Come As Thou Art
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art
Friday, October 18, 8 p.m. – 11:45 p.m.
Friday is Sweetest Day, a totally made-up holiday — side note: Aren’t all holidays made up? — but this one was made up for the sole purpose of selling more candy. Story goes that 12 Cleveland confectioners gathered together and plotted out the whole darn thing in the 1920s. The sentiment was nice enough; they distributed over 20,000 boxes of candy to “newsboys, orphans, old folks, and the poor” to encourage people to buy from them and give candy to their loved ones (like Valentine’s Day 2.0). Pretty sweet, right?
You know what else is gonna be sweet? The inaugural Come as Thou Art Costume Ball. Don your most imaginative attire, either inspired by the night’s theme — the enchanting world of Tim Burton — or the spirit of an artist or designer. The evening will be capped off with a fashion show by Sonin Lee. General admission tickets are $60 and can be purchased here.
photography courtesy American Cancer Society, Memphis
Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of Memphis
Shelby Farms Park
Saturday, October 19, 9:30 a.m.
A sweet way to spend your Saturday morning — or any Saturday morning — is a nice (or should we say sweet?) walk. So why not make that walk extra special this weekend by making it for a good cause?
Making Strides has always been more than just a walk; it’s a movement. The American Cancer Society is making it easier for anyone, anywhere, to make an impact. They know the future can be free from breast cancer. This year’s day of fellowship and fundraising will have lots of family-friendly fun, so bring the whole family and make a morning of it. The event opens at 9:30 a.m. with lots of things to do, the onstage program starts at 10:20 a.m., and the walk begins at 11 a.m. Register here.
photography courtesy riverartsfest
RiverArtsFest
Riverside Dr.
Saturday – Sunday, October 19-20, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
One of the sweetest songs to ever grace the airwaves has to be Diana Ross’ “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” Ain’t no mountain high, ain’t no valley low, ain’t no river wide enough, baby — not even the Mississippi — to keep me from getting to RiverArtsFest, the largest juried artist market and urban festival in the Mid-South. This year’s festival features 165 artists participating in the artist market, plus hands-on art activities, artist demonstrations, and two stages of entertainment (see here for the schedule). Proceeds from the festival support year-round community and arts education programming for students, arts educators, and the public. Tickets are $10/one-day general admission, $15/two-day general admission, $5/youth ages 6-17, and free/children 5 and under; purchase them here.
photography Courtesy of the Artist and the Metal Museum
Family Fun Day
Metal Museum
Saturday, October 19, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
As part of the Metal Museum’s fundraiser Repair Days, the museum is hosting a Family Fun Day, offering hands-on activities, demonstrations, and kid-friendly games on museum grounds, plus free admission. Isn’t that sweet?! Guests can make their own wire figures and paint their own metal or plaster molds for free. There are also a few paid activities, where you can take away your very own sculpture. Be sure to stick around for the big Iron Pour at 2 to 4 p.m. as glowing orange molten iron is poured into molds, creating solid pieces as it cools. The museum’s Master Metalsmith Preston Jackson will give an artist talk at 4 p.m. (RSVP for the talk here.) You can bring your metal items to the museum to have them restored through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., for Repair Days. Find more information at metalmuseum.org/repair-days.
photography by brandon dill
Cooper-Young Beerfest
Midtown Autowerks
Saturday, October 19, 1 – 5 p.m.
You don’t need to sweet-talk your way into unlimited beer at the annual Cooper-Young Beerfest. First and foremost a fundraising event for the Cooper-Young Community Association (CYCA), this sweet fest brings more than 30 local and regional brewers within a day’s drive from Cooper-Young to the historic neighborhood. Tickets include a 2024 Beerfest mug, unlimited samples of beer, and a great time that hits the sweet spot. Goner Records will supply tunes, and food will be available for purchase from local food trucks. Get tickets ($60.54) here.
