At Thursday’s groundbreaking ceremony for the Metal Museum’s transition to its new home at the former Memphis College of Art building, Carissa Hussong showed off her decked-out hardhat, complete with diamonds and black flames sprawling across the cap. “Yes, the diamonds are real,” she said. “’Cause who doesn’t need a hardhat with their name and diamonds on it?”
The hardhat, she revealed, was gifted to her on her first day on the job 17 years ago by James Wallace, the museum’s founding director who preceded her. It was always destined that the museum would expand in some way, though it wasn’t always known that it would take over the Memphis College of Art’s campus. That suggestion wouldn’t come until 2018, and even then it was met with some hesitation, until eventually that hesitation subsided as the move became more and more logical.
“The museum has been called a hidden gem. This has a lot to do with our current location,” said Richard Aycock, the museum’s board president, at the ceremony. “Our programs have changed lives, and I can’t tell you how excited we are about the possibilities this expansion gives us to expand our educational opportunities. It will increase our educational offerings sixfold in a place that’s easily accessible by foot, by bike, by car, or by public transportation. The expansion gives us room and space to teach advanced metalworking techniques to more students.
“In addition to addressing the needs of our community, we are very excited and honored to become a part of the Overton Park family and to continue the Memphis College of Art’s legacy of art and education.”
Part of honoring the college’s legacy also means honoring its original architecture and architects Roy Harrover and Bill Mann, so the museum engaged the help of Los Angeles-based wHY Architects and Memphis-based LRK.
“This project is a true example of how you can work with the existing fabric to highlight its unique features, and then thoughtfully add on to it to serve future generations,” said Krissy Buck Flickinger, senior associate architect with LRK.
Quoting from the original National Register nomination for Overton Park, she continued, “‘The building is an outstanding example of contemporary architectural design, distinguished by its freestanding concrete sunbreak, folded plate roof structure and generous roof terraces, and balconies, all of which will be preserved and will live on.’
“The historic materials will be used, restored, and retained. I already talked about the folded plate roof. We have terrazzo floors. We have steel windows that are all original and in beautiful condition. We’re restoring the 350-seat auditorium. We’re reimagining the library and the cafe space. … And we’re letting the once art studio spaces live on as art gallery spaces. … And the second vital piece to this project is the addition of the innovative metalworking facility with its own expressive design that draws inspiration from and complements Rust Hall.”
The designs are complete, and construction is ready to begin, with a projected completion date of 2026.
The museum’s current site at 374 Metal Museum Drive will eventually be converted into a space to host an artist-in-residence program, as well as an events space.
As Aycock reminded guests at Thursday’s event, “The Metal Museum is the only institute in the United States dedicated to the art and craft of fine metalwork. There is nowhere else in the world where you can go and look at a beautiful exhibition of exquisite metalwork, then go to the shop and watch that metalwork being made, and even take a class and make some with your own hands. It is a special place. It is a place that metalsmiths from all over the world come and that many here in this country call home.”
Kaci Murley (Photo: courtesy Overton Park Conservancy)
Kaci Murley has been named the new executive director of the Overton Park Conservancy. This announcement comes after Tina Sullivan stepped down from the role this summer.
“I know this work, and I am absolutely energized to build and sustain a strong and lasting public asset while leading an incredible team that embodies dedication to the mission every single day. I love this city so much, and I could not be more honored to begin this new chapter,” Murley said.
Murley formerly served as the organization’s deputy executive director, where she worked on strategic leadership and development management, fundraising strategy, community relations and more. Officials said Murley’s experience in leadership, project management, and fundraising campaign planning will help guide the park into its “next phase.”
Before joining the conservancy, Murley worked in a number of roles in higher education, including being the director of post-secondary success at tnAchieves (also known as Tennessee Promise) and the director of engagement and advocacy at Complete Tennessee.
Murley also worked as the director of programs for Leadership Memphis. A graduate of Christian Brothers University, where she obtained a bachelor of arts in English for corporate communications, Murley also received a master of arts in leadership and public service from Lipscomb University.
In a statement released by the Overton Park Conservancy, Murley was selected from a “competitive field of applicants by a committee comprising current members of the Overton Park Conservancy board of directors, along with several past board chairs.”
“The committee felt that her connection to the park, and the strong internal and community relationships she has built over the past five years, made her the ideal choice to lead the Conservancy into this phase of growth,” they said in a statement.
Sullivan said she is “grateful to be leaving the conservancy in such capable hands,” and that she’s been “accelerating ever since.” She also said she has confidence in the staff and board.
“Kaci has a thorough understanding of the park, its unique history, and its opportunities,” said Yancy Villa, Overton Park Conservancy board chair. “We believe this knowledge will inform her as she strives to protect and improve the park while keeping Overton Park in the center of it all.”
A group of OP99 players tee off at Overton Park 9 Tuesday. (Photo: Toby Sells)
They played 99 at OP9.
That is, a group of friends played 99 holes Tuesday at Overton Park 9 for the good of Memphis golf.
The 15 friends started at 6 a.m. — three groups of five. The goal was to play 11 consecutive rounds of the nine-hole course. They’d walk the whole thing. One of the group said total milage would be around 25 miles.
For this, they raised money, all the money going to the Overton Park Junior Open, the Overton Park Conservancy (OPC), and the Loren Roberts Scholarship Fund through The First Tee.
Will Frazier’s face was sun-reddened by around 4 p.m. on the eighth round of the 11-round OP99, as they called it. His feet hurt but his spirits were still up. His irons were still crisp. His sense of humor was still intact.
“I just wish somebody else would’ve put this on,” Frazier joked. “From the beginning I said this is a good idea. This should happen. Sounds great. Who’s going to be the guy who’s going to put it together?”
The guy turned out to be him and his “partner in crime” John Irvine. Frazier had survived a similar golf event in East Tennessee, that one a total of 100 holes called the Hundred Hole Hike. That event helped to subsidize golf rounds up to $5 for kids there. Memphis kids play every city-owned course for free. So no need to help pay for rounds.
Instead, the OP99 funds will help fund the Overton Park Junior Open. The tournament has been a staple of the Memphis golf scene since it began in 1947. While free and open to all Memphis youth ages 7 to 16, organizing and creating the event is not.
Funds for the OPC will support the OP9 golf course, of course.
The Loren Roberts Scholarship fund through The First Tee is awarded to a graduating Memphis student who participates in the First Tee program. That program introduces youth to the game of golf with coaches and practices. The scholarship came from PGA Tour member Loren Roberts, who wanted to make an annual contribution to the Mid-South Junior Golf Association (MSJGA).
As of Thursday, OP99 had raised $54,400.
“I have two little boys — an 8-year-old and a 5-year-old — who love the game of golf,” said OP99 golfer Daniel Connerley. “When [Frazier] said we’re doing this, and we’re going to get it going for the growth of the game and to get more kids involved in it … I’m like, absolutely.
“I grew up playing golf with my dad and I want to do the same with my boys. If there’s more places to do that and more opportunities for them to do it, that’s what I’m here for.”
Game play on the eighth round was still brisk and competitive. Word on the fairway was that Chase Harris, a former University of Memphis golfer and current PGA golf pro at Chickasaw Country Club, had set the OP9 course record on one round. He was on pace to break his own record in following rounds. Harris finished the day with an astounding 55 birdies, more than half of 99 holes he played.
Frazier is ready to do it again.
“So the game plan is to try to build enough momentum from this that it just sort of rolls on itself because it’s a great idea,” Frazier said. “We’ve got 15 guys out here. But I bet there are 50, 75, 150 guys in Memphis that would love to do this and these legs aren’t going to hold up forever.
“I can do it a couple of times. But not forever.”
The OP99 players were Frazier, Irvine, Connerley, Harris, Stephen Ellis, Tucker Fox, Justin Smith, Alex Ransone, Davidson Alexander, Brian Abraham, McCown Smith, Luke Jensen, Alex Butterworth, Foster Smith, and Jimmy Beard.
“I’ve been walking in this park since the late 1980s. I grew up in Memphis, so I know every trail. When I was young, my first dog got swept down Lick Creek into the zoo. I have so many memories. But all of us who work here at the park have a passion for connecting people with nature … Oh, a white-eyed vireo! … Listen. Chick-breeyou-chick. They’re my favorites. They are such comedians!”
Fields Falcone is the rare person who can carry on a human conversation, identify an avian song and mimic it, and then return to speaking English without missing a beat. Her title is stewardship manager for the Overton Park Conservancy, but she is a scientist/avian biologist who’s conducted field and lab work as far away as the Marianas Islands and as near as the Memphis Zoo. Today, she is taking an amateur bird-lover — namely me — on a bird walk in the park’s Old Forest.
“There are only three urban old-growth forests in the country,” says Falcone. “We manage the habitat here mostly by invasive species removal and by trying to control how many trails there are. Beyond that, it’s so ancient that it’s a perfect habitat for many interior forest birds. During the spring and fall migrations many species stop in for a snack, then move on after a few days to bigger wooded areas like the Wolf River or Hatchie River or T.O. Fuller — or further north to their breeding grounds. … Oh, that’s an eastern wood peewee. … Its song is so plaintive.”
In addition to its migratory visitors, which offer “some of the best birding in Memphis,” Overton Park has a healthy population of resident and migratory breeding species, and Falcone appears acutely aware of all of them. “We do a lot of birding by ear,” she says. “And really, when we’re doing a survey, vocals tend to be more valuable, especially song versus call. It’s of higher value than even a perfect picture because it is the true genetic imprint of the bird.”
We both have our Merlin bird-identification phone apps turned on as we walk, careful to keep our footsteps as quiet as possible. It’s a necessary tool for me, and probably of more use as a backup identifier for Falcone.
“Merlin is great, and accessible for everyone,” she says. I’m reassured, and chance a guess at a song echoing through the treetops.
“Isn’t that a robin?”
“No, that’s a red-eyed vireo,” Falcone says. “It sounds like a robin on helium.” Well, sure. I knew that.
“And that’s a great crested flycatcher,” she says, head turned to the lower branches. “Breeep, breep. It’s pretty birdy today, even though most of the spring migration period is over. I wasn’t sure it would be.”
There will soon be some new territory between the zoo and the forest opening up for Old Forest trail walkers, thanks to a land-use compromise that finally ends occasional zoo parking on the park’s Greensward.
“We’re going to have some lovely new trails,” says Falcone. “Bob’s Trees and Trails has already mapped the area. We got a federal grant with the help of Congressman Cohen to help settle the final plans on the Greensward. The zoo got a chunk, the city got a chunk, and Overton Park got a chunk. We’re designing a loop trail around the Greensward and there will finally be no parking there. We have a great relationship with Matt Thompson, the zoo CEO.”
A young couple, each carrying binoculars, approaches. They are smiling, and say something to Falcone but I don’t catch it. “Ooh,” she says, “They heard a black-throated green warbler. They make this insane, brilliant, lovely song — gee, geegeegee — but they’re only here for migration.”
And I’m only here for this awesome bird walk (and my daily dog walks), but I urge you to check Overton Park’s calendar for nature programs, tai chi, science cafe, and other activities. It’s a great respite from the city’s heat and hustle. And if you’re lucky, you might even run into the remarkable Fields Falcone. If you do, tell her Bruce says, “breeep.”
Overton Park Conservancy Executive Director Tina Sullivan. Photo by Kailynn Johnson.
The Overton Park Conservancy provided a “very early look” of the proposed new trails at Overton Park.
Officials said it would probably be several months before the trail opens to the public as they have to pull invasive plants and cut the trails.
In 2023 the conservancy and the Memphis Zoo worked together on a solution regarding parking on the Greensward. Historically, the zoo has used 12 acres of the Greensward for overflow parking. However, last year the zoo agreed to return this land to free public parkland under the conservancy’s management.
“The acreage, which was once slated to be home to a new Zoo exhibit space, has been behind a chain-link fence for years, disconnected from the 126 acres that the conservancy began managing in 2012,” the conservancy said in a statement. “As we prepare to remove the fence, the conservancy has enlisted a professional trail designer to create a new path that links up to the existing Old Forest trail system, maximizes views, and traverses the varied topography of the space.”
On Wednesday morning the Overton Park Conservancy hosted a walking press conference inviting media to be among the first to go behind the fence. The conservancy’s executive director Tina Sullivan and director of operations Eric Bridges hosted a walk on the proposed trail to share their expected plans for opening the space.
During the preview, Sullivan honed in on the natural beauty of the area as well as how carefully they’re going about planning and designing the trail system. The conservancy is putting a heavy focus on enhancing the innate characteristics such as log placement and sycamores.
“A place like this is so important in an urban area like Memphis,” Sullivan said. “To get another dozen acres of this kind of habitat and this kind of deep, immersive, nature experience for Memphians — it’s such a joy. It’s such a gift to the people of Memphis.”
Sullivan said they hope to preserve and steward the space for future generations. She added that the preservation also improves the park experience from all directions.
“If we were not to have gotten this particular tract of forest back then [the] viewshed from across the Greensward would have been compromised,” Sullivan said. “We would have potentially been looking at the backside of an exhibit or parking lot. We are especially grateful to the zoo that they saw the benefit of preserving this tract of land and the conservation value. We have a lot of opportunities to work together to research [and] study what’s back here and how to preserve it for future generations.”
Bridges said they will soon be starting the process of invasive removal, and as a part of their grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development a team from Nashville will begin the process of an initial reduction.
“It’s not a one and done,” Bridges said. “The goal is whenever you remove something you create a growing space. Something was there and something’s going to fill that space. It’s really critical that you guide the next invasive.”
Bridges added it will be their “test ground” for an ecological restoration strategy.
“We’re good at the removal business. Now we’re going to get into the restoration business, which is that next step,” Bridges said.
This restoration process will likely include replanting and seeding and “guiding the forest” as Bridges put it.
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland speaks at a news conference Tuesday during an update on the plan to maneuver resources around Overton Park to end Greensward parking forever. (Credit: Toby Sells)
Moves are underway to make real a plan unveiled in March 2022 that will enlarge Overton Park, add parking for the Memphis Zoo, and forever end parking on the park’s Greensward.
(Credit: Overton Park Conservancy)
A Tuesday news conference updating the project came a year and seven months after officials signed a plan to end the decades-old use of the Greensward for overflow parking. Many of those same officials met on that large field Tuesday to outline some of the movements making their plan a reality. Much go the new activity comes thanks to $3 million in federal funding, announced in July 2021 and secured by U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Memphis).
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland was voted into office one year after tensions between park activists and zoo leaders began to mount. The Greensward issue has been a mainstay on the Strickland administration’s agenda from when it began in 2016 to nearly its end later this year. (Follow the link above for details.)
Strickland outlined several projects in motion now to make that plan a reality:
• The City of Memphis Public Works and General Services personnel have vacated 281 East Parkway and moved to the Coca-Cola facility off of Hollywood by Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. (Some of these 21 acres will become parkland once again.)
• Zoo maintenance has begun moving and relocating some of their equipment to that 281 East Parkway facility.
• The city has performed preliminary design to demolish and regrade the existing city of Memphis facility located off East Parkway.
• The city has performed preliminary design to the demolition, regrade, paving, and re-striping of the existing zoo lot located on North Parkway east of University Street.
• The city is also working with Memphis Light, Gas & Water (MLGW) to identify and move any power or light poles within the project area.
Tina Sullivan, executive director of Overton Park Conservancy (OPC), noted minor adjustments to the park’s original plan for the Greensward. Also, she said no solid plans have yet been made for the space in the southeast corner of the park that will be open once the city has vacated it.
One of the original plans imagined an earthen berm to be built around portions of the Greensward, especially where the field bordered the zoo’s main parking lot. Instead, a shaded walking trail will be added all around the Greensward to give visitors access to it and a shady spot to sit.
(Credit: Overton Park via Facebook)
Also, improvements around Rainbow Lake will “naturalize and beautify” it to “look more like a real lake rather than a concrete pond.” The Rainbow Lake Pavillion will be replaced with a new facility that will allow rentals and offer some outdoor education classroom space.
(Credit: Overton Park Conservancy)(Credit: Overton Park Conservancy)
Some of these changes were seen on renderings present during Tuesday’s news conference. Though, Sullivan said those were ideas more than concrete plans.
Tuesday’s event featured many thanks to the many organizations who worked together for these many years to make a plan that worked and to execute that plan.
“Well, the Greensward’s been saved and Jim Strickland had a lot to do with it,” Cohen said, noting that his help came during the “fourth quarter” of the game. “He received a lot of gruff, which he did not deserve because he was working quietly to get this done.”
To which, Strickland later returned the thanks, saying Cohen’s help with the federal funding “led us into a two-minute drive down the field to score a touchdown at the end,” continuing the football analogy.
Of special note, though, is the new relationship formed between zoo leaders and those from OPC. Much of the early work on this issue seemed adversarial between the two. However, former zoo president and CEO Jim Dean seemingly brought a cooperative spirit to the situation, helping to create a new way forward that not only solved the parking situation but yielded 17 acres of zoo property back to the park.
During Tuesday’s event, Sullivan called new zoo president and CEO Matt Thompson “my new best friend” and Thompson called that a “mutual feeling.”
Try a road opening on a path at Overton Park.(Photo: Emily Guenther)
We’re officially headed into the second half of the year, which makes this a great time to check in with ourselves. We have had all year to plan what we wanted to work on and begin to make it happen. How is that manifestation project going? If things aren’t developing as you had hoped by now, there are some things you can do to keep moving forward.
Firstly, consider if the work you began earlier is something you want to continue doing. Sometimes things just don’t work out, or the timing isn’t right. Don’t force something that isn’t meant to be. However, if you do want to continue this same journey, and feel like you need a little help getting to the finish line, a road opening work might be just the thing you need.
A road opening is a spell that will help remove any obstacles on the road ahead of you that might be preventing you from reaching your desired goal. The road opener spell is a multitasker. It can be similar to a banishing, invoking, intention setting, or shielding work. Often, a road opening does a little of all of those things. It can also help when everything seems confused, heavy, stagnant, and there is incessant pressure, miscommunication, and/or bad luck preventing your progress.
A road opening work can help attract a more successful energy to enter your life. Depending on your circumstances, it may help remove negative energies affecting you, and it can help you refocus on your goal. Road opening has similar properties to Van Van, a hoodoo recipe used for opening doors, bringing success and good luck, and clearing obstacles. Van Van is typically found in an oil, and the oil can be combined with a road opening candle for a powerful obstacle remover.
Road opening work often makes use of candles. Most road opening candles come in orange, gold, and green — three colors that represent success and action. Once you have a candle, you can add herbs or oils to it to help program and increase the energy of the spell. Van Van oil would be a great addition; however, you could also try herbs whose energies attract success and luck such as five finger grass, bay, clove, cinnamon, allspice, abre camino herb, or High John root. Basil, pine, rue, lemongrass, and lemon balm are all great herbs for removing negativity and cleansing, which is something you will want to do as part of your road opening. Getting rid of any stagnant or negative energy and cleansing is always the best place to start with any endeavor, especially if you feel like something is blocking you from your goal.
You could add a key to your road opening candle to help unlock the path ahead of you. You can use a real key or a key charm. A real key might be helpful if the lock that the key opens is part of what needs to be unblocked, such as clearing the way for getting a new home or business space. You can tie the key to the candle or lay it next to the candle. Be sure to speak your intentions over the key or any other item you incorporate.
It is thought that our ancestors may have done their road opening work at a crossroads. If you have a convenient crossroads where you can do this, use it and let it add energy to your spell. Most of us do not have a handy crossroads, but there are some work-arounds if you would like to use the imagery of a crossroads. You can use crossroads dirt in your work. Simply stop at a convenient intersection and dig up a handful dirt to use. Or you can use chalk and draw a big cross or X on your working space and set your candle in the middle, where the two lines cross.
Once you have what you need to do your working, all that’s left is for you to light your candle, refocus on your goal, and succeed! Happy manifesting!
Emily Guenther is a co-owner of The Broom Closet metaphysical shop. She is a Memphis native, professional tarot reader, ordained Pagan clergy, and dog mom.
June is upon us, and with it comes the start of the fearsome Memphis summers: sweltering heat waves, thick walls of humidity, and plenty of time designated to sitting around a pool.
While true summer won’t begin for another couple of weeks, it sure feels like summer already, and an arbitrary start won’t stop anyone from seeking out early ways to beat the heat. Here at the Memphis Flyer, we asked our team for some advice on how they cool off, and our writers delivered.
Whether it’s sweet treats, canoe trips, or a jaunt to the drive-in, there’s plenty of summer fun to be had. Just don’t forget the sunblock.
Darious Sumlin at Coney Island (Photo: Michael Donahue)
Coney Island
I have this idyllic summer scenario in my head of swimming for hours on a hot day and then going to a local drive-in for a hamburger and milkshake. That scenario dates to the 1950s and ’60s for me. But I relived it the other day (except for the swimming part) when I pulled into Coney Island at 2351 Elvis Presley Boulevard.
I’ve passed this place for years and years, but I never stopped. Driving over, I suddenly realized maybe the name “Coney” was a play on ice cream “cone.”
The friendly, efficient Darious Sumlin, 19, who’s worked at Coney Island for five or six years, took my order at the window. I ordered a hamburger (double patty) and a vanilla milkshake. I asked Sumlin what Coney Island item he thinks is the most popular. He immediately said, “Everybody comes for the Chicago-style Polish sausage.”
It comes with mustard, relish, jalapeños, and grilled onions. It’s Sumlin’s favorite, too. “I just make mine different.” He gets his with just mayonnaise, peppers, and cheese. “A lot of people make it their own way. Some people get just plain meat and bread. I don’t like to eat it like that.” So, I also ordered the Polish sausage sandwich with the works.
That hamburger was great. Just like they tasted in my scenario. And that Chicago-style Polish sausage was the bomb. It was so good.
And, yes, you can get a “vanilla cone” at Coney Island.
Coney Island is open from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day except Sunday. — Michael Donahue
Enjoy Memphis’ Signature Cocktail
If Memphis has a civic cocktail, it’s the Jameson slushie.
Thanks to Old Dominick Distillery, the city can lay claim to a host of Memphis versions of famous drinks, like the Memphis Mule. And, yes, Wet Willie’s has been serving frozen drinks on Beale for years, but it’s a chain. Now Willie’s is even competing with another frozen drink chain — Fat Tuesday — for dominance.
But Slider Inn’s signature slushie seems to have been born, raised, and celebrated here. The cocktail’s birthday is unclear. The Memphis Flyer and The Commercial Appeal first mention the drink in 2015. But so many years on, one thing is clear: The Jameson slushie is a bona fide Memphis institution.
“The drink consists of Barritt’s Ginger Beer, house-made lemonade, delicious Jameson Irish Whiskey, and bitters,” according to a Flyer story from 2015.
First off, though — it’s coooold. Mixed in a frozen drink machine, its tiny pebbled ice grains drink like a milkshake. Yes, this is likely how the slushie first beckons hot and sweaty Memphians to Slider’s patios.
But they stay for the flavor. The lemon citrus is bright, sweet, bitter, and subtly spiced underneath with the ginger beer. While it’s clear the slushie is alcoholic (I mean, the name, right?), it’s not boozy. The Irish whiskey is present but not overpowering.
So sit a spell on a Slider patio with friends and a slushie. Jameson shows up and works some Memphis magic on the weather and your troubles. But watch yourself. One (or maybe two) is all the fuel you’ll need to get a start on a fun evening. — Toby Sells
Summer Drive-In (Photo: Abigail Morici)
The Drive-In: Branded Cool
Ever since my eyeballs took in the glorious scenes of Grease while parked in front of a hotel TV at 6 years old, I longed for the day I could be as cool as the 30-something-year-olds playing teenagers going to the drive-in movie. The drive-in, I imagined, would be the pinnacle of my high school experience. It wasn’t. I wouldn’t go to a drive-in until a week after my 24th birthday, just a year older than John Travolta was when he crooned about being stranded in the drive-in, being branded a fool, worrying what his classmates would say Monday at school.
At the Malco Summer Drive-In, though, there was no swing set for John Travolta to sulk on, no gossiping in the girls’ bathroom, no Pink Ladies, and no T-Birds. But there was a movie playing on the big screen and air conditioning in the car — and that was enough to make me feel pretty cool. Plus, you can bring your own snacks, and you don’t have to sit next to a stranger who chews too loudly, like in a regular (read: not cool) movie theater. Not to mention that tickets are only $25 per carload. What’s not to love?
The drive-in has movies playing pretty much every night this summer — from Evil Dead Rise to The Little Mermaid. And, of course, there’s the Time Warp Drive-In every month, where you can catch back-to-back screenings of some of your favorite films. (Time Warp’s screening on June 24th is themed “It’s War! Human vs. Aliens,” featuring Edge of Tomorrow, Starship Troopers, and The Blob [1988].) So, if you consider yourself cool, head on over to malco.com for movie times. — Abigail Morici
Wolf River Beach (Photo: Alex Greene)
The Beach Within Reach
“For some Memphis summer fun, nothing beats hitting the beach!” said no one ever? Don’t forget that hidden gem, Wolf River Beach. Truth be told, some call it a sand bar, but my bare feet did not care one whit as they stepped into the sublime cool of the Wolf River’s waters. And, looking 50 yards in either direction at the other parties dotting the white sands, I thought, “This is a beach!”
It turns out that this shady getaway is hidden in plain sight, just off Germantown Parkway, South Walnut Bend Road, where signs lead you to Shelby Farms’ Gate 19, with a well-maintained road to the Germantown Trailhead of the Lucius E. Burch Jr. State Natural Area. Note that the beach itself can be elusive — and sometimes disappears completely.
Don’t be alarmed: It’s only the river submerging the sandy strip after heavy rains. Luckily, wolfriverbeach.com provides a link to the current USGS water level readings for the site, which you can check before making the trip.
Once you park you’re only a few yards from the waterside, if you bear left from the trail head. Bearing right will lead you into a few miles of wild forest — a hiker’s and birder’s paradise — before looping back to the beach. There, I said it: THE BEACH.— Alex Greene
Suga Mama Snoballs (Photo: Kailynn Johnson)
Have a Snoball
Some of my favorite summer memories took place in the Mississippi Delta when I was growing up. My grandma would always treat me to a strawberry-daiquiri-flavored snow cone and nachos from a local food truck in our town. As I grew older, this combination became a delicacy. While there were local snow cone joints that were the envy of everyone’s Instagram stories, everything felt commercialized, and I couldn’t find that balance and innocence associated with my childhood combo.
I remember scrolling on Instagram one day and spying a snow cone with a giant piece of cheesecake in the center of it. I had heard of sweet cream, and even ice cream paired with snow cones, but this was a first. Intrigued, I clicked on the profile for Suga Mama Snoballs, and I was instantly transported back to my childhood. Not only does the shop have your basic “snoball” flavors (I tried the birthday cake with sweet cream), but the more adventurous patrons may be privy to the “Ain’t It Mane,” which comes with a piece of strawberry shortcake in the middle, or a Suga Mama Specialty.
What makes Suga Mama so special to me is that the shop also carries foods that are true fan favorites in my household but not necessarily sold in restaurants, such as Rotel tacos and Kool-Aid pickles. The shop has two locations, with one at 1717 East Holmes Road and the other at 7041 East Shelby Drive, Suite 117. — Kailynn Johnson
Writers love a good Mississippi River canoe trip. (Photo: Chris McCoy)
Canoe the Mississippi
When I thought about it, I couldn’t believe I’ve been in Memphis this long and never gone canoeing on the Mississippi. I’d been out on the river in riverboats with fake paddle wheels, but there were cocktails involved. But I had never been as close to Big Muddy as I was a few weeks ago, when I set out on a Saturday paddle with Matthew Burdine of Mississippi River Expeditions and a few colleagues from Contemporary Media, Inc.
The canoe, Burdine told us, is a modern version of the vessels Native Americans had perfected thousands of years before Columbus arrived. It would seat 20 comfortably and included a mount for a sail — although we were about to find out that on this day, the sail would have worked against us.
Burdine radiated calm as he went over the safety procedures. Then the boat full of greenhorns launched into the muddy waters. Seen from the point of view of the first people to ever navigate it, the Mississippi seems vast and unforgiving. It had stormed the night before, and at one point we saw an entire tree rushing southward on the river. Paddling did not seem super strenuous, until I imagined doing it for days on end.
Our goal was to cross the river to Robinson Crusoe Island, a game preserve directly across from the mouth of the Wolf River, where we had put in. But as we paddled into the main channel, a strong west wind whipped up, and it was obvious this boat full of novices lacked the muscle power to buck it. Instead, we paddled around the harbor, taking in the angle at which Downtown looks most fetching. After this taste of aquatic wilderness, I will definitely go back for a full day trip when the wind is a little calmer. — Chris McCoy
Abe Goodman Clubhouse (Photo: Bruce VanWyngarden)
Kick Back at Overton Park’s Abe Goodman Clubhouse
“We could just go play Overton.”
Those words were often uttered by Memphis golfers over the past 40 years or so — “Overton,” meaning the once-scruffy little nine-hole course that wound through the Old Forest in Overton Park. For decades, it was a course of last resort, the track you went to when you couldn’t get a tee time anywhere else. Overton Park was short and funky, with tiny greens and erratic maintenance that made each round an adventure.
That’s decidedly no longer the case. In 2021, the course underwent a $4 million makeover, the result of a private/public partnership that produced a delightfully revamped course that opened last June.
It was a long time coming. The original course in Overton Park opened in 1906 and was reputedly the first public course opened in the South. Twenty years later, in 1926, Memphis businessman and philanthropist Abe Goodman donated $25,000 for the construction of a clubhouse. In those days, $25,000 went a long way. As Memphis magazine’s Vance Lauderdale put it in a 2018 article about Goodman: “The Tudor-style building featured a vaulted-ceiling dance hall, massive brick fireplace, snack bar, golf shop, and kitchen facilities on the ground floor. Downstairs, players could find showers and changing rooms. Upstairs was a cozy apartment for the resident golf pro.”
I suspect there is no longer an apartment for a resident golf pro upstairs, but the newly remodeled Abe Goodman Clubhouse is now reopened — with its 100-year-old bones nicely intact. It’s a worthy companion to the reinvented links.
And I should mention that the shady patio is an inviting spot to enjoy a cool beverage on a summer afternoon, even if you’ve never played a round. — Bruce VanWyngarden
Ghost River patio (Photo: Samuel X. Cicci)
Brain Out on a Patio
Most summers, I find myself craving a beer when the heat starts to creep in. And most times, I’ll seek out a patio to drink said beer upon. My balcony works, sure, but sometimes I need to just get outside the confines of my home space and find a new spot.
But while I’ve done plenty of drinkin’ and patio relaxin’ in my time, I have a constant need to be entertained. So with that in mind, our crew set out to find patios that could provide fun activities.
Like the nerds we are, we eventually settled on the weekly “Geeks Who Drink” trivia at Ghost River Brewing Co. that lets us chill outside (the end of South Main is quite nice and calm at dusk) and work those brains as we guzzle a Grindhouse or Riverbank Red. Trusty Mike behind the bar gives us the proverbial hat tip now that we’ve established ourselves as regulars, and then the games can begin.
There’s plenty of brainteasing trivia fun to be had around town, but the chill vibe at Ghost River gives trivia some room to breathe, with this iteration providing some truly bizarre categories. Take, for instance, a music round that requires you to identify different songs, usually with a twist. My favorite is one that replaces all vocals with the sounds of chickens clucking, or another that features iconic Darth Vader lines dropped into the middle of a song. It’s a whole lot of shenanigans, a whole lot of beer, and a whole lot of patio. An excellent summer combo. — Samuel X. Cicci
The pop-up “Evanescent” closes Friday. (Photo: Abigail Morici)
The age-old debate pits nature against nurture, but being in nature can nurture the mind, body, and spirit. To that point, Overton Park Conservancy (OPC) is hosting its first-ever NatureZen Week.
The week, which kicked off on October 16th, features short mindfulness walks, led by volunteers from various disciplines — spiritual, artistic, wellness, ecology — to encourage people to slow down, take in their surroundings, and disconnect for a bit. “They’re kind of like the Japanese concept of forest-bathing where it doesn’t take a very long time to feel the benefits of nature,” says Melissa McMasters, OPC’s director of communications. “You just have to intentionally go and kick your mind off of other things while you’re there, and your body and your mind start to respond.”
The ultimate goal of these walks and of the week overall is to serve as a launching pad for OPC to implement more mindfulness walks and activities. The idea arose from the times of lockdown. “We started running a NatureZen series on our blog and in our email,” McMasters explains, “and we kept putting out all this messaging to encourage people to still get to the park if they could and enjoy the beauty of nature, just as some kind of a counterbalance to the pandemic. Now we are looking more into public programming.”
To conclude the week, OPC invites all to Club House Zen at the Brooks Museum Plaza. “It’s gonna be kind of a happy hour,” McMasters says. The celebration will also mark the closing of the Brooks’ outdoor pop-up exhibit, “Evanescent,” a collection of larger-than-life bubbles.
“It’ll be really cool to have a dance party with the bubbles,” McMasters adds. DJ Bizzle Bluebland and Ross al Ghul will spin tunes, and food and drink will be available for purchase. A donation of $25 to the conservancy will get you a wristband for free food and drinks for the evening. For more information and a full schedule of mindfulness walks, visit overtonpark.org/naturezenweek.
Club House Zen, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art Plaza, Friday, October 21, 5:30-7:30 p.m., free.
Items from The Parkview will be up for auction September 17th and 18th (Credit: Michael Donahue)
You can own a piece of history from the Parkview. Liquidation auctions of furniture and other items from the historic building overlooking Overton Park will be held from 10 to 3 p.m. September 17th and 18th at the Parkview at 1914 Poplar Avenue.
The Parkview, which was a residential hotel before becoming a retirement community, is slated to reopen as condos, apartments, and retail businesses, says Helen Todd of Aqua Treasures, which is conducting the auction. In 2020, Force Properties, a California-based business, bought the Parkview, which it will renovate.
Auction items include event tables and chairs, commercial kitchen appliances, dining room chandeliers, old books, interior design decor, a baby grand piano, and much more, Todd says.
A preview will be held from 1 to 6 p.m. September 16th.
The Parkview auction (Credit: Michael Donahue)The Parkview auction (Credit: Michael Donahue)The Parkview auction (Credit: Michael Donahue)The Parkview auction (Credit: Michael Donahue)The Parkview auction (Credit: Michael Donahue)
As to where this stands in their estate sale business history, Todd says, “This qualifies for us as the head of the estate sale and auction category for seeing the architecture and history within the city of Memphis.”
In a Memphis magazine story on The Parkview, Anne Cunningham O’Neill wrote, “When the 10-story Parkview Hotel opened on New Year’s Eve 1923 at 1914 Poplar Avenue, it was located well away from downtown Memphis — just inside the city limits, which were at that time at Cooper Street. This was the golden age of grand hotels.”
And, O’Neill wrote, “With its commanding views of Overton Park and its luxurious rooms and common areas, the Parkview was immediately billed as the South’s finest residential hotel and an address of rare distinction. Its fortunes waxed and wanted in the Depression years, but in the 1940s the Parkview once again became one of the city’s elegant social hubs. Designed principally as an apartment hotel, it offered rooms to traveling guests, and the popular dining room, known for its good food and musical ensembles, was open to the public.”
The Parkview Auction (Credit: Michael Donahue)The Parkview Auction (Credit: Michael Donahue)The Parkview auction (Credit: Michael Donahue)The Parkview auction (Credit: Michael Donahue)The Parkview auction (Credit: Michael Donahue)The Parkview Auction (Credit: Michael Donahue)
