Hey, Memphis! Fall is definitely in the air now, as the slate of festivals and fun outdoor activities continue to roll on in the Bluff City. The Memphis Grizzlies open their 2017-2018 season at FedExForum against Tony Allen’s new team and don’t be surprised if you start seeing some ghosts and goblins by this weekend.

The National Civil Rights Museum Freedom Awards are presented Thursday at two events – a morning forum for local students at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church and then an evening gala at the Orpheum Theatre with a red carpet reception at the Halloran Centre.
The recipients are Rev. Bernice King, daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; Southern Poverty Law Center founder and attorney Morris Dees; and South African musician Hugh Masekela. Maskela’s son will be attending for his father to accept the honor. The gala will also honor the Memphis sanitation workers whose historic strike in 1968 is the focus of much planning at the moment for next year’s 50th anniversary of the strike that brought King to Memphis.

The annual Soulsville USA Festival is underway Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on McLemore at College, one of the most famous intersections in Memphis music history. Three stages of live entertainment and arts tents with demonstration, kids’ games and face painting as well as an interactive dance stage and free admission to the Stax Museum of American Soul Music.
This year the festival is not only honoring the 60th anniversary of the founding of Stax, it is also honoring the 60th anniversary of its South Memphis neighbor, Royal Studios.

Monday is Moral Monday – the first of three Moral Monday gatherings that are being organized by the National Civil Rights Museum and a coalition of local religious leaders. The “table talk” at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church starting at 6:15 p.m. features a speech by Rev. William Barber II, pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church in Goldsboro, North Carolina, who started the Moral Mondays movement there several years ago.

Shelby County Commissioners meet Monday at 3 p.m. and on the agenda are pay raises for themselves and 16 other county elected officials that start after voter decide the 2018 county elections.

Monday at noon is also the deadline for those applying to fill the Shelby County Criminal Court vacancy that will be created when Judge James Beasley Jr. retires at the end of the year. The state commission that makes recommendations to the governor on such vacancies is taking applications and will interview those who make Monday's noon deadline, then recommend three finalists to Gov. Bill Haslam.

(Archer Malmo)

The Memphis City Council meets Tuesday at City Hall at 3:30 p.m. after a morning and early afternoon of committee sessions also at City Hall.

Saturday marks the formal opening of the new Wolf River Greenway park on the north end of Mud Island. It is called Confluence Park for now – look for a name change down the road. This park is where the Wolf River meets the Mississippi River, and it is the westernmost segment of the greenway that follows alongside the Wolf River across Shelby County. The festivities from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. include hip-hop yoga and food trucks, and of course lots of checking out the trail in a park literally hacked out of decades' worth of overgrowth.

Ghost River Brewing Co. at 827 S. Main is hosting a Dock Party with local musicians every Friday through the end of this month. This week it's Crockett Hall and The Infidelles. Ghost River’s shipping dock is being turned into a large music stage for each event. Gourmade food truck will also be on hand this Friday. Doors open at 8 p.m., and there’s a $5 cover.

Standup comedian and former Saturday Night Live writer John Mulaney will be in Memphis this week for a show at the Orpheum. His sold-out show is Tuesday from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. He most recently starred in the Broadway hit "Oh, Hello on Broadway” alongside Nick Kroll. In 2015, Mulaney released his third hourlong standup special, a Netflix Original titled “The Comeback Kid,” which the AV Club called “his best hour of his career.”

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Also this week, from Friday through Sunday, is Le Bonheur Zoo Boo 2017. Held from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. each day, the event features a frightening array of 25 fun activities for all ages, including hayride, crafts, magic shows, a straw maze, camel rides, kiddie rides and much more. In addition to title sponsor Le Bonheur, Fred’s Pharmacy is presenting sponsor. Advance tickets are $10 for members and $13 for nonmembers; tickets at the gate are $12 for members and $15 for nonmembers. Zoo Boo continues Oct. 27-31. Go to memphiszoo.org/zooboo for more.

The Memphis Grizzlies begin their quest for an eighth straight trip to the playoffs when they open the 2017-18 NBA season at 7 p.m. Wednesday vs. the New Orleans Pelicans at FedExForum. Old friend Tony Allen returns with the Pelicans and the Grizzlies already have said his No. 9 will one day hang from the rafters. On Saturday night, the competition jumps up a few notches as the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors make their only regular-season visit. That game also tips at 7 p.m. For tickets, check out nba.com/grizzlies.

The Big River Crossing Half Marathon & 5K will be run this Saturday and is the first race to make the interstate trek across the Mississippi River's longest public pedestrian bridge. There will be inspiring views and funding for Peer Power. Event runs from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., Tom Lee Park, more details at https://runsignup.com/Race/TN/Memphis/BigRiverCrossing.

Team USA didn’t qualify for the World Cup, but you can still catch the University of Memphis men’s soccer team in action. Two games this week: Wednesday at 7 p.m. vs. UCA at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex and Saturday at 1 p.m. vs. USF at the Billy J. Murphy Track & Soccer Complex.

The Pinta and the Nina, replicas of Christopher Columbus' ships, sail into Beale Street Landing this week, where they'll be docked from Thursday to Monday morning. The pair of ships serve as a "sailing museum" dedicated to the caravel, a Portuguese ship used by Columbus and many early explorers to discover the world. The Pinta and Nina will be open for self-guided tours from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. Visit ninapinta.org for ticket details and other information.

The Daily News staff compiles The Week Ahead for you, our readers, every week. You'll receive it as part of our Monday online edition. Email associate editor Kate Simone at ksimone@memphisdailynews.com if you have items for consideration.