Good morning, Memphis! ☀️
It's officially that one week of the year when "let's do something outside" becomes a threat. Good news: almost everything in today's issue has AC.
This week's forecast:
🦆 the duck world flocks downtown
☕ farm-to-cup coffee comes to Bartlett
🎶 Alley Dayz kicks off Wednesday
🎤 a second night of 8Ball & MJG
Your only job today: hydrate and stay informed. We can help with one of those.
Let's get into it.
Events
🎶 Alley Dayz Kicks Off Wednesday at the National Civil Rights Museum
Alley Dayz returns Downtown on Wednesday, July 29 from 5:30–7:30 PM, and this season kicks off somewhere special.
🎤 Alley-oop. The Downtown Memphis Commission's free block party series lands at the National Civil Rights Museum plaza on Mulberry Street, with with music by Talibah Safiya and Maarifa. It won't cost you a dime.
🛍️ Small biz, big energy. Every Alley Dayz stop doubles as a pop-up market — expect local makers slinging handmade jewelry, artisanal snacks, and Memphis-made crafts, with nearby restaurants running specials to keep the night going.
Perfect excuse for a Wednesday out. RSVP and get the details here.
Events
🦆 The Duck World Flocks Downtown This Weekend
Ducks Unlimited — headquartered right here in Memphis — brings its massive "Everything Outdoors" expo, DUX 2026, to the Renasant Convention Center Friday through Sunday (July 31–Aug 2).
💰 Duck, duck… deals. Roughly 300 vendor booths, duck calling, conservation programming, and hourly door prizes. Admission is just $15 a day, kids 12 and under free — and parking in the convention center garage is free too.
🚤 Boat-load of a prize. Stick around Sunday at 3 PM for the grand prize drawing: someone's walking out with a War Eagle 1750 Gladiator boat. Not a bad souvenir for a $15 ticket.
Grab tickets and see the full schedule here.
Food & Drink
☕ An Ethiopian Coffee Farm Just Put Down Roots in Bartlett
Baaloo Coffee Roasters
Bartlett's coffee scene just got a serious upgrade: Baaloo Coffee Roasters, an Ethiopian coffee shop and in-house roastery, is now open.
🌱 Bean there, grown that. Founder Omar Yusuf grew up on his family's coffee farm in Harar, Ethiopia — a farm he still operates today alongside partnerships with local Ethiopian growers. That's about as farm-to-cup as it gets in the 901.
🔥 Fresh off the roaster. Everything is roasted on-site, with eight signature coffees spanning Ethiopian Sidamo, Yirgacheffe, and Harar, plus espresso drinks, cold brew, and pastries (and with this week's heat, that cold brew is doing the Lord's work).
Go grab a cup and see for yourself — or follow along here.
Music
🎤 8Ball & MJG Just Added a Second Night at the Orpheum
Orpheum Memphis
Memphis rap royalty is getting the symphony treatment — and demand just forced a second show.
🎻 Space age symphony. Orange Mound legends 8Ball & MJG, joined by UGK's Bun B and the Renaissance Orchestra, bring a full orchestral hip-hop experience to the Orpheum on September 11, and that night is sold out. A second show on Saturday, September 12 is now on sale ($99–$328).
🏆 Victory lap season. The duo is riding a serious wave: a national NPR Tiny Desk concert in June, their own street intersection in Orange Mound, and now two nights in the city's grandest theater.
Get Saturday tickets before they're gone here.
Daily Picks
🗞️ Other News Around the 901
🧙 Accio, ale. Wizarding Week is brewing at Grind City Brewing Co, with Potter-themed fun taking over the taproom all week. Butterbeer-style pints and house-divided trivia? Say less.
🦜 Fins up. Reminder: A1A — the Jimmy Buffett tribute band endorsed by Buffett himself — plays Harrell Theatre in Collierville on Thursday, August 13. Hawaiian shirts strongly encouraged.
🏆 Ballot boxing. Your favorite taco spot, barber, and dive bar need you: the Memphis Flyer's Best of Memphis voting round runs through August 12.
🛰️ Signal boost. Satellite Music Hall keeps stacking its calendar before the doors even open: newly added shows include Chance the Rapper (Sept 8), Isaiah Rashad (Sept 11), Modest Mouse (Oct 12), and Mastodon (Oct 18) — all following opening weekend with Memphis's own The Band CAMINO Sept 4–5.
🍦 Boo-gie down. It's National Ice Cream Month, which means new flavors every Monday at Sugar Ghost. This week: Pistachio and Mango Sticky Rice.
🦎 The lizard has left its box. A 6-foot iguana named Titan went full action hero last week, bursting out of his overnight-shipped box at a Memphis FedEx store and sending an employee sprinting. The owner caught the chase on video, and it went national — TMZ, CNN, the works.
🏒 Ice, ice, baby. The Mid-South Monarchs (the area's first pro hockey team since the RiverKings folded in 2018) just dropped their full inaugural FPHL schedule. The 56-game season opens on the road October 9, with the home opener Friday, October 23 vs. the Baton Rouge Zydeco. All home games will be played at Landers Center.
🍳 Old school. Literally. Did you know? The Arcade, known for slinging breakfast on South Main since 1919, now stands as Tennessee's oldest cafe. Four generations of the Zepatos family, one Elvis booth, and millions of sweet potato pancakes later, the title comes home to Memphis.
🎵 Twin-ning. The Bartlett LIVE music series is back this Saturday, August 1, with Mid-South party band Twin Soul at W.J. Freeman Park from 7–10 PM. Free, family-friendly, and a solid excuse to close out July outside.
🍗 Finger-lickin' freebie. Today is National Chicken Finger Day, and Raising Cane's is celebrating with a free chicken finger added to any Box Combo for Caniac Club members. Bonus: Cane's is donating $1 from every Box Combo sold today to KickStart Kids.
🛍️ Tax-free weekend. Tennessee's sales tax holiday runs Friday, July 31 through Sunday, August 2. Clothing and school supplies $100 or less per item, plus computers and tablets up to $1,500, all tax-free (online orders count too). That's nearly 10% back right before school starts.
Poll of the Week
The Monday Poll 🦎
Be honest: what would you do if a 6-foot iguana came out of a box at FedEx?
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— 901 Today