Categories
Special Sections

Recreation

ATTRACTIONS

Family Fun

Children’s Museum of Memphis

Set up like a miniature city, with a bank, fire station, grocery store, and skyscraper. Newer exhibits include Going Places, which showcases an airplane cockpit and flight simulator, and Art Smart Gallery with its visual and performing arts. 2525 Central, 320-3170

The Fire Museum of Memphis

Features simulated fires, a teaching room of interactive exhibits, and a play area with full-sized trucks and a sliding pole. 118 Adams, 320-5650

Memphis Motorsports Park

Hosts 215 events a year, including the national NASCAR Busch Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series; boasts a dirt track and road course. 5500 Taylor Forge Dr., 358-7223

Memphis Zoo

Celebrating its 100th birthday and the opening of Northwest Passage — home to polar bears, bald eagles, and more — the Zoo also includes Cat Country, Primate Canyon, Dragon’s Lair, Animals of the Night, and CHINA, home to two giant pandas. 2000 Prentiss Place (Overton Park), 276-9453

Peabody Place Entertainment and Retail Center

Anchored by the historic Peabody Hotel, this is a one-stop destination for movies, music, shopping, and dining, including Encore, Texas de Brazil, Jillian’s, and Dan McGuinness Irish Pub. 150 Peabody Place. 261-PLAY (7529)

Memphis Music

Beale Street

World-renowned thoroughfare, home to Pat O’Brien’s, Hard Rock Cafe, B.B. King’s Blues Club, and other bars offering live music nightly. Also features A. Schwab’s, a century-old dry-goods store; W.C. Handy’s home; and gift and novelty shops.

Graceland Mansion

Elvis Presley’s home from 1957 until his death. Tours cover the house, racquetball building, Elvis’ vintage car collection, huge assortment of trophies and gold records, the “Lisa Marie” jet, and much more. 3734 Elvis Presley, 332-3322

Memphis Rock ‘N’ Soul Museum

Presents a history of Memphis music using rare film footage, old photos, vintage jukeboxes, stage costumes, and a customized tour of various musical eras. 191 Beale, Plaza at FedExForum, 205-2533

Soulsville USA and the Stax Museum of American Soul Music

A 17,000-square-foot soul-music museum on the site of the former Stax Records, where stars such as Isaac Hayes, Otis Redding, and Wilson Pickett got their start. Showcases some 2,000 artifacts, including Hayes’ 1972 Cadillac El Dorado. 926 E. McLemore, 942-SOUL.

Sun Studio

Elvis rocked the world in 1954 at the studio founded by Sam Phillips. Displayed at Sun are memorabilia of Presley and other music legends, such as Carl Perkins, B.B. King, and Jerry Lee Lewis. 706 Union, 521-0664

Museums of Culture and History

Memphis Pink Palace Museum

Built as home to Piggly Wiggly founder Clarence Saunders, the pink stone mansion is now a regional museum of local history, culture, medicine, music, and natural science; also houses a state-of-the-art planetarium and an IMAX theater. 3050 Central, 320-6320

National Civil Rights Museum

Illustrates key moments in civil rights history, such as the March on Washington and the Montgomery bus boycott. Also includes the boarding house from which James Earl Ray allegedly shot King in 1968 and features an exhibit of previously classified documents and evidence. 450 Mulberry. 521-9699

The Great Outdoors

Lichterman Nature Center

Visitors can take a boardwalk tour around the lake and explore nature trails lined with native plants and trees. Among the center’s highlights are the backyard wildlife center, a native-plant greenhouse, and an amphitheater. 5992 Quince, 767-7322

Memphis Botanic Garden

Water lilies bloom in the Sensory Garden, one of many attractions at this suburban oasis. At the center is the Japanese Garden of Tranquility with its lake and arching red bridge. The Botanic Garden hosts summer concerts featuring such entertainers as Sugarland, Toni Braxton, and Bonnie Raitt. 750 Cherry, 685-1566

The Mississippi River

Major events are held on the river each year, including the Memphis in May Sunset Symphony. Winding above the Father of Waters is the Bluffwalk, a pedestrian walkway with panoramic views. Regular riverboat cruises are offered by the Memphis Queen Line.

Shelby Farms

Visitors can rent pavilions and paddleboats; fish in lakes stocked with catfish, crappie, bream, and bass; or simply enjoy walking, jogging, or biking. Also within the 4,500-acre park is Ducks Unlimited’s international headquarters, which boasts a scenic waterfowl propagation lake. 7161 Mullins Station, 382-2249

Tunica RiverPark

The Tunica RiverPark features a museum with exhibits on the Delta and four aquariums with river life. There’s also a nature trail and an observation deck that has a stunning view of the Mississippi River. In addition, guests can board the Delta Queen, which offers four cruises daily. One RiverPark Dr., Tunica, Mississippi, 866-51-RIVER

GAMING

Southland Park Gaming and Racing

The world’s largest greyhound racing facility, with “instant racing” machines and slot machines. 1550 Ingram, West Memphis, 735-3670

Tunica Casinos

The gambling center of the Mid-South, located just 30 miles from Memphis down Highway 61, Tunica County is home to several glitzy casinos, which boast hotels, restaurants, gift shops, dance pavilions, and big-name entertainment.

Bally’s Casino Tunica, 800-382-2559

Fitz Casino & Hotel, 800-766-5825

Gold Strike Casino Resort, 888-245-7829

Grand Casino Tunica, 800-946-4946

Hollywood Casino, 800-871-0711

Horseshoe Casino & Hotel, 800-303-7463

Resorts Tunica, 662-363-7777

Sam’s Town Casino, 800-456-0711

Sheraton Casino & Hotel, 800-391-3777

Only in Memphis

The Cotton Museum at the Memphis Cotton Exchange

Relates the story of the cotton industry and its influence on a city that remains the epicenter of worldwide cotton trading. Tour begins on the “members only” trading floor and shows cotton’s impact on everything from music to high society. 65 Union. 531-7826

The Elvis Suite at Lauderdale Courts

Home to Elvis Presley and his parents from 1949 to early 1953, now part of a new housing development known as Uptown Square. Decorated with period furniture and family photos. Available for overnight rental. Uptown Square, 521-8219, lauderdalecourts.com

Mud Island River Park

Special features are the River Walk, a five-block-long scale model of the Mississippi from Cairo, Illinois, to the Gulf of Mexico, and the 18-gallery River Museum, which showcases artifacts of life on the Mississippi. 125 N. Front, 576-7241

Woodruff-Fontaine House

Built in the 1870s with stunning architectural details, this French Victorian mansion displays period textiles, furnishings, and Victorian clothing. 680 Adams, 526-1469

SPORTS

Professional Sports

Memphis Grizzlies Basketball

888-HOOP, nba.com/grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies are an NBA team that plays at FedExForum.

Memphis Redbirds

721-6000, memphisredbirds.com

The Redbirds are a triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals and play home games at AutoZone Park in downtown Memphis.

Mississippi RiverKings

662-342-1755, riverkings.com

The RiverKings are members of the Central Hockey League and the affiliate team of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The season runs from October to April. The RiverKings play their home games at the DeSoto Civic Center.

College Sports

Christian Brothers University

321-3378

They’re the Buccaneers, with women’s and men’s teams in baseball, basketball, golf, soccer, and track.

LeMoyne-Owen College

942-7327

The LeMoyne-Owen Magicians compete in both women’s and men’s basketball.

Rhodes College

843-3940

The Lynx compete in soccer, field hockey, football, volleyball, swimming, basketball, baseball, softball, and more.

Southwest Tennessee Community College

333-5143

The Southwest Saliquis include women’s and men’s basketball, baseball, and softball.

University of Memphis

678-2461, gotigersgo.com

The Tigers compete in football, basketball, baseball, golf, tennis, track and field, and more.

A starter’s list of amateur sports.

compiled by Carson Irwin

Parks and Recreation Offices:

Memphis Division of Park Services (MDPS): 576-4200

North Zone: 2893 N. Watkins, 353-9532

North East Zone: 4575 Raleigh-LaGrange, 388-5911

East Zone: 4585 Willow, 767-4580

West Zone: 4376 Horn Lake, 789-5665

Germantown Parks and Recreation: 757-7375

Germantown Youth Athletic Association (GYAA): 754-4922

Germantown Centre: 757-7370

Collierville Parks and Recreation: 853-3225

Collierville Youth Athletic Association (CYAA): 853-2922

Shelby Youth Sports: 386-9700

Baseball: Youth (recreational) — MDPS offers recreational baseball for children ages 7-14. Coed T-ball has been added for 6 and under. GYAA recreational baseball is divided into age groups: T-ball (5-6), coach pitch (7-8) and youth pitch (9-10, 11-12 and 13-14). The season generally consists of 12-16 games and twice-weekly practices beginning in late February and running through mid-June. CYAA provides recreational baseball leagues for kids ages 7-18. Collierville Parks and Recreation’s T-ball program is for kids in Collierville ages 5 and 6. For more information contact Jay Porter at 853-3225.

Youth (competitive) — GYAA’s competitive baseball program is for boys ages 7-14. The Germantown Giants organization runs competitive baseball teams for ages 7 to 14 (7-year-olds play coach-pitch baseball while ages 8 and up are kid-pitch). In addition to the Germantown Giants, Sox and White Sox teams are formed when there are enough participants (generally ages 9 and up). CYAA also organizes competitive baseball for boys ages 7-14.

Germantown Parks and Recreation manages the Germantown Adult Baseball League (GABL), open to men ages 18 and older. The league runs from May through August at Cameron Brown Park.

Basketball: Youth (recreational) — MDPS youth recreational basketball programs are open to boys and girls 18 and under. Registration in September, play begins in November. Call MDPS zone office (see above). Germantown Parks and Recreation organizes leagues for boys (7-17) and girls (7-15).

Youth (competitive) — CYAA’s competitive basketball program provides competition for girls ages 12 and under and 14 and under. Four age groups are available for boys: 10 and under, 12 and under, 14 and under, 17 and under.

Adult — The Germantown Centre offers both A and B adult leagues for men ages 18 and older. Play begins in September and lasts through January. Cost: $475/team.

Cheerleading: The GYAA cheer season corresponds to the GYAA football season in the fall. Cheer divisions are by grade, not age, and are Flag (K-1st grade), Pee Wee (2nd-3rd grade) and Junior (4th, 5th, and 6th grades). Collierville Parks and Recreation has cheerleading teams open to boys and girls ages 4-15.

Football: MDPS offers flag football for both boys and girls, in six age groups (14 and under). Registration in August, play begins in late September. Contact your local zone office. GYAA recreational football is for ages 5 and up.  Divisions consist of Flag (5-7), Pee Wee (8-9) and Junior (10-11 plus 12-year-olds who are not 13 by Dec. 1st and are not in the 7th grade). Contact GYAA. CYAA offers football leagues in flag, peewee, and junior divisions. Visit cyaafootball.com for more info.

Golf: MDPS operates seven public courses: Audubon (4160 Park, 683-6941); Davy Crockett (4270 Range Line Rd., 358-3375); Fox Meadows (3064 Clarke Rd., 362-0232); Galloway (3815 Walnut Grove, 685-7805); Overton, 9 holes (2080 Poplar Ave., 725-9905); Pine Hill (1005 Alice Ave., 775-9434); M.L. King, Jr., 9 holes (465 South Parkway West, 774-4340). Contact the golf department of MDPS for more information (576-4260).

Hockey: Youth — The Memphis Youth Hockey League (MYHL) is composed of three divisions for kids ages 6 to 18. Competition from October through March. For information, call MYHL chairman Russ Beatse (861-3600) or go to memphisyouthhockey.com.

Lacrosse: Memphis Lacrosse runs a youth program in spring, summer, and winter for kids in K-8th grade. Registration for the spring is in January, and the season runs from February to May. The summer season runs from June through July. The winter indoor league holds registration in September, and plays in October and November. Contact Pat Demento (820-0145).

For kids in grades 8-12, clubs compete under the Tennessee Scholastic Lacrosse Association (there are currently 8 teams). Fees vary; call Ed Reynolds (277-2991).

Soccer: The MDPS runs a Youth Soccer League with three divisions (12 and under, 10 and under, 8 and under) during the spring. In the fall, MDPS offers a league for youths, ages 6 and under. Participants can pick up registration materials at any zone office in mid-July. Team roster deadline is early August. Play will begin in August and continue into the fall. For more information contact your local zone office.
The Germantown Soccer Club runs recreational and competitive soccer programs for boys and girls. Registration for the fall recreational league is from May to August, with the season running from September through November. Registration for the spring recreational league is from late December to February, with the season running from March through May. Teams are open for children ages 4 to 18, and there is a sign-up fee. Tryouts for the competitive league, which is split into two divisions (Arsenal and Fury), are held in May and June for ages 8 to 18. Please call the soccer office (755-6688) or go to gscfury.com for sign-up fees and more information. You can register online for recreational league.
Both competitive and recreational youth soccer are organized by the Collierville Soccer Association. Spring and fall leagues are offered. Call 854-8724 or visit colsoc.com for more info.

Adult — The Greater Memphis Soccer Association plays regulation seasons in the fall and spring and has a seven-on-seven summer league. Games are played at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex, and 50 to 55 teams are divided into four men’s and three coed divisions. Players ages 16 and up are welcome; individual registration will take place in July. The average cost is $90 per person per season. Access the GMSA at memphissoccer.com or call Curt Rogers (489-0553).

The Hispanic League, founded in 1997, is made up of around 50 teams of mostly Hispanic membership. They play every Sunday year-round in Memphis city parks; in the winter, games are held indoors. For more information about playing, contact Ivan Lopez (603-2982).

Softball: Youth (recreational) — MDPS offers four divisions that compete from May to July, with registration in early spring. Girls ages 18 and under create their own teams and play in the fall and spring leagues. For fees and more information, contact your local zone office.
GYAA recreational softball is for ages 5 to 18. Divisions are Fawns (5-7, coach pitch), Lassies (8-10), Juniors (11-13), and Seniors (14-18). Play from April to July. CYAA also provides recreational softball teams for girls ages 7 through 18.

Youth (competitive) — The Red Devils organization fields teams in all age divisions from 10U to 18U. CYYA organizes a softball league for girls under 18. Season runs from April to July.

Adult — MDPS organizes approximately 300 teams that compete from April through July, followed by a citywide tournament. Games are played every night except Saturday. The fall softball league starts registration in August. The cost is $250. The season begins in September and ends with a tournament. To register or get information about organizing a team, call the MDPS.

Special Olympics: The sports program for mentally handicapped youth is run by the Greater Memphis Special Olympics organization. It offers training and participation in regional, state, and national competition. Contact GMSO for more info (683-1271).

Swimming: Youth (ages 5-18) — Club teams swim competitively year-round and offer practices for novices through Olympic hopefuls. Fees vary. Memphis Thunder Aquatic Club, 1880 Wolf River Blvd., St. George’s High School, Collierville (memphisthunder.com). Germantown Swim Team, 1801 Exeter Rd., Germantown Centre (757-7390) (gstswimming.com). Memphis Tiger Swimming, 620 Echles, University of Memphis (678-2809) (memphistigerswimming.com). Bartlett Xtreme Swim Team (BXST), 7700 Flaherty Place, Bartlett Recreation Center (385-6470).

Adult — Memphis Thunder, Germantown Centre, Memphis Tigers, and Bartlett Xtreme offer master practices for adults ages 18 and over year-round. Fees vary. Contact coaches for information.

The MDPS (576-4200) operates several city pools, which are all free to the public. Each pool also offers swim lessons and teams for both children and adults. Sessions are 45 minutes for 2 weeks and cost $25 per session for children and $48 per session for adults. Contact the MDPS Aquatics Administration (547-8018).

MDPS pool locations: Bickford (indoor;
235 Henry); L.E. Brown (617 S. Orleans); Douglass (1616 Ash); Fox Meadows (3064 Clarke Rd.); Ed Rice (2907 N. Watkins); Gaisman (4223 Macon); Gooch (1974 Hunter); Hickory Hill (indoor; 3910 Ridgeway); Lester (Tillman at Mimosa); Tom Lee (328 Peach); Charlie Morris (1235 Brown); Orange Mound (2430 Carnes); Pine Hill (973 Alice); Raleigh (3678 Powers); Riverview (182 Joubert); Westwood (810 Western Park); Willow (4777 Willow).

Tennis: MDPS operates seven local tennis centers: Leftwich, 8 outdoor courts, 4 indoor (4145 Southern Ave.); Wolbrecht, 6 outdoor, 2 indoor (1645 Ridgeway); Roark/Whitehaven, 8 outdoor, 4 indoor (1500 Finley); Bellevue, 4 outdoor, 2 indoor (1310 S. Bellevue Blvd.); Frayser, 8 outdoor (2907 N. Watkins); Wooddale, 8 outdoor (3391 Castleman); Raleigh, 8 outdoor (3680 Powers).

Many parks contain tennis facilities as well: Bert Ferguson (8505 Trinity), Gaisman (4221 Macon), Glenview (1813 Southern), Hickory Hill (3910 Ridgeway), Martin Luther King, Jr. (South Parkway at Riverside), University (University at Edward).

The MDPS coordinates a variety of tennis-related activities including the Memphis Area League Tennis (MALT), a citywide adult program; adult and youth (ages 6-18) clinics; private lessons; and a Junior Development Program. For more information call the Tennis Center (374-0603).

Germantown also coordinates leagues, lessons, and camps. Contact Bryan Rogers, head tennis professional (212-5583), for more information.

Volleyball: In the spring, MDPS serves up volleyball to 18-and-under girls and boys. Registration starts in January, with play in April. Zone offices have more information. The Germantown Parks and Recreation Department also coordinates leagues for girls (ages 5-18) as well as adults. All matches are played at the Germantown Centre (757-7379). Contact Germantown Parks and Recreation for info.

Helpful Web Sites:

cityofmemphis.org

germantown-tn.gov

gyaa.org

colliervilleparks.org

cyaatn.com

cityofbartlett.org

shelbyyouthsports.com

Major Sporting Events

AutoZone Liberty Bowl Football Classic

274-4600, libertybowl.org

Post-season Conference USA game held on New Year’s Eve at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.

Regions Morgan Keegan Tennis Championships

765-4400, regionsmorgankeeganchampionships.com

This annual tournament played at the Racquet Club of Memphis has drawn big names such as Jimmy Connors and Pete Sampras. Defending champ Venus Williams will return to the tournament, being held February 22-March 2, 2008.

Southern Heritage Football Classic

398-6655, summittmanagement.com

Held every September, the Southern Heritage Classic pits Jackson State University against Tennessee State University. But the game is only one part of a week of events including a golf tournament, a fashion show, concerts, and more.

Sam’s Town 250

358-7223, memphismotorsports.com

A 250-mile Busch series NASCAR event held in October, benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Stanford St. Jude Classic

748-0534, stanfordstjude.com

The Stanford St. Jude Classic celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2007 by drawing some big names, including Vijay Singh and Geoff Ogilvy. This year, the tournament is being held June 2nd through June 8th.

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Categories
News

Columbus’ Ship to Dock in Memphis

Okay, okay, so we know Columbus is, like, dead or whatever. And his ship Nina is probably long gone. But a replica of the famed vessel is set to visit Memphis from November 2nd through the 12th.

The faux Nina, which was used in the film 1492 starring Gerard Depardieu, was built completely by hand without the use of power tools in 1988. Archaeology Magazine called it the “most historically correct Columbus replica ever built.”

The ship’s been touring the country since 1992 as a sailing museum. While in Memphis, the Nina will be open to the general public for self-guided tour every day of the week.

For more information, go here.

Categories
Best of Memphis Special Sections

Arts & Entertainment

Watch more than one episode of a reality show such as “Super Nanny” or “Project Runway” or “Dog Whisperer” or any of the home-design shows (or “Flava of Love,” for that matter), and you’ll notice a theme: Consistency matters. The winners of this section are a reminder of that point. Of the 13 categories, 11 of the first-place winners were in the same spot last year. One exception was in the “Best Local Athlete” category, for which there was no clear winner. But it’s the other category — “Best Sports Team” — which is particularly telling and proves the consistency maxim. Last year, the Grizzlies ruled. This year, after a very disappointing season, they’re in third place behind the (undeniably hot) University of Memphis men’s basketball team at number one and the Memphis Redbirds (who had an awful season themselves) at number two.

Best Golf Course

1. The Links at Galloway

2. TPC at Southwind

3. The Links at Overton Park — tie

Spring Creek Golf Course

Tucked into one of our city’s nicest neighborhoods, Galloway has been one of our city’s finest courses for almost half a century. A recent multimillion-dollar renovation made something good even better, with much nicer fairways, greens as flat as a pool table, a lovely clubhouse that replaced the stone-covered building — all in a parklike setting.

Best Museum

1. Memphis Brooks Museum of Art

2. Memphis Pink Palace Museum

3. Children’s Museum of Memphis — tie

Dixon Gallery & Gardens — tie

Stax Museum of American Soul Music

The oldest art museum in Tennessee continues to draw crowds to its galleries. Originally a tiny jewel box in Overton Park, a massive expansion project helped turn the Brooks into one this country’s top museums.

Best Art Gallery

1. David Lusk Gallery

2. Jay Etkin Gallery

3. D’Edge Art & Unique Treasures

We’ve spent many fine evenings attending openings at David Lusk, which features an outstanding roster of artists. They also host an absolutely-have-to-be-there event for Memphis art lovers — “The Price Is Right,” an annual sale of works for under $1,000.

Justin Fox Burks

Best Live Theater

1. Playhouse on the Square

2. The Orpheum

3. Theatre Memphis

Jackie Nichols’ Playhouse on the Square has consistently presented top-notch performances for more than a quarter century. Operating out of the old Memphian movie theater on Cooper, Playhouse is in the midst of erecting a state-of-the-art facility across the street, which will provide them even greater opportunities.

Best Movie
Theater

1. Malco Studio on the Square

2. Malco Paradiso

3. Muvico Peabody Place

We can remember when the only thing that stood behind Paulette’s was a parking lot. Then Malco had the idea to construct a “boutique” theater, one with intimate auditoriums and featuring films that somehow missed the larger circuits. Well, that gamble paid off, big time, and Studio on the Square is without question one of the best places in town to watch a movie.

Best Casino

1. Horseshoe Casino

2. Grand Casino

3. Sam’s Town

Our readers must feel lucky at the Horseshoe, a perennial Best of Memphis winner. Horseshoe also features some of the coolest musical and comedy acts on tour.

Best Picnic Spot

1. Shelby Farms

2. Overton Park

3. Chickasaw Gardens Lake/Pink Palace Museum

On weekends, it’s getting harder and harder to find a nice quiet spot to set down a blanket and have a picnic, but we agree that Shelby Farms probably offers the most choices, and it is an amazing thing to “get away from it all” even though you are still smack-dab in the middle of everything.

Best Place To Meet Singles

1. Church

2. Online

3. Beale Street

This category certainly told us a lot about our readers. We’d hoped that those of you who went to church did so for spiritual enlightenment and not to check out the hot chick or guy in the choir.

Justin Fox Burks

1st Place: Best Live Theatre

Best Free Date

1. Mississippi River

2. Shelby Farms

3. Memphis Zoo on Tuesdays

We hope that everyone who listed “Mississippi River” meant watching the river from the safety of Tom Lee Park or some other vantage point, or maybe even boating in it (though not too many people we know seem to do that, for some reason). At any rate, we hope you didn’t mean swimming in it.

Justin Fox Burks

1st Place: Best Free Date

Best Family
Entertainment

1. Memphis Zoo

2. Redbirds Game

3. Children’s Museum of Memphis

The Memphis Zoo seems to be a hit with our readers for any number of reasons. Perhaps because it really is one of the best zoos in the country.

Best Sports Team

1. University of Memphis Tiger
Basketball

2. Memphis Redbirds

3. Memphis Grizzlies

We’re anxiously waiting to see if the Tigers get a #2 — even #1 — preseason ranking, but no matter how they play, Coach Cal’s Tigers have captured the hearts of Memphians.

Justin Fox Burks

1st Place: Best Family Entertainment

Best Grizzlies
Player

1. Pau Gasol

2. Mike Miller

3. Rudy Gay

When the Grizzlies first came to town, all anyone talked about was a fellow named Shane Battier. But a lanky Spaniard also began to pile up points in the paint, and when Battier jumped ship, Gasol quickly became the fan favorite. We keep hearing all this talk of trades, but new coach Marc Iavaroni insists Gasol is here to stay. We hope so.

Justin Fox Burks

1st Place: Best Grizzlies Player

Best Local Athlete

READERS’ CHOICE

Pau Gasol

DeAngelo Williams

Mike Miller

Loren Roberts

John Daly

Chris Douglas-Roberts

One of our colleagues, who knows quite a bit about sports in Memphis, recently declared that if Memphis ever put up a statue to its greatest athlete, it would have to decide between Larry Finch or Pau Gasol. Coach Finch didn’t garner many votes this time, and nobody drew enough votes for us to declare first-, second-, or third-place finishes, but our readers love their sports, naming players from basketball, football, and golf.

Categories
News

God Country

With science and religion doing ever more battle in the classroom, public interest in creationism and evolutionary theory are at an all-time high. (At least since a certain trial about a certain teacher and certain monkeys, right here in Tennessee back in 1925, that is.) For the most part, however, creationism is found almost exclusively in churches (and now, on the Web), while evolution enjoys the freer domain of classrooms, textbooks, and museums.

Until now!

While there have been biblically themed science museums before, the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky (just outside of Cincinnati and a mere 490 miles from Memphis), is the world’s largest and — inaugurated in May — the newest.

Boasting 130 stationary and animatronic figures, 52 educational videos, a special-effects theater, a state-of-the art planetarium, and designs by the architect of Universal Studio’s theme park King Kong and Jaws rides, this facility is on par with some of the best museums in the world in terms of collection, resources, and size. But unlike almost every other museum at this level, this one not only insists on the factuality of Adam and Eve but suggests that they co-existed with dinosaurs. Think The Flintstones, though Adam probably did not use a brachiosaur as a crane or a ceratosaurus as a timeclock.

The $27 million Creation Museum is an extension of Answers in Genesis, a ministry founded by author/broadcaster Ken Ham in 1994 as a means of reconciling scientific questions and phenomena with, well, answers in Genesis. According to Genesis, and as illustrated in the exhibits of the museum, the Earth is only about 6,000 years old, not billions, as traditional science would suggest. The Earth was also created in a single day, as was light, the waters, the animals, etc. Noah did exist and did build an ark, and a globally catastrophic flood did occur roughly 4,300 years ago — as did the plate tectonics responsible for our continents and the fossilization of dinosaurs and other organisms.

Creation Museum

The compression of the fossil record from millions to thousands of years and the co-existence of dinosaurs and man will rile most scientists. Questions logically arise: How did a Tyrannosaurus rex and a goat peacefully live side by side in that big boat for so long? Where did Cain get his wife? Wouldn’t he have been marrying his sister? The answers are simple: All creatures were vegetarians until after the flood. Marrying your sister was okay back then, because there was no possibility of genetic mistakes; humans were perfect. (And besides, there wasn’t anybody else!)

For skeptics, a team of scientists from accredited universities is on hand to answer questions about geologic ages, carbon dating, mineralogy, and astrophysics. But make no mistake. This museum is a component of a ministry, and each exhibit illustrates sections of the Bible. And, while the ministry is scientific by nature, it is not to be confused with the recent Intelligent Design (ID) movement.

ID suggests that an intelligent designer is responsible for the creation of the universe but leaves open the question of who that designer may be: God, Buddha, George Burns, whoever. The Creation Museum makes no bones about it (pun intended): The creator is God, the father of Jesus, and the scientific record is inextricably linked to a literal interpretation of Genesis and part of a master plan that begins with creation and ends with the consummation of all evil and corruption. (For further reading, see the Bible’s exciting conclusion, Revelation.)

Open-minded visitors will be surprised by the respectful tone that is taken of traditional science. In fact, for each biblical explanation of a geologic event, the traditional scientific explanation is listed alongside, in precise and nonjudgmental language. And even critics will have to admit that the presentation of the museum’s materials is top-notch. The facility — at 60,000 square feet — is gorgeous. And while the robot dinosaurs occasionally move like — you guessed it — robots, you may easily find yourself creeped out looking into the eyes of a very real looking velociraptor. You may also be creeped out that that the same velociraptor lives in Eden and that Adam and Eve are skinny-dipping just a few feet away.

www.creationmuseum.org

Categories
Art Art Feature

Off the Wall

Where to start with an exhibition as powerful as “Veda Reed: Daybreak/Nightfall” at David Lusk Gallery? I could tell you how Reed’s complex glazes and subtle gradations of color in her large oils on canvas create optical illusions that dance like the Northern Lights across the gallery walls. I could describe how weird, beautiful, and surreal her skyscapes become as she mixes day with night, memory with vision, and what looks like the cosmos with the volatile and wide-open Oklahoma skies of her childhood.

I could tell you how in Daybreak: The edge of dawn, 2 a huge planet dwarfs a sun that splits into two and spews cadmium yellow, then crimson, then mahogany, then burgundy into the darkness, or how some of Reed’s suns and planets break into shards of light that are satisfying patterns of abstraction, or how soft billows of gray vermillion in an elongated sky in Nightfall: “Earth’s joys grow dim; its glories pass away” ease us into an eternity envisioned, in part, by Henry F. Lyte’s hymn, “Abide with Me.”

Or we could go straight to the disturbingly beautiful Nightfall: “fast falls the eventide …”, where a black dome arches over a neon saucer of light hovering between a vermillion sky and seamless black sea. Beginnings and endings simultaneously play out as we glimpse first light through the mouth of Plato’s cave and peer at the last rays of the sun over the lip of a vault whose domed lid is closing.

With endless aureoles of yellow and vermillion fading into smoky crimson and black, Reed reaches higher and deeper into the cosmos than she ever has before.

At David Lusk Gallery through April 28th

As demonstrated in “Annabelle Meacham: Recent Work” at Jay Etkin Gallery, Meacham can do just about anything with paint and canvas. In her rendition of art deco’s sheer beauty, Hope and Desire, a pink lily is set against porcelain skin on a jewel-toned background in which every millimeter is gilded and faceted. In The Portrait, a matron with a stern expression sits with her white Persian cat in a fishbowl existence wryly emphasized by the goldfish swimming Magritte-like around her head.

What makes this body of work most powerful is not the surreal surprise or hyper-real detail but Meacham’s poignant and astute observations about the natural world. In Revelations, a woman sits at a grand piano that has sprouted a lush garden. She and her small hound look at the full moon through the large windows of the sanctuary/prison of their beautifully appointed drawing room.

In the whimsical Reflections, tiny deer painted on a Qing dynasty vase leap across precipices of mountains that jut straight up from flat land. White flowers pattern the chartreuse vase to the right. At center a butterfly flies past another finely sculpted vessel: a bare human derriere. Tendrils sprout from it in an image at the edge of propriety that weaves fertile bodies, the fertile earth, and fertile imaginations into one organic whole.

At Jay Etkin Gallery through April 21st

During the past year, Dwayne Butcher married, traveled widely, and began graduate studies at Memphis College of Art — all of which is reflected in Butcher’s exhibition “Art Made with a Ring” at Delta Axis @ Marshall Arts.

In each of the 16 panels of Multi-Scully #1, a drip of enamel flows down, thrusts up, or oozes across art that is, in all other regards, stark and geometric. Placed side-by-side, the panels become kaleidoscopic metaphors for life undergoing change.

Several of the show’s strongest paintings reference Marfa, a Texas town whose landscape is as stark as any abstract artwork. Marfa is also the permanent site for the work of minimalist Donald Judd, one of Butcher’s major influences. The soft earth tones, round edges, pale mauve drips, and blue background of Blue Door at Marfa #3 evoke Marfa’s adobes, buttes, mesas, and clear-blue skies.

This painting is a welcome addition to Butcher’s art. Last year’s exhibition, “Supermandamnfool,” was sharp-edged and saturate. Add to that body of work Butcher’s Blue Door at Marfa series, and you get an artist whose expanding vision is rethinking minimalism.

At Delta Axis @ Marshall Arts through April 28th