It’s the weekend again, Memphis, and this one brings so much more than barbecue. It’s Friday, May 17, and Opera Memphis presents “La Bohème” with a Memphis twist. Bartlett’s Music by the Lake series kicks off tonight — but not by the lake. At the Memphis Redbirds game later, the first 4,000 fans will roll out (wink, wink) of the game with a free six-pack of made-in-Memphis White Cloud toilet paper. (Where was this promo in 2020 when we needed it?)

Saturday marks the start of Arlington’s Music On The Square concert series, and in Midtown, you can get a peek into the backyards of some Cooper-Young residents. Or just stay home and watch the Memphis Showboats lose to play the Michigan Panthers on TV. In the evening, Time Warp Drive-in reminds us how much better children’s fantasy movies were in the 1980s.

Sunday brings an art opening by Memphis rocker Alicja Trout at Brantley’s Ellzey’s Summer Studio. And finally, dear reader, don’t miss Novel’s book club/tea party for fans of Netflix’s “Bridgerton.” (The new season just started, so you’ve got a couple days to binge.) For even more weekend ideas, check out The To-Do List.

THE NEED TO KNOW

Quandarius Richardson signed paperwork prior to entering a guilty plea in Judge Chris Craft’s courtroom on Thursday, May 16. (Julia Baker/The Daily Memphian)

Trenary murder suspect pleads guilty: Quandarius Richardson, one of two men charged in Greater Memphis CEO Phil Trenary’s death, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on Thursday. Richardson was facing first-degree murder and other charges and was scheduled to go to trial next week. Now, he’ll be sentenced this coming Monday. His co-defendant McKinney Wright is currently serving 25 years for second-degree murder. Trenary was killed in 2018 on South Front Street while walking home from a fundraiser at Loflin Yard.

Cornelius Smith (left) and Justin Johnson, who are charged in the killing of Memphis rapper Young Dolph, appeared in Judge Lee Coffee’s court room on Jan. 19, 2021. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

Young Dolph murder trial delayed: The trial for two of the men accused in the death of Memphis rapper Young Dolph has been pushed back from June 3 to a yet-to-be-determined date in September. Prosecutors have provided Justin Johnson’s and Cornelius Smith’s attorneys with cell phone GPS data, and the delay will give them more time to prepare for trial. Young Dolph was gunned down at Makeda’s Homemade Cookies on Airways Boulevard in 2021.

Memphis City Council members (from left) Pearl Walker, Ford Canale, Jana Swearengen-Washington and JB Smiley Jr. attended the town hall at New Salem Baptist Church on Thursday, May 16. (Bill Dries/The Daily Memphian)

Ways to avoid a tax hike: Several alternatives to Memphis Mayor Paul Young’s proposed 75-cent property-tax increase were tossed around on Thursday at a public meeting at New Salem Baptist Church. Among them: an increase in vehicle-registration fees and an amnesty program on unpaid and overdue traffic tickets. But there are questions about whether money from the latter plan, which could net an estimated $120 million, could be used to boost city services. Residents weighed in on the tax hike during the meeting, with one woman suggesting the city trim the police budget. “What you are doing is not working,” she said.

The Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority expects rent and landing-fee hikes will increase revenue 15% in the new year, which will go to a series of customer enhancements. (Courtesy DittyTV)

Costs fly high at MEM: Memphis International Airport will soon raise rents and landing fees for airlines by double digits. Federal COVID-19 stimulus money is running out, which led the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority to pass a new budget on Thursday with a 40% hike in terminal-lease rates and a 48% increase in landed-weight fees, which airlines have to pay every time they land here. “Never before have we had the benefit of multi-year stimulus money that disappeared all of a sudden,” said Terry Blue, president, CEO of the airport authority. But no worries, one expert says travelers shouldn’t feel the cost.

QUOTED

“I was really nervous … driving to the show. But once I walked in the ring … I said, ‘I know what I’m doing; Rocket knows what he’s doing; we’re going to have fun.’” (Courtesy Cooper family)

“It’s essentially the Super Bowl of dog shows.”

— Sela Cooper, Briarcrest Christian School student
Cooper, 18, recently showed a Vizsla dog named Rocket at the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York. Though the pair didn’t win anything, Cooper said “just being there was more than enough for me.” And she has plans to keep competing.

THE NICE TO KNOW

Mel Chmilar pulled ribs off of the grill on Thursday, May 16, during the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. (Benjamin Naylor/The Daily Memphian)

Barbecue for the people: Don’t know anyone on a Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest team? No problem. An add-on ticket to the contest’s BBQ Alley will get you five samples from pro pitmasters. Food writer Joshua Carlucci explored BBQ Alley on day two of the WCBCC Thursday and found everything from tri-tip to butter-smoked pulled turkey. Meanwhile, on day one of SmokeSlam in Tom Lee Park, The Daily Memphian’s Holly Whitfield talked with teams competing in the dessert category (smoked Rice Krispie treats, anyone?), and she found a few attendees who were planning to check out both barbecue fests this weekend.

Chris Morris, an offensive lineman at PURE Academy, attended swim lessons at the Whitehaven YMCA on Thursday, May 16. (Ziggy Mack/Special to The Daily Memphian)

Making a splash: A new program from PURE Academy and the YMCA is feeding two birds with one seed (there’s a kinder, gentler idiom for you). The football players at PURE needed to learn to swim, and the YMCA needed more lifeguards. So, the YMCA is donating swim lessons to PURE students in the hope that some may train to become lifeguards. The Daily Memphian’s Geoff Calkins introduces us to a student who went from nearly drowning to swimming 25 yards.

Queen of Sheba’s lamb sub with a dollop of labneh. (Joshua Carlucci/Special to The Daily Memphian)

Shots and sandwiches: Tekila Modern Mexican’s second location is now open in Midtown’s Nineteenth Century Club. The restaurant, which has an original location in Southaven’s Silo Square, made headlines last fall when its owners started painting over the natural brick on the historic Nineteenth Century building. Midtowners naturally freaked out, and the owners agreed to remove the paint. Read more about Tekila and other new restaurant openings in Food Files. And in this week’s $10 Deal, regional food purist Joshua Carlucci broke with his tendency to avoid Americanized menu items to sample a lamb sub at Queen of Sheba. And he did not regret it.

Horn Lake Animal Shelter Director Glenn Andrews said, “The entire time I’ve been here, we’ve been over capacity.” (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Dog has its day: Horn Lake’s animal shelter, built in 1991, was designed to hold 47 dogs; today, it houses 95. And Glenn Andrews, director of Horn Lake Animal Services, said the building is “leaning more towards being dilapidated.” But a new shelter is on the way, thanks to a vote this week by the Horn Lake Board of Aldermen to accept a construction bid for a new shelter. The vote wasn’t unanimous though; Alderman David Young, who voted against the bid, called the new shelter a “palace” and complained about the price tag.

GOT GAME?

Cedar Hall in Bartlett is up for sale. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Jigsaw: If you’re looking to get into the wedding business, now’s your chance. Two antebellum venues — Heartwood Hall in Rossville and Cedar Hall in Bartlett — are up for sale. You could schedule a walk-through, or you could stay on your comfy couch and piece together this photo puzzle.

Word Search: Opera Memphis’ version of “La Bohème,” which opens tonight, is set on Beale Street. Brush up on your musical and opera vocab before you go.

Crossword: On May 8, 1925, Tom Lee rescued 32 people from a capsized boat in the Mississippi River. You can read all about Tom Lee Park’s namesake in Bill Dries’ history lesson from last week. And when you’re done, maybe you’ll be armed with enough knowledge to master this week’s crossword.

Get out and make the most of this weekend, friends. And we’ll do it all again next week.

Editor’s note: Kevin McEniry — a member of the board of Memphis Fourth Estate, the nonprofit that owns and operates The Daily Memphian — is founder and master producer of the Mempho Festival and Mempho Presents.

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