photography by Nellie Adamyan | unsplash
Friends of the Library Spring Book Sale
Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library
Friday, April 25, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. | Saturday, April 26, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. | Sunday, April 27, 11 a.m.–2 p.m.
The Friends of the Library is hosting its annual Spring Book Sale, not to compete with its annual Fall Book Sale. And they’ll be selling books, CDs, DVDs, vinyls, and more at low, low prices this weekend. Sunday is Bag Day.
Oh, and by the way, it’s Independent Bookstore Day this weekend, which is fitting to mention, innit? Celebrate with Novel (exclusive merch, storytime, Sweet Moon Cookies pop-up, prize drawings, and Spillit Memphis Slam at 6 p.m.) and Burke’s Book Store (giveaways, drawings, and cookies).
Roar & Pour
Memphis Zoo
Friday, April 25, 7–10 p.m.
I had a dream that I had two pet baby hippos the other night. It was very exciting, and they were very cute. And then I woke up to my pet Blobfish. He’s not a fish nor a blob. He’s a dog, whom I call Blobby, but his Christian name is Blobfish. My apartment will not allow hippos, so Blobfish will do.
In the meantime, I’ll go to the Memphis Zoo for my hippo watching to see Winnie, her mom Binti, Splish, and Uzazi. I don’t think they'll be out for Friday night’s Roar & Pour (do hippos roar? Or pour?), but the evening promises to be exciting with various distilleries across Tennessee offering samples of whiskey and the like. Every sip supports Sumatran tiger conservation efforts in the wild. Find out more and get tickets ($125/nonmembers) here.
photography courtesy hemline theory
Angels in the Architecture
Germantown Performing Arts Center
Friday-Saturday, April 25–26, 7:30 p.m. | Sunday, April 27, 2 p.m.
While we’re talking about Blobfish, I have to call him out for my current misery of inconvenience. Instead of typing away on my work-issued desktop, I’m piddling on my laptop with a dead backspace key, so I can sit next to him on the sofa because all day long he’s been whining at me, nosing at me. This is what he wants: company.
So, please know that I’m not only working to appease you, my reader, with these Five Things, using strange workarounds to fix my errors since I can’t backspace; I’m also fighting off my puppy as he nuzzles his head between my hands and my keyboard. What can I say? I’m an angel — just not the only one in Memphis this weekend as Ballet Memphis’ Angel in the Architecture will take over GPAC’s stage.
This production opens with Variations by choreographer George Balanchine set to music by the composer Donizetti. Next, Mark Godden’s Angels in the Architecture will explore notions of God, man, and woman through contemporary ballet set to Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring. Get tickets ($39–$71) here.
photography courtesy greg belz
Art in the Loop 2025
Ridgeway Loop
Friday, April 25, noon–6 p.m. | Saturday, April 26, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. | Sunday, April 27, 11 a.m.–4 p.m.
Sometimes, Blobby isn’t in the loop about things, ya know? Like, if you want to make friends with the squirrels that show up on the bird feeder, you can’t jump up on the backdoor like a maniac. Seriously, he gets so excited when he sees them that he wags his tail so hard his whole body wiggles, and then when he scares the poor squirrels off, he starts crying. It’s the saddest saga to witness.
Oh well, we can’t all be winners, not like Art in the Loop, which is in the loop about fine crafts in metal, glass, wood, clay, and fiber, as well as 2D disciplines. The festival will also have food trucks and performances. Admission is free.
photography courtesy porter-leath
32nd Annual Rajun Cajun Crawfish Festival benefiting Porter-Leath
Downtown Memphis on Riverside Drive, between Jefferson and Union
Sunday, April 27, 11 a.m.–7 p.m.
Last weekend, Blobby was begging — seriously begging — for some crawfish, and he was unsuccessful. Sorry, little man, crawfish was not meant for doggies’ bellies, but it is sure meant for humans. So check out the Rajun Cajun Crawfish Festival, where thousands of pounds of fresh Louisiana crawfish await you. Enjoy games including crawfish bobbing, eating, and racing; arts and crafts vendors; music, and a kids area. Funds raised at the festival support local children and families through Porter-Leath’s early childhood services, foster care, teacher training, mentoring, and more. Admission is free.
