Ain't It Good News Update: MEMPops Turns 5 and Lots of Outdoor Concerts!

It’s been a busy week in Memphis since our last news update. 

Aside from that, here's some more highlights from what's been going on in Memphis:

Mempops Turns 5

One of our favorite locally owned pop-shops turns 5 this week! Mempops is celebrating with $2 pops at all locations March 27 - 28, so be sure to snag your favorite. I’ll be getting a Key Lime Pie myself. —EH

Outdoor Event #1: Ghost-Note At Railgarten

Railgarten will host a Ghost-Note outdoor concert on April 10th—this is a ticketed event so grab yours ahead of time and save $5! Ghost-Note "is pushing funk music into the future...infusing their fresh take [of classic funk] with tastes of afrobeat, hip-hop, psychedelia, world folklore, and more." Details and tickets here. —HW

Outdoor event #2: Botanic Garden concerts

Memphis venues announced multiple events for live music, drinks, and socially distanced fun this spring! First up, the Memphis Botanic Garden's Radians Amphitheater hosts Almost Famous on Sat., April 17th and Southern Avenue on Friday, May 14th.  More info. —HW

Outdoor event #3: Orpheum candlelight concerts

Yes, the Orpheum is going outdoors! They're setting up a stage on the Front Street side with hundreds of candles, seating, food trucks, and bars. There are five shows scheduled so far; the first one is Nick Black on April 24th. More info. —HW

Outdoor Event #4: Bluebird Happy Hour at The Grove at GPAC

GPAC hosts a happy hour with drinks and tunes in their outdoor venue every Thursday evening in April. You don't need tickets! And it's free! More info. —HW

Fossil Fest is THIS WEEKEND

Don't miss out on the opportunity to dig for fossils and shells at the Coon Creek Science Center station or Dino Walk and see how their footprints measure up to prehistoric giants. If that all isn’t cool enough for you, then you’ll at least want to see the ginormous Mosasaur skeleton forged by our very own Metal Museum. Get your tickets here!

The Memphian Hotel Opens Soon In Overton Square

Midtown’s shiniest new addition The Memphian Hotel will open April 12 and we’ve got the inside scoop! The lobby-level eatery, Complicated Pilgrim, will be daily for breakfast and dinner, and boasts a coffee-to-cocktail bar that transitions from daytime to evening use. Tiger and Peacock, located on the rooftop, will be open nightly for cocktails and dinner. With new restaurants popping up all over the city, these two are ones you won’t want to miss. —EH

“The Mound” Coming To OWN 

Memphis animator and writer Munirah Safiyah Jones is creating a new animated series called “The Mound” to air on the Oprah Winfrey Network. Her hilarious animated shorts series “Junt Land” got attention on YouTube in 2019 and 2020, and Jones then worked on a voting campaign project for OWN called “Sincerely Camille”. This new series will be set in Orange Mound, an historic Black Memphis neighborhood. Read more on the CA. —HW

Everyone’s Hiring, Especially Restaurants and Hotels

Everyone is hiring! FedEx will host a hiring fair March 23 - 25th, plus hotels like The Peabody, The Memphian, The Doubletree Downtown, Guesthouse at Graceland, and many more are hiring, too. Basically EVERY restaurant in the Mid-South is desperately in need of servers, hosts, cooks, and other employees.  Read more. —EH

Women of Memphis Music Playlist

Our Music Hub made an awesome Women of Memphis Music playlist in honor of Women’s History Month featuring my fave Memphis gal, Julien Baker. I love all of her music, but Bloodshot is an absolute bop. Check it out here. —EH

Grizz Biz Challenge 

The ‘Grizz Biz Challenge,’ a partnership between the Memphis Grizzlies and Pinnacle Financial Partners, is back for its second year. The Grizz Biz Challenge gives local Memphis businesses that generate between $2MM - $30MM in annual revenue the opportunity to pitch a three-year growth plan to a select panel of judges. The winning business will be awarded a $100,000 marketing partnership with the Memphis Grizzlies, courtesy of Pinnacle Financial Partners. Congratulations to last year's winner, Newk's Eatery. For more information on this year's challenge, click here. —EH

Mud Island Is Getting Some Renovations

The Memphis River Parks Partnership announced last week that they're using a $4 Accelerate Memphis grant to renovate the amphitheater enough to be able to (theoretically) host concerts again. This includes repairing safety and structural issues, restrooms, concessions, elevators and escalators, and electrical issues. Their announcement makes clear that a lot more needs to be done in order to modernize the venue, but this will be a start. Read more here. — HW

Commute Options Cycling Coaching Program 

Do you love biking the city of Memphis, but just have no idea where to go sometimes? If you answered with a resounding “YES”, Commute Options has come up with an incredible program just for you! Enter the Commute Options Cycling Coaching Program. They’ll match you up with a commuter coach to help you find the best, safest, and most enjoyable routes for you and your family. To learn more and get paired with your coach today, visit their website here. —EH

SOME QUICK HOUSEKEEPING

My colleague Elizabeth Hornor and I work together on this weekly update, so going forward you’ll see that reflected by the sign-off initials for each bit of news. PLEASE submit your local good news by emailing her [email protected] with the subject line “Ain’t It Good”. **

** More about submitting: We’re looking for nonprofit successes, random victories, acts of kindness, rescued baby animals, positive national news coverage of Memphis…any thing that brings joy and brags a little on the people of our city. Send it in, and your story could appear on a future blog post!

Ed. Note: Special thanks to Kevin Brewer for the “Ain’t It Good” song suggestion and to Elizabeth Hornor for her assistance with this article.