Soul on the riverfront, a sealed-script play, and the last Farm Park Friday

Hey Memphis 👋 It's Friday. The weekend we mapped out yesterday officially starts tonight — and if Thursday's guide never got its scroll, it's all right here. Today's sky: partly sunny and 91, with a 30% chance a stray storm crashes the party — enough sun to make plans, enough chance to keep the radar handy for the lawn stuff.

☀️ Today in Memphis

White Rabbit Red Rabbit — Woodruff-Fontaine House, Victorian Village, 7:30 PM, $45–$55. A play with no director, no rehearsal, and a script the actor unseals onstage — John Maness takes the gamble tonight, with a different actor for each of the four nights in the mansion's carriage house. Seating is genuinely limited. Details

Farm Park Fridays finale — Bobby Lanier Farm Park, Germantown, 9 AM–1 PM. The countdown ends here: the city's own page says the season runs "May 29 through July 24," so today's produce, makers, live music, and farm animals are the last until spring. Details

Soulin' on the River — River Garden, North Front Street, 6–8 PM, free. Worth repeating from yesterday's guide, because it's still tonight's easiest free plan: the Shell's mobile stage, Angie P. Holmes singing Memphis soul over the Mississippi, and coolers explicitly welcome. Details

Happy Friday at The Grove — GPAC, Germantown, 5–8 PM, free. Josh Threlkeld's Let's JAM turns the audience into the band, this week featuring Jason Sullivan of Memphis Contra, with food trucks on the lawn — "Bring Your Dance," per GPAC. Details

Laser Rock: Taylor Swift — MoSH Planetarium, 7 PM, tickets via MoSH. The planetarium runs the Taylor Swift catalog in lasers across the dome — bring the Swiftie in your life, whatever their age. Details

42 Dugg + Babyface Ray — Minglewood Hall, doors 7, show 8 PM, tickets via Ticketmaster. Detroit rap's 4 The Trenches Tour pulls into Midtown — all ages, standing room, and the venue is cashless. Details

Painting on the Patio Karaoke — Johnnie Mae's Soul Cafe, Soulsville, 5 PM, from about $18. A canvas, a mic, and DJ Stylz on the patio of the East McLemore soul food cafe — dinner and a paint party in one stop. Details

The Memphis Rave — Premiere Palace Ballroom, Edge District, 8 PM–2:30 AM, from about $8 (18+). Dance floor only — no booths, no bottle service, on purpose — with house, bounce, and Jersey club until 2:30 and free glow sticks. Details

Want the whole verified list, updated daily? It lives at heymemphis.co/events.

📰 The Rundown

Two Memphis institutions are up for national honors: The Peabody is a finalist for USA Today's Best Historic Hotel, and its restaurant Chez Philippe for Best Hotel Restaurant. You can cast a vote once a day per category — hotel voting runs through August 3, the restaurant through August 10. (via Action News 5)

Tom Lee pulled 32 people from the Mississippi in 1925 without knowing how to swim, and as of Wednesday his former home at 923 North Mansfield in Klondike carries a historic marker. The Engineers Club built him the house in 1927 as a thank-you; the Klondike Smoky City CDC bought it in 2018 to make sure it survived. (via Action News 5)

Dixie Queen turns 77 this year. Third-generation owner David Raffanti still makes the burgers to order across 18 locations, the Purple Cow shake Elvis loved is still on the menu, and both GloRilla and Young Dolph have name-checked the chain in songs. (via Memphis Flyer)

🍽️ Food & Drink

Shreya's Pizza — new on Park Avenue in Orange Mound: Indian-Italian fusion pizza, where Mumbai Street Pizza and butter-chicken pies share the menu with classic pepperoni. Daily 11 to 9, dine-in or order online. Menu

🎟️ Looking Ahead

The Orpheum double on-sale is today — as promised: Singalong Broadway (October 11) and Mannheim Steamroller's Christmas show (December 26) both go on sale today, with Singalong seats listed from about $59. Details

Zoo Brew is back August 14 — the 21+ after-hours night returns with local breweries, live music, and keeper chats, 7 to 10 PM. Tickets are on sale now; note the zoo closes at 2 that day. Details

Alabama has a new date — Live at the Garden's Alabama show moved to September 3, so check your tickets if you were holding the original night. Kool & the Gang with Patti LaBelle closes the season September 18. Details

🏡 Community Corner

Wednesday we asked which Memphis patio you've been waiting all month to get back to, and we're running that roundup Monday — so consider this last call. Hit reply with yours and we'll work it in. And if the weekend hands you something the whole city should know about — a pop-up, an estate-sale score, a band — no gatekeeping — send it to hey@heymemphis.co.

That's it for this week — the planning's done, the fun part's yours. See you Monday at 6.

— Josh