The ribs are back, the heat breaks, and Newport folk comes to Crosstown

Hey Memphis 👋 It's Wednesday. The heat finally breaks — sunny, 90, a north breeze, and a low near 70 tonight. In late July, that counts as a cold front. One thing before coffee: free Tennessee Tuesday zoo tickets for next week drop at 9 this morning, limit six per reservation (and bring your TN ID when you go). Grab yours.

☀️ Today in Memphis

Newport and the Great Folk Dream — Crosstown Theater, 7 PM, $25. Memphis writer-filmmaker Robert Gordon brings his Newport Folk Festival documentary home fresh from its Venice premiere — Dylan, Baez, and Cash on screen, Jeremy Stanfill live before, and a Q&A with Gordon after. Details

Adult Field Day — Tom Lee Park, noon–10 PM, free. Carnival games, water contests, and actual medals on the riverfront — and every competitor is a grown-up. The first afternoon in a week you can earn one without melting. Details

Munch and Learn: Music in the Parisian Café — Dixon Gallery & Gardens, noon, free. Rhodes historian Jeffrey H. Jackson spends your lunch hour in the cafés of 1900s Paris. Bring your own lunch or pre-order from Park & Cherry — and yes, Dixon admission is still free, for good. Details

Faces In The Frayser Community — Frayser Library, 2 PM, free. Paint a self-portrait and it could end up on a RiverArtsFest banner in October — part of the festival's 20th-anniversary project. All ages, no sign-up. Details

Christmas in July — Cordelia's Market, Harbor Town, 5:30 PM, free. Santa clocks in five months early at the corner market, with free treat samples while he's there. Details

Pilates in the Park — Overton Park Shell, 5:30 PM, free. Ballet Memphis leads the Shell's free wellness hour — same lawn as Monday's yoga, but tonight is the first evening all week that deserves a mat outside. Details

Redbirds vs. Durham Bulls — AutoZone Park, first pitch 7:05 PM, gates at 6. Game two of six against the Bulls, with Memphis band Deep Roots on the pregame soundstage and the midweek value menu still running through Thursday. Details

Comedy Open Mic at Havenhaus — Havenhaus, Broad Avenue, sign-up 7:30 PM, mic at 8, free (21+). Names go in a bucket, comics get five minutes each, and admission costs nothing — so the bombs are free too. Details

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

📰 The Rundown

CodeCrew is getting $1 million from AI company Anthropic to build a national tech-education headquarters at Northside Square in North Memphis — its largest home yet, tripling how many students it can teach at once. The nonprofit has trained more than 16,000 Memphians over its first decade. (via Action News 5)

The Memphis Flyer and Memphis Magazine are joining Noisy Creek, a new national network of independent local publications alongside Seattle's The Stranger and the Chicago Reader. Local owners stay aboard, event listings are set to expand, and the Flyer repeated its promise to never put up a paywall — a stance we understand. (via Memphis Flyer)

Crossing the river this week? The westbound outside lane of the I-40 bridge is closed 6:30 AM–4:30 PM Monday through Thursday for maintenance, now extended through July 30 — that covers both of today's commutes. (via ArDOT)

Muddy's Bake Shop has a new owner: Stacy Hinkle, co-owner of Belltower Coffee, takes over from founder Kat Gordon. Same staff, same menu — the shop is calling it "Muddy's Next Chapter." (via StyleBlueprint)

🍽️ Food & Drink

Cozy Corner — the ribs are back. The North Parkway institution reopens today after its summer break ("We will reopen on July 22nd," per their own site), back on regular hours Tuesday–Saturday, 11 to 8. It's one of the twelve in our Memphis BBQ guide, if you need a refresher on what to order. Menu

🎟️ Looking Ahead

Last call for Farm Park Fridays — Germantown's Bobby Lanier Farm Park market wraps its 2026 season this Friday, 9 AM–1 PM. Produce, makers, food trucks, farm animals — and then it's gone until spring. Details

Luke Bryan — his Word on the Street Tour plays BankPlus Amphitheater in Southaven tomorrow night at 7. Details

An Orpheum double on-sale — Singalong Broadway and Mannheim Steamroller tickets both go on sale Friday. Details

🏡 Community Corner

The heat's finally breaking, so tell us: which Memphis patio have you been waiting all month to get back to? Hit reply — we'll share the favorites. And if you know about something happening in the 901, no gatekeeping — send it to hey@heymemphis.co.

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

— Josh