"The River Inside" - Photo Journal on the River

See the exhibit and discuss plans for Mud Island River Park with the Sierra Club Sat. (10/3/09). Meet at 2:15 pm at elevator near Front Str. ticket office, walk the top of the tram for great views, and, after exhibit, walk the island. Metered parking is free on weekends; Mud Island Parking lot is $5. Museum admission info. below.

The sand patterns are among the beautiful photographs taken by John Grider as he paddled down the TN, Ohio, and MS rivers in 2004. The exhibit of his work, “The River Inside,” captures the places and people along his journey and embodies the river's splendor and mystery. They will be on display through Oct. 31 at the Mud Island River Park Museum. Admission to the museum is $8/adults; $6/seniors and children (5-17); and free/four and under.

Mud Island River Park – Final public meetings

Looney Ricks Kiss has developed three scenarios for the future of Mud Island River Park (MIRP).

To be presented for public input

Tuesday (9/29), 5:45 - 7:30 pm - Memphis Botanic Gardens (750 Cherry Road)

Thursday (10/1) 5:45 - 7:30 pm - Mud Island River Park, Harbor Landing

Dalai Lama Visits "Our" River

The Mississippi River was the first stop for the 14th Dalai Lama on his trip to Memphis to receive the 2009 International Freedom Award from the National Civil Rights Museum.

From a post on the Dalai Lama's website by Tamara Conniff, for the “Huffington Post,”

The river is Memphis. It's the river that made Memphis one of the largest port towns and brought together music styles upstream and down stream to birth the Blues and the Memphis sound. The river was also an escape route and spelled freedom for many slaves.

On hand to welcome His Holiness were Memphis Mayor Myron Lowery and Shelby County Mayor AC Wharton, Jr....He immediately put the two mayors and onlookers at ease with his smile. After receiving the key to the city and a proclamation making him an official citizen of Memphis for his devotion to civil rights, the Dalai Lama bowed and smiled. In broken English he expressed his belief in "human value" and "human affection," stating that affection and compassion can reach beyond issues of race, economic status, or any other dividers. "Compassions change our perception," he said.


... Before leaving the Mississippi, he bestowed a special blessing on the river with two Tibetan scarves. He smiled and looked at his fellow monks and said, "This is how we bless our rivers in Tibet. This is our river too."

Jim Dickinson: 1941-2009 - A real loss for Memphis & FfOR

Monday(9/21/09), 7 pm, Levitt Shell - Tribute Jim Dickinson Concert; free.

Yes, he recorded at American Studios, Ardent, Sun, and Atlantic Records. Yes, he played with Aretha Franklin, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, and Ry Cooder. Yes, he is the producer who brought out the best in Big Star, The Replacements, and Amy LaVere. Yes, he's the one who played with Mudboy and the Neutrons and led the house band for Thacker Mountain Radio. Yes, he taught and encouraged his own sons (Luther and Cody Dickinson/North Mississippi Allstars, Hill Country Revue, Black Crowes) and many others to play as if their next note might be their last.

But Jim Dickinson's loss is not just to Memphis music, it's a loss to our community in the larger sense and to Friends for Our Riverfront in particular. His role in supporting what's "real" and good about Memphis goes back a long way. Click read more below. Read more »

Birds Travel the Mississippi, Too

It's time to get out your binoculars and cameras. The MS River is a 2,300-mile superhighway for migratory birds, and fall migration has started.

About 40% of all North American migrating waterfowl and shorebirds use the Mississippir River Basin as their route. No mountains or hills block the path, and there are good sources of water, food, and cover along the entire length.

For names and approximate dates when birds can be seen in our area, click HERE.


One to be on the look-out for -- the Nashville Warbler. This specie should have headed south from Memphis by Oct. 3.

Source to Sea

73 days, 3 million paddle strokes, 2,150 miles, from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico – John Pugh and Jessica Robinson on their 2005 Source to Sea expedition raising awareness for the Audubon Society’s Mississippi River Campaign.

Click twice on image to watch.

Flatboat heads out of St. Louis for Memphis

A replica flatboat and canoe headed off from St. Louis’s cobblestone landing on its final voyage, approximately 560 miles down the Mississippi River to Memphis. Angela’s Arc, constructed by Captain John Cooper of Gallatin, TN, is expected to arrive in Memphis on Sat., Sept. 19.

In Memphis it won’t be docked at our historic Cobblestone Landing, but it will be on view at the boat ramp on Mud Island River Park until the end of the park season and then permanently drydocked and on display at the island park.

Travel and trade on the Mississippi River is a big piece of our city's history -- In 1828 Abraham Lincoln travelled by flatboat from Rockport, Indiana, to New Orleans, with a stop at Memphis’s Public Landing.

"Bottle Bill" - Could Help Clean-up Our Harbor

Return the Returnables - Public Forum on TN “bottle bill”
Thurs, Sept. 17, 2009
6:30 - 8:30 pm
Expo Center Amphitheater, Agricenter International (7777 Walnut Grove Rd.)

The litter and recyling legislation is based on a 5-cent deposit on glass, plastic, and aluminum beverage containers, with returns to independent “redemption centers.”
The forum is a chance to get more info. about the legislation and its effects. Sponsored by Scenic Tennessee, Inc. and Greenlife Provisions. Moderator, Jackson Baker, “Memphis Flyer.”

Best Bet for Labor Day Weekend Southern Style

Don't miss this weekend's Memphis Music and Heritage Festival!! It's not only free and family friendly, but a fantastic opportunity to enjoy our own special brand of food, music, and "good time." Click HERE for a full schedule. Thank you to the Center for Southern Folklore, a mecca for information about our rich cultural heritage.