Good morning, Memphis! It’s Friday again. (Then Saturday, Sunday, what??) Today is Sept. 17, and the University of Memphis’ Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music will be hosting “Opening Night at the Scheidt” in Harris Hall. During the event, student musicians will play pieces from the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Opera Memphis and IRIS. There’s also a pre-show collaboration from jazz pianist Alvie Givhan and artist Hamlett Dobbins. 

“The Lifespan of a Fact” opens at The Circuit Playhouse tonight while, in Bartlett, Movies in the Park will screen “Raya and the Last Dragon.”

And, since we didn’t hear yesterday, we’re expecting a ruling one way or another on Tenn. Gov. Bill Lee’s executive order that makes masking in schools optional. 

THE NEED TO KNOW

Third-grade math teacher Susan Willis gave her Collierville Virtual Academy class a thumbs-up in September. (Patrick Lantrip/Daily Memphian)

Numbers not as high as they once were: The theme of yesterday’s local COVID-19 task force briefing was perhaps “slight improvement.” The virus reproduction rate is back below 1, and local officials are seeing a drop off in new cases across all age groups (yesterday’s new case count: 491). There are also fewer coronavirus patients in the area’s hospitals. And in a move that could be construed as a 180-degree departure from state government, the Shelby County COVID-19 Community Council has created a 30-second ad encouraging teenagers to get the vaccine.

Mayor’s breakthrough: Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland expects to be back at work next week, after suffering from a breakthrough COVID-19 infection. The mayor lost his sense of smell with the illness and experienced congestion but said, “If I compare myself to other people struggling with COVID, this is nothing.” The mayor’s case is perhaps illustrative of the city’s wider coronavirus statistics; about 23% of the cases are among the vaccinated but 94% of the people hospitalized are unvaccinated.

Billy Dunavant died of complications from a stroke Saturday, Sept. 11. (Courtesy, Dunavant family)

Captain of industry, owner of the team: Ahead of a private memorial service tomorrow, we’re remembering cotton tycoon Billy Dunavant. The noted businessman and philanthropist was highly competitive, whether that was on the tennis court and taking on someone like champion Bobby Riggs, playing with his children or owning a United States Football League team. The same was true in business. He was the first U.S. cotton merchant to sell to Communist China and he opened offices around the world, with employees in Switzerland, Australia and Uzbekistan. 

MEET MEMPHIS

Matteo Servente (left) and Ryan Watt are the fillmmakers behind Zio Matto Gelato. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Eight years ago, in their respective roles of producer and director, Ryan Watt and Matteo Servente were in Italy to participate in a Venice film development program. But while there, Servente took Watt on a gelato hunt in his native country. More recently, the two have partnered on Zio Matto Gelato, a local artisanal gelato company that you’ll be able to find at FedExForum during sporting and other events this year as well as farmers markets and some local restaurants and grocers. Right now, they have six flavors, most of which are traditional: Stracciatella, chocolate, pistachio, hazelnut, coffee and mango. Says Servente, “Mango is not the obvious fruit; it’s the fruit that became obvious because of how good the recipe was.”

THE NICE TO KNOW

Mahayla McElroy, portrait by Mark Seliger. (Brooks Museum of Art)

A first: This weekend, the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art will exhibit work from noted photographer Mark Seliger — and break some barriers in the process. “On Christopher Street: Transgender Portraits by Mark Seliger” was first released as a book, in 2016, with a companion film. The Brooks’ exhibit of the work will be the first time it’s been shown in a museum. And, as Chris Herrington writes, it “will be the first LGBTQ-centered exhibit at the Brooks and, as far as the Brooks knows, the first transgender-oriented museum exhibit in the wider region.” 

Packing a punch: Hey, remember when Zach Randolph punched Steven Adams in the face — during Game 6 of an NBA first-round playoff series in 2014 — and then got suspended for it? Well, as Drew Hill wrote yesterday, Adams is hoping first impressions “aren’t too important.” The 7-foot New Zealander came to the Memphis Grizzlies by way of a trade with New Orleans in July and he’s already well-acquainted with one member of the coaching staff. When they were both with the Oklahoma City Thunder, assistant coach Darko Rajakovic apparently fixed Adams’ free throws by punching him repeatedly in the stomach. 

Memphis is well represented in the new Rolling Stone top 500 song list. 

Long distance dedication: Rolling Stone recently released its “500 Greatest Songs of All Time,” with 19 of them connected to Memphis in some way — including the one at the top of the chart. The poll was invite-only, voted on by 250 people, and The Daily Memphian’s own Chris Herrington one of them. So he knows what he’s talking about when he talks about the songs that made the cut and those that didn’t.

Memphis Madness awaits: The wait is over. The University of Memphis has set a date for this year’s Memphis Madness at the FedExForum. As in years’ past, it will be the first chance for many Tigers fans to see the schools’ basketball teams in person, but it will also be an introduction to the school’s new women’s basketball coach, Katrina Merriweather. 

WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

We’ve got Friday movie night covered, but what about Friday movie morning? 

I caught this FedEx/Memphis Grizzlies crossover ad on TV earlier this week — though you can watch it here on YouTube — and it just made me laugh so hard. Comedy gold. 

Two things before we go: I want to send a special shout-out to Deborah Edwards, Robert Shannon, Greg Ricketts, Angela Klipfel and Joey Hagan for reading. 

And, as The Daily Memphian hits its third birthday, I want to thank everyone who has supported the endeavor, whether it’s financially, spiritually, intellectually or otherwise. 

Y’all have a great weekend, and we’ll be back here Monday morning, bright and early. 

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