Good morning, Memphis! ☀️
Once upon a time, there was no way to drive across the Mississippi River at Memphis. If you wanted to cross, you had to pay for a ferry ride. Then, on this very day in 1917, the bridge downtown opened up to wagons and cars for the very first time. Today, that same bridge is home to Big River Crossing.
In today's issue:
45+ Latin restaurants to try for Hispanic Heritage Month
A Memphis Film Festival makes its comeback downtown
Orchestra Noir brings its Culture 2000 Tour to Memphis
Tigers football gears up to host UT Martin
A pumpkin patch and corn maze open this weekend
Plus: 66 wiener dogs ran a big race this weekend, and you can vote for your favorite toy of all time.
Let's get into it.
Guides
🌮 We Mapped 45+ Latin Restaurants for Hispanic Heritage Month
Hispanic Heritage Month runs through Oct. 15, so we built The Complete Guide to 45+ Latin Restaurants in Memphis — tacos, pupusas, arepas and more.
🗺️ Taco 'bout thorough. We mapped every restaurant from Summer Avenue to DeSoto County, sorted by area, so you always know what's close to you.
🍽️ New flavors, easy picks. Every spot on the list is real and checked, so there's no guessing. It's an easy way to try something new this month.
Movies
🎬 Memphis's Own Film Festival Is Coming Back
Indie Memphis Film Festival
Indie Memphis took a year off, but it's back for its 28th year — and it's moving to a brand new spot.
🎥 New home, new leaders. The Indie Memphis Film Festival runs Nov. 5 to 8, and this year it moves from Crosstown to Downtown's South Main Arts District, with opening night at the Halloran Centre. New leaders Alicia George and Joseph Carr are running the show.
🏛️ History on screen. Opening night's movie is called The Lorraine. It's about the Lorraine Motel, the building that is now the National Civil Rights Museum. The full list of movies gets announced at a party on Sept. 30 at the Metal Museum.
Music
🎻 An Orchestra Is About to Play Your Favorite 2000s Hits
Orchestra Noir
Orchestra Noir brings its Culture 2000 Tour II show to the Orpheum Theatre on Friday, Sept. 25, at 7:30 p.m.
🎶 Strings meet the 2000s. Orchestra Noir is an all-Black orchestra led by Maestro Jason Ikeem Rodgers. They take 2000s hip-hop and R&B songs and turn them into brand-new orchestra music.
🎟️ Encore performance. Orchestra Noir played the Orpheum last year, and now they're coming back.
Sports
🐯 Tigers Host UT Martin Saturday, Looking to Bounce Back
📸 [Add photo here]
The Memphis Tigers (2-1) host UT Martin at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium this Saturday, Sept. 19, at 6 p.m.
🏈 Home cooking. After a road loss at Boise State, the Tigers are back home for Youth Day and Student Appreciation — a great game to bring the whole family.
🎓 Small school, big test. UT Martin is a smaller college team from West Tennessee. It's the Tigers' last non-conference game before the tougher conference games begin.
Check out our Tigers Game Day Guide for tickets and game-day details.
Family Fun
🌽 Get Lost (on Purpose) at Priddy Farms
Priddy Farms
Priddy Farms in Millington (and now Bartlett!) opens its pumpkin patch and corn maze for the season this Saturday, Sept. 19, and stays open through Nov. 8.
🐐 A-maize-ing. The millington farm has a 5-acre corn maze, a hayride out to the pumpkin patch, a petting zoo with llamas and goats, mini golf, and a brand-new 150-foot inflatable dragon you can walk through. They’re also finishing a huge outdoor slide.
🎃 Pumpkin included. Admission runs around $20, and every kid gets a free pumpkin from the field. Hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Daily Picks
📰 Other News Around the 901
🌭 Wiener winner. Sixty-six wiener dogs raced at the Germantown Festival Saturday, and Loie, owned by Matt Wukasch, crossed the finish line first. The costume crown went to Clara, dressed up as Dolly Parton. See all the winners here.
🧸 Toy story. Twelve toys are competing for a spot in the National Toy Hall of Fame, including Mahjong, Pokémon trading cards, and the playground slide. You can vote for your favorite through Sept. 23, and winners get announced in November. See the full list here.
🎻 Big start to the season. The Memphis Symphony Orchestra opens its 75th season on Saturday, Sept. 19, at the Cannon Center, with Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 and a young cello star named Bryan Cheng. Check times and tickets here.
🤡 Send in the clowns. Clown Bar, a spooky-funny play about a clown who becomes a detective, runs Sept. 24 to 27 at the University of Memphis theatre studio. Get tickets here.
🔔 Ringing it in. St. Patrick Catholic Church downtown just finished fixing up its old bell tower and cross. The pastor says it's now the tallest cross in Downtown Memphis. The church celebrated with a special blessing for its 160th birthday. Read more here.
💧 Rate check. A Memphis group called Protect Our Aquifer gave MLGW a petition this week with more than 1,000 signatures. They want big industrial water users to pay a fairer rate instead of getting steep discounts. MLGW hasn't responded yet, but it's expected to share its next rate plan in October. Read more here.
❄️ No snow joke. The Farmers' Almanac says the Mid-South probably won't see much snow this winter. It's calling for more rain and storms instead, with temperatures close to normal. Read the full forecast here.
🍔 Hide and go eat. National Cheeseburger Day is Friday, Sept. 18, and Huey's is hiding small burger toys in 5 spots around town — Downtown, Midtown, Collierville, Millington, and Olive Branch — through Friday. Find one, snap a photo, tag Huey's, and pick your prize: a $75 gift card or a merch basket. Follow along for clues here.
📝 Survey says. Tell us about you, and you could win dinner on us. Fill out our quick reader survey and you're entered to win a $50 gift card to the Memphis-area restaurant of your choice. It takes less than five minutes.
🗂️ Missed an issue? Every past newsletter is here, and all our guides are here.
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That's it for today!
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Have a great Thursday, Memphis. We'll see you tomorrow.
— 901 Today
