Tina Turner’s recent death uncovered an amazing connection between the artist and Australia.
Her song “Nutbush City Limits” about her West Tennessee hometown (just between Brownsville and Ripley) is practically embedded in Australian culture, according to a Sky News Australia anchor last week. The song and the line dance that goes with it are staples at Aussie gatherings like parties, weddings, and just about any other festivity.
Big Red Bash, a three-day music festival outside of Broken Hill in New South Wales, Australia, will try to break the record for the largest group dancing to the song next month. Organizers hope to get 5,000 to dance at once, beating the current record of just over 4,700 (above). Each dancer pays $15 to enter. The money goes to the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, which provides emergency aeromedical evacuations throughout rural and remote Australia.
h/t to Craig Meek, Ashley Jones, and Dark Horse Band Canberra.
MPD Pride
Posted to Reddit by u/Genhauer
“Putting the P in MPD,” u/Genhauer posted to Reddit with an image of a convertible(?!) Memphis Police Department cruiser, apparently headed to the Mid-South Pride parade.
Mid-South Pride will host the Memphis Pride Fest Weekend starting on Thursday, June 1st, and ending on Sunday, June 4th.
According to the organization, this event “honors the diverse LGBTQ+ community and its allies, offering a unique experience that transcends traditional boundaries and fosters unity through a variety of engaging activities and inspiring performances.”
“Mid-South Pride will not back down when any part of our community is attacked. We will always support drag entertainment and those who choose it as a freedom of expression,” said Vanessa Rodley, president of Mid-South Pride.
The weekend will start off with a “Drag N Drive” event at the Malco Summer Drive-In located at 5310 Summer Avenue. There will be a showing of the movie Legally Blonde at 8 p.m., with a drag show starting at 10 p.m. According to Mid-South Pride, this is a “fun family-friendly event that sells out every year.” Tickets are $35 and can be purchased here.
On Friday, June 2nd, there will be a “Big Gay Dance Party,” hosted by Friends For Life at the New Daisy Theatre located on 330 Beale Street. The theme for this year’s party is “Hate is a Drag,” which the organization said celebrates gender nonconformity and self-expression. Attendees are encouraged to dress up as their favorite celebrity or in their best decade-inspired attire. Cross-dressing is also encouraged.
The Memphis Pride Festival will take place on Saturday, June 3rd, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. There will be live entertainment, more than 150 vendors, a food truck, a car show, and a kids’ area, along with “free and discreet HIV screenings.” There will also be a Pride Parade from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m starting at Robert Church Park.
Photo: Courtesy Mid-South Pride
Live entertainment will feature prominent Memphis performers like the Moth Moth Moth, Aubrey Ombre, and Devon Davenport, as well as performances by RuPaul’s Drag Race contestants Kameron Michaels and Lady Camden.
There will also be a Pride Night at 901FC on Saturday, June 3rd, at 7:30 p.m., as well as the official 2023 Memphis Pride Fest after-party, Bacchus, at the New Daisy Theatre, starting at 8:00 p.m.
The weekend will end with a Grand Marshal Drag Brunch on Sunday, June 4th. The location has yet to be announced; however, it will start at 11 a.m.
Find more information on the Memphis Pride Fest Weekend and purchase tickets to the various events here.
The remaining crosswalks at the corner of Cooper and Young could soon get the same gay-pride-rainbow treatment as the one painted that way in 2019.
A petition to paint one crosswalk (the eastern side) with the design was posted to change.org in May 2019 by Jerred Price, a talk show host, entertainer, and president of the Downtown Neighborhood Association who was running for the Memphis City Council’s District 7 seat at the time. After a series of meetings, the project was approved by the council in September 2019.
Work was completed on the crosswalk — the first such crosswalk in Tennessee — in November. The paint faded on the design and it was repainted in June 2020 with a more-permanent resin material over it to protect it from weather and traffic. The $3,000 project was funded by private donors.
Credit: Memphis Rainbow Crosswalk/Facebook
Price announced on Facebook Wednesday that he had completed and submitted the application for the second phase of work for the Memphis Rainbow Crosswalk.
“This will bring the remaining three crosswalks at Cooper and Young to life with new rainbow stripes!” Price said. “The original project called for all four sides. However, we had some trial and error to do. So, to play it safe, we started with the one.”
The folks at Overton Park’s Greensward are throwing a Pride picnic on Saturday, June 25th at 10 a.m. Attendees are asked to bring a picnic lunch and “a willingness to participate in silly games,” according to the event’s Facebook page.
Pain’t It Cool Body Art will be there painting faces and accepting donations for Hearts of Gold Pit Rescue.
June is LGBTQ Pride month across the country, and most cities are having their big Pride celebrations this coming weekend (which also coincides with the first anniversary of nationwide marriage equality).
Memphis’ official Pride event, hosted by Mid-South Pride, was moved to the fall several years ago due to the area’s wickedly hot summer weather. The official Mid-South Pride parade and festival is scheduled for September 24th on Beale Street.
