Broadcasting live from Dales in South Haven for our fall flame tour. It's Starnes Country with Todd Starnes. Oh, yeah. Hello, everybody. Todd Starts here.
Happy Friday to you at the top of Mississippi. We are getting ready for a fun, fun morning here at Dales, which has been a long time southern tradition. Folks, we're just having a blast here in Dales right now. We are going to have some great guests coming by. We've got a lot happening across not only South Avon, but across the Mid-South.
A lot of big stories to talk about. And of course, tonight, a big, big night here on the Mighty Die Nighty, we'll be broadcasting that big high school playoff game between Briancrest, the Briancrest Saints, and Macaulay, the Blue Tornadoes out of Chattanooga. But right now, we're excited to welcome the owner of Dales, Jim LaSapio. And Jim, we brag about you all the time. You're one of the best restaurateurs in the nation.
And we sure are glad that you're right here in the Mid-South. Thank you. Glad to be here. Yeah, this is, you know, it was weird. Walking into Dale's because it was like deja vu.
I came here as a kid back in the early 1970s, and now here it is. And you guys have just really done an amazing job with the renovation. Yeah, yeah. We've had our eyes on the restaurant for over a year, went for sale back in November. Um And my current landlord and I partnered, Levy Harris, great guy.
A strong businessman in North Mississippi. And uh we both believed in Dales. Uh just needed a little love. You know, it's interesting because when they went in and what they did to Cracker Barrel and the old timer, you know, they got rid of everything that made Cracker Barrel Cracker Barrel. You guys kept everything that made Dales Dales.
Yes, we've kept it. We've kept the sign. You know, we changed the sign out front on the building, but we kept the old sign and put it in one of the private dining rooms to memorialize Mr. Grant. You know, he was a very successful restaurateur.
A lot of folks tell me that they used to come to Dales when State Line Road was nothing but a gravel road. Wow. I remember when I was a kid, we just didn't, we lived maybe a couple of miles from here, and the only thing we had a big star and the Rexall drugstore and the stopping go. And I used to ride my bicycle over to the Rexall to read comic books as a kid.
So it's really fun getting back to the old stomping grounds. Of course, our family moved across the state line from Whitehaven when I was just a little fella. But this was really, if you're in church on Sunday, you're having lunch here on Sunday after church. This is the place to be on Sundays. Yeah, we open for breakfast every day at 6:30.
We start serving lunch at 11. And the church folks get here at 10:45, and there's a line. Yeah, there is. And it's always, this is why our family almost became Methodist because the preacher always did the shorter sermon.
So the Methodists always beat us over to Dale's. That's definitely the Methodist here first. Right, exactly. Or the Episcopalian. Hey, we've got to talk about some news, though.
Yesterday, they announced more than 100 National Guard troops are coming to the Mid-South to help and complement the massive crowd that's already here of law enforcement. You own a lot of establishments there on Beale Street. What's the vibe? Are you guys sensing that there's been a change? It's a great vibe.
Absolutely love it. You know, the minute we saw federal agents on Bill Street, it changed the dynamic of Bill Street. what I would consider the loiterers on Beale Street, the people that were down there smoking marijuana. The homeless, they helped clean up Beale Street. And it wasn't that they were overly aggressive, it's just their presence.
You know, they were six and seven wide, six and seven people wide, and they would walk up and down the street, and their presence was welcoming to everybody that was on Bill Street for the right reasons. but then it also sent a message to everybody else there, which was, you got to play right.
Well, I think you do have to play right. And you and I have been talking about this for a long time. You know, we need a strong, vibrant downtown. I think it's important not just for the city, but really for the region. This is a place where we want people to come.
And now we've got to get that message out that it's now safe to come back. And I've been excited to, you know, people have been calling into KWAM and saying, you know what? The wife and I drove in from Collierville. We went to the Orpheum, went down on Beale, had dinner. Those are the kinds of stories we want to hear.
Yeah, we're seeing it. We're stated on Beale Street. You know, our bars are as busy as the bars and restaurants are as busy as they've ever been. To the naked eye, you'd look at the street and say, oh, the street's dead, but the street's not really dead. The street is safe.
Right. And we see, we get lots of traffic now from the Grizzly games, the tiger games that I think we didn't have a year or two ago.
So we understand, I know the governor Bill Lee said, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, since I'm in Mississippi, I have to quantify it out. Tennessee Governor Billy said. That they're going to be there indefinitely, which I think is a great thing, but you and I both know that's probably not going to be the case long term.
So I'm wondering if we need to keep them here until attitudes change and people get into the habit of doing 55 to 60 on I-240. Right. I'm seeing that already. I know a lot of Memphians are. The other day I went to the restaurant supply store and I got frustrated because it took me an extra 10 minutes to get back to DeSoto County.
And then I realized: well, this is everybody driving the speed limit. And this is a good thing.
Well, it is. Every time I come out of the airport on that I-240 exchange, I'm having to slam on the brakes now because you're used to going 85 and a 55 just to keep up with traffic. And now everybody's doing 55, and you're like, what is going on?
Now I'm a bad guy.
Now I'm the guy driving fast. And you know they're going to pull me over.
So you just have to be careful. Hey, let's talk real quick about Dale's because you guys are doing something very, very cool for Thanksgiving. And this is also, not only is it great food, but for all of you folks who may not be the best cooks in the world, we may have a solution for you. Right. We do what's called a bulk menu.
It's available to every customer. You call in and you can pre-order your Thanksgiving. We've got chicken and dressing that you can take to your house, throw it in your oven, and fool your family, we call it. Pull it out of the oven, tell your family that you cooked it. It's Dale's great resource.
Original chicken and dressing, and we don't care if you fib a little bit. I love that. We've also got great side items: we've got our turnip greens, our squash casserole, which we're famous for, candied yams, which are exceptional, and we've also got whole cakes and desserts you can take home. Is that right? Yeah, this is nice.
So it's perfect.
So, how do people, what do they need to do? Come by or yeah, they just need to call the restaurant or come by. And we call it our Thanksgiving bulk menu, but we really run it all the way through to Christmas. And a lot of people take advantage of it in December. It's great for business lunches.
If you're a business in town, we will cook the chicken and dressing for you. But it's also, you know, we can box it up for you so it's ready to bake at the house. And at breakfast here, this is pretty exciting because you have a pretty awesome breakfast menu. I have already spied the country fried sick. That was the one thing I was looking for.
You guys do it so well here. But what are the big sellers on the breakfast menu? We do our breakfast bowls, which are a great combination. It's kind. Of, like, a skillet breakfast.
My favorite thing is our southern grits. It's a little bit of a different grit. We source our grits locally from Banks rice. Typical grits are corn-based rice, and this is actually into the rice kernel.
So it's a little bit of a flavor difference. It's a lot smoother than a corn grit, and it's just unique and wonderfully flavored.
Well, this is wonderful, folks. And you want to come by, and if you can't make it here for breakfast, drop by for lunch. Amazing food here. It's really a wonderful restaurant and a great, really cherished tradition here in the top of Mississippi. And, Jim, we appreciate your support of the mission of K-Wham, and we love all the restaurants you guys have.
Yes, sir. I think I worked my way through the entire Juniors Eating House menu. Good. Yeah, it was good.
So now I have to start over.
So now I need to change the menu. Exactly. All right. Jim Lazapio joining us, the owner of Dale's here in South Haven. Folks, coming up, we're going to be talking to State Representative Rodney Hall's going to drop by.
Also, a major event coming up. I'll be speaking tomorrow night here in South Haven at the Memphis Apologetics Group. We'll be telling you more about that as well. Also, Congressman John Rose is going to be here. We have a jam-packed show for you.
Hang tight, everybody. We've got Got to check in with Commander Chuck with a look at traffic. And welcome back to Starns Country and our mobile principal Toyota Memphis studio. I'm Todd Starns, and this morning we're broadcasting from a South Haven institution, Dales. And we'd love for you to drop by and say hello, grab some coffee, grab some breakfast, and we're going to have a great time of fellowship coming up in just a few seconds.
We're going to be talking to State Representative Rodney Hall. Right now, though, when you go to the phones in East Memphis, Dean joins us. And Dean, I know that you were at a great event last night celebrating State Senator Brent Taylor. It was awesome. And I mean, everybody that was there, it was just a.
uh a feel-good time. I mean On the way home, I was sitting there thinking about who I could compare Senator Taylor to as far as Uh people that I've followed all my life and this, that and the other. And He kind of reminds me of John Force, the great drag. Racer. Um Who just retired?
It was funny because I was thinking about it last night on the way home. And I open up the phone, and there's an announcement that John Force is retiring from drag racing.
So John Force was always. If you know who John Force is, he's, you know, In front of the camera and speaking is a hundred miles an hour, and uh just, you know. Um everything that he did was was Over the top. but in a good way. And that's how that's how I see Senator Taylor.
Yeah, it was a packed house last night at the VFW Hall in Collierville, and just a huge shout of thanks to Justin Johnson, who put all of that together, and really a way for the grassroots of the party to come out and show their support for the great work that Senator Taylor is doing to make Memphis matter. Dean, thanks for calling in this morning. And you talk about Senator Taylor. On the Mississippi side of the border, you have State Representative Rodney Hall, who is, I think, that fierce voice as well, a fierce warrior for conservative values. And he joins us here at our breakfast table at Dale's.
Rodney, good to see you. Hey, it's good to be back with you, Todd. How are you? I'm doing well. You know, I'm just going to tell you, we interviewed you right after you won the election, and you actually look younger.
It's kind of like the Trump effect, right? Trump does not age, and you have done quite well for yourself so far in the state house. I'll tell you, when you're on the right side of our issues. Protecting our values and doing what matters for the people, it doesn't really age you that much.
So, that's a good thing.
Well, and that's the thing. You're authentic, and I think the voters appreciate authenticity. And I think we certainly see that in Senator Taylor and the great work that he's done. You know, that's been an issue for you guys on this side of the borders: making sure what's happening in Memphis doesn't come down to DeSoto County. Yeah, and you know, you talk about Senator Taylor.
I had the opportunity to meet him, and he is such a strong conservative warrior. I really enjoy being able to collaborate with him as we work towards not just DeSoto County and further south towards Jackson, but you know, this mid-south region. We have to be a part, we have to have a partnership when you talk about fighting crime and things of that nature for our future. You know, it's interesting that you say that because we are a region, and whether you like it or not, you know, Crittenden County, what's happening in West Memphis, you know, it impacts Memphis, what's happening in DeSoto County, you know, the same thing. But it's good to see that in DeSoto County, You guys have a focus being tough on crime.
If you step foot across that border and you do something wrong, you're going to jail. That's an important message to convey. No, you're absolutely right, Todd. You know, I give a ton of credit to our sheriff and our police chiefs and the city government. They do a very great job at making sure that public safety remains number one.
I mean, think about it. And when it comes to public safety, schools, businesses, all of that kind of circles around public safety and having safe streets. And so keeping that first is absolutely a priority in DeSoto County. And I want to see that in Memphis as well.
So we've seen a lot of movement in Washington. The government's back opened for business signing in. People are getting their SNAP benefits and things of that nature. I still think, though, that this whole episode revealed a couple of things. First of all, Democrats were willing to make the people suffer to score political points or get political leverage.
And I think it backfired on them. What say you? Yeah, I mean, first off, I mean, wow. Have they really drifted that far to the left that they will use everyday American citizens for political leverage? I just think that's disgusting.
You know, I give a lot of credit to President Trump and the Speaker of the House and my delegation, they stood firm. What they were doing was absolutely correct, and they decided to have a backbone and continue to move forward. I think it was Angus King, who's an independent. He said they were just basically shocked that the Republicans really did hold their ground, which is sort of a backhanded compliment, but it's true. I'm wondering if Republicans are learning lessons from President Trump: that you can take a stand, and the people are going to back you if you're delivering on those campaign promises.
Yeah, you know, I preach this everywhere. You know, there is a time for. Collaboration. There's a time for negotiations, but when it comes to our values, our principles, when it comes to the American people, you have to stand firm. You cannot bend.
You cannot give an inch. And so they did that up in Washington. We got the government back open again so I can get ready to go to drill soon. But, you know, we need to do that across the country, Republicans in every state. Sending in the National Guard troops to Memphis, was that a good move for the White House to make?
Fantastic move. I mean, I think everybody can see it. They can see the changes with their own eyes. I drive up to Memphis almost daily. I can't remember the last time that I didn't feel like I was risking my life going on I-55 or 240 to Memphis.
It's not that way anymore. The National Guard, they have just done a remarkable job up under the leadership of the Tennessee governor. Of course, President Trump as well, making that call. And so I hope that they stay longer so these changes stay in effect. You know, one of the interesting things about Mississippi, it has been a hot Of illegal immigration.
That has been a big focus of the state. Were you surprised that that many illegals were living in the Magnolia State? I was. I was. And you know.
When you talk about state government and the federal government, the thing that I see a lot of promise is that collaboration between the two in rooting out that illegal immigration. Man, I tell you, they just cause so much issues and risk to our citizens here at a local level, and making sure that we combat that is absolutely critical. Another big issue that has made a few national headlines, the election, and we saw some gerrymandering going on here in North Mississippi. A lot of Republicans here are very upset about how all that played out, but it certainly gave Democrats the upper hand. It did.
And, you know, I want people to be aware and to be alarmed. You should not be able to legislate from the bench. I think that's what happened with this gerrymandering thing. But as we continue to move forward, I do see the Louisiana case that's currently being argued in the Supreme Court rolling that back. And so that will give conservatives across the country the opportunity to really give people a voice again.
All right, Randy, or Rodney Hall, rather, my apologies, State Representative Rodney Hall joining us here at Dale's this morning. When you look at the future, we've got the midterms right around the corner. What are some of the issues we need to be focusing on? We're hearing from Gen Z voters, especially conservative Gen Z voters, that affordability, that's going to be a big buzzword we're hearing about. Yeah, cost is always a pressing concern that needs to be addressed.
You know, As we have pivoted away from the Biden policies into the Trump administration, costs are coming down, but we're still not there yet. And so it's imperative that state governments as well as federal governments work hand in hand to ensure that we continue to reduce those costs. But I'll tell you, Todd, we are also in a fight for our values. When it comes to our children, they need to be protected. When it comes to our faith, that needs to be first.
And so we need to make sure that we stand firm on that and not negotiate on it. Look, I'm 1,000% accurate. And again, I think it's going to be a long fight. And I think a lot of people thought Trump gets elected, everything gets back to normal. It's going to take time for that to happen.
And people are going to have to understand, and that's really the messaging coming from the White House. They've got to convey that message. It's going to take time, but things are getting better. They are. You know, the wheels of government turns very slowly, unfortunately.
But, you know, there is so much hope and optimism for the future with the Trump administration. And then seeing what comes after that with J.D. Vance, he is a strong advocate, a strong fighter for conservative values. I feel very promising about the future. Yeah, it's going to be.
Be good. And I think JD is going to be a guy to look at. Marco Rubio, too.
So we'll see. We've got a deep bench. We do. We do. On the Republican side, and that's good.
All right. Rodney, thank you for dropping by this morning. We appreciate the great work you're doing. You're a great conservative voice, not just here in the Mid-South, but around the nation. And we sure do appreciate the great work.
Thank you, Todd. It's always good to be with you. All right. Good man, right there, ladies and gentlemen. And the folks here in DeSoto County, very well represented.
All right, coming up, we're excited. We're going to be talking about a big event happening with the Memphis Apologetics Group. Also, our friends at the DeSoto Family Theater, they're my favorite theater group in the Mid-South. They put on some incredible shows. Just did an amazing version of Little Women.
I think one of our worship leaders at our church was one of the stars of that.
So we're excited to be talking to them coming up. Also, if you're in the South Haven area, drop by, grab some breakfast. They have an incredible breakfast. Just save some country-fried steak for me a little bit later on. We'll have to chat out until an After the show.
All right, hang tight, everybody. That music means we've got to take a quick break. We've got your entertainment report and sports coming up right here on the Mighty and I90. Dylan, I had decided on the country fried steak, but this pork chop and bacon jam sandwich looks mighty tasty. I'm just telling you.
This is a great menu. It's a delicious. You can eat the menu. Just put some of the bacon jam on the menu, and we could eat the menu. Just scratch and sniff.
Yeah, I've never had one of these breakfast toasters. I'm a biscuit guy, but I'm willing to try. I can be ecumenical when it comes to breakfast. Yes, just be open about it. I can be open about it.
You know, they smeared my bagel in New York City, so I guess, you know, it's a slippery slope. Yeah, it can be. What can you say? Welcome back, everybody. We are broadcasting live from Dales, an institution at the top of Mississippi here in South Haven.
Love for you to come by. They have breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and it is one of the finest restaurants in the area. Before we bring in our next guest, I've got to give a huge shout-out to our friend Hugh Lamar. And Hugh is like a rock star. You know, this guy, he's in the senior Olympic things.
He does all this stuff. He's a big tennis guy. And Hugh was just named the 2025 Veteran of the Year for Shelby County. Tennessee, and he was given a beautiful plaque, really celebrated, and he is worth every bit of those accolades.
So, we want to congratulate Hugh. We also want to say hello to our friends over at Forever Young. They hosted a big event last night. Diane Height is the founder of the organization here in Memphis, Forever Young, and we just appreciate our. Great veterans, and we hope you guys have had a wonderful, wonderful week.
Well, we're very excited because we have a huge event coming up tomorrow, right here in South Haven, and I'm honored to be a part of it. Let's welcome into the conversation from the Memphis Apologetics Group, Christopher Neiswonger. Christopher, good to have you with us. Thank you so much, Todd. It's good to be here.
So, this is, first of all, I think a lot of people are wondering, and we're going to talk about the event in just a second, what exactly is the Memphis Apologetics Group, and how do you get to be a part of that?
Well, the Memphis Apologetics Group is a group of pastors, theologians, and political thinkers that through Throughout the Memphis region, that includes Arkansas and of course northern Mississippi, deal with the questions concerning the Christian faith, especially the existence of God, the veracity of the Bible, and the ethical issues that pour forth from a Christian worldview.
So, you guys meet on a pretty regular basis. Two or three times a year.
Okay, and it's pretty much all across the mid-south. You guys kind of mix it up a little bit. Yeah, most of the things happen in Memphis just because that's where the population density is, but we'll go anywhere they'll take us, pretty much. I think that's a look. That's a good philosophy in life.
Go where you're wanted. I love that. You guys are hosting a big event tomorrow here in South Haven. Tell us about the events.
Well, first, I'd really like to thank you, Todd, because you being willing to speak there is a big honor for us. We did another event in Memphis, and it went very well, was very popularly attended. But the people in DeSoto County felt a little left out. You know, it's kind of hard to get people to jump the border and go down into Memphis if they're up here in DeSoto County. Sure.
So, we're doing a second event up here for the folks up in really our bread and butter because Grace View Church and all the churches we deal with are actually in DeSoto County.
So, we're going to do that tomorrow night. You will actually be the keynote speaker for us, Todd. Thank you so much for that. You're putting a lot of Trust in me yet, Chris. I'm not sure.
No, it's going to be a lot of fun. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So, this is going to be Grace View Church. And that's here in South Haven. Yeah, it's on Swinney Road in South Haven. And people can look that up online or go through the Facebook account. And also, if you want to register, you go to memphisapologetics.com and there's registration there, and we're going to have a great time.
Well, I understand that State Representative Dan Eubanks is going to be there. He is. He's a tremendous, godly man who really understands, like yourself, that relationship that happens between Christian theology and how you handle your political life. And he'll do a great job. The name of the event, folks, Charlie Kirk, The Bible and the Constitution, a Memphis Apologetics Group Conference, and it is tomorrow at 6 o'clock.
Is there a price tag attack? No, no, no, not at all. And there will be refreshments and some time for fellowship and getting to know some folks, too.
So it's free, and there's food.
So those are great enticements to go. But again, it's got to be exciting for you to see the enthusiasm around apologetics here in the Mid-South.
Well, it is. You know, we started five or six years ago, and at our first meeting, we were only able to get about 30 people because apologetics in the Mid-South is not a big thing. We figure we're in the Bible Belt, and this isn't really important information. But we've all found that it absolutely is, especially for our young people and college-age people that are just getting into the big questions and they're being hit with heavy concerns in regard to Christianity and the Christian faith. And there are really great answers for those questions, but we just have to make sure that people have the opportunity to hear them.
So, when you, you know, in the gosh, it's hard to believe it's been, you know, what, two months since Charlie was assassinated. Have you seen any sort of enthusiasm coming out of conservative young people, maybe just looking for answers and looking for more substance in their faith?
Well, it's been tremendous, and I think that's one of the reasons that at every event we've done, there have been hundreds of people coming, but especially young people. And I think the assassination of Charlie Kirk has hit the country in a strange and unpredictable way. Where they've not only been drawn back to their faith, but they've started to see how important it is that they maintain that in the public square. Yes. I think that's so important.
And, Chris, again, this is all happening tomorrow at 6 o'clock at Grace View Church here in South Haven. We'd love for you to be a part of that. We're going to post a link to it in our live stream over on the Facebook page as well, so folks, you can see all the information. It's free of charge. Are you encouraging people to register, though, so you have a good number of an idea of how many people are?
Well, it's just to track seating and so that we can take care of everybody. Wonderful. All right. Well, this is exciting. And, Chris, thank you for coming on the show.
Thank you so much, Todd. We really appreciate it. All right, folks, 41 minutes past the hour. We've got to check in with Aid Impedant standing by with our entertainment report right here on the Body 990. All right, we're cooking with gas now, everybody.
Welcome back to Search Country Are broadcasting from the top of Mississippi this morning at a South Haven institution, Dales. You know, I used to come here when I was just a little fella. I mean, like a little tiny fella. It was either Dales or the Piccadilly, depending on how many Methodists were in line. You know, this, again, I shouldn't, Dylan, I actually chose the Baptist.
I may have chosen the wrong denomination. You may have, yeah. The Our Sermon. Great to have you back with us. Yes.
We're excited to have a very special guest with us, one of my favorite theater groups in the Mid-South, based right here in DeSoto County, DeSoto Family Theater. Dan Lehman is with us, a community liaison and the tech director. And Dan, I got to tell you, those are Broadway quality shows. And I can say that because when I lived in New York City, I hit all the Broadway shows.
Well done for you guys. Thank you very much for that recognition. Appreciate it very much.
So I missed the last show, and I was very disappointed because Little Women, and I hear, I've heard nothing but incredible reviews from that show. The songs, you take something, you know, you read a book and you bring a book to life. AI can't do that, but you put that on a stage where you have such beautiful voices and the expressions of people bringing the person from out of the pages into the life, and the music is just gorgeous. It's a fantastic experience. And of course, our very own Aiden Pettit, who does our entertainment report, starred in one of the summer shows, and his mom was one of the stars of Little Women.
He was our lead in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coach. His mom was the lead mother. She was Marmee in this show, and the whole arrangement of her and her little women, all the girls growing up, and the struggles that you look for, and you see how people dealt with things back at the time. It was a beautiful story. Beautiful words.
One of the things I love, first of all, the shows are so well done, and the cast members are. Pretty young. You know, they're kind of all over the age spectrum, but I'm just so impressed with the talent pool that you guys have been able to assemble.
Well, the talent, not only on stage, but behind the scenes.
So, like you said, you'd like the lighting, the way you could understand it. The thing that you have to do on stage is be seen, be heard, be understood. And in community theater, you've got to make sure that message comes across or people lose interest. People behind the scenes, making the lighting work, making the choreography help to tell the story, making the movement of the sound in the theater sound like you're really in the room with the people talking. It was a phenomenal team that makes this all happen.
Of course, you guys have been doing shows. They're building the new theater at Landers.
So you guys have been at the Gin house? The Gin and Nesbitt.
So we've done a couple things. One is while we're trying to stay relevant and working within the community, we've looked for other venues to do shows. Our summer camps are always held. We either do them at the Landers Center in the main ballroom, or we've done them over at North Point so that we can continue to build our pipeline and grow our youth. Into becoming our actors in the future as well as technicians.
In addition, we went down to the Heindel Center and put on newsies. We rented a Broadway set to put on newsies at the Heindel Center, and it was a phenomenal experience for the actors as well as the whole production team and the community just absolutely loved that experience. They thought it was better than the Broadway show. And all the musicians, you don't even realize there's a lot of musicians that don't know where and what they can do, and they come to the theater and help with that. It's really exciting to see what's happening here in DeSoto County with the arts community.
A lot of people think, oh, it's a super big major cities and metropolitan areas that have the arts. You guys have all of that right here in DeSoto. Yes, we do. We support not only our theater, but we also support the other theaters, helping them to help their productions get off the ground. A lot of people will call us and say, I need these costumes, or I need this set piece, or I need these lighting instruments.
Can you help us with them? And we will share our talent because that's the only way community theater works. Everybody's a volunteer, and everybody's trying to help make this whole production come to life. And also, you guys have opportunities for folks to support and become sponsors as well, because it takes a lot of money to get the rights for the shows and even the rights for like choreography and things as well. Yeah, the whole process is this.
I don't know if you know Matt Lipskin, but Matt Lipskin's one of the founders of our organization. And he said, if you see something you'd like, you need to do two things. Either go and support it physically by putting your body on site or support it financially. And for example, people going on mission trips, he always supports and gives money towards people going on sharing the gospel. He also supports us at the theater to help say do it.
So our website's got a site to say donate. Just donate, participate, help us put on our shows, help us put on our camps, cover the cost of batteries. It's a great way. And the other thing is, come and be an usher. Meet the people who are involved in the show.
Meet the people who are coming to see the shows. And it's a great way to network within your community. And I also have to imagine, especially for the kids, you know, getting them plugged in somewhere and whatever skills that they may not end up on Broadway, they may end up doing something totally different, but it's the skills they're learning being a part of the theater. Oh, absolutely. My daughter grew up in the theater and she left the stage, went into the sound booth, became very good at sound, went to work at Theater Memphis and Memphis Audio.
And from there, she is now working to, because the people like the way she coordinated productions, she is now working for Yates Construction, and she is in charge of the new building of the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. She's a part of the Part of that team, and it's because you know how to collaborate, work, and coordinate things together to make it happen. What's the website address for the theater? dftonline.org.
All right, dftonline.org. You can check out the website. You can donate. You can find out how you can get involved. Maybe your kids or grandkids can get involved.
It is a great, great organization. And real quick, you guys have stuff happening in Olive Branch too with the big Christmas holiday company.
Well, so my son, who grew up in theater as well, he started saying, I want to give back in another way. And he's got the Olive Branch Light Garden Show coming up. And it opens the day after Thanksgiving and runs till New Year's Day with every night live performances supporting and raising funds for six different charities.
So far in the three years he's done it, he's raised money for over $100,000 to support six different charities. And this year it's going to be bigger and better. And there's live music, food trucks. It's a walk around. Enjoy your family Christmas experience.
I love that. All right. So we're going to get him on the show a little bit, a little Bit later to talk more about that. But thank you so much for the great work you're doing, Dan. And please tell all of the folks involved how much we appreciate them.
And it really is a precious thing that you guys are doing here in the Mid-South. Oh, Todd, thank you. And I'm just trying to give back like God's given to me. I'm trying to give back to people and help them find that there is hope and there's a joy in doing this and fellowship through that. And I'm actually on my way to watch one of my dear friends who's helped me backstage land his final FedEx flight and see that experience.
And that's beautiful. We're going out in the tarmac and share the joy with people who've helped us through the years. And there's so many good stories through the theater experience.
Well, we've got to let you scoot off and get out of here. Dan Lehman, everybody, from the DeSoto Family Theater, joining us here at Dale's. Real quick, let's check in with Parker May with a look at your sports update. Woo! I'm Parker May, and this is your KWAN Sports Update, presented by Ortho1 Sports Medicine and Dr.
DeLavach. In the NFL, the Patriots improved a 9-2 with a 24-14 win of the Jets on Thursday night football. This week's load of games is highlighted by division battles out west as the Rams host the Seahawks and the Broncos host the Chiefs. CJ Stroud and Jackson Dartwood will be out this week with concussions. In college football, College Game Day heads to Pittsburgh as they host Notre Dame.
This week's flate is highlighted by playoff elimination games in the SUC and the Big Ten. My quick picks for the week are Alabama over Oklahoma, USC over Iowa, and Georgia over Texas. In high school football, it's playoff time in Memphis. This is Briarcress with host Macaulay. Other notable games in the area include Houston v.
Ravenwood and Southland taking on Brentwood. The Memphis Tigers basketball team look to bounce back from their midweek loss at Ole Miss as they host UNLV on Sunday. I'm Parker May on the Mighty 990 K-Wham. All right, thank you very much, Parker May. And we are broadcasting live from Dales.
Come by, grab some breakfast, and then head out and enjoy your day. The coffee here is pretty spectacular, by the way. Tonight, let me tell you, we are going to have a lot of fun. We've got the Briarcrest football game happening at 7 o'clock. That's going to be a lot of fun.
The playoff game, you'll be able to hear that live on the Mighty 990. Walker Baudry is going to be up in the press box today with the play-by-play. That's going to be a lot of fun. Also, tomorrow in South Haven, if you would like information on attending the apologetics conference, I'll be speaking at with Charlie Kirk and the Cosmos. Institution.
You can do that by just sending us a direct message on our social media platform, and we'll get all that info to you. 6 o'clock Graceview Church, that's tomorrow night, 6 o'clock Graceview Church here in South Haven.
Well, you know, it has, I want to circle back to something that happened last night. Where there was a grassroots release celebration thanking Senator Brent Taylor for his Make Memphis Matter campaign. And Justin Johnson, our friend over at the Collierville VFW, literally paid for everything. It was just amazing. He rented out the facility and had a wonderful turnout.
But it was just yet again another reminder that when people stand up together, that you can make change, and change can happen. And one of the things I was so encouraged by when I got up and I heard people speaking, they kept talking about K-WAM and how they were able to get their message out through the Mighty Die-Nighty. And that was really the point of what we're doing here: we want to give the Memphis community a true voice. And so often, in the big corporate-run radio stations, you're not allowed to say certain things, you're not allowed to talk about certain topics, you have to be somebody to get on the that's not that's not what we do here at K-WAM. We believe that everybody matters, and we love talking about politics, we love talking about gardening with our weekend shows.
We have great faith-based shows on Sunday morning, and we love talking about things like theater, we love talking about sports, so we cover the. Gamut here on this radio station, and that was really the dream of the goal when I bought it five years ago. And here we are, and we're still cooking with gas, as they say.
So, we've got a lot going on, and I just want to say thank you once again for being a part of what we do here. I hope that you will take time to reach out there and support the people that are supporting us- all of our partners from Dale's and Juniors Eaton House, Principal Toyota. I mean, the list goes on and on and on. I'm going to get in trouble if I don't name everybody, but we've got a lot of local businesses and companies that are supporting the mission of KWAM, which is giving Memphis a voice. And we're honored to be able to do that.
All right, coming up at 11 o'clock, the Todd Stern Show, our national show kicks off. We have a jam-packed show for you. Also, tonight, 5 o'clock Eastern, we will continue to follow all of the developments coming out of Washington as the government begins to reopen. I know a lot of you folks traveling out at Memphis International Airport wondering if. Your flights are going to be able to make it or not.
They will.
So, just be sure to call ahead of time and make sure that you don't get stuck at the airport for hours on end. All right, that music means we've got to scoot out of here. Again, it has been an honor, and we certainly thank our good friends at Dale's for hosting us this morning. Thank you for joining us as well. Get out there and have a great morning, everybody, and be sure to make Memphis Matter.
