Good morning, Memphis! ☀️
It's Monday, and Memphis came out swinging. A biscuit chain has its eye on East Memphis, a beloved park stage just got a big budget boost, and the fair next door will let you in free if you show the right ID.
It's also National Do Something Nice Day, so please let that driver merge on 240.
Let's get into it.
Food & Drink
🥞 Flying Biscuit Is Rising in the Old Belly Acres Spot on Poplar
Photo: WhatNow
Flying Biscuit Café, an Atlanta-based breakfast chain, is planned for the former Belly Acres space at 6130 Poplar Ave. in East Memphis.
🏠 New tenant, same address. The spot is in the Regalia Shopping Center. Belly Acres closed there in 2025 after an eviction notice. A permit lists $150,000 in updates to the 3,430-square-foot space.
🧇 Breakfast on a roll. The chain started in Atlanta in 1993 and has 34 locations. This would be its second Tennessee spot, after Knoxville. There's no opening date yet.
Check out the menu here.
Civic
🎭 City Triples Overton Park Shell Deal to $750,000
Photo: WREG
The city's contract for the Overton Park Shell just got a lot bigger.
💰 Triple play. The contract went up by $500,000, from $250,000 to $750,000. It's listed as an amendment for fiscal year 2027, dated Sept. 18.
📜 Who runs the show. The deal is with Friends of the Levitt Pavilion Memphis, the group that manages and operates the Shell. That contract runs through Nov. 28, 2031.
See the city contract list here.
Music
🎻 Alice Hasen & the Blaze Bring Fiddle Fire to The Grove Thursday
Concerts in The Grove returns to GPAC in Germantown with Alice Hasen & the Blaze on Thursday, Oct. 8.
🎶 Bow down. Hasen is a Memphis-based violinist who leads a fiddle-powered groove band. The show runs 6:30 to 8 p.m. outdoors at 1801 Exeter Rd., and gates open at 5:30 p.m.
🌮 Chairs, tacos, go. Tickets are $13 for adults and $8 for kids 5 to 18. Kids 4 and under get in free. Table seats are $23. Carmelita's Tacos and 901 Eats & Treats will be there, so bring a lawn chair or blanket.
Get tickets here.
Events
🎡 The Mid-South Fair Rolls On Through Oct. 11
The Mid-South Fair runs through Sunday, Oct. 11 at the Landers Center, 4560 Venture Dr., in Southaven, Mississippi.
🆓 Mississippi Monday. Today, gates are open 4 to 10 p.m. and entry is free with a Mississippi ID. Everyone else pays. Entry is also free on Wednesday, Oct. 7, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
🐷 Oink, oink, ride. Expect 50+ rides, pig races, a circus act and a petting zoo. Online tickets are $13 for adults and $8 for kids 5 to 12 and seniors 60+. Parking is $5.
Plan your visit here.
Sports
🏀 Grizzlies Tip Off Preseason in Atlanta Tonight, Host the Magic Wednesday
Photo: Memphis Flyer
The Memphis Grizzlies are back on the court, with a road game tonight and a home game this week.
🛫 Road trip. The Grizzlies play their first preseason game tonight, Monday, Oct. 5, at the Atlanta Hawks. Tip-off is at 6 p.m. Central.
📺 Free TV. About 15 regular-season games will air live and free on ABC24 and stream on the DAZN app. The first one is Friday, Oct. 23. Eight are announced so far, through Dec. 23.
🎀 Home sweet home. The Orlando Magic visit FedExForum on Wednesday, Oct. 7, at 7 p.m. It's Breast Cancer Awareness Night, with a schedule magnet giveaway. The regular-season home opener is Wednesday, Oct. 21, against the Utah Jazz.
Good News
🎁 We Have a Reader Survey Winner!
A winner has been chosen from our reader survey. Congrats! 🎉
📧 Check your inbox. If you won, you'll get an email from Jakob with the details.
🙏 Thank you. Thanks to everyone who took the survey. Your answers help us make 901 Today better for everyone.
Congrats to our winner, and thank you!
Daily Picks
🗞️ Other News Around the 901
😊 Be nice. Go. Today is National Do Something Nice Day. Pay for a stranger's coffee, hold a door, or text a friend you've been meaning to call. Easy as pie.
🗳️ Last call for voter registration. Today is the last day to register to vote in Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi for the Nov. 3 election. Tennessee early voting starts Oct. 14. Get the details.
🕰️ Sixty-five years ago. Saturday marked 65 years since the Memphis 13 integrated four Memphis city elementary schools. The students were first-graders, picked from about 200 applicants. Historical markers at Bruce, Gordon, Rozelle and Springdale tell their story.
🖼️ Hang it up. Our October reader deal is on! Memphis photographer Connor Ryan is giving 901 Today readers 30% off all his Memphis prints with code 901. Shots include the Lorraine Motel, Sun Studio and Beale Street, as a print, on canvas or framed. The sale ends Oct. 31. Shop the prints.
🍂 Fall for it. Festival season is in full swing, and our Guide to Fall Festivals Around the 901 puts the Memphis-area festivals in one place.
🌊 Flood watch, funded. FEMA is sending Shelby County $761,000 for a flood warning and alert system after Hurricane Helene. The University of Memphis gets $390,000 for an outreach and education project, also tied to Helene. That's more than $1.1 million in all. Read more.
🀄 Bam! Crak! Dot! Mahjong Mondays run 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Pike & West, 2277 West St. in Germantown. Drop in for $25. Bring your NMJL card, and know the game first, because there's no teaching at the tables.
🃏 Ante up. Poker Night at Bardog Tavern deals every Monday at 7 p.m. in the Underdog room at 73 Monroe Ave. Your buy-in is a food or drink purchase, and it's 21+. Weekly gift cards run $50, $30 and $15.
✈️ Memphis, meet Austin. Southwest Airlines now flies nonstop from Memphis to Austin, Sunday through Friday. The flight leaves at 11:50 a.m. and lands at 1:45 p.m. BBQ meets breakfast tacos.
🧠 Library cards, now with counselors. University Schools won $7.5 million over five years to build a mental health network for kids ages 5 to 19 across Shelby County. Some services will be offered in the evenings at library branches.
💸 Prime-time payday. Payouts from the FTC's $2.5 billion Amazon Prime settlement started going out Oct. 1 by PayPal, Venmo or mailed check. Eligible Prime members can get up to $200 total, and you don't have to file a claim. The FTC warns about scammers. See who's eligible.
Poll of the Week
The Monday Poll 🥞
Flying Biscuit is coming. How do you like your biscuit?
That's it for today!
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Have a great week, Memphis. We'll see you tomorrow.
— 901 Today
