Okay, before I say anything else, here is a little disclaimer. My use of an apostrophe (or lack thereof) in the term, "farmers market," in no way represents my views on how it should be punctuated.

Whew. That's out of the way. It may seem silly but there are some pretty strong opinions out there regarding the use of apostrophes in farmers market. I had no idea until I began researching the farmers markets in the Memphis area and was corrected a couple of times and in a couple of different ways.

Interestingly enough, there are three prominent markets in Memphis and each one punctuates it differently. There is the Memphis Farmers Market, The Agricenter's Farmer's Market, and the Farmers' Market at the Garden.

It is my personal opinion that "farmers' market" is most accurate but I acknowledge that "farmers market" is more common.

But never mind. Today's post was not meant to be a rant about punctuation but rather some information about the best places to get fresh produce in Memphis. So here you have it -- a listing of Memphis area farmers' markets. Enjoy!

Although July 10th will come and go with Mayor Willie Herenton still in office, it is looking increasingly likely that the fifth term mayor will resign on July 30th. The biggest indication that it will really happen? The fact that Charles Carpenter has now said he is entering the race for Memphis Mayor.

Carpenter has served as Herenton's campaign manager for all five of his races. He is also known to be one of the mayor's confidantes. If he is throwing his name into the hat, he must be pretty certain that Herenton is really on his way out.

Professional wrestler, Jerry Lawler, has also announced his intent to run. The last time he ran for Memphis mayor, he only garnered 12% of the vote.

If you are losing track of how many people are planning to run for mayor, check out this list of declared candidates, complete with brief biographies of each one.

On Monday, The Memphis Zoo celebrated the birth of a healthy baby elephant. On Wednesday, the celebration turned to sorrow when the baby elephant died.

According to zoo officials, the baby fell down and her mother tried to help her up. When she did, she accidentally wounded the calf with her tusk. The wound proved to be fatal and the calf died about an hour later.

After a 1 year, 9 month, and 15 day pregnancy (can you imagine?), one African elephant at the Memphis Zoo has given birth to a baby girl. The calf arrived at 10:23 p.m. on July 6, 2009. According to zoo officials, both mom and baby are doing fine.

To ensure that the two get plenty of private bonding time, neither will be on display at the zoo for a while. You can stay up-to-date on the display status of the elephants by visiting the Memphis Zoo website, Facebook page, or Twitter.

While most of us were celebrating on the 4th of July, there were a number of shootings going on all over the city. Four people were killed and 11 people were injured by gunfire in six separate incidents over the weekend. In addition, one other person was murdered but the cause of death remains unclear.

It seems that most, if not all, of these shootings were deliberate. Fortunately, it does not appear that anyone was injured by the celebratory gunfire that can often be heard on the streets of Memphis on Independence Day and New Year's Eve.

In addition to the shootings, two people drowned over the weekend -- one in a flooded drainage pipe in Millington and the other in Walnut Grove Lake.

It seems like summer has barely begun, but I have already received numerous emails inquiring about back-to-school time in Memphis. Common questions include:

• When is registration for Memphis City Schools?
• What immunizations does my child need in the state of Tennessee?
• When is the first day of school in Shelby County?
• When does tax free shopping begin?

Check out this back-to-school information for the answers to these and all of your other back-to-school questions.

Beginning next week, trash pick-up day will change for a lot of us in the city of Memphis. In an effort to make garbage collection more efficient, Memphis Solid Waste Management has undergone a major rerouting. These new routes are designed to save time (and as a result, money) by focusing collection on one section of the city at a time.

So how do you know if your pick-up day has changed? By now, a sticker would have been applied to your garbage can to alert you of the change. If you're still not sure or want to double check your collection day, visit the Memphis Solid Waste Management website.

The 4th of July is just days away and there are lots of events going on all over the city to celebrate. If you haven't made plans yet, be sure to check out all of the great Independence Day events going on in and around Memphis. You can find fireworks displays, live music, activities for children, and great food at celebrations all over the Mid-South. And by the way, there are celebrations going on over the course of several days so you can attend more than one. Know of another Memphis area 4th of July event that should be on the list? Post a comment here and let us know!

Just over a year ago, I joyfully blogged about the fact that Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton had announced his resignation. Today, it is with equal joy but considerably more doubt, that I am blogging about his newest resignation announcement.

The mayor says that he will leave office on July 11th to pursue business opportunities with his son, as well as to focus on his campaign for the 9th Congressional District seat.

Upon Herenton's departure, City Council Chairman Myron Lowery will serve as interim mayor until a special election is held 90 days later. Who will be on the ballot then? At last count, Myron Lowery, A.C. Wharton, and Carol Chumney have announced plans to run and several others are considering it.

So what do you think? Is Herenton really gone this time? And if so, who will make the best new mayor for the city of Memphis? Post a comment below and tell us what you think.

Here is a bit of trivia for you. What do the crape myrtle and the dogwood have in common? They are the city’s official flower and tree, respectively. For years, I didn’t even know that Memphis had an official flower or tree!

And while I found that information fascinating, I was completely blown away by what the Memphis Chamber of Commerce claims the average summer temperature in Memphis is. Want to take a guess? For this answer and more, check out these Memphis facts and figures.