We’ve made it to the weekend, Memphis. It’s Friday, Oct. 10, and if you’re in need of locally made Halloween accessories and home decor, get yourself to Monster Market this weekend. The annual “freaky pop-up for weirdos” opens tonight. Also opening tonight, artist Brantley Ellzey’s gallery takeover at Crosstown Arts.

There’s a ton going on Saturday. But you — and your pup — can start the day at Overton Park for the Mutt Strut 5K and Fall Fetch Fest (think harvest fest for dogs). And a new hoodoo museum is opening inside A. Schwab on Beale Street at noon. 

And there are two Oktoberfests Saturday: Edgetoberfest with Flyway Brewing and Memphis Made Brewing in the Edge District and Crosstoberfest at Crosstown Brewing Co. The latter features a stein-holding contest, and I speak from experience when I say, it’s harder than it looks. On Saturday night, the Memphis Grizzlies play their final preseason home game at FedExForm (and, well, thoughts and prayers). 

If all that’s not enough, you’ll find even more ideas in The To-Do List. Or, on today’s AM/DM podcast.

THE NEED TO KNOW

Gov. Bill Lee applauded after signing the Education Freedom Act at the state Capitol on Wednesday, Feb. 12. (George Walker IV/AP file)

Who is getting school vouchers? Mostly kids from high-income neighborhoods, that’s who. In Shelby County, most of the students using public money to pay for private school live in top-earning zip codes. And many of them are in Germantown and Collierville. Under the state’s massive school-voucher expansion, 10,000 of the 20,000 available vouchers were not income-restricted, so any family could apply, even if they could pay for private school without taxpayer help. Here’s a breakdown of Shelby County voucher use by zip code.

National Guard soldiers left the Shelby County Office of Preparedness on Wednesday, Oct. 1. (Adrian Sainz/AP)

Guard patrols start today: There’s been a lot of conflicting info about how many National Guard troops are coming, how long they’ll stay, what they’ll be doing and even when they’ll start whatever it is they are doing. But the City of Memphis said on its website Thursday that the guard will start patrols today. Meanwhile, during a contentious Senate Judiciary hearing on the Memphis Safe Task Force this week, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi falsely claimed that Shelby County has “cashless bail.”

The Thursday, Oct. 9, ribbon-cutting on the sixth phase of residential construction at Foote Park at South City marked the final phase of mixed-income housing development. (Bill Dries/The Daily Memphian)

Put a bow on South City: The sixth and final phase of South City opened on Thursday, wrapping up a decade of work. The Downtown housing development was once Foote Homes, but residents were moved out in 2016 to make way for the South City plan. At the time, there was a lot of controversy around gentrification and pushing people out of their neighborhoods. Today, the area has a mix of apartments, townhomes and senior housing at affordable and market-rate prices. But there are also nearly 400 units for people eligible for public housing subsidies, and some old Foote Homes residents came back.

MEET MEMPHIS

Brandi De La Cruz is the first teacher from Collierville to receive Tennessee’s Teacher of the Year award. (Courtesy Brandi De La Cruz)

Brandi De La Cruz wanted to be Martha Stewart when she grew up. But after college, she ended up working as a manager at a Finish Line shoe store. “Martha Stewart does not work 12-hour days,” she realized when became disenchanted with retail hours. So, after talking to a customer, who worked as a math teacher, she decided that’s what she wanted to do. These days, she’s a math teacher at Collierville High, and she was recently named the Tennessee Department of Education’s 2025-26 Teacher of the Year. Her secret? Building relationships with her students. 

THE NICE TO KNOW

The new Banana Ball Championship League will feature six teams playing 60 games throughout the country, with a championship series scheduled for next October. (Lindsey Wasson/AP file)

This ish is bananas: The Georgia-based Savannah Bananas baseball team isn’t coming here, but Banana Ball is. The new Banana Ball Championship League, which plays the style of comedic baseball made popular by the Savannah team, is taking its show on the road with six teams playing 60 games throughout the country. And the league is planning a stop in Memphis next March. Expect dancing players, bright uniforms and maybe some Taylor Swift songs.

Pesce’s Italian Deli is now open from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Courtesy Daniel Pesce)

How the sausage is made: There’s a new Italian deli in the Forum I building in East Memphis selling specialty sandwiches, frozen Italian dishes and more. Pesce’s Italian Deli owner Daniel Pesce has been using an old family recipe for Italian sausage since he was 13, so you might want to start there. Read more on the deli in Food Files, plus a tip on where to take the kids to play board games (while you drink beer) during next week’s fall break.

“They just be tweakin’,” said Ja Morant regarding fans concerned about his ankle. “Panicking. Nothing to be crazy about.” (Brandon Dill/AP file)

Ja-nkle news: Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant gave an update on his sprained ankle Thursday. He said fans were just “tweakin’,” and he dismissed any worry that he could miss the season opener on Oct. 22. Looking ahead to the start of the regular season, we’ve heard a lot so far about the Memphis Grizzlies’ strengths and weaknesses. But what about the teams they’re up against? Our own Chris Herrington has ranked every NBA team into 11 tiers. The Grizzlies fall somewhere in the middle, since their success seems to ride on the health of one man (see above). In other Grizz news, several players are going all-in on Ja’s new shoes. 

The Yetsome Beyaynetu (Abyssinia vegetarian combination) comes with spicy split red lentils, yellow peas, collard greens, green beans, beets, cabbage and potato salad, which Erica Horton substituted for potatoes and carrots. (Erica Horton/Special to The Daily Memphian)

Wat to order at Abyssinia: That’s not a typo. Wat is an Ethiopian stew. And you’ll get the red lentil and yellow pea varieties, along with a bunch of deliciously spiced veggies and spongy, tangy injera bread, when you order the Yetsome Beyaynetu (aka the veggie platter) at Abyssinia Ethiopian Restaurant. That this week’s $15 Deal, and food writer Erica Horton shares her fond — and romantic — memories of this platter. This is also one of my top 10 fave veg dishes in Memphis, so take both of our words for it.

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

Remember that time that Marty McFly and Doc Brown traveled through time to the construction of the Pyramid? 

Alright, I’m gonna hop in my DeLorean and drive on out until Monday. (Kidding, but I did date a guy with a DeLorean once, so that surely counts.)

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