Come out, come out wherever you are! It’s Friday, Oct. 11, National Coming Out Day, and Rhodes College will celebrate tonight with a presentation of queer Southern stories. Also tonight, the annual Monster Market pop-up of Halloween oddities and crafts opens at the Medicine Factory. 

Saturday brings four — count ’em — Oktoberfests from Crosstown to Cordova, plus an evening screening of “Psycho” at Crosstown Theater. (Is there a better way to spend a Saturday than with beer and a slasher film?) As for sports, the Memphis Tigers will play USF (but not in Tampa), and the Memphis Grizzlies will play the Chicago Bulls in a preseason away game.

There’s more Halloween fun to be had at Magnolia & May’s trunk-or-treat on Sunday, and you can help raise funds for Hurricane Helene victims at a benefit concert at Railgarten. For way more ideas, check out The To-Do List.

THE NEED TO KNOW

The Tennessee Valley Authority rejected a Freedom of Information Act request for a list of its demand-response program participants. The program is a tool to prevent rolling blackouts. (Samuel Hardiman/The Daily Memphian file)

Less power to them: But whom? The Tennessee Valley Authority offers a program that pays industrial customers to cut electricity consumption when the grid is stressed, and 500 users have signed on. But who those users are remains a mystery. The Daily Memphian tried to find out with a Freedom of Information Act request to the TVA, but the request was rejected. What TVA would say is that those users saved about 2,000 megawatts of power over 2022 and 2023, which translates to about 10% of TVA’s average daily load. The lack of information comes as environmentalists are questioning TVA’s power capacity across the region with the arrival of Elon Musk’s xAI. And we do know how much electricity xAI will receive and how much it’s used so far.

Memphis running back Brandon Thomas ran against Florida State during the first half of an NCAA college football game on Sept. 14, in Tallahassee, Florida. (Colin Hackley/AP file)

The game will go on: High water came, and the Memphis Tigers will still play USF on Saturday. But the football game originally scheduled for today in Tampa that was then moved to Saturday in Tampa has now moved to Saturday in Orlando. Hurricane Milton hit Tampa on Wednesday night, and there’s quite a bit of water on the field at Raymond James Stadium. 

Protestors participated in the Planned Parenthood march on May 14, 2022. (Lucy Garrett/The Daily Memphian file)

Abortion ban, two years later: In the past year, about 10,500 women have traveled outside Tennessee for abortions in states where they’re still legal, according to the head of Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and Mississippi. Planned Parenthood CEO Ashley Coffield appeared on WKNO’s “Behind the Headlines” to reflect on Tennessee’s abortion ban a little more than two years after the U.S. Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade; she said the “stakes could not be higher.” Not only are women leaving for abortions, but Coffield also said some doctors and other medical professionals have moved outside the state.

MEET MEMPHIS

L.J. Abraham started 901 Community Fridges in 2021. (Jane Roberts/The Daily Memphian)

You’ve likely seen the 901 Community Fridges around town. Some, like the one outside Holy Trinity Community Church, are colorfully painted, and others are just your classic white. But all of the outdoor fridges are usually filled to the brim with home-cooked meals, eggs, produce and other perishable (and nonperishable) items. There are several stationed around town, including a very busy fridge at First Congo church, and all are stocked by volunteers. Memphian L.J. Abraham started 901 Community Fridges four years ago as a way to combat the city’s food insecurity problems, and now she says “it’s unbelievable that people care enough about if their neighbors have food to continue to fill them.”

THE NICE TO KNOW

Co-owner Cedric Jeans recently opened Boba Boba Life near Christian Brothers University. (Ziggy Mack/Special to The Daily Memphian)

Here’s the tea: Boba Boba Life co-owner Cedric Jeans first tried bubble tea on a family vacation to California. He was instantly hooked on those chewy little pearls and proceeded to try new teas every day for the rest of his trip. Then he brought the idea back home and opened his new bubble tea shop in Midtown. Boba Boba has all kinds of milk teas and fruit teas, but there’s also an eclectic food menu that includes ramen and paninis. Read more about that in Food Files, plus news of a Texas-based taco chain that’s got its eye on Memphis. And in this week’s $10 Deal, food writer Joshua Carlucci tells us where in Memphis he ate the “best ceviche in recent and distant memory.”

Memphis Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane drove to the basket, defended by Charlotte Hornets guard Tre Mann on Thursday, Oct. 10. (Nikki Boertman/AP)

Off to a slow start: The Memphis Grizzlies preseason loss, 119-94, to the Charlotte Hornets looked very much like the team’s many losses last season — accomplished without most of the team’s stars. Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., Brandon Clarke, Vince Williams Jr. and GG Jackson II were all nursing injuries (mild ones, mostly!), so John Konchar started in Morant’s place, and Marcus Smart shifted roles. Fans did get a first look at Zach Edey, but he looked very much like a rookie. One surprising star: late-off-season signee Jay Huff. In other Grizzlies news, The Daily Memphian’s Chris Herrington looks at how Jaren Jackson Jr. — the longest-standing member of the team — might play this season in the face of a whole lotta change.

On the rise: Bartlett’s first mixed-use project — the 74-acre Union Depot — has been talked about for what seems like ages, but it’s starting to become as real that Christmas shopping list you’re about to have to tackle. In recent weeks, the first four-story buildings, The Westerly at Union Depot apartments, rose up above the one-story commercial strips nearby. When it’s all said and done, Union Depot will add 600 new living spaces to Bartlett, as well as retail and commercial space and a Belly Acres location. Developer Keith Grant of Grant & Co. provided an update earlier this week and detailed how the project came together over the years.

Jade Clark will star in a show on Grow Tennesse’s network. (Ziggy Mack/Special to The Daily Memphian)

Got a green thumb? Well, you might want to put it to work on your remote control and tune into the new Grow Tennessee video streaming network. The new platform for Tennessee’s agricultural industry will feature shows that highlight Tennessee agriculture. The first show, “All in the Farmily,” will be hosted by Bobby and Derravia Rich, the couple who runs Memphis’ Black Seeds Urban Farm, and in November, you can look for a program from Agriculture International CEO (and fifth-generation farmer) John Butler.

GOT GAME?

Freedom Preparatory Academy high school students wrote down questions during an event with author Valeria Luiselli. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

If you check out this week’s To-Do List, you’ll find plenty going on this weekend. But maybe you’d rather curl up at home with a good book. You’d probably find some kindred spirits in Christian Brothers University’s Memphis Reads program, which is where this week’s Jigsaw image comes from. A puzzle and a good book? Sounds like an introvert’s dream.

Hungry yet? You will be after you complete this week’s Word Search of new menu items (and other new updates!) at FedExForum. Don’t blame us if you’re craving an ice-cold Coke.

Hope you have all some spooky fun this weekend! 

.....