Photograph Courtesy Willmott Events
Crafts & Drafts Summer Market
Crosstown Concourse, 1350 Concourse Way
Saturday, June 25, 10 a.m.- 5 p.m.
You know what’s wild to me? In 2014, a German server named Oliver Streumpfel set a world record for carrying 27 full one-liter beer mugs at once — and then broke that record in 2017 by carrying 29. That’s over 100 pounds of beer. Wild. But what’s even wilder to me is that the powers-that-be at the Guinness World Records said, “You know what’s missing from our books?” And some intern answered, “How many beers can one person carry over 40 meters?” And the powerful ones said, “Yeah, that’s what.” I guess that’s what you get from an organization with the same name as an Irish dry stout. But, hey, don’t let my negative-Nancy commentary stop you from achieving your dreams of breaking Mr. Streumpfel’s record. Heck, why not try it out at Crafts & Drafts, where a fine selection of regional and local beers await you?
In between beers and some samples from Cash Saver, you can shop from more than 100 curated local makers, crafters, and artists (inside and outside Crosstown) and groove to music from DJ Zetta.
Photograph by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash
Vitalant Donor Fest
Overton Square (Chimes Square), 2102 Trimble Place
Saturday, June 25, 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Breaking a world record takes a lot of sweat, blood, and tears, and that’s truer for some than for others. Consider Australian James Harrison who holds the current Guinness World Record for blood donations — a whopping 1,173 blood donations over a span of 60 years. That’s hard to compete with, but even if you don’t break any records, it’s still nice to donate blood if you can, especially in a blood shortage.
This weekend Vitalant is hosting a donor fest, featuring music, entertainment, and refreshments. Plus, volunteer donors will receive a t-shirt and a Chick-fil-A coupon, and the Memphis Fire Department’s Tiger Pumper will be there, as well as members from the University of Memphis football team.
Register to donate here. To be eligible to donate, you must be at least 16 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds, be in good general health, bring your ID, and eat two hours ahead of your donation and drink plenty of water 24 to 48 hours before your donation. For more information on eligibility requirements, click here.
Photograph by Alex Litvin on Unsplash
Movies & Mixers: Dune Film & Lecture
Museum of Science & History, 3050 Central
Saturday, June 25, 5:30 p.m.-10 p.m.
You don’t have to dedicate your life to breaking a world record to end up in the Guinness Book of World Records. I mean, some people grow their fingernails out for years and years and have to deal with those curlicues as they eat, sleep, and drink. To each their own, but my Lord, that sounds like an inconvenience. But wouldn’t it be convenient to accidentally break a world record?
Ron Miller, who is regarded as one of the leading movie production artists and space illustrators of our time, kinda sorta did that. You see in 1991 he designed a set of commemorative Space Exploration postage stamps for the U.S. Postal Service, and the stamp dedicated to Pluto had a little subtitle on it that annoyed a bunch of space scientists: “Pluto: Not Yet Explored.” So after that, the scientists worked their booties off to get a spacecraft to Pluto, which finally got there in 2015 after a nine-year journey through the cosmos. On board was one of the 29-cent postage stamps that started it all, making the stamp a world-record-breaker, having traveled the farthest distance a postage stamp has traveled.
And guess what! The man behind the stamp is going to be in Memphis this weekend — not to talk about his stamps but about his work on the original Dune. And MoSH is making a whole event about it, complete with a screening of the newly remastered theatrical cut of the film, which has not been seen on the big screen since its release in 1984, plus a display of never-before-seen artwork and actual film artifacts. Ticket holders will receive a complimentary Dune art print, created specially by Ron Miller for this talk and screening. Tickets ($23) can be purchased here.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY LONE TREE LIVE
The 24 Hour Plays: Memphis
TheatreWorks, 2085 Monroe
Saturday, June 25, 7 p.m.-9 p.m.
Sometimes, record-breakers seem like they should be accompanied by a record scratch — like whaaaaattt? Like the fastest theatrical production that pulled together an entire show from learning lines, songs, and choreography, to set design, lighting, and all that jazz in just under 10 hours. I mean, 10 hours! Talk about efficiency. Even more record-scratch-inducing is the fact that this weekend in Memphis, six writers, six directors, and 24 actors will do all that in 24 hours, with the added challenge of actually writing the play, too.
And for $10, you can watch the fruits of the creatives’ labor — six brand-new, unique, 10-minute plays — at TheatreWorks on the Square. Talk about a bang for your buck. Tickets can be purchased here.
Photograph courtesy metal museum
“From Artisans to Artists” Opening Reception and Guest Curator Talk
Metal Museum, 374 Metal Museum
Sunday, June 26, 3 p.m.-5 p.m.
There are certain entries in the Guinness Book of World Records that I wish I never knew about — Monsieur Mangetout’s diet is at the top of my list. By the end of his life, he had eaten the most metal ever willingly consumed by a human — nearly nine tons, to give you an estimate. How can a person survive eating bicycles, supermarket trolleys, TVs, chandeliers, beds, skis, a Cessna light aircraft, and a computer? I don’t know, nor do I want to know.
Photograph Courtesy of the SHRINE Gallery
Hawkins Bolden, Untitled, 1986. Wood, metal, carpet.
Hawkins Bolden, Untitled, 1986. Wood, metal, carpet.
But you know what’s worth knowing more about when it comes to metal? The under-celebrated and often overlooked history of Black metal workers from the 19th and 20th centuries. This exhibition, titled “From Artisans to Artists: African American Metal Workers in Memphis,” traces the role of dozens of Black metal workers from Central and West Africa to modern-day Memphis.
The metal museum is hosting an opening reception and talk by curator Earnestine Jenkins on Sunday. You can register here. The reception is free, but guests are encouraged to make a donation. The exhibition will be on display through September 11.
