Strike up the band! It’s Festival time on South Main and Saturday, April 24th marks the date. The 5th Annual South Main Arts Festival, held from noon to 7 p.m., promises something for everyone.

Art lovers will delight in the exhibitions at the many South Main art galleries as well as the photographic display at the Farrington and Richard Fero’s photo exhibit, “Journey to Egypt”. The Powerhouse will sponsor an Art Wall painting project and exhibits featuring works by senior artists from the Memphis College of Art and students from the White Station High School art department will be featured in some of South Main’s most interesting historic buildings.

If shopping is your thing, plan on visiting the area galleries and shops as they spill out onto the sidewalks with all sorts of goodies for sale. Gestures will provide sidewalk floral design demonstrations and women’s apparel shop, MUSE, plans a sidewalk sale. You’ll want to stop by the South Main Association’s booth to pick up posters, t-shirts, dog tags and other Festival souvenirs.

The AutoZone music stage at the Civil Right Museum Plaza will be hopping all afternoon with the likes of The Charlie Woods Trio, The Memphis Soul Express, Kevin Davidson & the Voices and Billy Gibson and others. That’s not all. You can have a massage while you listen to jazz solo artist, Kelley Hurt perform selections from her debut CD, Raindance, in front of The Nile or walk a few steps to The Arcade to hear the band, Blue Silence. You’ll enjoy the many street performers and musicians roaming the South Main district throughout the day and into the evening.

Kids will love the fire engines and antique fire truck parked outside the Butler Street fire station. They can have their faces painted while listening to a storyteller and get their names written in hieroglyphics all for free! The Redbird’s Rocky will be on hand too.

And if all this excitement makes you hungry you’ll find barbeque (it’s Memphis after all), Gyros and lots more. Thirst quenchers include beer, soft drinks, and Southern Comfort’s famous daiquiris.

Grab your friends and come to the Arts Festival on April 24th to enjoy the entertainment and eats, browse the galleries and shops and experience the magic of South Main.

COME ON DOWN - Sara Ortego

Spring in Memphis is the perfect time to take a stroll down historic South Main to see friends and neighbors. I am Sara Ortego your Resident Representative for the South Main Association. Now more than ever residents are a vital part of the South Main Community. We are increasing in numbers daily and not just calling the arts district a cultural destination but also home. I encourage you to get involved in your community in the upcoming year because you are South Main. I promise to do my best to keep you involved and informed about events and happenings in and around our neighborhood. This is a new and exciting year but I can’t do it alone. I need your help in letting me know what’s going on around you.

The new “in thing” for the upcoming year is our roaming parties. The first of which is April, 8 at Tim Pierce’s place, Thames Arts & Interiors, located at 508 S. Main St. at 6:30 p.m. Come and see what it’s all about. Also, come out to the bi-monthly membership socials to show new and potential members what strong and vibrant residents we have, not to mention a have a great time. May is the next social with a 50’s theme so throw on you’re rolled up jeans and come to dance and drink.

In case you missed it the kick-off party at the Powerhouse in February was the first success. With food from The Blue Monkey and Felicia’s Susanne and the wine provided by the corkscrew it was a night to remember. I am always here to listen to comments and suggestion or just to talk, my e-mail is svo112000@att.net. By choosing to live downtown you are an ambassador for the revitalization of this amazing community. Some of you I know and some I can’t wait to meet. So come out to see and be seen and get others involved. This year let’s show everyone what being a resident of South Main is all about.

Debate Develops Over Riverfront Development

After three years of managing the Memphis riverfront for the City, the Riverfront Development Corporation plans to sell/lease most of the four blocks of public, river bluff land between Union Ave. and Adams.

This land, part of what is known as the Public Promenade, has been used by the public for almost 200 years. Many are questioning whether the RDC should have the right to convert the land to private use. It was set aside in 1819 for the use and enjoyment of all the citizens of Memphis for all time.

Debate over the proposal is brewing - a clash between those who question the financial, design, environmental, and public process issues of such development and members of the Riverfront Development Corporation, a quasi-governmental body set up by the Mayor.

The commercial development of these four blocks which is estimated to cost $50-100 million dollars is one phase of an overall RDC development plan for our riverfront. The total plan which is estimated to cost $292-million includes among other projects the construction of a land bridge to Mud Island which will convert the harbor into a lake.

The plan for these four blocks on the Public Promenade proposes two new high rises for the Memphis skyline, a 30-story and a 40-story, as well as other buildings - as Friends for Our Riverfront, the grassroots organization against this plan says, “a new downtown.” Virginia McLean, president of FfOR is quick to say, FfOR is not against development, just against the wrong development in the wrong place. Why not build on some of the vacant land a block or two to the East and restore our park land? It could be one of the great urban parks in America and a vibrant part of the revitalization of downtown. We could have the best of both worlds.”

The RDC plan includes a contiguous walkway along the river side of the bluff, an idea that FfOR applauds, but the use of that walkway is quite different in the two plans. FfOR sees the walkway as a place for bikers and walkers, running through an urban park. The concrete walkway in the RDC plan would offer shops and restaurants as part of the high rise buildings.

Many fear what effect this kind of development will have on the renaissance of downtown and on the burgeoning galleries, restaurants, and shops of South Main. Will commerce just be transferred to the “new downtown” much the same way new malls have left the Mall of Memphis empty?

Many believe there is, at the least, a need to see the financial plans for the development of the “new downtown.” Neither these nor any environmental plans have been presented to the public.

Others question the entire public process aspect of this plan. Does the RDC actually speak for the public? They held three sparsely attended public forums. They accepted comments on a web page. There is much dissatisfaction among those who attended the meetings and made comments. They believe the process was an empty exercise and that their comments were ignored.