Target celebrates 10 years with show-stopping two-day event

Photography by Peter Barta



To commemorate 10 years of providing a home-away-from-home for St. Jude patients and their families, Target House celebrated with a two-day star-studded event organized exclusively for the patients and families of St. Jude.

The celebration kicked off Thursday, Sept. 17, with a Fiestaval Carnival under a big tent on the St. Jude campus. Flamenco dancers swirled to the music of the Mariachi band. Kids played dress-up with sombreros, funky glasses, feather boas and moustaches, and were treated to souvenir photos. Arts and crafts booths sparked creativity, and piñatas were cracked open for the goodies inside.

Oversized soft blocks with comfy pillows provided ringside seating for the main attraction -- a full-size half pipe constructed to showcase the gravity-defying bicycle and skateboard tricks of several extreme athletes. After the high-flying performances, the athletes joined Olympic snowboarder Shaun White to autograph photos.

On Friday, Sept. 18, the festivities moved off-campus to “The Big Top Circus” at Target House and included circus performers, a larger-than-life tiered birthday cake stage, special performances from season six American Idol first runner-up, Blake Lewis, and the Beale Street Flippers, Memphis’ own urban acrobatic troupe and America’s Got Talent contestants.

Tony Thomas, son of St. Jude founder Danny Thomas, welcomed celebrity friends, including White, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Amy Grant, and Sean Conway to join former and current Target House residents to help celebrate the grand occasion.