VOL. 131 | NO. 12 | Monday, January 18, 2016
The Week Ahead: Jan. 18, 2016
Daily News staff
How was your weekend Memphis? Here are some local events to keep on your radar this week, from a full slate of MLK activities to a David Bowie tribute to a Marco Rubio fundraiser…

The Memphis Grizzlies play their annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day game at 1:30 p.m. on Monday against the New Orleans Pelicans. This year’s honorees of the 11th annual National Civil Rights Museum Sports Legacy Awards are former NBA players Spencer Haywood and Jalen Rose and the WNBA’s Tamika Catchings. They will participate in a symposium presented by the Hyde Family Foundations. That event begins at noon in the Grizzlies Built Ford Tough Training Facility off the Grand Lobby at FedExForum. This event is free but does require a ticket to the game and space is limited.
The Monday holiday will be marked with a Memphis Clean by 2019 citywide clean up. The morning and afternoon cleanup sessions are at various locations throughout the city (visit cleanmemphis.org for a full list). The events are sponsored by Clean Memphis and Leadership Memphis as part of a Greater Memphis Chamber Chairman’s Circle initiative. The day of activity begins with a kick-off at Soulsville Charter School at 8:15 a.m.
The National Civil Rights Museum will have a full day Monday of special activities exploring the legacy of King and the civil rights movement. The museum will also hold its annual Mid-South Food Bank Drive and Lifeblood Drive.
And for those feeling politically motivated on MLK Day, a “march for racial and economic justice” is planned from 444 N. Main, across from the MATA North End terminal to the National Civil Rights Museum. Representatives from Memphis' recent rallying points, like Black Lives Matter, the Fight for 15 campaign for $15 minimum wage and the Memphis Bus Riders Union, are expected to attend. Organized by the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center, the march will be from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

At week’s end comes a remembrance of one of rock’s brightest lights, a legend known for his flamboyance, his personas like that of Ziggy Stardust and his sublime music. To pay homage to David Bowie, who died Jan. 10, a cast of Memphis musicians will perform a tribute concert – Memphis Does Bowie – at Minglewood Hall Saturday to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Doors open at 5 p.m. The show kicks off at 6, and tickets are $15.
Per Minglewood, the bands include:
• Another Green World
• Chris Johnson/Landon Moore
• Crockett Hall
• Graham Burks Presents: Infinity Stairs
• Graham Winchester Band Feat. Jesse Davis, Michael Jasud, and Friends
• The Incredible Hook
• Jack O and the Tennessee Tearjerkers (original lineup w/ guests)
• Lorette Velvette
• The Sheiks & Staniel Brown
• The Subtractions
• Super Witch
• Zigadoo Moneyclips
• A finale set will feature Clay Otis, Luke White, Toby Vest, Graham Winchester, Logan Hanna, Dirk Kitterlin and Greg Faison.
All they ask is that you “sit right down, waiting for the gift of sound and vision.”
Memphis City Council members meet Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. at City Hall. The agenda includes more items delayed from the old council’s tenure in 2015 mixed with newer items to be discussed earlier in the day during committee sessions. Those include buying a vintage trolley and tax increment financing zones for economic development.
The Shelby County Election Commission meets Tuesday afternoon as well. It’s in the process of hiring a new election administrator to succeed Richard Holden, who announced his resignation late last year. Several dozen people had applied for the position and a group – including several election commissioners as well as others – began vetting those applicants just last week. They will come up with a shorter list of finalists to recommend to the five-member Election Commission, so don’t expect a decision at Tuesday’s meeting.
The Chickasaw Chapter of the Sierra Club will host a public input forum on Memphis' transportation needs. Input from the session will be submitted to City Hall and the Memphis Metropolitan Planning Organization with the aim of helping the new administration steer the right direction. The meeting is Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library.
Dr. Seth Salley is cutting the ribbon Tuesday at an eye care practice he opened in December. Then Clearview Family Eyecare will hold a grand opening celebration Saturday that includes the opportunity to tour the office, meet Salley and his staff and buy eyewear at discounts.
The practice, at 618 Oakleaf Office Lane, is just a few minutes away from where Dr. Salley lives, which speaks to the desire he shared with The Daily News of wanting “to give back to the community that I live in and love.” After graduating from the Southern College of Optometry, he completed a residency in ocular disease at Southern Eye Associates, a surgery and referral center, in Memphis where he’s continued to work while getting Clearview started.

And Republican presidential contender and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio is in Memphis Tuesday for a private fundraiser. Rubio’s presence is a reminder that although you are hearing a lot about the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary and the polling in advance of both, the March 1 Tennessee presidential primaries are just around the corner.
Early voting in advance of the March 1 election day begins Feb. 10. The deadline to register to vote in the primaries is Feb. 1.
Other tidbits:
• The University of Memphis Tigers have a rare Sunday game at FedExForum when they play East Carolina in an American Athletic Conference contest.
• The Maniacal 4 Trombone Quartet – which plays classical, jazz and pop offerings – will give a free concert at the University of Memphis Harris Concert Hall, 3775 Central Ave., at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.
• Fara Captain of Crye-Leike Realtors is hosting a first-time homebuyer’s workshop Thursday at Pyros in Midtown (2035 Union Ave.). The event is free and starts at 6 p.m., following an offering of free pizza at 5 p.m.