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Have you had a chance to attend any of the Rooftop Parties at the Peabody this summer? If not, you still have 2 weeks left to get in on all of the fun!

The Peabody Rooftop Parties are the perfect pre-stop before you go out for the evening, or a great place to hang out with friends after work. The event takes place between 6 pm and 10:30 pm. There’s a $10 cover charge, and guess what? The first drink is on them!

Every rooftop party features live music. This week features G3 The Garry Goin Band. This R&B showband features awesome male and female vocals, supurb sound, and a vast array of songs that you love from the 50’s to today’s top hits.

The food tomorrow night will be ‘soul food’: fried chicken, mac & cheese, cornbread, and summer tomato salad. Remember,  you must be 21 or older to enter, and ladies and hotel guests are free before 7 pm.

Hey Arbors! Are there any of you out there who have always been interested int the music industry but have no talent whatsoever? Have you or someone  you know always dreamed of making music videos? Well, here’s your chance to gain some insight into the industry at the Music Video Production Summit hosted by the Memphis Music Foundation and Live From Memphis.

This workshop is geared toward filmmakers and musicians seeking to expand their craft and exposure. This is perfect for you communications and video production majors out there. There will also be a panel discussion ranging from the following topics:

• Explaining the unique aspects of producing a music video
• How a music video can publicly showcase the talent of a musician or video artist
• Comparing the difference in filmmaking and music video production
• Discussing the creative relationship with the musician and the director
• And more!

Panel guests include: Mike McCarthy (Memphis Filmmaker); Nathan Black (Unbreakable Productions); Sarah Fleming and Christopher Reyes (Live From Memphis); and Joe Gotti (JG Productions).

So if you’re interested in the music industry, this just may be  your ticket in. The event is free, but space is limited, so RSVP as soon as you can.

photo credit: timgrable

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Hey Arbors River Oaks! Face it, we all live with daily stresses in our lives. This can come from any number of things including work, family life, anxiety or big decisions coming your way. The million dollar question is, how do you deal with all of these stresses and still keep your sanity? Massage therapy is an excellent solution to your problems and you won’t have to spend a million dollars to get your question answered. Body Mechanix is a wonderful solution.

Body Mechanix (3486 Poplar Ave #101) is a locally owned massage parlor, operated by experienced massage therapists. They offer a wide range of massage options such as therapeutic, sports, and pregnancy, as well as a good variety of specials and packages all at reasonable prices. You can get a 5 minute back tune up for $10 or a Swedish massage starting at $35 for 30 minutes. That’s pretty good considering the prices of other spas out there.

Body Mechanix also has various specials throughout the year. For the summer months of June and July, they are offering a  Lush Hydrating Wrap with exfoliation to keep your skin hydrated and nourished under this summer sun. This is going for roughly $50 but it’s definitely worth it.

So if you want an escape from the stresses in your life, get a massage; you’ll be glad you did.

Where is your favorite place to get a massage around the area?

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Hey Arbors River Oaks! Did you have a great holiday weekend? I hope so. Well, it’s time to get back into the swing of things and I have a new event for all of you aspiring actors and filmmakers.

FuelFilm: Memphis, a nonprofit organization that promotes the growth of the area film industry, will host a casting workshop from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 10, at Memphis Heritage’s Howard Hall (2282 Madison Ave).

The event is aptly titled “Cast Away“. Cute play on words, huh? “Cast Away” is intended to bring local actors together with producers, directors, writers and people interested in filmmaking. Luckily for those interested in acting, the workshop is free. If you are an aspiring filmmaker, the workshop is $10. That’s not bad at all, for what you’re gaining from the experience.

You get to mingle with local actors and filmmakers in order to get their insights into the industry, and actors will have a chance to read for various parts.

I think anybody that’s interested in the entertainment industry should definitely attend. You may not get another opportunity as good as this one.

Would you like to see more workshops like this around town?

Directions from Arbors River Oaks:

Head north on Arbor Commons Cir toward River Commons Cir N. Turn right at River Commons Cir N. Turn left at Humphreys Blvd. Turn left at Walnut Grove Rd. Merge onto I-240 E via the ramp to Nashville. Take exit 12B on the left for Sam Copper Blvd. Merge onto Sam Cooper Blvd. Turn left at E Pkwy N. Turn right at Madison Ave. Destination will be on the right.

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Hey ARO ladies! Are you interested in competing in a 5K? What about just getting in shape for the summer, or getting in shape period? If you’re already in shape or trying to get there, try participating  in Women Walk/Run Memphis.

Women Walk/Run Memphis is a 10 week program for walkers and beginner, intermediate, and advanced runners, with a ‘graduation’ 5K after the training program. So don’t worry, they’re not throwing you out to the wolves. The people of Women Walk/Run Memphis are here to help you ease into the world of 5K and marathons, and to give you a new look on the world of running. Especially for those who think that running is ‘not for them’.

The kickoff open house and expo will be from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. July 12 at the Agricenter, (7777 Walnut Grove Road). You don’t have to attend the kickoff event to participate in the program, and you can register through August 9. Registration fee is $20 before July 19 and $25 after.  The 5K  ‘graduation run’ is scheduled for Sept. 13 at 8 am at Oak Court Mall.

Imagine the satisfaction you’ll feel once you complete the program! Are you interested in participating in something like this?

Everyone knows that it’s going to be all Michael Jackson all the time tomorrow, as it’s been one year to the day of his passing. All of the major music channels are airing tributes to the King of Pop. You can also be sure that all of the radio stations will be playing his songs as well. Be on the lookout around Memphis as there are sure to be as many Michael Jackson impersonators as there are Elvis tomorrow. To help keep his memory alive, here’s one of my favorite videos: ‘Remember the Time’

Hey Arbors River Oaks! Don’t you just love it when your city is included in something major? I know that I do. Well, premiering tonight is TNT’s newest drama, ‘Memphis Beat‘.

The show revolves around Dwight Hendricks (Jason Lee), a Memphis cop who moonlights as an Elvis impersonator and lives with his mother. Dwight feels he is “the keeper of Memphis,” a Southern gentleman who is protective of his fellow citizens, reverential of the city’s history and deeply rooted in its blues music scene. I guess you can call the show a sort of dramedy, as there will be some humor mixed in as well.

As with anything Memphis, you must have music. I mean, the city of Memphis itself has it’s own soundtrack. You can’t walk down Beale Street without hearing some kind of music playing, and just having the overall feel of Memphis traveling through the soles of your shoes right into your very soul. And ‘Memphis Beat‘ is trying to convey that into their storyline.

The shows seems quite interesting. Consider adding it to your primetime TV layout as you watch the series premiere tonight at 10 pm on TNT.

Let me know what you think about the show!

photo credit: TNT.tv

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Hey Arbors River Oaks! It’s time once again for the Annual Juneteenth Festival here in Memphis! And, no, it isn’t a typo, it’s actually spelled Juneteenth.

For those of you that don’t know,  Juneteeth is likely the oldest-surviving celebration to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States.  Juneteenth began in Galveston, Texas, a year after Union troops arrived there to proclaim freedom for all slaves on June 19, 1865 (hence the Juneteenth , which is derived from June Nineteenth) — 2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

There is a different theme every year; this year’s theme is a tribute to African-Americans in politics from Reconstruction to the present, which connects the first black U.S. senator, Mississippi congressman Hiram Rhodes Revels, to a more recent U.S. senator, President Barack Obama.

A theme of the Juneteenth Festival in Memphis that has begun to pick up in recent years is that more and more African-American families are having their family reunions there. Last year, at least 20 family reunions were going on.

So what else is going on at the festival? Well, a variety of music can be heard, from blues, gospel and jazz to soul and hip-hop, all a reminder of the lasting impact African-American culture has had on popular music. Connecting black American music with its roots in the Afrodiaspora, the festival will kick off Friday morning with African drumming. Neo-soul and spoken-word acts will continue throughout the day.

This sounds like a supremely awesome even giving tribute to those that endured so much. I would attend, but I have my own family reunion to attend this weekend.

The 17th Annual Juneteenth Freedom and Heritage Festival begins Friday at 11 am and runs into Sunday at 7 pm. All days begin at 11 pm with Saturday being the only day that ends at 8 pm. Best of all, it’s free to the public.

If you can, I highly recommend attending. It’s taking place at Douglass Park, only about 15 minutes from Arbors River Oaks. All the more incentive for you to attend!

There’s no other city around like Memphis, period. From the city culture, to the food, to the music, to the happenings around Beale Street, Memphis is a place all it’s own. I mean, how many other cities out there have their own musical?? Okay, plenty, but none of them hold a candle to ‘Memphis‘, the newly titled ‘Best Musical’ by way of the 2010 Tony Awards. They also brought home three other awards…beat THAT Oklahoma!

If you haven’t seen nor heard of the musical, ‘Memphis‘ centers around the story of a fast-talking ,young disc jockey who falls in love with African- American music in the late 1950s. But when he also falls in love with an African-American singer, he finds himself a pioneer in integrating not only the airwaves but also a racially divided town.

The city doesn’t just have  a musical using it’s name; there’s also a new television show coming out on TNT on June 22nd named ‘Memphis Beat‘. The story revolves around a a Memphis cop who moonlights as an Elvis impersonator and lives with his mother. (Let’s see how many stereotypes we see in an act).

With a town as culturally rich and historic as Memphis, who wouldn’t want to capture in on the small screen? Hmm, now if we could just get a movie made about the lives of the residents at Arbors River Oaks,

photo credit: commercial appeal and TNT.com

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Hey Arbors River Oaks! You know that when it comes to the best food in the nation, Memphis never fails to deliver. However, this festival isn’t all BBQ centered. It’s the Cajun Catfish and Crawfish Festival!

It all goes down TODAY from 5 pm to 8 pm at the Cajun Catfish Company in East Memphis, 1616 Sycamore View to be exact. Luckily for you Arbors River Oaks residents, the Cajun Catfish Company is right up the road; it’s only about 9 minutes from here!

What are you getting at the Cajun Crawfish Festival? Live New Orleans music on the patio (where most of the activities will take place), mounds and mounds of crawfish, free giveaways, and refreshing beer specials! Not to mention some of the best catfish on the east side of Memphis!

So come hungry, bring friends, and you surely won’t be dissapointed!

Are you a fan of the Cajun Catfish Company?

Directions From Arbor Rivers Oaks

Head north on Arbor Commons Circle toward River Common Circle N. Turn right at River Commons Cir N. Turn left at Humphreys Blvd.  Turn left at Walnut Grove Rd. Merge onto I-240 E via the ramp to Nashville.  Take exit 12 C to merge onto I-40 E toward Nashville. Take exit 12 for Sycamore View Rd toward Bartlett. Turn left at Sycamore View Rd.