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Monster Party
By Chris Davis
Is the 1967 Patterson-Gimlin Bigfoot film the most closely examined and hotly debated minute of film not connected to the JFK assassination? Did the shaky, grainy footage document the existence of an elusive primate strolling through the forest, or was it a fantastic hoax or maybe a warm-up for John Chambers, the special effects artist most famous for his work on the sci-fi classic Planet of the Apes? Chambers, whose ape masks won the Academy Award, weighed in on Patterson-Gilman in a 1997 interview. “I’m good,” he said. “But not that good.” Scientists and film experts who’ve given the footage serious attention are divided over authenticity. Fifty years after the fact, Memphis Flyer writer Toby Sells just wants to have a beer and talk about it. “Close friends have known my paranormal side for a long time,” Sells says, describing the Memphis Bigfoot Festival he’s organized, with some help from Memphis Made Brewing, as his “coming-out party.” Sells, who wears socks with Bigfoot on them, got hooked on Bigfoot in elementary school when he and a friend “who lived way out in the sticks” watched the low-budget 1970s “docudrama” The Legend of Boggy Creek. Then his “friend” locked him outside in the spooky country darkness. “It creeped me out, of course. But it also ignited a wonder,” Sells says. The DIY festival celebrates PattersonGimlin’s 50th with a panel discussion, Bigfoot encounter stories, a costume contest, the debut of a new podcast, trivia, beer, and more.
October 19-25, 2017
MEMPHIS BIGFOOT FESTIVAL AT MEMPHIS MADE BREWING COMPANY, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21ST, 5-8 P.M., 207-5343
Kōbō Abe’s Beasts Head for Home. Books, p. 28
Mead-spirited. Spirits, p. 33
THURSDAY October 19
SATURDAY October 21
2017 Freedom Award The Orpheum, 7:30 p.m., $200 Annual event honoring those who make significant contributions to civil and human rights. Honored this year are MLK daughter Bernice King, South African jazz artist Hugh Masekela, and co-founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center Morris Dees.
The Music of Sarah Vaughan: Sassy’s Return Crosstown Arts, 7-9 p.m. Jamille Hunter performs the music of Sarah Vaughan. Part of the Crosstown Jazz Series.
Booksigning by Amanda Torres Novel, 6 p.m. Memphian and author of the Curious Coconut Amanda Torres discusses and signs her cookbook Latin American Paleo Cooking.
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Wolf River Greenway Downtown Grand Opening Harbor Town, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The official opening of the downtown section of the Wolf River Greenway.
Jonathan Magallanes: Making those flavors work. Food, p. 30
Art on Fire Dixon Gallery & Gardens, 7 p.m., $60-$75 Fall party with a bonfire and the Hot Off the Wall art sale.
Pints for Pits High Cotton Brewery, 4-8 p.m. Memphis Pets Alive sponsors this event, featuring live music, a silent auction, and discounted pints.
Costumes & Cocktails Art Village Gallery, 7 p.m., $45 Includes a silent disco, a tribute to Prince, and signature cocktails. Benefiting the Lupus Foundation of America-Midsouth.
Southland Steak Cook-off Southland Park Gaming & Racing, noon Annual steak cook-off, and guests can try the steaks in competition (!). Includes dart and cornhole tournaments, plus music by FreeWorld, Triplthret, and DSB, a Journey tribute band (!!).
An Evening with Styx Gold Strike Casino, 8 p.m., $55-$95 “Too Much Time on My Hands,” “Mr. Roboto,” “Come Sail Away” — ’80s hitmakers Styx perform tonight.