
Posted to YouTube by No Jumper
Former Memphis rapper Big Boogie gave an expansive interview on the No Jumper podcast. He talked about why he doesn’t beef or pose with his car, why he left Memphis, and his philosophy on hard work.
“Life ain’t whopping my ass,” he said. “I’m whopping life’s ass.”
A federal judge will temporarily allow some transgender discrimination in Tennessee and other states, skirting new changes to Title IX.
Those changes came in President Joe Biden’s first day in office with an executive order that added gender identity and sexual orientation to the anti-discrimination law. Biden later extended those protections to educational environments. The rules are set to go into effect on August 1. All of these changes came after the 2020 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that prohibited companies from firing a person on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation.
In April, Tennessee led a coalition in a lawsuit to block Biden’s new additions to Title IX. The group included Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia, Virginia, Christian Educators Association International (CEAI), and “A.C.”, a 15-year-old high school girl who lives in West Virginia.
The states argued that the new law would chill free speech and religious freedom because teachers would, under the new rules, have to use a student’s “preferred pronouns,” according to the suit. The law would also mandate schools to open up bathrooms and locker rooms to all genders. The states also argued that the new rules subverted Congressional review and overreached into states’ powers to make such laws.
CEAI opposed the rules on grounds of free speech and shared private facilities. Its members — particularly educators in K-12 public schools — wish to “live and work consistent with their shared belief that God created human beings as male and female and that sex is an immutable trait.”
A.C., the 15-year-old student, said a transgender female was allowed to compete on her middle-school track team. The other student’s biology is an unfair advantage, A.C. said, and she did not feel comfortable dressing in front of the other student.
A federal judge agreed with the plaintiffs in a Tuesday ruling.
“There are two sexes: male and female,” wrote Chief Judge Danny Reeves, United States District Court of Eastern Kentucky. But Reeves said in a footnote that the statement was conceded by U.S. Department of Education officials in oral arguments. “The parties have agreed to little else.”
Reeves ordered a preliminary injunction against the new rules but only in those states who joined in the lawsuit. The stay extends to the Christian educators group and A.C. in those six states.
Tennessee schools and universities would have to let boys into girls’ locker rooms and other private spaces.
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti
“If the rule we stopped had been allowed to go into effect on August 1 as scheduled, Tennessee schools and universities would have to let boys into girls’ locker rooms and other private spaces,” Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said in a statement. “If the rule went into effect, our schools would have to punish teachers and students who declined to use someone’s preferred pronouns.
“These are profound changes to the law that the American people never agreed to. This rule was a huge overreach by federal bureaucrats, and the court was right to stop it.”
Chris Sanders, executive director of the Tennessee Equality Project, said, “We have a state government going into battle against trans and non-binary students via their pronouns,” in an opinion piece in The Tennessean Monday.
Government employees should not have more of a right to define a student’s identity than the student does.
Chris Sanders, executive director of the Tennessee Equality Project
“Students are better served by policies that respect their identities,” Sanders said. “They are at school to get an education without barriers, not to serve as an opportunity for adults to exercise virtue by choice.
“Experiencing an agent of the state using the wrong pronoun in front of one’s peers day after day is something students should not endure. Government employees should not have more of a right to define a student’s identity than the student does.”
Tennessee’s lieutenant governor is backing a Memphis state senator’s move to force the ouster of Shelby County’s prosecutor for “dereliction of duty” in connection with felons caught carrying weapons.
Lt. Gov. Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) issued a statement Monday saying he “wholeheartedly” supports efforts by Republican state Sen. Brent Taylor (R-Memphis) to dismiss Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy from office for “failing to properly prosecute convicted felons in possession of a firearm.”
Taylor sent McNally a letter Monday notifying him he plans to file a Senate resolution after the November election to remove Mulroy from office. The district attorney general said recently he plans to adopt a policy allowing non-violent felons to avoid being prosecuted for possession of weapons.
McNally said Mulroy’s “explicit refusal to prosecute criminals with guns is inexcusable and unconstitutional. While district attorneys have prosecutorial discretion, that discretion is not a license to override or subvert the law of the land. DA Mulroy’s record of refusal to prosecute laws he does not personally care for is longstanding and clear. I believe it is time for him to go.”
State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis) during the 113th general Assembly Credit: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout
Even though district attorneys general are elected by a county’s voters, the Legislature can oust them with a two-thirds vote, according to a state law cited by Taylor in his letter.
Taylor and House Speaker Cameron Sexton made social media posts last week calling Mulroy soft on crime for his new policy to provide “diversion” from conviction for non-violent felons caught carrying weapons.
Mulroy, a Democrat serving his first term after defeating Republican Amy Weirich, told the Tennessee Lookout last week the DA’s Office continues to prosecute illegal gun possession cases, including possession of a gun connected to drug crimes and possession of a Glock switch, which makes those types of handguns fully automatic. His office did not respond to questions Monday.
The district attorney, though, noted his office is “open to offering a diversion track, on a case-by-case basis for those defendants who have no history of violence or significant criminal history and seem reformable.”
Those types of offenders would be prosecuted but could avoid conviction by meeting “stringent requirements” for rehabilitation, he said. The policy is designed to free up prosecutors to focus on offenders who “use a weapon,” he said.
Taylor acknowledged Monday that district attorneys general have “prosecutorial discretion” but contended that state law prohibits felons from possessing weapons and argued if Mulroy thinks non-violent felons should be excluded, then he should lobby the Legislature to change the law. He denied that his effort to remove Mulroy is a political move and maintained that the district attorney has “abused his prosecutorial discretion.”
It looks like every local official is now on notice not to cross powerful state politicians – or else. Memphians are sick and tired of seeing their local elected officials run over by state politics just for doing the job they promised to do.
Sens. Raumesh Akbari and London Lamar, Memphis Democrats, in a statement
“He’s attempting to enforce and prosecute the law based on how he wishes it were written, not how it’s actually written,” Taylor said. “District attorneys are obligated to enforce the law the legislature enacts.”
Senate Minority Leader Raumesh Akbari (D-Memphis) and Minority Chairman London Lamar (D-Memphis) issued a statement in response calling Taylor’s effort an “unconstitutional attack” on Shelby County’s district attorney and saying it “sets a dangerous precedent.”
“It looks like every local official is now on notice not to cross powerful state politicians – or else,” they said. “Memphians are sick and tired of seeing their local elected officials run over by state politics just for doing the job they promised to do.”
They contend crime didn’t start with Mulroy’s election and said, “it’s beneath the Legislature to threaten local officials over a policy debate.”
Sen. Taylor and state Rep. John Gillespie (R-Memphis) passed legislation this year overturning a Memphis City Council ordinance stopping police from making “pretextual” stops such as driving with broken tail light. The measure was designed to prevent violent incidents between police and motorists such as the death of Tyre Nichols who was pulled over for reckless driving and beaten by five police officers, according to video of the stop.
Tennessee Lookout is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Tennessee Lookout maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Holly McCall for questions: info@tennesseelookout.com. Follow Tennessee Lookout on Facebook and X.
“There’s not enough business to sustain us,” says Amy Zuniga, who owns the restaurant at 2617 Broad Avenue with her husband, Julio. “And we’ve been short staffed and can’t find anyone. We can’t keep going, unfortunately.”
They’ve had trouble keeping staff for some time. They hire one person and then they quit and they have to hire another one, she says. “We can’t pay what corporate jobs pay, so they go to corporate jobs.
“We’ve been trying to hang in there for awhile, but it’s just gotten to this point where there’s only so much hanging on we can do.”
But, she adds, “We’d love people to come visit one last time. And people who’ve never been here, they should come check us out.”
A letter sent to their regulars states: “With our deepest gratitude, we want to thank you for all the support you’ve given us over the years. We could not have made it this long without your continued support. As the saying goes, ‘All good things must come to an end.’ We have sadly made the decision to close at the end of this month. Our last day of business will be June 29th. We would love to see you one last time before we go. Cheers!
The Pixar masterpiece gets a sequel. Riley, the runaway girl from the first film, is a teenager now. And that means a whole new set of emotions to deal with. Inside Riley’s head, Joy (Amy Poehler) is still trying to keep it together, as Riley enters the psychic chaos of high school. Now she’s joined by Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Ennui (Adele Exarchopousos), and Embarassment (Paul Walter Hauser). Longtime Pixar creative exec Kelsey Mann takes over the helm from Pete Docter, who made the original an enduring classic.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die
The Memphis Flyer’s own Kailynn Johnson says “Longtime fans will be reminded as to why this pair works so well together in the buddy-cop genre. Thousands of slap-happy think pieces and unsolicited marriage tidbits later, Smith is still refreshing, and we’re reminded of why the camera loves him. Lawrence’s comedic legacy precedes him, and his impeccable delivery doesn’t disappoint.” Given the $125 million the film has stacked up in a week, viewers agree.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
George Miller’s story of how the hero of Fury Road became an Imperator in the army of Immortan Joe is the most epic thing you will see this year. Anya Taylor Joy and Alyla Browne portray Furiosa in this 15-year saga of loss and redemption in post-apocalyptic Australia. The sci fi action is a feast for the eyes, but Miller never fails to engage the mind while rocking the body. Read my review.
Peter Jackson’s epic adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s high fantasy novels dominated the turn-of-the-century box office, and stimulated the imagination of a generation. Now the three films are back in theaters for a limited engagement in 4K and the full director’s cuts.
Elon Musk. Photo by Trevor Cokley / Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Memphians still don’t have many details on xAI’s massive supercomputer project planned for Memphis, though a recent $700 million data center deal for X in Atlanta may offer some clues.
What we don’t know is:
• How much will the company actually invest here? (It’s been touted as “multibillion” and the “largest single capital investment in Memphis history.”)
• What exactly will the so-called Gigafactory of Compute do? (It’s proposed to power X’s Grok artificial intelligence. But how that will happen in Memphis remains hazy.)
• How many employees and new jobs will the project bring to Memphis? (Speculation says about 200 hundred jobs. But no one in the public is yet certain.)
• What will the real economic impact of the project be for Memphis?
• What will local leaders offer to the company in incentives to bring them here?
Many of the questions were slated to be answered next week. The project was supposed to go before the Memphis-Shelby County Economic Development Growth Engine (EDGE) on Wednesday, June 19. Officials cancelled that meeting in observance of the Juneteenth holiday. So, locals could be left waiting for a month for answers on xAI, unless EDGE calls a special meeting.
In the meantime, I took a suggestion from someone on the Memphis subreddit. (I couldn’t find the comment or I would’ve given you a shoutout). For what could happen in Memphis, they suggested looking to Atlanta.
Atlanta case study
X Corp. (not xAI) proposed to build a $700 million data center there in December. It already had a data center in the city and another in Portland, according to WSB-TV Atlanta. Incentive packages would decide whether the company brought its big, new project to Portland, Oregon or Atlanta.
“Either location, in addition to similar alternative locations, could serve as the near-term location for this infrastructure investment,” reads the company’s application to Develop Fulton, Atlanta’s EDGE equivalent. “The incentive is a critical part of the analysis and decision process of whether to locate the equipment in Atlanta, Portland, or other locations.”
For the new Atlanta project, the company asked Develop Fulton to approve a $700 million inducement and final bond resolution “to acquire, install and create the next generation of high-performance computing and Artificial Intelligence (AI) products for the X platform.” The company also asked for a tax break of more than $10.1 million over 10 years.
Taxes for the project in its first year were promised to be more than $4 million. Taxes over the project’s first 10 years would be more than $16.5 million.
The project would retain 24 jobs in Atlanta, not create new jobs. X Corp. predicted an overall economic impact of the project to be more than $241.7 million in 10 years.
The economic impact figure changed, though, from when X first brought the project to Develop Fulton, according to WSB-TV. The company’s original pitch to the board said the economic impact for the project would be more than $1 billion, way higher than the updated $241.7 million figure:
Credit: Develop Fulton/ X application from DecemberCredit: Develop Fulton/ X application from January
X Corp.’s proposal ended in a deadlock from the Develop Fulton board in December. The vote came after the board “got an earful from opposed residents,” according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
One board member, Laura Kurlander-Nagel, said the X platform’s value dropped by more than half after xAI founder Elon Musk bought it. For her it was a concern and she voted against the project, according to London-based Data Centre Dynamics blog.
The Atlanta site, northwest of Downtown on Jefferson Street, was once proposed for another data center. Kansas-based Quality Technology Services (QTS) wanted to build a center there but asked Develop Fulton for a $45 million tax break over 10 years. The board voted against it, and, apparently, QTS moved on.
However, when the X project came back before Develop Fulton in January, it passed with that $10.1 million tax break included. Two board member voted against it.
Data boom
Data centers are booming in Georgia’s capital city. Atlanta City Council member Jason Dozier said the market is growing faster there than in any other U.S. city. Construction for data centers in Atlanta grew by 211 percent, Dozier said, from 2022 to 2023.
This is partly why he and council member Matt Westmoreland proposed a ban on building them close to transit stations and the Atlanta BeltLine. It was unclear whether the ban had yet passed.
1/ Excited to introduce legislation alongside @WestmorelandATL to address the rapid growth of data centers in Atlanta. Atlanta's data center market is booming faster than any other in the US. From 2022 to 2023, data center projects under construction increased by a whopping 211%. pic.twitter.com/m49mTo44Pv
“Despite their growth, data centers don’t create many local jobs compared to other sectors,” Dozier tweeted in mid-May. “This limits economic benefits for our communities. Their existence presents a trade-off, diverting resources and focus away from alternative, people-oriented development priorities.
Their existence presents a trade-off, diverting resources and focus away from alternative, people-oriented development priorities.
Atlanta City Council member Jason Dozier
“Additionally, the energy demand of these centers is substantial, oftentimes equivalent to an entire natural gas plant’s output, further stressing our fragile electric grid.
“By prohibiting new data centers near transit and the Atlanta BeltLine, we aim to preserve these vital corridors for people-oriented priorities like housing, retail, transportation, and green spaces.
“It’s time to ensure that our city’s growth is sustainable and equitable for all residents. Let’s work together to shape Atlanta’s future in a way that prioritizes the needs of our communities and that benefits all Atlantans.”
But urban Atlantans aren’t the only ones with qualms over data centers in the Peach State. Georgia state lawmakers voted to temporarily suspend a tax break on equipment for data centers, according to the Associated Press. The legislation followed a monthslong review of all of the state’s many tax breaks and incentive programs.
The bill gained traction as Georgia Power reported a massive spike in electricity demand, and the data center industry accounted for 80 percent of that growth, it said. Also, one lawmaker also cited a 2022 state audit report that found that the tax exemption for data centers returned 24 cents on the dollar.
However, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp vetoed the legislation in May. He said the bill’s July 1 deadline would have interrupted “projects that are already in development — undermining the investments made by high-technology data center operators, customers, and other stakeholders in reliance on the recent extension, and inhibiting important infrastructure and job development.”
Sierra Club Georgia Chapter Director G Webber called the move “beyond disappointing.”
“The surge in the demand for power from data centers is propping up old coal plants and causing a rush to build new gas infrastructure,” Webber said in a statement. “As a result, Georgia communities will see higher levels of air and water pollution, and our fight to curb the worst effects of climate change is hampered. Kemp is burying his head in the sand by refusing to address an issue already having such a significant impact on our state.”
Juneteenth As Alice Faye Duncan writes in her piece with the Flyer this week about Opal Lee, the Grandmother of Juneteenth, “Juneteenth is freedom rising, and freedom is for everyone.” And this weekend is about celebrating. Check out just some of what’s going on in Memphis:
Juneteenth Douglass Freedom & Heritage Festival: This year marks 31 of celebrating Juneteenth in Douglass Park. Friday is Youth Day, complete with youth performers, youth vendors, and a youth host and DJ. Saturday will feature National Jookin League and Marcus.901, and Sunday will feature Ekpe Abioto. The festival is free, parking is free, you are free to bring your grills, coolers, tents, tables, and chairs. Douglass Park, Friday, June 14, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. | Saturday-Sunday, June 15-16, 3-8 p.m.
Juneteenth Family Reunion: Tone will host a weekend-long celebration in honor of Juneteenth. Things kick off with the Spades Tournament on Friday. Then folks can get dressed up for the Juneteenth Gala on Saturday. And then it’ll be time for the Juneteenth Festival on Sunday, where the lineup features Curren$y, Juicy J, Hitkidd, and Erykah Badu. Our writer Chris McCoy wrote all about what’s happening in this week’s cover story. Read that here. Tone, Friday-Saturday, June 14-16
Memphis Juneteenth Festival: This festival is all about education, entertainment, food, and fun. It will feature a car exhibition, Greek Yard Show, Health and Wellness Tent, and a Freedom Run + Walk. Health Sciences Park, Friday-Saturday, June 14-15, 10 a.m.-10 p.m.
Juneteenth Shop Black Festival: The 4th Annual Juneteenth Shop Black Festival features live entertainment, 100 Black businesses, food trucks, and food vendors. RSVP for free here. Fourth Bluff Park, Saturday, June 15, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
The Color Purple Movie Screening: In partnership with Dr. Telisa Franklin and Memphis Juneteenth, the Orpheum Theatre Group is hosting a free screening of the 2023 movie musical The Color Purple in celebration of Juneteenth. Orpheum Theatre, Monday, June 17, 6:30 p.m.
Juneteenth Community Day: The National Civil Rights Museum is celebrating with free museum admission. The Juneteenth Community Day will also feature a health equity focus and a range of health-related services, resources and activities, plus the opportunity to donate blood. National Civil Rights Museum, Wednesday, June 19, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Ben Bailey Black Lodge Friday, June 14, 8 p.m. There are 13,000 taxicabs on the streets of New York. But only one of them pays you. Well, paid. Cash Cab — the cab that paid you (only if you answer trivia questions correctly) — is no longer in production, but that doesn’t mean my dad doesn’t watch the show every time his channel surfing lands on it. But even though it’s Father’s Day this weekend, we’re not here to talk about my dad. We’re here to talk about Ben Bailey, former host of Cash Cab, who is coming to do his stand-up at Black Lodge this Friday. Tickets for Bailey’s show at Black Lodge are $35 in advance and $38 day of show. VIP tickets, which include seats in the first four rows and a meet-and-greet, cost $60 in advance and $65 day of show. Purchase tickets in advance here. Oh, and not to brag but I got to interview Ben Bailey ahead of the show. Read more here. (Ben Bailey says hi, Dad! If you’re not my dad, too bad.)
Crafts & Drafts Crosstown Concourse Saturday, June 15, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. This event is no rough draft. After all, it’s put on by the spectacular folks at the Memphis Flyer, this very paper. It was perfectly crafted to fit all your summer market’s needs. Join us and enjoy a beautiful day in midtown Memphis, shop local makers and artists, and featuring delicious local craft beers.
Philippine Fiesta Agricenter International Saturday, June 15, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Memphis’ first Philippine Fiesta will have Filipino cuisine, dances, and a parade of Fiesta Queens in costumes that represent specific festivals held in the Philippines. Kids can enjoy activities like face-painting, and adults can partake in an open mic session with karaoke. Admission is free. Read more about the event here.
Record Fair Soul & Spirits Saturday, June 15, 1-7 p.m. Girl, put your records on. Or, rather, get your shopping on for records at Soul & Spirits’ Record Fair. Goner Records, River City Records, and Shangri-La Records will come together to bring all your favorite places to buy music in one spot. STAX Soul Mobile, Mobile Memphis Listening Lab, Memphis Record Pressing, local collections, and art vendors will also be on site, and so will food trucks Hot n Heavy Dogs and Sno Junt. The Subteens will cap off the day with a performance. (Hey, did you read Alex Greene’s piece on their re-release of Burn Your Cardigan? Go on, get to reading it.)
Memphis Vegan Festival Fourth Bluff Park Sunday, June 16, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. On the veg (of glory)? This festival is for you. It’s a day full of vegan food, live entertainment, and a marketplace featuring local businesses, plant-based health and beauty products, clothing, and accessories. RSVP for free here.
Forum: Who is running for the Memphis Shelby County Schools board? Idlewild Presbyterian Church Monday, June 17, 6-8 p.m. Get to know candidates running for the Memphis-Shelby County Schools board before the August elections. Students and Chalkbeat journalists will ask candidates about how and why they want to guide the school district for the next four years. The event is free to attend, but RSVP here. There will be food and childcare provided. The panel will be livestreamed here if you can’t make it.
Overton Square Movie Series: Sweet Home Alabama Chimes Square at Overton Square Thursday, June 20, 6 p.m. Alabama might not be sweet or home to most of us (have you read the news?). But there’s something about Sweet Home Alabama that just makes rom-com lovers melt. A little bit of Reese Witherspoon. A little bit of that guy whose name I’ll never learn but can easily Google but won’t so every time he comes on my screen I go that’s the guy from Sweet Home Alabama. What more could you want? I mean, Overton Square is even screening it for free on Thursday. Blankets and folding chairs welcome; no outside alcoholic beverages.
There’s always something happening in Memphis. See a full calendar of events here.
