It seems like just yesterday we were reminiscing on 2018, and it’s already 2019’s turn?? Jinkies! I guess what they say is true; time flies when you’re having fun and as we head into our 20’s, we want to take some time to remember the highs and lows of our final year filled with teenage angst!
First of all, Memphis and Shelby County turned 200 years old, which you think would look like this…
But it’s actually been more like this…
With age, we’ve only gotten more active and we definitely don’t shy away from an opportunity to throw down. Like when we started rallying for ESPN GameDay around 3 AM and kept the party going well after the Tigers took the “W” against SMU.
Or what about the time we packed out the CMPLX to celebrate the opening of The Collective‘s new space and the excellence of local black artists?
And when we ALL pulled up to catch Cardi B at Beale Street Music Festival—her set was a short as her wig that night, but, in true Memphis fashion, we turned all the way up!
Oh, and let it be known that from the moment it was announced that we were getting a local soccer team, those of us who were already following the sport were like…
Those of us who weren’t were like…
And we all came together to form this at every Memphis 901 FC game!
But we can’t say the same about those AAF Football games…
At least we can say we tried ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ We’ve all gotta take a few L’s to come out on top. Like when we had to say goodbye to the last remaining piece of our beloved Grit and Grind era…
*clenches chest*
But that made room for us to say hello to Ja Morant when we scored the #2 (but #1 in our hearts) draft pick!
And we didn’t just score in sports. Thanks to the work of OUTMemphis, we scored the first rainbow crosswalk in the state of Tennessee!
and then they turned around and scored the opportunity to build a housing center for local LGBTQ youth
Loving who you love and being who you are, unapologetically? Yeah, we’d like to see more of that in 2020! You know what else we’d like to see? More episodes of Bluff City Law, because if you stuck around for more than the first few episodes, you know it got good!
but if they’re not filmed in the BLUFF CITY, we don’t want them.
But you know what we do want? More opportunities for local talent to be showcased on a national stage! Like when the students of Stax Music Academy rocked it on Ellen’s Greatest Nights of Giveaways!
And when You Look Like A Comedy Show was featured on Kevin Hart’s Laugh Out Loud Network.
Let’s just say that the world got a message from us this year and it read:
We’re lucky to live in a place where your passions can shine. This year, we’ve seen people’s obsession with desserts, coffee, fancy wines and cheese, and more manifest into first-time festivals for us to enjoy.
And speaking of wine… WE GOT WINE SALES IN GROCERY STORES ON SUNDAYS!
Now we can praise in the morning and pour it up in the evenings…
But amidst all the bottle popping, we’ve gotta squeeze in time to start training for IRONMAN as it’s been announced that Memphis will play host to the half-triathlon in 2020!
We can’t talk about all the awesome happenings that make their way to Memphis without mentioning how the Orpheum Theatre made it so we could be in the room where it happened!
And with all of the new additions headed our way, let’s not forget about the rebirths of ones we’ve held so dear. Black Lodge, Zinnie’s, Fino’s—it’s nice to have you back!
We’ll be the first ones to say that this list is far from complete, because this city exudes too much greatness to sum up in one blog. And before you hit us with a long list of negativity, let it be known that we aren’t blind to our problems—but are hopeful that each year leads to more wins. Like when Forbes, freaking FORBES, named Memphis a Top Destination to Travel in 2020.
They used to give us all the smoke, but now they know we’ve got the sauce. Here we come, 2020. You’re not ready for what Memphis can do.
