Cheers, Shelby County! It’s Friday, Aug. 2, and you can toast to high fashion tonight at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art’s champagne tasting to close out designer Christian Siriano’s “People Art People” exhibit. Also tonight, Friends of George’s takes a tiny break from fighting Tennessee’s “adult cabaret” ban to present a drag-themed whodunit play at Evergreen Theatre.

Most Shelby County students are back in class next week, and your last chance to get tax-free school supplies is Arkansas’ Tax-Free Weekend, which runs Saturday through Sunday. So, head on over to the West Memphis Walmart, and then come back across the bridge to cool off at Grind City Brewing Co.’s Lemonade Stand fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. 

On Saturday night, Hi-Tone owner Brian “Skinny” McCabe celebrates his birthday with an ironic tribute to 2000s testosterone-rock jams (think Nickelback and Creed). Hit up the Goodwill for an Affliction shirt and some of those tight jeans with rhinestones on the butt. For more weekend fun, check out The To-Do List.

THE NEED TO KNOW

Newly elected General Sessions Court Clerk Tami Sawyer (center) greeted supporters on Thursday, Aug. 1, at an election night party at Swamp Bar at Overton Square. (Benjamin Naylor/The Daily Memphian)

Tami Sawyer wins: Former Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer is now the General Sessions Court clerk. The Democrat beat out Republican Lisa Arnold, a retired clerk’s office employee, in Thursday’s county general election. That win came after attack ads from Arnold’s campaign compared Sawyer to Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert.

Tamarques Porter (left), Towanna Murphy, Sable Otey, Stephanie Love and Natalie McKinney are the new Memphis-Shelby County Schools board members. (The Daily Memphian file)

School board revamp: The Memphis-Shelby County Schools board is getting an overhaul after four newcomers — Natalie McKinney (2), Tamarques Porter (4), Sable Otey (5) and Towanna Murphy (7) — were elected Thursday night. Only one incumbent was reelected. Voters appeared to offer a referendum on the district’s drawn-out superintendent search with the ouster of District 2 incumbent Althea Greene, who chaired the board for the last two years. McKinney, who defeated Greene, called the first search — following former Superintendent Joris Ray’s resignation — an “abject failure.”

U.S. Senate candidate Gloria Johnson went over her speech during a campaign event at Ghost River Brewing on July 31. She won her primary on Thursday and will face incumbent U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

GloJo vs. Blackburn: State Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville, will take on Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn in November after both candidates easily won their U.S. Senate primaries on Thursday. Johnson rose to national fame last year as part of the Tennessee Three, following a Republican-led expulsion effort over a gun control protest in the state House. Republican incumbent David Kustoff won his U.S. House District 8 primary, and he’ll face Democrat Sarah Freeman of Germantown. And Democratic incumbent Steve Cohen easily won the U.S. House District 9 primary and will face Republican Charlotte Bergmann.

Gabby Salinas edged out Telisa Franklin and three other challengers to win the District 96 Democratic primary. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

Salinas, incumbents dominate state: Gabby Salinas narrowly edged out Telisa Franklin and three other contenders in the only open race in the Shelby County legislative primaries. The incumbents dominated every other contested primary race on the ballot for state House and Senate seats. That means Shelby County will have five contested general elections this November, including what looks to be a tight race between incumbent state Rep. John Gillespie, R-Memphis, and Democrat Jesse Huseth.

And in the ’burbs: Arlington Mayor Mike Wissman will be mayor again after an uncontested race in Arlington. Arlington Community Schools board member Lyle Conley held onto her seat — but only by the seat of her pants. And Dwight Barker defeated Jordan D. Hinders in an open race for the Position 2 Board of Aldermen seat. See more winners from Arlington here. In Germantown, Rhea Clift, a prosecutor in Bartlett Municipal Court, will serve as the next Germantown judge, after handily defeating Justin Gee. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because Clift’s father, Ray Clift, served as Germantown judge for years.

MEET MEMPHIS

Pediatrician Dr. Katie Barger makes house calls. (Brad Vest/Special to The Daily Memphian)

Dr. Katie Barger is bringing back the old-fashioned house call. The Memphis-based pediatrician launched her own membership-based practice, Eden Pediatrics, last spring. It works outside the traditional health-insurance model by allowing parents to pay a monthly membership fee for their child’s health care directly to Barger’s company. In return, they get personalized service right in their own homes. The model not only benefits parents, who may not want to take their sick children into a waiting room filled with other sick kids, but it also helps Barger balance her work with her role as a mother.

THE NICE TO KNOW

Jerry Lee Lewis' 1983 Cadillac Eldorado Paris Opera edition was loaded into a trailer to be transported from Beale Street to the Jerry Lee Lewis Ranch. (Courtesy Todd Herendeen)

Whole lotta shakin’ going on: Jerry Lee Lewis’ Cafe & Honky Tonk on Beale Street closed abruptly on Wednesday, leaving more than 20 people without jobs. Employees arrived at work to find furniture being moved out. But sources say the building — originally built for the long-closed Pat O’Brien’s — is being leased by a new group and is expected to reopen this fall under a new name.

Memphis Grizzlies' Shane Battier was one of three athletes who “helped define the sports century in this town,” Geoff Calkins said. (Francois Mori/AP file)

Sports bests who got snubbed: For the past week, we’ve been slowly dripping out — in descending order — the top 25 Memphis athletes of the 21st century. Our sports reporters and editors each got a vote, and just as with last night’s county general election, there were winners and losers. So, who did we leave out? Women, if you ask Geoff Calkins (only three made the list), and specifically Olympic swimmer Gabrielle Rose, if you ask Tim Buckley. John Varlas, our high school-sports reporter, naturally wanted to see more athletes who got their start in Memphis schools. See all of their thoughts on who got snubbed here. And we’ve got a list of the rest of the best — honorable mentions, if you will, here.

Irish fashion retailer Primark, known for its affordable prices, sells clothing for men, women and children, as well as accessories, beauty items and home decor. (Courtesy Primark)

Get ready for #Primania: Primark, the Irish fast-fashion retail chain, is coming to Wolfchase Galleria. (That’s right; a new store is opening in the mall. What is this? 1999?) If you’ve never heard of Primark, think of them like an H&M with affordable men’s, women’s and children’s fashions but also skincare products and home goods priced cheaper than you’d find at Target or Ikea. The Memphis store will be Primark’s second location in Tennessee.

Work on The Lake District near the Canada Road exit of Interstate 40 remains at a standstill two months after its foreclosure sale. (Brad Vest/Special to The Daily Memphian file)

What happens at The Lake District … is still up in the air. The troubled mixed-use development in Lakeland was sold to TIG Romspen in a foreclosure two months ago, but work on the site remains at a standstill. Representatives from Romspen met with Lakeland city officials in July, and they said they were considering a number of options for next steps, including the possibility of selling portions of the property to individual developers. The Lake District’s original developer Yehuda Netanel had big dreams for the project, but financial troubles ultimately led to its foreclosure sale in May. Here’s a timeline of The Lake District’s many problems.

Tom’s Barbecue brisket sandwich has a soft potato bun overflowing with shreds of brisket. (Joshua Carlucci/Special to The Daily Memphian)

Memphis-style brisket: Food writer Joshua Carlucci says he “loves Texas barbecue,” which might be fighting words around these parts. But he’s found a compromise at Tom’s Barbecue on New Getwell Road, where you can get a Memphis-style beef brisket sandwich for under $10. He describes the brisket as “some of the softest, moistest and best-seasoned” he’s ever had, but that sandwich isn’t even the menu item that made Tom’s Food Network-famous. In other food news, we’ve got a look at a new food truck serving Pakistani, Indian and American food.

GOT GAME?

The Triple Beef Mafia burger from The Smash & Grab Burger Lab food truck. (Benjamin Naylor/The Daily Memphian)

Look, I don’t even eat meat, but our photo of Smash & Grab Burger Lab’s caramelized smashburger — with those sexy, crispy edges — looks so good, it’s even making me hungry. I dare you to try and smash this Jigsaw without craving a burger. And because you asked for it, our Jigsaw now includes an easy and a hard version. 

Parts of Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium are being demolished as part of its renovation. Can you demolish this week’s stadium-themed Crossword?

The newly redesigned Links at Audubon golf course opened this past week, which you probably already know if you’ve been reading The Early Word. And you’re probably also sick of my cheesy golf puns, so I’ll stop puttering around (sorry) and just share this link for the Links-themed Word Search.

Here’s hoping your weekend is tee-rific! (And for your sake, here’s hoping we get a break from golf news.)

.....