Downtown Museum Day

A couple weeks ago, several downtown Memphis museums offered free or reduced price admission on a lovely Saturday. Never ones to pass up a deal, we jumped right in!

First stop: Gibson guitar factory tour. This tour takes you behind the scenes to see the whole process of making a Gibson guitar. It was very informative! Their main headquarters is in Nashville. They also have a factory in Montana for making acoustic guitars. At the Memphis location, they only make electric guitars. And each one is made to order. The factory doesn't even start working on an instrument until an order comes in! Production takes about 3 weeks.

The instruments really are hand made, and it's a pretty low-tech system. They write on the guitars with a grease pencil in the early stages. Then once the instrument starts coming together, they switch over to a piece of  paper taped or rubber-banded to the neck. The process involves a humid environment so the wood is bendable, lots of glue and clamps, a high-tech paint department, and a bunch of ladies using razor blades to scrape out details. At the end, each guitar is played by a professional guitar tester to make sure it sounds right.

No photos were allowed during the tour, but I did manage to snap one in the lobby :)

Next stop was lunch/brunch at Local (Gastropub). I had the french toast croque monsieur. It was pretty good, except the potato hash it came with was like half onions. Also, we were sitting outside and while we ate, a swarm of mosquitos feasted on my ankles. Boo for mosquitos and their itchy bites!

Final stop: Belz Museum of Asian and Judaic Art. Yes, the name is quite a mouthful! It has an interesting and diverse collection, as the name would lead you to believe. There are pieces from modern Jewish artists in one room with really old carved mammoth tusks in the next. I learned about the importance of jade and ivory in ancient China. And the museum is really big - the rooms just kept going and going!

This is Proverbs 31, about a woman of valor

Darn, I forget what this one is. I think it has something to do with David or Daniel. It is a cool chair :)

And here's one from the Asian side - look at that intricate jade work!

It was a good museum day! And I was happy because all of these attractions are located fairly close together, so we could just park in one place and walk. Hooray for urban density!

Delta Fair

It's fair time! On Labor Day we went to the Delta Fair here in town. I can't find online how many years this fair has been around. There used to be a Mid-South fair in Memphis up until 2008, so I'm guessing this event is fairly new. (Ha ha!) I'm also not sure if it's just for Shelby Co., or the surrounding region. My point is, I don't know exactly what to compare it to. It's not as big as the Puyallup or the Oregon State Fair, but both of those are state-wide events. TN has its own state fair in Nashville, which would make sense since it's the capital.

And now, on to the Delta Fair report. It had all the classic fair experiences one would expect. There are tons of rides, midway games, and food vendors. We watched a number of short shows (circus-style performers).

You've gotta have tigers in Memphis, right??

Something I hadn't seen before was the Banana Derby - monkeys riding on dogs!

Food: I got a pronto pup (tasty) and a BBQ pork sandwich (not so tasty). The BBQ truck said it was North Carolina style though the workers' shirts said something about Georgia. I don't know what they did to the meat, but it had this weird sweet-tangy flavor, and no smokiness. Too much vinegar, maybe? Ugh, a BBQ travesty!

Weather: hot, hot, hot! It was in the low 90s. I was melting. I defied the fair's ban on outside drinks by bringing in my own CamelBak so I could at least stay hydrated without paying an arm and a leg. Luckily there was a big air conditioned exhibit hall. We hung out in there a lot! That's where they had displays of quilts, photography, sewing projects, baked goods, artwork, crafts, etc.

This U of M wreath is quintessential Memphis style :)

Origami wreath with some similar flowers to what I made for our wedding decor!

Also inside, we watched some performances for the "Star of the Fair" contest. It's a kids talent show. After the 3rd kid sang "Tomorrow," we decided to seek entertainment elsewhere. We came back later and I said "Let's stay until someone sings 'Tomorrow'." I think we lasted about 3 songs that time :)

There were plenty of outdoor attractions as well. The petting zoo had several photogenic critters. I hadn't seen a tortoise in a petting zoo before!

There was lots to see and do, but to be honest, I was kind of underwhelmed by the offerings. One of the biggest draws was a CrossFit competition. I really don't care to watch a bunch of buff athletes doing burpees and reminding me how out of shape I am! And I missed the various exhibits and displays that come with a state fair. Where was the whole barn full of chickens? (We went out to the livestock area and saw maybe 10-20 cows, and a handful of goats.) Where was the vegetable-produce diorama depicting the state's history?

In conclusion, I recommend the Delta Fair for people who really enjoy carnival rides, and for kids who haven't been to a fair before. But the rest of you can probably skip it without missing out too much.

Music & Heritage Festival

With the busy summer season wrapping up at work, I hope to have more time for blogging now! (And also for having adventures worth blogging about)

Usually on Labor Day weekend, I like to take a little trip somewhere. But this year DF convinced me that we should stay in Memphis to enjoy what our own city has to offer. It did not disappoint!

Saturday dawned gray and rainy, but being indomitable northwesterners, we didn't let the weather stand in our way of enjoying the Memphis Music & Heritage Festival. Sponsored by the Center for Southern Folklore, this festival celebrates the unique artists of the region with live performances on stages around downtown Memphis. It was great fun!

Here is a performer demonstrating an instrument he created - a cardboard box that is played with maracas. He also played the washboard!

Here is Randal Morton playing the banjo behind his head. His claim to fame is winning the National Bluegrass Banjo Championships in 1975. Back in the glory days!

And of course there was plenty of blues. This group is called Devil Train.

In addition to live music, there were also some cooking demonstrations going on, and we got to sample tasty dishes. We snacked our way down Main St. :)

The festival wasn't as crowded as I would have expected, which is probably due to the rain. Hopefully more people came out on Sunday. It seemed like a lot of the attendees were from out of town, at least based on comments I overheard. Perhaps this event is a big tourist draw? Well, I'm glad we checked out this local attraction over the holiday weekend!