MemphisFlyer 07-23-2026

Dixie Queen FOREVER

The beloved Memphis eatery still serves up ice cream, wings, and burgers just like they did in the ’50s.

SHARA CLARK Editor-in-Chief

ALEX GREENE

Managing Editor, Music Editor

BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN Senior Editor

TOBY SELLS

Associate Editor

KAILYNN JOHNSON News Reporter

CHRIS MCCOY Film and TV Editor

MICHAEL DONAHUE, JON W. SPARKS Staff Writers

KIMBERLY HAM Calendar Editor, Copy Editor

BRYCE W. ASHBY, JESSE DAVIS, EMILY GUENTHER, BUDDY JONES, COCO JUNE, MICHAEL J. LAROSA, PATRICIA LOCKHART, FRANK MURTAUGH, LINDSEY D. RHEA Contributing Columnists

SHARON BROWN, AIMEE STIEGEMEYER Grizzlies Reporters

GRACIE DRIVER, NANDINI KONDISETTI, ALLIE MAURY Editorial Interns

CARRIE BEASLEY Senior Art Director

CHRISTOPHER MYERS Advertising Art Director

NEIL WILLIAMS Graphic Designer

KELLI DEWITT, CHIP GOOGE, SHAUNE MCGHEE Senior Account Executives

JANICE GRISSOM ELLISON, KAREN MILAM, DON MYNATT, TAMMY NASH, RANDY ROTZ, LEWIS TAYLOR, WILLIAM WIDEMAN Distribution

KENNETH NEILL Founding Publisher

THE MEMPHIS FLYER is published weekly by Contemporary Media, Inc., P.O. Box 1738, Memphis, TN 38101 Phone: (901) 521-9000 Fax: (901) 521-0129 memphisflyer.com

CONTEMPORARY MEDIA, INC.

ANNA TRAVERSE Chief Executive Officer

LYNN SPARAGOWSKI

Controller/Circulation Manager

JEFFREY GOLDBERG Chief Revenue Officer

MARGIE NEAL Chief Operating Officer

KRISTIN PAWLOWSKI Digital Services Director

We have big news!

Noisy Creek, a media company dedicated to invigorating trusted local media outlets across the United States, announced this week that the Memphis Flyer and Memphis Magazine are joining Noisy Creek’s network of publications. This partnership marks Noisy Creek’s first expansion into the South and furthers its mission to support and grow independent local journalism.

“The Memphis Flyer and Memphis Magazine have earned the trust of Memphians for decades, producing ambitious and engaging local journalism,” said Brady Walkinshaw, Noisy Creek’s founder and CEO. “We’re honored for these storied publications to join our network, and we’re excited to invest in these newsrooms and ensure these iconic publications have a vibrant new chapter as an essential part of Memphis.”

Memphis Magazine celebrates its 50th anniversary this year and has won scores of regional and national awards for editorial and design excellence, including the Distinguished Service Award from the Society of Professional Journalists and recognition for General Excellence from the City and Regional Magazine Association. The Magazine’s loyal readers trust it to provide in-depth coverage of life in the Bluff City, including arts, culture, dining, business, history, and healthcare.

The Memphis Flyer is deeply respected for its crusading journalism, including stories covering public safety, local music, transit, and new books. The Flyer publishes digitally and distributes 20,000 free, print copies across Memphis every week.

“I first heard about Noisy Creek through my younger sister who is a longtime friend of a Noisy Creek supporter. ‘They have a new business model,’ my sister told me. That caught my attention as we were already trying to reinvent our business model,” said Ward Archer, board chair of Contemporary Media, Inc., the current owner of the Magazine and Flyer. “Then, a month later when I read Noisy Creek had partnered with the Chicago Reader, I thought, ‘These guys must really know what they’re doing.’ Turns out, they really do.”

“Some institutions are worth stepping up for, and these are two of them,” said Gayle Rose, a philanthropist and board member of Contemporary Media, Inc. “The Flyer and the Magazine have told Memphis’ story for 50 years. Making sure they not only survive but thrive is exactly the kind of thing this city should refuse to leave to chance.”

Noisy Creek launched in 2024 with a portfolio including the Pulitzer Prizewinning Chicago Reader and Seattle’s The Stranger, as well as the Portland Mercury, the Anchorage Press, a podcasting business called Noisy Creek Podcasts, a live-events production group called Noisy Creek Productions, a ticketing platform called Bold Type Tickets, and a popular, multi-city events calendar, EverOut.

Together, these brands reach several million readers per month. The company’s innovative, integrated business model is designed to sustain local alternative weeklies, publications that tens of millions of Americans have loved and trusted for decades for arts and culture, politics, and community-driven reporting.

“At Memphis Magazine and the Flyer, we relish the challenge of delivering relevant, soulful, and timely news and views to our local audiences,” said Anna Traverse, CEO of Contemporary Media, Inc. and editor-in-chief of Memphis Magazine. “Partnering with Noisy Creek — a truly inspiring and deeply human venture — will make it possible for us to create deeper, richer content, while evolving our business model to fit the current climate. I’m really excited about what this next chapter will bring to our beloved city.”

Noisy Creek partners closely with local advisors, community partners, and philanthropy. In Memphis, this work will be supported by a local advisory group and Memphis-based donors and partners. As it has done with its other publications, Noisy Creek plans to invest in editorial growth.

Interviews are available. For more information or media inquiries, contact taylor@noisycreek.com. Brady Walkinshaw, Noisy Creek CEO and founder, is available for press, as is Ward Archer and leadership of Memphis Magazine and the Memphis Flyer

NEWS & OPINION

THE FLY-BY - 4 AT LARGE - 6 COVER STORY

“DIXIE QUEEN FOREVER” BY MICHAEL DONAHUE - 8

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

WE RECOMMEND - 12 MUSIC - 13

CALENDAR - 14

NY TIMES CROSSWORD - 14

WE SAW YOU - 15

FOOD - 16

SPIRITS - 17

METAPHYSICAL CONNECTION - 18

ASTROLOGY - 19

FILM - 20

NOW PLAYING - 21

CLASSIFIEDS - 22

LAST WORD - 23

About Noisy Creek: Noisy Creek is a growing multimedia company founded in 2024 with the mission to invigorate beloved and trusted local media brands across the United States, as a building block for thriving civic and cultural life, and to advance democracy. Today, Noisy Creek’s growing portfolio includes the Anchorage Press, The Stranger (Seattle), the Portland Mercury, the Chicago Reader, Memphis Magazine, and the Memphis Flyer. Noisy Creek’s innovative model also includes a live events ticketing company, a podcasting arm that includes iconic podcasts like Savage Love, a live events productions team, and the events calendar Everout.com.

fly-by

MEM ernet

Memphis on the internet.

TAMBOLI’S

You couldn’t turn on the MEMernet last week without hearing about Tamboli’s Pasta & Pizza. e owner, Miles Tamboli, turned away members of the National Guard from the Midtown restaurant the previous weekend. Folks loved it. Folks hated it. It was, y’know, the MEMernet.

{WEEK THAT WAS

By Flyer staff

Questions, Answers + Attitude

Edited by Toby Sells

Data Centers, Ford, & Paramount

Electric rates and data centers, promised population growth slow, and Tennessee courts a studio.

KELLOGG’S UNION

Tension brewed at WK Kellogg’s Memphis plant as union representatives said the company was not following contract agreements as it scales back the workforce there.

McWhorter lauded Tennessee as “one of America’s most business-friendly states.”

“Drove all the way from my small town on the opposite side of the county to support this place a er hearing about [Miles] Tamboli’s refusal to serve National Guard troops,” wrote u/SmallTownTrans1 on Reddit.

Over in the Stop Memphis Crime: KWAM 990 AM Facebook Group, Rook Larimore re-posted a photo of a guy making a mean face and holding a sign that read: “Tamboli’s Pizza hates that the National Guard found 132 missing children.” e restaurant said plainly on Instagram, “We don’t serve the Task Force.” ey also shut down their phone line and reservation system because of “a ood of harassing calls and fake reservations.”

Tamboli’s also introduced its new seasonal salad, a new menu regular that “changes with what’s growing.”

Michigan-based WK Kellogg announced last year it would reduce operations in Memphis. As they’ve implemented that, leaders with the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM) are concerned that the company “has refused to engage in meaningful, good-faith negotiations.” e union said the company is disregarding rules in the collective bargaining agreement that “threaten to ignore plant seniority in determining job placements.”

FORD NOT YET BRINGING GROWTH

Most West Tennessee counties aren’t growing as quickly as projected following Ford Motor Co. and SK On’s BlueOval City automotive plant announcement in 2021, recent population estimates indicate.

Two-thirds of counties in the region recorded some growth since 2022, but only half met or exceeded population predictions for 2025. State and local o cials expect the massive site to inject new jobs and residents into West Tennessee counties, many of which were projected to see population declines prior to BlueOval City’s announcement.

But production delays, changing plans, and the dissolution of Ford and SK On’s joint venture have pushed back estimated production dates, and with them, signi cant hiring.

Haywood County, home to BlueOval City, has shrunk by about 500 people since 2022.

DATA CENTERS PUSH LIGHT BILLS

Memphis leads the way in Tennessee on data center power needs, and a new report says in communities with data centers, residential electricity bills rose even as commercial bills fell.

ose ndings come from a report by inkTennessee, a Nashville-based nonpartisan think tank. e report, called “Powering the Boom: Data Centers and What ey

Mean for Tennessee’s Energy Future,” says data centers are reshaping electricity demand in Tennessee.

“Decisions made today about planning, pricing, and infrastructure will determine whether data center growth strengthens Tennessee’s economy — or places new costs and risks on households and businesses,” the report says.

Areas in Tennessee hosting data centers saw electricity bills rise 1.6 percent on average between 2023 and 2024, compared to the statewide average of 1.3 percent.

In 2023, the Memphis City Council approved a 12-percent rate increase for Memphis Light, Gas & Water (MLGW). It was implemented over three years. e nal 4-percent increase was applied to bills in January, raising household bills by about $5 per month.

TENNESSEE COURTS PARAMOUNT

Tennessee’s Commissioner of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) Stuart McWhorter encouraged Paramount Studios to move its corporate headquarters to the state in a letter earlier this month, according to e Hollywood Reporter e letter comes as Paramount battles the state of California over a takeover deal for Warner Bros. Discovery worth $111 billion, according to e Hollywood Reporter. In his letter, McWhorter lauded Tennessee as “one of America’s most business-friendly states.” Tennessee Lookout contributed to this report. Visit the News Blog at memphis yer.com for fuller versions of these stories and more local news.

{ STATE WATCH

By Allie Maury and Toby Sells

Execution Turmoil

GOP, advocacy groups, and clergy members urge a halt to state executions to review Tennessee’s process; so far governor says no.

Tennessee executions were scrutinized last week in a time between the botched execution of one death row prisoner in May and the scheduled execution of another man next month.

A court ruled that Darrell Hines, the prisoner slated for execution in August, must be told if the state intends to use the same doctor involved in the botched execution of convicted Memphis murderer Tony Carruthers in May. at doctor, Dr. Mark Fowler, stepped in during the execution of Carruthers when Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) sta failed to nd a needed vein. Fowler failed, too, before Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee called o the execution.

Hines’ attorneys said he risks suffering during his execution if Fowler is involved. e state originally refused to answer whether or not Fowler would be used for Hines’ execution, claiming state secrecy laws allowed it to keep his identity hidden.

“Mr. Carruthers was wide awake and groaned in agony.”

ursday. “ is is about correction o cers and personnel who are asked to carry out these executions. It’s about the victim’s families who were forced to endure uncertainty and additional trauma.

“It’s about every Tennessean who expects our government to respond with honesty and accountability when something goes terribly wrong as this did.”

is came a er nine Republican state senators, including Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin), sent a letter to Lee last month asking for executions to be halted until TDOC commissions an independent review.

e senators wanted a review to nd de ciencies in the credentials and qualications in the execution team, those de ciencies corrected, and testing results to be released to the public.

Carruthers’ sister led a formal state complaint alleging Fowler, the doctor overseeing the lethal injection, “violated his medical ethics in multiple ways.”

e complaint could yield nothing or a revocation of the doctor’s medical license.

Tennessee faith leaders urged Gov. Lee to halt scheduled executions and condemned his intention to continue them even a er Carruthers’ failed execution.

e clergy members were gathered by Tennesseans for Alternatives for the Death Penalty. e group asked Lee for a reprieve so courts could review the state’s lethal injection protocol. ey requested that failures be identi ed and addressed before any other prisoners are executed in Tennessee.

“ is is not just about one man on Tennessee’s death row,” Rev. Timothy Holton, a United Methodist pastor and chaplain to Tennessee’s death row, said

Tonya Hervey questioned Fowler’s quali cations. She said the doctor punctured Carruthers in places with no anesthesia, injected him with a substance without knowing if he was allergic to it or not, and that the execution caused a brain stroke. e complaint with the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) gave a detailed account of the attempted execution. Here’s a brief section. Read the full complaint on our website.

“A er ve minutes elapsed, Dr. Fowler tested the injection site,” reads the complaint. “He asked Mr. Carruthers if he could feel the poke from the central line needle and Mr. Carruthers said that he could feel it. Mr. Carruthers said ‘yes.’

“Dr. Fowler inserted the needle/ scalpel anyway. Mr. Carruthers moaned in pain and began to bleed. Dr. Fowler punctured/stabbed him at least one more time, attempting to set the line, all while Mr. Carruthers was wide awake and groaned in agony.”

at complaint will be reviewed by the TDH. If evidence of a violation is found, Fowler could face a warning or formal disciplinary charges with probation, suspension, a revocation of his medical license, nes, and more.

CELEBRATING LIVE MUSIC in Memphis 365 DAYS A YEAR!

Wednesday, July 22

Rodell McCord @ Tin Roof - 7pm

Thursday, July 23

PJ Morton @ Cannon Center for the Performing Arts - 8pm**

Friday, July 24

low key LIVE @ The Green Room – 7:30pm**

Saturday, July 25

Music Export Memphis 10th Birthday Bash @ Handy Park - 2pm

Sunday, July 26

Dinner & Music Cruise @ Memphis Riverboats - 7pm**

Monday, July 27

Red Thomas @ Rum Boogie Cafe - 7pm

Tuesday, July 28

10 Years w/ Line So Thin @Minglewood hall - 8pm

@memcity @citymemphis memphistn.gov/occeengage

AT LARGE By Bruce VanWyngarden

‘Unforgettable

Lessons’

**Ticketed Event

As war looms, distractions are everywhere.

Iwas about to scroll to Wordle Sunday morning when the following paragraph in the Times distracted me from my morning distraction.

“ e Iranian attack that killed two U.S. soldiers and le one service member missing on Friday was the fourth in ve days on U.S. forces in Jordan, multiple American o cials said. Taken together, the attacks have wounded dozens of U.S. service members and damaged a number of helicopters.”

at was bad enough, but then there was this chilling sentence: “Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned of ‘unforgettable lessons’ if the U.S. keeps attacking the Islamic Republic.” Yikes.

President Trump has alluded to using a nuclear weapon in Iran and just ordered the military to “open the gates of hell” on that country. Khamenei has threatened a mysterious attack that sounds almost equally dire. So what could go wrong? A crazy religious zealot out for revenge lined up against an emotional narcissist with the selfcontrol of a 6-year-old (and nukes). What couldn’t?

Welcome to the world’s existential horror show: another stupid war over oil, religion, ego, and testosterone. It’s the World Cup of Disaster and everybody loses. We never learn.

blindly swallowing the toxic Kool-Aid from Dear Leader? How many times will they hear Trump say the U.S. has “destroyed” all of Iran’s military assets before some brave Republican points out that Iran appears to have plenty of weapons, more than enough to attack targets in several Middle Eastern countries last week. And the situation could soon get worse.

e U.S. assault on civilian infrastructure and military targets along the northern shore of the Persian Gulf has geared up to new levels. ere are now roughly 50,000 U.S. troops in the Gulf arena, and rumors of a proposed joint ground assault with Israel are circulating on various media sites. We can only hope someone in the administration has the brains and clout to put a halt to such a disastrous decision. No more troops should die for another of Trump’s diversions, which is what this war really is.

It seems likely the increased saber-rattling on both sides will lead soon to an increased number of deaths in that con ict. Why that has to happen is the looming question that no one can give a straight answer to. And how does a war ever end if neither side trusts the other to keep its word in a peace agreement?

It’s certainly clear the American war e ort is not being run by serious people. Last weekend, as some of our troops were being killed and wounded by Iranian missiles and others were attacking that country’s military and civilian targets, the president played golf and went to a soccer game. “War Secretary” Pete Hegseth thought it was a good time to announce that he wanted our “war ghters” to dose up on testosterone. What a clown show. Our military deserves better, as do the American people.

How many of our troops will have to die before the members of the GOP stop acting like followers of Jim Jones —

Consider the fact that in the midst of all this bloody quagmire he created in the Middle East — the president is more obsessed with revisiting an election he lost six years ago and ginning up outrage about forthcoming election interference. It’s rich, coming from the guy who called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Ra ensperger in 2020 and begged him to nd 11,780 votes — one more than he needed to win the state — the very de nition of election interference.

And remember, Trump won the presidency in 2016 and in 2024 when Democrats held the o ce, and lost a “rigged election” in 2020 when he was president. Lord, what a piece of work.

Not to mention other current nightmarish diversions: e “safe task force” shootings on our streets, including four dead in Memphis since September; the deconstruction of the nation’s capital and its monuments; the currency, passports, and buildings bearing Trump’s name and image; the incessant billion-dollar gri s and payo s. All of it, including the unfolding disaster in the Middle East, is itself an “unforgettable lesson” that is already unfolding. But no matter how all of it plays out, what remains is for us not to get distracted — and not to forget any of this. Any of it.

Michael Donahue

Dixie Queen FOREVER

The beloved Memphis eatery still serves up ice cream, wings, and burgers just like they did in the ’50s.

Dixie Queen is t for a king. Make that THE King.

Elvis Presley was a regular at the original location of Dixie Queen, an ice cream/fast food chain founded in Memphis. He loved the Purple Cow milkshake.

Asked recently about Dixie Queen, Priscilla Presley said, “Dixie Queen brings back warm memories of Memphis and the happy times Elvis and I shared there.”

Now, a er 77 years, Dixie Queen still reigns over Memphis and the MidSouth. And it has a new group of hot performers, including GloRilla, who frequent the legendary restaurant.

Today, Dixie Queen has 18 locations, including Southaven, Mississippi, and West Memphis, Arkansas. David Ra anti owns 10 of them. e other eight are franchises. Ra anti opened the 10th location four months ago at Poplar Avenue and Dunlap Street, across

from Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital.

A couple of the Dixie Queens feature iconic life-size, concrete, snowballthrowing polar bears outside.

“You’ve got all these chains coming in, and we’re still around,” says Ra anti, 66. “It’s an honor to be here to serve Memphis. We don’t take it lightly.”

But Ra anti says he isn’t the “lone wolf” in the Dixie Queen operation. He’s had a lot of help from his team, including some employees who have worked there for 30 years.

RUNNING IN THE FAMILY

Ra anti is the third-generation owner of Dixie Queen, which was started by his grandfather, Regolo Ra anti, an immigrant from Italy, who originally went to work for Dairy Queen. “He had one of the rst Dairy Queens,” Ra anti says, but “he kind of had a run-in with Dairy Queen, so he decided to do his own thing and started Dixie Queen

many, many years,” says Ra anti. eir ice cream, like today, came in a mix. “He bought it from Harbin Mix Co., which was in the Memphis area for many years. ey had a great ice cream. With us, they added a little more butterfat to it, which gives it more avor. We’ve got a good ice cream now. It’s all in how you prepare it. And I think that kind of sets us apart.”

Being the son of a man who owned an ice cream/fast food business was pretty sweet, Ra anti says. “We looked forward to dad bringing home milkshakes and cheeseburgers. I was raised on Dixie Queen.”

Ra anti also grew up in the business. “Back then, they closed at 10 or 11 at night,” he says. “I used to go with him to help clean up and close and all that. So I’ve been around the food business all my life.

“I always wanted to have my own business. I wanted to be a part of my dad’s company, but I’m fascinated with business, period,” Ra anti says. “If it wasn’t Dixie Queen, it would have been something else. I was always a dreamer. I knew what I wanted to do when I got out of school.”

BUILDING ON THE PAST

Ra anti added his own innovations a er he joined Dixie Queen. “When I took over, we added quite a bit to the menu. e wings, the Philly [cheesesteak sandwiches], the nachos, and the breakfasts,” he says.

Nowadays, more people order food than ice cream, Ra anti says. And their hot wings are probably their most popular item. “We’ve had them for, heck, about 20 years or longer. ey’re really good. Everybody raves about the wings. ey still love the burgers, but I think the wings are the go-to. I hear more people talk about the wings than anything else.”

in 1949.”

ey “never heard from Dairy Queen” a er they changed the name. But, Ra anti says, “It’s a totally di erent name. I think my grandfather changed it to ‘Dixie’ because of the fact we’re in the South.”

e original Dixie Queen was at 1181 South Bellevue Boulevard. “Just a momand-pop dairy bar. Strictly ice cream, that’s all they sold,” says Ra anti. It looked like the setup of most dairy bars of the day, he says. “You walked up to the window and placed your order.”

Dixie Queen began selling other food besides ice cream, including hamburgers and hot dogs, a er Ra anti’s dad, John Ra anti, took over the business. John also opened a Dixie Queen on Mt. Moriah Road, “next to Putt-Putt and the skating rink.”

Regolo just served ice cream, but John began serving frozen custard. “He had old-time frozen custard over there for

One thing Dixie Queen doesn’t sell (even here in a destination spot) is barbecue. “You don’t want to overdo the menu. Barbecue is a big deal. To do it right, you’ve got to really know what you’re doing. It’s a whole other business in itself. We never dabbled in barbecue,” says Ra anti.

His grandfather served barbecue at one of his other businesses, a restaurant called Regolo’s on Airways Boulevard, he says, probably in the 1940s. ese days, “We’re really picky about what we put on our menu. We test it and get other opinions on it [ rst],” Ra anti says. “Once it’s on the menu, it’s tried and pretty much proven.”

Ra anti is also the one who chose to keep Dixie Queen open 24 hours a day. Customers can come in anytime — even at 2 in the morning — and get “hot, fresh, made-the-way-they-want-it” food, he says.

e fourth Dixie Queen location was opened at Airways Boulevard and Ketchum Road. “About every year or two years I’d try to open up another

(top) A Puple Cow milkshake, hamburger, hot wings, and fries at Dixie Queen

(below le ) Regolo Ra anti, Dixie Queen founder

(below right) Elvis and Priscilla at the original Dixie Queen on Bellevue Boulevard

(bottom) A painting of Elvis, Priscilla, and the B.B. King band visiting Dixie Queen hangs at the Germantown Parkway location.

location,” Ra anti says. “It takes longer when you’re an independent doing it all on your own. Plus, that makes you more solid. As far as my company, we have 10 locations and we’re still looking to grow. We’re taking our time. And we try to pick the right locations.”

Ra anti has also closed locations over the years. “I don’t have a lot of patience,” he says. “If the building or the location wasn’t doing what I thought it should do, I would cut my losses and move on to some other location.”

Dixie Queens are located in areas where “you can have late-night business, where people are out,” he says. As a 24hour spot, “I try to go to areas where you can have 24 hours of business.”

Some parts of town, where people don’t go out late, might not be as lucrative. “ ey’re pretty much done in those areas around 10 at night,” Ra anti says. “ at’s usually when we’re busy.”

Another plus is if there’s industry in the area. Employees can come in and eat when they’re on break. “ ose are the signs you look for,” he says.

Ra anti began the Dixie Queen franchise business about 30 years ago. “One thing about Dixie Queen is, we try to give people the opportunity if people want it,” he says. “If they want to try to get into the food business, we’ll help them along.” People come to him with a location in mind, and Ra anti will consider it. “I don’t want anybody investing money in locations I wouldn’t invest my own money in.”

LIFESTYLES OF THE RICH AND FAMOUS

Dixie Queen has had its share of notable customers. “A lot of the rappers come to Dixie Queen,” Ra anti says.

Young Dolph included Dixie Queen in his song “Chill” — “Pulled up at the Dixie Queen. And got a milkshake. Damn, Dolph, remember you used to serve me back in the day?”

And in “High AF,” GloRilla sings, “I just got the munchies, did the dash to Dixie Queen.” GloRilla may even be their greatest ambassador. “She’s always

continued from page 9

talking up Dixie Queen,” says Raffanti, who heard her in an interview. “She said when you come to Memphis, you’ve got to go eat at Dixie Queen. She wished they were in other cities where she’s at because she travels all the time. It was a really nice compliment.”

Elvis went to the original Dixie Queen on Bellevue, Raffanti says. He’d be outside and get Priscilla to do the ordering. He used to order a Purple Cow. “It’s a milkshake, but it’s made with grape flavoring. It’s really good.”

A photograph of Elvis and Priscilla is on view at their Germantown Parkway restaurant. He’s on a motorcycle, “but you see the building,” Raffanti says.

DELECTABLE DETAILS AND DECOR

Most of the Dixie Queens are drivethroughs. Three of the locations have dining rooms. “We have our sign package and all our set colors,” Raffanti says, “an off-white with royal blue, and we have a pink trim that goes around the building.”

Employees wear Dixie Queen T-shirts, but they once wore a slightly more elaborate uniform. “We used to have visors, aprons. We invested a ton of money in uniforms,” Raffanti says. “Now, we just do the shirts. Girls didn’t want to wear the visors or hats because of their hair.”

As for those polar bear statues, Raffanti says the original ones were at the old Fairview Drive-In on Airways Boulevard. “They had the bears. I thought they were awesome. I still think they’re great. My whole family grew up around them on East Parkway in this area.” His dad “probably played on the bears,” he adds.

Raffanti was “drawn to them,” and when the Fairview Drive-In closed, he brought the two original bears to his Third Street Dixie Queen location. “When Fairview shut down, I decided to let the polar bears be our mascot.”

He then began tracking down and buying the heavy concrete polar bears wherever he could find them. “I kind of just adopted them, to be honest with you.”

The two original Fairview bears are at his Macon location. Two wooden bears at the entrance to the Dixie Queen Germantown Parkway location are handmade by “a guy who does woodwork around Pickwick Lake,” Raffanti says.

He hasn’t found anybody who still makes the concrete bears: “Somebody was saying we can get the cast of the bear and pretty much do them ourselves.”

THE NEXT GENERATION

Raffanti’s son, Joe Raffanti, 35, is the fourth-generation member of the Dixie Queen family. “Back in 2011 was when

I started with the company. Gosh, I was probably 20,” says Joe, who is a partner in the business.

Joe remembers hanging out with his grandfather at the old Bellevue location. “We’d go up there and visit him all the time. Sit back in the office,” he says. “He’d show us around. My dad would take me to work with him sometimes.”

“I just got the munchies, did the dash to Dixie Queen.” — GloRilla

Joe worked at Lowe’s for a time, but he always wanted to work at Dixie Queen. “I kept telling my dad, ‘Hey, I’m ready when you are.’ And it just so happened we were opening up our store on Pepperchase Drive in Southaven, Mississippi. He said, ‘You know what? If you think you’re ready, you can run it.’ And with literally zero restaurant experience, I said, ‘Let’s go for it.’”

Echoing his father, Joe says

customers know they’re getting the best quality at Dixie Queen. “Fresh burger, fresh fries — everything is getting dropped when you order it. We don’t have burgers in warming trays. We don’t have warming trays. We don’t even have microwaves in our buildings. Even our desserts, when you order it, that’s when we’re preparing it.”

“Everything in Dixie Queen is done the same way it was done back in the ’50s,” David emphasizes. “Our burgers, everything, it’s all cooked to order.”

It may take longer to get their orders, but their customers “will wait a little longer for a good, quality product,” Raffanti says. “That’s what I stress to the cooks. We’re not in a race. We’re here for quality.”

And Raffanti is there for Dixie Queen itself. “I love this business,” he says. “I’m in these stores seven days a week. Sunday morning, you’re going to see me. I love it. And I love going around and talking to the managers. That’s one thing they know: I’m going to be there. Rain, sleet, snow, whatever. I’m going to be around.”

Loving his work and taking pride in his products helps stoke Raffanti’s enthusiasm, especially when customers pay Dixie Queen what he considers to be the highest possible compliment: “If the bag ain’t greasy, I don’t want it. It ain’t Dixie Queen.”

steppin’ out

We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews

Objects of Belonging

By Kimberly Ham

As the Metal Museum prepares to open its new location in Overton Park, “What We Surround Ourselves With” o ers a tting last exhibit at the museum’s original location on the blu . On view through July 31st in the Keeler and Gasparrini Galleries, the exhibition draws from the personal collection of longtime metalsmith and Director of Metal Studios Jim Masterson, presenting 83 objects that celebrate both extraordinary cra smanship and the community that sustains it.

MAKE YOUR CLOSET HAPPY, MANE.

Masterson began collecting works during the Museum’s Repair Days auctions, acquiring pieces he believed belonged in the museum’s orbit and that spoke to him personally. “If I don’t like it, I’m not going to buy it,” he says. e result is a collection spanning decades, from jewelry and sculpture to playful objects such as a mid-century Slinky, each chosen for its artistry and ability to inspire daily re ection.

Exhibitions Manager ais Lloyd notes that the show reveals the values that have guided Masterson’s 26 years at the museum: technical excellence, generosity, and an abiding love for the eld. Many featured artists are former apprentices, metalsmiths, sta members, or friends whose paths have crossed with the museum’s. Some works were even created with Masterson himself in mind, a testament to the relationships forged in the studios.

Among the exhibition’s highlights is Masterson’s own Hummingbird Necklace, made for his mother when he was an undergraduate. e piece points to his beginnings in ne metals and to the intimate, family-centered stories that run throughout the galleries. Nearby, kinetic sculptures, forged steel forms, and whimsical treasures invite visitors to reconsider metal as a medium capable of grace, warmth, and surprise.

Installed to evoke the rich visual tapestry of Masterson’s home, the exhibition encourages viewers to ask enduring questions: What makes an object art? How do the things we live with shape us? Above all, “What We Surround Ourselves With” honors the artists, mentors, and friendships that built the Metal Museum on the blu and that will carry its spirit into the future.

“WHAT WE SURROUND OURSELVES WITH,” METAL MUSEUM, 374 METAL MUSEUM DRIVE, THROUGH JULY 31.

Ballet Memphis Open House

Ballet Memphis, Saturday, July 25, noon-4 p.m.

Ballet Memphis will open its doors to the community for a free open house on Saturday, July 25th. Visitors can enjoy dance classes, face painting, cra s, Pilates and tness demonstrations, local food vendors, and a special performance by students in the Summer Advanced Intensive program.

e vendors will include MEMPops, Ritzie’s BBQ, and Grind City Co ee, plus a special pop-up by America’s Dancewear featuring BMS school uniforms and other dance essentials.

e event o ers a fun opportunity for families and dance enthusiasts of all ages to explore Ballet Memphis, meet members of the organization, and experience its programs rsthand.

Munch and Learn: Dining Out with Gustave Flaubert Dixon Gallery & Gardens, Wednesday, July 29, noon-1 p.m. Spend your lunch hour exploring the intersection of art, literature, and history at the Dixon Gallery & Gardens’ Munch and Learn series on Wednesday, July 29th. In this lecture, Dixon director Kevin Sharp will examine the celebrated 19th-century French novelist and the cultural world that shaped his work. An expert in 19th-century French and American art, Sharp has organized more than 50 exhibitions and authored numerous books and exhibition catalogues throughout his career. Guests are encouraged to purchase lunch from the Dixon café before the program and bring it into the auditorium, with advance lunch orders recommended to avoid delays. is lecture is free.

Tongue & Tree: Finding Your Roots in the Language at Spoke You

Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library Lobby, ursday, July 23, 6-8 p.m.

Explore the connection between language, memory, and family history in this six-week writing series. rough storytelling, oral history, and personal narrative, participants will re ect on the words, phrases, traditions, and family expressions that have shaped their identities and preserved their heritage across generations. Designed for adults of all writing experience levels, the series encourages attendees to uncover the stories embedded in everyday language while creating a personal portfolio of original writing that blends memoir, family history, and creative expression. Registration is required.

MUSIC By Alex Greene

Feelin’ Like Dealin’

Graham Winchester ramps up his songwriting, playing, and producing with new LP.

Some years ago, Graham Winchester — perhaps best known for his drumming with Devil Train, Jack Oblivian & the Sheiks, Reigning Sound, and his garage rock duo with Seth Moody, Turnstyles — explained to the Flyer how, when it came to songwriting, he was ultimately a folk artist. “I’ll usually even write Turnstyles songs on the acoustic in sort of a folkie way,” he said. “And then I’ll bring it to Seth and go, ‘I need help rocking this up.’” at described the songwriting process leading to his last album, Nobody Waters the Flowers, material he’d composed during the most isolated years of Covid lockdown. But now, with the release of his new LP, Feelin’ Like Dealin’ (Blast Habit Records), things have changed.

As soon as you drop the needle on Side A, one stomper a er another storms o the turntable, all greasy guitar ri s, reedy Far sa organ, and pounding drums. By track ve, things veer into soul ballad territory a bit, but by then the singer-songwriter’s love of pounding rockers has been established. It’s a new emphasis in his work, and the key to it all, no doubt to the dismay of countless musicians’ domestic partners, comes down to one thing: buy more gear!

“I think since I did Nobody Waters the Flowers, I’ve collected more guitars,” he explains impishly. “Like, a lot of Teiscos and other Japanese ’60s brands. ose kinds of guitars and those kinds of drums are my weakness. I’ll buy one and be like, ‘Okay, that’s it. I’m satis ed.’ And then I’ll see another one. Because they’re o en inexpensive. So I had a lot of di erent guitars to experiment with, and they de nitely made their way onto this record. Also, getting a Far sa [organ] made a big di erence.”

Bear in mind that these gizmos are for both Winchester himself and for clients of his home studio. “It’s called TinyLand Studio because it’s a converted attic with shorter ceilings,” he explains. e late Cheyenne Marrs’ album, Everybody Wants To Go Home, was recorded there, as were parts of Frank McLallen’s Extra Eyes. ose artists all share Winchester’s love of old records. “I’m always trying to capture great tones, with a lot of warmth,” Winchester says. “I love that kind of ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s era of recording. I love using old Electro-Voice microphones and archaic instruments, you know, and just trying to capture a vibe.”

It helps that Winchester plays every instrument on the record — with the enthusiasm of a drummer who’s typically chained to his kit. “I’ve always thought of myself as a drummer/ keyboardist,” he notes. “Drums are my rst love and what I play in a lot of bands. Playing the keys is so much fun for me, but even then I feel like I’m almost like playing drum rhythms on the keys.” And yet his playing, from groovy Far sa licks that recall Bill Black’s Combo, to saloon piano, to ambient Rhodes, and even extending to rock guitar, is on point throughout. ose skills come in handy for the quieter material as well. Ironically, given the new garage rock energy of the album, the title song, “Feelin’ Like Dealin’,” which you might expect to be a raucous Fugs-like tune extolling the virtues of slinging contraband, is actually a sparse country waltz. “Lately I’ve been feelin’ like dealin’ with myself for the rst time in a while,” Winchester croons, and it’s clear that the fellow who was once the wunderkind of the local scene is now both a dad and a middle-aged adult taking stock of his own foibles.

It may be those strippeddown songs that shine the most at Winchester’s release show, happening at Bar DKDC on Friday, July 24th, at 7 p.m., as he won’t be leaning into the album’s full rock band sound then. “I’ll start o solo, on acoustic guitar and piano,” he says. “For the second half of the set, I’ll have electronic drums with keys and me playing more percussion with my feet, and Seth playing bass. So, it’s kind of a di erent way of performing live for me.” ose who want to hear the record, on the other hand, can attend the listening event at Memphis Listening Lab on Wednesday, July 22nd, at 6 p.m.

CALENDAR of EVENTS: July

23 - 29

Send the date, time, place, cost, info, phone number, a brief description, and photos — two weeks in advance — to calendar@memphisflyer.com.

DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS, ONGOING WEEKLY EVENTS WILL APPEAR IN THE FLYER’S ONLINE CALENDAR ONLY. FOR COMPREHENSIVE EVENTS LISTING, VISIT EVENTS.MEMPHISFLYER.COM/CAL.

ARTS AND SPECIAL EXHIBITS

“Tennessee Craft Southwest’s Fine Craft Showcase” is exhibition encompasses a wide range of media including weaving, wood turning, clay, glass work, jewelry, quilting, painting, sculptures, and much more. Some of the artists have collaborated with each other to create something truly unique. Free. rough July 31.

WKNO DIGITAL MEDIA CENTER

ART HAPPENINGS

Opening Reception: Summer Exhibition Featuring EMYO & Meghean Warner

Celebrate one year at Laurelwood with the opening of a summer exhibition featuring EMYO and Meghean Warner. rough acrylic, watercolor, and gouache, both artists capture moments of joy, movement, and quiet observation. ursday, July 23, 5:30 p.m.

GOETZE ART & DESIGN

BOOK EVENTS

Book Club - Lanterns on the Levee: Recollections of a Planter’s Son Discover a deeply personal, written re ection on duty, heritage, and the evolving landscape of the South, and dive deep into the complicated history of the region we call home. Wednesday, July 29, 1 p.m.

TOWN OF COLLIERVILLE MORTON MUSEUM

Crossword

ACROSS

1 Number of countries between los Estados Unidos y Colombia

5 Cantina snacks

10 First name in 1950s comedy

14 State bird of Minnesota

15 Olympic champion Ohno

16 Watt or knot

17 Civil defense measure, concisely?

19 ___ good example

20 Taken off

21 Ghostly

23 Recollection of something that just happened, concisely?

26 Revs up

28 Not fooled by

29 Place to wear a tuxedo

30 Make an evasive maneuver

Illuminated eerily, perhaps

“The Raven” monogram

Pair in a salsa band

Figure skater Midori

With an ___ the future

Campaignsupporting grp.

Some

A long stretch

Department store staffers 50 Make a polite visit, concisely?

54 Christina on Rolling Stone’s list of “100 Greatest Singers of All Time”

55 “Great job!”

58 Fifth Avenue concern

59 “That. Was. A. Blast!,” concisely?

62 Dry cleaner’s challenge

63 Squaresville

64 Dinar spender

65 Dark periods, in poetry

66 Defense alliance from 1954 to ’77 67 Sp. titles

1 Count in Lemony Snicket books 2 Tesla ___ 3 Astrological creation

4 Just because 5 Tiny amount 6 4/ 7 Aplomb

8 Sports standout 9 Grave

10 Aid in tidying up the house

Calendario commencer

Musical instrument whose name means “three strings”

Four-time

How a tie may be broken, in brief

Whale constellation

___ Shah Pahlavi, former leader of Iran

PHOTO: ELIZABETH WALKER

On display at the “Tennessee Cra Southwest’s Fine Cra Showcase” is Elizabeth Walker’s Persistence

COMMUNITY

2026 Iris Rhizome Sale

Enjoy this sale of over 140 di erent iris varieties grown by and bene ting the West Tennessee Iris Society, a non-pro t public bene t a liate of the American Iris Society. Free. Saturday,

Edited by Will Shortz No. 0704

July 25, 8 a.m.

EMMANUEL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH FELLOWSHIP HALL

Cars and Coffee

Cars and Co ee is celebrated nationwide in many major cities. It’s an event where people can come together to display their cars and look at others’ cars. Saturday, July 25, 8 a.m.

GERMANTOWN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

CLASS/WORKSHOP

Tongue & Tree: Finding Your Roots in the Language That Spoke You is writing workshop explores the deep connection between language and lineage, using storytelling, oral history, and personal narrative to trace where we come from and what we carry. ursday, July 23, 6 p.m.

BENJAMIN L. HOOKS CENTRAL LIBRARY

COMEDY

Comedy Open Mic

A stand-up comedy open mic at Havenhaus, hosted by Malcolm Castle and Charlie Vergos. Some comedians will be funny. Some will objectively terrible. at’s why it’s free. Wednesday, July 29, 8 p.m. HAVENHAUS

DANCE

Ballet Memphis Open House is celebration features dance classes, face painting, cra s, Pilates and tness demonstrations, local food vendors, and a special performance by the Summer Advanced intensive program. Saturday, July 25, 12 p.m.

BALLET MEMPHIS

FAMILY

Super Saturday: Georgia O’Keeffe

Flowers

Inspired by the vibrant oral paintings of Georgia O’Kee e, children will explore color, shape, and scale while creating their own ower-inspired artworks. Saturday, July 25, 10 a.m.

MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM

FILM

2046

Following a writer haunted by past relationships as he works on a mysterious futuristic story, 2046 unfolds like a dream — rich with stunning cinematography, unforgettable music, and emotional yearning. ursday, July 23, 7 p.m. CROSSTOWN THEATER

FOOD AND DRINK

All Collectives Happy Hour & “David Uzochukwu: Bodies of Water” Tour

Enjoy a happy hour where you can meet fellow collective members, enjoy specialty cocktails (or mocktails!) from the café, and get a special guided tour of one of the newest exhibitions, “David Uzochukwu: Bodies of Water.” ursday, July 23, 5:30 p.m.

MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM

THEATER

Once Upon A Mattress: Youth Edition

In this one-hour adaptation of the beloved musical, Winnifred the Woebegone is just a simple swamp princess looking to win the heart of Prince Dauntless. Friday, July 24, 7:30 p.m. | Saturday, July 25, 2:30 p.m. | Saturday, July 25, 7:30 p.m. | Sunday, July 26, 2:30 p.m. GERMANTOWN COMMUNITY THEATRE

White Rabbit Red Rabbit

White Rabbit Red Rabbit features no rehearsals, no director, and no prior preparation. Each evening, a di erent actor walks onstage and opens the script for the very rst time in front of the audience. Adult content. Friday, July 24, 7:30 p.m. | Saturday, July 25, 7:30 p.m. WOODRUFF-FONTAINE HOUSE MUSEUM

We Saw You.

with MICHAEL DONAHUE

As people watching goes, people were watched indoors and outdoors for another “People Around Town” edition of We Saw You, which extended as far as Olive Branch, Mississippi, this week.

eir likenesses were captured at Clippers & Shears, Hotel Pontotoc, Dino’s Grill, Cooper-Young, e Fresh Market, e Rendezvous, Central Gardens July 4th Celebration, Zio Matto Gelato, e Peabody, Liquor & Wine Depot, and Tops Bar-B-Que & Burgers in Olive Branch.

above: (le to right) Emily Berkey, Will Presley; Logan Sanders, Mary Anna Tucker circle: Jason Bobo below: (le to right) Brett Strike, Kate Gorski; Jana and Dr. John Finder; Devin Clegg bottom row: (le to right) Luca, Rudy, and Mario Grisanti; Morqan Shaw and Louie

FOOD By Gracie Driver

Legacy at the Table

e Memphis Brooks Museum of Art celebrates its former neighbor, the Memphis College of Art, with a meal by Karen Carrier.

If you haven’t heard about the dinner series at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, what have you been doing? e Legacy at the Table is a three-part celebration of Brooks’ former neighbor, the Memphis College of Art (MCA). May and June are already in the books, but their third and nal showcase, orchestrated by Chef Karen Carrier, will take place on September 23rd. MCA graduate Karen Carrier was among the many artists there who went on to do great things, but few could host a dinner party like her.

Carrier moved from Memphis to New York City for graduate school and needed to nd work while taking classes. at’s where her passion for cooking really took o . During the many restaurant jobs she worked, she eventually met a dear friend who would soon become her business partner. ey opened up restaurants together for years until life pulled them away from the Big Apple.

During Carrier’s education at MCA, she studied under the great Dorothy Sturm, one of the original professors at the school and a nationally recognized artist. e Brooks team and Carrier decided to honor her at the rst dinner with a heartfelt speech and a menu that re ected everything Carrier learned from her, from composition to color.

e second meal, which I had the honor of attending, focused on the school’s history in the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s. Sadly, the designated guest speaker was unable to attend, but Brooks’ ongoing exhibit, “Memphis College of Art, 19362020: An Enduring Legacy,” did a great job of showcasing art and history during the hour leading up to eating. We were able to explore the museum, drink champagne, and chat with fellow attendees. At the September dinner, an early guided tour before the main guests arrive is available for those with VIP tickets.

At the June event, whimsical tablescapes were adorned with arrangements made from a mixture of fruit and owers. Menus were made to look like the blueprints of the MCA building, Rust Hall, and waiters gracefully moved through crowds in stylish hats and custom out ts, courtesy of Chef Carrier’s wardrobe.

Family-style plating is intentionally designed by Carrier to nurture a community environment. She says, “People get to know each other by passing around the food and telling stories.” I ended up making a friend of my own while there and can attest to its e ectiveness.

A fruity arugula salad with nectarines, pomegranate, and candied citrus arrived rst. e salty Manchego cheese, almonds, and high-quality olive oil rounded out the beginning of the meal. e rst main course consisted of pork tenderloin, heavily avored with fennel, tropical papaya, and peach puree, along with avocado, cilantro, queso fresco, and shoestring fries. e star of the show was their cold-smoked salmon, cooked to perfection. e punchy mustard glaze and citrus gremolata cut through the buttery sh, and toasted pine nuts added a bit of crunch. e crazy collection of avors and in uences, with all sorts of colorful sides, re ected Carrier’s own eclectic career. e evening nished with a comforting peach cobbler à la mode. Legacy at the Table re ects decades of artistic expression that have forever shaped our city. If you’re looking for a unique dining experience in Memphis, I can’t think of anything more eeting and beautiful to attend. As most know, the Brooks Museum is moving Downtown in September, so dining in its original building in the heart of Overton Park will never happen again.

Escape!

ese Memphis cocktails and cocktail bars will transport you.

I

love Memphis. If you’re reading this, you probably do, too.

But even the cities we love can wear us down. ese days, I rattle between the same three or four places inside the Parkways — groceries, kid stu , the gym, repeat. Every once in a while, you need a change of scenery, even if you don’t have time to leave town.

ere’s a line I love in a Jason Isbell song. In it, this guy nds his way to his favorite bar, e Mustang Lounge. He says, “If you don’t sit facing the window, you can be in any town.” at’s what I’m talking about here. (Minus the existential dread.)

Sometimes, you have to escape. If you can’t escape town, you can escape your rat-race routine. Escape is as close as one of Memphis’ amazing bars. And I ain’t talking about just drowning your sorrows.

I’m talking about bars that make you feel you’ve stepped into somewhere new. Bars free of litter, bad drivers on Poplar, Kroger’s SWAT team security guards checking your receipt, and customer service so bad you feel like you did something wrong.

You need a fresh perspective, a fresh avor. You need an escape. Let us show you the portal.

• Mary’s Bar of Tropical Escapism is one’s obvious. Escape is literally part of the name. e escape is real, too. Step inside Mary’s B.O.T.E. You’ll forget Cooper Street is behind you. You’ll forget Hattie B’s is right there.

It’s bamboo, palm fronds, a beautiful bar, citrus fruits hanging in nets for reasons you don’t understand nor care

to. Drinks with literal paper umbrellas. Drinks with literal cherries on top. Drinks in parrot-head glasses and unicorn glasses.

e menu transports you, too. ere’s a Mai Tai ($13), Mary’s Grog ($14), a Painkiller ($14), and something called Trinidad Especial 2.0 ($14). You’ve heard of these in maybe Moby Dick, a YouTube sea shanty, or a Jimmy Bu ett song. Either way. You ain’t in Memphis anymore. Union Kroger what?

• Beck & Call — One way out is up. And if you’re looking to escape (or to get above it all) you’ll want Beck & Call.

Escape into the chic, simple quiet of the Hyatt Centric’s roo op bar on Beale Street. Classy enough for a little black dress and casual enough for your favorite Grizz tee. All of it in a comfortable, urban elegance.

Bonus, it comes with an amazing view that gives the Mississippi River its rightful grandeur. Past and present Memphis slides by, above the noise, above the grit, above it all. Escape “where Memphis meets the skyline,” as Beck & Call says on its website.

Do this with a Garden Stroll ($17) in your hand. It’s Tito’s Vodka, St-Germain, cucumber, lemon juice, and club soda. It’s cool, oral, citrusy, and with enough bubbles to make the world below seem pleasantly far away.

• Escape the Chaos With a Martini — Sometimes escape is polite order. Polished wood. White linen. A bartender in an apron. And a perfectly cold martini.

e city now brims with amazing bars and restaurants that e ortlessly o er this kind of escape. Bar Limina. Amelia Gene’s. e Lobbyist. Fawn. Andrew Michael. Felicia Suzanne’s. Art Bar. Cafe 1912. ese were just a few suggestions from a recent discussion in the Memphis subreddit about the best places to get a martini in town (around $14 to $18).

ese bars — and that drink — can transport you to a cultured, civilized space free from a loud bike night on Beale, the sweaty blast of heat that hits when you open your car door a er work, and maybe even those complicated feelings you have about the guy selling drinks at Poplar and East Parkway. No. A martini in an upscale bar is quietly digni ed. Cra ed with purpose. Tailor-made just for you in that very moment. Gin. Vodka. Vermouth and bitters, or not. Dirty. Olives. Lemon twist. Or not.

is is your Memphis escape, a er all. Get it your way.

Mended Therapy

Combining mental health with a love of fashion, creativity, and sustainability, Mended Therapy was born. Ashley wants to show that although things may seem like they cannot get better, there is hope. Just like a mended piece of clothing is brought new life, the same can be said of us. She is here to walk with you through this journey with laughter, creativity, and challenging your beliefs about yourself. She is MENDED (and constantly mending). She hopes you will let her join you as you MEND.

Ashley specializes in working with LGBTQ+ populations and mood disorders.

For more information or to book an appointment, visit mendedtherapypllc.com.

She currently accepts Aetna, BCBS, Cigna, Quest Behavioral Health, All Savers (UHC), Health Plans Inc, Optum, Oscar, Oxford, Surest (Formerly Bind), UHC Student Resources, UMR, UnitedHealthcare, UnitedHealthcare Shared Services (UHSS), UnitedHealthcare Global, and UnitedHealthcare Exchange Plans (ONEX) insurance plans. She does provide a superbill for out-ofnetwork clients if they want to submit to their insurance. Self-pay is $125 for individual sessions.

A Midyear Tarot Read

Your intuition will guide this mid-summer check-in.

As we near the middle of the year, many of us nd ourselves taking stock of where we are emotionally, spiritually, and personally. January o en arrives with ambitious goals and resolutions, but by June, life has usually shi ed in unexpected ways. Some dreams have grown stronger. Others may have faded into the background.

at is one reason I love using tarot for midyear re ection. Tarot is not simply about predicting the future. At its best, it helps us become more aware of ourselves in the present. e cards reveal patterns, emotions, obstacles, and possibilities we may not fully recognize on our own. A thoughtful tarot reading can help us reconnect with our intuition and examine where our energy is being directed.

Midyear readings are valuable because they create an opportunity to pause before rushing through the rest of the year. Rather than judging ourselves for perceived failures, tarot encourages honest re ection without shame. Sometimes growth looks di erent than what we imagined.

For this month’s column, I want to share a simple ve-card tarot spread designed for re ection, healing, and spiritual realignment. is spread works well for both beginners and experienced readers, and it can easily be adapted to any deck.

Before beginning, I recommend creating a calm environment. Light a candle, make a cup of tea, cleanse your space if that is part of your practice, and take a few slow breaths. Tarot becomes far more meaningful when we approach it intentionally rather than hurriedly.

As you shu e, focus on this question: “What do I need to understand about my path as I move into the second half of the year?” Once you feel ready, pull ve cards.

• Card one: Where am I right now? is card re ects your current energy and emotional state. It may reveal how you feel beneath the surface or show the dominant lesson now shaping your life. Sometimes it con rms what we already know. Other times, it reveals exhaustion or uncertainty we have not yet acknowledged.

• Card two: What lesson am I being asked to learn? is position focuses on spiritual growth. O en the challenges we face repeatedly are connected to lessons we have not processed yet. is card may highlight themes like boundaries, patience, trust, con dence, or self-worth.

• Card three: What should I release? is is o en the most powerful position in the spread. is card asks us to examine what we are carrying unnecessarily into the second half of the year. It may point

toward fear, resentment, perfectionism, self-doubt, or outdated expectations.

• Card four: What strength or resource can support me? is card reminds us we are not powerless. Even during di cult times, we possess tools and support systems that can help us go forward. Sometimes it points toward personal resilience. Other times, it indicates community, creativity, spirituality, intuition, or rest itself as a necessary resource.

• Card ve: Where is my path leading if I continue forward consciously? Rather than o ering a xed prediction, this card re ects potential direction and energetic momentum. It reveals what may unfold if you continue intentionally, staying aligned with your highest self.

One of the beautiful things about tarot is that it reminds us that the future is not rigid. Our choices and actions matter.

A er completing the spread, spend time journaling about the cards that stood out most. Notice repeating symbols, emotions, or themes. O en the messages that linger in our minds a erward are the ones that need the most attention.

Midyear re ection is not about criticizing yourself for what has not happened yet, but instead about reconnecting with your spirit. Spiritual growth rarely follows a straight line. ere are detours, setbacks, and unexpected transformations along the way. Tarot helps us navigate those with greater honesty and awareness.

For this midyear check-in, perhaps the most important question is not whether you are perfectly on schedule, but whether you are more fully aligned with the person your soul is trying to become.

Emily Guenther is a co-owner of e Broom Closet metaphysical shop. She is a Memphis native, professional tarot reader, ordained Pagan clergy, and dog mom.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Authentic love songs are rare. Much of contemporary music leans toward infatuation, sex, heartbreak, and fury, while few artists seem interested in singing unabashedly about unique expressions of tenderness and enduring devotion. In the months ahead, Aries, your inner life will be gloriously out of step with that trend. Your heart is poised to wake up in sometimes surprising ways. Even if you’re not a trained vocalist, you may feel regular urges to express your passion and adoration in song. If I could give you a gift, it might be a curated playlist packed with the most radiant love songs of the last 60 years, so you’d have a soundtrack worthy of the lush emotions that I suspect will bloom in you.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Nobel Prize-winning Taurus physicist Richard Feynman kept a notebook titled “Things I Don’t Know About.” When he came across a question he couldn’t answer, he added it to the collection. I recommend a similar discipline for you now, Taurus, but with a twist. Keep a log of “Beautiful Mysteries I Don’t Really Need to Solve.” Rejoice that not every paradox and puzzle needs resolution. Savor the fun fact that some riddles enrich your life precisely because they remain open-ended. Hooray for not knowing! My theory is that some of your finest qualities will flourish in the presence of productive uncertainty.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In the early days of radio broadcasting, engineers sometimes spoke of “tuning the receiver.” Even when a station was transmitting clearly, a listener might hear static until their radio dial was adjusted to exactly the right frequency. The message was present and clear; the challenge was homing in on it. There’s a similar phenomenon going on in your life, Gemini. Useful information, fun inspiration, and interesting possibilities may be circulating in your vicinity. But you will need to adjust your attention so you can actually receive it. To bring the signals into focus, listen differently. Or pose alternate questions. Or pay attention to sources you don’t usually notice.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Neuroscientists have found that remembering the past and imagining the future rely on many of the same brain networks. That overlap helps explain why vivid visualization may influence our emotions and behavior. When we repeatedly simulate alarming scenarios about what could conceivably happen, our brains treat them much like memories. This makes us prone to spotting “threats” in places that may be relatively safe. The good news is that the coming months will be an excellent time to retrain this habit, Cancerian. More than ever, your imagination can be a precision

By Rob Brezsny

instrument you use to recalibrate yourself away from fear and toward possibility. Fantasize about wonderful possibilities with the same intensity that in the past you have dwelled on scary speculations.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In the 19th century, Virgo naturalist Alexander von Humboldt helped launch the modern science of ecology. While exploring South America, he came to a revolutionary conclusion that’s obvious to us now: Nature isn’t a collection of separate objects but is an intricate web of relationships. Mountains shape the weather. The plants and pollinators rely on each other. Underground mycelial networks perform many services for the trees. I propose that you channel your inner Humboldt, Virgo. Shift your focus away from isolated problems and instead observe the larger systems. Solutions may be elusive when you’re bound to a narrow view but strikingly clear when you perceive the wider pattern. If you’d like to take bold action, rely on the spacious perspective.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The coming months will be a favorable time to triple your devotion to the art of rowdy fun. I urge you to attend more revels and celebrations than usual, and always be ready to energize social functions with infusions of festive wit and gleeful conviviality. You will also have extra power to inject buoyant amusements into your intimate liaisons. Therefore, dear Libra, I designate you to be the Party Maestro of the Zodiac. I hope you will carry out your role with maximum exuberance, ingenuity, and joy.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): What if I told you that your most personal and potent dream can come true — but only through months of persistence, disciplined sacrifice, and stretches of bewildering but fascinating uncertainty? Would you reorder your priorities to chase it with every ounce of creativity you have? Or would you set it aside in favor of a safer and easier possibility? Between now and the end of October, I predict the moment will arrive to choose one path or the other.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): On some occasions, you just don’t have the power to act with impeccable integrity and do the totally right thing. Doing the partially right thing may, however, be a useful and compassionate option. I bet this will soon be helpful advice for you. Blunt truth: There are moments when the “perfect” ethical, emotional, or practical choice simply isn’t available; The timing is off, resources are thin, or someone else’s limits block the ideal outcome. In those situations, waiting around for the flawless solution is a kind of paralysis that keeps you stuck in guilt or indecision. Instead, you can aim for the best available good.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22): Oak trees produce far more acorns than could ever grow into trees. Squir rels bury thousands and forget many of them, preparing the way for the next generation of forest. The trees succeed through strategic overproduction. I invite you to adopt their method, Leo. In the coming weeks, overproduce. Make more than you can track. Release more than you can manage. You don’t need to be perfect, just abundant. PS: This expansive capacity is yours to explore with delight and confidence, I guarantee it.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In botany and gardening, there is a practice called “companion planting.” Certain plants thrive when grown near each other because they share nutrients, repel or distract pests, or improve soil and microclimate. Here’s an example: Indigenous peoples of the Americas planted the “Three Sisters” together: Corn gave beans a living trellis, beans added nitrogen to the soil, and squash shaded the ground to hold moisture and deter weeds. This principle may be useful for you to contemplate now, Capricorn. The people, tools, and influences you place near one another will influence your productivity and well-being. By blending complementary energies, your efforts will flourish without strain.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Author Alain de Botton observed that “the person we marry is always far more remarkable, frightening, and complex than we quite realized when we first declared our love.” Rather than feeling alarmed by this revelation, I invite you to find it thrilling as you apply it to your best allies. The fact that they contain mysteries you haven’t yet plumbed means the relationships aren’t likely to grow stale. There are undiscovered depths in those you may think you know completely. My advice: Approach even your most familiar intimacies as ongoing discoveries.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Do you ever fear or distrust your own desires? Are you suspicious of achieving “too much” success? Do you ever feel starved for hope, but belittle yourself for wanting it? Do you go emotionally blank in the face of possibilities that should thrill you? If so, the coming weeks could bring healing and a breakthrough. You will have a chance to perform a rare kind of exorcism — not of garish demons or foolish ghosts, but of the quiet defeatism and lack of faith that dull your brilliance. Seize this moment, dear Pisces! Purge the automatic doubts that the world has trained you to mistake for wisdom.

FILM By Chris McCoy

Get Him to the Greek

Christopher Nolan’s e Odyssey is a truly epic endeavor.

No one is sure exactly how old Odyssey is. e events it describes, the a ermath of the Trojan War, allegedly happened around 1100 BCE, and Homer’s epic poem was already a staple of Greek literature by 650 BCE, which leaves some wiggle room, historiographically speaking. Nor is anyone sure whether or not the Trojan War actually happened — even the ancient Athenian historian ucydides had his doubts about 1,100 Greek warships setting sail because Helen le her husband Menelaus, king of Sparta, for Paris, prince of Troy.

But historical accuracy is beside the point. e story is foundational to our culture and our language. An “odyssey” is any long trip, not just one undertaken by Odysseus. Mentor, the name of Telemachus’ tutor, is now a generic term for wise teacher. From Mad Max to Ferris Bueller, there’s a little bit of the two- sted, smooth-talking trickster Odysseus in just about every modern hero. e structure of the story — a hero meets a bunch of strange characters during his perilous journey home — has been used by everyone from James Joyce to the Coen Bros.

But even in a world where there have been 33 lms about Godzilla, direct screen adaptations of Odyssey have been few and far between. Why did even Walt Disney leave a public domain story which literally inspired its own cult unexploited? Maybe it’s because the story sounds very weird to contemporary ears. In Homer’s world, the gods walk around raping women while disguised as swans, and you can get to Hades by sailing to France. Plus, all that sailing around the Mediterranean is really expensive. It took someone like Christopher Nolan, coming o dual Best Picture and Best Director Academy Awards for Oppenheimer, with

the audacity and in uence to pull it o .

And pull it o he did! Rarely have an artist and their subject been so in sync. Nolan is undeniably skilled, but his lms have always been hit or miss for me. As a sci- fanatic, I should love Interstellar, but it never did much for me. Oppenheimer’s brilliance is undermined by its unnecessarily complex structure. But Greek myth really plays to the director’s strengths. He can bring the spectacle needed to make the epic poem feel epic. If the dialogue is a little clunky, that’s okay, because it was a long time ago, and they didn’t know how to talk good yet. Plus, he’s got that cast!

Matt Damon is to Odysseus as Michael Keaton was to Batman: an unlikely choice that turned out to be exactly right. When we rst meet him, he is shacking up with Calypso — and let’s be honest, spending seven years on an island doing drugs with Charlize eron is the most understandable of Odysseus’ choices. is time around, Nolan’s obsession with nonlinear storytelling serves the material. As Telemachus (Tom Holland) searches for word of his long-missing father, he gets di erent spins on the story from different storytellers.

Meanwhile, back in Ithaca, Penelope (Anne Hathaway) is stuck. Sure, she’s technically a queen, but her power ows from her relationship to her husband Odysseus, who has been absent for going on two decades. is fact is not lost on the many minor nobles like Antinous (Robert Pattinson) who lurk in her banquet hall hoping to be chosen as the new royal bedmate. Hathaway and Damon are beautiful together in a ashback that sets the stakes for the war, while Pattinson clearly relishes playing the smarmiest guy in ancient Greece. John Leguizamo steals every scene he’s in as the blind swineherd Eumaeus. Likewise Samantha Morton as the witch Circe,

whose creep factor is o the charts as she turns Odysseus’ men into pigs. Himesh Patel keeps things lively on the boat as Odysseus’ rebellious right-hand man Eurylochus, while a fearsome Elliot Page berates Odysseus from beyond death. Lupita Nyong’o is riveting as the bitter, war-scarred Helen and her twin sister, the vengeful schemer Clytemnestra. e only actor who feels underutilized is Zendaya, whose main job as Athena is to roll her eyes at Odysseus every time he tries something stupid.

Nolan’s eye for spectacle is one of the best in the business. e Trojan Horse sequence is brutally claustrophobic, and the sacking of Troy is a nightmare of re and

blood. Sound design sets the mood of terror as the crew is trapped in the cave of the Cyclops (Bill Irwin). While many A-list directors are spending their $250 million on reshoots and CGI, Nolan is using his budget to put a full-sized IMAX camera on an actual wooden boat in the actual Aegean Sea, with a bunch of highly paid actors actually rowing for their lives. With e Odyssey, Nolan makes sure that everyone from Universal Pictures executives down to the matinee ticket buyer feels like they got their money’s worth.

e Odyssey

Now playing Multiple locations

Our critic picks the best films in theaters. Hadestown: The Musical

Can’t get enough Greek mythology? Anaïs Mitchell’s 33-song cycle turned Tonynominated Broadway musical might just rescue you from hell. Hadestown is a mix of two stories: Orpheus (Reeve Carney) and Eurydice (Eva Noblezada), and Hades (Patrick Page) and Persephone (Amber Gray). Hades rules an underworld that looks a lot like New Orleans. He convinces the young Persephone, who is trapped in rural poverty, to come live with him for half the year. When Orpheus’ crush Eurydice follows Persephone home to Hadestown, Orpheus must compose a song to win her back. Filmed with the original cast with a live audience in London, this special engagement is running July 24th to

28th at Malco Collierville, DeSoto, Olive Branch, Ridgeway, and Stage Road only.

Her Private Hell

The latest from director Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive, The Neon Demon) is also about rescuing people from a kind of Hades. In a misty future Tokyo, Elle (Sophie Thatcher), searching for her father (Dougray Scott), meets Private K (Charles Melton), who is set to co-star with her in a sci-fi movie. They are stalked by The Leatherman, a mysterious killer who, like everyone in Refn’s films, looks fabulous.

Motor City

This action film by Italian music video director Potsy Ponciroli has only five lines of dialogue. Don’t want any fancy talkin’ to get in the way of the violence!

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THE LAST WORD

By Bryce W. Ashby and Michael J. LaRosa

What Happened to Mark White?

e Republican state representative is no longer concerned with doing the right thing.

We recently heard of the death of Senator Lindsey Graham, who, before his turn to Trump, was seen as a man of conscience. During the foggy days of Trump’s ascension, Graham became emblematic of his party, which at rst rejected the president, his racist dog-whistles, and his base immorality, but then the South Carolina senator shi ed to “embrace mode” to maintain relevance and gain power. Tennessee politicians have similarly engaged in the same sort of dramatic shi s; the saddest case is certainly State Representative Mark White. We remember when Mark White, like Lindsey Graham at the federal level, understood and championed the cause of Dreamers or DACA kids. DACA is “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals” and o ers some protections for undocumented kids brought here by their parents as minors. It was signed as Executive Action by President Obama and is popular with the American public, writ large.

White has tied himself to Senator Brent Taylor and a radical right agenda in Nashville.

White in 2017 and 2018 led the charge for DACA kids to receive in-state tuition to Tennessee colleges and universities. During and before those years, White was a committed conservative but was always willing to listen, and seemed concerned with doing the right thing. Now, such prudence and decency have all but disappeared as hallmarks of White’s political career.

In the last legislative calendar, White voted almost uniformly in favor of Trump’s statelevel immigration legislation initiative. Worst of all, White voted in favor of a bill that would have allowed schools to deny undocumented children access to the classroom directly in contravention of the Supreme Court’s 1982 decision in Plyler v. Doe. Fortunately, this bill did not pass, but it shows who White has become.

Additionally, in this most recent special session, White voted to directly undermine our federal representation. While it is true that White did not vote for the redistricting scheme, which sliced Memphis’ congressional district into pieces, he did vote to allow state law to change so redistricting could occur during this “o ” census year. at vote is a clear example of a “Pro le in Fecklessness” and a betrayal of our city.

Senator Graham’s death and the obituaries that have followed should serve as a reminder to White that history does not fondly remember those who abandon decency in favor of power and temporary relevance. Graham went from a respected elected o cial who would reach across the aisle in the hopes of compromise to a caricature; we would never refer to him as “Lightweight Lindsey,” but Trump certainly did.

White has tied himself to the likes of Senator Brent Taylor and a radical right agenda in Nashville that is bent on tearing Memphis and Memphians apart. at agenda has militarized our streets — with two lethal shootings within one week in Memphis this month — sent our immigrant neighbors into hiding, and removed what little voice our community has at the federal and state level. Where is the outrage seen in other places (Maine, Houston) where federal agents have killed people on American streets? Where is the leadership here in Memphis?

Our political representatives have subordinated our interests to their own individual political aspirations and divided our collective voice. On the le , we’re not doing much better. We’ve had an indictment for one politician, Tami Sawyer, and allegations of the and the misuse of public funds for personal gain by at least one city council member.

We still have a chance to salvage our future. But rst we need to move beyond the likes of White and others who have lost their inner decency.

Memphis — collectively and in all three of our new districts — must turn out for this next election in record numbers if we have any hope for a better future. We as a city need and deserve better.

Bryce W. Ashby is an attorney at Donati Law, PLLC. Michael J. LaRosa is an associate professor of history at Rhodes College.

The Hot Tamale Capital of the World invites you to enjoy an eclectic collection of events and entertaining stops.

» MAY « Mississippi Wildlife Heritage Festival, including Frog Fest and Leland Craw sh Festival LelandChamber.com

Future Tour Golf Championship

» JUNE « Delta Soul & Celebrity Golf Event facebook.com/DeltaSoulGolf

Lake Washington’s “Straight O The Lake” Music Festival

Snake Grabbin’ Rodeo facebook.com/GrabUOneOut tters

» JULY « WWISCAA Food Festival wwiscaa.com

» AUGUST « MS Delta Duck Boat Races at Lake Washington

» SEPTEMBER « Delta Blues & Heritage Festival deltabluesms.org

Gumbo Nationals greenvillespeedway.net

Sam Chatmon Blues Fest facebook.com/SamChatmonBlues

Stephone Hughes Old Time Gospel Fest

» OCTOBER « Delta Hot Tamale Fest mainstreetgreenville.com/ delta-hot-tamale-festival

Highway 61 Blues Festival highway61blues.com

Monuments on Main Street Historic Greenville Cemetery Tour deltacenterstage.org/events

YMCA Cotton Classic 10K/5K Run racesonline.com/ymca-cotton-classic

» NOVEMBER « Roll’n on the River Car Show facebook.com/redwinecarshow

» DECEMBER « Christmas on Deer Creek LelandChamber.com