Random assortment of news......

I always get interesting things sent to me by various people in the community about things they'd like to share with more people but I rarely have the time anymore to assemble it into a blog post. So I thought that today I'd just do a huge random info post with all of those press releases/news blurbs/etc. that I got in the email this week.....

The Stax Museum/Stax Music Academy will host a Spring Concert to honor it's College bound seniors. The concert will feature Jazz pianist Cyrus Chestnut, saxophonist Kirk Whalum, both of whom will be accompanied by the student musicians themselves. The concert will actually take place at the GPAC (Germantown Performing Arts Center), so those of you who would like to go but normally wouldn't make the trip to the museum will have the opportunity!

Tickets are $10 each (reserved seating) and are on sale in the Satellite Records Gift Shop at the Stax Museum at 926 E. McLemore Avenue. Gift Shop hours are Monday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sunday, 1-5 p.m. All proceeds from the concert go directly back into programming at the Academy.

These are students that might normally never make it to college without the help of the Stax Music Academy and the chance it gave them to get out of their poverty stricken areas, so come out and support both the students and the organization itself. It's a big accomplishment and one that the city should be proud and supportive of.

Mata is doing its part this Summer to help make our city a little more "green". MATA will offer 25 cent rides on the MATAplus buses and trolleys on Code Orange Days in the month of May. The air quality is a big concern in Shelby County, especially as we gear up for hotter months. A code orange alert means the amount of ground-level ozone in our air has reached unhealthy levels. I get emails from MATA when we have a code orange day and I'll try to pass the info along via this blog to let you know when you can take advantage of some public transit (a rarity here in Memphis)

The Kroc Center, the Salvation Army's new project at the Fairgrounds site, now has a facebook Q&A page. It's got some answers to a lot of the questions going around about this project and it clears up some of the misinformation that we've seen in the press lately. Go HERE to check it out and stay up to date.

One of the hidden gems of the city is the National Ornamental Metal Musuem. One of the even more hidden aspects is the gift shop inside that museum. I go to this place during the holidays and always find some great, unique gifts and now they have a website so everyone can check it out. I hate seeing personal secret finds go public but I love to see places I support doing more business, so it's a catch 22 I suppose. Either way you can go HERE to check it out.

The Eclectic Eye on Cooper will announce the first winner of their “What’s with those Glasses?” online contest on Thursday, May 7 at a “red carpet-worthy” event. Refreshments will be served, and Kristi Bauer’s art exhibit “From My Patio to the Pacific Rim” will be on display. You can still vote on their website for your pick for the person most in need of a glasses makeover.

And finally, the Orpheum may be located downtown but that doesnt mean midtown can't support it! It's only like a 5 minute drive! They have a new blog started up to help people stay up to date and current so take a look at it and make sure you also check our their new Summer movie series. This years selection of movies seems much more abundant than previous years and there are the usual chick flicks selections too, for you ladies reading this.