VIDEO ABOVE-Scenes from the Alabama Ukulele Festival
Members of the Memphis Ukulele Flash Mob attended the yearly ukulele festival held in September at the Riverview Campground, on beautiful Lake Guntersville, Alabama.
Cybill Shepherd Honored in Memphis
Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019- Memphis-born Glamour cover girl Cybill Shepherd was honored in her hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. Still a beauty at age 69, Shepherd, has never forgotten her roots. She said she's always wanted to join Elvis Presley, Danny Thomas and the other influential Memphis figures who are immortalized on the sidewalk outside The Peabody hotel on the Duck Walk Hall of Fame. The event was timed to coincide with The Peabody's celebration of its 150th anniversary. The hotel was recently named Best Historic Hotel.
Shepherd, who was wearing rose colored glasses, now lives in Beverly Hills. She said she’d like to be named the “Queen of Memphis.” She spoke about singing in the choir as a child and reflected her days at East High School, remembering the day MLK was shot at the Lorraine Motel in downtown Memphis. She said her opera lessons here taught her to project her voice. She mused over a several memories from her childhood here and her movie career. She also shared that she’d recently became a grandmother.
She became teary eyed as she accepted her honor and kissed Peabody owner Jack Belz, 91, while thanking him. She mingled in the lobby, graciously posing for pictures, dancing to the music while visiting with friends and fans after the ceremony.
Jack Belz, CEO of Belz Enterprises, talked about the plush life for the ducks in their penthouse at the top of the hotel. Belz has been instrumental the resurgence of downtown Memphis. He is best known for bringing back The Peabody, which served as the impetus for the Downtown renaissance which followed. His wife of 71 years missed the celebration and was home after taking a fall.
Guests were served tasty hors d'oeuvres, champaign and pieces of a 500 lb. cake, designed to looked like the Peabody Hotel. The Memphis Symphony played dance music on the balcony overlooking the lobby. The ducked marched onward to their penthouse suite, as always, as the crowd looked on.
Just Because Who Doesn't Love A Baby Pug?
Just Because Who Doesn't Love A Baby Pug?
So, enjoy looking at these adorable pictures of Stanley and Lila.
The Bald Eagle is Back!
A recent report on CBS Sunday Morning about “The Return of the bald eagle” highlights the success of the Endangered Species Act and the benefits to the bald eagle.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nature-up-close-the-return-of-the-bald-eagle-carl-mrozek/
I photographed this Eagle on Whidbey Island in Washington State, earlier in the week that this story ran. It was perched on top of a piece of driftwood alongside the water at dawn, waiting for its prey.
Memphis Summer
High waters on the Mississippi River roll past downtown Memphis on a hot summer night in Memphis, Tennessee.
https://memphismagazine.com/topics/memphis-magazine-august-2019/
See Memphis Magazine City Guide link above for a guide to all things great in Memphis!
James Wiseman Celebration and Pep Rally
East High School in Memphis, Tennessee gave a hero’s parade and pep rally for James “Big Ticket” Wiseman at the school on Saturday, May, 25th, 2019. Wiseman is the #1 high school basketball recruit in the country and he has signed on to play with Coach Penny Hardaway and the Memphis Tigers in the fall. Wiseman is 7-feet tall with a 7-6 wingspan and he was an excellent student while at East High School
Wiseman is a true role model. "He was the only male to make the Principal's List, all A's and good conduct in all classes, every quarter for the past two years." said Dr. Newman C. Robertson, Principal of East High School.
VIDEO BELOW
World Peace One Friendship at a Time
Daryl Davis, African-American musician, actor and author, who is best known for befriending leaders of the Ku Klux Klan, was awarded the Memphis Friendship Foundation's first Friendship Award in at a banquet in Memphis.
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