Jon W. Sparks - The Commercial Appeal -

Editor's note: Today's is the first of regular twice-weekly editions that will come with your subscription. The focus is on activities and pictures from neighborhoods and church and school communities.

Today's suburbs were once the outposts of Memphis. In the 19th century, they were a far trek, but well-connected thanks to railway lines.

The Union Depot community would become Bartlett, which had a series of plantations along Stage Road.

Germantown -- which got its start as a utopian community that aimed to emancipate slaves -- had the Memphis-Charleston Railroad built through there in 1852.

Cordova's 1889 train station that was a stop along the Memphis-Nashville route (when six trains daily came by) is still standing.

And the train depot at Collierville was the scene of a fierce battle in the Civil War, one that ended with the town being burned to the ground.

Collierville, as its residents will gladly tell you, has rebounded nicely since it started again in 1870. And the other 'burbs have similarly exploded to the point where you can get into Memphis a lot quicker than you could in the 19th century (although not so much by rail).

But even with all Memphis has to offer, the suburban communities have developed some strong attractions and diversions, many of which have Memphians heading east to enjoy the benefits.

The Germantown Charity Horse Show has been a sports institution since 1948, but it has become much more than that.

For several years now, the five-day show with its multiple classes of competition has benefited the Exchange Club Family Center. It's also as much a festival as a sports event.

Bobby Lanier, the show's longtime executive director, touts the family atmosphere. "You can come picnic -- there's plenty of food, or you can bring your own. We have decorated boxes, and you can have a party." It's an easy thing to get close to the horses, and the culture of the show is nurtured by some old-fashioned pageantry.

And there's no small bit of pride. The Horse Show grounds are on Melanie Smith Lane, named for the Germantown equestrian who won a gold medal in show jumping with the American team at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

When it comes to mall experiences, the two magnetic poles drawing in shoppers are near Bartlett with the Wolfchase Galleria and in Collierville at The Avenue Carriage Crossing.

The Avenue is a high-end outdoor center mixing national and local retailers with trendy restaurants.

There is what you'd expect in stores from Abercrombie & Fitch to Zales, with Dillard's and Macy's anchoring. But there is something a bit unusual -- the Animals on the Avenue storefront operated by Collierville Animal Services to help promote animal adoptions.

The storefront has hosted daylong summer camps for kids to increase awareness of the need for animal adoptions.

Wolfchase has been a fixture for more than 13 years in that triangle bounded by Interstate 40, Germantown Parkway and U.S. 64. Unlike The Avenue, it's an indoor mall, but it has many of the same retailers, and the surrounding area is abundant with other stores.

The eight-screen Malco Wolfchase Cinema is a big attraction for first-run movie lovers, and children will insist on taking a ride on the carousel by the food court.

It was 18 years ago when Ray Charles played the first event at the Germantown Performing Arts Centre. Since then, GPAC has continued to program remarkable acts in its 824-seat auditorium, plus provide a venue for local performances by the IRIS Orchestra, Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Opera Memphis, Germantown Symphony Orchestra and Germantown Chorus.

"GPAC is such a part of the cultural identity of the community," says Tania Castroverde Moskalenko, executive director. "We bring artists you expect to see at Carnegie Hall or the Kennedy Center. It's important to provide that level of excellence in the arts being experienced around the world."

If the region wants to attract the best and brightest to live and work here, she says, these are exactly the kinds of amenities they would expect.

"The IRIS Orchestra is our resident orchestra and one of the jewels of GPAC," she says. In addition, the Jazz in the Box program that spotlights local jazz talent has become a model for presenters in other parts of the country.

Also, GPAC's educational outreach has had success with its Peanut Butter and Jam music education program, and the recently formed Youth Orchestra has tripled in size, bringing in talented youngsters from around the region.

For a long time, Shelby Farms was better known as the Penal Farm, a place along the commute into Memphis, or just some big open area that, as one consultant observed, wasn't a place designed to attract people.

But in recent years, the area has taken on fresh purpose and is poised to be a top urban park. It's already five times the size of New York's Central Park and has natural forests, wetlands, hiking, biking and horse trails along with a herd of bison.

The Shelby Farms Park Conservancy is overseeing development of a master plan that will coordinate the park's evolution with an eye to sustainability and protecting the natural environment. You'll see Shakespeare in the Park at the newly renovated amphitheater, and eventually Patriot Lake will be extended, more trails will be built, and a million new trees will be planted. And it's being connected by the Wolf River Greenway on the south and the Shelby Farms Greenline on the west.

One of the best places for kids and families is the Bartlett Performing Arts and Conference Center. While the facility brings a variety of top-notch entertainment, it keeps a strong commitment to bring young people in.

"Everything we do we consider to be family friendly," says Ron Jewell, director of BPACC. "However, we do have some programs that are designed for parents and some specifically for a parent to bring children to. It's important to us that the adults today teach their children what it means to be in an audience and experience live performances instead of getting it all from TV."

Programming includes events that have youths performing for their peers as well as adults performing for families.

A program that BPACC initiated last year is the TheatreKids Conservatory that gets young people actively involved in production and performance of a show. The most recent was a five-performance staging of the musical "Oklahoma!" Next up in January is "Starfish Circus," a two-week program for teenagers where professional circus performers teach them circus skills -- acrobatics, clowning and juggling -- to produce a 60-minute circus show. Auditions are Jan. 12 with two performances on Jan. 28.