John Ruskey, founder of Quapaw Canoe Company

The Mississippi River is the most distinguishable natural local asset and a defining historic and economic feature of this region. Back in June, I had the opportunity to take a day-long canoe trip down the Mighty Mississippi, courtesy of Quapaw Canoe Company. Founder John Ruskey has an impressive bio, and is a wise and safety-conscious guide. If you think the river is impressive from its banks, you will be amazed by the perspective from a canoe.

From the About Us segment of their website:

In 1998 he founded the first wilderness outfitting business on the entire Lower Mississippi River, Quapaw Canoe Company. John has guided National Geographic Adventure, Outside Magazine, the BBC, Irish Public Television, the Food Network, ESPN Outdoors.com and other media in various river adventures & expeditions on the Mississippi, as well as prominent authors John Barry (Rising Tide) and Tony Horwitz (Blues Latitudes, A Voyage Long & Strange).

Hand-made canoes

I was along for the ride on this particular journey as a part of a photo/commercial shoot for a local tourism group, so I had ample opportunity to snap some pictures as well.

Big river, little canoe

What wildlife experiences on the Mississippi (or its tributaries) are most memorable for you (i.e. close encounters with mammals/reptiles/others)?

Well, there have been so many, sneaking up on beavers, getting close to gators both in the water and out, turtles, seeing fish close up big flocks of pelicans, getting close enough to hear their gentle gutteral talking & communicating, and to smell their overwhelmingly powerful and almost nauseating smells.

What changes (beneficial, harmful, neutral – or any combination thereof) have you seen in the river and its inhabitants in the past few decades?

There has been a lot more algae and underwater vegetation, slimy stuff on the rocks and driftwood over the past couple of years, an overabundance of nitrogen running off the fields into the tributaries and into the big river. I know also that water treatment and sewer systems across America are aging and leaking more & more, and especially in smaller cities in great need of upgrade. You see more yucky algae stuff growing in the backwaters also, and in the otherwise beautiful & attractive “blues holes.”

What’s the story behind the Mighty Quapaws? How does one get involved with this as a participant or supporter?

Long Story! Started in 1999 — its basically a hands-on apprenticeship for Mississippi Delta youth involving canoe carving & guiding on the river, all the stuff the boy scouts learn, but taught in real life situations! If anyone is interested, they can actually “Adopt-a-Quapaw” which means help out with proper clothing & equipment for apprentices for any particular year.

What do you find most rewarding about being a river guide?

Sharing the heart-stopping beauty & power of the river, as well as the numbing gargantuan width & landscapes, which cause some people who are normally talkative to go mute without even realizing it.

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Quapaw Canoe Company just announced their fall yoga retreat. You can find out more about the paddle and stretch journey in October through Delta Yoga. (That’s John doing a headstand on the canoe. Don’t worry; it’s not a mandatory posture for participants.)

Headstand on Canoe Asana

Zombie kindergarten field trip

The official Zombie Wrangler at the corner of Vance and Main repeated: “Undead! Stay off the sidewalk! Stay on the street until after the Green Beetle!” Keeping the undead in line was a bit like herding…zombies.

Zombie Journalist

Memphis’ 4th Zombie Massacre had its best turnout this year. Perhaps it’s the forward zombie momentum. Perhaps it was the good weather.

Zombie therapy

Zombie walks are an international phenomenon. Memphis is in good company among cities like San Francisco, Vancouver, Sacramento, Minneapolis, Chicago, Philadelphia and Sydney, Australia who hold annual zombie events.

Zombies invade Beale Street

Some people may be skeptical that a zombie march is indicative of a thriving creative class. It shows several things: first, the zombie march shows an important stride in downtown revitalization – namely that the area has evolved to one that welcomes performance art in the form of the lurching undead. Second, it shows that there is sufficient critical mass to sustain a kitschy event which has grown by the year. (Other events show community-building strides, like the first-ever Midtown pillow fight of 2009 at Overton Park.)

More than 700 zombies RSVP’d to lurch and swagger along Main and Beale Streets, which seems to show that this phenomenon is more than a fleeting idea. Furthermore, the cadre of organizers (present company only tangentially included), is representative of the talented creative class who are being recruited and wooed to stay in the Mid-South. TheoGeo, a.k.a. Lindsay Turner, is also a local blogger and Commercial Appeal employee. Patrick French runs the Hauntedweb of Horrors, an annual fundraiser for Youth Villages. Duane Craig is a filmmaker, writer and horror enthusiast with a recent movie, Cruel. Says Craig,

“Special effects make up has always been a hobby as well since age 8, honestly. I did my own teeth mold and acrylic vampire fangs at age 12. I didn’t option a script or publish a book until 2005, though, and 2010 marks the release of my feature film debut, CRUEL – a black/white, silent horror film, whose lead actress was found during the first Memphis Zombie Walk. I hope to give back to all whom I’ve met or still to meet.”

(Service-oriented zombies? Keep reading.)

Christin Reeder is a local organizer, yoga teacher/belly dancer, anthropologist, humanitarian and zombitarian. Kerry Vaughn is a Midtowner who knits, has a fantastic record collection and an observant blog.

This year, zombies rehearsed the Thriller dance beforehand and performed on Beale Street with the accompaniment of a zombie Thriller flashmob who joined. The Zombie Massacre is scheduled each year to coincide with the month-long Memphis in May festivities as well as the Main Street Trolley Tour, two Memphis establishments which herald the city’s musical and cultural heritage.

Zombie Early Warning Network

Maybe I’m reading too much into the Zombie Massacre, but it does seem that a place has to have a requisite set of critical “cool city” elements to support this kind of event: enough enthusiasts to make it an event; urban density; media curiosity and support; neighborhood endorsement; safe streets; and a public-private partnership with local establishments and public services (like the police who serve and protect even the undead citizens). It’s important for cities to have fun happenings like this. One of the central tenets of understanding institutional development is that people support what they themselves create.

This annual curiosity is definitely supported by its creators – the fun-seeking, multigenerational (there were tons of zombie kids and babies this year!), widely-themed (including Mickey and Minnie Zombie and prom zombies), and law-abiding (no zombie misdemeanors that I know of) revelers from beyond the grave.

Founded in 1999, Tennessee Stand for Children brings together people from all walks of life – parents, grandparents, people who work with children, and others who care about the next generation – in order to make children a top political priority. Tennessee Stand for Children members believe we need to invest in our children now – particularly in their education and enrichment from pre-school through high school – to ensure they have a fair chance in life and to create a better future for Tennessee. Through effective advocacy, Tennessee Stand for Children Chapters have won 15 victories that have directly improved the lives of more than 300,000 children in the state and leveraged more than $149 million in public funding for children’s programs. With Chapters currently in Memphis, Nashville, and Hamilton County/Chattanooga, Stand for Children is fast becoming a strong, statewide citizen voice that Tennessee’s children urgently need.

Ms. Bradshaw is an advocate and community organizer who has long lobbied on behalf of children’s issues. However, her vision of a better Memphis does not rest exclusively with the children. The organization take the approach of comprehensive involvement by parents, neighborhoods, schools and elected officials to create better policy options that benefit the current generation and prepare a successful path for future ones. She says:

“Memphis is at a Tipping Point as it pertains to public education. We can no longer do things as usual and expect different results. To ensure that all children are receiving the highest quality educational experience it will take our whole community to Stand for Children. We are training parents and non-parents alike to become leaders and advocate for what is in the best interest of all students.”

National Civil Rights Museum, Memphis, TN

Saturday, May 15th was the kickoff event for Stand for Children. Held at the National Civil Rights Museum, the event featured Dr. David Hill, MCS Coordinator of Strategic Planning and Accountability, MCS board member Tomeka Hart and Commissioner Deidre Malone.

Ms. Hart noted some of the upcoming changes to measuring student achievement in Memphis City and Shelby County Schools, stating that the state of Tennessee will be recalibrating their metrics for proficiency. She said that initially it may appear that some schools – even ones thought to be doing well – will have surprising scores under the new proficiency standards. This doesn’t mean that students are doing worse than they were last year; rather it means that Tennessee has raised the bar for student proficiency to a more uniform standard.

“It’s like running a 12-minute mile one day and that being considered proficient,” she says,” and then being asked to run a six-minute mile the next to meet proficiency.”

It may take some time to get students up to speed. The important takeaway is that the raised expectations will not hinder, but rather enhance, our understanding of our students’ true proficiency and enable teachers, principals, parents and the community to support and inspire them to meet the new proficiency standards. This strategy addresses what former U.S. Department of Education head Rod Paige labeled as the “soft bigotry of low expectations.”

It’s not enough to raise the bar, however. We must all rise to meet the challenge and encourage our local assets – the children – to grow up in a nurturing and positive environment conducive to learning.

Participants in the Stand for Children kickoff event

Commissioner Malone discussed the community’s vital role in the process:

“You have to get to know your elected officials. They want to get re-elected, and they want to know that they have the community’s support when it comes to tough votes and making hard decisions. This means being in the audience for critical votes, calling, emailing and writing your elected officials.”

Particularly noticeable at the event was the childcare provided in the room adjacent to the program aimed at adults. Children worked on art projects and constructed an education-themed mural.

Art project by children attending Stand for Children's kickoff event

Stand for Children was instrumental in mobilizing community support for the Race to the Top, a nationwide competition which awarded millions of dollars to two states: Tennessee and Maryland, with Tennessee taking the lion’s share of the $500 million grant.

Stand for Children is a trusted partner in the community that will continue to advance a child-friendly agenda in our city.

You can learn more about Stand for Children here and here, and about charting students’ progress in Tennessee here.

Adams, a 23-year FedEx employee spends much of his free time promoting the jazz scene in Memphis. His goal is to increase the awareness and visibility of the jazz scene in Memphis and promote it throughout the community, from East Memphis to Midtown to Downtown.

Other jazz venues in the past have included Café Ole, where Sax on Sundays began before moving to Neil’s on McLean and Madison.

I first encountered Strictly Jazz Entertainment at the twice-monthly jam sessions and open mic segments at Neil’s. This venue has since moved to Club Chill in Peabody Place every second and fourth Sundays. (Doors open at 6:30PM and showtime runs from 7PM until 11PM). Among the regular performers are Sal Crocker (tenor saxophone), Ben Levitt (acoustic bass), Stephen Lee (piano) and Jeramy Warren (drums), along with all of the talented and brave performers who sing and jam during the open mic portion of the evening. I’ve been quite (happily) surprised by the quality of singers and performers who have stepped up. True to Memphis’ history, we are a musically-gifted city.

March 13^th marked the 1-year anniversary of jazz at the Westin downtown on Friday evenings. It’s a lovely place to have a beverage and listen to appropriately-amplified music. (Maybe I’m just getting old, but so much of the music these days is painfully loud. You don’t have to worry about that at the Westin where the music is played at enjoyable decibels.)

You can find Strictly Jazz Entertainment on Facebook, and they also have a website with information about upcoming events.

WUMR is the University of Memphis jazz radio station, at 92FM. Their daily listening is here:

Broadcasting in stereo with 25,000 watts of power, WUMR is the only exclusive jazz outlet in the Memphis metro area. The station offers a mix of contemporary and traditional jazz, as well as a sampling of fusion, Blues, Latin, and new age Jazz. The station also serves the Mid-South community with unique educational, sports, and community service programming.

For alternate Sundays (when you’re not at Club Chill), you can find the Memphis Jazz Orchestra at Alfred’s on Beale Street. This is tremendous fun. Couples often enjoy swing dancing to the music, as well as listening to Tom Prestigiacomo singing (his voice is B*I*G and amazing). There’s also the occasional Jazz in the Box at GPAC.

On Sundays, jazz students from The University of Memphis can be heard playing at Earnestine & Hazel’s.

One of the great things about jazz in Memphis is that it is intergenerational and multiracial. People of all backgrounds and levels of appreciation can enjoy this music. Some people refrain from jazz because it seems like an inaccessible genre exclusively for aficionados with refined tastes, or people who can name every Miles Davis tune. Trust me: it’s not like that at all. Many of the musicians that play at these various venues may be sitting at the table nearest to you one moment, and up on stage the next song. You’ll be having a conversation with an incredibly cool person and then all of a sudden they’re performing.

This unassuming jazz scene is one of Memphis’ great treasures that adds to the already-known rich musical history of our city.

So I propose a What’s Right Memphis Eco-Asset Map that lists the following projects (an illustrative not exhaustive list):

*Project Green Fork-certified restaurants
*Greater Memphis Greenline route
*Community Gardens (Sow to Grow and Grow Memphis)
*Green Publications (Edible Memphis and Going Green)
*Stores selling fresh fruits and vegetables
*All farmers markets
*All parks and recreation areas
*All fitness and yoga studios and bicycle shops
*All current and proposed skate parks
*Stores that sell or make biobased products
*All green and LEED certified buildings
*Recycling centers

Certainly I’m forgetting some things to include, so please fill me in on what should be included in this asset map. This would be a great tool for regional tourism, for real estate agents, for list-makers and for urban enthusiasts. I’m serious.

We should map these things and promote what’s right with Memphis. Not only would it show where things are going well, but it will show areas that need attention and certainly there are many, as I note in the Green Jobs Memphis post about recent health indicator reports. However, a community-wide “what’s right” map would show how and where all these individual efforts are making a difference. To fix the problems outlined in the recent health and environmental reports, you have to start somewhere.

Hopefully my next Smart City post will include said proposed map.

• The first deals with city-level initiatives regarding energy efficiency and renewable energy as covered in Yes! Magazine, which is worth a read and a bookmark. Transition Towns are those looking to move toward low-carbon economies, and there is no formula or prescription but rather the locality decides for itself what they want to work on. With the Copenhagen talks still fresh in everyone’s mind, it’s important to note that not all change  happens from the top down, from heads of state and international leaders. Rather, innovation of good ideas can come from towns and cities, and citizens and diffuse throughout the country. Sustainable Shelby is such an initiative. Additionally, the U.S. Conference of Mayors just met in Washington, D.C. and the issues of sustainability and livability were on the agenda. It’s conferences and gatherings like that where fresh ideas are shared and discussed.

• The next one deals with one local family’s connection to the recent earthquake in Haiti. Prior to the catastrophe, the Moore family had taken in Saulin Noel, a youngster from Haiti who was in Memphis for surgery through Childspring International. Katie Moore describes her and her family’s role in nurturing Saulin not only through the surgery which was scheduled prior to the earthquake, but in locating his family as well as the family of another child for whom they cared previously. As the saying goes, to whom much is given, much is required. To do good when no one is looking is to be a true s/hero.

• Finally, I hope everyone is taking the opportunity to read Going Green every Sunday in the Commercial Appeal. Thus far I’ve written two articles, most recently on January 17 about using biobased products for energy efficiency repairs, rather than petroleum-based products. I had the opportunity to talk with a very interesting farmer/insulation installer from Mississippi who occupies a unique position along the regional biobased supply chain. Going Green is an eco-friendly publication and is online only. The Green Jobs Memphis blog is also being resuscitated, with news updates throughout the week as well as links to regional studies and reports, conferences and happenings.

The goal is simple. Ask consumers to frequent three local brick and mortar businesses they don’t want to see disappear, and to spend a very affordable $50 per month doing it.

This is imminently doable. The encouraging aspect of The 3/50 Project is that it is a small commitment where no one individual will feel that s/he has to shoulder the entire financial burden alone. Moreover, during the holiday season when people are encouraged to give a little more and may have been saving up throughout the year to be able to do so, why not give even more back to the local economy by buying gifts locally?

Here is why this matters: According to The 3/50 project, for every $100 spent locally, $68 returns to the local economy through taxes, payroll and other expenditures; spent at a national chain, only $43 stays local. Buying online is much less profitable for the local economy (unless it’s a local company that offers online purchasing). Being a conscientious local consumer is a way of paying it forward.

Realizing that times are tough and proverbial belts have been tightened, there are many ways to spend frugally and locally. Here are a few of my favorite ways to buy locally:

* Many of us spend at least $50 on fresh fruits and vegetables each month.  There are many Easy Way stores throughout the city and they aim to source their produce from local markets.  Additionally, the local farmers market phenomenon continues to grow (although many of them have closed for the winter season.  There are several locations where you can buy buy fresh produce and products in the Mid-South.   

* For holiday parties or everyday use, consider stocking your pantry shelves with biodegradable cupts from Clovernook Center for the Blind and Visually ImpairedThey hire locally, pay a living wage and produce recyclable products.  And if you really want to know more about them, they often give tours if you call ahead.  

* Restaurants.com sells coupons for locally-owned restaurants, and they occasionally have discounted coupons as well.  There are  75 participating restaurants within 15 miles of the 38103 zip code.  If you’re going to be dining out anyway, grab a coupon online and eat at an independently-owned restaurant.  

* Buying locally also extends to physical fitness.  Some of the best locally-owned busineses in Memphis are the yoga studios that are sustained by regular students adn practitioners (and newcomers!).  Depending on where you live and what you prefer, there is a great variety of yoga around town: Midtown (and now DowntownMidtown) Yoga; Bikram Yoga (which incidentally is featured in this and next month’s issues of O magazine, as in Oprah); Better Bodies Yoga; Push Pilates; Give Yoga; and Evergreen Yoga, to name a few.  

* Finally, instead of ordering books online, visit your local independent bookstore and buy it from them. If your choice of books is not in stock, they can order for you, too.  This may interrupt the ease of point-and-click instant gratification, but the community rewards from buying locally are far greater.

What’s important is that you find the businesses that matter most to you – just three – and commit to spending a total of $50 a month between them.  It does take a bit more planning, but it will be worth it.  Moever, it’s possible to spend locally and sustainably in town.  If you put your money where your heart is, especially during the holiday season, the businesses that identify our neighborhoods will continue to thrive.