Twenty-five years ago, The Bridge of Lights event inaugurated the lighting of the Hernando DeSoto Bridge, instantly making the M structure an iconic symbol of the city’s welcoming hospitality and vitality. With music, food and entertainment the event illuminated all that is good about Memphis and marked a memorable and historic day…and it’s happening again Sept. 9th at the Ol’ Man River Got Lit celebration.
Blues Ball ticketed guests and celebrities from across the region will enjoy an elegant, black-tie evening in the glow of the illuminated bridge. “The event is somewhat of a renaissance for Memphis as we celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Bridge of Lights,” says Pat Kerr Tigrett, founder and chairman of the Memphis Charitable Foundation.
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Festivities will include music by some of Memphis’ most famous legends. The list of past performers included luminaries like Al Green, Isaac Hayes, B.B. King, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, the Bar-Kays, Al Kapone, and Carla, Rufus and Marvell Thomas. This year’s entertainment will feature “Sam the Sham”, Preston Shannon, DiAnne Price, Ruby Wilson, Jason D. Williams and Susan Marshall among others.
Another highlight of the evening will be a Regatta on the River beginning at 8:30 p.m. The regatta is being sponsored by the Memphis Yacht Club at Mud Island Marina. The yachting community will be joining the celebration by adorning their boats with bright, festive lights and floating along the river. Prizes will be awarded for “Best Lit Boat” and “Best Lit Captain.”
A fireworks display is also slated for around 8:30 p.m., and no event celebrating Memphis would be complete without the best cuisine the city has to offer courtesy of some of the area’s finest chefs and restaurants.
The menu will include fine food offerings from: Erling Jensen/Erling Jensen, Felicia Willett/Felicia Suzanne, Patrick Reilly/Majestic Grille Stephen Robillio/Spindini and Mesquite Chop House, Shawn Danko/Kooky Canuck, John Bragg/Circa, Bill Kloos/Fleming’s, Jake Schorr/Westy’s, Ann Barnes/Just for Lunch, and Grant MacPherson, Daron Ruffin, Seth Krasnove, Chris Eagle/The B.B. King Group.
The black-tie/cocktail fund raising event benefits the Memphis Rock ‘N’ Soul Museum, Memphis & Shelby County Music Commission, NARAS/ MusiCares, Madonna Learning Center, The Baddour Center, Memphis Police Foundation, Memphis Fire Department, Memphis Musicians and Memphis-area music scholarships.
Tickets are $200 each or $3,000, $5,000 and $10,000 for a table of 10, and are available by calling 901-527-5683 or online at
www.memphischaritable.org.
In addition, the event will secure funding for beautiful Yoshino cherry trees, like those lining the tidal basin in our nation’s capital to be planted along Riverside Drive and on the Island. Memphians are encouraged to join in this historic, downtown beautification project by purchasing a tree in memory or in honor of a loved one. The cost of each tree is $1,000. For additional information, email:
MemphisCherryTrees@gmail.com.
About the Memphis Charitable Foundation and The Blues Ball
The Memphis Charitable Foundation a 501(c)(3) founded by Memphian Pat Kerr Tigrett that raises funds annually, and public awareness for a wide array of Memphis-area charities and service organizations. The foundation also honors and supports Memphis’ rich music heritage. The foundation’s annual Blues Ball is the largest annual ball in the nation. For additional information online visit:
www.memphischaritable.org.
Related Links
Memphis Charitable Foundation Event Page
Download the Flyer
Purchase Advance Tickets