Photo by Julie Ray
World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, Tom Lee Park
World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest
Tom Lee Park off Riverside
Thursday-Saturday, May 13-15
Queue up the weekend! The Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest is back in Tom Lee Park. Every year, hundreds of teams compete for over $100K in prizes and supreme bragging rights. Clever and creative team areas and names are a highlight every year along with the “Ms. Piggie Idol” competition. It’s squeal funny to watch the finest swine test their vocal skills.
Come on out and enjoy Memphis’ tastiest weekend.
Photo by Briana Mason, courtesy of Vintage901
Vintage901, Levitt Shell
Vintage901
Levitt Shell, 1928 Poplar
Saturday, May 15, noon-3 p.m. and 6-9 p.m.
In its fifth year, Vintage901’s Grand Tasting will look a little different. This year it will be held outdoors at the Levitt Shell with safety in mind using open pods. What won’t change is the community coming together to celebrate wine, wine education, food, and music.
As founder Stephanie Ferreira says, “The best things happen over wine and food.”
There will be an afternoon session from noon to 3 p.m. and an evening session from 6 to 9 p.m. The sessions will be different so that participants can enjoy both.
The musical lineup includes the Memphis Youth Symphony, Opera Memphis, Memphis Jazz Workshop, Hope Clayburn and the Soul Scrimmage, and a presentation by the Memphis Black Arts Alliance. Chefs will include Chef Tamra “Chef Tam” Patterson, Chef Jimmy Gentry, and Chef Aaron Winters. Wine experts Michael Whaley and Rick Farwell return this year, along with Kym Clark, who will emcee this one-day outdoor event. Proceeds will benefit ArtsMemphis.
Photo courtesy of Meddlesome Brewing Company
Pints for Paws, Meddlesome Brewing Company
Enjoy a pint from Meddlesome and a p’awsome pet from the Humane Society of Memphis and Shelby County.
Pints For Paws
Meddlesome Brewing Company, 7750 Trinity
Saturday, May 15, 2-5 p.m.
This one-of-a-kind adoption event will release the hounds (plus one kitty) and three new brews from Meddlesome Brewing Company. Three unique bottles of beer will feature these adoptable pets from the Humane Society of Memphis and Shelby County and their bios on the label. Small-batch beer meets small-batch adoption.
First up is Henry, a two-year-old male shepherd mix looking for love. This fun guy is tri-pawed but it doesn’t slow him down a bit. He likes people and other dogs and his brew is a Belgian blonde ale made with coriander and cara cara orange zest.
Next up looking for a new home is Bark Vader. This four-year-old retriever mix is a sweet guy. He enjoys meeting new people but can be pretty selective with his four-legged friends. Given the right playmate, he will be good to go in his forever home — maybe yours? His brew is an English Porter with mounds of coffee.
Finally, we have a kitten with mittens called Gloves. Just a year old, this purrfect female domestic shorthair doesn’t have to be handled with “kit-gloves.” She’s both playful and cuddly. Her spicy personality prefers a blonde ale made with jalapeños and lime zest.
There will also be live music from Josh Wadell and food from The Crawfish Shack.
Photo courtesy of Cooper-Young Garden Club
Cooper-Young Garden Walk
Garden Walk V
Cooper-Young Garden Walk
Cooper-Young Historic District
Saturday-Sunday, May 15-16
Tiptoe through the tulips — and free-range chickens, beehives, funky art, and more — during this tour of 80+ green businesses and urban gardens. From novice-worked patches of earth to sophisticated gardens and stylish landscapes, Cooper-Young has them all for you to tour.
Along with the many gardens, increase your nursery know-how at vendor booths operated by Master Gardeners, the Herb Society, and many other garden educators and enthusiasts. Indulge in shopping for garden-themed art and quench your thirst at Cooper-Young’s restaurants and breweries.
Tickets will be sold online for $25. Participants will receive a pdf of the garden descriptions and map. Walk, bike, or drive to the gardens that interest you while connecting with other gardeners and celebrating beautiful spaces.
Photo courtesy of Memphis Museums
“The Machine Inside: Biomechanics”
“The Machine Inside: Biomechanics”
Memphis Pink Palace Museum, 3050 Central
Opens Saturday, May 15, 10:30 a.m., continues through August 1
Continuing a STEAM summer of activities and programming at the Museum of Science & History, the newest exhibit, an immersive experience into the marvels of natural engineering, opens this weekend.
Visitors will be taken past the familiar surface of nature, deep into its invisible workings, and the many ways humans can draw inspiration from the innovations of evolution. Examples of natural engineering are included in 80 specimens, large-scale videos, digital interactives, and safely spaced mechanical interactives and biomimicry innovations drawn from the entire natural world, from ants to sharks to humans.
You’ll digitally meet the scientists who investigate these plants and animals experimenting with new adaptations and applications as you learn about the future of biomechanics and biomimicry, fields that are re-energizing the imaginations of architects, engineers, and designers alike.
Predicting the future of innovation through the natural world is just outside your back door — and at the Pink Palace Museum through August 1st.
For a full list of what’s happening this weekend in and around Memphis, check out our calendar of events. Also, be sure to tag your favorite Instagram photos of Memphis while you are out and about with the #memphismagazine hashtag. I hope you have a great weekend.
