MemphisFlyer 11/27/2025

COMES SANTA

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11.27.25

“Race is not a metric that is tracked,” the Memphis Safe Task Force Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal Ryan Guay wrote in an email response on November 17th. I was aiming to make sense of the information on the city of Memphis Safe Data Dashboard (memphistn. gov/safedata), which is updated daily with the most current number of arrests carried out by task force officers and agents, seemingly broken down by felony/misdemeanor, violent/non-violent crimes, warrant arrest charges, etc. At an earlier point in this “safe task force operational period,” immigration-related arrests were included in these numbers. Those are no longer reported.

I began my quest for clarification on October 27th, about a month into the operation, by submitting a FOIA request to the city of Memphis for public records for the then 1,634 cumulative arrests made by the task force, to further analyze the numbers by age, race, charge, etc. A week later, on November 3rd, I received this response: “The City has reviewed its files and has determined there are no responsive records. The City of Memphis is not the custodian of the records requested. Please contact Shelby County Sheriff’s Office for arrest records.” I had requested and received arrest records from the city several times in the past, never SCSO, but redirected my request as advised. Within a few hours of that email, SCSO’s Chief Policy Advisor Debra L. Fessenden responded, “I think all media have been told that the U.S. Marshals Service is the point of contact for Memphis Safe Task Force inquiries. Please direct your questions to that agency.”

I proceeded to the U.S. Marshals FOIA center online and, on November 4th, submitted a new request there for the (by then) 2,048 cumulative arrests. Despite a request for prioritization for media, it may be months or even a year before those records are provided, if they ever are (status is still “received” as of this publication). So I reached the public affairs team for the Memphis Safe Task Force, emailing Ryan Guay, mentioned above, asking if there was somewhere else I should be directing my requests, as I’m simply seeking raw data to review the information myself — the same information they are using to update the online dashboard. In response, Guay said, in part, “The Task Force’s focus is on violent offenders and serious crimes. Race is not a metric that is tracked, nor does it bear any influence on Task Force decisions or on who is charged.” He then provided the current numbers as of November 17th, claiming age was included, as follows: “Total Arrests: 2,790; Homicide: 10; Narcotics: 313; Firearms: 240; Warrants: 1,196 (Note: Not all charges are listed above.); Firearms Seized: 453; Missing Children Located: 114.”

These numbers do not add up; neither does the information on the city’s dashboard. When further questioned about the absence of a large number of charges, Guay replied, “The Task Force has remained transparent throughout this operation, and the numbers shared are those tracked through our established metric system. We do not break the data down much further than what has been provided. While we understand you have a further interest in additional detail, such as race, age, or charge type, that is not how the information is gathered.” Every arrest has a public record, which includes name, age, race, and charge. Those of us in local media are not being provided the extent of info needed to accurately report on task force activity. Other local editors have confirmed the same: Arrest tickets are not being made public and FOIA requests could turn a year old before being fulfilled. If they aren’t breaking down info that way, I will, provided we receive the records. This is what journalists do.

United States Attorney General Pam Bondi appeared in Memphis on Monday to provide an update. “This surge in Memphis has dramatically dropped crime. The numbers tell the stories themselves. They are undeniable,” she said, touting more arbitrary numbers. Rep. Justin J. Pearson released a statement following Bondi’s comments, noting, “They are using unverifiable records to inflate their impact.”

NEWS & OPINION

THE FLY-BY - 4 POLITICS - 7 AT LARGE - 8 FINANCE - 9 COMMUNITY - 10 COVER STORY “SEASON OF PRESENTS!” BY FLYER STAFF - 12

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

WE RECOMMEND - 17 MUSIC - 18 AFTER DARK - 19 CALENDAR - 20

NY TIMES CROSSWORD - 21

WE SAW YOU - 22 FOOD - 24

NEWS OF THE WEIRD - 26 ASTROLOGY - 27 FILM - 28 NOW PLAYING - 29 CLASSIFIEDS - 30 LAST WORD - 31

What is truly undeniable is that we can’t see the full story. Thousands of people — 3,096 as of November 24th — have been arrested, but we don’t know what for. The dashboard is a mess of numbers. “Arrests: 3,096; Felonies: 1,309; Misdemeanors: 1,787. Warrant Arrests: 960; Felonies: 529; Misdemeanor: 431; Charges: Other: 710; Traffic Stops: 35,851” (that’s 710 out of 960 “warrant arrests” for “other”) … take a look for yourself and admire the illusion of safety in curated stats. Remember, behind each of those numbers is a human being. Right now, entire communities in our city are being terrorized under the guise of making Memphis safe. Do we accept whatever they tell us? Do you?

If serious crime and transparency are the goals of the Memphis Safe Task Force, give us the records. Then we can see if the numbers speak for themselves or if they tell a different story.

Shara Clark shara@memphisflyer.com

THE fly-by

MEM ernet

Memphis on the internet.

NEVER-ENDING ELVIS

e King is back … in AI videos. Dozens of social videos have brought back celebrities in a trend made possible by textto-video generators like Sora.

Most of them are absurd. Stephen Hawking wrestling Helen Keller. Mister Rogers podcasting with Bob Ross. In these, Elvis has shot a nail gun at an audience, rounded the bases a er a home run, wrecked a mobility scooter, and (above) shaken hands with a fan on the street.

DRIVE MEMPHIS

Want to drive the streets of Memphis without actually, y’know, driving? A YouTube video posted last week does just this with a chill soundtrack. No potholes. No terrible drivers.

FUN TRIVIA

Decode clues in photos to guess the name of Memphis neighborhoods. is little trivia game in the Memphis subreddit is a fun head-scratcher. Is that a wolf giving chase in the image above?

Questions, Answers + Attitude

Edited by Toby Sells

{WEEK THAT WAS

By Flyer staff

SNAP, Guard, & the Baron

Food funds nally ow, troop presence blocked, and Baron Von Opperbean to set sail.

SNAP FUNDS FLOW

Food assistance bene ts loaded onto EBT cards last week.

Bene ts for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) were halted on November 1st. e shutdown of the federal government meant the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) had no access to its regular funds for the program.

e Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) announced last week that “Tennessee SNAP recipients who received a partial November bene t will receive the remainder of their November bene t amount.”

Here’s what the agency said Tennesseans should expect:

“SNAP households that previously received partial bene ts will have the remaining bene t amount added to their EBT card beginning Monday, November 17th. Households that have not yet received any November bene ts should expect to receive their full bene t amount in the coming days.”

GUARD PRESENCE IN LIMBO

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi was set to visit our city on Monday following a court order that temporarily blocked the Tennessee National Guard deployment in Memphis.

A er a Davidson County chancellor blocked Governor Bill Lee from continuing to deploy the Tennessee National Guard in Memphis last week, Guard members remained on the streets as Lee mulled an appeal to the ruling.

A Davidson County chancellor blocked Governor Bill Lee from continuing to deploy the Tennessee National Guard in Memphis last week. However, Guard members remained on the streets as Lee mulled an appeal to the ruling.

Members of the Guard have been patrolling the streets of Memphis since October under a directive from Lee, as part of a task force convened by the Trump administration in September. How many Guard personnel are currently stationed in Memphis is unclear: Memphis police said last week there were fewer than 200, but that number would soon double. Recent court lings indicated more than 700 are currently in Memphis.

e Memphis Safe Task Force is composed of hundreds of state and federal law enforcement o cers working in conjunction with local law enforcement. Last week’s order does not impact the presence of these o cers.

“ e power committed to the Governor as commanderin-chief of the Army and the Militia is not unfettered,”

wrote Chancellor Patricia Head Moskal. “ e Tennessee Constitution and the Military Code establish conditions for calling the National Guard into active service and limit the Governor’s power and authority.”

THE BARON SETS SAIL DATE

Baron Von Opperbean (BVO) will set sail on the River of Time in March, its leaders announced last week.

Work on the 8,000-square-foot, immersive experience on Mud Island has been underway since 2024. e installation — called Baron Von Opperbean and the River of Time — will combine “an adventure-play labyrinth, fantastical stories, interactive games, community spaces, special events, food and beverages, and more.”

Tennessee Lookout contributed to this report.

Visit the News Blog at memphis yer.com for fuller versions of these stories and more local news.

Making Noise on xAI’s Noise {

CITY REPORTER

By Kailynn Johnson

Southaven neighbors complain of xAI’s “constant high-pitched noise that just doesn’t end.”

xAI’s gas turbines in Southaven, Mississippi, have prompted noise pollution complaints from residents.

In a YouTube reel, a resident named Jason Haley showed that the noise from the turbines caused his decibel reader to uctuate from the 40s to the 60s when used inside. When outside, the reader reached the 70s.

“Even when [the turbines] are not at peak loudness it’s [a] constant highpitched noise that just doesn’t end,” Haley said.

Haley is seeking answers to whether this will be a temporary or long-term issue. He has been told by city o cials that they agree the sound is an issue, but he is not con dent it will be properly addressed.

“I don’t know if this noise will go on for a couple more weeks, till the end of next year, or what — that’s the answer I’m looking for,” Haley said.

According to Haley, local code enforcement and police said, “ ere’s nothing they can do [to address the problem].”

e turbines in question are a part

of xAI’s expansion into Southaven, months a er Memphis became home to the company’s supercomputer, Colossus. e city’s former Duke Energy plant has been transformed to “meet the electricity demands of these articial intelligence operations,” the city of Southaven said.

In an August 1st report, Southaven Mayor Darren Musselwhite noted concerns in both Memphis and Southaven regarding air pollution, water capacity impacts, and more. e mayor said he would “never” advocate for a project that didn’t bring economic and public development to the city.

“xAI has proven their commitment to being an outstanding corporate citizen in this regard in every possible way,” Musselwhite’s report said. “Environmental sensitivity is at the forefront of this commitment as they go above and beyond required emission control requirements.”

Despite these vetted sensitivities, citizens are still concerned about other issues the plant has posed.

Shannon Samsa said she only gained

CITY OF SOUTHAVEN

Southaven’s energy plant helps fuel Grok in Memphis.

knowledge of the plant through Musselwhite’s Facebook post in August and news coverage about a month prior. Samsa said she has been following the plant’s expansion closely ever since and that several residents not near the site

are still unaware of its existence.

Samsa has provided updates for the community through her social media platform. She said the time for transparency has passed and has called for “a genuine apology for misleading the public.”

“To be clear, the only reason we know anything at all at this point is because residents like myself have done the digging,” Samsa said. “If there’s a path forward, it begins with full disclosure of all project-related documents and approvals, and a clear explanation of why the community has been le out of the conversation for so long.”

According to Southaven’s Code of Ordinances “noise sources associated with construction and normal operations” on light or heavy “industrial districts are allowed as long as they do not exceed 70 dBA” at the property.

Musselwhite released the following statement on the matter: “Solutions to this matter are pending and have been communicated to all a ected.”

xAI had not responded for comment as of press time.

By Jackson Baker

Talking Turkey

As the number of mayoral candidates proliferate, things get i y and a little weird.

Until recently, the eld for the 2026 Shelby County mayoral race seemed reasonably settled with ve candidates, all with known public pro les, vying for the Democratic Party nomination, which, once gained, would pretty certainly, given the county’s demographic realities, result in a general election victory.

To recap, the ve are: Memphis City Councilman JB Smiley, County Commissioner Mickell Lowery, County CAO Harold Collins, County Assessor Melvin Burgess, and Criminal Court Clerk Heidi Kuhn.

Since then, of course, a sixth candidate with serious name recognition, former schools superintendent Marie Feagins, has announced for the race. Feagins’ ring by the Memphis-Shelby County Schools board, a er the briefest tenure, shook the pillars of local ofcialdom and fomented a controversy which divided the community and which has still not abated.

Given Feagins’ notoriety, it remains unusually di cult to establish the identity of her potential political base. A generous number of local Republicans, seemingly convinced by her new-broom actions as superintendent that she was conservativefriendly, came to her defense. But so did copious numbers of inner-city residents, Black and presumably Democratic by inclination.

e fact is that, ideologically, Feagins remains a mystery gure, even to the point of whether she would run (assuming she follows through) in a party primary or as an independent. She claimed Democratic a liation on the preliminary form establishing her candidacy and naming a treasurer, but in an interview with a local reporter, le her options conspicuously open.

Regardless of what ag she eventually ies under, candidate Feagins would be subject to the normal insistent probings about her positions on issues and would see her abilities tested under the pressure of a campaign. Further, would she be able to raise su cient funds for a major e ort, and from whom?

ese fundamental issues remain to be resolved, and a variety of develop-

ments yet to come could alter the conditions of the mayoral race, in the case of both Feagins and those of the other candidates so far declared.

Can it really be, for example, as consultant Deidre Malone declared on a weekend TV talk show, that embattled County Clerk Wanda Halbert could enter the mayoral race? Talk about name recognition! It cuts both ways! And is Deidre, who represented Feagin’s foes in the Battle of the School Board, maybe just trying to couple Wanda with Marie in the mind’s eye. A little confusion goes a long way …

If that’s the idea, though, there’s a better way. It will be recalled that, upon hearing that Justin J. Pearson intended to challenge 9th District Congressman Steve Cohen, Towanna Murphy oated the idea of seeking that o ce herself.

As comedian Latoya T. Polk portrays first-term school board member in an online skit, “Murphy” seems to have some trouble deciding whether the seat she seeks is in the Senate or the House. Might as well think mayor as well. She’s already an avowed opponent of Marie Feagins, having voted No against the superintendent on the board.

And, in an age that seems to value disruptors in politics, Murphy denitely is one, having been named in two di erent restraining orders, having been forced to apologize for demanding the deportation of an American ciitizen, having boasted of moving “cocaine and weed and cash o the trucks” at FedEx in an intended tribute to the late Fred Smith, and, most recently, having been thrown out of a county commission meeting for yelling at other attendees.

Que será, será! In any case, worry not. It’s anksgiving! We’ll get caught up later. Meanwhile, get yourself a hot toddy and gobble away.

The Dan WestChristmas Shop

AT LARGE By Bruce VanWyngarden

‘Gratefulness’

Be thankful that you can be thankful.

“I have a word painted above my door: ‘Gratefulness.’ It’s the most important word. When you’re grateful, you keep things in perspective. You keep your ego in check. You realize how precious life is. You don’t live with a fear base — if I don’t do this, if I don’t do that. What you have to do is live in the moment, being present, being centered, having clarity. Attitude is based on choice, and you choose how you want to be.”

Saturday, November 29th, 2025, 12 noon – 7:pm South Main (409 S Main —> GE Patterson)

ose words were spoken in 2009 by the then newly hired basketball coach for the University of Memphis, a fresh-faced fellow named Josh Pastner, who exuded optimism and uttered Dale Carnegie coach-speak so earnestly that you had to believe he believed it himself. In this case, I think the word he was looking for was “gratitude,” but there was no doubting the man’s sincerity. at, to say the least, was not the case with his predecessor, coach John Calipari, who spewed blarney like he was selling you a used Kia Sportage. It was all part of the act — the fasttalking im am man — but it had worn thin, especially as Calipari high-tailed it out of town to the bluer pastures of Kentucky.

pulled over for driving while brown and sent o to parts unknown with no public record being kept of his arrest? According to research by Flyer editor Shara Clark and other local journalists, that’s happened to an unknown number of people in Shelby County in the past couple of months. Of the 3,096 arrests made by the Memphis Safe Task Force as of November 24th, no record of arrestees’ names, ages, race, or arrest dispositions has been made public. ey’ve just been disappeared, right here in the “Land of the Free.” Or, more aptly, in this case, “the Home of the Blues.”

So what are you grateful for, exactly, if you’re sitting in a no-name prison a thousand miles from your family, and they don’t even know where you are? Grateful to be alive, I suppose. And what are you grateful for if your children are hungry? If your soulmate is terminally ill? If your job has been summarily eliminated? If your 17-year-old son was just blown to pieces in the Caribbean Sea by an anonymous American bomb strike?

Christmas Tree Lighting: 5:10pm • Holiday Market 12 noon – 5:00pm Santa 12:30–5:00pm • Golf Cart Parade 2:30pm Holiday Street Party 5:30–7:00pm

Praise God from whom all blessings ow? Count your blessings? Not likely, in most of those scenarios. But if you’re in a place where being thankful is possible, there are guides to practicing the attitude of gratitude, as they say. Most allude to the value of a daily meditation, to establishing a rhythm. Here’s a sample that AI gave me from Dr. Google:

Start your day with thanks: Before checking your phone or rushing into the day, pause to name three things you’re grateful for.

Write it down: Keep a journal or even a note in your phone where you jot down moments of gratitude.

Share it with others: Gratitude multiplies when it’s spoken. Send a quick text or tell someone how thankful you are for them.

Pastner was a breath of fresh air at the time, and I thought of him again last week — when his current team, the UNLV Rebels, came to town and trounced the UM Tigers — and I remembered his paean to “gratefulness,” which I’d written about somewhat snarkily at the time. It seemed tting to recall it in the week of the holiday that’s devoted to giving thanks. And, my inherent cynicism aside, there’s little doubt that remembering to be grateful for what you have is a good way to live a happier life. It’s a simple but wise message, one that I’ve heard from religious leaders, coaches, and various motivational speakers through the years: Be grateful for what you have. Or the shorter version, the one I heard growing up: Count your blessings.

But it’s also important to remember that that sentiment comes from a position of privilege. What, for instance, are you thankful for if your spouse just got

All good ideas, no doubt, but I’d add this: Be ever watchful for opportunities to make another person feel grateful. And remember to be aware that you’re living a life that enables you to be grateful. at in itself is a gi worth appreciating.

Organize Your Finances

Nine tips to get on the right financial track.

If your financial life is feeling a little unorganized, it may be time to get it back on track. These tips can help.

1. Check in on your financial plan. It’s important to make sure your financial plan continues to meet your changing needs. Dedicate time to reviewing and updating your financial plan, making necessary adjustments to stay on course toward achieving your goals. Your wealth manager can help you understand how changes in your life may impact your financial and investment strategies.

2. Recommit to paying off debt. If you have high-interest debt hanging over your head, now’s a great time to rededicate yourself to eliminating it. Try to pay a little extra each month on any outstanding consumer debt. Start with the lowest balance item, and once the smallest debt is paid, roll the funds previously used for that payment over to the next smallest debt (and so on) until all debts are paid off. Being debt-free is one of the best ways to achieve financial independence.

3. Organize your documents. Taking time throughout the year to organize your finances can make it easier to file taxes and keep tabs on your financial progress. Consider storing hard copy documents in a locked filing cabinet. Electronic documents can be stored in the online vault of your financial planning software (if you have one), in the cloud or on an external storage drive that’s kept in a secure location. Once you have a system in place, be sure to back up your files on a regular basis.

4. Increase retirement contributions. Even small increases in the amount you save for retirement can make a big difference in your retirement savings over time, thanks to the power of compounding interest. Consider electing to automatically increase contributions to your employersponsored retirement plan by 1 percent to 2 percent each year. It’s unlikely you’ll even feel a difference in your take-home pay, but your future self will thank you.

5. Monitor your spending habits. If you aren’t currently tracking your household income and expenses, now’s an excellent time to start. Take a look at the last few months’ spending to identify spending patterns. Are there any unnecessary expenses? For example, maybe you (like most of us) are paying for subscriptions you forgot you had and never use. Taking time to locate and eliminate excess

spending can give you more flexibility to pay off debt or increase savings.

6. Review your credit reports. Each of the major credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, allows consumers to access one free report each year. Take advantage of this opportunity to double-check your credit score and identify any unexpected errors.

7. Review your beneficiary designations. Remember that beneficiary designations supersede trust and will directives, which is why it’s essential to make sure your beneficiaries are still correct. Doing so is especially important if you’ve recently experienced a major life event, such as a marriage, a divorce, or the birth of a child.

8. Take steps to reduce tax exposure. Tax planning strategies are most effective when applied consistently throughout the year. Work with your wealth manager to identify opportunities to reduce your tax liabilities through strategies such as taxloss harvesting, asset location strategies, charitable giving, and more.

9. Check on estate planning documents. If you haven’t already implemented estate planning documents, it’s important to do so as soon as possible, regardless of age. Proper estate planning plays an essential role in protecting your loved ones, both after you die and throughout your lifetime.

If you have documents in place but it’s been a while since you reviewed them, be sure to schedule a call with your estate planning attorney to review your strategies and make sure your wishes continue to be reflected in your existing documents.

This commentary is provided for general information purposes only, should not be construed as investment, tax or legal advice, and does not constitute an attorney/ client relationship. Past performance of any market results is no assurance of future performance. The information contained herein has been obtained from sources deemed reliable but is not guaranteed.

AJ Kratz, CFA, CFP, is a Private Wealth Manager and Partner with Creative Planning. Creative Planning is one of the nation’s largest registered investment advisory firms, providing comprehensive wealth management services to help align all elements of a client’s financial life, including investments, taxes, estate planning, and risk management. For more information, or to request a free, no-obligation consultation, visit creativeplanning.com.

Task Force Taps Motel Guest Registries

Without warrants, feds and police are requesting guest data, renewing questions about MPD’s involvement in immigration enforcement.

The Memphis Safe Task Force was out in numbers on this warm October evening, swarming across the grounds of a dreary extended-stay motel on the city’s north side.

As security cameras rolled, a Memphis Police Department (MPD) o cer went inside and slipped behind the front counter while a federal immigration agent stood watch from the lobby. Behind the desk, the MPD o cer hopped on the motel’s computer.

With a series of keystrokes — but no warrant — he entered scores of the motel guests’ personal data into his own mobile device.

“I got scared because I don’t know whether to tell them yes or no,” a motel employee later told a reporter, saying she was too afraid and uncertain of her rights to tell the o cers no.

An investigation by the Institute for Public Service Reporting found the Memphis Safe Task Force is making aggressive sweeps through hotels and motels across the city, several in low-income areas and Hispanic neighborhoods where numbers of immigrants lacking permanent legal status live. e sweeps pose troubling legal questions regarding the delicate balance between public safety and the constitutionally protected right against unreasonable search and seizure.

Legal experts interviewed for this story said o cers are treading on treacherous ground in aggressively seeking motel registries. Technically, police can ask permission to see registries without a warrant, but hotel proprietors are within their rights to refuse to share the information to protect the privacy of guests.

“ e Supreme Court has held that hotels have a privacy interest in their guest registries, and the police have to obtain a warrant [to get them],” said David Raybin, a Nashville-based defense and civil rights attorney and a former prosecutor.

ere is risk involved, too. Within the last decade, a motel chain was forced to pay a multimillion-dollar settlement for jeopardizing guests’ privacy interests by providing registries to immigrant enforcement agents in Washington state.

And because of the power di erential between police and individuals they encounter, many people are too intimidated to realize they don’t have to comply.

“Police o cers know that a show of force will o entimes make

PHOTO: MICAELA WATTS

A member of the Memphis Safe Task Force at a motel site last month

“Police officers know that a show of force will oftentimes make people nervous and confused.”

people nervous and confused. at nervousness will o en cause them to comply with the request without questioning it,” said Memphis criminal defense attorney Claiborne Ferguson.

“ ere is a built-in compliance lever, anytime police show up in mass, with guns and raid jackets or body armor.”

Memphis Safe Task Force spokesperson Ryan Guay told e Institute in an email that the motel sweeps are legal and are based on solid investigative leads.

“ ese e orts are part of targeted enforcement strategies aimed at locating fugitives, recovering missing persons, and addressing violent crime

patterns in speci c areas. e selection of hotels or motels is based on credible leads, intelligence, and investigative necessity, not broad or indiscriminate canvassing,” said Guay, who serves as supervisory deputy for the U.S. Marshals Service.

“Regarding the legal framework, we operate within the boundaries of the Constitution, statutory authority, and judicial precedent. We do not condone nor do we operate based on intimidation, and respect for individual rights and business protocols remain a cornerstone of our approach.”

More troubling to some is the Memphis Police Department’s

involvement in these operations that started September 29th, a er President Donald Trump launched the Memphis Safe Task Force by deploying hundreds of federal agents into the city accompanied by state troopers and National Guard personnel.

In a controversial development last month, Memphis Mayor Paul Young said MPD is cooperating with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents — a radical departure from past statements by city leaders who tried to reassure Hispanic leaders that the city’s police did not check people’s immigration status. Young contended that MPD is steering its ICE teammates away from immigration enforcement to helping the city solve murders and other violent crimes.

But critics aren’t buying it.

“I am very concerned about what these people will do with that information. It is possible that, if they obtain work permits or documentation that has people’s home addresses, that information could be used in the future,” said Mauricio Calvo, president of Latino Memphis, an advocacy organization that works extensively with immigrants.

Calvo said MPD’s involvement in seeking motel guest details as part of teams that include federal immigration agents is troubling.

“It just breaks the trust and credibility that the mayor had when he said to the Latino community — and I was there when he said it in the public forum at the church a few weeks ago — that they are only working together [to] direct them to crime issues,” he said.

e mayor’s o ce did not respond to requests seeking comment. e U.S. Department of Homeland Security referred questions to the Memphis Safe Task Force. Task force spokesperson Guay, in turn, downplayed immigration enforcement as a factor in the sweeps but did not rule it out either.

“… e Memphis Safe Task Force does not exclusively engage in immigration enforcement. Our operational focus is, and has always been, on identifying and apprehending violent o enders, regardless of immigration status. Guest information does not historically or typically include citizenship-related details, and such information does not factor into Task Force enforcement decisions or priorities,” he said.

Aggressive tactics

From the get-go, the task force’s

marching orders involved aggressive policing. In announcing the creation of the task force on September 15th, President Trump said its objective is “to end street and violent crime in Memphis to the greatest possible extent” through “hypervigilant policing, aggressive prosecution, complex investigations, nancial enforcement, and large-scale saturation of besieged neighborhoods with law enforcement personnel.”

Initially, it wasn’t clear if MPD would participate in the task force’s operations. But Mayor Young said resisting the federal surge in the way Chicago o cials have done would only bring harsher tactics. Soon, the city administration embraced the extra manpower.

At least one MPD o cer was embedded with agents from ICE, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and other agencies last month when they descended on the motel in the city’s north side. As agents swarmed across the property, an MPD o cer from the Appling Farms Station entered the motel lobby accompanied by an agent with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), an operational branch of ICE.

e MPD o cer asked a motel employee to share the guest registry. No warrant was provided, according to the employee, who asked to not be named for fear of retaliation. She told e Institute that she had never faced such a request from law enforcement before. She worried she would be arrested if she refused to share the details.

e employee recounted what happened once she agreed to share the guest registry details:

First, she opened the hotel’s internal database of guests. en, one by one, the MPD o cer went through the details of each guest and the accompanying identi cation documents they had provided — passports, driver’s licenses, and more.

e MPD o cer then entered the details of each guest into a database on his mobile device, potentially looking for pending warrants or other reasons of interest.

During the database search, the o cer identi ed one person with an active warrant registered as a motel guest. e ensemble of agents then headed to the room but did not nd the person.

e Institute found that the task force paid similar visits to multiple hotels and motels across Memphis. Several owners and employees said that prior to the task force, they had not experienced law enforcement o cials requesting to view their guest registries without a warrant.

One hotel owner said he had instructed his receptionist to refuse to share guest details if agents did not

present a warrant. “You need to take care of the guests’ privacy, too,” he said, requesting his name not be mentioned due to fear of retaliation.

But other owners and employees have chosen to comply with the requests. ey o ered two primary reasons. For one, they didn’t know their rights in such a situation. And as defense attorney Ferguson noted, “It’s unlikely the police o cer would have told them what their rights were. ey don’t have to necessarily notify them of those rights.”

e other reason was that when so many agents came into their lobbies, the hotel employees said they felt pressure to do as the task force members asked. “I don’t want to get in trouble, you know?” said a motel employee who complied with the task force’s request.

Stella Yarbrough, legal director at the Tennessee chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said some hotels and motels will provide guest details simply because they believe the police must be operating within the law.

“ ere’s this assumption of good faith — that when they’re asking you to do something, it must be perfectly legal, and that they wouldn’t ask you something that would be violative of

that they had a privacy interest in keeping guest information private and that the ordinance violated the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures.

Yarbrough also pointed to a 2019 case, in which the Motel 6 chain agreed to settle a lawsuit led by the state of Washington a er several motels in the state provided information about thousands of guests to ICE without warrants.

e o ce of then-Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson had said at the time that Motel 6 had shared the information of about 80,000 guests in the state from 2015 to 2017.

According to a statement by the attorney general’s o ce, information sharing by Motel 6 had led to targeted ICE investigations of guests with Latino-sounding names. Many guests had faced questioning from ICE, detainment, or deportation as a result. “Motel 6’s actions tore families apart and violated the privacy rights of tens of thousands of Washingtonians,” Ferguson said.

Motel 6 agreed to pay $12 million as part of the settlement and signed a legally binding commitment to no longer share guest information without a warrant or other lawful basis, at any of its locations nationwide.

Washington state’s lawsuit argued that the motel chain’s actions had violated the state’s consumer protection and anti-discrimination laws.

your rights,” she said.

Yarbrough also questioned whether gathering motel registries could make MPD complicit in immigration enforcement — the very thing Mayor Young said that city police are trying to avoid. Once the task force obtains the motel guest data, there’s no guarantee that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) won’t use it to locate and arrest immigrants, she said.

“DHS could be using it to target individuals,” Yarbrough said. “[ at] could include pulling everyone who has a foreign passport, and running their information through all kinds of databases. at would be a concern,” she said.

Legal controversy

Legal rulings make it clear that hotel and motel employees would be within their rights to refuse sharing guest records with law enforcement o cials in the absence of a warrant.

In a landmark 2015 decision, the Supreme Court struck down a Los Angeles ordinance that required hotel and motel owners to make their guest registries available to police o cers whenever requested to do so. In the case, the City of Los Angeles vs. Patel, hotel owners argued

Referring to the situation playing out in Memphis, Yarbrough said, “ ere could be some state consumer protection laws that could be helpful to people who have their information disclosed, but Tennessee’s consumer protection law is perhaps a little wanting. … It’s from 1977 and so it doesn’t totally deal a lot with the new state of how information is exchanged.”

A more recent law, the Tennessee Information Protection Act, which came into e ect in July, only deals with very large businesses, such as those with an annual revenue exceeding $25 million.

“So I doubt that applies to any of the hotels in Memphis,” Yarbrough said. Meghnad Bose is an assistant professor of practice in the University of Memphis’ Department of Journalism and Strategic Media and a sta writer for the Institute for Public Service Reporting. Before joining e Institute, he was a reporter and Delacorte Fellow at Columbia Journalism Review.

Erika Konig is an intern for the Institute for Public Service Reporting. A senior journalism student at the University of Memphis, she is a rst-generation college student and a naturalized citizen from Mexico. She graduated summa cum laude from Southwest Tennessee Community College before enrolling last spring in the U of M.

Season of Presents!

SHOP LOCAL THIS HOLIDAY SEASON WITH OUR CURATED LIST OF MAKERS, GOODS, AND SHOPS.

All we want for the holidays is world peace and happiness — and for people to know the di erence between news stories and op-eds — but apparently our wish list makes us “impossible” to shop for. But we’re not! We have other things on our list, things that t in a pretty box or gi bag or can be swaddled in shiny wrapping paper with a big old bow. But we wanted to let you know we’re good people rst, not just materialistic, consumerist nobodies. And hey, look

at this curated list of things to buy and places to shop that we’ve made. ey’re all local! Local places and local makers! We are good people a er all because good people shop local, right?

New Harbert Candles

Looking for an unusual holiday gi idea?

Hit the streets.

In other words, buy one of Brooke Beuzieron’s candles, which are named a er Memphis streets and feature

(le , below) From merch to memorials, support your park.

(far le ) Brooke Beuzieron

owner of New

associates with particular streets.

“I asked my friends, ‘If you were to

pick, what would be the scent for your street?’” Beuzieron says. “And ‘What would you want it to smell like?’” Street scents include Poplar,

which Beuzieron says is “very oral. It has aloe leaves, cactus, and some hydrangea. A little bit of gardenia.” e scent makes her think of “Poplar

PHOTOS: SOPHIA COOVERT

“Vintage doesn’t have to be expensive,” says Outphits’ Sophia Coovert.

in the summer. All the trees and pretty foliage when you’re driving down the prettiest parts of Poplar close to Overton Square.”

Joe’s Wines & Liquors: Joe’sBeer Nutz Club

In these troubled times, there’s one thing the world truly needs this holiday season and just cannot get enough of: beer.

Ice. Cold. Beer. Pulled from a Rocky Mountain stream. Guaranteed to never ll you up and never let you down. Guaranteed to smooth out those holiday dinners. And when your MAGA uncle starts going on about “how Trump cleaned up Memphis,” beer gives you an excuse to step away and grab a fresh one. Ah, beer. Is there anything it can’t do?

Beer is the one thing that will satisfy almost everyone on your gi list this year. And it’s something people will actually want.

Yeah, but how do you gi beer? Wrap a sixer of Ultras? at’ll look great under the tree.

“Harbert” was made to smell like a Central Gardens library. “People just have these beautiful old school libraries you don’t really see in new homes anymore.”

Vance is a popular candle, Beuzieron says. “ at one is citrus and mandarin. Vance, to me, is a fun street,” she says. “ at’s just such an all-encompassing, well-loved happy scent. I thought it t with a street that covers almost all of Midtown and Downtown.”

Making the candles began in 2019 as a hobby for friends and transitioned to a business, says Beuzieron, who is a physical therapist. “I live in Midtown and so do most of my friends and families. So, naturally, it started that way.”

Avalon, Poplar, and McLean Boulevard were among her rst candles. “Over the years, friends and family moved. Customers started expanding with more streets.”

Beuzieron also is featuring holiday street candles this year. Peabody Hearth is a “cranberry spice scent with a little bit of reside. Reminiscent of big houses on Peabody. Kind of old and classic. ey have old, beautiful Midtown replaces.”

Crosstown Christmas is “more Midtown. Clove, apple, orange. A ‘simmer pot.’ All the di erent Christmas smells.”

Beuzieron’s candles are available by “porch pickup,” ending December 21st, and shipping, through December 15th. For information and to order candles, visit newharbertcandles.com.

— Michael Donahue

No. Here’s how you do it. Go to Joe’s Wines & Liquor (or to their website) and ask about the Joe’s Beer Nutz Club. (Yes, spelled like that.) For $180 (or $15 a month), Joe’s picks out two or three (or even sometimes ve) new or unusual beers they think you (or that beer lover on your gi list) should try. (Lots of parentheticals happening here.) en, you just head to Joe’s to pick them up each month.

I’ve been a member and can tell you the monthly pickup is a fun little Midtown ritual, especially when you’ve forgotten to do it. You’re cruising Poplar (probably to go to Home Depot for some dumb thing), and it hits you: “Oh, yeah! I need to pick up my beer club!” You walk in, give them your club number, and you walk out with a sack of fresh, delicious beer. No payment necessary.

e beers are always quality and always di erent. I would never pick most of the beers. So Joe’s Beer Nutz Club always keeps you trying something new. — Toby Sells

Give the Gift of Nature

Here’s a great way to give to your city and to its environmental health: Support Overton Park and the Overton Park Conservancy! ose lovely Old Forest trails and that cool little golf course cost money to maintain and the venerable green space at the heart of Memphis can always use our support. What better way to help the park than by giving some cool park gear to your friends and family for Christmas?

e Overton Park online store opened in 2020, and in the interim it has become stocked with all manner of goods, including hats, hoodies, T-shirts, bandanas, tote bags, tumbler cups, and more.

And if you really want to celebrate or honor someone special, you can choose

continued from page 13

to dedicate a rustic wooden bench with a memorial plaque in the Old Forest State Natural Area — a thoughtful and long-lasting tribute nestled in Memphis’ preeminent green space. For more information: overtonpark.org — Bruce VanWyngarden

Outphits

When Sophia Coovert pulls back the sliding doors of her Y2K showroom, I know I am in a special place. I was raised to envy the wardrobes of Hannah Montana, Cher Horowitz, and Carrie Bradshaw — revered fashionistas whose closets were as essential to their storytelling as their dialogue. To say I had been transported to a fashion lover’s mecca would be an understatement. Closets like this are only seen on shows like Gossip Girl and shown o at the discretion of pop culture’s famed it-girls. However, Coovert has found a way to bring a piece of nostalgic heaven to Memphis.

the budget to be ordering expensive things, but that doesn’t mean you have to shop the fast fashion websites. Vintage doesn’t have to be expensive.” e 23-year-old has grown from selling pieces from her apartment to renting a suite located at 1469 Poplar Avenue. e suite will be open to the public without the usual appointmentnecessary caveat for Outphits’ Black Friday Sale. From Friday, November 28th, to Saturday, November 29th, shoppers will get the chance to purchase inventory for 40 percent o . is sale also serves as a moving sale, with Coovert planning to relocate to a bigger location Downtown in 2026.

“It’s been really cool experiencing [my business’ growth] and seeing it in myself as well,” Coovert says. “Like, wow, I can really sell some stu , and I can really help girls and women feel comfortable in their skin.”

Outphits will be open from 11 a.m to 3 p.m. on Friday, November 28th, and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, November 29th. — Kailynn Johnson

Wild Wood Studio

Get your friends and family a gi that is lit. Truly. Wild Wood Studio makes the littest of all tabletop and oor lamps right here in the city, all while operating out of a two-car garage.

As I observe the racks lled with vintage fashion staples such as Ed Hardy caps and remnants of Coach’s colorful logo craze era, it’s hard to pick a favorite item in the showroom. However as I begin to settle on the pink fuzzy Chanel crossbody on the wall, my eyes fall on a bobblehead of Bridget Marquardt in her e Girls Next Door likeness.

With 2000s nostalgia having a major moment, it’s remarkable that such a gem was able to make its way from thri ing shelves to the hands of Coovert. But that’s just a part of her magic — nding coveted pieces to help shoppers build a stylish and sustainable collection.

One of Coovert’s favorite parts about working with vintage pieces is educating patrons on quality pieces and helping younger shoppers transition out of fast fashion.

“I love being a transitioning factor in that,” Coovert says.

“A lot of my customers are younger, and of course when you’re young you don’t have

Using mostly salvaged wood collected from the streets of Memphis, Dylan Haskins creates one-of-a-kind lamps (and other works) with organic, natural shapes as determined by the wood and its grain. Never afraid to let the wood’s natural imperfections remain, Haskins shapes these pieces on a wood lathe, sometimes dabbling in wood burning and power carving. Meanwhile Haskins’ wife Adrienne, a photographer, makes complementary shades.

Wild Wood Studio’s products are available to purchase at wildwoodstudio.co or in person at Slowdown Dry Goods, 655 Marshall Avenue. — Abigail Morici

Tequila With a Conscience ese are hard times for being festive. Can the holidays be fun, even intoxicating, yet somehow address the need for sociopolitical engagement, given the dire state of the world? e answer is a resounding yes if the friends and family you’re shopping for like tequila. As the Flyer’s readers know, thanks to Michael Donahue, the Alma del Jaguar (“Spirit of the Jaguar”) line of tequilas, with its business headquarters in East Memphis, lets you sip your “tila” in good conscience. Spirits entrepreneur McCauley Williams, owner of Morningside Brands, was inspired by his uncle’s

commitment to wild jaguar preservation in northern Mexico, and from the start his tequila’s earnings have been dedicated to supporting such e orts, donating proceeds from sales and leading fundraising initiatives.

Every bottle you purchase supports major conservation organizations like the Northern Jaguar Project in Sonora, Mexico, whose mission is “to preserve and recover the world’s northernmost population of the jaguar, its unique natural habitats, and native wildlife under its protection as a agship, keystone, and umbrella species.” So, while the jaguar is the charismatic predator serving as the face of their work, the Northern Jaguar Project is really about preserving an entire ecosystem.

Furthermore, Alma del Jaguar is intimately linked to Mexico’s Jalisco region, where it’s made by the Vivanco family (now in their h generation of tequila production) and its patriarch, Sergio, who believes that “true avor

Hints of churned butter and caramel make this a festive tequila, and it helps jaguar habitats.

comes from the earth.” So the brand also supports the legacy of a living human culture and its time-honored traditions, distinctly more eco-friendly than industrial approaches. “ e region’s iconic red, iron-rich soil create the perfect canvas for cultivating agave that’s sweeter and richer,” the company’s Facebook page notes, and that agave is then cooked in stone and brick ovens, pressed in a roller mill, and fermented with wild yeast and deep well water, all organic.

e results have tequila enthusiasts singing the product’s praises, with e Daily Pour noting of the brand’s Añejo variety that “the front palate kicks o with hints of rose petal, g, and plum before giving way to churned butter and caramel.” Sounds like the perfect match for cranberries and pumpkin pie.

Alma del Jaguar varieties are available at most Memphis liquor stores or can be ordered online at almadeljaguar.com. — Alex Greene

‘Tis

the season to swipe smart.

steppin’ out

We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews

A Glow Up

By Abigail Morici

e Memphis Zoo has said goodbye to its Zoo Lights and is saying hello to a new display with its inaugural Lantern Festival, running now through February 1st on select nights.

“Picture the Zoo glowing with color, giant walk-through tunnels, towering lanterns, and interactive pieces that bring the whole place to life,” says Amanda Moses, the zoo’s marketing and communications manager. “It is bright, artistic, and larger in scale than anything we have done before.”

Created in partnership with Tianyu Arts & Culture and presented by Truist, the Lantern Festival features more than 60 illuminated, hand-cra ed xtures, some created speci cally for the zoo. “We were ready for something fresh that could grow with us,” Moses says. “Lantern festivals are popular across the world, and we wanted to bring that level of artistry to Memphis. Tianyu is one of the best in the industry. ey have created festivals for major zoos and attractions across the country, so when the chance came up to work together, it felt like the right t.

“We also worked together to curate displays that t our pathways and tell a story as guests move through the zoo,” Moses says. “Every lantern was chosen with intention so the experience feels connected from start to nish.”

e experiences, she adds, feel more immersive than in the past, while still bringing those classic holiday lights and experiences everyone loves. Plus, the zoo will be serving up drinks and food all night long and will have its rides open, including the China Carousel, the Farm Train, and the Zip Line. Santa will also be make appearances on select nights in December.

As for Moses’ favorite display, she says, “ e lotus corridor is breathtaking and feels like moving through a glowing garden. e bu alo is another favorite. It is powerful and beautiful and people stop in their tracks when they see it.”

Already, the Lantern Festival has been nominated for USA TODAY’s 10Best Zoo Lights as part of its Readers’ Choice Awards.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit memphiszoo.org/lantern-festival.

LANTERN FESTIVAL, MEMPHIS ZOO, 2000 PRENTISS PLACE, THROUGH FEBRUARY 1, SELECT NIGHTS, 5-9:30 P.M., $25.

Holiday Arts Market

Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, 1934 Poplar Avenue, Saturday, November 29, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Featuring more than 30 local artists, makers, and small businesses — many without brick-and-mortar storefronts — this festive market o ers the perfect opportunity to shop small on Small Business Saturday. Expect an inspired mix of handcra ed jewelry, art, ceramics, home goods, and more, including work by featured artists from the Brooks Museum Store. Admission is free.

Small Biz Saturday Vintage Market

Blue Suede Vintage, 486 North Hollywood, Saturday, November 29, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Keep your money in the local economy, and visit Blue Suede Vintage and vintage vendor friends on Small Business Saturday. e market will

feature Adams & Main, Blue Suede Vintage, Kimmie’s Killer Vintage, Lil Something Vintage, Rattlesnake Betty, Tako’s Treasures Vintage, and Time to Waste Vintage. Plus Byway Co ee will be across the street at Whitney Winkler Art.

Nurse Blake: But Did You Die?

Comedy Tour

Minglewood Hall, 1555 Madison Avenue, Sunday, November 30, 7 p.m., $33-$53, 18+

Nurse Blake is back with his hilarious new comedy tour with all new content, diving into the wildest things patients and their families say and do. From self-diagnosing Stage 8 Cancer with WebMD to hitting the call light like they are on a game show, nothing is o -limits! Expect a night of nonstop laughter packed with healthcare workers who desperately need a break. Bring

your friends, co-workers, and even that one patient who swore they were allergic to water — this is going to be a night to remember! Purchase tickets at minglewoodhallmemphis.com.

Museum Store Sunday

Metal Museum, 374 Metal Museum Drive | National Civil Rights Museum, 450 Mulberry Street | Pink Palace Museum & Mansion, 3050 Central Avenue, Sunday, November 30 On Sunday, November 30th, the Metal Museum, National Civil Rights Museum, and Pink Palace Museum & Mansion invite locals and visitors to enjoy their galleries and museum gi stores on the ninth annual national Museum Store Sunday.

Museum store purchases directly support these organizations by funding exhibitions, educational programming, and preservation e orts.

MUSIC By Michael Donahue

Unmasked

Charlie Couvillion nds his voice in his rst EP.

Charlie Couvillion hid behind masks for almost 10 years.

“My mom always said when I was little I liked to wear my Superman costume,” says Couvillion, 23. “And I would like to wear it if we went to the grocery store. I was a super shy kid.

“It was almost like I could put that mask on and be someone else and not be this shy kid.”

Couvillion also masked some of his own talents while he was producing projects for other people in his home recording studio. And his mother noticed. “So, when I started making my own music, she told me it was like I was taking o my mask or taking o my costume because I was nally putting myself rst.”

On November 14th, Couvillion released his rst EP, e End of the World, which features his own songs and, for the rst time, Couvillion doing the singing.

Over the years, Instagram viewers traveled along with Couvillion while he featured songs and videos as well as his di erent hair expressions. “When I was a teenager, I bleached it. And went pink. And then I went blue. And then it was purple for a minute. As I got older, I bleached it again and did orange.”

Orange was for a song he released entitled “Sunrise.” “So I was, essentially, using myself as a billboard.”

But he didn’t sing.

Couvillion’s hair is now his natural auburn color. And his music career has a new focus: himself. “I regret focusing on other people so much. Not that I regret spending time on it, it’s just that I wish I would’ve been not scared to put myself rst and put myself in the spotlight.”

A native Memphian, Couvillion was always creative. “I used to make little stop-motion videos with my Legos when I was probably 5 years old.”

His dad played guitar in a band, so musical instruments were always around. Couvillion played trumpet and tuba in his middle school band.

When he was 12, he set up his own music studio in his bedroom. “In the corner behind my bunk bed,” he says. “I’d gotten a laptop from a pawn shop. And my uncle had given me so ware to work with. And then [I had] these speakers that I found in my parents’ attic.”

Couvillion learned studio work from “just watching YouTube videos and looking things up on how to do stu .”

He began working on music projects for other people. “It would just be my friends. My middle school friends from next door. Looking back, I think it was part of me trying to come through them, almost.”

He basically wrote their songs. “I’d have them write stu , but I would tweak it and work on it and end up making the nal product.”

But, he says, “I was featuring all these other people because I was scared to really be myself.

“I think a lot of that was, I hated my voice, but I still had things to say.”

He adds, “ ere was something about singing and just having my voice recorded. I just didn’t feel like I was good enough.”

When he got out of high school, Couvillion moved his recording studio to “the in-law suite that was right o the house.”

He produced “hundreds” of people over the years. “But those are the people that would come and pay for me to record them, essentially. I was pretty picky about who I would actually work with.”

Couvillion, who wrote pop or alternative music for himself, mainly worked on hip-hop for other people because that was so prevalent.

And he kept making videos a er the Lego one. “So it was just kind of just me recording doing stu with my friends.”

His subjects ranged from other people’s music to his day-to-day life. “I had written kind of a video essay and the concept was that I was trying to nd the perfect sock, which I still haven’t found. I thought I did in that video and learned later on that I did not.”

He hung 10 di erent kinds of socks on a board as a backdrop. “It’s like a er a certain amount of time, they kind of wear out and then it’s like, ‘Okay. Maybe this wasn’t a good one.’ Or maybe they don’t last long enough. at kind of thing. I’m just very particular with everything I do. Which ties back into the music and why it’s taken so long for this project to even come about.”

Couvillion made hundreds of videos, mostly music videos, for other people. But he eventually split his “passions of doing video and music. It’s like I picked the one I liked the most, which is music.”

And he decided to nally focus on himself. “I had so much time focusing on money. And a er making good money doing what I was doing, I realized that I lost part of me in chasing

PHOTO: MICHAEL DONAHUE

Charlie Couvillion

“I really look at it like it was a block of marble that I carved into for a year.”

money.”

He also decided to start singing for the rst time. “When I rst started producing, my beats weren’t good. I had to learn and get better at it. And I just thought, ‘You know, I could do the same thing with my voice.’ And that’s exactly what I did.

“When I really started making my own music and focusing on it, I would say it was just two years ago.”

Before that, he says, “It was almost like hiding from my own voice.”

“Starlight” was the rst song Couvillion wrote where he “joined” his voice with the song. “It’s about nding yourself.”

Couvillion released the song April 5, 2024, on digital streaming platforms. “So that’s when I count my music career starting.”

It took him about a year to nish the alternative-pop EP. “I really look at it like it was a block of marble that I carved into for a year.”

“Kerosene,” one of the songs, has a “really hard-hitting electric guitar in it that gives a rock feel. But there’s still, you know, pop/hip-hop kind of drums across the project.”

He and cinematographer Andí Cunningham with assistance from Courtney Schweers and Rose Hensley did a video for his song, “Run,” in which he

burns an old broken piano that’s on a curb.

Couvillion plays most of the music on the EP.

e songs are “thematically connected. And they literally connect. e songs fade into each other, so it all feels like one cohesive project, which was so hard to do. at took a lot because I also mixed and mastered it myself, and that’s not my strong suit.”

e EP is basically a short story, Couvillion says. “ ere’s a storyline and each song ts each chapter of the story, essentially. In short, it’s about a breakup. But it also plays in the themes of the end of the world. It’s almost like comparing the two. When you’re going through that breakup kind of thing, it’s like, ‘Oh. is is the end of the world.’”

Now that Couvillion is singing, is he ready to perform on stage, something he’s never done? “I haven’t even thought of it. To be honest, I probably do have stage fright. I haven’t done it. I de nitely will. at is a dream of mine. It’s just that right now I’m so focused on creating the art itself; whereas, performing it is a whole di erent thing.”

And, Couvillion says, “For me, now having the internet, I’ll just share it there rather than sharing it on a stage.”

To view the video for “Run” and listen to the EP, go to linktr.ee/charliecouvillion.

AFTER DARK: Live Music Schedule November 27 -

Digital Tech

With Nate P. Friday, Nov. 28, 8 p.m.

HAVEN HAUS (DOWNTOWN)

Merry Melodies on Main: A Wurlitzer

Holiday Celebration

Experience the magic of Tony omas on the Mighty Wurlitzer organ this holiday season. $10. Tuesday, Dec. 2, 7-8 p.m.

ORPHEUM THEATRE

Eddie Harrison

Hear tunes and enjoy a anksgiving bu et. ursday, Nov. 27, 11 a.m.

NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM

Elmo & the Shades

Wednesday, Dec. 3, 7 p.m.

NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM

Five O’Clock Shadow

$10. Sunday, Nov. 30, 4-8 p.m.

NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM

Formerly Known As Saturday, Nov. 29, 8 p.m.

NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM

John Williams & the A440 Band

$10. ursday, Nov. 27, 8 p.m.

NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM

Laser Rock: Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon

Hear the classic album brought to life with stunning laser visuals. Friday, Nov. 28, 7 p.m.

AUTOZONE DOME PLANETARIUM

The Deb Jam Band

Tuesday, Dec. 2, 6 p.m.

NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM

Twin Soul Friday, Nov. 28, 8 p.m.

NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM

Van Duren

e pioneer of indie pop in Memphis performs solo. ursday, Nov. 27, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

MORTIMER’S

Zazerak Soul Jazz Trio

Saturday, Nov. 29, 7:30 p.m.

BOG & BARLEY

Alic Hasen Farewell Show

With Josh relkeld. Friday, Nov. 28, 8 p.m.

BAR DKDC

Annual MDs Post Thanksgiving Show

e city’s nest tribute to Booker T. & the M.G.’s returns right on schedule, featuring Marcella Simien and Eric Stone. Friday, Nov. 28, 9 p.m.

B-SIDE

Deborah Swiney Duo

ursday, Nov. 27, 6-9 p.m.

THE COVE

Devil Train

Bluegrass, roots, country, Delta, and ski e. ursday, Nov. 27, 9 p.m.

B-SIDE

Don Jamal

With Karnage, Morning High, Flowtus. Friday, Nov. 28, 11 p.m.

GROWLERS

Hail Maria

With Greg Cartwright. Saturday, Nov. 29, 8 p.m.

BAR DKDC

Jazz Jam with the Cove Quartet

Jazz musicians are welcome to sit in! Sunday, Nov. 30, 6-9 p.m.

THE COVE

Joe Restivo 4

Guitarist Restivo leads one of the city’s nest jazz quartets. Sunday, Nov. 30, noon.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Ladies of the Light

With Ozioma, Mary Hatley, Nubia Yasin, Dandelioness. Sunday, Nov. 30, 7 p.m.

LAMPLIGHTER LOUNGE

Level Three Wednesday, Dec. 3, 10 p.m.

LOUIS CONNELLY’S BAR

Luna Nova: An Evening of Reflection

Luna Nova will present a program of new treatments of music from centuries ago

designed to entertain and intrigue today’s audiences. Free. Monday, Dec. 1, 7:308:30 p.m.

GRACE-ST. LUKE’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH

Mark Allen

Acoustic guitar by an accomplished amenco player. Tuesday, Dec. 2, 4 p.m.

CROSSTOWN BREWING CO.

Memphis’ Last Waltz (Tribute to The Band) Friday, Nov. 28, 9 p.m.

HI TONE

Morning in May With Insect to Monarch, Victim of Doug, Heavy Pour. Wednesday, Dec. 3, 8 p.m.

GROWLERS

Richard Wilson Smooth and relaxing jazz and bossanova. Tuesday, December 2, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. JUST LOVE COFFEE CAFE

Rushadicus the Cello Goblin

Rushadicus, the infamous Cello Goblin from the land of Sneth, jicks forth with his immersive, experimental, cello, and kazoo-fueled performance art extravaganza. $10/advance, $15/day of show. Sunday, Nov. 30, 7 p.m.

THE HI-TONE CAFE

Slippery People (Talking Heads Tribute) Saturday, Nov. 29, 9 p.m. B-SIDE

Sonidero Gotica With Mala Leche and Kid Mestizo. 21+. Saturday, Nov. 29, 9 p.m.

GROWLERS

Thanksgiving Night with Jimmy & Jesse Davis With Graham Winchester. ursday, Nov. 27, 8 p.m. BAR DKDC

Thanksgiving with FreeWorld

Nonperishable food items will be donated to MIFA. ursday, Nov. 27, 6-10 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Thomas Dolby Saturday, Nov. 29, 8 p.m.

MINGLEWOOD HALL

Laid Back Country Picker

Wednesday, Dec. 3, 7 p.m.

HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY

Punk Rock Sock Hop With the Beat Creeps, Shame nger, the Hasty Midnighters. Saturday, Nov. 29, 7 p.m.

HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY

Handel’s Messiah e Memphis Symphony Orchestra and Memphis Symphony Chamber Chorus present one of classical music’s masterpieces. Tuesday, Dec. 2, 7:30 p.m.

GERMANTOWN UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Richard Wilson Saturday, Nov. 29, 10:30 a.m.12:30 p.m.

CONGREGATION COFFEE

CALENDAR of EVENTS: Nov. 27 - Dec. 3

ART AND SPECIAL EXHIBITS

Amy Hutchison Exhibition

As the artists says, “I dismantle and reconstruct the world around me, forging dynamic relationships between color and form.” rough Dec. 30.

MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

Bartlett Art Association

Holiday Showcase

A wide range of work from local artist in a variety of media. rough Dec. 26.

WKNO DIGITAL MEDIA CENTER

“Bettye’s Bin: The Personal Archives of Stax Songwriter Bettye Crutcher”

Discover the story of a woman who transformed poetry into platinum hits, and whose rediscovered archives now return home. Free. rough Feb. 22.

STAX MUSEUM OF AMERICAN SOUL MUSIC

Brantley Ellzey –

“Reflection + Ritual + Refuge”

e spiral turns through the exhibition like a silent logic — natural. rough Jan. 25.

CROSSTOWN ARTS AT THE CONCOURSE

“From Paris to the Prairie”: The George H. Booth II Collection

Eleven spectacular prints, including works by PierreAuguste Renoir, Peter Ilsted, omas Hart Benton, Grant Wood, and Rockwell Kent. Free. rough Jan. 11.

THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

“Her Star Is On the Rise”: New Works by Leanna Carey

Magical realist landscapes wrought in vivid colors. rough Dec. 15.

BUCKMAN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Judy Nocifora and the Hue Gurus Art Exhibit

e Hue Gurus are a group of dedicated painters who work regularly with Nocifora. rough Nov. 30.

MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

“Last Whistle:

Steamboat Stories of Memphis”

Featuring detailed model boats and original steamboat artifacts, this exhibit rekindles the romance of the steamboat era. rough June 26.

PINK PALACE MUSEUM & MANSION

“L’Estampe Originale: A Graphic Treasure” is extremely rare portfolio features 95 works of graphic art by 74 artists. Free. rough Jan. 11.

THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

Mary K. VanGieson: “Chasing the Ephemeral” VanGieson creates prints, sculptures, and installations using alternative materials such as co ee lters and foraged plants as ways to investigate themes including loss, erosion, and the transitory. rough Dec. 31.

THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

Master Metalsmith

James Viste: “Let Me Tell You a Story” is exhibit is lled with whimsy, humor, memories, and anecdotes, underscoring the innovation found in smithing techniques of the past. rough Feb. 1.

METAL MUSEUM

“Navigating Knowledge” is exhibition explores vessels and navigation as metaphors for the containment and transmission of knowledge. rough Oct. 31.

MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART

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 EVENT LISTINGS, SCAN THE QR CODE OR VISIT EVENTS.MEMPHISFLYER.COM/CAL.

Open Mic Comedy Night

A hilarious Midtown tradition. Tuesday, Dec. 2, 8 p.m. HI TONE

Rob Love & Friends Friendsgiving Comedy Show

Rob Love & Friends invite you to a hilarious Friendsgiving Comedy Show featuring Emmy-winning comedian Ron G. Saturday, Nov. 29, 8 p.m. SHAUNEE’S

COMMUNITY

90th Chapter Anniversary | Memphis Alumnae

BOOK EVENTS

“Redemption of a Delta Bluesman: Robert Johnson”

Paintings dedicated to reimagining the story of the mythical crossroads where the bluesman purportedly made a deal. rough June 30.

GALLERY ALBERTINE

Sean Latif Heiser: “Time is a Hearer” Heiser’s paintings shi between imagined landscapes and architectures, o en using symbolism and abstracted imagery. Free. rough Jan. 9.

BEVERLY + SAM ROSS GALLERY

“Speaking Truth to Power: The Life of Bayard Rustin”

An exhibit exploring Rustin’s innovative use of the “medium” to communicate powerful messages of nonviolence, activism, and authenticity.

$20/adult, $18/senior, college student, $17/children 5-17. rough Dec. 31.

NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM

Tributaries: Kat Cole’s “Meditations”

Cole captures ephemeral gestures in glass, enamel, and steel, resulting in gleaming puddles of light and color. rough March 8.

METAL MUSEUM

U of M Graduating Seniors: “Odds and Ends”

Students from U of M’s department of art and design in studio arts and photography explore how their quirks, eccentricities, and aws have made them the artists they are today. rough Dec. 2.

THE UGLY ART COMPANY

ART HAPPENINGS

WinterArts 2025

Exceptional and unique handcra ed works by our region’s nest artists. Saturday, Nov. 29-Dec. 24

7570 WEST FARMINGTON BLVD.

Ace Atkins: Everybody Wants to Rule the World

A rollicking comedic thriller set in 1985, in which a suburban teen suspects his mom’s new boyfriend is a KGB agent. Wednesday, Dec. 3, 6 p.m.

NOVEL

Jere Nash: Reconstruction in Mississippi, 1862-1877 e author speaks with Charles Reagan Wilson about his account of how Black Mississippians embraced freedom a er the Civil War, and how white Mississippians could not. Monday, Dec. 1, 6 p.m.

NOVEL

Rouben and Liz Simonian: Uncharted Canvas: A Journey through Beirut, Brussels, and Beyond

One author shares the story of his Armenian heritage and his transformative journey from childhood in Beirut to a successful architectural career in America. Tuesday, Dec. 2, 6 p.m.

NOVEL

CLASS / WORKSHOP

Export 101: Access

Unlocked

Get an inside look at Ambassador Access, Music Export Memphis’ pathway-to-touring program for artists of color, and learn how you can apply next year. Free. Tuesday, Dec. 2, 6-7:30 p.m.

MEMPHIS MUSIC HALL OF FAME

Figure Drawing (Long Pose)

A gure drawing session with a two-hour-long pose. Artists of all levels can practice and increase their skills drawing the human form at Memphis’ art museum. $12. Sunday, Nov. 30, 2-4 p.m.

MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART

Indoor Pickleball with Jerry

A class led by Jerry Glass, champion of the National Pickleball Day Tournament and one of the Kroc’s top players! $10/public admission, Free. Friday, Nov. 28, 1-5 p.m.

THE SALVATION ARMY KROC CENTER

Lunchtime Meditations

Visit the Dixon for free meditation sessions every Friday. Friday, Nov. 28, noon-12:30 p.m.

THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

Rhythm & Roots

Presented by Memphis Youth Arts Initiative, this is a free community program o ering high-energy music and dance lessons for youth ages 6–17. Wednesday, Dec. 3, 6 p.m.

MEMPHIS YOUTH ARTS INITIATIVE CENTER

Super Saturday - Paper

Snowflakes

It’s a “snow day” at this week’s Super Saturday. Saturday, Nov. 29, 10 a.m.-noon.

MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART

COMEDY

Comedy Night

With your hosts, Ben and Bush. Sign-ups at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 3, 7 p.m.

BAR DKDC

Don’t Tell Comedy is series of secret comedians in secret locations is now appearing at (shhhh) the Hi Tone. Free. Saturday, Nov. 29, 6 p.m.

HI TONE

Flyway Comedy Club’s Friendsgiving Special, Headlined by Reggie Jr.

A showcase of comics from Memphis who are doing big things in other cities and happen to be back in town for anksgiving. $10/discounted online tickets. Saturday, Nov. 29, 8-9:45 p.m.

FLYWAY BREWING COMPANY

Join the Memphis Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma eta Sorority Inc. in celebrating 90 years of legacy and leadership. $175/masquerade gala, $60/ brunch ticket, $200/weekend ticket (gala and brunch). Saturday, Nov. 29, 7-11 p.m. | Sunday, Nov. 30, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

HILTON MEMPHIS

Homeschool Days Fall 2025

Step outside for a homeschool adventure! $80/general admission. Monday, Dec. 1, 10 a.m.-noon.

MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

Snowflake Sip & Stroll

A walk to view holiday home decorations and the snow ake light pole decorations that the Cooper-Young Garden Club helped secure for the neighborhood last year. Monday, Dec. 1, 6 p.m.

COOPER-YOUNG HISTORIC DISTRICT

DANCE

Line Dancing with “Q” Whether you’re a seasoned dancer or just learning the steps, “Q” will guide you through the moves and make it a night to remember. Tuesday, Dec. 2, 6 p.m.

DRU’S BAR

EXPO/SALES

2025 Fall Vesta Home Show

e region’s greatest showcase for the home-curious. Tue.Sat. 10a.m.-6p.m., Sun. 1p.m.6p.m., closed Mon. HIDDEN CREEK

Gifts of Green

A variety of tropical and unusual plants, stylish pots, and other botanical novelties make the perfect gi for the holiday hostess or your own home decor. Also nd holiday gi s for the plant lover. rough Dec. 30, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

Small Business Saturday Market

Featuring a variety of cra speople and artists selling goods. Saturday, Nov. 29, noon-6 p.m. FLYWAY BREWING COMPANY

FILM

Forward to the Moon

A planetarium show about the Artemis program, NASA’s project to return to the moon, from landing humans on the surface, to building a space station in lunar orbit, to establishing a human lunar base. Thursday, Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m.

PINK PALACE MUSEUM & MANSION

How The Grinch Stole Christmas in Concert

Dr. Seuss’ classic tale with all the music performed by the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. $63.50/reserved seating (all-in pricing). Saturday, Nov. 29, 6-8:30 p.m.

GRACELAND SOUNDSTAGE

The Light Before Christmas Young Katie and Makean, lost, are rescued by their friend, the Candleman, an old sage who imparts wisdom, hot chocolate, and stories. Friday, Nov. 28, 11 a.m. | Saturday, Nov. 29, 11

a.m. | Sunday, Nov. 30, 11 a.m.

CTI 3D GIANT THEATER

The Wizard of Oz

For the holidays, relive the magic of Dorothy in Oz, with a Scarecrow who wants a brain, a Tin Man who wants a heart, and a Cowardly Lion who wants courage. Friday, Nov. 28, 1 p.m. | Saturday, Nov. 29, 1 p.m. | Sunday, Nov. 30, 1 p.m.

PINK PALACE MUSEUM & MANSION

Tron: Ares

Mankind encounters AI beings for the first time when a highly sophisticated program, Ares, leaves the digital world for a dangerous mission in the real world. Friday, Nov. 28, 3 p.m. | Saturday, Nov. 29, 3 p.m. | Sunday, Nov. 30, 3 p.m.

CTI 3D GIANT THEATER

FOOD AND DRINK

An Evening for MICR

Memphis Inner City Rugby’s annual fundraising gala event. $125/individual ticket, $1200/full table. Wednesday, Dec. 3, 7-10 p.m.

FEDEX EVENT CENTER

HOLIDAY EVENTS

Artists’ Link Holiday Show

Artists’ Link announces its annual Holiday Show including over 40 works by local artists exhibiting a variety of media. Through Dec. 29.

ST. GEORGE’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH ART GALLERY

Holiday Wonders at the Garden

Step into a world of twinkling lights, cozy moments, and holiday magic. Friday, Nov. 28, 5-8:30 p.m. | Saturday, Nov. 29, 5-8:30 p.m. MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

Lantern Festival

A one-of-a-kind holiday light experience featuring more than 60 larger-than-life illuminated fixtures. Through Feb. 1.

MEMPHIS ZOO

Midtown Memphis Holiday Party

Say hello to your Midtown neighbors. Wednesday, Dec. 3, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

PLAYHOUSE ON THE SQUARE

Peabody Tree Lighting Ceremony

With the Jeremy Schrader Trio, a Duck March ceremony, a lighting of the tree with Santa and Mrs. Claus, and caroling by Opera Memphis. Open to hotel guests only. Friday, Nov. 28, 3-6 p.m. THE PEABODY HOTEL

Thanksgiving Feast

Enjoy a holiday feast at Graceland’s Guest House Hotel. $112.95/reserved seating (all-in pricing). Thursday, November 27. Thursday, Nov. 27, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

GUEST HOUSE AT GRACELAND

Thanksgiving Potluck

Come hungry or bring a dish. Everybody eats! Free. Thursday, Nov. 27, 6 p.m.

HI TONE

The Enchanted Forest Festival of Trees

The Pink Palace’s Mezzanine filled with beautifully decorated trees, with animated characters, model trains, and more. Benefiting Le Bonheur

CALENDAR: NOVEMBER 27 - DECEMBER 3

Children’s Hospital. Through Dec. 28.

PINK PALACE MUSEUM & MANSION

LECTURE

Science Cafe at Overton Park

Learn about pathogens and how environmental factors can make them more infectious. $5/suggested donation. Tuesday, Dec. 2, 5:30-6:30 p.m.

OVERTON PARK GOLF CLUBHOUSE

PERFORMING ARTS

QCG Big Top Tease: Season’s Teasings

A festive night of tease, talent, and holiday heat. Saturday, Nov. 29, 10 p.m.

DRU’S BAR

SPECIAL EVENTS

Legally Blonde Jr: The Musical

Auditions

Auditions for Legally Blonde Jr.: The Musical are happening at the Kroc Center of Memphis. Free. Friday, Nov. 28, 1-3 p.m.

THE SALVATION ARMY KROC CENTER

Trivia with Damien at MFS

Team trivia at MFS. Saturday, Nov. 29, 5-7 p.m.

MFS BREWING

ACROSS

1 ___-dandy

4 Tramps

9 Wild guess

13 “___ we having fun yet?”

14 Humdinger

15 BMW rival

16 What M.B.A.s enter upon graduation

19 On bended ___

20 Yoko who loved John Lennon

21 Spelling contest

22 Verbatim

27 Allows to expire

30 Slap the cuffs on

31 Prefix with friendly

32 Extra energy

35 Upper floor of a barn

38 Canadian team in the N.B.A.

41 How music can be stored

42 Cause one’s bedmate to use earplugs, say

43 “Moby-Dick” setting

44 Gluttonous type

46 Make a mess, as hot grease on a surface

48 Tale that might feature a haunted house

52 Christmas ___ (Dec. 24)

53 ___ constrictor

54 “Hey! Over here!”

58 Kind of test … and a hint to a word hidden three times each in 16-, 22-, 38- and 48-Across

SPORTS

Memphis Tigers vs. New Orleans Wednesday, Dec. 3, 7 p.m.

FEDEXFORUM

Memphis Turkey Trot

Lace up your sneakers — the annual Memphis Turkey Trot is back. Proceeds benefit the Campbell Clinic Foundation. Thursday, Nov. 27, 9 a.m.

FIRST HORIZON FOUNDATION VISITOR CENTER AT SHELBY FARMS PARK

THEATER

A Christmas Carol Theatre Memphis’ rendition of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is a Creative Aging holiday tradition. Wednesday, Dec. 3, 10:30 a.m. | Wednesday, Dec. 3, 1:30 p.m.

THEATRE MEMPHIS

A Tuna Christmas

Set in the fictional town of Tuna, Texas, where the annual Christmas Yard Display Contest is about to commence. Thursday, Nov. 27, 8 p.m. | Friday, Nov. 28, 8 p.m. | Saturday, Nov. 29, 8 p.m. | Sunday, Nov. 30, 8 p.m.

CIRCUIT PLAYHOUSE

If Scrooge Was A Brother Ekundayo Bandele’s urban spin on Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, in which the ghosts and characters are icons of Black culture. It’s Christmas

Eve and Eb Scroo is seeking to snuff out the season’s cheer by demanding all debts owed him be satisfied before nightfall. Facing imprisonment, and a Christmas without presents, the residents are desperate. Friday, Nov. 28-Dec. 21.

HATTILOO THEATRE

Junie B. Jones the Musical

Based on the popular children’s book by Barbara Park, this stage adaptation follows the energetic and outspoken first grader, Junie B. Jones. Thursday, Nov. 27, 8 p.m. | Friday, Nov. 28, 8 p.m. | Saturday, Nov. 29, 8 p.m. | Sunday, Nov. 30, 2 p.m.

CIRCUIT PLAYHOUSE & Juliet

This hilarious new musical flips the script on the greatest love story ever told. There’s life after Romeo. $52.65-$157.40. Friday, Nov. 28, 2-4:45 p.m. | Friday, Nov. 28, 7:30-10:15 p.m. | Saturday, Nov. 29, 2-4:45 p.m. | Saturday, Nov. 29, 7:30-10:15 p.m. | Sunday, Nov. 30, 1-3:45 p.m. | Sunday, Nov. 30, 6:30-9:15 p.m.

ORPHEUM THEATRE

The Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz, based on the book by L. Frank Baum, tells the enchanting story of Dorothy Gale after she is swept away by a powerful twister and finds herself in the mystical land of Oz. Thursday, Nov. 27, 8 p.m. | Friday, Nov. 28, 8 p.m. | Saturday, Nov. 29, 8 p.m. | Sunday, Nov. 30, 2 p.m.

PLAYHOUSE ON THE SQUARE

63 “What a pity …”

64 Like a haunted house

65 Roof repair material

66 R&B singer with the 2006 #1 hit “So Sick”

67 Mascara misadventure

68 “I wonder …”

DOWN

1 Beanstalk climber in a children’s story

2 Golf club that’s not a wood

3 Simple

4 “Game of Thrones” airer

5 Opposite of ’neath

6 Sheep’s plaint

7 No longer having in stock

8 Old office worker who took dictation

9 ___ Paulo, Brazil

10 Increase in engine power

11 Chicago’s ___ Planetarium 12 Waited 17 Seats for parishioners

18 Frayed, as clothing 23 Stuff oneself with, briefly

Prison disturbances

Exorcism target

Poet Whitman

Actor Jared 28 Supply-anddemand

Scent

Fruit that flavors liqueurs

Desert crossed by the ancient Silk Road

Spell-checker find

Virile one

Poet’s “before”

Site of 1690s

We Saw You.

with MICHAEL DONAHUE

Guests at the West Tennessee Home Builders Association’s Fall 2025 Vesta Home Show Hoedown Preview Party, which was held November 7th, were among the rst to view the new homes in Hidden Creek, a Community by Crews Development, in Collierville, Tennessee.

Western attire, including lots of cowboy boots, was prevalent at the preview party, which featured barbecue and other chuck wagon-ish fare catered by Babalu, and music by singer-guitarist Hannah Huntley.

e Vesta Home Show was presented by e Bank 1905.

and

and Amy Mobley

right row: (top and below) Lakesha ompson, Kimbur Wilson, Charlotte A. Rias, and Kenya Rose; Casey and Alex Shockey below: (le to right) Nate Jones and Avery Robertson; David and Collierville Mayor Maureen Fraser; Jason and Michelle Crews; Jenny and Robert Cartwright bottom le : Taylor Lewallen and Grayson Vaughan; Jack Grissom and Bobby Winstead

FOOD By Michael Donahue

The Cat in the Glass

A new series of Alma del Jaguar Tequilas is out.

Just in time for anksgiving, locally-owned Alma del Jaguar Tequila has released its limited-edition Barricas series.

Barricas means “cask,” says McCauley Williams, CEO of locally-owned Morningside Brands Inc., the parent company of Alma del Jaguar.

“It’s a ve-part series of unique cask- nished tequilas in some of the most exotic casks in the world to create unique tequila pro les.”

In 2023, Williams introduced Tequila Blanco, which is un-aged; Tequila Reposado, which is aged in French oak wine casks; and in 2024 he introduced Tequila Añejo, which is aged in French oak wine barrels.

Alma del Jaguar means “soul or spirit of the jaguar,” says Williams, whose company supports wild jaguar conservation in Mexico with a percentage of tequila sales proceeds.

A native Memphian, Williams also came up with the idea for the new tequila line. “It’s something I’ve been working on since we started the company.”

He was always “fascinated with cask nishing as a way to distinguish spirits.” And, he says, “I have good contacts in the cask-finishing world.”

Williams thought, “This could be a unique way to distinguish our brand from other great tequilas.”

The new tequilas include Mizunara Oak (Japan) Cask, made from their Tequila Añejo, which was aged for 22 months in Japanese mizunara oak kegs.

It’s the first-ever tequila aged in Japanese mizunara oak, Williams says. “First off, it’s the most expensive oak in the world. … It’s like the most important and rarest oak in the world.”

Aging the tequila in these oak kegs “brings out flavors of sandalwood, incense, and Asian teas.”

Pear Wood (France) is their Tequila Reposado, which was aged for 19 months in “wild harvested pear barrels” from Jura, France. “These barrels are unique. Not made from oak, but the wood of a pear tree. It brings out earth and sweet pear flavors. That’s the first time anyone has done that.”

Vino de Naranja, which means “orange wine” in Spanish, is their Tequila Añejo, which was aged 19 months in casks that contained Vino de Naranja, a “dessert wine made from macerated orange peel. This

As part of the Barricas series, the Apple Brandy Cask is aged in casks that previously held Calvados and French apple brandy. Its pro le includes cinnamon, agave, vanilla, and caramel.

one brings out notes of vanilla.”

Apple Brandy (France) is Tequila

Añejo aged in casks that previously held Calvados and French apple brandy. “It brings out, as you expect, notes of cooked apple.”

Its pro le also includes cinnamon, agave, vanilla, and caramel.

Ruby Wine (Portugal) is Tequila

Añejo aged 19 months in “Ruby Port casks from Portugal. is one brings out tones of rich ripe fruits and a nut medley. Like a bunch of di erent nutty avors.”

With all these wines, Williams says, “ ere is an inherent sweeter pro le due to the barrels,” he says. is “will provide an element of naturally occurring sweetness. A lot of brands add arti cial sweeteners in their tequila, but we don’t do that.”

e Barricas series is their “highestend releases,” Williams says. ey sell from $130 to $150.

“We’ve been working on this for three years,” Williams says. at includes “sourcing the barrels” and aging the tequila.

“ e labels are all unique. We feature the jaguar from our main label, but we show it in color. Normally, our labels are in black and white. e jaguar on each label is an image that is

inspired by the cask that was used.”

e Barricas tequila series is now available at limited retailers and bars and restaurants. “We only made around 7,000 bottles of all of it. We’re distributing it across the whole country now.”

Williams also wanted to do something with his uncle, Rick Williams, because of Rick’s commitment to wild jaguar conservation in Mexico.

As McCauley said in an earlier Memphis Flyer interview, “About 25 years ago, Rick moved to Mexico as a wildlife photographer to study wild jaguars with a team of biologists. He then co-founded the Northern Jaguar Project, which is a binational effort between biologists and conservationists in the United States and Mexico to study and protect the northernmost population of wild jaguars in the world.

“He also founded the Northern Jaguar Reserve, a 60,000 acre wildlife refuge in Mexico, where the wild jaguars actually live and breathe.”

After he got the idea for the new line of tequilas, McCauley contacted Rob Crandall, who is “the leading expert in this field in the world. This is his job. He travels the world finding exotic casks for the wine and spirits industry.”

McCauley travels five times a year to his company’s distillery in Arandas, Mexico. “We get to go down and open up a bunch of the casks. Get samples. Spend the better part of the day tasting, analyzing them.”

Arandas is “a really interesting community. It’s an agrarian community. Obviously, they produce tequila there, but mostly it’s a cattle ranching and farming community. Not all that different from Tennessee and Mississippi, in a sense. There’s farming and ranching. So, when I showed up there in my cowboy boots, I fit right in.”

Williams is already looking into other casks, which range from 225 to 250 liters, for future tequilas. “We are exploring amburana casks from Brazil. It’s a type of wood. It brings out distinct notes of cinnamon.”

He also is looking into “Japanese sakura. Cherry blossoms. A cheery, Japanese cherry wood.”

In addition to the tequilas, Williams also has his gin brand, Waymar Gin House, in the area. “It’s doing well. In five states and growing.”

And he recently released his new bourbon brand, Duck Club Bourbon, which he co-founded with country music singer Riley Green.

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-of-network clients if they want to submit to their insurance. Self-pay is $125 for individual sessions.

CROSSTOWN ARTS

FRIDAY DECEMBER 5

KORTLAND WHALUM

MUSIC | 7:30 PM | THE GREEN ROOM

TUESDAY DECEMBER 9

OZMO INSTITUTE’S CONCERTS FOR WELL-BEING: DIAMOND STRINGS

MUSIC | 7:30 PM | THE GREEN ROOM

FRIDAY DECEMBER 12

GOSPEL TALK “CHRISTMAS REVUE”

feat ELIZABETH KING, THE JUBILEE HUMMINGBIRDS, and VINTAGE SOULS

MUSIC | 7:30 PM | THE GREEN ROOM

TUESDAY DECEMBER 16

“HOLIDAY” JAZZ JAM SESSION

HOSTED by THE ALEX UPTON QUARTET

MUSIC | 7:30 PM | THE GREEN ROOM

1350 CONCOURSE AVE | CROSSTOWNARTS . ORG

NEWS OF THE WEIRD

By the editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication

Prank Gone Wrong

On Oct. 14, three masked individuals approached the front door of a home in Alexandria, Virginia, rang the video doorbell, and began threatening the woman who answered, WJLA 7 News reported. The terrified resident called her brother, who arrived with a handgun less than two minutes after the trio left, and then the police, who began an investigation. News of the unsettling incident had the community on edge until Oct. 27, when Alexandria Chief of Police Tarrick McGuire announced during a press conference that the culprits had been found and that the whole thing was a prank — the masked would-be intruders were actually the teenage sons and nephew of an adult related to the victim. “For me, my team, and this community, it represents a moral failure,” McGuire told a gathering of the press. “A moral failure where consequences could result in deadly consequences.” After consulting with attorneys and the victim, the decision was made not to press charges.

Brief Thief

Tempted to return to the scene of the crime once too often, a suspect has been identified in a rash of women’s underwear heists, The Pattaya News reported on Oct. 31. The crimes have all taken place in the same apartment complex in the district of Phan Thong (no pun intended), Chonburi, Thailand. The most recent victim, also the owner of the complex, installed cameras after complaints about the perp’s previous capers, and sure enough, in the wee hours of Oct. 29 after she had hung her unmentionables out to dry, a man casually walked up and claimed another trophy. Police say they have collected additional evidence in the cases and expect to apprehend the thief in short order.

Unnatural

Researchers in Germany have, for the first time ever, captured video of brown rats (also known as Norway rats) actively hunting bats, Popular Science reported on Oct. 30. The freaky footage, made available to the public concurrently with a study recently published in the scientific journal Global Ecology and Conservation, shows the rats stationing themselves

at the openings of hibernation sites in the towns of Segeberg and Lüneburg Kalkberg, where the researchers had set up thermal and infrared cameras to monitor the bats’ activities. The rats, which are effectively blind when hunting at night, pounced on bats climbing to the sanctuaries and were even able to nab their prey in midair. The authors of the study issued a call for action: “Management of invasive rodents at important bat hibernation sites supports biodiversity conservation and reduces potential public health impacts.”

Just Had to Know

Friends, acquaintances, and other mourners at a funeral in Konchi, a village in Bihar, India, were stunned when Mohan Lal, the man whose funeral they were attending, rose and began taking part in the rituals of the Hindu service. Metro UK reported that the 74-year-old Lal, a retired Air Force veteran, is well-respected in Konchi for his work within the community — which, oddly enough, includes helping to fund and build a crematorium for the rainy seasons — but all of that goodwill didn’t stop Lal from carrying through his plan. “I wanted to witness it myself and see how much respect and affection people give me,” Lal said. Reactions varied from shock to confusion to relief, but Lal was able to calm things down by throwing a feast for the attendees.

It’s the Even Greater Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

In a rare case of a pumpkin DOING the smashing, a Utah man used a 1-ton gourd to destroy his 1991 Geo Metro. Alan Gebert, a pumpkin farmer, had driven the car for nearly 35 years, KMPH reported on Oct. 29, but it had finally given out. Such a trusty vehicle deserved a memorable sendoff, so Gebert devised one: death by prize-winning produce, dropped from a height of about 14 stories. Before sealing the Geo’s fate, the pumpkin in question won first place at the Utah Giant Pumpkin Festival, weighing in at 1,917 pounds.

NEWS OF THE WEIRD © 2025 Andrews McMeel Syndication. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): The Japanese word mushin means “no mind.” In Zen Buddhism, it refers to the state of flow where thinking stops and being takes over. When you are moving along in the groove of mushin, your body knows what to do before your brain catches up. You’re so present you disappear into the action itself. Athletes refer to it as “the zone.” It’s the place where effort becomes effortless, where you stop trying and simply love the doing. In the coming weeks, Aries, you can enjoy this state more than you have in a long time. Ride it with glee!

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): For the foreseeable future, salmon are your spirit creatures. I’ll remind you about their life cycle. They are born in freshwater, migrate to the ocean, and live there for years. Then they return, moving against river currents, up waterfalls, past bears and eagles. Eventually, they arrive at the exact stream where they were born. How do they do it? They navigate using the Earth’s magnetic field and their sense of smell, remembering chemical signatures from years ago. I think your own calling is as vivid as theirs, dear Taurus. And in the coming weeks, you will be extra attuned to that primal signal. Trust the ancient pull back toward your soul’s home.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): What if procrastination isn’t always a problem? On some occasions, maybe it’s a message from your deeper self. Delay could serve as a form of protection. Avoidance might be a sign of your deep wisdom at work. Consider these possibilities, Gemini. What if your resistance to the “should” is actually your soul’s immune system rejecting a foreign agenda? It might be trying to tell you secrets about what you truly want versus what you think you should want.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): I’m only slightly joking when I recommend that you practice the art of sacred bitching in the coming days. You are hereby authorized to complain and criticize with creative zeal. But the goal is not to push hard in a quest to solve problems perfectly. Instead, simply give yourself the luxury of processing and metabolizing the complications. Your venting and whining won’t be pathological but a legitimate way to achieve emotional release. Sometimes, like now, you need acknowledgment more than solutions. Allowing feelings is more crucial than fixing things. The best course of action is saying “this is hard” until it’s slightly less hard.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The Chinese concept of yuanfen means that some connections are fated. Certain people were always meant to cross your path. Not soulmates necessarily but soul-evokers: those who bring transformations that were inscribed on your destiny before you

Rob Brezsny

knew they were coming. When you meet a new person and feel instant recognition, that’s yuanfen. When a relationship changes your life, that’s yuanfen. When timing aligns impossibly but wonderfully, that’s yuanfen. According to my analysis, you Leos are due for such phenomena in the coming weeks — at least two, maybe more. Some opportunities appear because you pursue them. Others were always going to arrive simply because you opened your mind and heart.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Let’s talk about a forest’s roots. Mostly hidden from sight, they are the source of all visible life. They are always communicating with each other, sharing nourishment and information. When extra help is needed, they call on fungi networks to support them, distributing their outreach even further. Your own lineage works similarly, Virgo. It’s nutrient-rich and endlessly intertwined with others, some of whom came long before you. You are the flowering tip of an unseen intelligence. Every act of grounding — breathing deeply, resting your feet, returning to gratitude — is your body’s way of remembering its subterranean ancestry. Please keep these meditations at the forefront of your awareness in the coming weeks. I believe you will thrive to the degree that you draw from your extensive roots.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): You are currently in a phase when it’s highly possible to become both smarter and wiser. You have a sixth sense for knowing exactly how to enhance both your intellectual and emotional intelligence. With this happy news in mind, I will remind you that your brain is constantly growing and changing. Every experience carves new neural pathways. Every repeated thought strengthens certain connections and weakens others. You’re not stuck with the brain you have, but are continuously building the brain that’s evolving. The architecture of your consciousness is always under construction. Take full advantage of this resilience and plasticity!

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): The coming weeks will be a favorable time to stand near what you want to become. I advise you to surround yourself with the energy you want to embody. Position yourself in the organic ecosystem of your aspirations without grasping or forcing. Your secret power is not imitation but osmosis. Not ambition but proximity. The transformations you desire will happen sideways, through exposure and absorption. You won’t become by trying to become; you will become by staying close to what calls you.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Orb weaver spiders make seven different types of silk, each engineered for differ-

SAGITTARIUS

(Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Some seeds can remain dormant for centuries, waiting for the right conditions to germinate. The oldest successfully germinated seed was a 2,000-year-old date palm seed. I suspect you will experience psychospiritual and metaphorical versions of this marvel in the coming weeks. Certain aspects of you have long been dormant but are about to sprout. Some of your potentials have been waiting for conditions that you haven’t encountered until recently. Is there anything you can do to encourage these wondrous developments? Be alert for subtle magic that needs just a little nudge.

ent purposes: sticky silk for catching prey, strong silk for the web’s frame, stretchy silk for wrapping food, and soft silk for egg sacs. In other words, they don’t generate a stream of generic resources and decide later what to do with them. Each type of silk is produced by distinct silk glands and spinnerets, and each is carefully tailored for a particular use. I advise you to be like the orb weavers in the coming weeks, Capricorn. Specificity will be your superpower.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Benevolent gossip is the practice of speaking about people not to diminish them but to fondly wonder about them and try to understand them. What if gossip could be generous? What if talking about someone in their absence could be an act of compassionate curiosity rather than judgment? What if you spoke about everyone as if they might overhear you — not from fear but from respect? Your words about others could be spells that shape how they exist in the collective imagination. Here’s another beautiful fact about benevolent gossip: It can win you appreciation and attention that will enhance your ability to attract the kind of help and support you need.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Every 21,000 years, the Sahara Desert transforms into a lush green savanna. It’s due to precession, which is a wobble in the Earth’s axis. The African seasonal monsoon becomes much stronger, bringing increased rainfall to the entire area. The last time this occurred was from about 11,000 to 5,000 years ago. During this era, the Sahara supported lakes, rivers, grasslands, and diverse animal and human populations. I’m predicting a comparable shift for you in the coming months, Pisces. The onset of luxuriant growth is already underway. And right now is an excellent time to encourage and expedite the onset of flourishing abundance. Formulate the plans and leap into action.

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FILM By Kailynn Johnson

A Wicked Dilemma

Wicked: For Good delivers spectacle, but the story gets stuck in the poppy elds.

I, like e Good Witch of Oz, couldn’t have been happier at the beginning of Jon M. Chu’s Wicked: For Good. However, a few ticks of the clock later, I actually could have been happier.

A year and several Cynthia Erivo/ Ariana Grande press junkets a er Wicked debuted in theaters, I was nally seated for the epic conclusion of one of the best fan ction stories ever written. I was originally a Wicked fan by culture, not by source material — meaning I grew up with an appreciation of references in pop culture, such as a song or two on Glee I knew the beats of the musical, but the 2024 movie was my rst time seeing the story come to life.

I knew that a common criticism of the musical itself was that the second half feels rushed, and that there’s not enough time to tie up the loose ends seamlessly. Truth be told, I’m a little biased toward the idea that no on-stage musical gets better a er the rst act. Unfortunately, Wicked’s sequel, made from the parts of the Broadway musical which come a er the intermission, falls victim to this pattern. It’s not, however, the fault of its lmmakers and actors. Maybe the original text wasn’t that great to begin with.

Part of Wicked’s success last year was that it was able to present itself as this epic, musical event lled with iconic musical numbers, dazzling costumes, and a charming nod to the Wizard of Oz It was the perfect feel-good movie which also felt a little too close to reality, with its timely political themes.

e rst act nale of “Defying Gravity” is a tough act to follow, both on stage and on lm. Wicked: For Good had quite the climb ahead of it. Its predecessor had rightfully gained acclaim and praise, not to mention Universal’s marketing campaigns hyping up its conclusion wherever you look. But the sequel can’t quite live up to the hype.

My issue isn’t with the fact that Wicked: For Good takes a much darker tone. A er all, it was bound to be a story of consequences, especially considering the tone shi a er Elphaba (Erivo) and Glinda (Grande) make it to Emerald City. My problem is that there’s way too much going on in this two-hour-andeen-minute time span.

It’s been 12 tide turns since Elphaba ed Oz with the grimoire. e Wizard’s (Je Goldblum) campaign to turn the Ozians against its native population of talking animals has intensi ed, with the newly oppressed minority losing their rights and privileges. Madam Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) is waging a war between

“good” and “evil,” with Glinda as the centerfold of virtue and Elphaba representing the epitome of wickedness.

In her new o cial role as “Glinda the Good,” Grande stands to encourage Ozians, while concealing the fact that she has no magical powers of her own. Her facade is maintained by her perpetually bubbly appearance, and a pending marriage to Fiyero (Johnathan Bailey), who has been promoted to Captain of e Guard in the Wizard’s army.

Meanwhile, Elphaba has been conned to a life on the run, as she continues her quest to expose the wizard’s lies and deception. With all of Oz looking to defeat her, she’s been unable to stay in contact with Glinda, Fiyero, or her sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode.)

Nessarose is the newly appointed governor of Munchkinland, and she keeps the region under a rm grip. Her dictatorial ways are part of an e ort to avoid being identi ed with her pariah sister, and to prevent Boq (Ethan Slater) from leaving her.

Elphaba crashes Fiyero and Glinda’s wedding a er being duped into a compromise with the wizard. Fiyero, who had disguised his care and concern for Elphaba, decides to join her in captivity, leaving Glinda heartbroken. Struck by jealousy, Glinda instructs Madam Morrible to go a er Nessarose in order to entrap Elphaba.

As stakes rise, and destiny is ques-

tioned, Elphaba must decide how much she’s willing to risk to save Oz, while Glinda grapples with what it means to actually be good.

Adapted series such as Harry Potter and Twilight have broken their conclusions into two parts, which resulted in pretty strong lm adaptations. But those stories had an abundance of source material to pull from. Wicked: For Good was given the daunting task to not only extend the latter half of a musical that peaks at hal ime, but to also make that latter half make sense as a standalone story.

Yes, the story gets wrapped up — and e Wizard of Oz gets set up — but it le me overly stimulated in the process. I must stress, though, that I don’t think it’s entirely the lmmakers’ fault. When adapting any intellectual property into another medium, creatives must battle with potential and legacy. If director Jon M. Chu had punched up the story drasti-

cally, he would’ve alienated a throng of devoted fans in the process. e ip-side is two hours of fan service, which leaves new audiences perplexed, and maybe even a bit let down.

Wicked: For Good feels like listening to a child recite a dream — frantically piecing together abstract concepts and visions with “and then this happened.” is goes back to the main criticism of the on-stage counterpart. It’s an ambitious undertaking to intertwine the story of the Wizard of Oz while also continuing the journeys of the lm’s main characters. e songs aren’t quite as catchy, and even with an extended 137-minute run time, it still feels rushed.

Nevertheless, as a fan, I will be seated for a second, third, and probably even a fourth rewatch.

Wicked: For Good Now playing Multiple locations

Our critic picks the best films in theaters.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

Director Rian Johnson and former James Bond Daniel Craig revive detective Benoit Blanc for a third mystery. Msgr. Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin) is a charismatic priest surrounded by a devout congregation. But when someone turns up dead in a crypt, Blanc must solve his first literal “locked room” mystery. Everybody wants to work with Johnson. Screening at Malco Cordova, Ridgeway, and Studio on the Square.

Zootopia 2

The long-awaited sequel sees our rabbit hero Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) and former con artist fox turned detective Nick Wilde (Jason Bate-

man) team up as partners in the Zootopia Police Department. Gary De’Snake (Ke Huy Quan) is looking to disrupt the Zootenial Gala, and kidnap Pawbert (Andy Samberg) and Milton (David Strathairn) Lynxley in the process. Can our two intrepid officers bring peace and harmony to the city of cute animals?

Rental Family

Brendan Fraser stars as Phillip, an American actor struggling to make it in Japan. When the roles for a middle aged American guy dry up, he takes a job as a rent-a-relative for Japanese families in need of more relations. On the job, he meets Mia (Shannon Gorman) a young girl in need of a father. Mononym actor/ director Hakari from Netflix’s Beef writes and directs.

THE LAST WORD

By Ken Billett

Endless Task

Our Mid-South fall brings a stark reminder that what is up eventually comes down.

e “leaf gods” were angry and my backyard paid the price. Leaves rained down from the trees like locusts descending upon Pharaoh’s Egypt. Big orange leaves, narrow brown leaves, even pine tree needles covered literally every inch of the yard. Our border collie, Zoe, crashed through the crunchy detritus in search of her favorite ball. Looking out from our kitchen’s picture window, I shook my head in frustration.

“When will this madness end?” I shouted to the heavens.

What had sparked the gods’ anger? Earlier that morning, I had nished cleaning and clearing the backyard of leaves and twigs from an overnight storm. Over- lled leaf bags lined the rear fence we shared with the next-door neighbors. My back and legs hurt from stooping and scooping, while my arms were sore from stu ng and plunging — movements familiar to any Mid-South homeowner with trees. A er several hours of raking, my shoulders screamed “enough,” joining my back and arms in misery.

Even those folks using leaf blowers will eventually become tired and sti , holding the contraption at odd angles in a futile attempt to remove every fallen leaf. In our minds, we know more leaves will eventually come down. We know they’ll end up everywhere — in the pool, on the patio, up against the fence line, inside the carport, and underneath, well, underneath anything that’s outside. Yet we perform this task every fall and into the early days of winter. An endless task repeated each year.

Here in the Mid-South, we have wonderful trees: several varieties of big oaks, skyscraper-tall pines, along with many other tree types that will — depending on the late-summer temperatures and the amount of rain — burst into spectacular colors. While our fall foliage might not rival the beauty of autumn in New Hampshire or Maine, the changing colors are always a sight to behold.

But all those big, wonderful trees bring leaves — in many colors and forms — which settle to the ground, not only causing backaches but also headaches and potential hearing loss from the constant whine of gas-powered leaf blowers plus the roar of those huge seated-mowers. Each week — and almost every day of the week — platoons of yard guys invade our neighborhood, clearing out lawns, ower beds, driveways, and sidewalks. In their wake, rows upon rows of plastic leaf bags line the curbs awaiting removal.

Not only can the endless task take a toll on your hearing and your back, it can also take a toll on your wallet. Sounding like a quote from Julius Caesar, “ e legions [of yard guys] must be paid,” and their work doesn’t come cheap. Nor does the cost of yard bags, gloves, and rakes, requiring many trips to the hardware store. Many.

Yes, when will this madness end?

Some of my favorite memories, however, come from being outside on a relatively mild November day, one end of our yard festooned in a carpet of leaves. On the other end, where raking had commenced several hours earlier, giant leaf piles, resembling a mountain range, dotted the newly cleared area. Our son, Zach, and his young friends would race around the piles and then suddenly leap into one, scattering leaves and twigs pell-mell. ey were quickly joined by Nixie, our rst border collie, who dove into the leaves to nd the boys. is game of hide-and-seek morphed into a game of seek and nd in which the boys would hide Nixie’s rubber ball and wait for her to sni it out. Nix would jump into the leaf mound, root around, scattering more leaves, of course, and reemerge victorious with the ball in her mouth.

Back then, I’d congregate with our old neighbors to talk leaf strategy (Backyard or front yard, rst? Or, does it matter?), tools of the trade (Bill bought a new gas-powered blower on sale at Lowe’s), and supplies (Clear bags or black?). We sounded like Mississippi farmers, gathered around the bed of an old pickup, discussing crop yields, weather forecasts, and cotton prices. e neighbors talked about bagging fallen leaves like it was a harvest. Or a competition.

How many bags you got, Ken? I’m up to 32, and I still have the whole backyard to nish.

For many of us, myself included, the fall’s leaf “harvest” is a full-time job. A lot of e ort and a lot work. And a lot of time. Hours upon hours spent on the endless task, which I still perform to this day.

e madness will never end.

Carpeted in orange and brown, the backyard beckoned. Zoe tromped her way towards our patio, glow ball rmly between her teeth. Victorious.

I smiled even though the endless task was before me.

Caesar once famously said, “I came, I saw, I conquered.”

Perhaps old Julius could grab a rake and help me conquer the backyard.

Ken Billett is a freelance writer and short-story ction author. He and his wife, Vicki, have called Memphis home for over 35 years. When not listening to blues music, Ken reads spy novels and tends to his owers.