Photography courtesy memphis italian festival
Memphis Italian Festival
Marquette Park
Thursday – Saturday, June 1 – 3
On top of spaghetti, all covered with cheese, I lost my poor meatball when somebody sneezed. It rolled off the table and onto the floor, and then my poor meatball rolled out of the door. It rolled all the way to the Memphis Italian Festival. And I can’t say I blame my poor meatball one bit. If I were a meatball, I, too, would want to be a part of the Memphis Italian Festival.
Benefiting Holy Rosary Catholic School, the annual, family-friendly festival boasts great food, great music, and lots of fun, including cooking competitions, arts and crafts vendors, local Italian food vendors, Luigi Land Carnival rides and games, cooking demonstrations (samples included!), grape stomping, a car raffle, and more.
The festival hours are: Thursday, 4–11 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m.–11 p.m.; and Saturday, 11 a.m.–11 p.m. Tickets ($15) can be purchased online or at the gate. Kids (10 and under) and active military with ID get in free.
photography courtesy memphis area master gardeners
Through Our Garden Gates
Various locations
Saturday, June 3, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
And then my poor meatball rolled into a garden and under a bush, but between you and me, I’m a bit jealous of my meatball because, wouldn’t you know it, it rolled into one of the Memphis Area Master Gardeners’ yards — and holy cow, those gardens are something to be in awe of, each with a distinct personality and special features.
And unlike my meatball who just trespassed onto private property, you can legally see some of these Germantown personal gardens yourself and meet with the master gardeners this Saturday. (For a full map of the open gardens, go here.) In addition, each garden will feature presentations by experts on weed control, shade plants, tree care, and other topics, and plein-air artists will be working on-site to capture the beauty of each garden. Find more information about the event here. The tour is free, but donations are encouraged.
And, hey, if you want to see even more gardens, you gotta check out the Evergreen + Washington Bottoms Garden Tour as part of Experience Memphis Gardens initiative to celebrate 207+ imaginative, private gardens as well as public spaces. On Sunday, June 4th, 10 a.m.–3 p.m., guests will get to see 13 gardens, including Sallie Hillard Park, the Buddhist Temple Garden, and Washington Bottoms Community Garden Trails. While guests are encouraged to visit the Works Urban Farm (WUF) which grows vegetables using the latest knowledge and technology. You'll also get to see chickens, bees, railway sets, art vendors, and more. For more information, check out this article by Storyboard Memphis.
You can purchase tickets ($30) here; tickets include admission to Experience Memphis Gardens' future tours this summer. For a full list of upcoming tours, visit here.
photography by kevin reed
Memphis Pride Festival
Robert R. Church Park
Saturday, June 3, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Next thing you know my meatball is going to be rolling in the Pride Parade this weekend, but let’s hope it doesn’t ’cause with 3,000+ participants in the parade my meatball is sure to get smushed to a pile of mush. Lucky for you, you’re not a meatball and nothing is stopping you from celebrating Pride this weekend with Mid-South Pride.
The annual Memphis Pride Festival has something for everyone with over 150 vendors offering a diverse shopping experience, community organizations and support groups, a food truck park, a car show, a kids’ area, a VIP lounge, free HIV screenings, resources for health and wellness, and of course, the Pride Parade, which kicks off at 1 p.m. on Beale. Plus, this year the fest welcomes Kameron Michaels and Lady Camden from Rupaul’s Drag Race, in addition to 50+ local drag entertainers. Admission is just $1 and can be purchased here.
Following the festival, you can head on over to AutoZone Park for Pride Night at 901FC, and the official official after-party — Bacchus — which is the perfect way to close the night as the New Daisy Theatre is transformed into a Grecian paradise, providing the perfect backdrop for an evening of dancing, entertainment, and unforgettable memories.
Other events include the Drag N Drive on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Malco Summer Drive-In, the Big Gay Dance Party on Friday at 8 p.m. and New Daisy Theatre, and the Grand Marshal Drag Brunch on Sunday at 11 a.m. at Loflin Yard. Find more information on all this weekend’s events and purchase tickets here.
Photography courtesy funlola coker
Funlola Coker, Shed | Collect, 2021. Fine silver, sterling silver, mild steel, enamel paint. Courtesy of the Artist.
“We Are Here” Opening Reception and Artist Talk
Metal Museum
Sunday, June 4, 3 p.m.
Oh, gollee, I think I see my poor meatball floating down the Mississippi. Farewell, I guess, but as they say when one door closes, another one opens, and the door that’s opening this weekend is the door to the Metal Museum’s latest exhibit: “We Are Here: LGBTQIA+ Voices in the Contemporary Metals Community.” The juried exhibit celebrates 26 LGBTQIA+ artists working in metal. Together, the 40 or so pieces by these artists forge a fuller narrative of the metal arts community.
This weekend to celebrate the exhibit’s opening, the Metal Museum will host a reception and artist talk. RSVP here. Public reception attendees are asked to make a pay-what-you-can donation. If you would like to make your donation today, you can do so by going to www.metalmuseum.org/donation-form.
“We Are Here” will be on display through September 10th.
photography by linley schmidt
Mora Play
TheatreWorks @ The Square
Performances through June 4
If there ever were a moral to the tale of my meatball once on top of spaghetti, all covered with cheese, it would be to hold on to your meatball whenever you or someone in your vicinity sneezes. And what a moral that is. I don’t think anything could top it — well, maybe the Mora Play could.
The play is a twist on the classic medieval morality play, which was all about doling out morals to the stories. Our Own Voice Theatre Troupe’s Mora Play, though, questions the rules people follow as the central character seeks a place better than the one she knows, discovering strange places with rules that she’s not used to and meeting folks who have different ideas of following the rules.
The show runs Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $12 for students and seniors, and they can be purchased at the box office 30 minutes before curtain. Payment forms include cash, Venmo, and Paypal.
