Daniel Parker, Jonathan White, Justin White, and Victoria Johnson (Photos: Michael Donhue)

Strangewaze Wednesdaze was held each Wednesday in May. But the final one was held June 5th because it was the rain date for the May 8th event. โ€œThere was a chance for tornadoes,โ€ says event co-founder Emily Todd. โ€œAnd, of course, that didnโ€™t happen.โ€

Attendance reached 725. Guests dined on free food, listened to music from Yesse Yavis and Tennessee Screamers, and sipped Memphis Made Brewing Companyโ€™s Srangewaze pale ale.

Emily and her dad, Mike Todd, began the event, originally known as โ€œHump Day Happy Hour,โ€ in 2021 as a way to revitalize The Edge and Medical District. โ€œThe Edge had a lot of development momentum and interest in the neighborhood prior to Covid. When Covid hit, it slowed down a lot of that momentum.โ€

May events are geared toward people with money, Emily says. โ€œNothing is really accessible that is free and fun for the majority of residents of Memphis to do. We wanted an equitable, fun, community-activated experience. And we wanted to continue to grow in The Edge and the Medical District because of all the important growth that is happening there.โ€

Michael Donahue began his career in 1975 at the now-defunct Memphis Press-Scimitar and moved to The Commercial Appeal in 1984, where he wrote about food and dining, music, and covered social events until...