Welcome to the weekend, Memphis. It’s Friday, Oct. 20, and the Metal Museum’s Repair Days are underway. So, gather your broken metal jewelry and bent-up forks and head down to the blufftop museum. In the evening, the Memphis Grizzlies play their last preseason game, against the Milwaukee Bucks, and it could be our first chance to see new guard Marcus Smart playing in a Grizzlies uniform.

On Saturday morning, the Memphis Tigers football team will play UAB in Birmingham to defend the Battle of the Bones trophy (aka giant slab of ribs), which has been in Memphis since 2012. Rhodes College president Jennifer Collins will be formally installed Saturday, even though she’s been in charge there since July 2022. The annual River Arts Fest gets underway on Riverside Drive, and the Dixon Gallery and Gardens heats up (literally) with its “Art on Fire” party in the evening.

It’s a busy weekend at the Dixon; their “Black Artists in America: From Civil Rights to the Bicentennial” exhibition, which features works created between 1954 to 1976, opens Sunday. And if you’re looking to get in on good seats for Memphis Showboats games this coming season, you might want to attend their Select-a-Seat event on Sunday night.

This barely scratches the surface of what may be the busiest weekend in Memphis ever, so check out our jam-packed To-Do List for lots more weekend fun.

THE NEED TO KNOW

Brittney Jackson spoke with her attorney Kenneth Brashier after a court appearance on June 20. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

Mother, boyfriend charged in child’s death: Brittney Jackson, the mother of 4-year-old Sequoia Samuels, and her boyfriend Jaylon Hobson have been indicted on seven counts, including first-degree murder, related to the child’s death this past summer. The couple reported Samuels missing on June 15, resulting in a day-long manhunt. When Samuels’ body was found, officers believed she had been dead for weeks, and Jackson told police that Hobson had “physically attacked” Samuels. The two were arrested, but neither was charged with murder until now.

Memphis Police Department Chief Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis was once a member of Atlanta’s controversial Red Dog police unit. (Ziggy Mack/Special to The Daily Memphian file) 

A Red Dogs’ chance: Arguments involving a controversial Atlanta police unit in the $550 million civil lawsuit filed by Tyre Nichols’ family against the City of Memphis will be allowed, following a judge’s ruling on Thursday. Attorneys for the city had filed a motion to strike any mention of Memphis Police Department Chief Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis’ involvement in Atlanta’s Red Dog unit during her time with that department, claiming the information would be immaterial and scandalous. The officers charged in Nichols’ death were members of the MPD’s SCORPION unit, which the lawsuit alleges implemented the same mandates, policies and customs that Red Dog used. 

The Jerry Lee Lewis Ranch, for sale in Nesbit, Mississippi, has a piano-shaped pool. (Courtesy Mark Gardner)

Great halls of fire: Here’s your chance to own a piece of Memphis music history. The late Jerry Lee Lewis’ ranch in Nesbit, Mississippi, is on the market for $1.6 million. The 30-acre compound is home to a 4,775-square-foot house with six bedrooms and six bathrooms, as well as a piano-shaped pool and two lakes. (Who wants to chip in with me for a ladies-only Mojo Dojo Casa House?) The home was the subject of a dispute between the heirs of Cecil Harrelson, Lewis’ longtime friend, and Lewis’ son, Jerry Lee Lewis III, after the musician’s death a year ago.

Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper Devonte Quinn conducted a traffic stop on I-40 on Wednesday, October 18. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Super troopers: If you’ve driven around the city lately, you’ve no doubt seen more and more state troopers on Memphis streets; I often see them Downtown on busy Saturday nights. The troopers are deployed to areas with the highest number of crashes and to crime hotspots determined by Memphis Police Department data. For years, there were only five Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers assigned to Shelby County, but that number recently expanded to 15. Now, the THP is hoping to grow that number to 37.

QUOTED

“In my lifetime, I’ve watched the right to vote be eroded by those who deny us our agency,” said Stacey Abrams, seen here on the red carpet at the National Civil Rights Museum on Oct. 19. (Rob Moore/The Daily Memphian)

“I’m here to tell you, Memphis, that you have the power to imagine, the power to dream and the power to change.”

— voting-rights activist Stacey Abrams
Abrams was one of three Freedom Award winners honored in the National Civil Rights Museum’s annual ceremony on Thursday evening. After narrowly losing Georgia’s governor’s race in 2018, Abrams’ Fair Fight Action organization worked to increase voter turnout in Georgia. Her comments came just weeks after low turnout in Memphis’ mayoral election.

THE NICE TO KNOW

Our readers voted Justin Timberlake as Memphis’ biggest star since Elvis. (Karen Pulfer Focht/AP file)

Biggest star since Elvis: Earlier this week, ESPN published a scathing piece on the downfall of Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant, and in that piece, our own Geoff Calkins was quoted as saying Morant was “the biggest star we’ve had since Elvis.” That led to a heated Slack debate among our staff, so we put the question to you, our readers, in a poll. And turns out a majority of you think differently, voting Justin Timberlake as the city’s biggest star. (Personally, I was pushing for Memphis-born Morgan Freeman — aka the voice of God — but he didn’t make it onto our poll).

Memphis Grizzlies guard Luke Kennard inbounded the ball in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz on Feb. 15. (Brandon Dill/AP file)

Not throwing away his shots? Last season, Memphis Grizzlies guard Luke Kennard made 54% of his 3-point attempts with the Grizzlies, the best stats in the NBA. (Remember that game last March when he made 10 3-pointers against the Houston Rockets? We were coming out of our seats at my house!) But so far, in the preseason, Kennard’s 3-point shooting seems to have hit a wall. “I’ve struggled a little bit, especially with my shot,” Kennard said after practice on Wednesday. So, should we be worried? Neither Coach Taylor Jenkins nor Kennard are fretting. In other Grizzlies news, our own Chris Herrington weighs in on the unique puzzle piece — one that’s part Tyus Jones and part Dillon Brooks — that new guard Marcus Smart could fill on the Grizzlies roster.

Memphis Tigers forward Mya Jones brought the ball up the pitch during the Oct. 19 game against UAB. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

Squad goals: The Memphis Tigers women’s soccer team clinched the AAC’s West Division with two games left in the regular season, thanks to Thursday night’s win over UAB. Freshman forward Anna Hauer collected a pass from fifth-year forward Mya Jones in the fifth minute of the game, giving the No. 10 Tigers their first goal in what ended up being a 4-0 win over the Blazers. In other Tigers football news (the American kind), fans are still reeling from the loss to Tulane last Friday. The Daily Memphian’s Frank Bonner II and John Martin discuss what that loss means — if anything — for the Tigers’ final six games of the season.

The Trooper breakfast sandwich at Momma’s (Joshua Carlucci/Special to The Daily Memphian)

Like momma used to make: The no-frills breakfast at Momma’s trucker-themed dive bar is heavy on the carbs and grease, according to food writer Joshua Carlucci. But that’s not a bad thing. Carlucci stopped in to try two dishes: The Trooper breakfast sandwich was “not one bit dry” despite not having any sauce (the sauce is the grease, right?), and the biscuits and gravy (only $5!) featured buttery biscuits and thick gravy. Of course, coffee is a must with this kind of meal, and Momma’s has a bottomless cup for just $2.50.

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

Jada Pinkett Smith will be signing copies of her new tell-all (and I do mean, all) memoir, “Worthy,” at Novel this Sunday. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard that her book reveals she and husband Will Smith have been separated since 2016, long before the 2022 Oscars slap heard ’round the world. The book also reveals plenty more juicy details about her past. But, Jada, if you left anything out, let us know first, okay?

Enjoy this busy Memphis weekend!

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