Community Blog

Hey all! Have you ever been to the Delta Fair and Music Festival? If not, you’ll have your chance starting tomorrow, September 3rd and lasting until September 12th. It’s the perfect Labor Day weekend activity for you and yours!

You know that the city of Memphis couldn’t let a holiday pass without some sort of music or food festival, lol. The Delta Fair and Music Festival boasts that it’s the Mid-South’s premier family event. Are you in agreement? There are so many contests, events, and vendors at the festival this year, that it’s hard to keep up with them all.  There are two national contests: Pillsbury Pet-Ritz Pie Baking Championship and Fleischmann’s Yeast Bake for the Cure Baking Contest, and these take up the Delta Fair’s culinary area.

Since it’s taking place at the Agricenter International (7777 Walnut Grove, Memphis , 38120), 15 minutes from Dogwood Creek Apartments, agricenter events will be present as well. There will be competitions, family entertainment and educational farm tours. The interactive exhibits and shows include Open and Jr. Livestock competitions, Tn High School and Jr. Rodeo Competitions and an educational farm tour open daily to school groups and fair goers.

If this sounds like something you’d enjoy, it’d be great if you stopped by and told everyone how it was on your return!

photo credit: bucklava

Hip hop heads stand up! Where else can you find an entire weekend dedicated to hip hop than the city that practically invented music? Only in Memphis baby! It’s all going down September 2-5 with the Memphis Hip Hop Expo taking place at the Memphis Cook Convention Center in Downtown Memphis on September 3-4.

Now, there’s more to this Hip Hop expo than just 16 bars and rhythmic beats; there are exhibits and vendors. It’s also a way to learn about community organizations in the city, job opportunities and more. There’s even activities for the kids! Parents are encouraged to bring the kids out to meet and take pictures with the Memphis Grizzlies, Memphis Redbirds and celebrities while enjoying performances by some of the top hip-hop and soulful kid performers along with other great acts.

This weekend you can look forward to music, entertainment, conferences, arts, fashion shows, tattoo ink show, celebrity ball game, liver performances, celebrity guest speakers and so much more! Tickets can be brought at eventbrite.com.

Since this is the first expo, it’s uncertain about what all may take place, but it’s guaranteed to be entertaining!

photo credit: Wikipedia

Have you ever wanted to ride a bike under the stars without having to expressly fear for your safety? Why not join a group of other people who love biking and the nighttime just as much as you do? The Midnight Classic Bike tour is the perfect time to bike under the stars and meet so many new people! It takes place this Saturday, August 28 at 10 pm.

The Midnight Classic Bike tour starts at Poplar Plaza Shopping Center. Registration for adults is $35 before noon on August 27, and is $40 on race night. Children 12 and under are $20 either way. So who’s participating? Folks from Mid-Town, the burbs, college students, artists, athletes, professionals, doctors, lawyers, fry cooks, firemen, and families from infants to octogenarians and more! Everyone can participate, and it’s sure to be a blast! There’s even a post-ride festival for participants.

The festival will feature music by the Venus Mission, bike checks, vendors, doors prizes, and more! The ride starts at midnight and ends at 3 am. People will begin to arrive at 10 pm and that’s a great time to socialize and make sure that everything is in order for the ride. The ride will be touring beautiful downtown Memphis with traffic safety protection along the way.

Did I mention that it’s BYOB? That’s bring your own bike. Don’t forget those helmets!

photo credit: ItzaFineDay

Whether you’re into concerts, shows, plays, or musicals, the Orpheum Theater in Memphis has it all! This time, they’re presenting to you the national touring production of The Color Purple for eight nights only, starting today, August 24.

The Broadway version of The Color Purple is based on the classic Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker and the incredible film by Steven Spielberg, which has been a staple in many households for years. The story centers around the unforgettable story of Celie, who finds the strength to triumph over adversity, and discover her unique voice in the world.

The performance dates are:

• Tuesday, August 24th 7:30 PM
• Wednesday, August 25th 7:30 PM
• Thursday, August 26th 7:30 PM
• Friday, August 27th 8:00 PM
• Saturday August 28th 2:00 PM (mat)/ 8:00 PM (eve)
• Sunday, August 29th 1:30 PM (mat)/ 7:00 PM (eve)

Tickets are $25-$80 (plus any fees) and are available now at the Orpheum Theatre Box Office, Davis-Kidd Booksellers and Ticketmaster.

The Color Purple has always been one of my favorite films, and it’ll be interesting to see Broadway’s take on this classic film and novel. If you’re into musicals, you should definitely check this one out. Let us know if you go!

What has been your favorite show at the Orpheum?

photo credit: Untitled blue

Have you ever seen newscasts of people who had lost all of their belongings in an apartment fire? What would you do if something like that happened to you? I’m not saying that it’s a high chance that it would, but you know what they say, “better safe than sorry”. For your sake, renters insurance for your apartment would be a very wise investment.

Renters insurance is the easiest way to make the most out of your comfortable Collierville living. It protects your belongings against unforeseen disasters, and gives you a great peace of mind when they occur. If you haven’t thought about renters insurance for your apartment before, now is definitely the time.

If you have wisely invested in renters insurance, you don’t have much to worry about. Many people don’t take advantage of renters insurance because of a common myth: the cost. Renters insurance is surprisingly inexpensive. For a small fee a month, normally between $10 and $20, you can save thousands of dollars in case you have to replace your belongings. In all honesty, I’d much rather pay about $10 a month than to pay over $200 to replace a lost television or over $500 for a new laptop.

Renters insurance also covers liability for anything you’re found negligent to have caused an accident or a fire. Basic renters insurance may run you as little as $100 a year. In my opinion, that’s a small price to pay for piece of mind and the reassurance of securing your precious belongings. This video shows what happens when people choose not to invest.

How do you get renters insurance? National insurance sites like State Farm and All State all carry policies. You can also visit the Dogwood Creek Apartments leasing office, and they’ll be happy to get you on your way to a higher piece of mind in no time.

Hey Dogwood Creek! What’s better on a hot summer day than a nice, cool gelato? What about Bravo Gelato? Starting last Saturday, the gelato will now be on the dessert menus of Sweet Grass, Interim, Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen, and Restaurant Iris.

Now, Memphians have a change to get a taste of what Nashville has been raving about for a while. Bravo Gelato brings the flavors of true Italian gelato to Memphis. While it’s not organic, it does contain all-natural ingredients. Bravo Gelato makes a single batch at a time and offer around 180 flavors. They also do a lot of alcohol-based gelatos (which should be an interesting taste).

There are a couple using the Nashville-based beer Yazoo, as well as gelatos using Jack Daniels. There are traditional Southern flavors, too, like apple pie and pecan pie. There’s even a S’mores gelato. So you can see that whatever your taste is, there’s  gelato for that.

The great thing about Bravo Gelato is that they even make requests. There was a chef that ordered roasted parsnips gelato, and Bravo delivered. Parsnips aren’t really my thing, but it’s impressive that Bravo can make a gelato into almost any flavor.

Right now, the gelato is on the menu at the afore mentioned restaurants, and there are talks of them becoming available in grocery stores and maybe even they’re own restaurant. Only time will tell.

Have you ever had gelato?

photo credit: Wikipedia

It seems Memphis is the new Hollywood. There’s another movie that was shot primarily in Memphis (and the mid-south) with a primarily local cast and crew that has been circulating around the indy film industry: “Savage County“.

This horror flick is striving to be aired on MTV2, but it needs help from fans. In a campaign being managed by Eventful.com, fans are asked to visit eventful.com/competitions and “demand” to see “Savage County” on MTV. Eventful.com was the same company that helped that helped “Paranormal Activity” do as well as it did. If they can use this same magic on “Savage County“, then this film will really go places.

The Memphis-made film is the violent Tobe Hooperesque tale of a  group of Texas teenagers stalked by a family of vengeful rustics after a bloody prank-gone-wrong. From seeing the trailer, it looks to be a pretty well shot and scripted movie, it’s especially impressive that the movie was shot with a $250,000 budget.

So, watch the trailer, and if it’s something that you think you’d be interesting in watching, make sure that you demand it at eventful.com/competitions. I already have . The goal is 100 K and they’re already at 22 K, so get to demanding!

What did you think of the trailer?

photo credit: Wikipedia

Well, it’s about that time again: screaming fans, grills firing up, and orange, white, and blue filling the streets. It’s time for football at the University of Memphis. And Dogwood Creek, here’s hoping that this will be a season to remember, especially since this is the dawn of a new era. The Larry Porter era.

Preseason practice is sure to be demanding as the Tigers strive to beat a 10 game losing streak and make a good start against Mississippi State on September 4th. But, things should look pretty good with Larry Porter leading the pack. He’s been handling the reigns of the Tigers team since November, which gave him a good amount of time to put together a good recruiting class, and also gave him enough time to put together a gruelling spring practice. Many times, a grueling practice is what is needed to make a team phenomenal.

I actually think the Tigers will do well under Porter; he brings with him a love of Tigers football, seeing as he is a former running back for the team. He has a lot of pressure on him however, with trying to beat the team’s 10 game losing streak; no coach has done this since Rey Dempsey led the U of M over Arkansas State, 17-2, in 1984. Here’s hoping that history will repeat itself this season.

How do you think the Tigers will do this season?

Hey Dogwood Creek! Get ready to see some amazing local talent this Saturday, August 7th at 7 pm at the Orpheum Theater in Memphis at the 8th Annual Orpheum Star Search.

What is the Orpheum Star Search? It’s a yearly event that showcases young musical  talent from across the Tri-State area. It’s like our very own American Idol! From the string of auditions this summer that saw over 200 contestants, twelve finalists between the ages of 15 and 21 were chosen.

These twelve finalists will get a once in a lifetime chance to perform onstage at the Orpheum, backed by professional musicians. All of the finalists are awarded $500 Savings Bonds and the Grand Prize winner receives a $3000 Savings Bond, and the opportunity to perform onstage at the Jefferson Awards for Public Service in Washington, DC.

Tickets range from $10-$35 and are on sale now at the Orpheum Box Office, Davis-Kidd Booksellers and all Ticketmaster locations.

Hope to see you there! These are definitely stars in the making.

Hey Dogwood Creek! Are you ready to hoop around? No, I’m not talking about basketball; I’m talking hula hoops. Yes, you read right, hula hoops. You know the plastic circles of fun that you used to play with back in elementary school and beyond? Well, now they’re being used for more than fun; they’re being used for exercise, and Nadia Sophia from the French Riviera Spa in Memphis is there to guide you through it!

Instructor Nadia Sophia, who is also a fire performer with Memphis’ Fire Tribe, brings the joy of “hooping” and its added benefits of weight loss to others. Never learned how to hula hoop? Nadia will be sure to teach you and get your hips shimmying in no time. Maybe these instructions will help:

“Put one foot in front of the other, bend your knees and move pressure from one foot to the other, holding the hoop on a straight plane,” she said. “The minute it starts swirling, shift your weight. If it starts to fall, bend your knees and push harder. If it drops, pick it up and try again.”

~Nadia Sophia, courtesy of Commerical Appeal.

When it comes to the hula hoop workout, most women boast that they don’t even know that they’re working out; they’re having that much fun. Isn’t that essentially what you want; a workout that you enjoy going to? This definitely sounds fun, and a great way to shed some pounds from your mid-section. I know I’m trying it out. Are you?

The classes meet at 9 am on Thursday mornings.

photo credit: MiiiSH

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