We found a young, talented dance crew in Memphis called The Gizmo Kyddz. Here they are demonstrating how to do “the jerk”, and showing us their own “spin” on it (no pun intended).

Graceland, Beale Street, Blues, BBQ and southern hospitality…what more could you want in a city? We have walked these streets back and forth in search of the heart of this city and have found it: the people who live here.

From the passionate nonprofit workers and to the musicians who played us a tune, we caught a glimpse of why Memphis is great. Here are a few of the faces and stories we saw:

Meet David LaVelle:
After David had heart surgery for a blockage at 53 years old, he started to bike. He lost 50+ pounds and has ridden his bike 6,000 miles a year for the past three years. As an orthopedic surgeon, David’s aha moment came when he realized he could change his own life.

Meet Rebecca Edwards:
It took many closed doors for Rebecca to realize that if she wanted to see a change in her community, she needed to initiate it. Rebecca started a presentation arts organization that brings culturally diverse entertainment to her local community in Memphis.

Tomorrow is our first day of filming in Huntsville, Alabama. Hardly believable that just a few days ago, we were just strolling down Beale Street and listening to the Memphis Symphony Orchestra!

Man do I love a walkable city. After sitting in the car, traveling from place to place it is so nice to be able to walk out the front door of your hotel and be somewhere other than next to a gas station. Imagine my delight with Memphis! Our hotel dwells in the thriving mini-music mecca that is Beale Street and just beyond that lies South Main Street dotted with restaurants, bars and people out past ten o’clock! Needless to say we headed right out after our late afternoon arrival and found a great BBQ place called Rendezvous. This place has been in business for over sixty years and has several servers that have been on staff for nearly fifty years. Yes, the food really is that good.

Speaking of barbecue we had the Lou of Uncle Lou’s Southern Kitchen down at the Aha Moment trailer with gifts in tow. Delicious fried chicken, spicy buffalo wings and classic southern biscuits not to mention a pretty cool story. If you do your research you’ll find that Uncle Lou’s has been featured on the Food Network and is a favorite of celeb chef Guy Fieri. So, thanks again Uncle Lou for introducing us to some Memphis style eats.

But enough about the food, I am SO looking forward to exploring this city further. We were generously gifted tickets to the Sunset Symphony, an annual concert put on by the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, by the symphony’s executive director Ryan Fleur, who stopped by the Aha trailer (thanks Ryan!). So last night we spent a warm summer evening on the mighty Mississippi river listening to the Memphis Symphony jam with KC and the Sunshine Band. Needless to say the collaboration was both strange and complimentary. I never thought I’d hear the words “Who wants to get funky with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra?!” yet here I am and, indeed, funky I did get. The show ended with a nice fireworks display which shifted into the alarming towards the end of the evening (no, I’ve never seen great pillars of fire launched into the air without concern but I guess things are different in Tennessee). In any case, the music was great but the company was better and I can’t wait for the Memphisian adventures that lie ahead.

Thanks to all the wonderful people who came out and endured the Louisiana heat to record with us. We’ve already highlighted a few of the amazing stories from “the rouge,” but I’m going highlight two more inspiring moments:

Meet Jimmie Smith:
Two years ago, my son was diagnosed with Autism. I felt like I had nowhere to turn. I felt totally helpless. It seemed like all the things I wanted for my son went out the window. I connected with an organization that helps parents of kids with Autism. I also found a community of people who were there to help me through this difficult time. I had to totally reevaluate my life, but I finally accepted my son as he was.

Meet Nikki Leader, Loretta Hill and Mavis Albin:
We are a senior basketball team that has won six national championships in our league. Not only have we had the opportunity to compete and win at a national level, but we get to play a game that we love, travel the country and spend time with our best friends.

We enjoyed our lovely time in Red Stick but we are excited to escape the heat and move onto Memphis. Look out for the next post documenting our raw oyster meal before we left!