Sunsets, insults and glam rock lasers: 7 don't-miss Memphis events in July
July is known for a specific numeral: 4. As in July 4, the Fourth of July, Independence Day.
But even as the fireworks fade and the Fourth recedes, the month keeps popping. So here's another number: 7. Because July is the seventh month of the year. Which is all the excuse we need to present you with this list of Seven Things to Do in Memphis in July (beyond the most-hyped concerts and other major events).
Friday Night Laser Shows
Even as artist Mike McCarthy and his collaborators construct an “Aladdin Sane Weather Vane” statue commemorating David Bowie’s 1973 visit to the Memphis College of Art, the Museum of Science and History has organized (coincidentally) a series of “laser rock” shows celebrating the music of Bowie and his “glam" and "classic" rock contemporaries. Each show is at 7 p.m. in the AutoZone Sharpe Planetarium of the museum at 3050 Central, where far-out laser imagery, related to the specific rock artists, will dance around the planetarium dome while the sound system blasts such tracks as "Space Oddity" and "Bohemian Rhapsody." The July lineup includes: Tom Petty, July 5; David Bowie, July 12; and Queen, July 19. Tickets at $18 each. Visit moshmemphis.com.
The Wolf River
Blues City Kayaks calls this its most popular tour, because "this section of river is great for the beginner wanting to try kayaking" as well as for "the expert just wanting a couple of hours on the water to relax." (Kayaks, paddles, life jackets, and so on will be provided.) Participants will meet at 9 a.m. July 6 at a Walnut Grove access road point, and then be led on a kayaking tour of the "urban" Wolf, the most Memphis of rivers. Registration is required. For more information, visit bluescitykayaks.com and allevents.in/germantown-tn.
Pickleball Pop-Up
Do you like drinking beer? Do you like hitting a hard plastic ball with a paddle? Do those activities pair well together? If your answer is "yes" (or maybe even if it's "no"), you might want to check out the four free-access "Pickleball 901 Pop-Up" courts that will be available for public play on the east side (or "backlot") of the WISEACRE brewery and restaurant at 398 S. B.B. King Blvd. The courts will be open from noon to 8 p.m. July 13 and from noon to 5 p.m. July 14. For more information, visit wiseacrebrew.com or 901pickleball.com.
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'Southern/Modern' at Dixon Gallery & Gardens
The Dixon Gallery & Gardens at 4339 Park offers a double whammy of visual splendor, with lovely flowers, shrubs and trees on its grounds, and beautiful works of art in its galleries. July 14, the Dixon opens a new exhibition titled "Southern/Modern: 1913-1955," which presents more than 100 paintings, prints and drawings to celebrate "progressive visual art in the American South," a theme that has been "conspicuously absent from the narrative of American art history," according to the Dixon. Some of the celebrated local, regional and national artists who will be featured include Thomas Hart Benton, Jacob Lawrence, Elizabeth Catlett, Carroll Cloar and Edward "Ted" Faiers. At 2 p.m. July 14, Jonathan Stuhlman, a senior curator at the Mint Museum in Charlotte, will deliver an explanatory lecture titled "Hidden in Plain Sight: Reconsidering the South's Role in Modern American Art." The exhibit will be at the Dixon through Sept. 29. For more information, visit dixon.org
'You Look Like'
The insult-comedy equivalent of a freestyle rap battle, a Memphis comedy tradition, "You Look Like," returns July 20 to the Hi Tone, 282 N. Cleveland. A guaranteed laugh generator, the "You Look Like" format pits pairs of comics against each other, in rapid-fire competition, to see who can spit the most devastating "you look like..." put-downs. (Examples from past shows include: "You look like John Cusack pretending to be Joan Cusack" and "You look like you have your own parking space at 'The Maury Povich Show.'") For tickets to the 9 p.m. show or more information, visit hitonecafe.com.
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'REVIVAL69: The Concert That Rocked the World'
John Lennon, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, The Doors and Alice Cooper are among the legends who will shake, rattle and roll the Crosstown Theater at 7 p.m. July 25 when Crosstown Arts hosts the Memphis premiere of a new documentary, Ron Chapman's "REVIVAL69: The Concert That Rocked the World," which revisits the 1969 "Toronto Rock 'n Roll Revival," a one-day, 12-hour music festival that united the pioneers of the music with some of their most successful successors. Admission: $5. Visit crosstownarts.org.
Furever Friends
In partnership with Team Memphis Rescue and Support, a nonprofit and all-breed animal rescue agency, the Metal Museum is hosting a pet adoption event, to help once lost, abandoned or neglected dogs find new "forever homes." With food and cocktail trucks present, to offer some refreshment in between dog-petting sessions, the 5-8 p.m. July 25 event provides a good opportunity to enjoy sunset over the Mississippi River on the grounds of the historic museum, which is still located at 374 Metal Museum Drive, as it prepares to relocate to its new home in Overton Park. Visit metalmuseum.org.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Things to do in Memphis: 7 July events you won't want to miss | List
