Memphis Branch NAACP will host its Centennial Freedom Fund Luncheon on Saturday, June 24, at 11:30 a.m. at the Memphis Hilton, 939 Ridge Lake Blvd. Wake Forest University professor Melissa Harris-Perry and former U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr. are the guest speakers at the luncheon, themed “Reflecting on the Past, Remaining Focused on the Future: 100 Years of Civil Rights and Human Rights Advocacy.” Tickets start at $100. Visit naacpmemphis.org for details.

2. Events - Friday, June 23, 2017

The Live at the Garden summer concert series kicks off with Little Big Town on Friday, June 23, at 8:30 p.m. (gates at 6:30 p.m.) at Memphis Botanic Garden, 750 Cherry Road. Tickets start at $40 and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com. Visit liveatthegarden.com or call 901-636-4107 for details and a series schedule.

3. Last Word: Deeper on Beale, End of Session and Johnny Mathis - Thursday, May 11, 2017

Beale Street keeps its cover charge on Saturday nights during its Memphis In May peak. But the district has some complex questions to resolve about its future and who controls that future. If that wasn’t evident before, it became apparent at City Hall Tuesday. It wasn’t the council action on the Beale Street Bucks program that was significant as much as it was the council’s discussion.

4. Legend Johnny Mathis Still Going Strong, Coming to Memphis - Thursday, May 11, 2017

As the story goes, Johnny Mathis was 8 years old and living on Post Street in San Francisco when his father purchased a piano for $25 and brought it home. But there was a problem: Clem Mathis couldn’t fit the piano through the front door of their small flat.

5. Mariota’s Toughness an Edge as Colts Come Calling - Saturday, September 26, 2015

Two games in, it is still a bit too early to declare Marcus Mariota the franchise savior for the Tennessee Titans.

But one thing that stood out is that we may have learned as much or more about Mariota’s makeup in last Sunday’s loss to the Cleveland Browns than we did in his week one shellacking of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

6. Downtown Knoxville Tourism Finally Finds its Stride - Saturday, October 4, 2014

When Kim Trent moved to Knoxville in 1990, she could stand along Gay Street on a Sunday and be the only soul in sight. Today, she’s a face in the crowd.

7. Events - Saturday, December 21, 2013

Playhouse on the Square will host a Four Seasons Cocktail Series happy hour Saturday, Dec. 21, from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Playhouse, 66 S. Cooper St. The event will include guided tours of the theater, including areas off limits to the public. Cost is free; donations benefit Memphis Youth Symphony Orchestra. Visit playhouseonthesquare.org.

8. Events - Friday, December 20, 2013

The Orpheum Theatre will hold its Holiday Open House Friday, Dec. 20, at the theater, 203 S. Main St. Doors open at 10 a.m., and highlights include a concert on the Mighty Wurlitzer organ at noon, a screening of “Miracle on 34th Street” at 2 p.m. and a presentation by “Memphis Movie Theatres” author Vincent Astor at 4:30 p.m. Visit orpheum-memphis.com for a complete schedule.

9. We All Have a Right to Rights - Friday, October 5, 2012

BENDING EVERYBODY STRAIGHT. I know a guy who’s into shoes. And into colors, theater and rearranging furniture. He majored in art, and can spend hours hanging one piece in the only two square feet of wall space he has left– robin’s egg blue and Chinese red walls, I might add. He wrote and directed musical satire in college. Johnny Mathis is all over his iPhone, iPad and iPod along with Judy Collins singing “Danny Boy” and way too many original Broadway casts singing their showstoppers, all of which he incessantly hums. He makes tomato aspic. He wears a lot of purple and pink, liberally sprinkles words like fabulous and spectacular in general conversation, has a couple of precious matching dogs, and has the legs for cross dressing. He’s a lifelong Memphian, but he doesn’t hunt or fish.