Indie Memphis previews its festival, the blues battle finals at Hernando's, and Underland at Rhodes

Hey Memphis 👋 It's Wednesday, the last day of September, and nobody told the weather: mostly sunny and 93 this afternoon, 72 tonight, no rain. Good news for everything below, since most of it starts after five.

Indie Memphis Film Festival Preview Party — Metal Museum, 1930 Poplar Ave., 6–9 PM, $10 in advance, free for members. This year's festival lineup gets its reveal, trailers and all, at 7:15, inside the Metal Museum's new Overton Park home. Drinks are on the house until the reveal (21+), then it's a cash bar. The festival itself runs Nov. 5–8. Details

Battle of the Blues Challenge, final night — Hernando's Hide-A-Way, the South Memphis juke joint at 3210 Old Hernando Rd., 6:30–10 PM, free, no cover. Round two of the Memphis Blues Society's contest, which picks the local act it sends to the International Blues Challenge. Stick around after: the late-night open jam starts at 10, also no cover. Details

Underland, with Robert Macfarlane — Blount Auditorium, Buckman Hall, Rhodes College, 7 PM, free, register ahead (seating is limited). The author of Underland introduces the documentary made from his book about the world beneath our feet, then stays to talk about it. His lecture Thursday is already fully registered, so tonight is the easier way in. Details

Laugh Box: Jae Henderson & AC — Hattiloo Culture Box, 37 Cooper St., doors 6:30, show 7, $12 in advance, $15 at the door. Jae Henderson, a former writer for the Tom Joyner Morning Show, headlines Hattiloo's small-room comedy night, and these shows often sell out. Details

Alley Dayz: Edge District — Hard Times Deli, 655 Marshall Ave., 5:30–7:30 PM, free. The Downtown Memphis Commission's third alley party of the year brings MAK RO live, a DJ set from DJ Nate P, local vendors, and a keychain giveaway from Slowdown Dry Goods. Details

For the Record: A Seat at the Table, 10 Years Later — No. 2 Vance, 325 Wagner Place, 6:30–9:30 PM, $15. A new album club starts with Solange's record a decade after it came out, with conversation, music, food and art installations built around it. Details

Munch and Learn: Memphis as Nepantla — Dixon Gallery & Gardens, 4339 Park Ave., noon–1 PM, free. Memphis artist Arely Herrera, with roots in Zacatecas, talks about migration, identity and making a world through art. Bring a lunch or pre-order from the café. Details

Read and Watch Book Club — Arlington Senior Center, 6265 Chester St., Arlington, 12:30–3 PM, free. September's book is Three Bags Full, a mystery solved by sheep, and the group watches the movie version, The Great Sheep Detective, together. Details

👶 With the kids

Fall Tram Tours — Memphis Botanic Garden, 750 Cherry Rd., 10 AM–2 PM, free with Garden admission ($12 adults, $7 kids 2 to 12, under 2 free). A tram loops the Garden about every 25 minutes, first come, first served, with no sign-up. Details

LEGO Club — Officer Geoffrey Redd Library, 5094 Poplar Ave., 3:30–4:30 PM, free, kids up to 12. An after-school hour of free-build LEGO. Details

Color Creations — Germantown Community Library, 5–6 PM, free, ages 7 to 10, registration required. Kids try new painting techniques, including a few projects that glow in the dark. Details

If you had tickets for last night's Indigo Girls and Linda Perry show at the Shell, it moved to Monday, Nov. 2, after illness in the band. Your tickets carry over, and refunds are available through Ticketmaster. (via Action News 5)

Christian Brothers University is heading back to the NAIA. The school joins the Mid-South Conference in 2027-28 after 30 seasons in NCAA Division II, and it plans to add wrestling, women's flag football and STUNT. (via Local Memphis)

The historic Porter-Leath House, the former orphanage at 850 N. Manassas St., is set for a major renovation that will turn it into housing for veterans. (via The Commercial Appeal)

University of Memphis researchers are drilling about 400 feet under Meeman-Shelby Forest to learn how underground faults affect groundwater, including the Memphis aquifer that fills your glass. (via FOX13)

Oyster Night at Mortimer's — Wednesdays and Saturdays from 4 PM, $15 a dozen on the half shell, two-dozen limit per person. A long-running Mortimer's tradition, back this year, and a midweek reason to sit at the bar. Details

Start a new career in as little as four weeks: Career Academy trains CNAs in Memphis with day and evening classes, a new one every month, $1,350 all-inclusive, so apply online today.

If your child could use speech, occupational or physical therapy, request an evaluation from Midsouth Therapy Group and the Cordova team will walk you through next steps.

Fall is coming eventually: Cordova Heating & Air services furnaces and heat pumps from Collierville to Southaven, so get your furnace maintenance on the calendar.

Bartlett's Worthington Chiropractic has a $49 new-patient special that includes your first adjustment, so book it and mention the special.

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Mid-South Fair — Landers Center, 4560 Venture Dr., Southaven, Thursday, Oct. 1, through Sunday, Oct. 11. Today is the last day for advance tickets: $10 for adults, $5 for kids 5 to 12 and seniors. Tomorrow it goes to $13 online or $15 at the gate, though opening night is free from 4 PM to close. Details

Buddy Guy — Graceland Soundstage, Thursday, Oct. 29, 7:30 PM, reserved seats $75.25–$169.50 with fees. Blues guitarist Buddy Guy plays the Soundstage, and the ticket also gets you into Elvis Presley's Memphis free from 3 to 6 that afternoon. Details

Memphis Jazz Festival — Main Street and Downtown Memphis, Friday, Oct. 9, through Sunday, Oct. 11, free with registration. The Downtown Memphis Commission's first jazz festival opens Friday night at the Westin Beale Street, and the local lineup includes Hope Clayburn & The Memphis Manes and the Kenny Reed Quintet. Details

The best-breakfast question is still open: where in Memphis makes the best breakfast, and what do you order there? Hit reply by Thursday night, and the best answers run Friday.

The tip line never closes — a pop-up, a band, a class nobody advertises. No gatekeeping — send it to hey@heymemphis.co.

That's it for today — see you tomorrow at 6.

— Josh