Good morning, Memphis! ☀️
It's the last day of September, which means we're officially allowed to talk about Christmas. (We just made that rule up, but we're sticking to it.)
Here's what's inside today’s issue:
📝 Last day to win $50 to a Memphis restaurant
🤠 A new Highland Strip bar comes with a mechanical bull
🎄 Holiday shopping season starts... in early October
🏮 A parade where the stars are giant lantern puppets
🐱 A tabby with big breakfast opinions
🕵️ A murder mystery with a 90s soundtrack
🌙 Three ways to spend your Wednesday night
Let's get into it.
Nightlife
🤠 The Country Club Saddles Up on the Highland Strip Oct. 31
Highland Strip
The Country Club, a new country bar and dance hall at The Highland Strip, plans to open on Halloween night, Saturday, October 31.
🐂 Bull market. Expect live music, a mechanical bull, a dance floor and pool tables. There's even a boot-fitting station: get fitted one week, pick up your boots the next.
🍽️ Three friends, one honky-tonk. Owners Alex Rasmussen of Barons, Tim Quinn of Madison Tavern and Corey Likens of Minglewood Hall teamed up. The menu leans country, with country fried steak, mashed potatoes and biscuits.
Get the scoop here.
Events
🎄 Mistletoe Merchants Kicks Off Holiday Shopping at Agricenter Oct. 2-4
Mistletoe Merchants of Memphis fills Agricenter International, Friday through Sunday, October 2-4. Hours are 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday.
🛍️ Gift-getter. Nearly 200 merchants sell gifts, holiday decor, clothing, gourmet treats and handmade goods. Tickets are $10 for one day or $20 for all three, and kids 12 and under are free. Parking is free, with a shuttle from the lot.
🍹 Sip and shop. Margaritas & Mistletoe runs 4-8 p.m. Friday, and Muffins & Mimosas runs 9 a.m.-noon Saturday. Each is $20. Saturday also has a Pajama Jam.
Get the details here.
Arts & Culture
🎨 The Dixon Turns 50 With Monet, Matisse and More
Photo: American Public Gardens Association
Dixon Gallery & Gardens is celebrating its 50th year with An Investment in Pleasure: Fifty Years of the Dixon Gallery and Gardens Collection, on view September 20 through January 10, 2027.
🖼️ Greatest hits. The show looks back on 50 years of the Dixon's collection, with works by Monet, Matisse, Degas and Gauguin.
🎟️ Free, for good. Admission to the museum and gardens is free. It's open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, 1-5 p.m., with late hours until 8 p.m. on Third Thursdays. Find it at 4339 Park Ave.
Plan your visit here.
Music
🎸 Mempho Returns Oct. 9-11 With Widespread Panic and Pretty Lights
Mempho Music Festival
Mempho Music Festival returns to Radians Amphitheater at Memphis Botanic Garden for three days, Friday-Sunday, October 9-11.
🎶 Big names, big weekend. Pretty Lights and Spoon play Friday. Widespread Panic plays two sets on both Saturday and Sunday, joined by Gary Clark Jr. on Saturday and Ziggy Marley on Sunday.
🪩 Extra fun. There's a silent disco in the Incendia Dome. Students, teachers, military and first responders get 10% off general admission.
Get tickets here.
Events
🏮 Tom Lee Day Lights Up the Riverfront With a Lantern Parade Saturday
The Tom Lee's Mississippi River Gumption Revival Lantern Parade returns Saturday, October 3, to honor Memphis hero Tom Lee, who rescued 32 people from the Mississippi River. It's free.
🥁 Brass, puppets and glow. Music and a celebration run 5-8 p.m. at Tom Lee Park (422 Riverside Dr.). The parade starts at 7 p.m. from the Beale Street Landing roof, with the Lucky 7 Brass Band and giant lantern puppets.
🕯️ Bring your own light. The lantern workshops are over, but River Parks has a DIY materials list. Ideas include a Tom Lee kerosene lantern, a catfish or a glowing parasol. It's rain or shine.
RSVP and get the details here.
Adoptable Pet of the Week
🐱 Meet Chai, a Playful Tabby With Big Breakfast Opinions
Chai is a 2-year-old brown tabby at the Humane Society of Memphis & Shelby County.
🧸 Fetch, please. Chai carries around stuffed toys, plays fetch, gets the zoomies and loves head scratches. She's spayed and ready to go.
🍳 Breakfast club. She's food-motivated and has strong opinions about breakfast, so she fits right in during National Breakfast Month.
Meet Chai here.
Reader Survey
📝 Last Call: Win $50 to a Memphis Restaurant
The 901 Today reader survey closes today, Wednesday, September 30. This is your last shot.
🍽️ Dinner's on us. Take the survey for a chance to win a $50 gift card to the Memphis restaurant of your choice.
⏰ Tick tock. Once today is over, so is the survey. Your answers help us make 901 Today even better.
Take the survey here.
Daily Picks
🗞️ Other News Around the 901
📖 Verse-atile. Memphis poet Maria Zoccola won the 2026 Tennessee Book Award for poetry for Helen of Troy, 1993: Poems. Musician Jack White was a fellow poetry finalist. Read more here.
🥞 Rise and dine. Our Memphis Breakfast Guide just grew to 61 verified spots, up from 52, and now includes Cooper-Young's new Big Bad Breakfast. Find your next brunch here.
👗 Style, meet the Square. Sorelle Boutique, a women's clothing, shoe and accessory shop, has a new home at 124 E. Mulberry St. in Collierville. Owners Brittany and Drew McCalla moved the shop from Poplar Avenue in Memphis. See the shop here.
📚 Making history, then writing it. Bertha Rogers Looney, the last living member of the Memphis State Eight, has released a memoir called Dared to Be First. The eight Black students integrated Memphis State University in 1959. Read more here.
🎶 Riverside jams. Live Music on the Wolf River Greenway is Friday, October 2, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Mud Island Trailhead (1320 N. Mud Island Rd.). It's free. The JD Westmoreland Band brings the music, and Good Groceries and Flyway Brewing bring the food and drinks. Bring a blanket or chair. RSVP here.
🕵️ Whodunit, 90s edition. Back To The 90s: A Soulful Murder Mystery Experience hits the Halloran Centre on Sunday, October 4, with shows at 3 and 7 p.m. It's an interactive show with music, comedy and audience participation as guests try to solve the case. Get tickets here.
🎬 Roll the trailers. The Indie Memphis Film Festival Preview Party is tonight, 6-9 p.m., at the Metal Museum (1930 Poplar Ave.). A $10 advance ticket includes light bites and a drink, and the full festival schedule goes live at 7:15 p.m. Get the details here.
🏐 Set the scene. Memphis Volleyball hosts UAB tonight at 6:30 p.m. at Elma Roane Fieldhouse for 901Women Night. It's an American Athletic Conference match, and it streams on ESPN+. Tickets start at $5. See the schedule here.
😂 Ha-ttiloo. Laugh Box: Featuring Jae Henderson & AC is tonight at Hattiloo Culture Box (37 Cooper St.). Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m. Get tickets here.
🚜 Dig it. Little Diggers Playspace opened at 1209 Ridgeway Rd. in East Memphis on Sept. 12, with 1,200 square feet of soft sand and hundreds of construction toys for kids 7 and under. It's open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. See prices and details here.
🗣️ You already speak Spanish. Hispanic Heritage Month runs through Oct. 15. A fun way to celebrate (besides our guide) is with this list of Spanish words you don't even realize you say every day. See the list here.
📝 Last call. Our reader survey closes today. Take it for a chance to win a $50 gift card to the Memphis restaurant of your choice. Take the survey here.
📚 Catch up on guides. Missed one of our Memphis guides? Browse them all here.
📰 Catch up on newsletters. Missed a past issue? Browse the archive here.
Poll of the Week
The Wednesday Poll 🎁
Be honest: when do you actually start your holiday shopping?
That's it for today!
Thanks for spending part of your morning with us.
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Have a great Wednesday, Memphis. We'll see you tomorrow.
— 901 Today
