Good morning, Memphis! ☀️
Real quick before the fun: you have four days to vote early, but after Saturday you'll be hunting down your assigned precinct instead. Get out and vote this week!
Now the fun part:
East Memphis gets a bagel spot
South Main stays open late Friday
and next weekend somehow contains a chicken festival, Elvis, and over 100 tables of vintage toys.
Let's get into it.
Food & Drink
🥯 Hive Bagel & Deli Is Buzzing East
Hive Bagel and Deli
Downtown's beloved bagel shop is expanding, taking over one of East Memphis's most familiar deli spaces.
🥯 A hole new world. Hive is expanding to East Memphis, in the former Holiday Ham spot. The new location will have seating for about 40, which is a massive jump from the cozy Front Street original.
🧈 Spreading out. Owner Josh Steiner says the East Memphis location will be a full bakery café, not just grab-and-go: a bigger pastry case, more sandwiches, soups, salads, and room to grow catering. Doors are expected to open in August.
Follow along with Hive here.
News
🗳️ Early Voting Ends Saturday
WREG
Shelby County's August ballot is a long one, and your window to skip the Election Day line is closing fast, per the Shelby County Election Commission.
🗓️ Beat the line. Early voting runs through Saturday, Aug. 1 at any of 26 locations countywide: 11 AM–7 PM on weekdays and 8 AM–4 PM that final Saturday (no Sunday voting). Bring a state or federal photo ID.
📋 Do your homework. You'll be picking a county mayor, a sheriff, 13 County Commission seats, judges, four Memphis-Shelby County Schools board seats, a county charter amendment, plus some state and federal primary races.
Our local newsrooms put together election guides for you to stay informed:
Find your polling place and pull up your sample ballot here.
Festivals
🍗 Chicken & Beer Festival Lands August 8
Memphis Chicken & Beer Festival
The Memphis Chicken & Beer Festival returns to Tiger Lane for year eight on Saturday, August 8 from 6–10 PM.
🍺 Wing man (and woman) approved. A $45 GA ticket gets you a souvenir glass, 90+ beverage samples, live music, yard games, and inflatables. Plus, local restaurants selling their best chicken dishes on-site (food's purchased separately).
🏠 Cluck for a cause. Proceeds benefit Merge Memphis, which operates Clare's House, a 30-bed facility for homeless women in North Memphis. Heads up: this one's strictly 21+, no exceptions.
Get tickets here.
Events
👑 Elvis Week Returns August 8–16
Graceland's biggest week of the year runs Aug. 8–16, and Memphis is about to fill up with fans from all over.
🎤 All shook up. The Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest is the week's centerpiece (Aug 11), and the lead-up is themed nightly: the Elvis Vegas Show (Aug. 8), the Elvis Gospel Show (Aug. 9), and Hollywood Hits Live (Aug. 10).
🎸 Seventy years young. ELVIS 1956 (Aug. 13) revisits the year he went from regional act to national phenomenon, and Elvis Presley in Concert LIVE (Aug. 14) puts a live band behind archival footage of the man himself. Heads up: every multi-day package is already sold out, so individual event tickets are your move.
See the full Elvis Week schedule here.
Daily Picks
🗞️ Other News Around the 901
🦪 Shell yeah. Walt & Ricky's Seafood Kitchen is still on track for Downtown's former Fancy's Fish House space at 1 Dr. MLK Jr. Ave. near Tom Lee Park. The menu will feature a raw oyster bar, seafood towers, lobster rolls, and craft cocktails.
❄️ Too cool for school. Voting in the Tennessee Chamber's Coolest Thing Made in Tennessee contest closes Wednesday at 8 PM, and the 901 is representing. Vote here.
🧸 Playing for keeps. The Mid-South Collectible Toy Show hits The Venue at Bartlett Station (5868 Stage Rd.) on Saturday, Aug. 8 from 9 AM–2:30 PM, with 100+ vendor tables of toys, comics, Funko Pops, and Pokémon cards. Admission and parking are both free.
🚲 Purr-suit of happiness. Midtown cyclists have a new neighborhood bike shop. Dos Gatos Bike Shop opened its first location in Midtown, bringing bike repairs, accessories, and a community-focused approach to local riders.
🎨 South Main Trolley Night returns this Friday, July 31 starting at 5 PM, when the South Main Arts District's galleries, shops, and bars throw open their doors for a free, walkable night of live music, vendors, and drink specials.
📚 Class act. School's nearly back, so we built the cheat sheet: 901 Today's 2026 Back to School Guide has first days for every Memphis-area district, Tennessee's tax-free weekend dates, and free school supply giveaways.
♟️ Your move. Registration is open for the Peter P. Lahde Tennessee Open & State Championship, coming to Memphis over Labor Day weekend (Sept. 4–7) with a $10,001 guaranteed prize fund.
🎓 Rhodes College and Christian Brothers University were included on Forbes' annual list of America's best colleges.
🍸 Shake on it. Memphis Bartending School is enrolling now, with a two-week night course starting today and a four-week Saturday course starting Aug. 1.
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Have a great Tuesday, Memphis. We'll see you tomorrow.
— 901 Today