Good morning, Memphis! ☀️
Pop quiz: what does a Grammy winner, 70 pro golfers, and Mickey Mouse all have in common?
They're all in Memphis right now, but only one of them will do the Hot Dog Dance.
In today’s issue:
A Legend takes the stage at the Botanic Garden Friday
Golf's playoffs tee off at TPC Southwind
A brand-new kitchen is open on Poplar
A trip back in time on the bluff
Plus: Memphis crowns its best iced coffee, and four local writers are up for a state book award.
Let's get into it.
Music
🎶 John Legend Plays Live at the Garden Friday Night
John Legend / Live at the Garden
Live at the Garden hosts John Legend at Radians Amphitheater this Friday, Aug. 14 for "An Evening of Songs & Stories."
Legend-ary night. John Legend is one of the few artists ever to win an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony. Friday's "Songs & Stories" format mixes the hits with the tales behind how they were written.
Lawn and order. It's open lawn seating under the stars at the Botanic Garden — coolers, chairs, and blankets welcome. Gates at 5:30 PM, show at 8 PM.
Get tickets here.
Food & Drink
🍽️ Hungry AF Kitchen Is Officially Open on Poplar
Hungry AF Kitchen & Luxe Catering
HungryAF Kitchen & Luxe Catering has opened its first sit-down restaurant on Poplar Ave.
Started from the stove. Owner Kimberly began selling plates from her home in Raleigh in 2020 to support her family during the pandemic. That hustle grew into one of the area's busiest catering operations.
Now it's official. The new spot held its grand opening Aug. 1 with dine-in and takeout. The pitch: all your favorite comfort foods, "made with an edgy twist."
See the menu and order here.
Sports
⛳ The FedEx St. Jude Championship Is Back (With Free Food)
FedEx St Jude Championship
The FedEx St. Jude Championship returns to TPC Southwind this week to kick off the PGA Tour's playoffs — with a practice round Wednesday and tournament rounds Thursday through Sunday.
Free food. Really. Every Grounds+ ticket now includes free food and non-alcoholic drinks at concession stands around the course. It's the first PGA Tour event ever to include food with every ticket.
Kids swing free. Each ticketed adult can bring two kids 15 and under for free — Grounds+ included for them, too. That makes this one of the cheapest big-league sports days in Memphis.
Get tickets here.
901 History
🚢When The Bluff Was the Best Seat in Town
via Memphis Memories on Facebook
This week's look back: Memphians packed onto the bluff in their Sunday best, umbrellas up, watching the river roll by. In the early 1900s, this was the show.
The original stream. Before TV, this was the city's favorite hangout. Crowds came to watch steamboats, river traffic, and big events on the water below.
Tougher crowds back then. In 1862, about 10,000 Memphians stood on this same hill and watched a real naval battle: the Battle of Memphis. No blankets, no funnel cakes, just real cannons.
See more old riverfront photos here.
Daily Picks
🗞️ Other News Around the 901
👑 Viva la guide. Elvis Week rolls on at Graceland through Sunday, Aug. 16, with shows almost every night this week and the free Candlelight Vigil Saturday. We put every event, price, and free option in one place — read our full Elvis Week guide here.
♟️ Your move. The Peter P. Lahde Tennessee Open & State Championship comes to downtown Memphis over Labor Day weekend (Sept. 4–7) with a $10,001 guaranteed prize fund — the biggest in the event's history. There's an Amateur section, so regular folks aren't fed to the masters.
🏊 Pool's open (again). The renovated Westwood pool at the Charles E. Powell Community Center reopens Wednesday, Aug. 13 after years of work: new pool bottom, new liner, new deck, and an ADA lift. City pools are free for Memphis residents with a pool card.
🦜 Wasted away again. Last call, Parrotheads: A1A, the official Jimmy Buffett tribute, hits Collierville Thursday night at 7 in the intimate 350-seat Harrell Theatre. Tickets are almost gone… don't wait for five o'clock somewhere.
🐭 Hot dog, hot dog. Time's ticking on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: The Exhibit at the Children's Museum of Memphis. Kids help throw Pluto a surprise birthday party in the first-ever museum exhibit based on the show, ending (of course) with the Hot Dog Dance. The exhibit leaves town Sept. 6
🏀 Tigers on tour. The Tigers' new non-conference hoops slate is a gauntlet: 14 games, true road tests at Vandy, Baylor, and Texas, and a Bahamas tournament opener. Exhibition play starts Oct. 23 at Mississippi State. Full schedule here.
📚 Write on, Memphis. Four Memphis writers are finalists for the 2026 Tennessee Book Award: novelists Robert Busby and David Wesley Williams, essayist Martha Park, and poet Maria Zoccola. Memphians make up two of the three fiction finalists, and winners are announced in September. Read more here.
☕ Sip, sip, hooray. Edible Memphis just crowned its ChampionSip — the winner of its citywide contest for the best iced coffee in Memphis. Aldar Cafe's Honey Cardamom Oat Latte took the crown, with Cooper House Project's "Crystal Voyage" right behind it. Byway Coffee won Most Tagged for its Banana Bread Latte, and a panel of 22 judges gave Judges' Choice to newcomer Ritual Coffee. See all the winners here.
Want to reach Memphis?
901 Today goes out to thousands of Memphis-area readers every weekday. Advertising with us means growing your business and supporting a feel-good, homegrown newsletter that's all about building community in the Memphis metro.
That's it for today!
Thanks for reading.
If someone forwarded you this email, you can subscribe for free at 901today.com.
Have a great Tuesday, Memphis. We'll see you tomorrow.
— 901 Today
