Richmond magazine - February 2023 - Sourcebook

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BATH A new outlook on life.

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HEALTH

124 VOLUNTEERS Hospital programs bring smiles to children’s faces.

128 ENRICHMENT The Faison Center expands its programming for autistic adults.

132 Q&A Meet the new CEO of the Alliance for Building Better Medicine.

EDUCATION

144 RESEARCH A VCU study shows the benefits of dogs in the classroom.

150 PUBLIC SCHOOLS Henrico’s Yay of the Day recognizes outstanding school staff.

154 UNIVERSITIES UR Law students put their education to work in Qatar.

162 SPORTS The River City Inclusive Gym offers workout classes for people with disabilities.

NEIGHBORHOODS

172 RETREATS Four designers create at-home havens for clients.

176 COMMUNITIES 55-plus communities offer engaging amenities and a healthy lifestyle.

180 FESTIVALS Neighborhoods come together to celebrate the arts, music and the community.

182 INTERIOR DESIGN Insights into the hottest interior design trends for 2023.

187 ZONES Detailed dives into the Richmond region’s many neighborhoods.

DINING

220 RESTAURANTS Places and plates that satisfy our pleasure centers.

224 INDUSTRY The Richmond Bartenders’ Guild serves up education and camaraderie.

228 PRODUCTS San-J tamari aims to make the U.S. a fermentation destination.

230 AGRICULTURE An African superfood shows promise in Virginia.

232 COMMUNITY The latest standouts in Richmond’s beverage and food scene.

BACK PAGE

240 PARTING SHOT A piece of Americana makes way for progress.

162 162

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If you’ve got an interest, we’ve got an e-newsletter for that. River City Roundup shares our editors' picks for the best things to see and do in Richmond each week. Mindy Kinsey’s Editor’s First Look offers a biweekly dose of our latest feature stories, commentary and sneak peeks. We share the latest in #RVADine in the weekly Food News, from new restaurants to special events and purveyor profiles. Our sister publication R•Home brings readers inside beautiful residences throughout the region in a biweekly look at home decor news and trends. And every weekend, the Sunday Story explores a new corner of our city and the people who make Richmond Richmond. Subscribe today at richmondmag.com/newsletters.

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READERS' FAVORITES RETURNS

In March, Richmond magazine's sister publication R•Home will publish survey results of those home service providers and retailers on whom our readers rely. Used as a reference when an issue or need arises, this issue is one in which to feature home-focused businesses through well-crafted ad design.

SPRING FORWARD TO TRAVELING

RVATraveler, which is a bonus issue for all our readers in the spring and fall, will return in April with getaway suggestions across the state. Through custom sponsored content, this publication is the perfect spot in which to highlight new attractions and accommodations in your locality.

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EDITOR from the

MINDY KINSEY

Happy Together

Richmond magazine’s annual Sourcebook is designed as both a complete guide for newcomers and an indispensable reference for everyone who lives in the region. No matter how long you’ve been a Richmonder, we hope you will learn something about the city in these pages. It’s our largest issue of the year because it contains a little bit of everything.

The theme for this year’s Sourcebook came from our realization that, while Richmond may have its challenges, we are generally happy here. With its world-class cultural centers, award-winning dining, wide-ranging recreation, excellent educational prospects, unparalleled views and first-rate entertainment venues, the city is our “happy place.”

Asking residents about their favorite places in Richmond turned out to be a

Contributors

Rachel Maves

Rachel Maves, a Richmondbased freelance illustrator, has worked for Uber, The Washington Post, Warby Parker and celebrities such as Bo Burnham, Zayn Malik and Matthew Perry. She is also the designer for Richmond’s Afterglow Coffee Cooperative and Cobra Burger. Maves created the artwork that appears on the cover and throughout this issue.

great way to explore the city and learn a bit more about its people. Beginning on Page 28, we meet prominent Richmonders who explain why a particular park, restaurant, museum, bar or bridge is their happy place. In the Diversions section, starting on Page 51, we visit a gallery turned gathering place, welcome the return of horse racing at Colonial Downs, cheer for local semi-pro sports teams and more.

On Pages 38 and 124 we offer articles about nonprofit organizations that are working to make Richmond a better place to live. On Page 102 we learn how CoStar is making a big bet that employees can be happy returning to the office, while on Page 110 we meet a woman who has started a business providing personal assistants so parents are happier when they are at home.

Richmond and the country have had a tough three years, but throughout this

issue we see services expanding, health care improving, businesses rebounding and restaurants returning. According to Niche, Henrico is the top county in Virginia for young professionals, and as if to prove the point, three Richmonders landed on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 lists. Virginia is consistently named one of the top states for business, and Richmond is home to eight Fortune 500 companies. According to an analysis by the Greater Richmond Partnership, the region has regained the number of jobs it had prior to the COVID19 pandemic and our unemployment rate is among the lowest in the nation.

With growth come challenges, and we are queuing up articles to cover many of them in the coming months. But for now, we are glad to focus on the good news and on the people, schools, businesses, organizations and neighborhoods that make us happy here in Richmond.

Julianne Tripp  Julianne Tripp is a professional freelance photographer with a passion for making a positive impact on the community. She shoots current events, food and more for Richmond publications; she did two portraits in our Welcome section. Tripp also works as the development manager at Oakwood Arts, a nonprofit in the East End of Richmond that makes creative careers accessible to all.

Kim Catley  Kim Catley is a freelance writer and a regular contributor to Richmond magazine, as well as a variety of university magazines. She was previously an ambassador and board member for Project Yoga Richmond, an organization that played a significant role in her life. On Page 38, she writes about nonprofits that make the city a better place to live.

Justin Tran   Justin Tran is an illustrator and former Richmond resident who lives in Brooklyn, New York. He hopes to visit the River City again soon to ride a bicycle on the Virginia Capital Trail and eat a piece of Kuba Kuba’s tres leches cake. Tran illustrated the story about personal assistants on Page 110.

Sheri Rosner (804) 229-5508

Susan S. Fisher (804) 338-3378

Barbara Little (804) 314-3318

Lynn Thomas (804) 350-6666

Ann VanderSyde (804) 683-3809

Jamie Younger (804) 287-4666

Barbara Lustig (804) 349-5590

C’mon Get Happy

Prominent Richmonders share the places that make their hearts sing

by Paula Peters Chambers

Most of us have one: a place that makes our heart happy, for whatever reason. It might be as large as a mountaintop view or as small as a certain chair in a particular house. In Richmond, mine is For the Love of Chocolate, the candy store in Carytown. Not only is it a feast for every sense, but it’s also a place where I can find a gift for every person in my life.   Talking about happy places is a great way to learn about people, as well as the region, so we asked a number of prominent Richmonders to share theirs. Some chose very specific spots, including restaurants, museums and parks. But Mayor Levar Stoney spoke for many when, through a press rep, he said that “all of Richmond” is his happy place.

To learn TV personality Bill Bevins’ happy place, visit richmondmag. com/bevins

Meg Medina, author, Library of Congress National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature  T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge

My happy place is the T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge. Whenever I have people come to visit Richmond for the first time, it is the first place that I suggest. It’s beautiful to walk out over the river and see the rapids. And symbolically, I like being in that space. I like seeing all the quotations inscribed on the slats.

I’m not from here. When I moved here in the 1990s, the history of Richmond was surprising and difficult. Our city is known for its history, and so much of it is sad history. We’ve been trying to remake ourselves and fighting against remaking ourselves for years. It's been exciting to see all the changes in the city. The bridge puts all those perspectives out there. It embraces what

our history has been, the sad parts, but there’s an honesty about it. There’s symbolism about bridges. This one is about making something new that attracts people … all kinds of people. That speaks to me about where Richmond is moving.

I learned about the bridge by reading about it somewhere; somebody’s dog had gotten stuck in the slats. I wondered, “What is this bridge?” and I went down. I remember photographing all the quotations and being able to stand in the middle of the river and regard Richmond from the middle. It’s a beautiful experience for me. It's not overwhelming, and it’s free. It’s an easy thing to do.

JULIANNE TRIPP

My mom was an artist and taught me to be an artist. I would go to the VMFA with her, and we would sit and she would dissect the paintings — the brushstrokes, types, periods. I learned so much, and I learned so much about my mom in those moments, too. I saw the artist, the instructor and the student at the same time.

I first saw Maymont with my high school friend. She took me there when I got out of the Army in 2007. I was in a bad place, and I remember I loved it so much. The Japanese maples are my favorite. Every time a friend visits from out of town, we go

to Maymont. One of my best memories of my father was being at the Richmond Jazz and Music Festival with him and my wife, listening to Jill Scott and being in the moment. My favorite picture of my mom was taken at Maymont.

VMFA and Maymont provide me with the memories I have shared with people I care about and love. Each time I go to each place, I am flooded with memories of my mom, of happy memories with others and the excitement of creating a new memory. Each of these places provides me with such a sense of happiness.

Stephanie Merlo, public speaker and advocate for women, LGBTQ+ and veterans  VMFA AND Maymont

Daniel Harthausen, chef, Young Mother; winner of “The Big Brunch” (HBO Max)  Yewon, Midlothian

My happy place is probably this place called Yewon in Midlothian. It’s a Korean restaurant. I go there when I’m feeling nostalgic and want to get away. It’s a little drive out of the city, maybe 20-30 minutes. It’s one of the best restaurants in Richmond now. Going there is a nice escape for me because I don’t have to cook for myself the food that’s comforting to me. It’s very nostalgic for me because they serve everything in a traditional Korean way. Someone recommended them to me maybe two years ago.

It took me a while to go, because of the drive. But when I finally went, it was great. I started going every week.

I don’t know if they’ve made the connection that I am a chef. They definitely notice me because I come in a lot, but I don’t say much. I'm not being a chef when I’m there. When you’re a chef or working in the food world, when you frequent restaurants, you don’t always want to have to be that person. Going there is my little escape.

CHRISTOPHER PUMA SMITH

I think of the two parks as one, even though they’re divided by a gate. It was a safe place to be as a kid, just being outside, just part of the neighborhood. I almost knew that place like the back of my hand. I used to ride my bike to Carytown. I still drive through there and walk through there. Maymont is a beautiful place in the center of it all. It’s peaceful, and you can walk almost down to the river.

I recall the Richmond Jazz and Music Festival at the park, and I miss it.* It brought something bigger to the community, a perfect place where people came together with good food and great drinks to listen to fantastic music. The festival really highlighted who we are, our flavor and our history of music. I don’t think many people think about that.

*The festival is scheduled to return in 2023.

Myra Goodman Smith, president and CEO, Leadership Metro Richmond  William Byrd Park and Maymont

I wish I could be super original, but I’ve got to say Belle Isle. We live within walking distance from it, and we like walking there a lot. Our children all learned to rock-climb and kayak there. We hosted many a birthday party there. I remember one morning, when I was at the law firm, going out early and hiding scavenger hunt prizes to come back to find at the end of the day.

Now that we love walking so much, we enjoy the tremendous variety of birds, people and boats that we see. It’s always different, depending on the time of year. It’s a little oasis in the heart of the big city.

Richmond is so unique. I grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, doing a lot of canoeing and kayaking, but I would have to drive a long way to do that — four hours to the Ozarks. When I moved here in 1984, that pedestrian bridge wasn’t there. I bet the first time I got to Belle Isle was by canoe or raft. Years ago, my wife — she wasn’t even my wife yet — took me on a picnic to Texas Beach. I remember sitting there and thinking, “We’re in the heart of the city, and we can see kayaks and canoes and blue herons.” We’ve really reclaimed our place as a river city.

Tim Kaine, U.S. Senator  Belle Isle

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is my favorite place in Richmond because of its connection with history and historymaking. The institution is a storehouse of relics. I think of the comparison between a library and a museum. In a museum, you can see a physical thing, have a physical perception of it, where in a library you see things in pictures and texts.

Within the museum, I go to the African art galleries. I think I would still go there if I wasn’t the curator, maybe because I’m an African, born and raised in Nigeria. I came to America when I was over 30 years old, a full-grown man. Relics of Africa speak about my past and give me a vision of the past. What we gather

today will help future generations understand certain things about us when we are no longer here.

I’m interested in enlivening the African art galleries. Excitement and noise help us believe ancestral spirits are in that sacred space. When it’s quiet, it looks as if danger or evil has driven everyone away. The presence of the spirit is what people celebrate, and that comes from musical instruments making noise, and chanting and appreciating the spirits who have come. Sometimes, you need the quietness to think, but if we want to re-create an ideal sacred space within an African context, we need the noise to come in.

Ndubuisi C. Ezeluomba, Ph.D., Curator of African Art, VMFA Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Garrison, superintendent, James River Park System Joe’s Inn, Bon Air

I have lots of favorite places, because I love this city and grew up here. But if I had to name one, it would be Joe’s Inn in Bon Air, family side, the big table in the back. For decades, my family has gone there for dinner on Monday nights. It’s a very warm place where you know all the waitstaff, and they know us, just like they do with everybody. I love everything about it. I love the big loaf of white bread and the little butter packets. I love the little juice cup of wine.

Those gatherings also include people who are my mentors

and my close friends. Over time, people have come and gone, and in my imagination, the table grows. I was a teenager at the table. I remember there were times when I might have done something I shouldn’t, and we’d talk about it there. We still go on Mondays, and now I bring my 11-month-old baby to the table — it’s so much fun. It feels like home away from home but better because you can walk away from the dishes and because the team there really represents what I want Richmond to be like: accepting and tolerant. It’s a very warm and happy place for me.

Giles

Chris Mooney, head men’s basketball coach, University of Richmond  Tuckahoe Little League

My happy place would be Tuckahoe Little League. My younger son, Ryan, plays baseball. He’s probably played there for four to five years. It’s a beautiful layout, with nine fields.

It was the first activity that came back after the COVID lockdown. It really was that we couldn’t wait to get outside and be among other people and watch games, just bringing our chairs and maybe something to drink.

Usually, there are games going on all the fields, and you can hear pockets of cheers all around. You can turn around between innings to see other games. You’re outside in the sun, watching baseball, just sitting there, getting to know the other parents. It’s really fun to not have to make any of the decisions.

You don’t have to worry about anything — just cheer for your little guy.

My happy place would be Horsepen Road — with Pho Tay Do, Pho Thien Phat, Vietnam 1 Noodle & Grill, banh-mi Catina Bakery and Tan A Supermarket. I love going into Tan A to check out different fruits and vegetables you don’t see other places. You can get all kinds of great things: wonton skins or ingredients to make your own dumplings. I bought new bowls and plates there. That place rules.

When it comes to the restaurants, it depends on the friend circle to see who claims which one is the best. Pho Thien Phat has great, quick service, and the oxtail pho is awesome. Pho

Tay Do has the best Vietnamese coffee.

I first went there with musicians I met after I moved to Richmond in 2001. That was probably one of the first times I’d had any food remotely like that. It’s some of the greatest food in the world. I like all different types of food, but having soup, especially during the winter, is so satisfying. If you’ve never tried it, do the training wheels version -- just get chicken noodle or beef noodle. You don’t have to get tendon or tripe. Everyone can find something. Don’t be intimidated; just go try some more food.

Reggie Pace, trombonist, NO BS! Brass Band  Vietnamese restaurants on and near Horsepen Road

Julia Warren of Celebrate RVA provides birthday parties for kids who otherwise wouldn't have them.

Moments

A A Joy of

by Kim Catley

few years ago, Julia Warren was working at a birthday party hosted by her nonprofit, Celebrate RVA, when a man walked in to pick up the guest of honor.

Warren says the child had been nervous when he first arrived, but as the party went on, he relaxed and was having fun. She asked the man if he could come back in 30 minutes. “He told me that he was the child’s social worker,” she says, “and they needed to find a place for him to sleep that night because none of his family wanted to take him in.

“In the moment, I had no idea this child was going through that. But for an hour and a half, his biggest decisions were what balloon animal he wanted and what he wanted painted on his face. He just got to be a kid.”

So often, it’s easy to see the urgency around meeting our most fundamental needs, from food and housing to education and health care. But a life well lived is about so much more than the barest of necessities. A birthday party, a hug from someone who understands what you’re going through or an hour of creativity — these are just as important to our health and well-being.

Celebrate RVA, which hosts and provides supplies for birthday parties for children who otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity, is one of several area nonprofits creating moments of joy and light in Richmond. In their own way, they’re working to meet the critical needs of residents — even when many of us might not realize those needs exist.

A Home Away From Home

When a patient enters a hospital for surgery or long-term care, all eyes are typically on them. Doctors and nurses are focused

on their prognosis and treatment plan, while meals and a place to sleep are provided. Family and friends may visit often and provide emotional support — an offering that is associated with positive outcomes for the patient.

But that family support can sometimes come at the expense of the caregivers’ well-being, especially when they’re the parent of a young child receiving treatment.

The R onald McDonald House Charities of Richmond ensures that families with children receiving care at 10 area hospitals and pediatric treatment facilities receive comfort during a challenging time. RMHC Richmond also addresses basic logistical needs, such as food, transportation, sleep and laundry so that parents have the time and energy to concentrate on their child’s healing.

Their Lunches With Love program provides meals for caregivers who might not want to leave their child alone, or who only have a few dollars left in their bank account. “Parents of children in the hospital don’t want to leave their child’s side,” says Jay Lugar, director of development and marketing. “They want their child to know they’re there, and they want to see the doctors and nurses coming around.

“If a caregiver or parent doesn’t have to worry about feeding themselves or whether or not they have the means to rent a hotel room, they’re able to show up as their best selves and really focus on their child.”

For those in need of a short respite, RMHC Richmond also provides sleeping rooms at the hospital, and their facilities are set to expand in 2023 when the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU opens its Wonder Tower. The family-centered facility will provide space for families to relax, eat and sleep, as well as a play area for siblings.

Wh en patients face an extended stay or long-term

Meet five area nonprofits that provide essentials not just for the body, but for the soul

treatment, especially if they’re not from Richmond, the need for housing can present an additional — and expensive — source of stress.

The Doorways provides a home away from home for patients at several Richmond-area hospitals, as well as their caregivers. Every year, more than 10,000 people stay at their guest house, located just blocks away from VCU Health hospitals. Their facility has more than 100 guest rooms, with staff and volunteers who provide meals and other services.

One guest, Debra, came to the Doorways from Danville after her husband’s routine gallbladder surgery didn’t go as expected. He was admitted to VCU Health, and after Debra spent two days sleeping in a hospital recliner, it hit her: She was more than three hours from home with no car and no way to get anything she needed. A nurse recommended the Doorways, and Debra ended up staying there for two months.

When the Doorways was founded nearly 40 years ago, its focus was on the families of people receiving long-term inpatient care. Now, says Stacy Brinkley, president and CEO, about half of their rooms are typically used by people receiving outpatient treatment, such as chemo and radiation, or patients awaiting a transplant.

They designed the guest house to meet a variety of patient needs, such as a wing for immune-suppressed patients receiving stem cell transplants, a floor with a play-

room for pediatric patients, and extended-stay suites. The building also has common areas where patients and families can connect with others facing similar challenges, creating an impromptu support network. “We hear such great stories about the community,” Brinkley says, “of the support and the lifelong friendships that they make here.”

Sharing the Practice of Well-Being

When Mark Hierholzer started taking art classes, he realized the practice gave him a sense of peace and balance — a welcome counterbalance to his work leading a youth mental health services organization. So when he retired, he started teaching art classes in his studio in hopes of sharing his practice — and improved well-being — with others.

It seemed that all of his students were dealing with outside stressors, but when they gathered and focused their attention on creating art, they were able to leave their troubles at the door.

Hierholzer also was volunteering at the Virginia Correctional Center for Women in Goochland, where many of the women had experienced abuse, trauma and substance-use disorders. One of his studio students, Jamie Wiggington, wondered if these women could also benefit from a personal creative practice. In 2013, Hierholzer, with Wigginton and another of his students, Cindy Paullin, founded Art for the Journey, teaching art classes to eight incarcerated women at the correctional center.

“As we started to deliver [classes], we wondered who else was reaching out to incarcerated women,” says Paullin, who is now the organization’s executive director. “We decided to focus on people who are least likely to receive the benefits of art experiences.”

Soon after, they started working with people living with dementia, followed by children exposed to prolonged trauma and veterans living with post-traumatic stress disorder. “Our mission is to transform lives through art and community,” she says, “but with a special focus on people who otherwise wouldn’t have access to these services.”

Today, Art for the Journey is run by hundreds of volunteer art instructors — and the organization is always recruiting more. A quarter of its volunteers are professional, practicing artists, but the majority are students interested in health careers. The organization provides evidence-based training specific to the populations they serve.

Art for the Journey also partners with universities to evaluate the success of their programs and compare the effectiveness of art classes against pharmacological treatments. The data often points to a successful link, but Paullin says her experiences volunteering with Art for the Journey

Tyree, a student at the Anna Julia Cooper School, at an Art for the Journey class.

have also demonstrated its effectiveness.

She recalls a former gunnery sergeant who, upon arrival, stressed that she was no artist. She didn’t want to be there, she said, but her friends had made her come. That day, Paullin says, they were swirling food coloring into shaving foam and applying it to watercolor paper. As the veteran finished her first design, she peeled back the paper and saw the shape of a dove in the negative space. “She started to visibly shake and cry, and let out the feeling of tension,” Paullin says, noting that by the end she was smiling.

“Every day, we have a joyful experience — the volunteers and the people we’re serving,” Paullin says. “It’s a communitybuilding and community-bridging way to use art in our community.”

A Day of Celebration

Julia Warren’s idea for Celebrate RVA grew out of a simple conversation at the school where she was volunteering. “I asked a little boy, ‘When were you born?’” she says. “He responded, ‘I think I was born when it was cold outside.’ That’s all he knew about his birthday.

“There’s such a focus on giving back to the community during [the holidays] when everyone is celebrating. But for a child to be told this day is solely about you — it’s really impactful to their confidence and their joy.”

Celebrate RVA partners with local agencies and schools to deliver birthday supplies, decorations

and gifts to a child’s school. Through individual referrals, they can deliver party supplies to a child’s home. The organization also has a venue that will reopen in 2023 for parties, complete with a full kitchen, games, a climbing wall and TVs for dance parties.

In the past, Celebrate RVA volunteers were on hand for celebrations, but they shifted to dropping off supplies during the height of the pandemic. The change received a powerful response from parents. “They want to be able to [throw a party] for their children without someone else coming in,” Warren says. “I would say 40% of kids we celebrate don’t even know that we exist.”

Another local nonprofit, Worthdays, is built on a similar premise: If no one acknowledges your birthday, how do you feel worthy as a human being?

The organization was founded by Caroline Neal, a former social worker with Chesterfield County. She saw firsthand how people impacted by the foster care system — especially older kids — were impacted by grief, loss and separation from family.

While Neal believes the foster care system is broken and there are vast needs to address, she sees celebrations and “normal” childhood experiences as an area where she can make a difference.

Birthdays are the organization’s bedrock, and Neal says they target kids who are living in a group home, treatment center or independent living home and wouldn’t otherwise be celebrated. Every month, she posts a list of children with upcoming birthdays, along with their interests, and community members rally to donate personalized gifts.

“I don’t think people understand the magnitude of [how it feels] when no one acknowledges the anniversary of your b irth when you’re already in a situation where you feel lost and lonely,” Neal says. “Our ultimate goal isn’t to give kids a whole bunch of stuff, but to send the message that they’re worthy, that they’re here for a reason, that they matter, and that they have potential.

“It se ems really small, but sometimes the small things are the big things.”

Worthdays volunteers ensure kids in foster care and protective services are able to celebrate birthdays and holidays.

City Limits

I I

f you’ve traveled around Richmond, you’ve seen Charlie Ponticello’s work, whether as public art or a stone restoration project.

His “Tableith,” a 20-ton double helixtwisting piece near 901 W. Franklin St., uses 51 inscribed discs to depict Richmond Professional Institute’s evolution into Virginia Commonwealth University, and his stocky, six-foot-tall “Deepwater Sponger” stood near The Boathouse restaurant at

Rockett’s Landing for the better part of a decade. The figure portrayed an imagined time when dwindling water resources would require miners to bring the liquid to the surface.

De spite the serious message, “Kids loved him,” Ponticello says. “People were always getting their picture taken with him.” That ended in July 2020 when a wayward motorist toppled the 2,500pound cast-iron statue. “People who saw it happen said it was like watching somebody drive a totaled car away,” Ponticello recalls. “It was dropping pieces off like a Mr. Potato Head.”

A nd every time you enter or leave the city by its main roadways, you pass one of the boundary markers Ponticello designed circa 1992 when he was an independent contractor for Seaboard C oncrete Products Co. “I was working on about six different projects for them,” Ponticello says. “They had set up my own room in their facility and it was great.”

A s Ponticello remembers it, the city of Richmond c ontacted the firm about

Distinctive but often overlooked, a set of public artworks welcomes visitors to the city of Richmond

By Harry Kollatz Jr.

creating ceremonial boundary markers for the major points of the compass. The city planners brought their concept for seven markers, and Ponticello began a monitored design process. “They came in periodically, and I gave presentations until I put forward a model they got excited about,” he says.

Drawing inspiration from neoclassical columns and pediments, such as those of the Virginia State Capitol, Second Baptist Ch urch and other Richmond buildings, Ponticello designed a 12-foottall pillar with the words “Richmond City Limit” incised in uppercase letters on the capital. “A giant mold was made and cast,” Ponticello says. “I didn’t produce them, nor did I want to — they’re 3- or 4,000 pounds apiece.”

The now-defunct Empire Monumental Works provided the stone and installed the columns. Six of them still stand, on Midlothian Turnpike, Monument Avenue, Huguenot Road, Richmond Highway, Old Osborne Turnpike and Hermitage Road. The Mechanicsville Turnpike column appears to be missing, perhaps a victim of development in the area.

Ponticello began stone carving while still a high school student in New Jersey. The teacher wanted him to carve without using power tools, explaining that he should “feel the materials.” Ponticello

James River

Stars denote the locations of the pillars that mark the city of Richmond's borders.

followed his art and craft to the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore and to VCU, where he earned a master's in fine arts. By 1994, he was also making pieces from plaster and in steel.

I n addition to the pillars and his public art pieces, Ponticello has conducted repairs and restoration for numerous public and private institutions. An early Richmond assignment was the portico of Chesterman Place, an 1876 brownstone built by tobacconist and city treasurer James B. Pace at the corner of Adams and Franklin streets.

He restored the carved acanthus leaves and scrolls of the columns’ Corinthian capitals. Ponticello repaired the stonework of the Petersburg public library and columns for the University of Virginia’s Monroe Hall, and he’s worked on the limestone of seven principal buildings at the University of Richmond. He’s soon to recreate the ornamental tiles in the entrance portico of the VCU School of Medicine’s 1846 Egyptian Building.

At present, he’s casting, in a foundry he built, a 700-pound vessel for installation within the College of William &

Mary’s “Hearth: Memorial to the Enslaved.” The piece is intended to contain fire during commemorative occasions.

When his work on the “Hearth” vessel is completed, Ponticello says he’ll take on a few other projects, but then he wants to concentrate on his personal art at his East End studio. The ornamental work, he says, “has truly beaten me up. It’s a responsibility, though, I’ve taken care of a lot of good things. But I want to get back into the environmental pieces, like the Spongers.”

Sculptor Charlie Ponticello designed Richmond's ceremonial city limits pillars, including this one at Rocketts Landing, circa 1992.

Going Viral

Ja’Mia Brooks is building a brand around an opportunity others overlooked

By Mindy Kinsey

N N

No doubt thousands of Richmonders are sharing dances, recipes, jokes and animal antics on TikTok, but not many film themselves talking about the city. That void inspired Ja’Mia Brooks, 26, to start what has become Richmond's largest dining TikTok. She’s amassed more than 91,000 followers and 41 million views since she started posting videos about the city in January 2021 as @jamiabrooks.

A mass communications major at Virginia State University, Brooks says that she’s always been “obsessed with recording everything I did and making Snapchat or Instagram stories, or just even having it for memories myself.” She and her niece had used Triller to record and share dance videos, and she naturally downloaded TikTok when it was introduced.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Brooks said she and her mother were stuck at home and bored. The women bought “super-duper cheap” flights

to tourist hotspots like Las Vegas and Miami that had fewer pandemic-related restrictions. “We would just go and live it up,” says Brooks, adding, “I was using TikTok to find everything that we were doing. If I was in Miami, I would look up Miami foods ... or things to do in Miami. And that's pretty much how we were navigating the pandemic.”

Brooks was also posting her videos. Her adventures in Vegas, Miami and Los Angeles received thousands of views, so she paid attention when TikTok advertised for Black influencers to join its Creator Fund, which monetizes posts. But when further travel restrictions limited the places to which she could fly, Brooks was unsure how to continue building her TikTok brand to apply for the program. Then she searched the app for Richmond.

“I was looking up the same exact things that I would look up everywhere else I was going, but nothing would pop up,” Brooks says. “I was shocked that there was no one in Richmond that thought to start making videos.”

Brooks prepared five videos for her first week of hometown posts. "I posted the very first video that I had [filmed at Barrio Taqueria + Tequila], and it went viral. It went really crazy,” she says. The video has

more than 340,000 views to date. Thanks to appearances on the news and the “Eat It, Virginia!” podcast, Brooks’ followup videos exploded, too. Restaurants began inviting her in to film. Brooks was in business — and in the Creator Fund.

Ja'Mia Brooks celebrates the RVA food scene on TikTok.

In the two years since, Brooks has posted some 4,000 videos. They rarely receive fewer than 10,000 views, and some have reached six figures — viral by anyone’s definition. Content includes personal experiences curated to appeal to her audience and sponsored posts contracted through her business, Ja’Mia Brooks Marketing (@thejamiabrooks). She notes that her followers are looking for specific content: “Where can I go for my birthday? Where can I go for brunch? Where can I go for a nice dinner? … They don't want me just putting every single business in Richmond. When I see something that's obviously going to attract people and something that we all would want to do, then I try to capture that.”

Br ooks has expanded her digital footprint to encompass YouTube and Instagram, as well. She sees growth opportunities with YouTube, which is offering micro videos in addition to longer fare. “I want people to be able to come and watch short videos of these restaurants and these experiences,” she says.

The influencer also posts on Steller Travel, which is similar to TikTok, and on Facebook. Brooks explains that if any of her platforms were to shut down, “I would want another one to follow and to already have built an audience on. So, I'm trying to do that now instead of later.”

She also ha s diversified her brand to include a travel clothing and accessory company, Ja’Mia by Ja’Mia Brooks (@byjamiabrooks), and a lash extension and microblading business called Bladebabez (@bladebabez). She says she’s working hard now “so that in the future I don’t have to work as hard.”

And influencing is hard work, Brooks says, involving choosing locations, filming and editing content, interacting with online communities and ongoing expenses. “When you start … you’re paying for everything. You're not going to be able to just jump into this; you have to have a plan. And that's literally how I succeeded. I made a plan and I stuck to it.”

Raves About Richmond

Born of need during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Facebook page RVA Dine & Drink has evolved into one of the largest restaurant information sources in the region. With nearly 100,000 members, the page is a place for restaurants to tout specials and for diners to find the perfect birthday dinner, a specific style of sandwich, authentic Italian eats, the best burger, food events and more. Richmond magazine reached out to one of the page’s founders, Kevin Clay of Big Spoon Co. marketing, for details. —MK

Richmond magazine: How did RVA Dine & Drink start?

Kevin Clay: During the pandemic, Big Spoon Co. was trying to figure out a way to help restaurants spread the word about takeout and delivery options. A friend shared a Facebook group based in Hampton Roads, so we decided to create a similar group for Richmond.

RM: And how has it evolved? How are people using the page today?

Clay: Originally, the page was dedicated to restaurants posting their specials for takeout and delivery, but we rebranded the page to be a general group for fans of RVA's dining scene. The first rule of the group is positivity only. It's not a review page but a rave page — we want t o see what people love about the dining scene and help lift restaurants up.

RM: Who are the moderators?

Clay: Myself; Erin Brunner, who is part of the Big Spoon Co. team; and Sterling Stokes, who you may also know as RVA Beermeister and is active in RVA's brewery scene.

RM: Any idea how many local businesses participate? They seem very active and responsive.

Clay: I don't know, but businesses are encouraged to post up to once daily.

RM: Do you envision the page a dding other platforms or staying on Facebook?

Clay: For now, we're staying on Facebook, but who knows what's in store for this year.

RM: Any tips for newcomers using the page?

Clay: If you're in a hurry to find an answer, use the search bar. There are thousands of posts that may already answer your question.

A Facebook page is the go-to for searchable restaurant tips

Kevin Clay

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Social Media

Whether you’ve just moved to the city or you’re a longtime resident looking for something new to do, social media is the go-to source for inspiration. We clicked through our feeds for sites that consistently offer good recommendations, interesting information, or provocative points of view. Plus some really cute kittens! Of course, there are thousands more sites to surf across a plethora of platforms, but these will get you started. Let us know your favorite finds by emailing specialprojects@richmag.com. —MK

FACEBOOK

You may no longer use Facebook to interact with family or friends, but it’s worth a quick search when you’re looking for info on a local business. It’s an easy way for stores to advertise new merchandise and sales, for restaurants to post specials or update hours, and for groups to get the word out about events. Facebook groups can be helpful when you’re looking for an overview of places to go and things to do.

Lindsey’s List RVA: “Craigslist for Richmond,” a place to find jobs, roommates and the like  Richmond VA Things To Do: Exactly what you’d expect from the title

Virginia Wine Love: Includes wineries across the commonwealth, but easily searchable for info on those close to home

INSTAGRAM

Like Facebook, Instagram is an easy place for local businesses to share up-to-the-minute info, so the best advice is to search the site. For more serendipitous discoveries, try following a few of these:

@foster_kittens_rva: Cute kittens

@miss_elaine_neous: Weekly event guides

@racc_shelter: Pets who need a home

@richmondbrunch: Weekend eats

@rvafirstfridays: Art galleries

@sweetsauceblog: Fashion and lifestyle tips

@talltraveleats: Local restaurants and occasional forays to fun travel destinations

@therichmondexperience: Restaurants and hot spots, plus city guides and more available to paid subscribers.

@thewestendmom: Family friendly activities

@venturerichmond: Events, restaurants, shopping and more

TWITTER

Local media outlets shine on Twitter. Add these feeds for variety.

@GoadGatsby: News and politics

@RVACoffeeStain: Art and commentary by Doug Orleski

@RVADirt: Melissa Vaughn of the Virginia Center for Public Press and others live-tweet Richmond City Council meetings.

@TheRVASportsNet: Schedules and updates for local high school and college sports teams

REDDIT

An old school message board made competitive with up (and down) votes and virtual awards, Reddit is

the place to go for rumors, reviews, random questions, odd observations and musings about local life.

r/rva: News, events, shopping, restaurants, lost pets, random questions and more

PODCASTS

For news and entertainment on the go, try some locally produced podcasts. As a bonus, most of these also post to other social sites so you don’t have to take notes while you walk or drive.

Eat It, Virginia! Robey Martin and Scott Wise interview restaurant owners and survey the food scene.

Race Capitol: Chelsea Higgs Wise, Naomi Isaac and Kalia Harris delve into race issues.

The Cheats Movement: Marc Cheatham explores hip-hop, politics and culture.

The Speakcies Show: Steve Glissman probes pop culture in the followup to the popular “Origin of Speakcies” podcast.

Writing Our Way Out: Memoirs stemming from the writing workshops Prof. David Coogan teaches at the Richmond City Jail.  Bonus: Independent radio station WRIR, offers hundreds of past shows on its website, including many genres of music, politics, science, religion and more.

HASHTAGS

When in doubt, search. Most businesses use RVA to distinguish our city from others with the same name. #rvafood, #rvarestaurants, #rvacocktails, #rvabeer, #rvasports, etc. Remember the neighborhoods, too: #scottsaddition, #churchhillrva, #carytown, #shortpump, and the rest.

RICHMOND MAGAZINE

“Good recommendations, interesting information, or provocative points of view” are what we do. richmondmag.com

Facebook, Instagram & Twitter: @richmondmag

Newsletters: River City Roundup (events); Food News; Sunday Stories (essays); Editor’s First Look (article preview); R•Home From the Editor (home magazine preview)

Local venues provide stage time for untapped talent

By Craig Belcher

S S

Singer-songwriter Susan Greenbaum is a fixture on Richmond’s music scene, known for her uplifting songs and warm vocal tone. Like many who stand and sing for a living, she got her start at open mics.

So when she took her show on the road and moved here from Massachusetts 26 years ago, she hoped to encounter the supportive environments that the open mic nights back home had provided her burgeoning talent: safe spaces with polite applause for earnest efforts.

“Because I sucked. But I knew it, I knew I sucked. So that was OK,” she says of those early days.

When she arrived in Richmond, few clubs had open mic nights, so there was no easy path for a novice to test the waters. “I did not find anything,” says, “and I was really bummed out about that. So, I had to start just going to different places to ask if they would book me and, and I played for free a lot.”

These days it’s hard to get from one venue to another without tripping over a microphone cord or stepping on crumpled paper with handwritten lyrics. Richmond is flush with open mic nights, events with spoken word, comedy, singing, jam sessions and rap battles. If you’ve got the nerve, Richmond has a stage for you somewhere,

several nights a week.

For example, the 4 Cyber Cafe has Karaoke & Open Mic on Wednesdays, “Poetry in Common” is held at the Common House, and The Camel hosts Open Mic at The Camel. There are also open mic nights at Funktastic Meads, Poe’s Pub, Lakeside Tavern and many other restaurants and gathering spaces. If comedy’s your thing, there’s a weekly night at the Sandman Comedy Club, a monthly one at Starr Hill and “Mic Check Mondays” at The Boutique-ery. Musicians looking to jam with other players have options, too, including Orbital Music Park on West Cary Street and the recently rebooted Roots Jam at the Black Iris Gallery.

“I have seen the city

change so much since I moved here, in the arts world,” Greenbaum says. “There’s always been music here, but I feel like it's expanded dramatically. And I feel like it's a city where if you want to play, you can play, you know, if you want to form a group, you can definitely find folks to do what you do and/or maybe you do what they do. … I just think it has grown artistically dramatically.”

One of the city’s longest-running open mics is Tuesday Verses, started by the late Lorna Pinckney in 2002. The event’s current home is Addis Ethiopian Restaurant in Shockoe Bottom, and has been hosted by Jess Snyder since 2017.

“It’s really a cultural hub for the community, allows people, whatever

Award-winning singersongwriter Susan Greenbaum

your talent is, singing, rapping, dancing, comedy, poetry, whatever it is, it offers a place where people can come and express themselves freely. In a place of love,” Snyder says.

If you’ve ever been to Verses, you’ll hear the word “love” mentioned quite a bit, along with “vibe” and “energy,” over R&B sounds provided by house band 2 Up 2 Down. There’s a communal atmosphere that extends beyond the stage.

“Verses is like a family,” says Snyder, who also works as a social media manager. “It’s definitely more than just ... getting up there and practicing your craft. There’s people that have met at Verses who got married.”

Open mics aren’t just for would-be artists and performers — these events have entertainment value, along with some off-key moments and the occasional cringeworthy attempt. But where else might you catch the next performer with a Richmond address to make it big — and for free, or relatively cheap?

“Oh, I think it's a great entertainment option. Because you're going to see a real variety of things,” Greenbaum says. “If you aren’t so crazy about this one ... you

might really like the next one. I like that. I like having some unexpectedness in entertainment.”

Comedian and open mic performer Dakotah Coates was surprised to find out that he’d gone viral — right before his first stand-up gig. Someone recorded his spirited karaoke performance of rapper Cardi B’s “WAP” and uploaded it to TikTok. The video garnered millions of views before he told his first joke on a stage.

By day, Coates is one of

the owners of DawnStar Video Games, a store in Scott’s Addition that resells games and has an arcade. He says that doing stand-up at open mics has helped him hone his comedy chops and assisted him in other areas as well.

“Stand-up comedy has kind of taught me [that] I can be more firm in setting up my boundaries,” he says, noting another, more obvious skill he’s developed: “I'm a little bit more quick on my feet reaction-wise in conversations.”

Greenbaum has opened for national talent, including Jim Messina, Janis Ian and Kenny Loggins. She’s also won several awards for her songwriting and musical efforts, including a Pollak Prize from this magazine in 2012. For her, open mics don’t serve the purpose they once did.

“There’s lots of benefits in it for me as an audience member, for sure. And it can also be very motivating and inspiring for me,” she says. “Because I have not been writing as much as I should be. [Talking about open mics has] kind of given me a really good nudge that I should go to some open mics, because I found that to be motivating.”

Singer Calvin Green performs at a recent Tuesday Verses.

Comedian and open mic performer Dakotah Coates

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Get Up and Dance

Looking back on the Waller Family’s 45 years of funky soul

By Don Harrison

When Harry Jr., Chris, Sandra, Karen and Bruce Waller began their professional careers, Jimmy Carter was president and disco was king.

The sibling act has been known as the Waller Family, the Fantastic Waller Family, the Fabulous Waller Family and the Wallers, but it’s all the same sweet blend of familial soul. “We’ve been to 45 states, two countries and Hawaii five times,” says soprano Sandra Waller Massenburg, the middle sibling in a musical unit that served as a soulful mainstay in Richmond for nearly five decades. “Our

secret was that all of us could sing lead.”

“My dad inspired us to sing,” adds sister Karen Waller Ingram. “And that’s what we did a lot in the basement of our home in North Side on Ladies Mile Road.”

In April 1976, 14-year-old Karen won a talent show at Henderson Middle School. The principal, Wallace Seval, recommended the alto singer to Joe Carter Jr., a music producer who was developing local funk and soul bands Poison and Starfire.

Carter heard a recording of Karen singing over a Natalie Cole record. “He liked it but was unsure,” she says. Then she played him recordings of Harry Sr., Chris and Sandra singing lead over tracks by the O’Jays, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Aretha Franklin.

“After hearing those four voices, [my] imagination went to work immediately,” read Carter’s liner notes on “Love Moods,” their debut LP. “And the next question that [I] asked was, ‘Do you think your siblings would like to form a group and be the biggest and best of them all?’ ”

The producer endeared himself to parents Harry Sr. and Ruth by offering to develop the singers at no charge. Then he got to work, rehearsing them in the family basement for months until they could pull off a solid show that included songs written by Carter and arranger Willis Barnett. “It didn’t take five performances for us to get a label interested in us,” Ingram says.

Their one MCA Records single, “Sweet Disco Daddy,” went nowhere, and the label dropped them. But Carter was undeterred — he had plans. His other groups

The “Love Moods,” album, released in 1980.

Sandra Waller Massenburg and Karen Waller Ingram in the late 1990s

Clockwise from left: Harry Jr. Waller, Chris Waller, Harry Sr. Waller, Bruce Waller, Karen Waller Ingram, Ruth Waller, and Sandra Waller Massenburg

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emulated the soul-funk sounds of Ohio Players and the Commodores, but the Waller Family was designated to be a family band in the mold of the Jacksons or the Sylvers.

The Fabulous Waller Family released “Love Moods” in 1980 on Carter’s Dynamic Artists label. The eight-song album of smooth soul and infectious disco, recorded at Alpha Audio in Richmond with Starfire as the backing band, is out of print and now a collector’s item.

Even with a record out, it was slow going. Early tours, with local band Ujimia backing them at first, saw the Wallers losing money. Things changed when Carter succeeded in signing the band to a prestigious booking company, East Coast Entertainment, ensuring them guaranteed fees and lucrative engagements.

They never followed “Love Moods” with another album. “I know it sounds odd, but we were too busy,” Ingram says. “There were occasions when we were on the road 18, 19 days straight,” echoes Massenburg. “We became strictly a cover band.”

For years, the family toured the South and East Coast — with mother Ruth chaperoning — opening for James Brown, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Lou Rawls, among others. The Fabulous Wallers were also a consistent presence on Richmond stages in the 1980s and ’90s at Friday Cheers performances at Innsbrook. The Wallers became so ubiquitous that thenMayor Walter T. Kenney issued a proclamation that Aug. 2, 1990, was “Waller Family Day.” They also started to make original music again, issuing the album “Don’t Leave” in 1996.

Around that time, they parted amicably with Carter, who died in 2007. Father Harry Sr. stepped in and took over as manager. “He and my mom were so supportive.” Ingram says.

Chris, with the awesome falsetto, took leave in 1989 to explore his own music. Bruce, a solid piano player, left in 1993. “He quit right after a concert and said he couldn’t perform secular music anymore, that he had felt a calling from God.” Today, he’s pastor of an Atlanta church.

Big brother Harry Jr. retired in 2012, and the sisters continued on their same grueling pace for eight years with different male leads. Then the pandemic happened, and their father died. Ingram began having her own health issues, and she decided it was time to step away.

A revamped unit still performs today as Sandra Waller & Company. “We do weddings, birthday parties and country clubs,” says Massenburg, who occasionally sings with returning brother Chris.

The sisters hope for a reunion concert, and Ingram wants to make a documentary. There have been many near misses with bigger fame over the years, but Ingram is at peace with the Wallers’ legacy as Richmond soul ambassadors — the consummate funky cover band.

“In the old days, Joe Carter would sit us down and give us these motivational talks about how we were going to be the best, the biggest band in the world. Obviously, that didn’t happen. But I got to make a very good living playing music all over the country, with my family by my side. I’d say that’s a much better kind of success.”

Sandra Waller & Company: Iris Burruss, Sandra Waller Massenburg and the late Robert Williams

The band performed for Kennedy High School alumni 2019.

MUSIC,

Showtime

Performance venues and theaters

DANCE AND OPERA

Classical Revolution RVA

Presenting accessible classical music performances in casual settings such as breweries, galleries and restaurants. classicalrevolutionrva.com

Concert Ballet of Virginia

This 47-year-old professionally mounted dance company produces a season of gala repertory programs in the Greater Richmond area. 804798-0945 or concertballet.com.

Elegba Folklore Society

African dance, music, dance theater performances and workshops link audiences with the global significance of these timeless art forms.

101 E. Broad St. 804-644-3900 or efsinc.org.

K Dance

This contemporary dance company hosts the annual “Yes! Dance Festival” and “SHORTS.”

Resident dance company at the Firehouse Theatre. 1609 W. Broad St. 804-270-4944 or kdance.org.

Latin Ballet of Virginia

Uses the expressive beauty of movement to weave the tales and traditions of Hispanic culture. 804-356-3876 or latinballet.com.

Richmond Ballet

The State Ballet of Virginia, its repertoire includes

more than 85 commissioned works by contemporary choreographers, as well as beloved classics. 407 E. Canal St. 804-344-0906 or richmondballet.com

Richmond Philharmonic

A member-run organization with about 70 musicians. Celebrating its 50th year with a “Season of Sharing,” all concerts are free for the 2022-23 season. Various locations. 804-556-1039 or richmondphilharmonic.org

Richmond Symphony

Performing symphonic classical, pops and family concerts at Dominion Energy Center and throughout the region. 804-788-4717 or richmondsymphony.com

River City Opera

Bold and adventurous performances at nontraditional venues, with a focus on audience and performer diversity. rivercityopera.org

Starr Foster Dance

Innovative performances and events at various locations. 804-304-1523 or starrfosterdance.org

University Dance and Music Departments

University of Richmond, 804-289-8980 or modlin.richmond.edu Virginia Commonwealth University (dance), 804-828-2020, arts.vcu. edu/dance or arts.vcu.edu/gracestreet; (music) 804-828-1166 or arts.vcu.edu/music. Virginia

Union University, 804-257-5600 or vuu.edu Randolph-Macon College, 804-752-7316 or rmc.edu/departments/theatre/current-season. Virginia State University, 804-524-5311 or vsu. edu/sola/departments/music/index.php.

Virginia Opera

Performs four main-stage productions each season. Dominion Energy Center’s Carpenter Theatre. 866-673-7282 or vaopera.org

PERFORMANCE VENUES

After Hours Concerts at the Meadow Event Park

This 7-acre outdoor concert venue features a variety of national musical acts seasonally. 13191 Dawn Blvd., Doswell. 800-514-3849 or afterhoursconcertseries.com.

Altria Theater

Hosts Broadway productions and partners with performing arts organizations and independent promoters to bring performances to audiences of all ages. 6 N. Laurel St. 804-592-3368 or altriatheater.com

The Ashland Theatre

This historic 1948 theater, brought back to its original glory, is a venue for cinema, music and live theater. 205 England St. 804-401-7007 or ashlandtheatre.org

Brambly Park

Urban winery and restaurant hosting live music on its outdoor stage. 1708 Belleville St. 804-4065611 or bramblypark.com

The Broadberry

Music venue hosting a variety of musical genres and artists. 2729 W. Broad St. 804-353-1888 or thebroadberry.com

The Byrd Theatre

This 94-year-old movie palace screens second-run movies, cinema classics and new releases. Home to the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ. Tickets are $8 to $10. 2908 W. Cary St. byrdtheatre.org

The Camel

Featuring live music seven nights a week. 1621 W. Broad St. 804-353-4901 or thecamel.org

Canal Club

Shockoe Bottom mainstay for live music. 1545 E. Cary St. 804-643-2582 or thecanalclub.com

Chesterfield After Hours

A variety of national musical acts perform on an outdoor stage during this weekday evening concert series, summer through early fall. River City Sportsplex, 13030 Genito Road. 800-5143849 or afterhoursconcertseries.com/river-citysportsplex.

The Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen

Features music, dance and theater performances; four on-site galleries; and more. 2880 Mountain Road, Glen Allen. 804-261-2787 or artsglenallen.com

Dominion Energy Center

Partners with performing arts groups and promoters to bring performances to audiences

Richmond Symphony at Dominion Energy Center

of all ages. 600 E. Grace St. 804-592-3330 or dominionenergycenter.com

Fuzzy Cactus

Rock ’n’ roll bar featuring local and national musical performances and events. 221 W. Brookland Park Blvd. 804-716-6213 or fuzzycactusrva.com

Hanover Arts & Activities Center

Annual events include the Off the Rails Craft Beer Festival in September, the Ashland Railroad Run in April and the Fourth of July Parade and Celebration. 500 S. Center St. 804-798-2728 or hanoverarts.net

Henrico Theatre

This art deco theater offers a variety of events, including the Henrico Live concert series and second-run movies and concessions for a dollar. 305 E. Nine Mile Road. 804-652-1460 or henricotheatre.com

The Hippodrome Theater Venues

Multipurpose venue that offers four spaces hosting groups from 20 to 550. 528 N. Second St. 804-308-2913 or hippodromerichmond.com

The Hofheimer Building

Three floors offer a taproom, live music bar, The Loft event space and The HofGarden rooftop restaurant. 2818 W. Broad St. 804-342-0012 or hofrva.com

Modlin Center for the Arts

Modern venues showcase more than 40 worldclass performing arts events each season, three main-stage productions and 30 music performances as part of the department of music’s annual free concert series. 453 Westhampton Way at the University of Richmond. 804-2898980 or modlin.richmond.edu

The National

A variety of acts from local, national and international artists and genres perform weekly at this venue. 708 E. Broad St. 804-612-1900 or thenationalva.com

Perkinson Center for the Arts & Education

Performing and visual arts center featuring music, dance and theater performances; an art gallery; classes and more. 11810 Centre St., Chester. 804-748-5555 or perkinsoncenter.org

Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House

A rotating roster of local and national touring acts perform in a variety of genres at this venue. 619 E. Main St. 804-780-2537 or capitalalehouse. com/richmond-music-hall.

Robinson Theater Community Arts Center

This multipurpose facility offers arts, fitness programs, community events and affordable venue space. 2903 Q St. 804-562-9133 or robinsontheater.org

Stuart C. Siegel Center at VCU

The home arena for VCU Rams basketball games, the facility also hosts other events. 1200 W. Broad St. 804-828-7267 or siegelcenter.com

The Tin Pan

Restaurant and listening room featuring national, regional and local acts. 8982 Quioccasin Road. 804-447-8189 or tinpanrva.com

Virginia Credit Union LIVE! at Richmond Raceway

This outdoor amphitheater hosts national musical acts and festivals. 900 E. Laburnum Ave. 804612-1900 or vaculive.com

W.E. Singleton Center

Features music, plays and musicals from the theater and music departments at VCU. 922 Park Ave. 804-828-1166 or vcumusic.showclix. com (music box office); 804-828-6026 or vcutheatre.showclix.com (theater box office).

STAGE/COMEDY

5th Wall Theatre

A collaborative theater company holding shows at a variety of venues. 804-359-2003 or 5thwalltheatre.org

Cadence Theatre Company

Professional, nonprofit theater company presenting contemporary plays and musicals and arts education programs. 804-233-4894 or cadencetheatre.org

CAT Theatre

Nonprofit, professional theater group presenting quality productions in the Richmond region, while fostering an appreciation for theater arts. See website for performance locations. 804262-9760 or cattheatre.com

Coalition Theater

A nonprofit comedy theater hosting regular shows. 8 W. Broad St. 804-332-5857 or rvacomedy.com

The Conciliation Lab

This new social justice theater company creates transformative experiences through the power of story. Located at The Basement, 300 E. Broad St. 804-349-7616 or theconciliationlab.org

CSZ Richmond Theater

Improv comedy experience that’s ideal for the family and groups of all types, as well as after-hours shows. 8906-H W. Broad St. 804266-9377 or cszrichmond.com

Firehouse Theatre

A thriving hub of creative activity where new work is created and performed. 1609 W. Broad St. 804-355-2001 or firehousetheatre.org

Funny Bone Comedy Club

Catch some of the nation’s hottest comedians in this tiered theater in the half round. Short Pump Town Center, 11800 W. Broad St., Suite 1090. 804-521-8900 or richmond.funnybone.com.

HAT Theatre

This black-box theater produces only Richmond premieres. 1124 Westbriar Drive. 804-343-6364 or hattheatre.org

The Heritage Ensemble Theatre Company

This nonprofit theater company preserves

African American stories through performances throughout the region. 804-404-5259 or theheritageensemble.wixsite.com/thetc.

Quill Theatre

Produces classical and contemporary productions year-round, as well as the Richmond Shakespeare Festival each summer. 804-3400115 or quilltheatre.org

Richmond Triangle Players

All audiences are welcomed as LGBTQ issues are explored through critically acclaimed works. 1300 Altamont Ave. 804-346-8113 or rtriangle.org.

River City Community Players

Nonprofit community theater performing at various venues throughout the region. 804-5540595 or rivercitycommunityplayers.com

The Sandman Comedy Club

Features nationally known comedians along with a full menu and bar. 401 E. Grace St. 804-5625482 or sandmancomedyclub.com

Swift Creek Mill Theatre

Performing in one of the oldest gristmills in America, this company offers shows yearround and pre-show dinner. 17401 Richmond Highway, South Chesterfield. 804-748-5203 or swiftcreekmill.com

Virginia Repertory Theatre

Celebrating its 70th anniversary, this professional theater company presents its Broadway-style Signature Season at the November Theatre downtown and its Barksdale Season at Hanover Tavern. A wide-ranging array of musicals, plays and new works are offered. 804-282-2620 or virginiarep.org.

Weinstein JCC’s Jewish Family Theatre

A volunteer-based community theater that connects audiences in the Richmond community with dynamic works rooted in Jewish life, culture and society. 5403 Monument Ave. 804-2856500 or weinsteinjcc.org

The Whistle Stop Theatre Company

A volunteer-run theater performing classic works of literature, fairy tales and history. whistlestoptheatre.weebly.com.

Yes, And! Theatrical Company

This nonprofit’s first season of programming includes stage productions of “Placebo” in February and “The Light” in May. See website for performance locations. yesandrva.org.

Henrico Theatre

SEIZE THE DAY. THEN CATCH YOUR BREATH.

Take wonder for a whirl at Kings Dominion. Make a splash at Soak City. Go exploring in our Planet Snoopy kids area. And get your adrenaline pumping on exhilarating thrill rides and coasters, including our newest coaster, Tumbili, part of the Jungle X- Pedition themed area.

Visit KingsDominion.com for park information, calendar and tickets.

Richmond, VA

Beneath the Lights

The

Richmond Triangle Players notch 30 years of telling stories of the LGBTQ+ community

By Harry Kollatz Jr.

For 30 theatrical seasons, Richmond Triangle Players has maintained a balance between the sublime and the ridiculous in productions running the gamut from high drama to high camp. That the company has survived three decades, through economic weathers and cultural shifts, is a testament to its faithfulness to its mission of bringing stories of the LGBTQ+ community to the stage.

The late co-founder, businessman Michael Gooding, who died in April 2022, described the RTP to Richmond magazine in 2009 as his riskiest venture, yet the most rewarding.

“We’ve never waved any flags or proselytized,” he said. “We just put up good shows that entertained and maybe moved people, or even taught them a little something.”

That’s part of the legacy he passed on when he stepped down as managing director for Philip Crosby in 2009. Other founders also helped build the theater, such as actor/director Steve Earle;

entrepreneur Marcus J. Miller Jr., who died in 2009; and playwright Jacqui Singleton, who died in 2014.

Gooding and Miller had conversed with Earle about how Richmond companies seldom broached gay-themed plays. Gooding, with an interest in the arts from his music background, also worked the door nights at Fielden’s afterhours club. He thought the upstairs was appropriate for cabaret-style theater before the dancing started.

“So I went back to Steve and said, ‘OK, I got you a place,’” Gooding remembered, “and he said, ‘Oh, no! I don’t know what to do!’”

Ultimately, they figured it out and formed the company in 1992. Its first show went on the next year, a three-night showcase of comedic plays by Harvey Fierstein dubbed as “Safe Sex.” The intention was to raise awareness and money

for the Fan Free Clinic’s AIDS prevention program. They placed 60 mismatched folding chairs for an audience, the stage illuminated by kitchen track lights using dimmer switches. The shows sold out.

Crosby, looking back, says, “You know, there’s the textbook method of how to do this — and then there’s the way you make it work. Sometimes it matters whether you want it bad enough.”

By 2008, RTP had outgrown the Fielden’s space, and a new home was considered in a former car radiator repair shop on the corner of Altamont Avenue and West Marshall Street in a part of town known as Scott’s Addition. Patron Rob Moss bought the building, and the company paid the mortgage. RTP’s conversion of the space occurred during the Great Recession.

“The bad news was, it was tough to raise

RTP managing director Philip Crosby

A scene from “A Chorus Line,” a part of the theater’s 25th anniversary season.

money,” Crosby explains, “but the good news was that there were plenty of contractors and builders available to work willing to cut a deal to keep their people employed.” Also helpful were several gracious patrons who signed loan papers.

Crosby credits Gooding’s vision for the build-out: “His ideas were for the big full bar out front and the cabaret-style seating that allows people to drink in the theater. These seem like small things, but it’s helped make us different from everybody else.”

Since the move, Crosby says, RTP has taken a measured approach to developing an audience and donor base while keeping its mission at the forefront. The company has demonstrated that plenty of people outside the LGBT+ community attend the LGBTQ-focused shows, too.

“We’re one of 15-20 theaters nationwide devoted to this mission,” he says. “The work we’re doing is by and for queer folks, and at the end of the day, that resonance has some validity, and I think that matters.”

Scott’s Addition went from a near-dormant district to a bustling commercial and residential center. “Used to be I could tell how many people were at our theater by looking at the cars lined up along the street,” Crosby says. “It’s kind of crazy — I certainly can’t do that now.” RTP maintains communication with the builders of nearby apartments about needs for parking and walking. They put up banners announcing to passersby that there’s an award-winning theater right here.

The pandemic brought challenges, but RTP entered the period in a secure financial position. The company was also one of the few smaller theaters to receive a National Endowment for the Arts assistance grant. “I think that’s kind of an indication that maybe we’ve doing something right all this time,” Crosby says.

The work we’re doing is by and for queer folks, and at the end of the day, that resonance has some validity.”

PHILIP CROSBY MANAGING DIRECTOR

The RTP’s Robert B. Moss Theatre is named for the patron who purchased the former car radiator repair shop in 2008.

The People’s Living Room’

Gallery5’s 18th anniversary

By Harry Kollatz Jr.

When the arts and entertainment venue

G allery5 celebrates its 18th anniversary on April 7, featuring 18 original works of art and music the 200 W. Marshall St. venue is known for, it’ll mark a culmination. That evening, The Sweet Potatoes will end their yearlong residency as the house band, No BS! Brass will perform, and musician Prabir Mehta, a part of Gallery5 for 16 years, will play his last gig while serving as the nonprofit’s board chair.

Seeming to turn a lyric, he muses, “I’ll finish the set, turn in my key and thank everybody for putting up with me.”

His wry observation comes not only at the conclusion of his board service but also at the advent of a series of major changes for Gallery5, the latest in a long series of

transformations on this site, which began in 1849 as a fire and police center.

Gallery5’s co-founders, artist Amanda Robinson and Parker Galore, events organizer and co-founder of RVA Magazine, launched the nonprofit in 2005. Gallery5 was an extension of an underground arts and music movement. “We’d clean and clear out somebody’s apartment, blast it with art, have DJs, there’d be beer, wine and coffee,” Galore says. “We’d collaborate with folks to create authentic, organic and fun creative experiences.”

When applied to Gallery5’s programming, this aesthetic was juxtaposed against the First Fridays Art Walk, outside the white gallery walls and what Galore describes as a “dealers-and-buyers vibe.”

“Amanda believed this could be an arts and cultural center, and she was 100% right,” Mehta says. “And she worked her butt off to make it happen.”

When Mehta and his board co-chair Katie McBride, wearing masks and standing at either side of the main room, turned out the lights in March 2020, they didn’t know that of all that work was in jeopardy.

“Given what we knew then, it didn’t feel momentous,” recalls McBride, who first put art on Gallery5’s walls in 2006 fresh out of art school. “We didn’t have a clue we’d be going dark for a year.”

They would eventually lay off all

but two of Gallery5’s 11 staff members and undertake extraordinary measures for survival.

In 2019, Tom Robinson, owner of the firehouse (and Amanda’s father), gave notice to the board that he was seeking a buyer. Mehta had already served a board chair term, but then-chair Brian Phelps asked him to return. Mehta recalls, “I’d been away long enough that I thought, ‘OK, I’ll get involved, and we’ll get the building situated somehow.’”

Mehta returned to navigate through the 2019 transitions. He found the firehouse’s new owner, Bruce Vanderbilt, who grasped Gallery5’s importance, but change was forthcoming: Vanderbilt envisioned a restoration, which meant both greater expense for Gallery5 and a “Should I stay or should I go?” deliberation. Mehta ended up signing the lease of the largest contract agreement he’d ever seen.

“We understood that if Gallery5 intended to stay here, we needed to step up,” Mehta says. “The idea is to keep what we can and shed what we must.”

That meant relinquishing the upstairs gallery space and reconfiguring the lower spaces for exhibitions and presentations.

Since reopening, the space has hosted receptions, weddings, parties and community discussions about the future of Jackson Ward. Gallery5 rolls on with a full calendar of exhibitions and events.

“We are the people’s living room,” Mehta says.

Musician Prabir Mehta plays his swan song as Gallery5 board chair in April.

Jo’Rie Tigerlily performs in a burlesque show at Gallery5 in 2021.

ASHLAND/HANOVER

Flippo Gallery, Pace-Armistead Hall, 211 N. Center St., Randolph-Macon College, rmc.edu/departments/ studio-art/flippo-gallery. Flippo Gallery is a contemporary fine-art gallery exhibiting work by emerging and established artists.

DOWNTOWN/MIDTOWN/FAN

1708 Gallery, 319 W. Broad St., 804-643-1708 or 1708gallery. org. Nonprofit gallery presenting contemporary art and providing opportunities for artistic innovation.

Aartfromthassoul Studios & Gallery, 16 N. Eighth St., 804-477-1470 or Aartfromthassoul on Facebook.

Contemporary mixed-media Blackowned art gallery. Open 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday and 2-6 p.m. Saturday (hours may adjust for appointments).

ADA Gallery, 228 W. Broad St., adagallery.com. Contemporary fine art by emerging and mid-career artists with a focus on painting and drawing.

Anne’s Visual Art Studio Gallery, 208 W. Broad St., 804-644-1368 or mkt.com/visualartstudio. Works by 80-plus mostly local artists. Art classes, consultations and photo shoots by appointment. Rotating exhibitions in the Main Gallery and First Fridays Gallery. Plus, Anne’s studio and a gallery shop of prints, handmade jewelry and artisan ware. Email annestudiogallery@gmail. com for appointments.

Artemis Gallery, 1601 W. Main St., 804-683-5738 or artemisgalleryrichmond. com. Offers fine arts and handcrafted items including metals, sculpture, ceramics, wood and photography from more than 175 artists locally and worldwide. For metallic art, visit metallicartgraphics.com.

Atlas, ART 180’s teen gallery, 114 W. Marshall St., 804-233-4180 or art180.org. Gallery exhibiting visual and performing art produced by youth ages 8-18, in ART 180’s programs.

The Branch Museum of Architecture and Design, 2501 Monument Ave., 804-655-6055 or branchmuseum.org. Elevates awareness of the transformative power of architecture and design through exhibitions, tours and educational programs.

Gallery Guide

Fine art, paintings, prints and sculpture

Candela Books + Gallery, 214 W. Broad St., 804-225-5527 or candelagallery.com. Art space and publisher dedicated to fineart photography. The gallery’s mission is “to elevate and support contemporary photography through exhibitions, publication opportunities and communitybuilding.”

Cool Colors Gallery, 3417 W. Cary St., 804-367-4066 or coolcolors.com. Paintings by Mehmet Sahin Altug, arts and crafts from local artists and international fairtrade items.

Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E. Broad St., 804-6443900 or efsinc.org. Paintings, books, prints, carvings, decor, wearables and jewelry by artists from throughout the African diaspora.

Eric Schindler Gallery, 2305 E. Broad St., 804-644-5005 or ericschindlergallery.com.

Contemporary fine art, exhibited September through June.

Instagram: @ericschindlergallery.

Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) at Virginia Commonwealth University, 601 W. Broad St., 804828-2823 or icavcu.org. A noncollecting institution that showcases changing exhibitions

and programs, the ICA serves as a forum for dialogue, collaboration and new ideas. Four galleries showcase diverse perspectives through multiple mediums. See website for programming and digital experiences.

Quirk Gallery, 207 W. Broad St., 804340-6036 or quirkgallery.com.

Exhibits work by established and emerging artists and includes a shop with local and handmade gifts, jewelry and stationery.  Reynolds Gallery, 1514 W. Main St., 804-355-6553; 401 Libbie Ave., No. 3, 804-322-7290 or reynoldsgallery.com. Two gallery locations exhibit regional and national artists’ works in a range of styles.

Shockoe Artspace, 12 N. 19th St., 209-740-0916 or shockoeartspace.com. Nonprofit gallery exhibiting local, regional and national visual artists and diverse programming.

Shockoe Bottom Clay, 1714 E. Main St., 804-775-0832 or shockoebottomclay.com. A makers gallery with 10 studios and the ceramic art of more than 30 local and regional artists.

Studio Two Three, 3300 W. Clay St., 804-254-7302

or studiotwothree.org. Nonprofit art studio and printmaking workshop with a mission to empower artists to make art and make change. Offers classes, community events, artist studios and a store featuring handmade art and quirky gifts created by local artists.  Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 200 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd., 804-3401400 or vmfa.museum. One of the most acclaimed art museums in the country, with internationally renowned collections, special exhibitions and a gift shop. The museum offers both casual and fine dining. The VMFA is open 365 days a year with free general admission. Visual Arts Center of Richmond, 1812 W. Main St., 804-353-0094 or visarts.org. Offers more than 1,000 art classes for children and adults and hosts art exhibitions in the True F. Luck Gallery, as well as community events.

NORTH SIDE

Alma’s Gallery & Shop, 224 W. Brookland Park Blvd., 804269-3973 or almasrva.com. Contemporary craft artist-run gallery with a shop featuring handmade decor, jewelry and other objects.

The Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University

Iridian Gallery, 1407 Sherwood Ave., 804-622-4646 or diversityrichmond.org. Features LGBTQ+ artists and art that relates to their experiences.

Laurel Gallery, 2805 Hungary Road, 804-672-6804 or laurelgalleryrva.com. Opened in 1989, this e craft gallery features art glass, pottery, jewelry, yard art and other gifts. Custom framing and custom stained glass, plus stainedglass supplies. Also offers classes in hand-built pottery and stained glass.

Pine Camp Cultural Arts and Community Center, 4901 Old Brook Road, 804-6463674 or pinecampculturalartscenter com. Year-round rotating exhibits feature local artists in the Spotlight Gallery. The gallery welcomes new local talent. Visit facebook.com/ pinecampculturalartsand communitycenter.

Richmond Art Garage, 205 W. Brookland Park Blvd., 804-3406155 or richmondartgarage. com. Closed for renovations until 2024.

SOUTH SIDE/MANCHESTER/ CHESTERFIELD

43rd Street Gallery, 1412 W. 43rd St., 804-2331758 or 43rdstgallery.com.

Contemporary craft gallery featuring work by local artisans. Pottery studio on site. Offers a selection of jewelry, wood, clay and mixed media.

Art Works, 320 Hull St., 804-2911400 or artworksrva.com. New exhibits each month featuring contemporary art. The venue houses four galleries and 80 working artists’ studios.

Artspace, 2833-A Hathaway Road, 804-232-6464 or artspacegallery. org. Member-operated gallery celebrating 34 years. Located in the Stratford Hills Shopping Center, Artspace’s mission is “to promote the understanding and awareness of contemporary visual and performance art.”

Baxter and Elaine Perkinson Gallery, 11810 Centre St., Chester, 804-748-5555 or perkinsoncenter org. Gallery inside the Perkinson Center for

Featured Presentations

A guide to the region’s film festivals

Year-Round

James River Silent Film series

Silent films with improvised music by local bands. Various dates and locations, year-round. jamesriverfilm.org.

Jan. 2024

James River Short Film Showcase

Sponsored by the Virginia Film Office and the James River Film Society, Virginia’s oldest juried film competition screens and evaluates short films (20 minutes or less) at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. jamesriverfilm.org.

Jan. 2024

Israeli Film Festival

The 15th annual festival celebrates Israel through award-winning films. Weinstein JCC. 804-2856500 or weinsteinjcc.org.

Feb. TBD

ReelAbilities Film Festival

Presents award-winning films promoting awareness of the stories of people with differing abilities,

accompanied by discussions and programs that bring together the community. Weinstein JCC. 804285-6500 or weinsteinjcc.org.

Feb.-Dec.

Created Equal Film Series

Presents films at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture in partnership with The Community Foundation for a greater Richmond. See website for schedule. 804-340-1800 or virginiahistory.org.

March 9-11

Banff Mountain Film Festival

World Tour

Wild, exotic locales are celebrated in the selected films. There are virtual and live programs available. James River High School. 804748-1623, chesterfield.gov or banffcentre.ca.

March 11

RVA Environmental Film Festival

RVAEFF showcases films that bring awareness of environmental issues

the Arts & Education. Showcases a variety of artists from across the commonwealth.

Bella Arte Gallery, 3734 Winterfield Road, 804-794-1511 or bella-arte.com. Renowned gallery of fine-art originals from national and international artists, studio art glass, sculpture, fine-art, jewelry and framing. Authorized dealer for the art of Dr. Seuss, American Craft Gallery. The Well Art Gallery, 1309 Hull St., thewellartgallery.com. Black-owned gallery presenting painting, photography, sculpture, videography, murals and graffiti.

WEST END/FAR WEST END Crossroads Art Center, 2016 Staples Mill Road, 804-278-8950 or crossroadsartcenter.com.

Twenty-five thousand square feet of gallery space featuring more than 270 local artists and an online shop. Art classes are also available; visit website to enroll. The Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen, 2880 Mountain Road, 804261-2787 or artsglenallen.com.

Rotating free exhibits in the Slantwall, Midway, Glass Door and Gumenick Family galleries. Sara D. November Gallery, 5403 Monument Ave., 804-545-8644 or weinsteinjcc.org. Varied exhibitions focusing on Jewish and general art themes, located within the Weinstein JCC. University of Richmond Museums, 453 Westhampton Way, 804-2898276 or museums.richmond.edu.

Includes Joel and Lila Harnett Museum of Art, the Joel and Lila Harnett Print Study Center, and the Lora Robins Gallery of Design From Nature.  West End Gallery, 4021 Lauderdale Drive, 804-740-1569 or westendgalleryrva.com. Fineart and custom framing, featuring work by local, national and international artists. More than 200 paintings in stock. Specializes in traditional impressionist, realist and abstract paintings.

This is a sampling. For the full list, see richmondmag. com/galleries.

facing our city, region and our planet. Thanks to the support of local nonprofits and businesses, this festival is free. Multiple locations. rvaeff.org.

March 23-April 2

Virginia Commonwealth University and University of Richmond’s French Film Festival

The 31st anniversary of this event includes short and feature film premieres presented by French directors, actors and cinematographers. Byrd Theatre. 804-8273456 or frenchfilmfestival.us.

April 20-23

The James River Film Festival

Richmond’s longest-running film festival is held at the Byrd Theatre, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, VCU’s Grace Street Theatre and other locations. Screenings include classic, cult, hard-to-find and visionary movies. jamesriverfilm.org.

July 14-16

48 Hour Film Project

A contest in which filmmakers have 48 hours to create a short film. The Byrd Theatre. 48hourfilm.com

Sept.-May

ICA Cinema Series

Free screenings explore provocative films focused on issues affecting marginalized groups. Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia

Commonwealth University. 804828-2823 or icavcu.org/films.

Sept. 14-17

Afrikana Independent Film Festival

This ongoing series spotlights independent films by and about people of color. Multiple locations. afrikanafilmfestival.org.

Sept. 26-Oct. 1

Richmond International Film and Music Festival

Screenings of more than 150 films from across the globe. Plus, music concerts, industry panels and other presentations. Locations vary. rvafilmfestival.com.

Oct. TBD

48 Hour Film Horror Project

Area filmmakers have 48 hours to create a horror film. The Byrd Theatre. 48hourfilm.com.

Oct. TBD

Poe Film Festival

A weekend showcase of films inspired by author Edgar Allan Poe. Visit the website for dates and locations. poefilmfestival.com.

Nov. 17-19

Pocahontas Reframed Storytellers Film Festival

This film festival celebrates Native American stories and storytellers. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts’ Leslie Cheek Theater. pocahontasreframed.com.

A Sporting Chance

Despite Richmond’s evolution, population growth and consistent appearances on lists of best places to live, a sticking point for sports fans in the area has been the lack of a Richmond-based professional team in the MLB, NFL, NBA or NHL. Though no teams in the “Big Four” leagues call it home, Richmond is in no way devoid of sports: between multiple professional-level organizations and collegiate sports, athletic events are in session year-round.

Arena and indoor football have existed in Richmond in four different iterations

within the past 25 years, though only one lasted longer than four seasons. The Richmond Speed of Arena Football 2 were the first to hit the gridiron in the capital city but folded in 2003. It took until the turn of the next decade for football to grace RVA again, but it did twofold, with the Indoor Football League’s Richmond Revolution and the American Indoor Football Association’s Richmond Raiders.

On the har dwood, the American Basketball Association fielded the Richmond Elite, though the team has been on hiatus the past two seasons in favor of the Richmond Elite Academy, a gym aimed at youth outreach in the community. The

team’s status remains undetermined for 2023.

Richmond sports have existed on the gridiron and on the ice in the greatest quantities, with five minor-league hockey teams (the Robins, Wildcats, Rifles, Renegades and RiverDogs) playing for varying spans of time from 1971 to 2009, but baseball has been the longest-tenured pastime in the city.

The Richmond Virginians first took the field in 1954. Primarily a New York Yankees Triple-A affiliate, they played 11 seasons at Parker Field before departing for Toledo, Ohio, and becoming the Mud Hens, an eventual opponent of the incoming Triple-A Richmond Braves.

For 43 seasons, the Braves existed as their Atlanta counterpart’s affiliate, winning five International League titles and fielding such stars as eventual Hall of Famers Chipper Jones, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz (plus current defending World Series champion manager Dusty Baker), but headed south to an Atlanta suburb, Gwinnett County, Georgia, after 2008.

To The Diamond came the Richmond Flying Squirrels, who began play in 2010 as the Double-A team for the San Francisco Giants. Timing was opportune: the Giants claimed World Series titles in 2010, 2012 and 2014, and Richmond fans saw stars such as Brandon Belt and Adam Duvall pass through en route to the big leagues. In 2022, playoff baseball returned for the first time since 2014 as the Richmond Flying Squirrels won the Eastern League Southwest Division’s first-half championship in July.

For 2023, the Squirrels’ home opener is set for Friday, April 7, at The Diamond against the Reading Fightin Phils. Advance single-game tickets are priced at $10-$15.

Just a couple miles away, at City

LEFT: JESSICA STONE HENDRICKS; OPPOSITE PAGE, FROM TOP: MARLENE DAVIS; COURTESY UNITED FOOTBALL LEAGUE; COURTESY THE RICHMOND FLYING SQUIRRELS

Richmond plays on without a national team By Adam Cheek

Akira Fitzgerald of the Richmond Kickers makes a save at a recent home game.

Stadium, the Richmond Kickers have played professional soccer since 1993 and reached the playoffs in 2022. Currently competing in USL League One, the Kickers have compiled a winning record over 30 seasons in Richmond.

Several notable athletes have played for the Kickers as they rose through the ranks of soccer, including goalkeeper Matt Turner, who was the primary netminder for the United States men’s national team during the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Kickers single-match tickets are $16-$22 on game day and $11 for kids. Children ages 4 and under are admitted free.

Out at Richmond Raceway, engines roar two weekends each year as NASCAR visits for both spring and summer dates and at least one race for all three major series. Xfinity and Cup compete in the spring weekend, held on April 1 and 2 this year, respectively, as well as the Whelen Modified Series on March 31. In the summer, the Craftsman Truck Series will

return on July 29, with a second Cup Series race slated for July 30.

The Richmond Black Widows of the Women’s Football Alliance, billed as “Richmond’s first women’s tackle football team,” have been playing since 2015. Their 2023 schedule begins in April, but their first home game won’t be until May at Hermitage High School. Tickets for the Black Widows’ 2023 campaign are $12, and admission is free to children ages 5 and younger. A pay-per-view option will also be available for home games.

Arena-style football is expected to return to Richmond this spring, with the United Foot-

ball League’s Richmond Iron Horses set to debut on April 1 at Iron Horse Stadium, a temporary venue. According to the league, the open-air stadium will cost about $1.1 million to build and remove. As of mid-January, a site has not been announced.

The Richmond Black Widows, an all-female football team, return to the field in April.

The Richmond Flying Squirrels take on the Erie SeaWolves.

Arena-style style football is set to return this year with the Richmond Iron Horses.

CAMPING

Along with camping facilities at Pocahontas State Park (dcr. virginia.gov), there are several private campgrounds throughout the region.

Americamps RV Resort

Tents, campers and RVs; 200 sites. 11322 Air Park Road, Ashland. 804798-5298 or americamps.com.

Ed Allen’s Campground and Cottages

Tents, campers and RVs; 145 sites. Cottages available. Open AprilNovember. 13501 Campground Road, Lanexa. 804-966-2582 or edallens.com.

Kings Dominion Camp Wilderness Campground

Cabins, pop-up and pull-through tent sites. 10061 Kings Dominion Blvd., Doswell. 800-562-4386 804876-3500 or kingsdominion.com.

Riverside Camp and Marina

Tents, campers and RVs welcome. Cabins available. 715 Riverside Drive, Lanexa. 804-966-5536 or riversidecampandmarina.com.

Rockahock Campground

Tents, campers and RVs welcome. River houses, cottages, villas and yurts. 1428 Outpost Road, Lanexa. 804-966-8362 or rockahockcampground.com.

GOLF-RELATED OPTIONS

Includes driving ranges (DR), mini golf (MG) and disc golf (DG)

Belmont Golf Course

(DR) 1600 Hilliard Road. 804-4243249 or playbelmontrva.org.

Bogeys Sports Park

(DR/MG) 1675 Ashland Road. 804784-1544 or bogeyssportspark.com.

Bryan Park

(DG) 4308 Hermitage Road. rva.gov.

Dorey Park

(DG) 2999 Darbytown Road. 804652-1440 or henrico.us.

Dunncroft Castle Point Park (DG) 4901 Francistown Road. henrico.us.

Gillies Creek Park

(DG) 4425 Williamsburg Ave. rva.gov.

Goyne Park

(DG) 5300 Ecoff Ave., Chester. 804-748-1623 or chesterfield.gov.

Hanover Sports Park

(DR/MG) 11000 Washington Highway. 804-550-2622 or hanoversportspark.com.

Hotel Greene

(MG) 508 E. Franklin St. hotelgreene.com.

Hunting Hawk Golf Club

(DR) 15201 Ashland Road. 804-

Athletic Attractions

Parks, pools and golf

749-1900 or huntinghawkgolf.com.

Ironbridge Sports Park

(DR/MG) 11400 Iron Bridge Road, Chester. 804-748-7770 or ironbridgesportspark.com.

The Park RVA

(MG) 1407 Cummings Drive. 804533-2966 or thepark.com.

Patterson Golf Park

(DR/MG) 12586 Patterson Ave. 804-784-4544 or pattersongolfpark.com.

Putt-Putt Fun Center

(MG) 7901 Midlothian Turnpike. 804-272-4373 or myputtputt.com.

Topgolf

(DR/MG) 2308 Westwood Ave. 804-977-6371 or topgolf.com/us/ richmond.

University of Richmond (DG) 50 Crenshaw Way. recreation. richmond.edu.

White Bank Park

(DG) 400 White Bank Road, Colonial Heights. 804-520-9392 or colonialheightsva.gov.

Windy Hill Golf Course & Sports Complex

(DR/MG) 16500 Midlothian Turnpike. 804-794-0010 or windyhillsports.com.

PUBLIC GOLF COURSES

Belmont Golf Course

Renovated, with 12 of the original holes restored, an 18-hole putting course, a 6-hole short course, a driving range and a wedge range. 1600 Hilliard Road. 804-424-3249 or playbelmontrva.org.

Birkdale Golf Club

Eighteen-hole course, par 71, reservations required. 8511 Royal Birkdale Drive. 804-739-8800 or acumengolf.com.

Brickshire Golf Club

Eighteen-hole course, par 72, semiprivate, reservations recommended. 5520 Virginia Park Drive. 804-966-7888 or brickshiregolfclub.com.

Brookwoods

Eighteen-hole course, par 72. 7325 Club Drive, Quinton. 804-932-3737 or brookwoodsgolf.com.

The Club at Viniterra

Eighteen-hole championship course, par 72, semiprivate, reservations taken a week in advance. 8647 Angel’s Share Drive, New Kent. 804-932-3888 or viniterragolf.com.

The Crossings Golf Club

Eighteen-hole championship course, par 72, reservations taken a week in advance. 800 Virginia Center Parkway. 804-261-0000 or thecrossingsgc.com.

The First Tee – Greater Richmond and Chesterfield

Eighteen-hole course at the Chesterfield location, par 66. 6736 Huntingcreek Drive. 804-2758050. Richmond location has a renovated six-hole, par 3 course. 400 School St. 804-728-3857 or firstteegreaterrichmond.org.

The Golf Club at The Highlands

Eighteen-hole course, par 72, semiprivate. 8136 Highland Glen Drive. 804-796-4800 or highlandsgolf.com.

Hanover Golf Club

Eighteen-hole course, par 71, semiprivate. 14314 Country Club Drive. 804-798-8381 or hanovergolfva.com.

The Hollows Golf Club

Three, nine-hole courses, par 35 each. 18-hole course, par 70, reservations recommended. 14501 Greenwood Church Road. 804883-5381 or thehollows.com.

Hunting Hawk Golf Club

Eighteen-hole course, par 72, reservations required. 15201 Ashland Road. 804-749-1900 or huntinghawkgolf.com.

Magnolia Green Golf Club

Eighteen-hole course, par 72, reservations recommended. 7001 Awesome Drive, Moseley. 804-639-5701 or magnoliagreengolfclub.com.

Providence Golf Club

Eighteen-hole course, par 71, reservations required. 1160 S. Providence Road. 804-276-1865 or providencegolfclub.com.

Royal New Kent Golf Club

Eighteen-hole course, par 72, semiprivate. 10100 Kent Field Road, Providence Forge. 804-966-7023 or royalnewkent.com.

Windy Hill Golf Course & Sports Complex

A lighted par-3 nine-hole course and a regulation nine-hole lake course, par 35. 16500 Midlothian Turnpike. 804-794-0010 or windyhillsports.com.

SPECTATOR SPORTS

Auto Racing

In April and July, NASCAR Cup, and Xfinity series events at Richmond Raceway. The regular season champion of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will be named July 29. 600 E. Laburnum Ave. 866-455-7223 or richmondraceway.com.

Baseball

The Richmond Flying Squirrels, a Double-A minor-league baseball team, play at The Diamond. 804359-3866 or squirrelsbaseball. com. The Tri-City Chili Peppers, a Coastal Plain League baseball team, plays at Shepherd Stadium in

Peak Experiences indoor rock climbing gym

PARKS, RECREATION AND COMMUNITY FACILITIES

SOMETIMES YOU JUST WANT TO DO NOTHING.

GET IT.

HEY, WE

Neighborhood parks and greenspaces are availble for you all year long -to walk, play, picnic, meet with friends or to do nothing at all. Enjoy.

Colonial Heights. 804-221-9855 or chilipeppersbaseball.com.

College Sports

Randolph-Macon College: 804752-7223 or rmcathletics.com; University of Richmond: 804-2898363 or richmondspiders.com; Virginia Commonwealth University: 804-828-7267 or vcuathletics.com; Virginia State University: 804-5245030 or govsutrojans.com; and Virginia Union University: 804-3421484 or vuusports.com.

Horse Racing

Colonial Downs hosts live horse racing during the summer season. 10515 Colonial Downs Parkway, New Kent. 804-966-7223 or colonialdowns.com.

Soccer

City Stadium is home for the Richmond Kickers United Soccer League (USL) League One team. 804-644-5425 or richmondkickers.com.

Volleyball

The Richmond Volleyball Club fosters the sport in Central Virginia. 804-358-3000 or rvc.net.

EXTREME SPORTS

Challenge Discovery

Located on the campus of the University of Richmond, a ropes course and other ground-level challenges encourages team building. 22 Westhampton Way. 804-876-9733 or challengediscovery.com.

K1 Speed Richmond

Electric indoor go-karts make for a high-speed, ecofriendly experience. 1365 Carmia Way. 804-378-6066 or k1speed.com/Richmondlocation.html.

Peak Experiences Indoor Rock

Climbing Gym

Offers two rock-climbing centers, including the 21,000-square-foot Scott’s Addition location. 11421 Polo Circle, Midlothian, 804-8976800; 1375 Overbrook Road, 804655-2628 or peakexperiences.com.

Ravenchase Adventures

Custom adventure races for any size group or occasion. 800-2823169 or ravenchase.com.

Reveler Experiences

An immersive interactive and theatrical adventure where teams of participants work together to solve challenges. Must be 18 or older and reservations required.

3108 W. Cary St. 804-918-5681 or revelerexperiences.com.

Richmond BMX

Premier BMX track located in Gillies Creek Park. 4200 Hobbs Lane. 540-514-0062 or richmondbmx.com.

Riverside Outfitters

Tree climbing, guided whitewater rafting, and stand-up paddleboarding, kayak and canoe trips. Kayak, canoe and stand-up paddleboard rentals are available. 6836 Old Westham Road. 804-5600068 or riversideoutfitters.com.

RVA Paddlesports

Whitewater rafting trips, kayak instruction and rentals, and safety courses. 804-898-0697 or rvapaddlesports.com.

Shield N Sheath

Indoor recreational ax- and knife-throwing venue in Richmond’s Scott’s Addition. 1511 Altamont Ave. 833-293-5263 or shieldnsheath.com.

Sky Zone Trampoline Park

Wall-to-wall trampolines, a Ninja Warrior course, parkour obstacles and SkyLadder. 1345 Carmia Way. 804-379-2500 or skyzone.com/ richmond.

Stumpy’s Hatchet House

Ax-throwing venue at Stony

Point Fashion Park. 9200 Stony Point Parkway. 804-592-6969 or stumpyshh.com/richmondva.

Triangle Rock Club

Indoor climbing, fitness and yoga facility with 45-foot tall climbing walls and 15,000 square feet of terrain. 4700 Thalbro St. 804-2153200 or trianglerockclub.com.

WATER PARKS

Cobblestones Park

Splash Zone water park, 5 acres of sandy beach and one of the largest concrete swimming pools in Virginia. Open Memorial Day-Labor Day. 13131 Overhill Lake Lane. 804-798-6819 or cobblestonespark.com.

Hadad’s Lake Rope swings, blob, launch tower, rowboats and more. Water park open May-September (also open for events). 7900 Osborne Turnpike. 804-795-2659 or hadadslake.com.

Kings Dominion Soak City

Included with park admission, Soak City features 20 acres of wet fun. Memorial Day-Labor Day. 16000 Theme Park Way. 804-876-5000 or kings dominion.com.

Julie

Julie

has over 25 years experience focusing her practice on divorce, equitable distribution, child custody, child support, alimony, property settlement agreements, prenuptial agreements, and other domestic relations issues.

also serves the legal profession as President-Elect of the Richmond Bar Association and President Elect of the Virginia Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.

Fun Is a Safe Bet

Another season of steeds and speed at Colonial Downs

By Leah Small

If you’re looking for a new way to unwind, 2023 may be the year to acquaint yourself with the workings of the fast-paced sport of horse racing. Colonial Downs — home to some of the nation’s largest racetracks — has a new energy, thanks to bigger purses for bettors and the addition of three prestigious thoroughbred races to its calendar. Here is the latest at the track and a primer on how to place your bets.

The 2023 race season, from July 13 through Sept. 9, will be the New Kent County facility’s first under new owners Churchill Downs Inc., also the owners of the Kentucky Derby. The sale was finalized in November 2022 as part of a $2.75 million purchase that also included six Rosie’s Gaming Emporium locations. First opened in 1997, Colonial Downs closed in 2013 and reopened in 2019 under the ownership of Peninsula Pacific Entertainment. The pandemic put a stop to the races in 2020. When the gates reopened, wagers at the track’s Virginia Derby Day in September were at a record-breaking high.

“Virginia has such a rich history of horse racing that’s in its blood,” says Mark Hubbard, a spokesman for Colonial Downs. “It’s such an exciting sport to watch, and it happens very quickly.”

If you’re new to the sport, enthusiasts enjoy sharing betting methods, and race ambassadors walk novices through the betting process. The first step is to purchase a $3 program with stats on the past performance of horses, jockeys and trainers. You may use this data to guide betting, or you can be less scientific, says Darrell Wood, marketing director at Colonial Downs and a longtime race announcer.

“You can bet your lottery numbers, grandkids’ birthdates, the jockey’s colors,” Wood says. “You can bet the horse that poops right before the starting gates!”

Bettors can wager as little as $2 and win in multiple ways. Novice fans could start by placing either a win, place or show bet. The most straightforward is a win, which is betting on the horse most likely to cross the finish line first. To win a place bet, your horse must finish either first or second. You can win cash

on a show bet with a first, second or third place finish. Win bets yield the highest prizes, but place bets offer three chances to get lucky. Though wagers can be more complicated and higher stakes, win, place or show is the best place to start, most experts say. The venue expects to offer more than $600,000 in average daily purses this year.

“It’s fun to have a stake in [a] race, the immediacy of going to the window, placing the bet, going down and seeing the horses close up as they get ready to be placed at the gate and take off,” Hubbard adds. “And then watching the race … and finding out the outcome right then and there.”

This racing season, the track will bring three top races to Virginia: the Grade 1 Arlington Million, the Beverly D. Stakes and the Grade 2 Secretariat Stakes. “[The latter,] that’s as big as it gets … on par with the Kentucky Derby,” Wood says.

Secretariat, the namesake of the nationally recognized thoroughbred race event, considered one of the best racehorses of all time, was born in Doswell. This year marks the 50th anniversary of

Horse racing is a Virginia tradition.

Secretariat’s historic Triple Crownwinning season.

Though betting on races is a thrilling, low-risk hobby for many horse enthusiasts, it can be psychologically damaging and lead to addiction for others. Between 6 and 8 million people in the United States have a compulsive gambling disorder, according to the National Council on Problem Gambling. “The increased visibility of and access to legalized gambling will see that number grow larger,” says Cindi M., a member of Gamblers Anonymous. “Simultaneously, the average age of compulsive gamblers is becoming younger as gambling is readily available via smartphone and computer.”

Apart from races, Colonial Downs also operates two restaurants, Rosie’s Kitchen and 1609, and a whiskey bar. Comedians and musicians provide live entertainment. Admission and parking are free. “You can just come and enjoy watching the horses if you want, at a very affordable cost, and have some food,” Hubbard says. “Additionally, there is a lot of entertainment, which is kind of an added value throughout the year.”

If you or someone you know is seeking help for a gambling addiction, contact Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2CALLGA. Visit gamblersanonymous.org to find a meeting.

Virginia has a rich history of horse racing. ...It’s such an exciting sport to watch, and it happens very quickly.”

MARK HUBBARD SPOKESPERSON

This year, Colonial Downs plans to add weekend races to its schedule.

A Year of Kings Dominion

Amusement park begins 12-month schedule

By SaraRose Martin

Twenty miles north of Richmond, Kings Dominion amusement park’s steel coasters climb to 300 feet and whip many of its more than 1 million annual visitors up to speeds of 90 mph. Its 400-acre grounds in Doswell feature more than 60 rides and attractions, including a waterpark.

In 2023, Kings Dominion will remain open year-round. The new schedule adds weekends through early March, accommodating an increased demand for guests to experience the park and its additional entertainment.

“There’s a lot of cabin fever around that time of year. People have been in their houses a long time,” says Mark Riddell, the park’s director of communications. “A place like Kings Dominion is great even if you’re not riding rides, you can walk around, you can have a meal.”

The decision reflects an industry-wide trend, according to Michael Shelton, executive director and vice president of the International Association for Amusement Parks and Attractions. “We feel like our industry is growing now, we’re kind of back after the pandemic — back and then some,” Shelton says. “Most parks are seeing explosive growth and really great crowds and a really great return to normal, and Kings Dominion is no different.”

The park opened in 1974 as the 280acre Lion Country Safari, a drive-thru zoo of sorts, with various animals in the open along a route that visitors could experience through their car windows.

That park also had the Kings Dominon site’s first ride, the Scooby-Doo Ghoster Coaster roller coaster. In 1975, Kings Dominion opened the full park and its 15 attractions to 20,000 guests.

Kings Dominion has shifted over time from operating as a partial animal park, to a full-fledged theme park. An

ownership change in 2007 from Paramount Parks to Cedar Fair led to major transformations, as new themes and names were added and prominent coasters were revamped. One of the areas added last year, Jungle X-Pedition, features Tumbili, a 4D spin coaster on which riders spin around

Kings Dominion is home to 400 acres of attractions and rides.

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independently from the track.

“That whole area has gotten sort of a facelift in this new theming,” Riddell says. “The restaurant location that’s down there is the Outpost restaurant, that’s where you can get prime rib in the park. We have vegetarian options at all the restaurants, it’s quite an extensive overhaul of the food program.”

Much of the fare served at Kings Dominion is handmade and locally sourced, Riddell says. Offering a farmto-table menu, Grain and Grill has also taken over the former Chick-fil-A.

“Things aren’t brought in and heated up, it’s made right here,” Riddell says. “The chicken tenders are organic and sourced from a farm that’s 200 miles from here and hand-breaded here at the park.”

Kings Dominion has plans to retrack and reopen the Grizzly, a popular wooden coaster that debuted in 1982. The park is also in the planning stages for a celebration to commemorate its 50th year, according to Riddell.

Since its inception, Kings Dominion has remained a favorite of families from Washington D.C. to Hampton Roads.

“We see these multiple generations

of families come back to the park every year and there’s a great deal of nostalgia,” Riddell says. “You talk to the average person that’s lived in Richmond their whole life and they can rattle off what ride was open when and what changed to what.”

Powhatan resident Norman Shumake, the managing director of Kings Domini on Fanatics, a online group he developed for park enthusiasts

to share stories and experiences, has visited Kings Dominion almost every year since it opened. He can remember watching the U.S. bicentennial fireworks set off at the park in 1976 when he was just 3 years old. Shumake and his family visited the park nearly 50 times in 2022 alone.

“We’ve kind of raised our own kids at the park,” Shumake says. “It’s a multi-generational thing now.”

A steel coaster, Tumbili debuted in 2022 and spins guests back and forth. Grizzly (below) is a popular wooden roller coaster at the park.

BLACK HERITAGE AND EXPERIENCE

African American Tours of Richmond

Tour sites that share the stories of untold African American achievements. 804-683-6630 or africanamericantours.com. $

Afrikana Independent Film Festival

Spotlights cinematic works by filmmakers from throughout the African diaspora. afrikanafilmfestival.org. $

The American Civil War Museum

Offers presentations that tell the stories of the Civil War and its legacies from multiple perspectives, including enslaved people. 480 Tredegar St. 804-649-1861 or acwm.org. $

Arthur Ashe Boulevard

Richmond’s Boulevard was renamed in honor of tennis champion Arthur Ashe Jr. in 2019. Westwood Avenue to Blanton Avenue.

Arthur Ashe Jr. Monument

Statue of tennis champion

Arthur Ashe, who was born in Richmond. Monument Avenue at Roseneath Road

Bike & Brunch Mending Walls

Mural Tours

Artist Hamilton Glass’ public art project pairs diverse creators to create street art that inspires conversations about race and justice. April-October, the Bike & Brunch tour explores the murals and the communities where they reside. mendingwallsrva.com.

Bill “Bojangles” Robinson Monument

Aluminum statue facing the intersection where the entertainer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson paid to have a stoplight placed. Triangle Park at Leigh Street and Chamberlayne Parkway.

Black History Museum And Cultural Center of Virginia

Houses exhibitions commemorating the accomplishments of Black Virginians. Open WednesdaySaturday. 122 W. Leigh St. 804-7809093 or blackhistorymuseum.org. $

BLK RVA

This free online travel planner shares local restaurants, Black experiences and events that connect to the past, celebrate the present and look to the future. visitblkrva.com.

Elegba Folklore Society

The society’s Cultural Center displays art and material culture from around the African diaspora. Check in to be informed about annual cultural festivals, tours and perfor-

Sites to See

Museums, monuments and heritage sites

mances. 101 E. Broad St. 804-6443900 or efsinc.org

Emancipation Proclamation and Freedom Monument

In fall 2021, two bronze statues representing newly freed slaves were unveiled on Brown’s Island. mlkcommission.dls.virginia.gov

First African Baptist Church

Founded in 1841, this church has counted Maggie L. Walker and former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder among its worshippers. 2700 Hanes Ave. in Barton Heights. 804-329-7279 or firstafricanbaptist.org

Gabriel Week

Untold RVA’s week of programming in August is inspired by Gabriel, an enslaved blacksmith who planned a widespread, though ultimately unsuccessful, uprising. untoldrva.com

The Hanover County Black Heritage Society

Preserving the history of African Americans in Hanover County, this society helps visitors learn about the accomplishments of current and former citizens. Make an appointment to visit at facebook. com/hcbhs. 114 N. Railroad Ave. (at The Henry Clay Inn). 804-4966350 or hanoverbhs.org.

Hidden in Plain Site: Richmond

Virtually tour sites around the region that tell the story of the Black experience throughout history. A desktop and VR headset option is available. hiddeninplainsite.org

The Hippodrome Theater

An active performance space today, it played host to Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong in the early 20th century. The historic space hosts a Sunday brunch. 528 N. Second St. 804-308-2913 or hippodromerichmond.com. $

Historic Jackson Ward

A National Historic Landmark, this neighborhood became a cultural hub for the African American community by the early 1900s. Jackson Ward is roughly bounded by Fourth, Marshall and Smith streets and I-95. dhr.virginia.gov

Devil’s Half Acre

Robert Lumpkin opened a slave jail at this site in 1844. A proposed Shockoe Area Memorial Park would include green space and a heritage center. Shockoe Bottom near the intersection of East Broad Street and I-95. lumpkinsjail.org

L. Douglas Wilder Library

This Virginia Union University library contains a rare book collection and a collection of papers, photos and recordings pertaining to

the nation’s first elected African American governor. Admittance by appointment. 1500 N. Lombardy St. 804-257-5822 or vuu.edu

Maggie L. Walker Monument Bronze statue commemorating activist Maggie L. Walker. Intersection of Adams and Broad Streets.

Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site

Commemorates the life of Maggie L. Walker, a civil rights activist, fraternal leader and entrepreneur — the first African American woman in the United States to found a bank. 600 N. Second St. 804-771-2017 or nps.gov/mawa.

The Museum Galleries at Virginia Union

Art from West and Central Africa and the South Pacific, plus African American folk art. 1500 N. Lombardy St. (inside L. Douglas Wilder Library). 804-257-5660 or vuu.edu

New Kent Historical Courthouse

A marker tells the story of James Lafayette, who was born into slavery near the site around 1748 and recruited as a Colonial spy by the Marquis de Lafayette in 1781. He took Lafayette’s name and was freed in 1787. 12007 Courthouse Circle. newkenthistoricalsoc.com

Parsons Community Center

A permanent exhibition honors three generations of the Parsons family, enslaved people who were associated with the Sheppard family from 1809 to 1939. 3400 Mountain Road. 804-652-1455 or henrico.us

Richmond African Burial Ground

Burial ground of enslaved and free Black people dating to the mid1700s. Today, it’s a grass-covered memorial park. 1540 E. Broad St. richmondcemeteries.org

Richmond Black Restaurant Experience

A 365-day celebration of Blackowned restaurants culminates with an annual weeklong event in March. It also sponsors the HeArt and Soul Festival in July, highlighting African cuisine, urban art and more. rbre365.com. $

Richmond Night Market

Open-air market held second Saturdays from 5 to 9 p.m., April-December. It highlights community and diverse artists with music, kid’s activities and interactive experiences. 17th Street Market, 100 N. 17th St. richmondnightmarketva.com.

Richmond Slave Trail

Walking trail chronicling the history of the trade of enslaved people, beginning at Manchester Docks. virginia.org

Richmond Slavery

Reconciliation Statue

This 15-foot bronze sculpture completes the triangle of Richmond, the city of Liverpool, England, and the Republic of Benin, each of which played a role in the slave trade. 15th and East Main streets.

‘Rumors of War’

This bronze statue depicting a young African American male riding a horse is artist Kehinde Wiley’s response to visiting Richmond in

Richmond Night Market

2016 and seeing the Confederate statues along Monument Avenue. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 200 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd. vmfa.museum.

RVA Black Farmers Market

Featuring Black-owned farms, purveyors and makers. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sat.-Sun., May-November. Varying locations. instagram.com/ rvablackfarmersmarket.

Second Liberty Baptist Church

Dates back to 1866, when a group of African American members of Emmaus Baptist Church, restricted to balcony seating, formed a new independent church. Dr. George W. Watkins was pastor here and organized the first Black high school in the county. 8140 George W. Watkins Road, Quinton. 804-932-4245 or secondlibertybaptist.church

Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church

Organized in 1867 by the Rev. John Jasper, who was born enslaved on July 4, 1812. 14 W. Duval St. 804648-7511 or smzbc.org

Spring Park Historic Site

Park commemorating Gabriel, an enslaved person known for Gabriel’s Rebellion in 1800. For a map of more sites related to the rebellion, visit henrico.us. 2000 Park St.

UnlockingRVA

Slave Trail Tour

Explores Black culture and history. 804-651-3764 or facebook.com/ unlockingrva. $

Untold RVA

Free Bangura’s Untold Tours visit an exclusive collection of street art that honors Richmond’s black history. untoldrva.com. $

Virginia Civil Rights Memorial Memorial recognizing Barbara Johns, a 16-year-old who led a strike in 1951 in protest of the conditions at her racially segregated school. Virginia State Capitol. virginiacapitol.gov

Virginia Randolph Museum

Museum honoring educator Virginia E. Randolph. Open by appointment. 2200 Mountain Road. 804-6521475 or henrico.us

Virginia State University Libraries

Contains collections of rare books, historical documents and artifacts. 1 Hayden Drive. 804-524-6811 or library.vsu.edu

FAMILY FUN

Ashland Berry Farm

Family-owned working farm offering hayrides and seasonal events. 12607 Old Ridge Road, Beaverdam. 804-227-3601 or ashlandberryfarm. com. $

Bingo Beer Co.

Combines a brewery, a bar, an arcade and a restaurant under one roof. 2900 W. Broad St. 804-3860290 or bingorva.com. $

Bowlero

Enjoy 56 lanes of bowling at Bowlero Mechanicsville (7317 Bell Creek Road, 804-559-2600), 50 lanes at Bowlero West End (8037 Shrader Road, 804-747-9620), and 32 lanes at Bowlero Richmond (6540 W. Broad St., 804-282-0537). bowlero. com. $

Chesterfield Berry Farm

Gather strawberries (April-June), sunflowers (July-August) and pumpkins (September-October). 26002

Pear Orchard Road. 804-441-1034 or chesterfieldberryfarm.com. $

Children’s Museum

With opportunities for the whole family to play and learn together, both of the Children’s Museum locations offer interactive and hands-on programming for families with children ages 0-8. Open Tuesday-Sunday. 804-474-7000 or childrensmuseumofrichmond.org. $

DOWNTOWN

Offers 44,000 square feet of learn-

ing through fun, from the splishsplash of Water Play to the kid-run TV studio. 2626 W. Broad St.

CHESTERFIELD

Hands-on exhibits include an art studio; the “Transportation Station,” with a real, full-size firetruck and GRTC bus to explore; and an 18-foot tire climber. 6629 Lake Harbour Drive.

The Circuit

Self-serve bar with 50 taps and more than 80 arcade games. Age 21 and up after 9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday; after 7 p.m. Friday-Saturday. 3121 W. Leigh St. thecircuitarcadebar.com. $

DraftCade

Offers nearly 80 classic arcade games, 10 pinball machines, six skee-ball lanes and four arcade hoops. Age 21 and up after 7 p.m. 11800 W. Broad St., Suite 1090 (at Short Pump Town Center). draftcade.com. $

Escape Rooms

BREAKOUT GAMES, 9101 Midlothian Turnpike, 804-480-1211 or breakoutgames.com/richmond.

ESCAPE ROOM RVA, 7025 Three Chopt Road, 804-477-6369 or escaperoomrva.com

GNOME & RAVEN, 9200 Stony Point Parkway (at Stony Point Fashion Park), 800-769-1415 or gnomeandraven.com

RED VEIN ESCAPE, 108 Robinson St., 804-752-1081 or redveinescape.com

RIDDLE ME THIS, 1404 N. Parham Road (inside Regency Mall), 804608-9689 or riddlemethisrva.com

RIVER CITY ESCAPE ROOM, 8047 W. Broad St., 804-325-3250 or rivercityescaperoom.com. $

The Fed Experience

Explore the role the Federal Reserve plays in the economy. The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, 701 E. Byrd St. 804-697-8110 or thefedexperience.org

Hotel Greene

A 13-hole indoor mini-golf course with the aesthetic of a grand hotel. Age 21 and up after 5 p.m. 508 E. Franklin St. hotelgreene.com. $

Keystone Truck & Tractor Museum

Experience fully restored antique tractors, restoration projects and farm equipment. 880 W. Roslyn Road. 804-524-0020 or keystonetractorworks.com. $

Kings Dominion

With more than 60 rides, shows and attractions, Kings Dominion offers world-class thrills and family fun. Check out Tumbili, a 4D Spin Coaster, in the park’s new Jungle X-Pedition area. Soak City, a 20acre water playground, is included with park admission. 16000 Theme Park Way. 804-876-5000 or kingsdominion.com. $

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden

Enjoy year-round beauty at this property, with more than 50 acres of themed gardens, a children’s garden

and a domed conservatory. 1800 Lakeside Ave. 804-262-9887 or lewisginter.org. $

Maymont

This 100-acre attraction features a historic estate and mansion, gardens, farm animals, rescued native wildlife and a James River exhibit inside the renovated Robins Nature Center. Entrances at 2201 Shields Lake Drive, 1700 Hampton St. and 1001 Spottswood Road. 804-3587166 or maymont.org. Donations requested; fee for activities.

Metro Richmond Zoo

This zoo features more than 2,000 exotic animals such as lions, cheetahs, sloths, pygmy hippos and monkeys. Zip from tree to tree at the Treetop Zoofari Zip Line and Adventure Park. 8300 Beaver Bridge Road. 804-739-5666 or metrorichmondzoo.com. $

The Park RVA

This 55,000-square-foot multientertainment venue offers 18 lanes of duckpin bowling, mini and virtual golf, a food hall, and a beer garden with 30 self-pour taps. 1407 Cummings Drive. 804-533-2966 or thepark.com. $

Richmond Railroad Museum

Restored 1915 Southern Railway passenger station with model railroad layout, full-size caboose and Porter-style steam engine, as well as Richmond’s rail history exhibits. Open weekends. 102 Hull St. 804231-4324 or richmondrailroad museum.com. $

River City Roll

Enjoy 20 lanes of bowling with a New American kitchen serving seasonal dishes. Age 21 and up after 7 p.m. 939 Myers St. 804-331-0416 or rivercityroll.com. $

Rockwood Park Nature Center

Exhibits include a honeybee observation hive, native Virginia amphibians and reptiles. Rockwood Park, 3401 Courthouse Road. 804-7687448 or chesterfield.gov

Science Museum of Virginia

Through experiential exhibits, live animals, planetarium shows, makerspaces, live demos, the museum sparks curiosity, encourages discovery and generates ideas in science, technology, engineering and math. 2500 W. Broad St. 804864-1400 or smv.org. $

Slingshot Social Game Club

Classic parlor games with a modern spin, including SuperSkee, Ultimate Bocce and Extreme Duckpin. 3301 W. Clay St. slingshotrva.com. $

Tang & Biscuit

Five floor shuffleboard courts, a creative menu, a full bar and many free games. Live entertainment Fridays and Saturdays. 3406 W. Moore St. 804-362-8264 or tangandbiscuit.com. $

Three Lakes Park & Nature Center

This park features a Nature Center. For updates, visit facebook.com/threelakesnature.

Butterflies at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden

Family owned, family loved.

400 Sausiluta Drive. 804-652-1470 or henricorecandparks.com

Uptown Alley

This 57,000-square-foot entertainment venue features 38 bowling lanes, an arcade, virtual reality, two bars, live entertainment and a full-service restaurant. 6101 Brad McNeer Parkway, Midlothian. 804744-1077 or uptownalley richmond.com. $

ARCHITECTURE AND CULTURE

Agecroft Hall

This 16th-century Tudor house was moved from England in 1926 and rebuilt on the banks of the James River. Self-guided tours offered noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday; guided tours by appointment. 4305 Sulgrave Road. 804-353-4241 or agecrofthall.org. $

Armour House and Gardens at Meadowview Park

The Victorian-style Armour House was built between 1915 and 1918, and the surrounding park includes a walking trail, tennis courts, gardens and children’s play areas. Tours by appointment at ArmourHouse@ henrico.us (park open dawn-dusk). 4001 Clarendon Road. 804-6521430 or henrico.us/rec/places/ armour-house.

Beth Ahabah Museum and Archives

Richmond’s museum of Jewish history and culture. Closed Fridays and Saturdays. 1109 W. Franklin St. 804-353-2668 or bethahabah.org/ bama/. $5 suggested donation.

Bolling Haxall House

Home to the Woman’s Club since 1900, this Italianate-style mansion was built in 1858 for Bolling Walker Haxall, heir to a flour-milling fortune. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. MondayFriday (closed Mondays, OctoberApril); tours by appointment. 211 E. Franklin St. 804-643-2847 or twcrichmond.org

The Branch Museum of Architecture and Design

A design museum housed inside a historic Tudor Revival home. Designed by architect John Russell Pope and completed in 1919, it served as the residence of financier John Kerr Branch and his wife. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. MondayFriday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. See website for tour dates. 2501 Monument Ave. 804-655-6055 or branchmuseum.org. $

Church Quarter

A well-preserved antebellum log dwelling in the region. Tours by appointment, contact Martha James. 12432 Old Ridge Road (old Route 738). 804-883-6252 or 804516-3218.

Hebrew Cemetery

One of the oldest Jewish cemeteries in the South. Closed Saturdays. Shockoe Hill at Fourth and Hospital streets. 804-358-6757 or bethahabah.org.

Historic Polegreen Church

One of the first meeting houses established during the Great Awakening. What stands today is an interpretive design of the original 1747 church. 6411 Heatherwood Drive. 804-730-3837 or historicpolegreenchurch.org.

Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University

Presents rotating exhibitions, performances and special programming. 601 W. Broad St. 804-828-2823 or icavcu.org

Free.Robert Mills designed this church over 200 years ago. Tours by appointment. 1224 E. Broad St. 804-643-7407 or historicrichmond. com. Free.

Museum of Virginia Catholic History

Collections include diaries, journals, photographs and artifacts of former bishops that illustrate the history of the Roman Catholic Church in Virginia. Guided tours by appointment. Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, 800 S. Cathedral Place. 804-359-5661 or richmonddiocese.org

The Poe Museum Museum featuring manuscripts, first editions and artifacts belonging to Edgar Allan Poe. 1914 E. Main St. 804-648-5523 or poemuseum.org. $

Pro-Cathedral of Saint Peter

Founded in 1834, the first Catholic Church to open in Richmond and the second oldest in the area. It’s an example of neoclassic architectural style. 800 E. Grace St. 804-6434315 or stpeterchurch1834.org.

Slash Church

Built circa 1729, Slash Church is the oldest and best-preserved frame church in Virginia. Tours by appointment. 11353 Mount Hermon Road. 804-798-4520 or slashcc.org

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

An example of Greek Revival architecture featuring Tiffany windows. 815 E. Grace St. 804-6433589 or stpaulsrva.org

St. Peter’s Episcopal Church

Circa 1703 Episcopal church where Martha and George Washington worshipped. Tours by appointment. 8400 St. Peters Lane, New Kent. 804-932-4846 or stpetersnewkent.org.

The Valentine First Freedom Center

Located on the same corner where the General Assembly met in secret during the American Revolution, the center celebrates Thomas Jefferson’s Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom. South 14th and Cary streets. 804-649-0711 or thevalentine.org/firstfreedomcenter.

Virginia Holocaust Museum

Learn about the lives of Holocaust survivors through their stories of the Kovno Ghetto and Dachau concentration camp. 2000 E. Cary St. 804-257-5400 or vaholocaust.org

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

A permanent collection of artworks spanning 6,000 years of world culture. Open 365 days a year. 200 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd. 804-340-1400 or vmfa.museum.

Wilton House

Experience the 18th century at Richmond’s own Georgian-style mansion. Self-guided tours by reservation. Group tours available. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. WednesdaySaturday; 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday. 215 S. Wilton Road. 804-282-5936 or wiltonhm.org. $

RICHMOND AND VIRGINIA HISTORY

The Ashland Museum

The history of Ashland is presented through exhibits, artifacts, photos and events. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday; 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday; or by appointment. 105 Hanover Ave. 804368-7314 or ashlandmuseum.org

Ashland Train Station

In the visitor center at Ashland’s 1920s train depot, visitors can view rail memorabilia. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. 112 N. Railroad Ave. 804-7526766 or ashlandva.gov

Battery Dantzler

This Confederate battery constructed in 1864 is on the northern end of earthworks known as the Howlett Line. Sunrise-sunset daily. 1820 Battery Dantzler Road, Chester. 804751-4946 or chesterfield.gov

Beaver Dam Creek Battlefield

The Seven Days Campaign began here on June 26, 1862. Sunrise-sunset daily. 7423 Cold Harbor Road. 804-226-1981 or nps.gov/rich.

Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia

Houses exhibitions commemorating the accomplishments of Black Virginians. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday. 122 W. Leigh St. 804-780-9093 or blackhistorymuseum.org. $

The Chesterfield County Museum and 1892 Jail

Built as a replica of the county’s 1749 courthouse, the museum has exhibits that trace the path of this historic county. 6813 Mimms Loop. 804-768-7311 or chesterfieldhistory. com. $2 suggested donation for museum; $1 for jail.

Chimborazo Medical Museum

Site of the largest military hospital in the world from 1861 to 1865. 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. 3215 E. Broad St. 804-226-1981 or nps.gov/rich.

Civil War Gateway Visitor Center at Historic Tredegar

The official launching point to experience the region’s Civil War and Emancipation history. Together, the American Civil War Museum and The National Park Service help orient visitors to the full range of battlefields, museums and historic sites in the region and beyond. 500 Tredegar St.

THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR MUSEUM

The museum is housed in a 28,500-square-foot building presenting artifacts that tell the stories of the Civil War and its legacies from multiple perspectives. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. 480 Tredegar St. 804649-1861 or acwm.org. $

RICHMOND NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD PARK CIVIL WAR VISITOR CENTER

Maps, audiovisual displays and exhibits introduce the story of Richmond during the Civil War. 470 Tredegar St. 804-226-1981 or nps. gov/rich.

Ashland Train Station

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WHITE HOUSE OF THE CONFEDERACY

The onetime home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Guided tours offered; tickets available online and at the Tredegar Visitor Center. 1201 E. Clay St. 804-649-1861 or acwm.org. $

Cold Harbor Battlefield Visitor Center

An electronic battle-map program describes the 1862 battle of Gaines’ Mill and the 1864 battle of Cold Harbor. 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday (see website for off-season hours). 5515 Anderson-Wright Drive. 804-730-5025 or nps.gov/rich.

Confederate War Memorial Chapel

This nondenominational chapel was built in 1887 by Confederate veterans as a memorial. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 2900 Grove Ave. 804-340-1405.

Courtney Road Service Station

This circa-1925 service station exemplifies the “House With Canopy” design that grew into popularity in the 1920s. Open by appointment and for events. 3401 Mountain Road. 804-501-7275 or henricorecandparks.com

Dabbs House Museum

This home served as a strategic location and the June 1862 military headquarters for Confederate Robert E. Lee. Open by appointment. 3812 Nine Mile Road. 804-6523406 or henrico.us

Deep Run Schoolhouse

This two-room school was built in 1902. Tours by appointment. 3401 Pump Road, Short Pump Park. 804-501-7275 or henricorecandparks.com

Drewry’s Bluff

A trail leads visitors to a Confederate fort. Sunrise-sunset daily. 7600 Fort Darling Road. 804-226-1981 or nps.gov/rich

Executive Mansion

The oldest continuously occupied governor’s residence in the coun-

try (since 1813). 804-371-2642 or executivemansion.virginia.gov

Fort Clifton

A Confederate stronghold pivotal in defending Richmond and Petersburg in 1864 and 1865. 7 a.m. to dusk daily. 100 Brockwell Lane. 804-520-9390 or colonialheightsva.gov

Fort Harrison Visitor Center

A self-guided walking trail takes visitors through the fort, which was captured by 3,000 Union soldiers on Sept. 29, 1864. Trail open sunrise-sunset daily; visit website for updated visitor center hours. 8621 Battlefield Park Road. 804-226-1981 or nps.gov/rich.

Fort Stevens

Built in 1862 after the Seven Days Campaign. Sunrise-sunset daily. 8900 Pams Ave., North Chesterfield. 804-751-4946 or chesterfield.gov

Gaines’ Mill Battlefield Artillery exhibits, the historic Watt House and a 1.5-mile walking trail. Sunrise-sunset daily. 6283 Watt House Road. 804-226-1981 or nps. gov/rich.

Glendale National Cemetery/Malvern Hill Battlefields

The cemetery holds approximately 1,200 graves, many of them Union soldiers, and a nearly 2-mile walking trail. Sunrise-sunset daily. 9175 Willis Church Road. 804-226-1981 or nps.gov/rich.

Hanover Courthouse

The third-longest continuously used courthouse in the United States dates back to 1738. The circa-1835 stone jail is on site. Tours from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on second Thursdays 13182 Hanover Courthouse Road. hanoverhistorical.org.

Hanover Museum of History & Culture

Learn about this more-than-300year-old county through engaging and thought-provoking exhibitions. 7496 County Complex Road. hanovercounty.gov

Henricus Historical Park

At the second successful English settlement in the New World, explore the culture of the Powhatan Indians in the Arrohateck Village at this outdoor living-history museum. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday (last ticket sold at 4 p.m.). 251 Henricus Park Road, Chester. 804748-1611 or henricus.org. $

Hollywood Cemetery

Established in 1847, it’s the final resting place of two U.S. presidents. Guided tours available through RVA on Wheels (rvaonwheels.com).

8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (8 a.m. to 6 p.m. during daylight savings time). 412 S. Cherry St. 804-648-8501 or hollywoodcemetery.org. Grounds are free; fee for tours.

The Library of Virginia

Explore the story of Virginia as told through 126 million books, documents, photographs, maps, works of art, newspapers, recordings, films and official records. 800 E. Broad St. 804-692-3500 or lva.virginia.gov

Mid-Lothian Mines Park

One of the first major industrial sites in the United States is now a 62acre preserve. Sunrise-sunset daily. 13301 N. Woolridge Road, Midlothian. midlomines.org

Old City Hall

This Victorian Gothic building served as Richmond’s city hall (1894–1970s). No inside access. 1001 E. Broad St. rva.gov

Parker’s Battery

A walking trail winds through fortifications. A monument commemorates Parker’s “Boy Company.”

Sunrise-sunset daily. 1801 Ware Bottom Spring Road. 804-226-1981 or nps.gov/rich.

Richmond Railroad Museum

A 1915 Southern Railway passenger station houses artifacts of the lines that contributed to Richmond’s rail history. Largest model railroad layout in Richmond. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday.

102 Hull St. 804-231-4324 or richmondrailroadmuseum.org. $ St. John’s Church

The site of Patrick Henry’s “Give me liberty or give me death” speech, the Episcopal church still holds services today. See website for guided tours and reenactments. 2401 E. Broad St. 804-648-5015 or historicstjohnschurch.org. $

Totopotomoy Creek Battlefield at Rural Plains

A walking trail traverses terrain where Union and Confederate armies clashed in 1864. The Shelton House, built around 1723, survived the onslaught of cannon fire. Grounds open sunrise-sunset daily. The Shelton House is open on weekends. 7273 Studley Road. 804226-1981 or nps.gov/rich.

The Valentine

Established in 1892, The Valentine displays Richmond’s diverse stories through tours, events, collections and exhibitions. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. 1015 E. Clay St. 804-649-0711 or thevalentine.org. $

Violet Bank

On the National Register of Historic Places, Violet Bank is the first recorded settlement in Colonial Heights. Today, the home serves as an example of Federal design and displays Civil War era artifacts. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday. 303 Virginia Ave. 804-520-9395 or colonialheightsva.gov

Virginia Museum of History & Culture

Connects visitors to America’s past through the story of Virginia. Recently renovated, the museum now offers additional galleries, a refurbished research library and more. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 428 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd. 804-340-1800 or virginiahistory.org. $

Virginia State Capitol

Home to the oldest elected lawmaking body in the Western Hemisphere. Free guided tours of the building’s Rotunda, as well as the old House and Senate chambers. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday; 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Entrance on Bank Street near 10th Street. 804-6981788 or virginiacapitol.gov

Virginia Telephone Museum

Features phones dating back to the 1800s, switchboards, phonebooks and tools. 713 E. Grace St. 804-691-3498 or calink.us/vtm/ webpage.htm.

Wolf Creek Cherokee Museum & Tribal Center

Learn about the past and present of Cherokee culture through exhibitions and artifacts. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays. Weekday group tours. 7400 Osborne Turnpike. 804-3870655 or wolfcreekcherokee.com.

Henricus Historical Park

A Quest for Kicks

By Keyris Manzanares

Richmond’s sneaker resale industry is booming. Across the city, stores are turning a profit from reselling trendy, unique or in-demand shoes. Serving Richmond’s sneakerheads, shops like Rotate, Kicks Boomin, Elite Kickz RVA, MBM Kicks and Stvrs Kicks have filled a void left in the wake of the 2020 closing of Round Two, a popular consignment shop that specialized in reselling sneakers and clothing.

“Ever since Round Two [closed], there’s a lot of people that are doing what we’re doing,” says Rotate co-owner Brian Iwaumadi. “If you go up and down the East Coast right now, I feel like there’s no boutique or store like ours that does the amount of work that we do within the community.”

Rotate began when Iwaumadi — along with his brother, Derrick — started buying and selling clothes. Later, they began holding pop-ups and opened a shop near Virginia Commonwealth University, which eventually relocated to Jackson Ward.

Iwaumadi hosts annual toy drives and hot food giveaways at Rotate, while The Spot, a creative space he also operates in Richmond, partners with local schools to provide free after-school programming such as activities and workshops focused on entrepreneurship.

Sneakers, which are now available in a limitless range of styles, colors and brand names, provide their fans with a way to express themselves. That self-expression is something many sneakerheads are willing to pay for, with collectible shoes going for thousands of dollars. Some shoes resell for twice their retail price — or more.

“I think sneaker culture — I think streetwear culture — I think it all correlates because it’s just your perception of yourself,” Iwaumadi says. “How other people perceive you is just like the outfit,

the clothing that you put on that day.”

Often, people buy popular or rare sneakers as an investment, with the intention of reselling. Long lines form outside of local shops in anticipation of “sneaker drops,” when the latest designs become available.

Iwaumadi says for that reason, buying sneakers can sometimes feel like buying stocks. If you can buy shoes when they first become available and then resell them, you could maximize your return — depending on what the demand is for the specific sneaker. Condition is also a concern with used sneakers, which is why some of them are never worn and treated more like art objects than footwear.

“It takes away from those that are really sneakerheads, those that genuinely like the silhouettes, like the sneakers for

Shoe business booms in RVA

Sneakers from last year’s RVA Fashion Week’s Sneaker Fest.

what it is, and they just want to get it,” Iwaumadi says. “It forces them to come down to a store like [Rotate] and then have to pay. You could have got the sneaker for $150. But now you’re paying $1,000 for the shoe.”

Damien Chew, a Richmond blogger and sneaker lover says the resale industry can be an issue for people who simply want to buy stylish sneakers.

“If I was to have a gripe against sneaker culture, [it] would be the fact that I can’t buy sneakers,” Chew says. “I can’t go anywhere and get the sneakers that I want because they’re all bought by resellers.”

Chew’s love for shoes is intertwined with his memories. He recalls his first sneaker purchase, a pair of Air Jordan 5s.

“I do remember my mom saving up money for us to get sneakers during back-to-school,” Chew says. “I have nostalgic memories of sneakers. Now it’s just really a market. It’s like, ‘If I buy this certain model, I can mark it up at this price, and I’m going to get this profit.’ ”

While the reasons for purchasing sneakers have changed for some buyers, and prices have skyrocketed as a result, the demand for these shoes hasn’t peaked. Last year, KicksManiaRVA, billed as “the largest sneaker event to hit

RVA,” came to the Richmond Raceway Complex, while RVA Sneaker Fest held its second-annual event in conjunction with Richmond Fashion Week. For Chew, it’s about more than the shoes.

“Sneaker culture to me is ... the actual individuals that are buying the sneakers, the actual individuals that are putting the sneakers on, that are showing you how to style and wear these sneakers,” Chew says. “That’s the culture, the people in the culture, the people of the culture.”

A version of this his article originally appeared on vpm.com.

Rotate managers Nathan Escobar and Elvis Gomez.

Retail Destinations

Markets, malls and shopping hubs

FARMERS MARKETS

17th Street Market

Open-air plaza featuring a market and events. 100 N. 17th St. 804646-0954 or rva.gov

Ashland Farmers Market

Hanover-grown produce, honey and flowers. Saturdays, May-October. 121 Thompson St. 804-7989219 or ashlandva.gov.

Birdhouse Farmers Market

Local fruits, vegetables, meats and more. Also available online yearround at birdhousefarmersmarket luluslocalfood.com. SNAP accepted. 3 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays, May-November. 1507 Grayland Ave. 804-261-0841 or birdhousefarmersmarket.org

Brandermill Market

Produce, flowers, pet treats and crafts. 4 to 7 p.m. Thursdays, May-September. 4900 Market Square Lane. 804-744-1035 or facebook.com/brandermillmarket.

Carytown Farmers Market

Locally grown produce, freshly made foods and flowers. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sundays, May-October. City Stadium, 3201 Maplewood Ave. 804-402-9076 or carytownmarket.com.

Chesterfield County Farmers Market

Local fruits, vegetables, plants,

desserts and crafts on the grounds of the Chesterfield County Government Complex. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays, May-September. 6701 Mimms Loop. 804-751-4401 or facebook.com/CFitFarmersMarket.

Colonial Heights Farmers Market

Locally grown produce, grass-fed meats, eggs, plants and more. 9 a.m to noon Saturdays, year-round. 2600 Boulevard, Colonial Heights. 804-721-3256 or facebook.com/ colonialheightsfarmersmarket.

Dorey Park Farmers Market

Local produce, meats, baked goods, jams, handmade items and more. 9 a.m. to noon. Saturdays, June-October. 2999 Darbytown Road. 804-314-9739 or doreyparkfarmersmarket.org

Farmers Market at St. Stephen’s Outdoor market hosted by St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church. 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays, May-September; 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays, October-April. 6000 Grove Ave. 804288-2867 or ststephensrva.org.

Farmers Market at Urban Farmhouse-Midlothian

Seasonal produce, pastured meats, baked goods and more. 4 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, May-September. 13849 Coalfield Commons Road. rvagriculture.org.

Goochland Farmers Market

Local produce and goods, music and food trucks. SNAP program. 4 to 6:30 p.m., Tuesdays, May-September. 1889 Sandy Hook Road. rvagriculture.org.

Huguenot-Robious Farmers Market at The Great Big Greenhouse Virginia Grown market featuring locally grown produce, meat and crafts. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursdays, year-round. 2051 Huguenot Road. 804-320-1317 or greatbiggreenhouse.com.

Lakeside Farmers’ Market

Year-round market featuring local produce, meat, cheese and crafts. 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays (year-round); 9 a.m. to noon

Wednesdays (May-November). 6110 Lakeside Ave. 804-262-6593 or lakesidefarmersmarket.net

Manakin Market

Produce, local products, kids’ activities, music and more. SNAP program. 9 a.m. to noon, Saturdays, May-October. 68 Broad Street Road. rvagriculture.org.

The Market at Magnolia Green

Local produce and handmade goods every Saturday, May-October. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 17320 Hull Street Road, Moseley. 804-8186900 or magnoliagreen.com/ the-market.

New Kent County Farmers Market

Producers-only market with produce, cut flowers, eggs, meats and more. 9 a.m. to noon, May-August. 7589 New Kent Highway. 804-966-9683 or newkentfarmersmarket.com.

Northside Farmers Market

This market aims to increase healthy food access and highlights

Black growers. SNAP/EBT accepted. 4:30 to 7 p.m. Thursdays, June-November. 201 E. Brookland Park Blvd. (behind Richmond Community High School). northsidefoodaccess.com.

On the Square VA Farmers Market

Offers local produce, pastured meats and lunches from area food vendors. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursdays, May 1-mid-September. 109 Governors St. 804-314-9141 or rvagriculture.org

Powhatan Village Farmers Market

Produce and local products. SNAP accepted. 4 to 6:30 p.m., Thursdays, May-September. 3841 Old Buckingham Road. rvagriculture.org.

River Street Market

Producer-only arts and produce market. SNAP accepted. 9 a.m. to noon, Saturdays, year-round. 30 River St., Petersburg. riverstreet market.com.

RVA Big Market

More than 80 full-time and 50 parttime vendors. 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays, year-round. Bryan Park, 4308 Hermitage Road. growrva.com

RVA Black Farmers Market

Featuring Black-owned farms, purveyors and makers. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, May-November. Varying locations. instagram.com/rvablack farmersmarket.

Safe Space Market RVA

Held at Lakeside Farmers Market, this pop-up highlights the region’s underrepresented purveyors. 6 to 9 p.m., Fridays. 6110 Lakeside Ave. safespacerva.square.site.

South of the James Market

Farmers, artists, local food products and food trucks. 4 to 7 p.m. Thursdays, May-October. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sundays, year-round. Forest Hill Park, New Kent Avenue and 42nd Street. growrva.com

Westchester Farmers Market

Producer-only market offering fresh produce, plants and more. 4 to 7 p.m. Thursdays, May-October. 15785 WC Main St. westchesterfarmers marketpowhatan.com

West End Farmers Market

Local produce, herbs, eggs, honey and artisan products. 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays, year-round. 13000 Gayton Road, at Discovery United Methodist Church. 804-516-2477 or westendfarmersmarket.com

MALL MANIA

Chesterfield Towne Center

Includes popular specialty shops, department stores, services and restaurants. 11500 Midlothian Turnpike. 804-794-4662 or chesterfieldcenter.com

Colonial Square

This center features a mix of locally owned stores and national

RVA Black Farmers Market

chains. 3107 Boulevard, Colonial Heights. 804-697-8496 or shopcolonialsquare.com

Gayton Crossing Shopping Center

At the intersection of Gayton, Gaskins and Quioccasin roads, find specialty, consignment and upscale clothing and furniture shops. 9782 Gayton Road. facebook.com/ gaytoncrossing

GreenGate

Features buildings inspired by Richmond’s architecture. Find Mellow Mushroom, The Daily Kitchen & Bar, and more at the intersection of West Broad Street and North Gayton Road. therowatgreengate.com

Regency

Offers a mix of fashion and lifestyle stores. The site is under redevelopment into a mixed-use community including new retail and dining. 1420 N. Parham Road. 804-740-1518 or shopregencymall.com

River Road Shopping Center

Find high-end apparel, jewelry and home furnishings at River Road.

Nearby River Road Shopping Center II features upscale clothing, shoes and more. 6201 River Road. shopriverroad.com

The Shoppes at Bell Creek

You’ll find boutiques and restaurants at the intersection of Bell Creek and Pole Green roads. 8319 Bell Creek Road.

The Shoppes at Bellgrade

At the corner of Huguenot and Robious roads, enjoy a selection of clothing and other specialty stores. 11400 W. Huguenot Road. The Shops at White Oak Village Features national chain stores for apparel, entertainment and pet supplies. 4521-4571 S. Laburnum Ave.

Short Pump Town Center

Open-air shopping center includes Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, and an Apple Store, among other premier shops and restaurants. 11800 W. Broad St. 804-364-9500 or shortpumptowncenter.com

Southpark Mall

Restaurants, specialty shops and Regal Cinemas movie theater. 230 Southpark Circle, Colonial Heights. 804-526-3900 or southparkmall.com

Stony Point Fashion Park

Features upscale stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Tiffany & Co. Catch a movie at CinéBistro. Dogs are welcome in the shops. 9200 Stony Point Parkway. 804-2672740 or shopstonypoint.com

Sycamore Square

This shopping center in the village of Midlothian has upscale consignment jewelry, clothing and dining. 1000 Sycamore Square Drive. shopsycamoresquare.com

Westchester Commons

This retail development includes a movie theater, national chain stores and other shops and restaurants. 15786 WC Main St. 804-379-9292 or shopwestchestercommons.com

Willow Lawn

Includes a children’s play area, restaurants, salons and stores such as Old Navy and DSW. 1601 Willow Lawn Drive. willowlawn.com

UNIQUE SHOPPING AREAS

Arts District

Located in the Broad Street downtown corridor, find clothing shops, art galleries and a boutique hotel. richmondartsdistrict.org.

Carytown

Stretching along West Cary Street, the “Mile of Style” bustles with local dining, spas and unique shops. carytownrva.com

Downtown Ashland

Find a specialty grocer, niche boutiques, antique stores and restaurants along Ashland’s Center Street and Railroad Avenue. 804-496-1434 or visitashlandva.com.

Lakeside

Stores offer a mix of quirky home furnishings, antiques and gifts.

Scott’s Addition

Look for unique artisan-made gifts at Stuff-RVA, antiques at Class and Trash and vinyl records at Wax Moon. scottsaddition.com

Shockoe Slip and Shockoe Bottom

Retailers, including a bookstore and an antiques shop, are found in Shockoe Slip. Adjacent Shockoe Bottom offers additional stores. shockoeslip.org.

Short Pump

A shoppers’ mecca featuring lodging, retail and dining at West Broad Village, plus dining and locally owned specialty stores such as Tweed and Fido Park Avenue at the Shoppes at Westgate. westbroadvillage.com; shoppesatwestgate.com

Stony Point Shopping Center

Gifts, stationery, children’s clothing and more at the intersection of Huguenot Road and Forest Hill Avenue.

Westhampton RVA

In the Near West End, this area encompasses Patterson, Libbie and Grove avenues, with a variety of local boutiques and shops. westhamptonrva.com

Betting on the Office

CoStar makes big moves to encourage in-person work with major construction projects

By Laura Anders Lee

W W

While the COVID-19 pandemic caused many companies to downsize their offices, CoStar is doubling down. In November, the real estate data company broke ground on a $460 million research hub adjacent to its current Fifth Street office in Richmond. Rising 21 stories, the main tower would be the second-tallest building downtown. CoStar has already begun hiring 2,000 more employees, for a total of 3,500 Richmond-based staff members.

“A company who analyzes real estate data for a living made a 1 million-squarefoot bet on Richmond,” says Jennifer Wakefield, president and CEO of the Greater Richmond Partnership, an economic development group for Richmond and Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico counties. “They’ve really prioritized creating cool spaces to work.”

CoStar was accepted into the S&P 500 Index in September and was among Fortune magazine’s top 100 fastest-growing companies in 2020. Most of its new hires in Richmond will be for entry-level positions in software development, analytics, operations and engineering, with an average compensation of $100,000. To sweeten the pot, CoStar is building spaces to encourage in-office work with free amenities such as a gym, yoga classes, coffee stations, a cafeteria and more.

“We’re always trying to find the best

talent and super-bright people and create an environment where they want to come work,” says CoStar CEO Andy Florance. “It’s an investment on our part and pays back in productivity. I think we will outperform, out-innovate and out-recruit our competitors whose employees are completely remote.”

Florance founded CoStar in 1987 and now oversees such entities as Apartments.com, LoopNet, STR and HomeSnap. Based in Washington, D.C., and boasting 80 offices and 5,300 employees worldwide, CoStar came to Richmond in 2016, purchasing the WestRock building and renovating spaces to accommodate employees. “My office had these high ceilings, balconies and really beautiful views of the river, and I thought, ‘Instead of

using it as the executive suite, this would be nicer as a common area,’” Florance says.

That space, today known as “The Barn,” is a hangout for CoStar employees. Inspired by bucolic Virginia barns and Southern front-porch living, the space includes rocking chairs, a painted blue ceiling, rustic tables and sound panels reminiscent of leaves. After work, staff members host happy hours, concerts and gatherings there. Florance says they’re modeling common spaces in the new buildings after The Barn and adding even more amenities.

“The most wonderful thing is the location right at the fall line of the James River,” Florance says. “That’s why Richmond is here, where the smooth water became rapids. We’re lucky to have this land.”

Taking advantage of its location, CoStar’s new main tower, which is being built to be certified LEED Platinum, the highest rating by the U.S. Green Building Council, and its five-story multipurpose building will incorporate outdoor classrooms, dozens of terraces and balconies, a courtyard, a winter garden, and nearly 3 acres of green space. Several retailers, as well as indoor-outdoor restaurants, including a craft brewery, will be available to employees and the public. Team members can easily take a walk around nearby Brown’s Island, and those living in Manchester can cross the pedestrian bridge to work or dine. A new amphitheater will accommodate special events and serve as a venue during the Richmond Folk Festival. The campus will also serve

We’re always trying to find the best talent ... and create an environment where they want to come work.”

ANDY FLORANCE, COSTAR CEO

as a training site for the company’s large fleet of drone pilots. Completion of the project is slated for 2025.

Wakefield says CoStar will be recruiting employees locally as well as from outside markets. In addition, CoStar is partnering with the VCU School of Business to cultivate future talent.

“People are moving to Richmond for the higher quality of life,” she says. “One new employee told me he went from sharing an apartment the size of a closet with three other people to buying his own house in Richmond.”

Florance says investing in downtown Richmond is important to the company, especially because of its place in the commercial real estate world. “We understand better than most what happens if you abandon the cities,” Florance says. “Washington, D.C., has dispersed their workforce, and they’re in serious trouble. There’s not the same tax base. Buildings

are in financial trouble.”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 48% of D.C. employees worked from home in 2021, the highest percentage of home-based workers among states and state equivalents. The number of people primarily working from home nationwide tripled between 2019 and 2021 from 9 million to nearly 28 million — representing about 18% of the workforce.

Wakefield says more people are returning to work in Richmond than in peer markets. A study by Kastle Systems, using keycard data from 41,000 offices it secures nationwide, indicates that Richmond occupancy rates are higher than in D.C., Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia, New York and Austin, among others. “There’s not the rat race here — we don’t have these crazy commutes, and you really can get anywhere in 20 minutes,” she says.

But Richmond employees aren’t necessarily going into the office every day.

“While there’s nothing like being in person, people really liked the flexibility from the pandemic, so many companies are doing a hybrid model, a mix of remote and in-person work,” Wakefield says.

While Florance prefers his staff in the office, CoStar gives employees the option to work remotely on Fridays. He says that, with more than 1,000 new hires in 2022 alone, in-person orientation and mentorships are imperative to flattening the learning curve, strengthening relationships and growing the company culture.

“We are 100% back, and it’s become obvious that we did the right thing,” he says. “Employee retention is the highest it’s ever been. We’re not having the ‘great resignation’ that others are having. Employees aren’t sitting at their parents’ kitchen table or in an attic somewhere — the people we hire are bringing energy, interacting with each other and having fun.”

Picture Perfect

Studios around the Richmond area power up your selfies

By Veronica Garabelli

Richmond’s selfie photography studios can add a fun twist to Valentine’s Day or personal or corporate outings. They provide professional lighting and an array of roughly 10-foot-high, hand-built photography sets where clients snap pictures with their own smartphones or cameras. The studios change sets at least seasonally, providing exquisite backdrops for Instaworthy posts, holiday cards or events.

MYSELFIES RVA

12 W. Broad St., myselfies.photo

Located in Richmond’s Arts District, Sulaymaan

Alkarriem and John Gillard launched Myselfies RVA in October 2021. The space boasts more than a dozen backdrops, ranging from a casino to the “green room,” where the walls, furniture and decor are decked out in eye-popping lime green paint. Myselfies RVA also hosts community events — it recently served as the site of a free camp for local kids. Tickets are $24.95 for adults, with discounts for children, teenagers, college students and seniors. Toddlers under 3 years old get in for free.

SELFIE GLAM

201 Towne Center West Blvd., Suite 713, selfie-glam.com

When Shelley Moran lost her job early in the COVID19 pandemic, she returned to her entrepreneurial background. Moran was inspired to launch a selfie photography studio while vacationing in Virginia Beach. “We found a studio that was kind of like this, but it was one of the bigger franchise ones, and I was like, ‘this is so cool … I could do that,” Moran says. She opened Selfie Glam in Short Pump this past summer. The studio has hosted Nutzy, the Richmond Flying Squirrels mascot, and served as a setting for Buskey Cider promotional shots. Admission costs $25 per hour for people 13 years of age and older, or $20 per hour for those younger than 13. Military, teachers and first responders receive a 10% discount.

SELFIE SPOT RVA

1301 Admiral St., selfiespotrva.com

Situated in a former warehouse near Virginia Union University, Selfie Spot RVA offers 1,100 square feet of space with more than 15 backdrops. Customers adore the room plastered in Richmond Times-Dispatch newsprint, a golden toilet and television and using a toy money gun that dispenses fake money, says co-manager Omar Palma. He designs the sets with his cousin Eugene Evans, who co-owns the business with Jasmine, his wife. “We kind of just feed off of each other,” Palma says. Selfie Spot RVA charges adults $25 per hour. Students receive a $5 discount and toddlers 3 years old and younger can obtain free admission.

WERKITRVA

SELFIE MUSEUM

4915 W. Broad St., wselfierva.com

Located next to The Shops at Willow Lawn, WerkitRVA Selfie Museum offers a canvas for content creators, says owner Tee Garry, as well as a place for people to take pictures in front of the shop’s more than half a dozen sets or space to sell clothes or create podcasts. She runs the business while serving full time in the Air Force. WerkitRVA Selfie Museum includes a backdrop with a giant wooden swing surrounded by a wall draped with purple flowers, green shrubs and a neon sign that says “this is where the magic happens.” Tickets start at $150 for two hours for up to 10 individuals to use the space.

FROM LEFT: MYSELFIES RVA; SELFIE GLAM; SELFIE SPOT RVA; WERKITRVA SELFIE MUSEUM

Short Pump Town Center

Since the open-air mall opened in 2003, Short Pump Town Center has remained a key player in the transformation of the West End of Henrico County and the edge of Goochland County. The mall boasts 122 retailers, such as Apple, Crate & Barrel, and Warby Parker, although the former Nordstrom space has remained empty since 2020. In December, GRTC Transit conducted a survey about extending its Pulse bus rapid transit service on West Broad Street beyond Willow Lawn and into Short Pump. By spring 2023, co-owner Brookfield Properties hopes to have permission from the state to allow shoppers to drink alcohol outside its restaurants. The mall would be the first in the area to allow open containers under the commercial lifestyle center license, which has been granted primarily in Northern Virginia since 2020.

Regency Square

Opened as a traditional indoor mall in 1975, Regency Square is now a mixed-use development, redefining the concept of a mall following its 2015 purchase by Thalhimer Realty Partners Inc. and the Rebkee Co. Part of the dramatic transformation inside and outside the West End mall includes the 2020 loss of its last legacy anchor store, J.C. Penney, and the addition of the NOVA of Virginia Aquatics Center in 2021, as well as Surge Adventure Park, Riddle Me This Escape Rooms and the Rise at Regency apartments. In September 2022, students at Henrico’s Adult Education Center began work to renovate part of the mall and create dozens of classrooms.

Stony Point Fashion Park

Positioned as a higher-end competitor to Short Pump Town Center when they both opened in 2003, Stony Point Fashion Park is home to Saks Fifth Avenue, CineBistro and Restoration Hardware in a dog- and family-friendly environment. However, it has seen several storefronts become empty and the departure of retailers like Dick’s Sporting Goods. After buying the property in 2014, owner Starwood Retail Partners plotted a $50 million redevelopment but ran into financial problems in 2020. The property was sold to Second Horizon Capital in April 2022. “In 2023, our team looks forward to our continued work in activating Stony Point Fashion Park with new programming, experiential activities and events, as well as supporting our broad range of existing and new tenants, including local entrepreneurs and small businesses. We continue to take steps toward achieving the long-term vision for the asset and our local community,” says Camilo Varela, co-founder and managing partner of Second Horizon Capital. One example of those activities was the recent hosting of “Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibit.”

Chesterfield Towne Center

The largest enclosed shopping center in the Richmond area has survived economic downturns, online shopping and the presence of numerous competitors. After a 2008 remodel, it was sold to Rouse Properties, which was later acquired by Brookfield Properties. Key stores include Barnes & Noble, H&M, At Home and Macy’s, and dining options include Carabba’s Italian Grill, Island Shrimp Co. and The Twisted Crab. Nearby, plans are underway to revive the Spring Rock Green shopping center (the old Beaufont Mall site) by mid-2024 as a community center with 300 residential units, 27,000 square feet of office and retail space, public facilities, a hotel, a parking deck and a sports and entertainment facility with two ice rinks.

Virginia Center Commons

While work to transform Virginia Center Commons into the Henrico Sports & Event Center began in 2020, the last remaining stores and other spaces stayed open through October 2022. These, too, will be demolished to make way for two hotel projects and 75 townhomes. The sports center, expected to be completed in September 2023, will feature more than 115,000 square feet of adaptable event space and available seating for 4,500 spectators for sports, graduation and other events. The hope is to attract people and new businesses to the area north of Richmond. There are also plans to build a multiuse trail and a park and to reimagine the food court as an outdoor marketplace.

Mall Makeovers

They may look different, but shopping centers are finding ways to serve their communities

By Mark Newton

Willow Lawn

The 2012 rebirth of Richmond’s first shopping center into a “vibrant open-air lifestyle center,” according to its owner, Federal Realty Investment Trust, was a milestone in the ongoing revitalization of Broad Street. It was further highlighted by the construction in 2018 of the 7.6-mile Pulse bus route, which currently ends at Willow Lawn. Additional apartments are also in the works for the area. Major tenants include Kroger, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Old Navy. Across the street, space where a bank once stood has been cleared for The Faison Center’s Pioneer Hall, which will house programs for those diagnosed with autism and is expected to open in late spring or early summer 2023.

hopping malls have replaced the town square as the center of many American cities,” Talking Heads frontman David Byrne observes in his 1986 movie “True Stories.” “Shopping itself has become the activity that brings people together.”

Fast-forward to a 2020 presentation on Virginia Center Commons by Henrico County off icials, which features a word cloud about the once-proud indoor mall. Among the words highlighted: Ghost town. Concrete hulk. Withering. Dead.

VCC’s last stores closed for good on Halloween 2022. But Henrico County is breathing new life into the site by transforming it into an indoor sports and event facility. It’s just one way that the Richmond area’s traditional malls are surviving into 2023 in one form or another.

Southpark Mall

Serving the Tri-Cities area since 1989, Southpark Mall has a Macy’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Regal Theatres. Its owner, CBL Properties, filed for bankruptcy protection in 2020; in October 2022, it finalized modification of a $54.4M loan that was extended through June 2026. Like many other malls, Southpark suffered a blow when Sears shuttered stores across the country in 2018, but plans to redevelop the site into multifamily residential apartments won approval from Colonial Heights in January 2022.

Many Hands Make Light Work

Firm provides personal assistance for workers who need extra help

By Paula Peters Chambers

Kristin Richardson knows how hard it is to be a parent and have a demanding full-time job, which is why she started a business that offers help with the workload.

In the run-up to Christmas two years ago, Richardson was working full time from home as chief sales and marketing manager for a medical company. Amid her nearly nonstop phone calls, she was ordering holiday cards and making party plans for her two daughters, whose birthdays fall around the start of the new year.

At the end of one particularly harrowing day, she recalls, “I hadn’t eaten, I had a raging headache and I was dehydrated. That was my breaking point.”

Richardson’s initial solution was to advertise for a personal assistant. The only applicant was a man living in the Philippines. Then she investigated companies that provide online personal assistants. “They don’t know your market,” she says. “They don’t know the best party

place or where to get the best ham biscuits for the party. Nor do they have in-person relationships in the community to grease the skids and get things done.”

So last summer, Richardson created what she needed: a team of local personal assistants who stand ready to help with life’s many demands. She says she named the company Sherah not to refer to the superhero She-Ra or the biblical architect Sheerah but to evoke a strong woman. “We like to say we help women rise up and roar,” Richardson says.

“This is a beautiful community of women helping women,” she says, noting that her goal is to provide support for women who wish to stay in the workforce, as well as to hire those who want to set their own schedule. “My team is mostly stay-at-home moms, but there’s also a woman who has a J.D. and MBA; another has a master’s degree in psychology,” she says. “These are smart, accomplished women who wanted to take a step back and put their families first.”

Richardson’s clients are primarily

working women but also include a few stay-at-home moms and single fathers. She notes that every parent faces days filled with demands, which can mean that some tasks just keep getting pushed to the side. One client who is a physician hadn’t seen her dentist in a decade until a Sherah assistant scheduled it for her.

Here’s how it works: A $100 monthly membership fee grants access to a team of personal assistants. Coverage begins with a 60- to 90-minute session during which the team gets to know the client and their needs and preferences. From there, a task list is created and prioritized, and jobs are assigned within the team.

An annual membership is available for $1,200, which includes an hour of free task time per month. A premium membership is also offered for $5,520 per year, covering eight hours per month.

The membership fee also includes proactive information — reminding members to think about camps, family birthdays, annual events, etc. — and tips about local vendors and new experiences in town.

Nearing the western end of the new Virginia Peninsula Wine Trail, JOLENE FAMILY WINERY is located in New Kent County right off Pocahontas Trail. Our tasting room overlooks Tom Brooks Lake on one side and our vineyard on the other, with a variety of indoor and outdoor seating available.

Our mission is to provide our customers with delicious, hand-crafted wines and to create an experience that leaves everyone feeling like they are family. We have live music and food trucks every weekend. Check out our online calendar for our weekly schedule!

The monthly fee is essential, Richardson says, to provide customized assistance and meet client needs appropriately. “We are doing our best to stay ahead of members to make suggestions that help their lives run more smoothly without them always having to ask,” she says.

Specific tasks — such as arranging for a squirrel to be removed from a client’s attic the week before Christmas — are billed at $15 per quarter-hour. “We called the preferred vendor, spoke with the specialist, booked the appointment, confirmed the time was OK with the client and added it to her calendar and her husband’s to remind them,” Richardson says. “That took 15 minutes total.”

Emily Krause, who signed on as a Sherah client in September, says she struggled with letting go of the internal guilt over needing help. “There’s the ever-growing list that sits there in the back of your mind and causes constant stress — getting our COVID-19 boosters, researching contractors for the house, calling to schedule the sprinkler guy to blow out the lines,” she says. “Every Monday, I’d say I’m going to do those things. And by Friday, I’d feel like a failure

because I’d done none of them.”

Krause says that, in two months’ time, her to-do list for six months “vanished.” Additionally, her Sherah assistant, a registered nurse, was able to help establish a sorely needed care plan for a family member. “We had a knowledgeable, caring person to engage with us,” she says. “She was very thorough and gave us options, which was important for me and my loved ones who were also involved.”

Getting things done is only part of the benefit, Krause says. “It can feel selfish to ask for help or hire a personal assistant service to wrap Christmas presents, but

honestly, if it means my mental health is preserved, and I can show up for my loved ones, and I can show up for my job, then it’s worth it. I can think of something, send a quick message and move on. It’s the same reason you hire somebody to cut the grass — you want that time back on your Saturday.”

Richardson says she routinely hears from clients about the impact Sherah is having in their lives. “One client said her child says she seems happier,” Richardson says. “I heard from another client, a banking executive, that she’s pursuing a promotion. She said she wouldn’t have the confidence to go after the job if she didn’t know she had us behind her. She wants that big job; why shouldn’t she be able to go for it?

“I’m working harder than I ever have, but this is the most fun I’ve had in my career,” Richardson adds. “To get help for these women and hear their relief, it’s worth it.”

Learn more about Sherah by going to mysherah.com or emailing info@mysherah.com.

It can feel selfish to ask for help, but if it means my mental health is preserved and I can show up for my loved ones and my job, then it’s worth it.”

EMILY KRAUSE, SHERAH CLIENT

Kristin Richardson, founder of Sherah, works at home with her daughters Kora, age 9, and Blake, age 7

How’s It Growing?

A sampling of economic and development projects around metro Richmond

Compiled by Ale Egocheaga

Chesterfield County

TYPE: New facility construction

INVESTMENT: Over $1 billion

EMPLOYMENT IMPACT: More than 1,760 jobs

COMPLETION: Open by mid-2025

PROJECT: Work Meets Play

Lego Group continues to grow as it adds a manufacturing facility in Chesterfield County. The company announced in June 2022 that it will invest more than $1 billion to construct a 1.7 million-square-foot facility in Meadowville Technology Park. The carbon-neutral facility will feature a solar park for its energy needs. Lego’s first manufacturing facility in the United States will create more than 1,760 jobs, with support from the Virginia Talent Accelerator Program and financial assistance from the state.

Hanover County PROJECT:

Logistic Development

The Atlee Station Logistics Center will include a Walgreens micro-fulfillment center. The pharmaceutical company will invest $34.2 million in the Hanover facility and create around 250 new jobs. “Fulfillment centers like this one in Virginia are dedicated to fulfilling retail prescription orders and play an important role in our effort to create the pharmacy of the future, one that further enables our store pharmacy teams to spend more of their time providing front-line patients,” says Walgreens spokesperson Fraser Engerman. The project comes after the 2021 announcement of the East Coast Commerce Center, a $100 million, three-building site for logistics and distribution. Both projects will add to the growing business climate and reinforce the area as a premier spot for the logistics industry.

Richmond

PROJECT: A Diamond Makeover

TYPE: Facility expansion

INVESTMENT: $34.2 million

COMPLETION: First half of 2023

Charles City County

PROJECT: Broadband Boost

The city of Richmond has named RVA Diamond Partners as the developers for nearly 68 acres of publicly owned property around the Diamond, the home of minor league baseball team the Richmond Flying Squirrels. The development company will transform the baseball stadium, while also creating space for restaurants, apartments and more. The remodeling comes as part of the Richmond 300 master plan to create a connected and diverse community. The project will not only produce new jobs, add housing and generate tax revenue, it will also connect the area to other places along the coast because of its proximity to the I-95 and I-64 crossroads.

TYPE: Revitalization project

INVESTMENT: $2.44 billion

COMPLETION: 2025

Broadband and high-speed internet access will expand in District 3 of Charles City County through a $2.6 million federal grant. While more than $5 million in fiber-optic cables has been installed across much of the county, District 3, which includes much of the east and southeast portion of the county, has been underserved. The grant was part of $19.1 million in federal-funded projects across the 4th Congressional District that got announced in March 2022. District 3 Supervisor Byron Adkins motioned to create a District Three Broadband Committee to help move the project forward during the April 2022 board meeting, and it was unanimously approved.

TYPE: Internet access expansion

INVESTMENT: $2.6 million federal grant

COMPLETION: TBD

Tri-Cities

PROJECT: Generic Medicine Access

Nonprofit drug company Civica Rx plans to increase insulin accessibility by manufacturing and distributing insulin at a cost to patients of no more than $30 per vial and $55 for five injector-pen cartridges. The company hopes to provide generic forms of insulin at 90% less than the current cost by 2024. A 140,000-square-foot pharmaceutical plant along North Normandy Drive is underway to help Civica reach its goal. “This is the biggest economic development activity we’ve had in Petersburg in over 40 years,” announced Petersburg Mayor Sam Parham in 2022. The project, which marks the first Civica manufacturing facility, will bring 200 jobs to Petersburg and reduce the cost of insulin beyond Virginia.

New Kent County

PROJECT: The Zone at City Center

AutoZone is expanding its facilities with a distribution center in New Kent County. The $185.2 million project was announced by Gov. Glenn Youngkin in February 2022, and a groundbreaking ceremony was held that June. The facility will occupy 800,000 square feet on Emmaus Church Road and be the first business in the county’s new City Center industrial area.

TYPE: Pharmaceutical facility construction

INVESTMENT: $125 million

ECONOMIC IMPACT: 200 jobs

COMPLETION: Early 2024

TYPE: Facility expansion

INVESTMENT: $14.5 million

COMPLETION: Opened May 2022

TYPE: Distribution center construction

INVESTMENT: $185.2 million

EMPLOYMENT IMPACT: 352 jobs

COMPLETION: First quarter of 2025

Powhatan County

PROJECT: Home Improvement

Classic Granite and Marble, a stonesurface fabrication and installation company, completed its move to a new facility off Anderson Highway. The facility serves as the company’s hub, and it includes 50,500 square feet of warehouse and fabrication space, a 7,000 square-foot showroom and 12,000 square feet of office space. Classic Granite’s founder, Tony Kilic, acquired the site with the idea of including similar companies to provide customers with all their home improvement needs in one area. “We look forward to having other businesses come in, and we think, economically, it can only strengthen our county,” economic development manager Roxanne Salerno says.

TYPE: Development construction

INVESTMENT: $2.3 billion

COMPLETION: 2023

Goochland County

PROJECT: Rocky Tops the Agenda

California-based Panattoni Development Company wants to develop an e-commerce fulfillment and distribution center in the Rockville area. Dubbed Project Rocky, the 650,000-squarefoot facility off of I-64 will include 55 loading docks, 414 trailer parking spaces and 1,720 employee parking spaces, according to Richmond BizSense. The facility will operate 24/7 and employ about 1,000 workers. The project received unanimous approval for a rezoning of the parcel from Goochland County in August 2022. Residents near the site have expressed concern about traffic and road quality issues. “This is not a last-mile facility,” Jo Ann Hunter, deputy county administrator, said during an August board meeting. “There would be no small cars. This is all tractor-trailer traffic coming, taking the product, storing it temporarily and distributing it to other facilities.”

Henrico County PROJECT: Green City

The multifunctional Green City development located northeast of I-95 and Parham Road is set to begin its first phase of construction this year. The development will provide Henrico with 2.2 million square feet of office space, 280,000 square feet of retail space, 2,300 residential units, two hotels and a 17,000-seat arena. The $2.3 billion project, which was approved in 2021, is privately financed, meaning no public dollars will be involved in developing the eco-district. The space will create jobs and drive the economy in a sustainable manner once construction is complete.

TYPE: E-commerce facility construction

INVESTMENT: Over $500 million

COMPLETION: 2024

Richmond by the Numbers

The Borderline

Topping the Lists

Richmond and Virginia lead the nation

VIRGINIA PLACED NO. 1

HENRICO COUNTY RANKED NO.

Fortune 500 Members

There are eight companies with headquarters in the Richmond region that earned listings in the Fortune 500 for 2022:

1. Performance Food Group (No. 112, $30.4 billion revenue, food distribution)

2. Altria

Greater Richmond includes the city and the counties of Chesterfield, Henrico and Hanover. The Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area’s population is 1.3 million in an area that includes greater Richmond and the counties of Amelia, Caroline, Charles City, Cumberland, Dinwiddie, Goochland, King and Queen, King William, Louisa, New Kent, Powhatan, Prince George and Sussex. Other cities in the MSA include Petersburg, Colonial Heights and Hopewell.  3

(No. 165, $21.1 billion revenue, tobacco products)

After two years at No. 1, Virginia fell to third place behind North Carolina and Washington in CNBC’s “Top States for Business 2022” list. The commonwealth earned high marks for its infrastructure, business friendliness, access to capital and education. In dropping the state’s rank, CNBC cited slowing net migration among collegeeducated workers.

RICHMOND PLACED NO.

Henrico was considered the top county in Virginia for young professionals and No. 56 in the nation, according to Niche. The city of Richmond landed at the No. 64 spot in a list of best cities for young professionals. The site also says Henrico is the 50th best county to live in nationwide.  6

From 2020 to 2021, the city was among those with the most existing buildings converted to apartments , according to a 2022 analysis of adaptive reuse apartments by RentCafe.

VIRGINIA RANKED NO.

1

The commonwealth has the best business climate in the nation , according to Site Selection magazine’s 2022 rankings, which partially rely on the experiences of site selectors.

3. CarMax Inc.

(No. 174, $20.1 billion revenue, automotive retailer)

4. Dominion Energy

(No. 257, $14.2 billion revenue, electric and gas utility)

5. Markel Corp.

(No. 289, $12.8 billion revenue, insurance)

6. Owens & Minor

(No. 361, $9.8 billion revenue, medical equipment)

7. Genworth Financial (No. 434, $7.9 billion revenue, insurance)

8. Arko Corp.

(No. 498, $6.4 billion revenue, convenience stores)

RICHMONDERS ON FORBES’ 30 UNDER 30:

Together, Alexander Olesen and Graham Smith snagged a spot on the social impact list of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 for co-founding Babylon Micro-Farms, which uses modular, vertical microfarms to grow vegetables faster and with less water. Jeweler Emily Warden was honored on the art and style list, with Forbes noting that Emily Warden Designs is on track to reach $2 million in annual revenue.

Top 50

RICHMOND MSA’S LARGEST EMPLOYERS

1. Capital One Bank (3)

2. VCU Health (2)

3. Chesterfield County Public Schools (4)

4. Bon Secours Richmond Health System (6)

5. Henrico County Public Schools (5)

6. Virginia Commonwealth University (1)

7. Amazon Fulfillment Services (8)

8. HCA Virginia Health System (7)

9. U.S. Department of Defense (15)

10. Walmart (10)

11. County of Henrico (9)

12. Richmond City Public Schools (11)

13. County of Chesterfield (13)

14. City of Richmond (12)

15. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (14)

16. Food Lion (17)

17. Hanover County Public Schools (19)

18. United States Postal Service (21)

19. Kroger (16)

20. Truist Financial Corp. (18)

21. United Parcel Service (20)

22. Maximus Services (new)

23. DuPont Specialty Products USA (29)

24. Dominion Resources (22)

25. Publix (23)

26. MCV Physicians (25)

27. Capital One (26)

28. Kings Dominion (new)

29. Lowe’s Home Centers (33)

what they’re saying

—Karen Berkness, real estate agent with Joyner Fine Properties, from the September 2022 issue of Richmond magazine. By 2030, the statewide population is expected to increase by 6%, from 8.6 million to 9.1 million, according to the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service. The growth projection comes at a time when the local housing market, despite talk of a recession, continues to see prices spike and inventory shrink.

“In some of the far-flung places in the counties — west of Short Pump, and in places like Magnolia Green [in western Chesterfield] — they’re building and selling houses as fast as they can. They’re starting to run out of land. They’re going to have to start building in Hanover and eastern Henrico, where you still have some space.”

psychiatry at VCU.

Hospital programs bring smiles to children’s faces

by Ale Egocheaga

H A SHOT OF CHEER

Hospital stays can be difficult for patients and their loved ones. They often elicit feelings of fear and anxiety, especially in younger individuals. These emotions can easily take over, but hospitals around the region have programs in place, often led by volunteers, to alleviate some of that inherent stress and spark moments of joy. Whether through a visit from a furry friend, a comforting soft blanket, or an enjoyable toy and snack, here are three programs working to bring smiles to patients' faces.

Dogs on Call

At the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU, the pitter-patter of paws coming down the hallway creates an atmosphere of excitement among patients, visitors and staff. These four-legged guests stop by weekly courtesy of the nonprofit Center for Human-Animal Interaction. “Our Dogs on Call teams, it’s as if they’re members of The Beatles when they’re walking through the hospital,” says Nancy Gee, executive director of the center and a professor of

The Center for Human-Animal Interaction is working to improve the well-being of people via human-animal relationships through research, education and providing services including the Dogs on Call program (chai.vcu.edu). For 21 years, the volunteer-run program has been connecting dogs with those in need of an uplifting moment.

“There are times when our health care workers are pushed and stressed,” Gee says. “They’re dealing with compassion, fatigue, and burnout. … One of the things we do is we make sure that we are there to support our colleagues.”

After conducting a quality assurance study, the Center for Human-Animal Interaction found that 77% of those who interact with the dogs are medical staff. While the Dogs on Call program helps care for those who work tirelessly to help others, patients also get the chance to interact with furry friends.

Dogs and handlers that have gone through the necessary registration steps can participate in routine weekly visits to various areas of the hospital. Besides the scheduled route, parents or children can request a specific team to visit their room.

The visits bring cheer, whether patients are simply sitting and petting

the dog or walking the dog using a dual-leash system that allows both the patient and handler to hold a leash.

“Their face transforms just for a moment,” Gee says. “They’re not thinking about their health situation or their pain. Just for that moment, they’re just a kid with a dog.”

A dog’s ability to elevate a patient’s mood is just one of many benefits. When a patient interacts with a dog, it can lower cortisol levels, decrease blood pressure and reduce pain, Gee says.

About 80 Dogs on Call teams ensure as many patients as possible can enjoy the benefits of having a tail-wagging friend nearby. The program is looking to grow with the help of more volunteers and donations raised through various fundraising events, including a popular calendar sale featuring dogs from the teams.

Dogs on Call is able to create a positive impact thanks to the time, dedication and love given by community members. “This is real stuff happening in a real hospital with real people who are going through some of the hardest times of their life, and we get to be there to help them,” Gee says.

LOVEVOLVE

Chippenham Hospital is spreading love to the tinier set through the LOVEVOLVE Swaddle Mission program. “We’re able to provide this beautiful swaddle to families that may not have a lot of resources,” says Karen Shirley, director of women’s services at Chippenham. “It has the word ‘love’ printed all over it, and it’s really just about spreading that message of love and building healthy relationships.”

HCA Healthcare is assisting program founder and local artist Sunny Stack Goode spread her message by giving a multicolored blanket to every newborn and their mothers.

Goode came up with the idea for the blankets after facing challenges in her personal life and realizing the impact positive words can have on the human brain, creating a healing affect.

The soft cotton blankets hug the babies while serving as a visual reminder to parents that love is a key component of healthy bonds. Education is also a core focus of LOVEVOLVE. Along with the blanket, patients receive a card listing important relationship health resources including groups offering relationship advice, confidential helplines and domestic violence support centers.

“I think domestic abuse is more common than people may know,” Shirley says. “I think people maybe don’t know how to recognize that, or don’t know how to build healthy relationships. It just spreads the message that there are resources out there, and that there is a difference between a good relationship and a not-so-good relationship.”

Apart from the blankets given to newborns and mothers, the hospital gives a purple and white blanket to those who experience perinatal loss as a symbol of emotional support during a time of heartache.

Since its inception in 2020, more than 25,000 babies have been “wrapped in love” at several area hospitals in addition to Chippenham, according to the LOVEVOLVE website (lovevolve.com).

Above: Part of the Dogs on Call team, therapy pup Emma uplifts patients at the Childrenˇs Hospital of Richmond at VCU. Below: The LOVEVOLVE Swaddle Mission program wraps newborns in multicolored blankets at Chippenham Hospital.

Happy Wheels

Instead of serving up Happy Meals, the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Richmond provides Happy Wheels, a cart full of treats and other items that can be spotted rolling through the halls of Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital. The volunteer-run program visits four times a week.

“We go room to room to hand out toys, coffee, snacks, activities and other comfort items, to provide resources to families in the pediatric units,” says Diana Villarreal, director of volunteers and community engagement for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Richmond.

All of the items found in the cart are donated to the program and handed out to families in all children’s care units including the neonatal intensive c are unit and the pediatric intensive care unit. Community members can check the online wish list at rmhc-rich mond.org to donate items including stuffed animals, blankets and more. Activity packs full of coloring books, crayons, puzzles and other fun pastimes are also appreciated.

“It’s an opportunity for the child to be a child and to get excited about a new deck of Uno coming in their room or a coloring book,” says Laura Gepford, child life specialist at St. Mary’s Hospital. “In between the testing and the imaging and the poking and prodding, they have the opportunity to just be a kid, and that’s so extremely important.”

Gepford has seen the way a child’s eyes fixate on the cart when it rolls into the room. There’s an uptick in the attitude of the patient, where they seem more like their normal selves back outside the walls of a hospital. “When they have that magical moment of lighting up and seeing something that’s so exciting and enticing, it just completely changes their mood,” Gepford says. “I think that provides comfort to caregivers to know that they’re still in there, that they’re working on healing and getting better.”

Some of the cart’s items help provide distractions and promote togetherness

among families, but other items can provide a different type of support.

“We can help provide some of those things families may need in the hospital but they may not have access to,” Villarreal says. “Maybe that is a snack because the family has really been focused on their child’s care and not been worrying about when they’re going to eat next.”

Gepford says St. Mary’s believes in connecting with the community at large, and the Happy Wheels program is a way for the hospital to create a more intimate, familial experience. The volunteers that run the cart provide a variety of resources to patients, caregivers, siblings and anyone who is there to support the patient.

“In between the hard stuff, the fevers, the medicine and all the difficult things that occur in the hospital, when you have those glimmers of happy moments, that’s what people hold onto,” Gepford says.

In between the testing and the imaging, [children] have the opportunity to just be a kid, and that's so extremely important.”

LAURA GEPFORD, CHILD LIFE SPECIALIST AT ST. MARY'S HOSPITAL

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Richmondʼs Happy Wheels cart program distributes toys and activities to children at St. Maryʼs Hospital.

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We incorporate into our treatment

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Whether you are new to recovery or have had long period of sobriety we individualize treatment to meet your needs. No stigma, we understand the challenges and the chaos of being in the cycle of addiction and the change that can take place in a few short months!

Pioneering Education

By Kari Smith

Serving the needs of hundreds of toddlers, children and adults living with autism spectrum disorder, The Faison Center is adding a new building to its campus to enhance its mission of improving the lives of individuals with ASD. Pioneer Hall, under construction at the center’s Willow Lawn-area campus, will expand the nonprofit’s services and capacity.

W. Brian McCann, president and CEO of The Faison Center, says, “I’m looking forward to opening Pioneer Hall so that our adults in our day program, students in our employment academy and those we serve in our clinic have a beautiful new space to learn, grow and engage. I am also excited that it will allow us to expand those programs to serve more individuals who need our services.”

The center’s adult day services help develop daily living skills and provide health and recreational programs, the employment academy provides full-day instructional services and internship opportunities, and the behavioral health

clinic offers assessments and therapies for individuals with cognitive, behavioral and psychological challenges.

Construction on Pioneer Hall began in October 2022 at 1600 Willow Lawn Drive and is estimated to be completed this summer. The open, airy 12,000-square-foot space will include six classrooms, a shared teaching kitchen, a multifunctional area intended for developing vocational skills and the Paige Edmunds Clubhouse, an interactive expanse that will provide a base for adult clients who participate daily in community-based activities.

The new building comes as Faison is in the last phase of a five-year, $24 million capital campaign to expand and renovate its campus. Funded by individual, corporate and foundation donations, the center’s annual “Fund a Cause” campaign raised $70,000 for Pioneer Hall, which was matched by an anonymous donor.

The hall will allow Faison not only to expand programming, but also to improve usage for current programs and students. Byron Wine, chief program officer, says the programs that will occupy

Pioneer Hall have been using leased space at the corner of Willow Lawn Drive and Monument Avenue. Faison’s staff has been involved with the design of the new building from the beginning to ensure a layout that best serves their clients’ needs.

Wine s ays Pioneer Hall will allow Faison to expand its capacity to meet a growing demand for services. Faison’s adult day program currently serves 10 individuals, but Pioneer Hall will allow it to welcome an additional 30 people. “It was never expected to grow as it did, but the need continues to grow with additional students with ASD, and the students need more programs and more variety as they age,” he says. According to McCann, Pioneer Hall will have the capacity to serve 68 individuals, bringing the total The Faison Center serves to more than 350 toddlers, students and adults in Richmond and Newport News.

Designed by Richmond-based architecture firm Baskervill, the building ha s the same cheery aesthetic as the existing Faison buildings, with colorful

The Faison Center expands enrichment programming for autistic adults

orange paneling, natural light pouring in through its many windows and lots of open space. “We are all especially excited for the Paige Edmunds Clubhouse, which is an open space in Pioneer Hall that will allow our adult day individuals the space to learn, lounge and engage in their

interests when they are not out in the community,” McCann says.

Established in 1999, The Faison School began in a basement-turned-classroom where Brittany Faison and three other preschoolers with autism were taught by an autism specialist trained in Applied

Behavior Analysis. By 2004, 12 children were enrolled and by 2008, the program moved to its current location on Markel Road with about 45 students.

The school offers lower, middle and upper school programs for children whose complex ASD-related challenges make public school an inadequate education solution. All of the programs are accredited by the Virginia Association of Independent Specialized Education Facilities and licensed by the Virginia Department of Education. The campus also offers an Early Education Center, which provides both early intervention and education to children and support and training for their parents.

The Faison Residence allows participants to transition from home-based services to a more independent lifestyle in leased apartments on-site. Faison’s unique Family Partner Program is a residential option for adults living

Building Pioneer Hall benefits the Richmond community and beyond ... by expanding and offering exceptional services to individuals at any age.”

BRIAN MCCANN, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE FAISON CENTER

Above: A rendering of The Faison Center’s Pioneer Hall; below: Participants in Faison’s employment academy perform custodial duties during an internship with University of Richmond’s Dining Services.

with autism. Family partners share their lives and homes with a young adult living with autism or other developmental disability while being supported by Faison’s daily adult programs and resources. The center’s adult day services program coordinates learning opportunities and meaningful volunteer work for participants.

The Faison Center serves students from 31 counties, and individuals in

adult services hail from other parts of the commonwealth as well. Students are placed into the center through an IEP (Individualized Education Program) and can receive services up to the age of 22 if appropriate. Faison also offers consultation to other agencies and organizations and has been used as a model for similar programs around Virginia.

With its expansion and growth, The Faison Center will be better equipped

not only to serve the needs of locals with ASD but those living outside Richmond’s borders as well. “Building Pioneer Hall benefits the Richmond community and beyond, not only by employing individuals to help grow the programs, but by expanding and offering exceptional services to individuals at any age,” McCann says.

Faison’s growth is timely, as the need for ASD services continues to rise. According to a 2017 study of state and national estimates of adults with ASD, Virginia ranked third in the United States with more than 155,000 adults living with autism. Faison serves 35 adults per day and many more between the ages of 18-22 in the IEP-referred program. “We have always grown according to the needs of our community,” Wine says. “Once Pioneer Hall is built, we will work with service recipients, families and funders to evaluate continued needs.”

How many adults with autism spectrum disorder are living in Virginia?

Although in many cases adults living with ASD are undiagnosed or unreported, one study shows that there are more than 155,000 adults living with ASD in the commonwealth.

How many adults with ASD are served daily at The Faison Center?

There are currently 35 adults served daily in Faison’s adult programming, and many more between the ages of 18-22 in Faison’s IEPreferred school program.

How do Faison’s adult programs benefit the individuals who participate?

With services such as a residential program and teaching life skills, Faison cultivates a more independent lifestyle for those with ASD as they transition into adulthood.

How can I help?

Join the Family Partner Program and host a young adult with autism in your home. Learn more at faisoncenter.org/familypartner-program, or donate at faisoncenter. org/ways-to-give.

The Faison Center’s impact on adults with ASD

Left: A Faison adult day services client assists in welcoming workers back to the Dominion Energy offices upon their return from a fully remote work schedule. Right: Children in the behavioral health clinic listen to a story at Westhampton Day School.

Good Chemistry

The Alliance for Building Better Medicine has a new CEO

By Tharon Giddens

Ongoing efforts to make metro Richmond a locus for the manufacturing of essential medicines got a $111 million boost in late 2022, thanks to the Alliance for Building Better Medicine. The funding, a combination of federal grants, state money and local donations, will benefit manufacturing plants in Petersburg and laboratories in Chesterfield County and Richmond and will enhance employment opportunities.

About three-quarters of drugs used in the United States are made overseas, mostly in China and India. The work in metro Richmond is part of a national effort to boost domestic pharmaceutical production.

An array of interests has aligned in the effort to bring drug manufacturing and research to the area, organized under the banner of the Alliance for Building Better Medicine. In November, the alliance named its first permanent CEO, Joy Marie Polefrone.

She is working with alliance affiliates that include Richmond-based Phlow Corp., which focuses on essential pharmaceuticals; the nonprofit Civica Inc., which will manufacture generic drugs in Petersburg; and AMPAC Fine Chemicals, which produces ingredients for pharmaceuticals at its plant in Petersburg. Other participants include the Medicines for All Institute at the Virginia Commonwealth University College of Engineering, the cities of Petersburg and Richmond, Walmart, United States Pharmacopeia, Greater Richmond Partnership, Activation Capital, The Community College Workforce Alliance, the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, Virginia’s Gateway Region, and the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing.

The project also entails new laboratories in Chesterfield County and Richmond. Training for the jobs needed to perform the work will be provided through schools including Virginia State University and Virginia Commonwealth University.

Polefrone is a Virginia Beach native and earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry at James Madison University and a doctorate in chemistry from the University of Virginia. She served as a director of health innovations for the Da Vinci Center at VCU and worked in entrepreneurship and health innovations for VCU Health and VCU. She also served as director for the Focused Ultrasound Foundation in Charlottesville and is a yoga enthusiast and certified yoga teacher.

We caught up with Polefrone for a discussion of her professional journey in chemistry and the challenges and expectations for the alliance and its work.

Richmond magazine: You assumed duties in mid-November 2022. How are you familiarizing yourself with the alliance and its stakeholders?

Joy Polefrone: I’m very new to the role, but I’ve been following the work of the alliance for the better part of a year, just really learning what it is. I’m trying to understand the industry, because it’s not my primary background; I’m a chemist by training, but I was a bioanalytical chemist. Relevant, but a different field. So, I’m interested in what happens in the body and how medicines connect to that, certainly. When I came on board there, the organization was at a critical time, and we had just won the funding to be able to start to do the work to build up the organization, and to establish what an alliance looks like and what a coalition in an industry space like advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing needs to be.

RM: What drew you to chemistry? Was it a practical reason, or more of a passion?

Polefrone: I was really interested in science from a young age, but I think it was more that I liked solving problems. … I was pre-med when I went to college, I started out as a biology major; I’d always wanted to be a pediatrician. And then when I was in my biology classes freshman year, I really didn’t enjoy them. It was a lot of memorization; it just didn’t resonate with me. And my chemistry classes were really hard, but I liked them. And I found myself working hard to understand chemistry, and to do well in it, and then being very successful and doing well. Then when I got into the laboratory setting, it was fun. I liked working with my hands, it was very methodical, and analytical chemistry in particular made so much sense to me; it was very structured.

RM: What type of development is planned for the laboratory spaces in Richmond and Chesterfield?

Polefrone: One is an innovation structure, and that’s in Richmond in VA Bio+Tech Park, to create space, the availability for research and innovation to be done. Ideally, startups working in those spaces are connected to Medicines for All. After early innovations and ideas come to be [in the Richmond facility], they have to scale up to be able to be manufactured at larger volumes or larger amounts, and the scale of development center is in Chesterfield County.

RM: This project requires a welltrained workforce. How are workers being prepared?

Polefrone: There’s quite a bit of activity in the workforce space. And that is really a collaboration between Virginia State University and VCU, as well as Brightpoint and Reynolds community colleges, in order to bring together the

capability sets needed to create the workforce. There’s also an initiative with rural community colleges and local colleges that are in more rural areas to try to create a pipeline of capable and well-trained individuals who are interested in working in this industry to have an opportunity to build the career stages that they might need to be a technician and in advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing, which is a new certificate program.

RM: What else is in the works for the alliance?

Polefrone: We’re also working on developing a supply chain, imagining what the supply chain needs to look like for this industry to be successful in this region. And that’s a project that’s very much square in the work of my team.

RM: What’s the work of your team?

Polefrone: At this point, I’m the full-time employee, but then I have an individual who’s working on grants administration, and I’m in the process of looking for resources in the space of project and program management. So, when I think about where my focus is in the next year, it’s centered on operational execution.

I love the early stage of a startup, and that’s really what we are. We’re establishing what our processes are going to be for how we’re going to build collaboration among all the different coalition members, what are the different ways we’re going to come together on a quarterly or biannual or annual basis in order to ensure that we’re fostering that element of collaboration and connectivity that we were created from.

I love the early stage of a startup, and that’s really what we are.”

JOY POLEFRONE, CEO OF ALLIANCE FOR BUILDING BETTER MEDICINE

Our Board Certified Orthodontists; Dr. Graham Gardner, Dr. Dana Tang and Dr. Natalie La Rochelle

Board Certified Orthodontists; Dr. Graham Gardner, Dr. Dana Tang and Dr. Natalie La Rochelle

Local Hospitals Map

Medical Center

NATIONAL CHILDRENS DENTAL HEALTH MONTH

Cosmetic and Laser Dental Spa of Richmond

Dr. Sarah Wilmer’s goal is to make people happy and healthy. In addition to her gorgeous cosmetic dentistry, she is one of the only doctors in the area with a laser capable of creating natural facelifts and lip enhancements without surgery or injections. Dr. Wilmer is also highly trained to perform laser-enhanced Invisalign, getting you to your ideal smile 50% faster! She also treats sleep apnea, which affects the mouth and can contribute to many health issues. Dr. Wilmer enjoys helping patients in relieving overall systemic health conditions. She is a member of American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. sarahwilmerdds.com

Gardner & La Rochelle Orthodontics

Gardner & La Rochelle Orthodontics has been designing stunning smiles since 1998. From the smallest tweaks to the most challenging cases, we combine decades of experience with the latest innovative systems to create a personalized treatment plan to achieve awesome results. We’re a Diamond Plus Invisalign® Provider and are often asked to teach other doctors how to use their products! With three Board Certified orthodontists, two convenient locations, and flexible payment and financing options, GLO makes it easy to create a beautiful smile. glortho.com

James River Orthodontics

Ranked in the top 1% in the nation and a ninetime winner of Richmond Magazine Top Orthodontist, JRO provides the ultimate patient experience by putting their people and community first. With the latest technology, spacious office accommodations and excellent service, Dr. Scarborough and his team are going above and beyond to ensure patient comfort and peace of mind. JRO has added virtual appointments and consultations to accommodate your schedule and reduce in-office visits for busy families. While some things may have changed, giving patients the highest quality treatment and care remains the same. We look forward to seeing your smiles soon! Visit our website at jamesriverorthodontics.com to schedule your complimentary consultation today.

RVA Children’s Dentistry

Dr. Sobia Carter is a board-certified specialist in pediatric dentistry who has been practicing in Richmond for over 15 years. She has extensive experience treating infants, children, teenagers and children with special needs. Dr. Carter is also the mother of three children and takes pride in treating her patients like they are her own. Come by and meet our compassionate, professional dental team today! RVA Children’s Dentistry is conveniently located in Glen Allen near Virginia Center Commons. We look forward to partnering with your family in creating a lifetime of smiles! Call 804-729-8081, visit rvachildrensdentistry.com or like RVA Children’s Dentistry on Facebook.

Steadman Family Dentistry

We are proud and honored to be recognized as one of the best dental practices in Richmond. Over the past 45 years, Dr. Bob Steadman has built an excellent reputation as a highly skilled dentist serving his community. His son, Dr. Grant, and daughter in-law, Dr. Nora, join him, creating the atmosphere of a truly family-oriented practice. All three doctors have received extensive training from the prestigious Dawson Academy and are committed to delivering the highest quality, long-lasting care. From cosmetics to implant dentistry, and everything in between, our goal is to offer excellence in a comfortable setting. grinfixer.com

Virginia Family Dentistry

Virginia Family Dentistry believes that a child’s first dental appointment should be a positive, even exciting, experience. After all, this first step will set the tone for healthy lifelong dental habits. Our four pediatric dentists have additional education and training after dental school and specialize in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of dental disease in children and individuals with special needs. They are equipped to address your child’s dental development, focusing on prevention and good habit-building while offering more advanced skills in behavior management, sedation, and surgery. For more information about our four pediatric dentists and their locations, visit vadentist.com/pediatric-dentistry

Hospitals BirthingCenter Cardiac Catheterization OrganTransplantsResearch/TeachingHospitalSpecialtyICUs PalliativeCareRooms/Beds

Bon Secours Memorial Regional Medical Center

Bon Secours Richmond Community Hospital

1500 N. 28th St., 804-225-1700 or bonsecours.com

Bon Secours St. Francis Medical Center

13700 St. Francis Blvd., 804-594-7300 or bonsecours.com

Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital 5801 Bremo Road, 804-285-2011 or bonsecours.com

CCU,

Chippenham Hospital

7101 Jahnke Road, 804-483-0000 or chippenhammed.com

Henrico Doctors’ Hospital 1602 Skipwith Road, 804-289-4500 or henricodoctors.com

Johnston-Willis Hospital 1401 Johnston Willis Drive, 804-483-5000 or johnstonwillismed.com

Parham Doctors’ Hospital 7700 E. Parham Road, 804-747-5600 or parhamdoctors.com

Retreat Doctors’ Hospital 2621 Grove Ave., 804-254-5100 or retreatdoctors.com

Richmond Veterans Affairs Medical Center 1201 Broad Rock Blvd., 804-675-5000 or richmond.va.gov

TriCities Hospital 411 W. Randolph Road, Hopewell, 804-541-1600 or hcavirginia.com/locations/tricities-hospital

VCU Health/VCU Medical Center 1250 E. Marshall St., 804-828-9000 or vcuhealth.org

Obstetrics/GynecologyWard Burn/WoundUnit RehabServicesTraumaDesignation

OncologyCancer Center

PCU 104 beds, 40 behavioral health unit beds inpatient wound care

ICU, NICU 130 beds

CCU, CVICU, PICU, ICU, NICU, IMCU, CVSU, NSTU

391 beds, 32 behavioral health unit beds

outpatient wound unit and inpatient wound care

outpatient wound unit and inpatient wound services

outpatient

wound unit and inpatient wound care III

NICU, PICU included in VCU Medical Center count pediatric I

*† BICU, PICU, RICU, PCU, CVICU, CCU, MSICU

466 rooms, 137 inpatient behavioral health beds oncology services available I

† CICU, SICU, NICU 340 beds, 298 private rooms II

*† NICU, Neuro ICU, MSICU 292 private rooms

† CCU

† CCU, ICU

200 private rooms, 24 behavioral health unit beds, 36 rehab beds

226 private rooms, 20 inpatient behavioral health unit beds wound unit

MICU, SICU, CCU 347 beds

† eICU 147 beds, 40 behavioral health beds

CCU/CSICU, NSICU, STICU, MRICU, NICU, PICU, PCU 837 beds I

* Has family-practice pharmacy, nursing and radiology residence programs † Provides research via clinical trials.

ICU ABBREVIATIONS: BICU: Behavioral; CCU/CSICU: Coronary/Cardiac surgery; CICU: Cardiac; CVICU: Cardiovascular; CVSU: Cardiovascular Services Unit; eICU: Remote monitoring; ICU: Intensive Care Unit; IMCU: Intermediate Care Unit; IVCU: Interventional Cardiac Unit; MICU: Medical; MRICU: Medical respiratory; MSICU: Medical surgical; Neuro ICU: Neurosurgery; NICU: Neonatal; NSICU: Neuroscience; NSTU: Neuroscience Telemetry Unit; PCU: Progressive care; PICU: Pediatric; RICU: Renal; SICU: Surgical; STICU: Surgical trauma Any reproduction of this chart without permission of the publisher is prohibited. Updated January 2023.

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Bon Secours Ambulatory Surgery Center, 8262 Atlee Road, MOB III, Suite 100, Mechanicsville, 804-764-7250 or bonsecours.com. Provides a range of outpatient surgical procedures.

Bon Secours Center for Healthy Living Sarah Garland Jones Center, 2600 Nine Mile Road, bonsecours.com. 24/7 healthy living center for the East End. 804-562-5361.

Bon Secours emergency centers, Bon Secours Chester Emergency Center, 12021 U.S. 1, Suite 100, 804-778-6500; Bon Secours Colonial Heights Emergency Care, 60 E. Roslyn Court, Colonial Heights, 804-765-6700; Bon Secours Short Pump Medical Plaza, 12320 W. Broad St., 804-923-1400; Bon Secours Westchester Emergency Center, 601 Watkins Center Parkway, 804594-2100; bonsecours.com. Around-the-clock emergency care facilities with state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment.

Bon Secours Southside Women’s Imaging, 210 Medical Park Blvd., Petersburg, 804-765-5000 or bonsecours.com. Home to the Southside Cancer Center; Women’s Imaging Center; Bon Secours Southside Obstetrics and Gynecology practice; and a location of the Virginia Cancer Institute.

Bon Secours Virginia Breast Center, 601 Watkins Centre Parkway, Suite 200; 5875 Bremo Road, MOB South, Suite G11; 8266 Atlee Road, MOB 2, Suite 219, 804-594-3130 or vabreastcenter.com. Same-day diagnostic and treatment options.

Colonial Heights Surgery Center, 930 South Ave., Suite 2, Colonial Heights, 804-520-8272, or hcavirginia.com. A facility specializing in otolaryngology, gastroenterology, surgery, interventional pain, orthopedics, podiatry and urological procedures.

The Ellen Shaw de Paredes Institute for Women’s Imaging, 4480 Cox Road, Suite 100, 804-5232303 and 2530 Gaskins Road, Suite C, 804-9340340 or paredesinstitute.com. Specializes in the diagnosis of breast disease.

Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital, 5700 Fitzhugh Ave., Richmond, 804-288-5700 or encompasshealth.com; 95 Medical Park Blvd., Petersburg, 804-504-8100 or encompasshealth .com. Inpatient care of orthopedic, neurological, pulmonary and more; physical, occupational and speech-language therapies; programs to treat MS, Parkinson’s disease, traumatic brain injury and stroke.

Forest Ambulatory Center, 7607 Forest Ave., Suite 220, 804-285-9416.

Hallmark Youthcare, 12800 West Creek Parkway, 804-784-2200 or hallmarkyouthcare.org. Residential programs provide education during psychological treatment, as well as sex-offender treatment and assessment and diagnostic services to adolescents.

HCA Emergency Centers; hcavirginia.com.

Hanover Emergency Center, 9275 Chamberlayne Road, Mechanicsville, 804-417-0300; Swift Creek Emergency Center, 14720 Hancock Village St., Chesterfield, 804-818-7750; and TriCities ER, 1700 Temple Parkway, Prince George,

Dr. Christopher McGarry and Associates, Optometrists, Inc.

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HCA Virginia surgery centers, hcavirginia.com. Boulders Ambulatory Surgery Center, 1115 Boulders Parkway, Suite 210, 804-672-4040 or bould ersasc.com. State-of-the art orthopedic outpatient surgery center with three operating rooms. Medarva, 804-775-4500, medarva.com; Stony Point Surgery Center, 8700 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 100. West Creek Surgery Center, West Creek Medical Park, 1630 Wilkes Ridge Parkway, Suite 101, Goochland. Imaging Center, West Creek Medical Park, 1630 Wilkes Ridge Parkway, Suite 101, Goochland, 804-924-7010. More than 200 surgeons offer outpatient surgical services and diagnostic imaging services in adult and pediatric specialties.

Richmond Surgical Group, 7611 Forest Ave., Suite 300, 804-968-4435. Experts in endovascular techniques, carotid-artery disease, aortic aneurysms and occlusive disease, peripheral vascular disease and vascular access.

Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute, 7607 Forest Ave., Suite 220, 804-285-9416; 110 N. Robinson St., Suite 303, 804-285-9416; 1401 Johnston-Willis Drive, 804-330-2000 or hcavirginiaphysicians. com. Da Vinci robotic and advanced laparoscopic surgery; specialize in gastroesophageal reflux, endocrine, colon, abdominal wall, gallbladder, liver and melanoma; also state-of-the-art technology and procedures to treat breast diseases.

Select Physical Therapy, Various locations, selectphysicaltherapy.com. Addressing orthopedic and sports-medicine concerns from sprains and ligament reconstruction to work conditioning and functional capacity evaluation.

Sheltering Arms Institute, 2000 Wilkes Ridge Drive, West Creek Medical Park, 804-877-4000 or shelteringarmsinstitute.com, and Sheltering Arms Physical Rehabilitation Centers, seven locations, 804-764-1000 or shelteringarms.com. Institute in collaboration with VCU Health offers intensive, hospital-level physical rehabilitation to help patients in their recovery from injuries and illnesses. Sheltering Arms Physical Rehabilitation Centers provide clinic-based outpatient physical, occupation and speech therapies, recreational programs, fitness and personal training and wellness services.

St. Mary’s Ambulatory Surgery Center, 1501 Maple Ave., 804-287-7878 or stmarys-asc.com. Adult and pediatric outpatient procedures. Virginia Eye Institute, 804-287-2020 or vaeye.com. Specializing in glaucoma, laserassisted cataract surgery, cornea disorders, retina diseases, diabetic eye care, pediatric eye care and adult strabismus, cosmetic and reconstructive surgery and services, LASIK and refractive surgery, optometry and general eye health. Eight offices.

Virginia Eye Institute Ambulatory Surgery Center, 402 Westhampton Station, 804-287-2020, Outpatient services in ophthalmology. Separate practice operates in surgery center.

Virginia Urology, 804-330-9105 or uro.com. Specialty center for urology and urogynecology, with urologists, urogynecologists, radiation oncologists, radiologists, pathologists and women’s health physical therapists; six offices and an ambulatory surgery center and imaging center includes MRI, CT and X-ray capabilities.

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head of the pack

VCU study: Dogs make students calmer, better in the classroom

by Leah Small

D D

ogs make us smarter, and that’s a fact, says Nancy Gee, an anthrozoologist who heads the Center for Human-Animal Interaction at Virginia Commonwealth University. Gee has spent decades studying the impact that interaction with man’s best friend has on the performance and mood of students, from preschool to college, and she co-wrote the top reference book for educators and mental-health workers who want to bring dogs into the classroom. As part of a collaborative study led by the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, Gee found evidence that the feelings that calm dogs elicit in humans could improve cognition.

The UK-based study, with findings

published last year, was the first to use a randomized, controlled trial to show the effect that dog-assisted interventions have on students with special educational needs. When a cohort of special needs students interacted with therapy dogs over a semester, they showed a drastic reduction in cortisol, a hormone that indicates stress, that was greater than that seen in neurotypical peers who interacted with the canines. Both neurotypical and special needs students also had lower stress levels than peers who, instead of receiving a dose of puppy love, were guided through relaxation techniques and meditation or experienced no changes in the classroom setting.

“What we found is that the special needs students secreted less cortisol when they interacted with the dog than in the yoga relaxation or in the classroom

as usual condition,” Gee says. “That bore itself out over the course of the semester. ... As the semester goes on, children get more and more stressed. And that didn’t happen in the dog condition.”

Researchers also observed improvements in executive functioning, a cognitive measure of the ability to stay on task, in the canine groups, which was directly caused by decreased stress. Gee explains it this way:

“Imagine you’re really nervous about something … and now I give you math tasks to do, but your brain is too busy being worried about this other thing rather than focusing on math problems,” Gee says. “So, if we can get your brain to let go of the worry and relax, you can then dedicate more of your cognitive resources to a math problem.”

Dog therapy and educational pro-

grams are common in hospitals and schools, but Gee is one of the first to explain the biochemical mechanisms behind why they work.

“In science, it’s a big deal to be able to make causal inferences,” Gee said. “And we’re starting to be able to get there because we are having randomized controlled trials that are showing the impact of the presence of a dog on a variety of things, including executive functioning, stress, biomarkers and so on.”

Previous research by Gee has connected dogs to better learning outcomes in the classroom, but not for reasons she first assumed. “I [had] said a dog doesn’t make you smarter, a dog is just making the children more motivated and helping them focus their attention,” Gee said. “Now, years later … we might have some evidence that dogs make us smarter because execu-

tive functioning is related to being smart.” Executive functioning enables us to make sound decisions and plans and limit offtask thoughts, Gee adds.

What is it about dogs that makes us feel so chill? For one, dogs are nonjudgmental, which could help lower cortisol levels in stressful situations where acceptance is important, Gee says. The theory has been explored by other researchers, such as in a University of Buffalo study that asked women to solve math problems in the company of either their spouses or their dogs and then measured the women’s stress responses. Turns out they were more comforted by the family dog than their partner. Dogs may also help children with speech delays. In another study, Gee found that when children with speech delays read to dogs trained to sit at attention, they verbalized more than

when reading to either toy dogs or people.

The experience of petting dogs and staring into their eyes has also been linked to a higher release of oxytocin, a hormone that facilitates bonding, in both humans and dogs, further explaining the calming power of canines. Our strong relationship with dogs has had more than 35,000 years to develop, ever since we first started domesticating and hunting with the species. Gee’s research shows children may be the biggest beneficiaries of the loving, symbiotic connection between humans and dogs.

“I think kids are drawn to dogs,” Gee said. “I think there’s something very special and unique about that relationship between children and dogs. … When they see other children interacting and having so much fun with the animals, they don’t want to be left out.”

VCU Center for Human-Animal Interaction Director Nancy Gee and her dog Allie

Ready to Learn?

ADULT EDUCATION

Averett University

Bachelor’s, $480 per credit hour. Master’s, $530 to $695 per credit hour. Evening classes for accelerated undergraduate or graduate degrees in business, education and criminal justice. Online classes available. 420 W. Main St., Danville, 434-791-5600 or averett.edu.

Bluefield University

$395 per online undergraduate credit hour; eight majors available. $475 per graduate credit hour for licensed teachers currently employed. 800-872-0175 or bluefield.edu.

Brightpoint Community College

$160 per credit hour in-state; call for program details. Online associate’s degrees in a variety of disciplines. Teacher recertification courses available. Charter Colony Parkway, Midlothian, 804-796-4000; 13101 Route 1 (Formerly Jefferson Davis Highway), Chester, 804-594-1544 or brightpoint.edu.

Catholic Distance University

$89 per course for noncredit courses; $320 per credit hour for undergraduates; $475 per credit for graduate level. Distance-learning courses for AA in Catholic studies, BA in theology and graduate degrees in theology. 300 S. George St., Charles Town, West Virginia, 304-724-5000 or cdu.edu.

Community College Workforce Alliance

Workplace training courses in the greater Richmond region as a partnership between Brightpoint Community College and Reynolds Community College. Multiple training and meeting facilities, 804-523-2292 or ccwatraining.org.

Lifelong Learning Institute

Academic and fitness classes for ages 50 and

older. $150 membership per year. 13801 Westfield Road, 804-378-2527 or llichesterfield.org.

Mary Baldwin University Online, MBU Online, $460 per credit hour. Bachelor’s degrees in more than 15 majors. Teacher licensure. Master’s in teaching, education. Certificate programs in business management, health care administration, entrepreneurship, human resource management, leadership studies and long-term care. 2810 N. Parham Road, Suites 303 and 360, 804-282-9111 or learn.marybaldwin.edu.

Old Dominion University, ODUOnline

$374 per undergraduate credit hour; $571 per graduate credit hour. More than 120 online degrees and certificates in business, education, engineering, health/social sciences, nursing and technology. Transfer agreements with Reynolds and Brightpoint. 800-968-2638 or online.odu.edu.

Reynolds Community College

$166.60 per credit hour; visit website for details. Parham Road Campus, 1651 E. Parham Road; Downtown Campus, 700 E. Jackson St.; Goochland campus, 1851 Dickinson Road; The Kitchens at Reynolds, 2500 Nine Mile Road; or reynolds.edu.

Union Presbyterian Seminary

$500 per semester hour. Graduate programs in biblical and theological studies, ministry and Christian education. 3401 Brook Road, 800-229-2990 or upsem.edu.

University of Richmond, Robins School of Business

Executive education and noncredit professional development programs to nurture leadership talent. MBA program, part-time, fully accredited graduate program for working professionals. 804-289-8550 or robins.richmond.edu.

University of Richmond, School of Professional

and Continuing Studies

Degree program tuition starts at $550 per semester hour. Other course fees vary by program. Evening undergraduate and master’s degrees in education, liberal arts, information systems, and HRM. Plus a variety of professional development and training programs, including a coding boot camp. Also offers the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. 804-289-8133 or spcs.richmond.edu.

University of Virginia Richmond Center

$488 per undergraduate credit hour. $611 per graduate credit hour. Bachelor’s degree completion programs, graduate certificate programs, custom education programs. 2810 N. Parham Road, Suite 300, 804-662-7464 or scps.virginia.edu.

Virginia Commonwealth University

Cost varies by program. More than 160 graduate and professional degree and certificate programs offered on campus and online; call 804828-6916 or visit graduate.admissions.vcu.edu for a full list and application information. VCU Continuing and Professional Education offers noncredit, credit and CEU opportunities. 804-828-1322 or ocpe.vcu.edu.

Virginia State University

$405 per undergraduate credit hour. $577 per graduate credit hour. The Bachelor of Individualized Studies degree draws on a range of disciplines. Master of Interdisciplinary Studies also offered. 1 Hayden Drive, Petersburg, 804-524-5000 or vsu.edu.

Virginia Tech Richmond Center

Graduate degrees, professional development programs, and continuing education and certificate programs, including leadership management development, education and public administration. 2810 N. Parham Road, Suite 300, 804-662-7288 or richmond.vt.edu.

Virginia Union University

Evening business courses, theology courses and weekend teacher licensure programs. 1500 N. Lombardy St., 804-257-5600 or vuu.edu.

Visual Arts Center of Richmond

A long-standing community arts center that offers more than 1,000 youth and adult art classes in 12 mediums, including drawing, painting, creative writing, clay, photography, digital arts, glass, fiber, metals and jewelry and more. 804-353-0094 or visarts.org.

VMFA Studio School

Classes for ages 16 and older in creative writing, drawing, printmaking, painting, pottery, design, photography and yoga. 2915 Grove Ave., 804-367-0816 or vmfa.museum.

PROFESSIONAL SCHOOLS

Bryant & Stratton College

Degree programs in business, health care, hospitality, legal services and technology. 8141 Hull Street Road, 804-745-2444 or bryantstratton.edu.

South University

Programs in health care, criminal justice, business, public administration, psychology, theology, and pharmacy. 2151 Old Brick Road, Glen Allen, 804-727-6800 or southuniversity.edu.

Automotive program at Reynolds Community College

Nonprofit Private Colleges & Universities in Virginia

Public Four-year Colleges & Universities in Virginia

Daily Affirmations

Henrico’s Yay of the Day recognizes outstanding school staff

By Laura Anders Lee

Everyone who works with children knows the popular African proverb: It takes a village to raise a child. In Henrico County Public Schools, that village comprises guidance counselors, coaches, bus drivers, speech pathologists, custodians, librarians, security officers, administrators, teachers and more — 7,468 employees, to be exact. Each day, teachers and staff go out of their way to brighten someone’s day. One recent initiative, Yay of the Day, brings those positive actions to light and allows others to say thank you in a meaningful way.

At the onset of the pandemic, teachers

and staff were thrown into new roles. Cafeteria workers prepared bagged lunches that bus drivers distributed, custodians became infection-control experts, staff members transformed into techies overnight, and teachers appeared virtually in students’ living rooms. “There was so much uncharted territory for everyone during the pandemic, particularly in schools,” HCPS Superintendent Amy Cashwell says. “Our entire Henrico team had to work to reimagine school.”

In Henrico County, and in school districts around the country, the community noticed. Parents and students gained a deep and newfound appreciation for

teachers and staff.

“I started getting calls and emails from colleagues, students and parents who took the time to point out all the positive things our team was doing,” Cashwell says. “During a time of tension, stress and uncertainty, people showed appreciation for our incredible team. That really lifted up the staff, who were so heroic.”

Inspired by the daily messages and feedback, Cashwell launched Yay of the Day. The program was an instant success. “The nominations came flooding in,” Cashwell says. “The first year, we recognized a different employee each day for 100 days, and this year, one employee will

Michelle Smith, a recent Yay of the Day honoree, is a school nurse at Dumbarton Elementary School.

If you want kids to like school, teach them to love learning.

be recognized each day during the 180-day school year.”

Cashwell presents the award to each honoree, reading the nomination aloud to them. Many staff are so surprised and touched, they’re moved to tears.

“People who work in education want to make an impact, and there’s something so affirming about getting to hear about the positive impact you’ve made,” Cashwell says. “Being recognized is fulfilling and uplifting. It’s something simple that can make a big difference.”

In a world still dealing with the effects of COVID-19, teacher morale is more important than ever. In a national survey by EducationWeek, 84% of teachers reported that their jobs were more stressful today than before the pandemic. Even more alarming is that 54% of teachers indicated they were somewhat or very likely to leave the profession in the next two years.

HCPS is not only one of the region’s largest employers, it’s also the sixth-largest school district in the state, with 74 schools and 48,000 students in its care. In addition to spotlighting outstanding team members through Yay of the Day, this year HCPS added wellness days to the school calendar and awarded a $1,000 retention bonus to employees, in addition to new teacher and bus driver recruitment incentives.

Michelle Smith, a school nurse at Dumbarton Elementary School, is a recent Yay of the Day honoree. “I’ve been doing nursing for over 10 years but moved into the school setting at the start of the pandemic,” she says. “I especially love working with the little ones.” Smith administers medication, makes sure children are aware of hand hygiene and keeps a close eye on flu and COVID-19 symptoms, among others. Recently, a parent nominated Smith for getting an updated prescription for her child after she had trouble

reaching the doctor’s office herself.

“I was totally surprised to learn of the recognition,” Smith says. “It’s something I would do for any student. I was happy to help with the paperwork and understand from my previous role in health care how doctors’ offices get overwhelmed with documents and refills at the start of the school year.”

School employees like Smith go above and beyond, and while their acts may seem small to them, they make a big impact on those around them. The administrator at The Academy at Virginia Randolph, Aimee Sobon, buys food and supplies for students out of her own pocket. Tuckahoe Elementary School art teacher Julie Ranson shows children their creative sides. Quioccasin Middle School teacher Chris Geisel patiently helps struggling math students. Godwin High School guidance counselor Amy Gravely makes international students feel at home. Hungary Creek gifted education teacher Tim Kiser started a Social Justice and Equity Club. Harvie Elementary School autism specialist Olga Kraminskaya helped a student learn to speak.

The list of winners goes on and on. Team members come from diverse backgrounds, each with their own unique talent to share. Together, they make up a nurturing village that allows students to grow and flourish.

Amy Gravely, a guidance counselor at Godwin High School, was honored through Yay of the Day.

Being recognized is fulfilling and uplifting. It’s something simple that can make a big difference.”

AMY CASHWELL, HCPS SUPERINTENDENT

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Eyes on the World Cup

University of Richmond law students serve as human rights observers in Qatar

By Paula Peters Chambers

Fans streaming into the gates at the recent FIFA World Cup in Qatar likely were so focused on cheering for their favorite teams that they didn’t notice an unobtrusive cadre of volunteers who were focused on them.

The volunteers were human rights observers, charged with monitoring and reporting possible violations, such as harassment of individuals for what they were wearing or how they looked. Among the volunteers, who were recruited worldwide, were three students from the University of Richmond’s School of Law, there to see in real life what they had discussed in theory.

The students, Viktoriia Martynov, Amanuel Mekonnen and Dilwyn Piner, are all in their third and final year at the law school. Last fall, they were enrolled in professor Andy Spalding’s Corporate Compliance and Contracts class, where they studied how large-scale sporting events can lead to a range of legal violations, including bribery for construction contracts and harmful labor practices.

At the Arab Cup held in Qatar in 2021, FIFA, the international soccer governing body, piloted a human rights watch effort in partnership with the Centre for Sport and Human Rights, a London-based nongovernmental organization. Then, a dozen volunteers interviewed attendees about assistance services for those with mobility issues, harassment in large crowds and privacy in prayer rooms. The program was expanded for last year’s World Cup, assigning roughly 100 volunteers to

teams stationed at each stadium and at the FIFA Fan Festival, a public viewing location. While FIFA provides housing for observers, funding for airfare was paid by the university with the help of School of Law Dean Wendy Perdue.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” Piner says. “I felt like we were taking a leap of faith, in a good way.”

Martynov, who is originally from Russia and wrote her thesis on sports diplomacy, says one of the observers’ jobs

was to stay close to entry gates and monitor guard searches. If a search seemed protracted or excessive, the observer was instructed to approach the fan once it was over and gently ask questions about the experience.

Even if a fan didn’t complain, an observer could submit a report, which went

University of Richmond professor Andy Spalding (second from right) taught law students (from left) Amanuel Mekonnen, Viktoriia Martynov and Dilwyn Piner, who volunteered as designated human rights observers at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

to the team leader and then to the FIFA administration. “The majority of our work was to approach individuals after observing some sort of conflict,” Piner says.

Martynov says she was pleased to see the reports made a difference.

“I saw security guards not wearing gloves while they were searching diaper bags,” she says. “I communicated that and saw that, later, they were wearing gloves.”

Spalding notes that directives were complicated. FIFA policy prohibits political statements inside events, but human rights statements are allowed. “For example, you can’t wear a shirt that says ‘Iran is oppressive to women’; that’s political because it mentions a specific government,” Spalding says. “But a shirt that says ‘I stand with women around the world’ is OK because that’s about human rights. A rainbow shirt is the same.”

Piner says there was confusion surrounding LGBTQ+ apparel, banners and flags on the first day, with many handheld items confiscated, but that seemed to decrease as the competition advanced. However, enforcement regarding the size of items brought into the stadium remained strict. “Guards definitely did break out rulers and tape measures,” he says.

Accessibility was also an issue. “There was one entity helping people get from transportation to the security gate, then another entity was helping people inside, beyond the gate,” Spalding says. “Sometimes, well-meaning individuals tried to help in ways that were really, really awkward.”

Mekonnen says many people he spoke with, even women who were asked to cover their shoulders and arms, were satisfied with how they were treated. “It seemed like a lot of the processes, especially on the fan side, seemed to work,” he says. “[People] didn’t feel unsafe, they didn’t feel uncomfortable with security. They could find help when they needed it. All the women we interviewed found security to be courteous. The ask was phrased in the way of respecting cultural differences.”

Women seemed to appreciate how the host nation limited the serving of alcohol, which was allowed only at certain hotel bars and the Fan Festival, but not in any of the arenas. “It felt a lot safer,” says Martynov, who has volunteered at other large international events. “People weren’t drunk, even when it was really crowded.”

Spalding agrees. “Women consistently spoke of feeling exceptionally safe and respected,” he says. “You can’t imagine what drunk soccer fans will do to women.”

Mekonnen, who was born in Ethiopia and has spent most of his life in the U.S., says he was able to have some conversations with Ethiopians who

have experience living and working in Qatar. “They said there are still instances of racism and discrimination, but also instances where they have been treated with respect,” he says. “And conditions have improved over the years, especially with labor laws.”

Spalding acknowledges that the announcement of Qatar as the host nation initially caused concern over how people traveling to the Middle Eastern nation would be treated. But, he says, the efforts to support human rights paid off.

“I thought then and think now that seeing this event extend to a new part of the world that has not hosted mega sports events was beautiful,” he says. “You could feel the pride. This was a people, a region and a culture being validated from the most prestigious sporting event in the world. This human rights observer program is part of a broader set of human rights initiatives that Qatar has adopted willingly. The country used the World Cup as a catalyst to push human rights reforms. Nobody in the world cared about human rights in Qatar until they won the right to host the World Cup.”

Professor Andy Spalding (second from right) led a team of human rights observers from Nigeria, Malaysia, India, Egypt and Palestine at Al Bayt Stadium in Qatar.

CONT’D FROM P. 154

F

Longwood University is close to Richmond, but far from the average college experience. Two-thirds of our classes have 20 or fewer students—the highest percentage of all Virginia public colleges and universities. Our distinctive Civitae Core Curriculum is enlightening, our D-I athletics program is a source of pride, and our one-of-a-kind traditions have enhanced the Lancer experience for generations.

There

home! We are an accredited Jr.-K through eighth grade co-ed schoolof high moral expectationsandacademic rigor located in Ginter Park We offer a family-likeatmosphere; oneclasspergrade, students total; expandingspace to provide additional services; body of many religions, races & economic standings; dynamic faculty; spiritualandcharacterdevelopment; four high school award-winning LEGO Robotics program; technologically classrooms; emphasis on music, visualartsandSpanish; wide variety extracurricularclubs/sports; after-school care; 100% high school graduation www.allsaintsric.org.

Welcome to our home!

We are an accredited Jr.-K through eighth grade co-ed Catholic school of high moral expectations and academic rigor located in Richmond’s Ginter Park. We offer a family-like atmosphere; one class per grade, small class sizes; expanding space to provide additional services; diverse student body of many religions, races & economic standings; dynamic & dedicated faculty; spiritual and character development; four high school credits offered; award-winning LEGO Robotics program; technologically integrated classrooms; emphasis on music, visual arts and Spanish; wide variety of extracurricular clubs/sports; after-school care; 100% high school graduation.

804.329.7524

www.allsaintsric.org

care; 100% high school graduation

Fuel Up On Fun Package*

Welcome to our home! We are an accredited Jr.-K Catholic schoolof high moral expectationsandacademic

Richmond’s Ginter Park. We offer a family-likeatmosphere fewer than 200 students total; expandingspace diverse student body of many religions, races & & dedicated faculty; spiritualandcharacterdevelopment credits offered; award-winning LEGO Robotics integrated classrooms; emphasis on music, visualartsandSpanish of extracurricularclubs/sports; after-school care

804.329.7524 or www.allsaintsric.org.

(Right in Richmond’s backyard!)

Spotlight on High Schools

The Richmond region’s public schools offer an array of options for parents and students. Here’s a snapshot of each system and a list of corresponding high schools with their specialty programs

CHARLES CITY COUNTY

Student population: 562

Number of schools: 1 elementary (Charles City Elementary School), 1 high (Charles City High School)

AP course enrollment: 1.83% (2021-22)

Dual enrollment: 1.83% (2021-22)

On-time graduation rate: 93.9% (2022)

Fully accredited schools: 100%

Operating expenses toward instruction: 52.8% (2020-21)

It’s good to know: This rural school system offers programs including dual enrollment, Advanced Placement, electives, gifted education, an accredited Army Junior ROTC program, comprehensive vocational and technical training, Title 1 reading and alternative education. The school division also supports a 1-to-1 laptop technology initiative for students in grades K-12 and a robust preschool program. Charles City High School, 10039 Courthouse Road, Charles City, 804-829-9249; 247 students in grades 7-12; Anita Harper, principal.

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY

Student population: 63,962

Number of schools: 1 prekindergarten, 1 virtual school, 40 elementary, 12 middle, 11 high (including 13 specialty centers), and 2 career and technical centers

AP course enrollment: 23.35% (2021-22)

Dual enrollment: 11.5% (2021-22)

On-time graduation rate: 91.5%

Fully accredited schools: 100%

Operating expenses toward instruction: 69.6%

It’s good to know: The largest school system in Central Virginia, Chesterfield County Public Schools provides 61,000 devices to its students for 1-to-1 daily instruction throughout the school day and at home.

Lloyd C. Bird High School, 10301 Courthouse Road, Chesterfield, 804-768-6110; 2,033 students; Adrienne Blantony, principal; specialty center/program: Governor’s Academy for Engineering Studies.

Carver College and Career Academy, 12400 Branders Bridge Road, Chester, 804-768-6156; 210 students; Stephen Hackett, principal; offers career and technical education classes, as well as night school.

Chesterfield Career and Technical Centers, 10101 Courthouse Road, North Chesterfield, 804768-6160, Brian Russell, principal; 13900 Hull Street Road, Midlothian, 804-639-8668, Brian Russell, principal; serves about 1,400 students from 11 high schools and offers one- and twoyear courses to prepare students for careers or postsecondary education.

Clover Hill High School, 13301 Kelly Green Lane, Midlothian, 804-639-4940; 1,775 students; John Phillips, principal; specialty center/ program: Mathematics and Science.

Cosby High School, 14300 Fox Club Parkway, Midlothian, 804-639-8340; 2,387 students; Benjamin Snyder, principal; specialty center/

program: Health Science.

Thomas Dale High School, 3626 W. Hundred Road, Chester, 804-768-6245; 2,562 students; Anthony McLaurin, principal; specialty center/ program: Center for the Arts.

James River High School, 3700 James River Road, Midlothian, 804-378-2420; 1,929 students; Amanda Voelker, principal; specialty center/ program: Leadership and International Relations. Manchester High School, 12601 Bailey Bridge Road, Midlothian, 804-739-6275; 2,196 students; Christy Ellis, principal; specialty centers/programs: Mass Communications and Spanish Immersion.

Matoaca High School, 17700 Longhouse Lane, Chesterfield, 804-590-3108; 1,637 students; Elizabeth Baber, principal; specialty center/ program: Information Technology.

Meadowbrook High School, 4901 Cogbill Road, North Chesterfield, 804-743-3675; 2,033 students; Marcie Rice, principal; specialty centers/programs: International Baccalaureate and Academy for Developing Entrepreneurs.

Midlothian High School, 401 Charter Colony Parkway, Midlothian, 804-378-2440; 2,045 students; Shawn Abel, principal; specialty center/program: International Baccalaureate.

Monacan High School, 11501 Smoketree Drive, North Chesterfield, 804-378-2480; 1,632 students; Bill Broyles, principal; specialty centers/programs: Health Professions and Therapies and Humanities.

GOOCHLAND COUNTY

Student population: 2,643

Number of schools: 3 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high

AP course enrollment: 39.12%

Dual enrollment: 21.53%

On-time graduation rate: 96%

Fully accredited schools: 100%

Operating expenses toward instruction: 65.4% It’s good to know: Goochland schools feature nationally recognized 1-to-1 technology for students from preschool to 12th grade and offer programs, including award-winning fine arts, participation in two governor’s schools, STEM programming and championshipcaliber athletics. Goochland is home to one of only two heavy-equipment programs in the commonwealth. All Goochland County Schools are Apple Distinguished Schools, the division was recognized as a VDOE Division of Innovation, it has the highest ranking of exceptional education outcomes, and it was the niche.com No. 1ranked school division in the metro Richmond area for four consecutive years.

Goochland High School, 3250 River Road West, Goochland, 804-556-5322; 890 students, Christopher Collier, principal; home to a comprehensive Career and Technical Education program, including two career-focused academies specializing in architecture and construction and sustainable energy; onsite programs include the Advance College

Academy partnership with Reynolds Community College and Blue Ridge Virtual Governor’s School, as well as dual enrollment opportunities with Piedmont Virginia Community College, Longwood University, Shenandoah University and the University of Virginia.

HANOVER COUNTY

Student population: 17,066

Number of schools: 15 elementary, 4 middle and 4 high, 1 alternative, 1 trade and technology, and 1 K-12 online

AP course enrollment: 22.29%

Dual enrollment: 6.34%

On-time graduation rate: 95.2%

Fully accredited schools: 100%

Operating expenses toward instruction: 70.1%

It’s good to know: All division high schools offer the International Baccalaureate diploma program.

Atlee High School, 9414 Atlee Station Road, Mechanicsville, 804-723-2100; 1,526 students; John Wheeler, principal.

The Georgetown School, 10000 Learning Lane, Mechanicsville, 804-723-3460; alternative education center for middle and high school students; Brian Ford, principal.

The Hanover Center for Trades and Technology, 10002 Learning Lane, Mechanicsville, 804-723-2020; Justin Roerink, principal. Hanover High School, 10307 Chamberlayne Road, Mechanicsville, 804-723-3700; 1,427 students; Kristina Reece, principal; specialty center/program: Health Sciences.

Mechanicsville High School, 7052 Mechanicsville Turnpike, Mechanicsville, 804-723-2200; 1,354 students; Charles Stevens, principal. Patrick Henry High School, 12449 W. Patrick Henry Road, Ashland, 804-365-8000; 1,323 students; Chris Martinez, principal.

HENRICO COUNTY

Student population: 50,389

Number of schools: 46 elementary, 12 middle and 9 high schools, 3 advanced career education centers, 3 alternative education programs, and 1 virtual academy

AP course enrollment: 30.95%

Dual enrollment: 3.73%

On-time graduation rate: 90.1%

Fully accredited schools: 100%

Operating expenses toward instruction: 69.5%

It’s good to know: Each high school in Henrico plays host to an academic specialty center. Two (Tucker and Henrico) offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma program, and three middle schools (Fairfield, Moody and Tuckahoe) offer the International Baccalaureate Middle Years program. The National Association of Music Merchants has named Henrico one of America’s “Best Communities for Music Education” for 23 years running.

Deep Run High School, 4801 Twin Hickory Road, Glen Allen, 804-364-8000; 2,027 students;

Brian Fellows, principal; also home to the Center for Information Technology.

Douglas S. Freeman High School, 8701 Three Chopt Road, 804-673-3700; 1,860 students; John Marshall, principal; also home to the Center for Leadership, Government and Global Economics.

Glen Allen High School, 10700 Staples Mill Road, Glen Allen, 804-501-3300; 2,006 students; Reginald Davenport, principal; also home to the Center for Education and Human Development. Mills E. Godwin High School, 2101 Pump Road, 804-750-2600; 1,773 students; Leigh Dunavant, principal; also home to the Todd Allen Phillips Center for Medical Sciences.

Henrico High School, 302 Azalea Ave., 804228-2700; 1,348 students; Karin Castillo-Rose, principal; also home to the Center for the Arts and an International Baccalaureate program. Hermitage High School, 8301 Hungary Spring Road, 804-756-3000; 1,717 students; Michael Jackson, principal; the Advanced Career Education Center at Virginia Randolph offers a variety of career-preparatory skills and industry certifications; also home to the Center for the Humanities.

Highland Springs High School, 200 S. Airport Dr. Highland Springs, 804-328-4000; 2,089 students; Kenneth White, principal; also home to the Advanced Career Education Center at Highland Springs, which offers careerpreparatory skills and industry certifications, as well as the Advance College Academy for Business Administration and the Center for Engineering.

J.R. Tucker High School, 2910 Parham Road, 804-527-4600; 1,916 students; Art Raymond, principal; also home to the Advance College Academy for Social Sciences, the Center for Spanish Language and Global Citizenship and an International Baccalaureate program.

Varina High School, 7053 Messer Road, 804-2268700; 1,405 students; Darin Thompson, principal; also home to the Center for Communications and Media Relations and the Center for Environmental Studies and Sustainability.

NEW KENT COUNTY

Student population: 3,436

Number of schools: 2 elementary, 1 middle, 1 high school and 1 regional technical center

AP course enrollment: 5.36%

Dual enrollment: 9.33%

On-time graduation rate: 93.9%

Fully accredited schools: 100%

Operating expenses toward instruction: 67%

It’s good to know: The district prides itself on the use of 1-to-1 technology that focuses on engaging higher-order thinking throughout all classrooms. New Kent is also home to the Bridging Communities Regional Career and Technical Center/Governor’s STEM Academy, which provides high school students from six counties with training in computer science, engineering, criminal justice, nursing, diesel mechanics, culinary work and small engine mechanics.

New Kent High School, 7365 Egypt Road, New Kent, 804-966-9671; 1,121 students; Chris Valdrighi, principal.

POWHATAN COUNTY

Student population: 4,251

Number of schools: 3 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high

AP course enrollment: 20.22%

Dual enrollment: 5.68%

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On-time graduation rate: 94.5%

Fully accredited schools: 100%

Operating expenses toward instruction: 70.1%

It’s good to know: Powhatan Middle School in 2021 was named a “Virginia School to Watch” in recognition of its high-quality middle school program. PCPS has an integrated K-12 STEM program with nationally and internationally recognized STEM coaches at the elementary level, a STEM innovation lab at PMS and offerings in cybersecurity, AP Computer Science and engineering at PHS.

Powhatan High School, 1800 Judes Ferry Road, Powhatan, 804-598-5710; 1,412 students; Christopher Sumner, principal. Offerings include the Advance College Academy, a VSBA Honor Band, CTE offerings (small animal care, certified nursing assistant, electricity co-op and engineering with award-winning co-curricular groups such as FFA, SkillsUSA and Robotics), over 20 AP courses, a Scholastic Gold Key art program and more.

RICHMOND

Student population: 21,706

Number of schools: 5 prekindergarten learning centers, 26 elementary (including one charter), 7 middle, 7 high schools and 9 specialty schools (including 1 virtual school)

AP course enrollment: 12.44%

Dual enrollment: 1.8%

On-time graduation rate: 74.2%

Fully accredited schools: 100%

Operating expenses toward instruction: 62%

It’s good to know: The city of Richmond is home to

two of the state’s top high schools (Open High at No. 4 and Richmond Community High School at No. 9), according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 rankings.

Amelia Street School, 1821 Amelia St., 804-7806275, special education school, 24 students, ages 5 to 21; Mark Phillips, principal.

Armstrong High School, 2300 Cool Lane, 804-780-4449; 747 students; Willie Bell Jr., principal.

Franklin Military Academy, 701 N. 37th St., 804-780-8526; 293 students; David Hudson, principal; the school opened in 1980 and offers regular academic training, Junior Reserve Officer Training and the Middle School Leadership Program.

Huguenot High School, 7945 Forest Hill Ave., 804-320-7967, 1,552 students; Robert Gilstrap, principal.

Thomas Jefferson High School, 4100 W. Grace St., 804-780-6028; 819 students; Cherita Sears, principal.

John Marshall High School, 4225 Old Brook Road, 804-780-6052, 600 students; Monica Murray, principal.

Open High School, 600 S. Pine St., 804-780-4661, 184 students; Clary Carleton, principal.

Richmond Alternative School, 119 W. Leigh St., 804780-4388; 162 students; Lamont Trotter, principal. Richmond Career Education and Employment Academy, 4225 Old Brook Road, 804-2307763; 27 students; Maurice Burton, principal; for students ages 14-21 with cognitive disabilities. Richmond Community High School, 201 E.

Brookland Park Blvd., 804-780-4332; 200 students; Kenya Massenburg, principal.

Richmond Technical Center, 2020 Westwood Ave., 804-780-6237; Jonathan Mitchum, principal. Richmond Virtual Academy, 4225 Old Brook Road, 804-228-3277; Cynthia Robinson-Carey, principal; opened in 2021 to serve the needs of K-12 students interested in remaining in a virtual school program. George Wythe High School, 4314 Crutchfield St., 804-780-5037; 1,309 students; Kevin Olds, principal.

REGIONAL SCHOOLS

Appomattox Regional Governor’s School for the Arts and Technology, 512 W. Washington St., Petersburg, 804-722-0200; Meagan Tenia, executive director. Students who reside in participating school divisions can apply in dance, literary arts, music, technology, theatre arts and visual arts. Students are selected by a committee of educators and other persons skilled in technology and the arts from each participating school division, who evaluate all applications. CodeRVA, 2601 Durham St., 804-968-1820; Kume Goranson, executive director. Innovative public high school preparing students for college and careers in computer science.

Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School for Government and International Studies, 1000 N. Lombardy St., 804-354-6800; Robert Lowerre, director. Offers a comprehensive college preparatory program, with emphasis on government, international studies, fine arts, sciences, math and languages; students from throughout the region are selected based on aptitude and interest in its mission.

Now Celebrating our 100th Anniversary!

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Adapting Athletics

At River City Inclusive Gym, students facing obstacles push their boundaries

By D. Hunter Reardon

Three years ago, Jasminka Jost was looking for a place for her young son, Vigo, to be active. He had tried playing soccer, but Vigo, who has autism, had trouble focusing on the game. Jost needed a safe space for Vigo with coaches who specialized in meeting his needs. That’s when friends referred Jost and her family to the River City Inclusive Gym, which offers workout classes for children, teens and adults with disabilities.

“It’s been an amazing experience,” Jost says. “The coaches at RCIG really excel in meeting athletes where they are but challenging them at the same time.”

The gym has been in operation since 2016, renting space in a traditional gymnastics gym before moving to its current location on Patterson Avenue in April 2022. There are six hourlong classes per day from Monday through Saturday, each with a maximum of seven attendees and each featuring one coach per participant.

“Our classes consist of an obstacle course,” says Mike McGrath, the CEO and founder of RCIG. “There are four different sections of the gym, and we spend 15 minutes in each section. There are monkey bars, swings, trampolines, ropes for climbing and swinging, slides, and more.

“That can sound intimidating, but we start from where they’re comfortable. If they just need to touch the rope at first, that’s OK, but our goal is to gradually build their skill level and participation.”

Vigo, now 6 years old, looks forward to classes every week. “When Vigo first joined, he had anxiety issues and needed some support,” Jost says. “We worked on joining the first portion, and after a few weeks, he was able to participate in the full course. Now we go every Thursday, and he loves it.”

There are classes for older kids and young adults, too. Christine Schwab has been bringing her niece, 20-year-old Brennan, for two years and says that the classes have improved her social and motor skills.

“The coaches at RCIG were great at getting her to take the extra step — and to believe that she could,” Schwab says. “As a loved one, it’s amazing to see. It’s hard, when you’re close to someone, to push the person you love. But at RCIG, I’ve watched Brennan gain confidence, especially in her physical abilities.”

Watching athletes achieve their goals drives the passion that Jocelyn Ingram, COO and head coach at RCIG, feels for her work. “It’s amazing to see how big their accomplishments can be for athletes and

their families,” she says. “You think that everyone can get on a trampoline and bounce for a bit, but that’s not true. It takes motor skills to jump. And in every single class, within an hour, you watch goals being made.”

A 10-week session at RCIG costs $230, though McGrath says there are scholarships available. There are 30-minute trial sessions available for free, which also serve as a time for coaches to evaluate a participant’s needs. There are six paid coaches working for the organization, along with many volunteers and interns.

“Whenever I watch Brennan exercise, I just thank God there are people like Mike in the world because he has a true gift. This place was 100% his vision,” Schwab says.

Jost adds that the gym is a good place to meet other people facing similar challenges. “Even beyond the classes, there is a deep sense of community and belonging,” she says. “Vigo has made a lot of little friends, and it’s an opportunity to meet other parents. It’s a place we can all go and just be ourselves.”

CEO Mike McGrath works with an athlete at RCIG

OWNING THE FUTURE

JMU professors put students first. It’s been that way since our doors opened in 1908. This special attention is part of why JMU is the #1 Best College in Virginia for Getting a Job for four straight years, according to Department of Education stats compiled by Zippia. Faculty know their students. The connections that are made here catapult JMU graduates to better careers.

To learn more about the Madison Experience from some of our amazing students, visit j.mu/learnmore

Independent Boarding Schools

This directory of private boarding schools outside the Richmond area was provided by the Virginia Council for Private Education (VCPE). For accreditation status or other information, call 804-423-6435 or visit vcpe.org.

The Barry Robinson Center

Ages 11-17 coed, residential psychiatric treatment center. 443 Kempsville Road, Norfolk, 800-221-1995.

Blue Ridge School

Grades 9-12 boys, boarding, nondenominational. 273 Mayo Drive, St. George, 434-985-2811.

Boys Home of Virginia

K-12 boys, vocational training for 9-12, residential education and socialization, Episcopal. 414 Boys’ Home Road, Covington, 540-965-7700.

Carlisle School

PK-12 coed. 300 Carlisle Road, Axton, 276-632-7288.

Chatham Hall

Grades 9-12 girls, boarding and day, Episcopal. 800 Chatham Hall Circle, Chatham, 434-432-2941.

Christchurch School

9-12 coed boarding and day school, Episcopal. 49 Seahorse Lane, 804-758-2306.

Eastern Mennonite School

K-12 coed, boarding and day, Christian. 801 Parkwood Drive, Harrisonburg, 540-236-6000.

Episcopal High School

9-12 coed boarding, independent. 1200 N. Quaker Lane, Alexandria, 703-933-3000.

Fishburne Military School

Grades 7-12 boys, boarding, five-day boarding, day. U.S. Army JROTC. 225 S. Wayne Ave., Waynesboro, 800-946-7773.

Fork Union Military Academy

Grades 7-12/postgraduate boys. 4744 James Madison Highway, Fork Union, 434-842-4205.

Foxcroft School

Grades 9-12 girls, boarding and day. 22407 Foxhound Lane, Middleburg, 540-687-5555.

Hargrave Military Academy

Grades 7-12/postgraduate boys, military. 200 Military Drive, Chatham, 434-432-2481.

Little Keswick School

Boys age 10-15 at time of admission, boarding, therapeutic. 500 Little Keswick Lane, Keswick, 434-295-0457.

The Madeira School

Grades 9-12 girls, boarding and day. 8328 Georgetown Pike, McLean, 703-556-8211.

Massanutten Military Academy

Grades 5-12/postgraduate coed, military, boarding. 614 S. Main St., Woodstock, 540-459-2167.

Miller School of Albemarle

Grades 8-12/postgraduate coed, boarding and day. 1000 Samuel Miller Loop, Charlottesville, 434-823-4805.

Oak Hill Academy

Grades 8-12 coed, boarding, Baptist. 2635 Oak

Hill Road, Mouth of Wilson, 276-579-2619.

Oakland School

Grades 2-8 coed, boarding and day. Students with learning differences. 128 Oakland Farm Way, Troy, 434-293-9059.

Randolph-Macon Academy

Grades 6-12/postgraduate coed, boarding and day, Air Force JROTC/Methodist for 9-12. 200 Academy Drive, Front Royal, 540-636-5200.

Shenandoah Valley Academy

Grades 9-12 coed, boarding, Seventh-day Adventist. 234 W. Lee Highway, New Market, 540-740-3161.

St. Anne’s-Belfield School

PS-12 coed, nondenominational, day for PS12 and boarding for 9-12. PS-8 school: 799 Faulconer Drive, Charlottesville, 434-297-5106. 9-12 school: 2132 Ivy Road, Charlottesville, 434-296-5106.

St. Margaret’s School

Girls, grades 8-12 and postgraduate, boarding and day, Episcopal. 444 Water Lane, P.O. Box 158, Tappahannock, 804-443-3357.

Stuart Hall School

Grades 5-12 coed, boarding for 8-12 and day for 5-12, Episcopal. Upper/middle school: 235 W.

Frederick St., Staunton, 888-306-8926

Lower school: 74 Quicks Mill Road, Verona, 540-248-2404.

Virginia Episcopal School

Grades 9-12 coed, boarding and day, Episcopal. 400 VES Road, Lynchburg, 434-385-3600.

Wakefield Country Day School

PS-12 coed. 1059 Zachary Taylor Highway, Huntly, 540-635-8555.

Woodberry Forest School

Grades 9-12 boys, boarding. 898 Woodberry Forest Road, Woodberry Forest, 540-672-3900. Yeshivas Aish Kodesh Talmudical Academy of Norfolk

Grades 9-12 boys, Jewish. 612 Colonial Ave., Norfolk, 757-623-6070.

Youth for Tomorrow

Ages 12-plus, coed, offering special education and residential program. 11835 Hazel Circle Drive, Bristow, 703-368-7995.

Updated August 2022. To suggest an update to this listing, contact the Special Projects Editor at specialprojects@richmag.com.

St. Margaret’s School

Private Schools in the Richmond Region

Happy Places

Four designers create at-home havens for clients

By Susan W. Morgan

irst came man caves, then she-sheds, and then there was COVID-19. Our collective quarantine opened our eyes to the need for personal spaces in our homes where we can do the things that bring us joy. Although me-time spaces may seem like a modern concept, the reality is that they’ve been around forever. Big or small, they’re therapeutic places where one can escape the stresses of everyday life. We present a look at four happy places created for clients by Richmond interior designers Kathy Corbet, Sara Hillery, Ellen Kastelberg and Anne Hulcher Tollett.

Cellar Club

Before interior designer Kathy Corbet transformed this space into a wildly colorful family area, it was a dark and dingy but well-used basement. The plan for this kid-and-adult-together space started with a record player and a vintage sofa, the designer says. Dad acts as DJ, and the family dances together or with friends, so a place for the record player and album storage were essential. The colorful print fabric chosen to reupholster the sofa, which once belonged to the client’s grandmother, inspired the bold color palette and maximalist design. Ample seating for watching television, new flooring and a high-top table where one can sit and eat and still see the TV complete the inviting space. Finished during the pandemic, it became the family’s clubhouse and retreat, and it still is, the designer says.

Chamber Music

It’s hard to find a good place to put a grand piano in a rowhouse, according to interior designer Anne Hulcher Tollett, who converted what had been a smaller second-parlor room into a music and reading room for clients. The couple relocated to Richmond from London and wanted a music room where they could take a break from the day to curl up and read a book or play the piano. Keeping the furniture minimal, the designer focused the space on their Steinway grand piano, adding only an upholstered chair with matching ottoman and a small side chair near the fireplace. Walls and ceiling painted Benjamin Moore’s Decorator’s White provide a canvas for a gallery wall of artwork drawn from the couple’s collections. The original fireplace and a mix of old and new furnishings including the antique chandelier modernized with globe bulbs, contemporary cantilever bookshelves and a fun geometric rug give the music room the feel of an European salon that the couple wanted. It’s a room they use daily.

Artist’s Sanctuary

Although this room was designed originally for use as a small library or study, it made sense, interior designer Sara Hillery says, to convert it into an art studio for a client who likes to paint the outdoors. French doors open to an Italian garden-inspired landscape. Natural light streams through the clerestory windows while dark wood paneling adds warmth and Old World charm. Sunbrella fabrics on the custom chairs and an indoor/ outdoor rug ensure that any paint mishaps are minor. Things that the client loves — family portraits, heirlooms such as her father’s drafting table and souvenirs of travels abroad — make the space personal. It’s peaceful, like being wrapped in a cocoon, the artist says of her studio space.

Shaken Not Stirred Lounge

Agent 007 would probably feel right at home in the bar/lounge interior designer Ellen Kastelberg created in a client’s downstairs room. The client is a lifelong devotee of the debonair spy and collects everything Bond, from movies to memorabilia and model cars; his wife and children now share his enthusiasm. So, the client commissioned a bar/lounge with the sophisticated cool look of the ’60s and ’70s interiors inhabited by Bond. The designer says she transported herself to that era for inspiration. The bold color palette, lush velvets, furniture with inviting curves and angles, leather wallpaper and black hexagonal tile behind the bar, and the gold accent pieces she chose help to create the cosmopolitan Bond-vibe the family requested. A print of actors who have portrayed Bond in films brings the special agent into the room. The family loves the look of the space and heads downstairs to relax and have fun every chance they get.

Age Into It

55-plus communities offer amenities to engage residents and promote healthy lifestyles

By Paula Peters Chambers

Elizabeth Collins came to Richmond to be closer to her daughter’s family. By moving to an age-restricted community, she got that wish and a whole lot more.

“It’s very, very nice here,” Collins says of CrossRidge, the “55 and better” neighborhood in Glen Allen where she moved in 2009. “It’s a very active community. You do what you want to do when you want to do it.”

C ollins had hoped to purchase a free-standing home, but none were available at the time, so she opted for a connected house with a generous yard, which she takes advantage of as an active gardener. Collins also enjoys the maintenance provided by the HOA, which inc ludes plantings, mowing, leaf and

snow removal, and roof repairs.

She t akes water aerobics classes twice a week in the clubhouse’s indoor p ool, participates in weekly mahjong games and attends other gatherings and functions as she wishes. A CrossRidge staff member coordinates events, and residents also organize activities, Collins says.

“I think you meet more people when you’re in a community like this,” she says. “Your options of keeping busy are greater, which is good for your physical and mental health.”

She’s right about the health benefits, says Jennifer Pryor, program director for Virginia Commonwealth University’s Department of Gerontology and co-director for Assisted Living Administration at VCU’s College of Health Professions.

At CrossRidge in Glen Allen, the lifestyle centers around the Pavilion Clubhouse.

“Research does tell us it’s important for us to be engaged in a variety of ways through our lives,” Pryor says. “Some [pursuits] are social in nature; they connect us to people in ways that help us learn about each other and make meaningful relations. Some are more physical; they get us up and moving around. Learning a new skill helps us make new connections and strengthen existing connections in our brains. Spiritual activities connect to our core values.”

Pryor adds that it’s good for people to remain active in ways that make sense to them throughout life. “When I think about this idea of engaging or being involved, it means different things to different people,” she says. “It doesn’t matter what setting we’re in — whether it’s senior living or in our own home, just

starting out in adulthood or getting ready to retire — being able to make positive and meaningful connections with others and the world around us is what helps us get that sense of feeling of wholeness and well-being.”

Communities that are exclusive to or cater to older adults know that providing myriad activities for residents is essential. “Activity programming is intentional in creating a sense of belonging and helping people connect with others,” Pryor says. “It’s beneficial for people moving from homes where they were isolated.”

Neighborhoods tailored to those 55 and older — whether they have

age-restricted covenants or not — typically offer groundskeeping services and features that can include maintained walking trails, clubhouses with fitness centers and event spaces, pools, tennis and pickleball courts, and dog parks. Some also offer amenities such as beekeeping, gardening and ponds for fishing, kayaking or paddleboarding.

“We’ve really seen the options for folks in this chapter of their lives explode,” says Kristin Krupp, managing partner of The Beran Group and president of the Richmond Association of Realtors. “This is a very large buying population, and we didn’t have a ton of options” when she entered the real estate business nearly 20 years ago.

“[Age-targeted neighborhoods] create

People are looking for [a certain] lifestyle and a community of friends with shared amenities.

MITCHELL BODE, PRESIDENT OF BOONE HOMES

Jennifer Pryor

Above: The indoor pool at CrossRidge; Below: the exercise facilities at CrossRidge

an environment for people to have a connection and meet other people,” Krupp says. “They’re in a whole new chapter in their lives; they want to have something in common with their neighbors.”

Mitchell Bode, president of Boone Homes in Goochland County, agrees. “People are looking for [a certain] lifestyle and a community of friends with shared amenities,” he says. “They want that community aspect. They’re looking to have these interactions and to build those relationships. They want to be able to lean on people in their community and still lead a happy life.”

Boone Home s expects to begin developing The Villas at Swift Creek in Chesterfield later this year. The neighborhood will be age-restricted, which means at least 80% of owners must be 55 or older. “There’s definitely demand, and resales [in 55-plus neighborhoods] go pretty well,” Bode says.

R ealtor Krupp notes that there is a difference between neighborhoods that have age restrictions and those that simply target 55-plus and also have residents at every stage. The Hallsley neighborhood in Midlothian, which Krupp had a hand in developing, isn’t age restricted but has a section of homes called Saville Park that are marketed toward older residents. “We had consumers who wanted maintenance provided

and an area that was quiet but still wanted to be around younger fam ilies,” she says.

Kr upp says buyers can search the Multiple Listing Service for neighborhoods with maintenance provided and age restrictions. A careful search can pull up some — but perhaps not all — 55-plus communities.

Of c ourse, Krupp adds, not every senior wants to identify with a 55-plus community.

“ Some of our buying population doesn’t want to be labeled” by their age, Krupp says. “It’s a mindset, a positioning on how they approach life.”

Maintaining an adventurous mindset is useful, VCU’s Pryor says.

“Ther e’s an ageist stereotype that we’re too old for something [new],” she

says. “You can adapt pretty much any activity, physical or cognitive. Sometimes people f orget that an activity can look very different depending on who’s doing that activity.”

C ollins recalls that when she moved to CrossRidge, a member of the welcoming committee encouraged her to try different activities and even accompanied Collins so she wouldn’t have to go by herself. That helped, she says, and it gave her the chance to make her own decisions.

“She nudged me out a little bit,” Collins says. “Some of it I continued with, some I didn’t. It becomes your choice of what you want to do. You could sit in your house and never go out, but there’s a lot you can participate in if you want to.”

Kristin Krupp

A rendering of homes offered in the Villas at Swift Creek, a new 55-plus community in Chesterfield

Future residents at the groundbreaking for a new section of the Mosaic at West Creek 55+ community

Williamsburg Landing is an accredited Life Plan Community, designed with a blend of beautiful landscaping and elegant Colonial architecture to make residents feel comfortable in their home, both inside and outside. Our resort-style community offers residents a plethora of year-round cultural, educational, and social activities. Williamsburg Landing is just a few minutes from the prestigious College of William & Mary and less than an hour from three major airports. At Williamsburg Landing, you’ll experience a lifetime of compassionate care, stateof-the-art amenities, and a place that your entire family will enjoy visiting.

· Independent Living

· Assisted Living

· Memory Support

· Skilled Care

· Short-Term Rehabilitation

· Long-Term Care

· Adult Day Center*

*Service available to the Greater Williamsburg Area

Get Festive

Richmond’s neighborhoods celebrate the arts, music and the community

By Kyra Molinaro

The greater Richmond area includes dozens of unique neighborhoods, each with its own personality and charm. The following annual, free festivals give locals and newcomers an opportunity to experience the best of what Richmond has to offer.

Bellevue Porchella

At a time when most public events were being canceled, Bellevue Porchella was created in fall 2020 during the COVID19 pandemic to bring the Bellevue neighborhood together. Now, this music walk is held each spring and fall, giving neighbors and friends the chance to enjoy local musicians playing on porches and in front yards.

Powhatan’s Festival of the Grape

Taste the best of Virginia wine (and other adult beverages) at this fall festival, featuring more than 30 wineries, distilleries and craft breweries as well as music, arts and crafts vendors and food trucks. The festival has been held in Powhatan County for two decades.

Hanover Tomato Festival

The beloved Hanover tomato has its own outdoor festival each summer. Attendees can purchase tomatoes and sample tomato-focused cuisine, while perusing local vendor stations, listening to live music and enjoying family activities.

Ashland Strawberry Faire

This family festival celebrates the start of the summer strawberry harvest while promoting the historic Ashland community and raising funds for Hanover County Public Schools. More than 300 arts and crafts, food and nonprofit vendors line the streets around Randolph-Macon College.

Carytown Watermelon Festival

Each August, this 40-year Richmond tradition celebrates everything watermelon at the largest one-day festival in Virginia. The Carytown entertainment district comes alive with music p erformed on multiple stages, food from local vendors, shopping and tons of watermelon.

Fan Arts Stroll

Founded during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Fan Arts Stroll (held in spring) features the work of more than 50 artists,

Left: The band Tavernier, Spring 2021 Porchella;

Right: Hanover Tomato Festival

crafters and musicians along the sidewalks and in front yards of historic homes in the 2000 to 2500 blocks of Hanover and Grove avenues.

RVA First Fridays

Downtown Richmond’s popular art walk happens year-round on the first Friday of each month. Arts District galleries, shops, restaurants and nonprofits open their doors, offering music, sidewalk sales and specialty products in celebration of creativity and community.

2nd Street Festival

This two-day community festival and annual fall homecoming celebrates the rich culture of historic Jackson Ward, once known as the “Harlem of the South.” It features four stages of musical entertainment along with a Kidz Zone, food vendors, a marketplace and Artists Row, walking tours given by Historic Jackson Ward Association.

Church Hill Irish Festival

For 35 years, historic Church Hill has hosted this St. Patrick’s Day celebration with Irish food, music, children’s activities and Irish-themed arts & crafts. Highlights also include a morning parade and the Hill Topper 5K race. Proceeds benefit charities.

Northside Artists’ Holiday Artwalk

This annual art walk and sale is hosted within Sherwood Park and Laburnum Park homes, as well as the commons area of Ginter Place. Primarily North Side artisans and handcrafters display unique and quality items, perfect for gift giving and home decor.

Now Trending

What’s hot and what’s not in interior design trends for 2023

By Taylor Peterson

hile some longtime favorite home designs are waning, many colorful trends are emerging in their stead. We asked three interior designers for insights into the hottest interior design trends in Richmond for 2023.

Richmond magazine: What design trends do you think will gain traction this year in Richmond?

Jennifer Stoner, Jennifer Stoner Interiors: We’re seeing an embrace of all things nostalgic. In my home, I’ve created a lounge in our solarium with our throwback board games, vinyl collection, and our record player. We’re seeing this vintage style show up in elements of furniture, artwork and fabrics.

Angela Wilson Lee, Wilson Lee Interiors: The connection between living space and mental health and well-being. The past few years, we were forced home to examine how we live, and many discovered that change was needed. I’m pleased to see people striving to create better spaces that reflect their lifestyles because that will ultimately affect their mental and spiritual health.

Gayatri Choudhary, GC Interiors: What I’m starting to see in bathrooms — which I think is going to extend into kitchens — is using bold marble or granite. I’m seeing people move away from that allwhite countertop and get something that’s more interesting with a little bit more color.

RM: Do you think we’ll see any older trends resurface?

Stoner: I anticipate that we’ll see more traditional Persian rugs come back in demand. We’ll see large walls of art and sculptural collages. All of this continues to support the growing trend of maximalism.

Wilson Lee: Old trends will always resurface. One example is the reemerging of floral patterns. I was recently in an industry fabric presentation, and floral fabric and wallpaper for spring 2023 felt very 1990s with a modernized twist.

Choudhary: I’m seeing more bold wallpaper, with more textures, and bigger prints. Kind of what we had in the 70s, but more modern with different colors.

RM: What trends are on their way out?

Stoner: We’re seeing less of the all-white rooms and kitchens. The mid-century modern aesthetic which has been so popular is also starting to shift more into the 70s and 80s with softer, modern curves and bolder colors.

Wilson Lee: The no-personality white and gray. I must say I’m happy to see it go. Studies show that people are happier and more comfortable when they are around color. So we designers must strike the balance of acknowledging trends while

educating our clients on the types of spaces that best suit their lives.

Choudhary: I think the modern farmhouse and shiplap styles are starting to go out. You find it in so many homes that it’s no longer unique. I think that people want their house to be different from their friends and neighbors.

RM: What color trends do you predict we’ll see?

Stoner: Bold colors are gaining in popularity with an embrace of all jewel tones. We’re also seeing more muddy versions of those jewel tones with terracotta, sage and mustard. Blues have been safe colors for so long, but we’re starting to see the shades of blue get amplified with the infusion of cobalt or bold teal.

Wilson Lee: With cabinets and furniture, we’re seeing a lot of stained woodwork come back after years of painted furniture. That trend carries over to textiles in the brown family with punches of brighter colors like berry hues and acid greens.

Choudhary: Jewel tones and saturated colors — whether that’s ochre, tones of purple, or especially green. I think that all-white or light gray houses are on the way out and people want something that brings them a little bit more joy.

Jennifer Stoner

Angela Wilson Lee

Gayatri Choudhary

Furniture, fabrics and artwork with vintage style are key to the current trend for all things nostalgic, says Jennifer Stoner. She created a lounge in her solarium featuring throwback board games, her record player and vinyl collection.

Wallpaper is bigger and bolder than ever, according to Gayatri Choudhary. Look for patterns ranging from florals to dramatic largescale prints with 70s vibes and modern colorways — like the wallpaper in this home offce — and textures such as grass cloth, embossed leathers and cork.

According to Angela Wilson Lee, natural wood finishes in a range of hues, and fabrics, wallpapers and rugs in rich, warm color palettes are important trends.

Zones

Whether you see yourself living in a downtown loft, a suburban split-level or a classic cottage, the Richmond region offers a place for everyone to feel at home. If you’re looking for a walkable, historic place full of hip restaurants, check out Church Hill or the Fan District. Lovers of outdoor recreation will find plenty of opportunities for adventure in the city and county neighborhoods adjoining the James River Park System or near Pocahontas State Park in Chesterfield County. History abounds in Charles City County, Petersburg and southern Chesterfield. For convenience, Short Pump, Midlothian and Chester deliver the goods, along with new mixed-use neighborhoods that promise to put the “urban” in suburban.

The numbers in this section refer to multiple listing service (MLS) zones, which real estate agents use to divide a region into neighborhoods.

City of Richmond (Center)

Business blends with residential neighborhoods in the state capital

at Tredegar all the way to Nickel Bridge (aka Boulevard Bridge). Take in the gardens at Maymont, then go for a spin in a pedal boat in Byrd Park.

Shopping

The Vibe

From the turn-of-the-century town houses of the Fan to the hip industrial vibe of Scott’s Addition and pre-Civil War homes in Church Hill, the city’s neighborhoods are walkable and bikeable, brimming with shops, restaurants and entertainment venues.

Recreation

How many cities have Class IV rapids running right through their downtown? The T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge, a city-built pedestrian bridge, links the north and south banks of the river. Downtown is the place to visit the James River Park System, including Belle Isle, a great spot for biking and running. The North Bank connector trail allows hikers, bikers and runners to remain off-road from the Belle Isle parking lot

Shockoe Slip and Shockoe Bottom offer books, furniture and artwork in converted warehouses tucked between restaurants. Broad Street serves the Virginia Commonwealth University area with vintage clothing, vinyl records and other student-targeted goods. Meanwhile, tea, apparel, toys, jewelry, books, chocolate and furniture are all for sale in the shops of Carytown. The $40 million Carytown Exchange, with about 120,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, is anchored by a 49,000-square-foot Publix grocery store. In the Fan, Whole Foods Market anchors the Sauer Center at the former Pleasants Hardware site. Scott’s Addition is home to a growing number of independent stores.

Entertainment

Don’t miss comedy at Coalition Theater; national and regional acts at The National, The Broadberry, the Carpenter Theatre, the Altria Theater and The C amel; theater at Virginia Repertory Theatre, the Robert B. Moss Theatre or the Firehouse Theatre; and performance

artists and burlesque at Gallery 5 and TheatreLAB. Carytown’s Byrd Theatre, operating for more than 90 years, is a national landmark featuring performances on the Mighty Wurlitzer organ. Scott’s Addition is the epicenter of Richmond’s craft brewing scene and home to the Richmond Flying Squirrels. Virginia Commonwealth University has plans to build an athletics village, including indoor and outdoor tennis courts, tracks, a soccer stadium and a practice field along Hermitage Road. Demolition of existing buildings and construction is expected to begin this year.

Looking Forward

RVA Diamond Partners will kick off the $2.4 billion Diamond District project this year. A 10,000-capacity baseball stadium is scheduled to open by the start of the 2025 season, while the remaining office, residential and retail development and infrastructure upgrades will take place over 15 years.

Several apartment projects are in the works, and at the 2-acre site of the imploded Dominion Energy office building on East Cary Street, the company plans to build a clean energy park that will include quick charging stations for electric vehicles and green spaces for community events.

Carytown's Byrd Theatre

At Lakewood, we believe the pursuit of perfection takes many forms. That’s why we focus on giving you an array of choices so you can create YOUR ideal lifestyle. No matter what you want to do, we’ll handle all the responsibilities of home maintenance while you explore life’s possibilities. Plus, as a Life Plan Community, we have a full continuum of on-site care for peace of mind backed with the financial predictability of Life Care. Come visit our beautiful 128-acre campus in the convenient west end of Richmond … we can’t wait to see you!

WHEN CHOOSING A COMMUNITY FOR YOUR FUTURE, LOOK AT THEIR LONGEVITY.

Lakewood has consistently been recognized as one of the best Continuing Care Retirement Communities in the area. We’re proud of the recognition and our 45-year history of empowering seniors to enjoy every moment of their retirement secured by the benefits of Life Care.

We look forward to serving seniors for another 45 years. If you’re making plans for the future, consider Lakewood and start living the life you envision.

TO SCHEDULE A PERSONAL VISIT OF OUR BEAUTIFUL 128-ACRE WEST END COMMUNITY, CALL 804.451.1583.

Near West End

Shopping

The shops at Libbie and Grove feature an upscale collection of antiques, wine, furniture, artisan chocolates and clothing, as well as a budding design district. Patterson Avenue has bakeries and gift shops, while Willow Lawn, Richmond’s first shopping center, offers stores such as Dick’s Sporting Goods, Old Navy, DSW, J. Crew Factory and more. The River Road Shopping Centers feature upscale women’s fashions, high-end home accessories and restaurants.

Entertainment

The Modlin Center for the Arts, on UR’s campus, presents everything from ballet to comedy. The Spiders sports teams are worth a ticket, too. Topgolf offers 70 climate-controlled hitting bays, a rooftop terrace and more than 200 TVs, plus full-service bars and a restaurant.

Did You Know?

An American Indian trail that once stretched from eastern Richmond to the Blue Ridge Mountains became what’s now known as Three Chopt Road. Originally called Three Notch’d Road, it was marked for travelers by three notches on the trees that lined it. Lafayette, Washington and Jefferson are a few of the historical figures who made journeys along the road.

Looking Forward

A neighborhood that began in the years between the two world wars, the Near West End is a charming mishmash of architectural styles such as Tudor, Craftsman and Colonial, and grand homes can be found just blocks away from cottages. The University of Richmond is in the middle of it all, as are the private schools St. Christopher’s and St. Catherine’s.

The Faison Center has begun work on a 12,000-square-foot building set to house the autism nonprofit’s adult day services program and employment academy, capping off $24 million in improvements to its campus across from Willow Lawn.

Following on the success of The Crest at Westhampton Commons, the Westwood Avenue and Broad Street corridors are seeing an explosion of residential building projects.

The University of Richmond

The West End of Henrico

smaller lots, with the benefit of easy interstate access to downtown Richmond and adjoining counties. Neighborhoods with rolling hills and charming gardens are as common here as luxury condos and townhouses. Mixed-use developments such as West Broad Village and Gr eenGate have created centers for living, shopping and dining.

Shopping

Short Pump Town Center has a more than 140 shops and restaurants. Additional shopping centers ring the expansive mall.

Entertainment

Funny Bone at Short Pump Town Center features performances from a rotating schedule of comedians, and Draftcade, a restaurant with a large arcade, opened next door in 2022. The Tin Pan, a restaurant and music venue near Regency Square mall, features local, regional and national acts.

Recreation

The 165-acre Deep Run Park is home to a paved bicycle skills track, an extensive

network of mountain bike trails, a cricket field, playgrounds, a recreation center and a lake. Short Pump Park’s dog park is popular with pooches.

Looking Forward

Regency Square continues its transformation into a mixed-use development. The Rise at Regency, a 320-apartment complex, opened last year, and a wing of the mall is being renovated into dozens of classrooms for the Henrico County Public Schools’ adult education program.

A 1,600-home mixed-use development is under construction near Wegmans on West Broad Street, and a number of new restaurants have opened in the area recently, including Hibachi Box at the Shops at Wellesley and Torchy’s Tacos at West Broad Street and Tom Leonard Drive. Perry's Steakhouse & Grille is expected to open this summer at Short Pump Town Center.

A new Henrico Pet Adoption Center is in the planning stages after funding was approved last fall. Bond initiatives for various school, recreation, public safety and stormwater drainage projects were also approved.

The Tin Pan

Goochland County

This is horse country, with rolling hills that lead to the James River

The Vibe

Rural life remains king out here, though development is quickly working its way into the county, one of the wealthiest per capita in the United States. To be sure, there are a few charming established neighborhoods near Goochland Courthouse and Tuckahoe Plantation that you don’t have to be a country squire to afford, but high-end developments such as Kinloch, on a lake near Route 288, offer luxe amenities along with elegant homes.

Entertainment

The only drive-in movie theater in the metro area, the Goochland Drive-in Theater in Hadensville, offers a classic outdoor movie experience, and shows run from spring until fall, plus a few Christmas movie nights. Grayhaven Winery plays host to the South African Food and Wine Festival annually, and Hardywood West Creek regularly serves up live music to accompany its brews. Drive Shack, a $25 million “golf entertainment complex,” offers climate-controlled golfing bays, a rooftop terrace, an arcade, a restaurant and bars. A Goochland County fixture, the five-day Deep Run Horse Show features competitors of all levels., from professional riders to 3-yearolds being guided by lead lines. A U.S. Equestrian Federation premier-rated event, the horse show awards at least $24,000 in prize money.

Recreation

The James River provides tubing and fishing opportunities throughout Goochland. A popular route is the Westview to Maidens float. Goochland’s quiet country roads and rolling hills are also popular with cyclists, and the 176-acre Leakes Mill Park features three athletic fields, picnic shelters, a playground and 9 miles of multiuse trails.

Rassawek Vineyard in the far western part of the county is in the middle of a five-year expansion that will add camping, short-term rentals, a zip line course, a retail store and an airstrip.

Did You Know?

When it was founded in 1727, Goochland was a frontier area that offered a natural setting for large plantations and estates. Tuckahoe Plantation, the boyhood home of Thomas Jefferson, is the oldest river plantation in the county and is a popular historical attraction.

Looking Forward

The first of three planned independent living buildings at the $500 million, 94-acre Avery Point retirement community in eastern Goochland County opened last fall, with two more buildings expected to open this year. Additional apartments, amenities, and a continuing

care unit are planned, but a timeline for completion has not been announced. Updated drafts of the county’s longterm planning documents for Centerville Village and Courthouse Village were presented last fall, detailing residents’ desire for more housing, shopping, restaurants and amenities.

Hardywood West Creek

North Side of Richmond

A turn-of-the-century streetcar suburb boasts expansive old homes

The Vibe

Families flock to North Side to take advantage of the large yards and exceptional architecture. Long avenues with well-cared-for medians — including some resident-tended gardens — crisscross the area. Retirees come to the sector to live in its three senior communities.

Shopping

For freshly roasted coffee or a bottle of wine, head to MacArthur Avenue, where you’ll find a collection of restaurants and shops that extends around the corner onto Bellevue Avenue. On Bellevue, don’t miss Little House Green Grocery. Brookland Park Boulevard hosts businesses including Richmond Art Garage (which is undergoing renovations and should reopen in late 2023), Alma’s RVA craft gallery, Fuzzy Cactus, Ms. Bee’s Juice Bar and The Smoky Mug barbecue and coffee shop. Also on the boulevard is Ruby Scoops, owned by Rabia Kamara, who won Food Network’s “Ben & Jerry’s:

Clash of the Cones” ice cream competition in September 2021. On Saturdays, June-November, find The Northside Farmers Market located behind Richmond Community High School. The market aims to increase healthy food access and highlights underrepresented Black growers. Visit Bryan Park for locally grown produce and items from independent makers during the RVA Big Market on Saturdays year-round.

Entertainment

There’s music and all the bivalves you can eat at the annual OystoberFest at St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church each fall, and you can get your jingle on at the annual Ginter Park Holiday Show. Bryan Park offers walking and biking trails, a disc golf course, a nature center and a Saturday farmers market. Fuzzy Cactus supplies live tunes, themed events and a monthly drag night. And be sure to check out the small-batch beers crafted with local yeasts at Tabol Brewing or

stop by the taproom at Ninja Kombucha’s storefront space.

Did You Know?

The sixth-oldest African American Episcopal congregation and the first founded in the South, St. Philip’s Episcopal Church at 2900 Hanes Ave. was established in 1861. The original members included freed men and women and indentured servants. Upon the conclusion of the Civil War, the church structure was destroyed by a fire, but it was rebuilt in 1869.

Looking Forward

Ice cream shop Ruby Scoops is moving to a larger location about a block from its current space. Owner Rabia Kamara says the impetus for the move was the need for a larger kitchen, more space for community engagement and room for expanding operations. Staying in Brookland Park was also important to Kamara. “We want to become a staple of the neighborhood as it’s going through its changes, especially as a Black-owned business in a historically Black neighborhood,” she says. Kamara is planning to expand her menu with more ice cream flavors, sandwiches and baked goods. The new shop should be open by the end of 2023.

Ninja Kombucha in Brookland Park

• Spacious homes from 3,751 to 4,600+ sq. ft.

• Finished basements w/rec room & bath

• Large wooded homesites

Now Selling Quick Move-In Homes

• First-floor owner’s suite

• 2- to 3-car garage, loft and home office

• Community Clubhouse

• Olympic-sized swimming pool

• Award-winning schools†

• Lighted soccer field, playground, dog park, trails & more

• Neighborhood elementary school

†SOURCE(S):https://nationalblueribbonschools.ed.gov/awardwinners/winning/14va227pu_winterpock_elementary_school.html;https://nationalblueribbonschools.ed.gov/awardwinners/winning/15va439pu_cosby_high_ school.html. Features, amenities, floor plans, elevations, and designs vary and are subject to changes or substitution without notice. Items shown are artist’s renderings and may contain options that are not standard on all models or not included in the purchase price. Availability may vary. Plans to build out this neighborhood as proposed are subject to change without notice. Please see your New Home Consultant and/or home purchase agreement for actual features designated as an Everything’s Included feature. Sq. ft. and acreage is estimated; actual sq. ft. and acreage will differ. Please contact the school district for the most current information about specific schools. Seller does not represent and cannot guarantee that the community will be serviced by any particular public school/school district or, once serviced by a particular school/school district, that the same school/school district will service the project for any particular period of time. Schools that yourchildren are eligible to attend may change over time. This is not an offer in states where prior registration is required. Void where prohibited by law. Copyright © 2023 Lennar Corporation. Lennar, the Lennar logo and Everything’s Included are U.S. registered service marks or service marks of Lennar Corporation and/or its subsidiaries. Date 01/23 LNVIG315

North Side of Henrico

Neighborhoods vary widely, but all have mature trees and large parks close by

The Vibe

The north side of Henrico is a mix of neat, wooded neighborhoods and surprising hamlets. Lakeside Avenue has a bit of a throwback, retro feel.

Entertainment

Virginia Credit Union Live pulls in a range of acts, such as Ringo Starr and Death Cab for Cutie, to play concerts. Meanwhile, the Richmond Raceway Complex hosts shopping extravaganzas such as the Bizarre Bazaar and the Richmond Home & Garden Show, as well as interest-specific events like VA Comicon, while NASCAR weekends in April and July transform lawns near the raceway into paid parking lots and the area into a big party.

Recreation

At Three Lakes Park and Nature Center, fishing in two of the lakes, wildlife viewing from observation platforms and a 50,000-gallon aquarium allow visitors to while away the day.

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden offers entertainment and education for everyone from serious gardeners to music lovers amid its more than 50 acres. The site also holds events year-round, from its Yoga at the Garden sessions to the Dominion Energy GardenFest of Lights, when the gardens get decked out with more than 1 million lights for the holidays, an event that placed No. 2 in USA Today’s 10 Best Reader’s Choice Awards for “Best Botanical Gardens With Holiday Lights” in 2022.

The storied Belmont Golf Course, where Virginia native — and later World Golf Hall of Fame member — Sam Snead won the PGA Championship in 1949, has been converted into a 12-hole championship course based on its original design by the legendary A.W. Tillinghast, as well as a six-hole par-3 course, an 18-hole putting course, a driving range and a practice green. In October 2022, Belmont and The Country Club of Virginia’s James River Course hosted the inaugural River City Collegiate Classic golf tournament. Won by Virginia Union University, the event featured golfers from seven

historically Black colleges and universities from the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association.

Shopping

Lakeside Avenue literally features a retail hub in The Hub, one of the area’s first shopping centers, while longtime shops such as Franco’s Fine Clothier and Fin & Feather Pet Center dot the avenue, alongside Final Gravity Brewing Co. and restaurants including the ever-colorful SB’s Lakeside Love Shack and Virginia Barbeque. The Lakeside Farmers’ Market pavilion welcomes shoppers on Saturday mornings year-round, as well as Wednesdays from spring to Thanksgiving.

Did You Know?

Gabriel, leader of a slave rebellion in 1800, lived on the Brookfield plantation of Thomas Prosser in this area. Foiled by harsh weather and informants, the planned revolt was to begin near present-day Brook Road before heading to the Virginia State Capitol.

Looking Forward

Amazon is building a 2.6-million-squarefoot distribution facility near Richmond Raceway. The company expects to hire more than 1,000 employees for the effort, which includes a robotics fulfillment center and is scheduled to come online this spring. Also in spring 2023, Henrico County will begin a related $22.5 million slate of enhancements to Richmond Henrico Turnpike from Azalea Avenue to Laburnum Avenue.

Belmont Golf Course

Henrico County (between I-64

All farmland just a few years ago, this area has become an edge city

and I-295)

The Vibe

Between I-64 and I-295, west of I-95, this solid suburban territory includes newer planned communities, high-end shopping and sections of older, smaller homes. More diverse than one might expect, the area is home to both the Hindu Center of Virginia and the Islamic Center of Richmond.

Entertainment

Meadow Farm Museum at Crump Park offers living history, farm animals and events throughout the year. The Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen is a hub for the performing and visual arts, with performance series, four art galleries, classes and special events. Local and regional performance groups use the center, including Henrico Theatre Company and the Latin Ballet of Virginia.

Shopping

Doing your shopping along U.S. 33 (Staples Mill Road) and U.S. 1 (Brook Road) will get you the basics, and the intersection of I-295 and I-95 adds some big-box retailers.

Recreation

Laurel Skate Park in Glen Allen has a 6,700-square-foot skating area with ramps, rails and other obstacles. Pouncey Tract Park is home to 12 lighted pickleball courts and has hosted events such as the Pickleboo Classic tournament. In warmer months, the spray parks at Twin Hickory Park and Dunncroft/Castle Point Park do a fine job of cooling off — and tiring out — kids 12 and under. Dunncroft/Castle Point Park is also home to a nine-hole disc-golf course and a cricket field.

Looking Forward

In November 2022, Henrico’s Economic Development Authority approved three measures that will allow the $2.3 billion GreenCity mixed-use project to break ground early in 2023. The development, which aims to follow sustainability principles, will be built on the site of Best Products’ former headquarters.

Its 305,000-square-foot former building will be renovated as part of the project’s first phase, and GreenCity will eventually include a 17,000-seat sports arena and two hotels, plus housing, retail and office space. Plans call for the arena, one hotel and much of the development’s retail space to be finished by 2024 or 2025, with the rest of the project built out by 2033 or 2034.

Meanwhile, the county moves forward on its new indoor sports and convocation center at Virginia Center Commons, which will include a 4,500seat, 22,000-square-foot arena to host athletic competitions, graduations and other events. Construction crews began laying the foundation for the facility in June 2022, and the project is aiming for a September 2023 completion date, with new housing, a hotel and other tourist-focused facilities to follow later.

Hindu Center of Virginia

Western Hanover County

A mix of the bustle of I-95 and quiet country roads

Ashland

‘The Center of the Universe’ is 15 miles north of Richmond

The Vibe

Ashland, the self-proclaimed “Center of the Universe,” is a charming railroad town with trains rumbling through its center. Ashland is also where you’ll find Randolph-Macon College and Victorian homes. Others prefer simple country living out in Beaverdam or Montpelier.

Entertainment

The Ashland Theatre, which turns 75 years old in 2023, screens the latest

Hollywood releases and books concerts and private events. Virginia Repertory Theatre at Hanover Tavern on Route 301 has long been a go-to for several productions a year. Just over the county line is Meadow Event Park, which hosts the annual State Fair of Virginia. Beginning in 2021, EventMakers Inc., which had run the Innsbrook After Hours concerts since 2013, left to start its own After Hours concert series at Meadow Event Park, drawing national acts including Steve Earle, Ludacris and Goo Goo Dolls to Caroline County.

Shopping

Retail along routes 1 and 54 near Ashland features grocery and shopping-center mainstays. For something a little more local, Ashland Meat Co. at Cross Bros. is your place, featuring an in-house butcher, seasonal produce, deli sandwiches and

more. Ashland’s unique boutiques and antique shops draw shoppers from miles around. Other pulls include Bass Pro Shops and Green Top Sporting Goods, which has operated in Hanover since 1947.

Recreation

Ashland celebrates its rail heritage with Ashland Train Day on April 29. The town is also home to Poor Farm Park, which offers 254 acres of activity, including beach-volleyball courts, mountain-biking trails and horseshoe pits.

Looking Forward

The Fall Line trail, a 43-mile multiuse paved trail that will connect Ashland to Petersburg and link with the Virginia Capital Trail and Appomattox River Trail, is in the works. The Virginia Department of Transportation plans to start construction on the $266.5 million project in 2023.

Eastern Henrico County (Varina)

The Chickahominy River bounds this area to the east, the James River forms its southern edge, and the city of Richmond is to the west

performances and a beer garden. Meanwhile, Rocketts serves as the starting point for a beloved holiday event every December in which watercraft festooned with Christmas lights make their way down the James River in a floating parade.

Shopping

The Shops at White Oak Village, just off I-64 on Laburnum Avenue, combines bigbox retailers with a pinch of local flavor.

Did You Know?

The Vibe

Bordering Richmond’s eastern edge and the James River, this area, where John Smith first met the Powhatan tribe, seems farther away from the city lights than it actually is.

Recreation

The Richmond National Battlefield Park sites in this area are quiet spots where cycling is popular. Dorey Park, off Darbytown Road, has fields and fishing,

horse trails and an equestrian center, a disc-golf course, a dog park and walking trails. The Virginia Boat Club has one of its locations at Rocketts Landing, so don’t be surprised to see scullers and sweepers rowing on the tidal James. Freedom Boat Club also has a location in Rocketts Landing, offering its paid members the ability to reserve one of the various boats docked at its facility, as well as unlimited training with Coast Guard-certified captains. A ride through this area on the Virginia Capital Trail connects bikers starting from the eastern edge of Richmond in Henrico County to a stretch along the James River in Charles City County.

Entertainment

Rocketts Landing has become a popular staging area for various events. In August, the Richmond International Dragon Boat Festival features teams of 20 paddling in unison to the beat of their drummer for 500 meters, along with Chinese cultural

Confederates built Fort Harrison (today a National Park Service site) as a keystone defense point on the eastern approach to Richmond. Union forces took and held the fort during the battles of Chaffin’s Farm and New Market Heights from Sept. 29-30, 1864. Fourteen African American soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor after the Battle of New Market Heights, more than received this highest military honor for bravery in any other Civil War battle. The Battle of New Market Heights Memorial & Education Association works to educate the public about this history and to advocate for a monument to be erected at the site of the battle.

Looking Forward

With its network access point already a big draw at Henrico’s White Oak Technology Park, QTS Data Centers announced in July that it plans to expand by 1.5 million square feet by 2024, making it one of the world’s largest data centers. In addition, according to a November 2022 report by Richmond BizSense, Facebook’s parent company, Meta, appears to be readying an addition to its 2.4-million-square-foot data center at White Oak, with plans to build two more data centers there on a 475-acre parcel that was purchased for $35.3 million.

Dragon Boat Festival at Rocketts Landing

Eastern Henrico County (Highland Springs)

The Chickahominy River and marshlands form this area’s eastern and northern boundaries, while I-64 roughly marks the southern line

The Vibe

This area was once farmland, but after the Civil War, it became one of the city’s streetcar suburbs. Proximity to Richmond is still a plus. The nearby airport, I-64 and I-295 add plenty of zoom to a quieter section of town. Highland Springs is a tight-knit community with a bit of a small-town feel.

Recreation

The Springs Recreation Center, part of the Henrico County Division of Recreation and Parks, features a croquet lawn. Chickahominy Bluff Battlefield Park is the first stop on the Richmond National Battlefield Park’s suggested driving route.

Attractions

Romantics should check out Historic Mankin Mansion, an elegant wedding resort that is a mere bridal bouquet’s throw from the airport. The Dabbs

House Museum, which was Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s field headquarters in 1862, is now a county tourist information center and museum.

Entertainment

A community development grant helped restore the 1938 Henrico Theatre, which presents music performances and second-run movies. Its Henrico Live 2023 performance season includes the band Plunky & Oneness on Feb. 10, Susan Greenbaum on March 10 and Soul Expressions on April 14.

Did You Know?

The Victorian-style Armour House and Gardens were built by Edmund Christian at Meadowview in 1915. Sold to Henrico County by the Armour family in 1999, today it serves as an event space located on park grounds. Archaeologists have identified two

prehistoric American Indian sites near the historic home.

Looking Forward

The Oak Avenue Complex, Henrico’s first full-service community school, held a grand opening in January 2023. Located in the former Highland Springs High School (the school’s current location opened in 2021), the space offers educational programming and serves as a conduit to important resources for students and school community members. Henrico County Public Schools’ Division of Family and Community Engagement will offer services at the complex during afternoons and evenings, including health care and dental aid, GED classes and a food pantry. Oak Avenue also houses An Achievable Dream Academy, an academic program designed to cultivate learning and success, providing smaller class sizes to middle and high school students.

King William County

The western end of Virginia’s Middle Peninsula, King William County is about 33 miles northeast of the city of Richmond

Eastern Hanover

This zone is home to neighborhoods with large lots and excellent schools

The Vibe

Privacy and peace are easy to find in these parts. Located in the western end of the Middle Peninsula, King William County, zone 43, is just 33 miles northeast of Richmond, but it feels like it’s a world away.

Shopping

Antiquing your way along U.S. 301, especially in the shops near the Hanover Courthouse complex and along Mechanicsville Turnpike, can be a fun way to spend the day. At the western edge of this area, Hanover Square and The Shoppes at Bell Creek offer stops for sustenance and more shopping.

Entertainment

West Point's Crab Carnival, typically held in October, features live music, a parade, fireworks, and lots of seafood and vendors. Several times a year, the Pamunkey Indian Reservation and the Mattaponi Reservation have events that draw visitors, and their museums are open to the public. Open from spring through fall, the Pamunkey Indian Museum & Cultural Center displays replicas of ancient Pamunkey homes and tells the story of the people from the ice age through today. For more educational entertainment, head to Cold Harbor Battlefield. You’ll see why Grant was never able to make it to Richmond from this approach.

Pole Green Park showcases the area’s best high school distance runners every fall at several cross-country meets.

Recreation

Boat ramps on U.S. 301 provide public access to fishing and paddling on the Pamunkey River, where you might spy ledges of fossils along the banks. Hanover’s Courthouse Park has soccer fields and trails, along with a fishing pond and a popular roller-hockey rink where in-line skaters get their game on. Pole Green Park is 217 acres of action, with a skateboard park, an equestrian center, multiple fields, volleyball courts and

wooded trails for runners. A mixed-use trail along the Mattaponi River is popular with cyclists and runs from Glass Island to downtown West Point.

Did You Know?

The Mattaponi, Pamunkey and Upper Mattaponi American Indian tribes have called King William County home for thousands of years. All three of these tribes are descended from the Powhatan Confederacy that was once led by Chief Powhatan. In 1658, the General Assembly, which was then headquartered in Williamsburg, created the Mattaponi and Pamunkey reservations.

Pamunkey Indian Museum & Cultural Center

New Kent County

One of the state’s oldest counties

Charles City County

This zone is the gateway to Tidewater Virginia

The Vibe

New Kent’s location between Richmond and Williamsburg draws those who want the quiet country life with nearby amenities. Charles City offers a glimpse into Virginia history, with multiple Civil War sites and former plantations along scenic Route 5 dating back to the 1600s.

Entertainment

New Kent Winery and Talleysville Brewing Co. share a location and host events

throughout the year, including trivia nights, live music on weekends, and the Uncorked half marathon and 5K. Saudé Creek Vineyards in Lanexa also hosts live music on weekends. Upper Shirley Vineyards in Charles City offers bistro-style dining and wine-tasting kits and historical bike tours hosted by Basket & Bike.

Recreation

About half of the Virginia Capital Trail (a 52-mile paved cycling and pedestrian

path) winds through Charles City County. Diascund Creek Reservoir and the Chickahominy River provide peaceful fishing and boating opportunities.

Did You Know?

In 1968, the U.S. Supreme Court lost patience with the pace of school integration in New Kent County. Under a freedom-of-choice plan, 115 Black students chose to attend mostly white New Kent High School, but no whites attended the majority-Black George W. Watkins School. Resident Calvin Green filed a lawsuit, and the Supreme Court’s 1968 decision in Charles C. Green et al. v. County School Board of New Kent County, Virginia, became the most important school desegregation case since Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. Not satisfied with token compliance, the court shifted its position “to ensure racial balance in schools.” By 1970-71, the percentage of Southern Black students attending integrated schools jumped from 32% to 79%.

Looking Forward

Kentucky Derby organizer Churchill Downs has purchased New Kent’s Colonial Downs Racetrack and plans to offer live weekend horse racing in the coming year, a departure from the traditional Monday-Wednesday schedule at the track.

Colonial Downs

South Richmond

Bounded by Hull Street on the west, the James River to the east and Chippenham Parkway to the south

The Vibe

This area is a mix of industry, arts and modest neighborhoods. Reclaimed buildings near the city in artsy Manchester, safe now behind the floodwall, house lofts, technology companies, restaurants and art galleries in former factories and warehouses. Farther out, you’ll find established neighborhoods of bungalows and ranches on small lots. Development in the area has exploded in recent years, dominated by apartment buildings and mixed-use projects that include residences, restaurants and office space.

Recreation

Anglers will find happiness at Ancarrow’s Landing and Manchester Docks. The floodwall walkway is a great spot for bird-watching along the river. Broad Rock Sports Complex has fields, basketball and tennis courts, plus a tot lot.

Entertainment

Hatch Local food hall on Hull Street houses multiple food vendors serving a variety of cuisine, plus a bar and cafe. A Manchester outpost of The Continental restaurant and a Richmond taproom from Norfolk-based Benchtop Brewing recently opened in the area, complementing established neighborhood mainstays such as Croaker’s Spot and Legend Brewing Co.

History

The Richmond Slave Trail begins here at Manchester Docks, a major port in the slave trade on the East Coast of the United States from 1830 to 1860. This walking trail follows a route across the Mayo Bridge through the slave markets of Richmond, beside the Reconciliation Statue commemorating the international triangular slave trade, past Lumpkin’s Slave Jail and the Negro Burial Ground

to First African Baptist Church, a center of African American life in pre-Civil War Richmond.

Looking Forward

Art center Studio Two Three, which got its start in Manchester in 2009, has acquired the former Dogtown Dance Theatre building and plans to move from Scott’s Addition after renovations are complete, continuing to offer events, workshops and classes, as well as facilities for its member artists. The Capital Region Land Conservancy secured funding late in 2022 to purchase the 15-acre Mayo Island in the James River, intending to turn it into public green space.

Legend Brewing

Chesterfield County

Chippenham Parkway, the James River and Route 10 bound this part of southern Chesterfield

The Vibe

You’re never far from the James or Appomattox rivers in this part of the region. Route 10 at the western edge of this area has sprouted many tree-lined developments. Chester village, just west of I-95, is an old railroad town that serves as the heart of the community.

Shopping

Chester has the largest concentration of retail in this area, since it’s near the intersections of I-95 and routes 1 and 10. Chester Village Green is a planned community, with shopping, restaurants, a town square and the Perkinson Center for the Arts and Education.

Recreation

At 810 acres, the Dutch Gap Conservation Area is a paradise for paddlers, hikers, boaters and bird-watchers. Boaters can drop into the James River for water skiing, fishing and eagle spying. Bird-watchers should look out for scarlet

tanagers and great-crested flycatchers during spring migration. Chesterfield Parks and Recreation’s outdoor programs help folks explore the lagoon and marshland habitats with paddling classes, nature hikes and more. R. Garland Dodd Park at Point of Rocks offers fields and fitness options in addition to hiking trails through the woods and along the Appomattox River, including a boardwalk into the tidal marsh.

Did You Know?

This area was home to the Arrohateck tribe of the Powhatan Indians for thousands of years before Sir Thomas Dale picked it for the site of the second permanent English settlement in North America in 1611. This part of the county has a lot of firsts for the continent — the first hospital (Mt. Malady at Henricus) and the first iron-ore forge and furnace (at Falling Creek). The Chesterfield County Museum at the county government complex on Route 10 showcases artifacts from

centuries ago, including the recently restored bell that was first hung atop the Chesterfield County courthouse in 1749.

Looking Forward

Big things are happening south of Richmond. Lego, Plenty and Civica are planting roots in Meadowville Technology Park and are expected to bring thousands of jobs to Chesterfield. Near Chester, Bon Secours has opened an emergency center to expand the care provided by Bon Secours St. Francis Medical Center in Midlothian. Trail enthusiasts will be thrilled to learn that localities from Ashland to Petersburg are working to make the Fall Line Trail a reality, with 19 miles of the trail running through Chesterfield, tracing Route 1 before following an abandoned rail line to the village of Ettrick and Virginia State University. Officials hope that the project, like the Virginia Capital Trail, will spur investment in eastern parts of the county.

Chesterfield County

Bounded by U.S. 360, Route 10 and Beach Road, this zone encompasses some of the county’s fastest-growing sections

The Vibe

Much of the area is rural and developing, with housing and retail clustered around the Route 10 and 360 corridors. Once off those major arteries, winding rural roads veer off into the woods, or planned communities take advantage of the trees and rolling hills.

Recreation

Pocahontas State Park is the largest state park in Virginia, with more than 7,500 wooded acres and two lakes. The mountain biking here is legendary, and the park is a great place to camp or hold events, while its four insulated yurts are suited to the less-outdoorsy camper. The John J. Radcliffe Conservation Area, a 97-acre park along the Appomattox River near the Brasfield Dam along the county’s southernmost edge, is a hidden gem featuring scenic views, a 1.5-mile trail and 500 feet of elevated boardwalk.

Shopping

Various shopping centers along Route 10 feature grocery stores and other necessities. Hull Street is lined with miles of suburban retail from Chippenham Parkway westward, including big-box stores, chains and furniture stores.

Entertainment

Summer concerts at Pocahontas State Park’s amphitheater include appearances by the Richmond Symphony, rhythm and blues groups and country bands as part of the popular Pocahontas Premieres series. Metro Richmond Zoo gives visitors an opportunity to see about 180 species of animals, including lions, cheetahs and monkeys. Patrons can enjoy a ride on the Jungle Carousel and Penguin Falls Drop

Tower or get better vantage points of the resident wildlife by taking the Safari Sky Lift or train ride. The Treetop Zoofari Zip Line and Adventure Park spans the trees over the zoo.

Did You Know?

Virginia State University in Ettrick got its start from humble yet proud beginnings in 1882 as the first fully state-supported four-year institution of higher learning for African Americans in the United States, with 126 students, seven faculty members and one building. Today, the university, which each year averages about 4,400 students, has one of the state’s top agricultural programs.

Looking Forward

Billed as “a landmark development,” a 124-acre mixed-use project is planned near the intersection of Iron Bridge and Courthouse roads at the Route 288

interchange, near the Chesterfield County Airport. Courthouse Landing is slated to include 265,000 square feet of retail shopping, up to 150,000 square feet of office space, a hotel, 300 apartments, and 300 town homes and condos, in addition to outdoor recreational areas.

In 2022, voters approved funding for a replacement Ettrick fire station and a $12.2 million expansion of the EttrickMatoaca Library, while Chesterfield and the Maggie Walker Community Land Trust broke ground on a 10-unit subdivision the nonprofit is building on surplus county property in Ettrick — it will feature single-family houses selling for less than $200,000 each.

The king vuture at Metro Richmond Zoo

Colonial Heights

Colonial Heights received its name from troops during the American Revolution

Hopewell

At the intersection of the James and Appomattox rivers

The Vibe

Located along the Appomattox River, Colonial Heights covers 8 square miles. Ten miles down the road, the city of Hopewell is situated at the confluence of the James and Appomattox rivers, and it holds a family-oriented, waterfront charm.

Recreation

One of the oldest gristmills in the country, Swift Creek Mill (1663) on Route 1 in Chesterfield County was transformed in 1965 into the Swift Creek Mill Theatre, a professional playhouse that also offers theatrical activities and camps for kids. The Hopewell Farmers Market is held downtown on Sundays, late May-October, near the Appomattox Regional Library. The producer-only market features fresh produce, handmade items and more. Colonial Heights’ annual community event, the Fort Clifton Festival in May, mixes family-oriented fun with Civil War history. In December, the annual nighttime Colonial Heights Christmas parade on the Boulevard is the site to

see high-school marching bands, dance troupes and, of course, Santa.

Shopping

Downtown Hopewell presents an eclectic mix of shops and services. Just off Interstate 95, Southpark Mall, Park South Shopping Center and Dimmock Square offer retail outlets, boutiques, eateries and professional services.

Did You Know?

Hopewell developed as an industrial center and was the site of Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s headquarters at City Point during the Civil War for the Petersburg campaign. The National Park Service operates a museum here, and there’s a park with a river view.

Looking Forward

A local traveling performer troupe now has a permanent home in Hopewell. The Box 5 Cabaret Theatre features performances by The Phantom Players, with a mission of bringing community theater

to the area and blending novice and professional actors on stage. Focusing on Gothic, Victorian-era shows, their inaugural season presented productions of “Little Shop of Horrors,” “Little Women” and “Miracle on 34th Street.” Check out Box 5 Cabaret Theatre on Facebook for updates on the 2023 season.

Appomattox River

Petersburg

With Chesterfield to the north, Petersburg is 30 minutes south of Richmond

Prince George

Bound on the north by the James River and the city of Hopewell, Prince George is home to Fort Lee

The Vibe

Petersburg and Prince George County are historic areas with a small-town feel. Experiencing revitalization, Petersburg exudes “old towne” charm less than 30 minutes from Richmond. A rural county, Prince George is a blend of historic structures and modern industry.

Shopping

Old Towne Petersburg is home to an array of restaurants, boutiques and history-oriented activities. Friday for the Arts, which is held on the second Friday of each month, provides a perfect opportunity to discover Old Towne’s visual and performing arts. The South Crater Square Shopping Center and Walnut Hill Plaza offer goods and services for nearby residents.

Recreation

The 4,200-acre James River National Wildlife Refuge in Prince George County was established in 1991. A newer addition, the Powell Creek Nature Trail is a 1.5-mile path along the creek and onto a wooded island. The trailhead is at an information kiosk at 4550 Flowerdew Hundred Road. It’s open daily, dawn to dusk. In 2022, Petersburg Harbor held its first community event, a free Independence Day fireworks show. Look for more events and live entertainment as local Waukeshaw Development makes to make improvements to the 10-acre site.

Did You Know?

Prior to the Civil War, Petersburg had the largest population of free African Americans in the South. Learn about

the area’s rich African American history at the Pocahontas Island Black History Museum.

One of three stops in Petersburg on the Civil Rights in Education Heritage Trail is the former site of Petersburg’s first Black high school, which was also Virginia’s first known public high school for African Americans. It’s noted by a marker at Harrison and Fillmore streets. The First Baptist Church of Petersburg, which founded the school in 1870, is one of the earliest organized African American churches in the country; the congregation was formed in 1774.

Looking Forward

In late 2022, a combination of federal grants, state money and local donations totaled $111 million in funding for the Alliance for Building Better Medicine. Part of a national effort to boost pharmaceutical production in the United States, the funding will benefit manufacturing plants in Petersburg and laboratories in Chesterfield County and Richmond, and create employment opportunities. Petersburg is home to many biotech concerns that are part of the alliance, including Richmond-based Phlow Corp.'s manufacturing plant, the nonprofit Civica Inc. and AMPAC Fine Chemicals.

Fort Stedman in Petersburg

Bound to the north by Chesterfield and Powhatan and to the southeast by Dinwiddie, Amelia is dominated by agriculture

Dinwiddie

An area rich in Civil War history

The Vibe

Home to Civil War battlefields, museums and historic homes, Dinwiddie and Amelia counties have played significant roles in American history. Located some 25 miles south of Richmond, the area is known for its beautiful countryside and charming small towns.

Shopping

Indulge in some antique shopping on the square in Amelia Court House at Jerry’s Now & Then. A few miles down the road, there’s Classic Touches, featuring more than 15,000 square feet of antiques, pottery, home furnishings and crafts. Country Food and Furniture, a Mennonite grocery with homemade breads and cakes, relocated to Amelia in fall 2022 after selling their longtime location in Powhatan.

Recreation

The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources’ 2,217-acre Amelia Wildlife Management Area, with frontage along the Appomattox River, features two shooting ranges, fishing on the 100-acre Amelia Lake (as well as the 4.5-acre Saunders Pond) and hunting for a range of game, including squirrel, quail, dove and deer.

Opened in 1994, the Virginia Motorsports Park in Dinwiddie County is a must-visit for fans of extreme sports, including top fuel, funny cars and motorcycle drag racing.

Did You Know?

Dinwiddie County was the site of more Civil War battles than any other county in the country. It was also the birthplace

of Elizabeth (Burwell) Hobbs Keckley, a free Black dressmaker who worked for Varina Davis, the wife of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, as well as Abraham Lincoln’s wife, Mary Todd Lincoln. Thomas Day, a Black cabinetmaker, and Dr. Thomas Stewart, a Black physician in the 18th century, were also born in Dinwiddie.

Much of the site of the last major conflict of the Civil War is in Amelia County, and it’s preserved in Sailor’s Creek Battlefield State Park. The April 6, 1865, battle was an overwhelming victory for Union troops, and three days later the Confederates surrendered at Appomattox Court House.

Looking Forward

The 500-acre Virginia Motorsports Park is celebrating its 29th anniversary with an action-packed 2023 season including some small changes to fan-favorite races throughout the year. Events include the 10th anniversary of the Professional Drag Racers Association’s Mid-Atlantic Showdown April 20-22, the Shakedown Nationals (which will have a new look and dates) May 11-13, and the popular Night of Fire July 22, a one-day extravaganza packed with live music, thrilling exhibition acts on the drag strip and the esteemed PDRA Summit Racing ProStars all-star race.

Virginia Motorsports Park

South Side of Richmond

Architectural variety, lush green spaces and close-knit neighborhoods between U.S. Route 360 and the James River

The Vibe

South of the James, yet still in the city limits, are quiet, established neighborhoods. An outdoorsy feel extends from Woodland Heights to Huguenot Farms.

Shopping

Stony Point Shopping Center is the location of grocers Trader Joe’s and Good Foods Grocery, as well as several restaurants and a Gelati Celesti i ce cream shop. Stony Point Fashion Park is an open-air, high-end mall off

Chippenham Parkway, with Saks Fifth Avenue, Anthropologie and other retailers. After its original incarnation (now known as the RVA Big Market) moved to North Side’s Bryan Park in 2021, the popular South of the James Farmers Market is back in Forest Hill Park, trading on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Recreation

The 105-acre Forest Hill Park boasts singletrack mountain-biking trails and paths for walking that will make you

think you’ve headed into the deep woods. The hill at the park’s southwest corner is the spot for sledding whenever snow falls. The path around the lake at the bottom of the park is a lovely place to promenade. Tucked off Jahnke Road, Powhite Park offers more mountainbiking and hiking trails. Several sections of the James River Park System are also here, attracting dog walkers, sun worshippers, bird-watchers and mountain bikers.

Entertainment

Music in the Park, a series of evening concerts in front of the Old Stone House at Forest Hill Park, typically held from early summer into the fall, features a range of musical styles. The CinéBistro at Stony Point Fashion Park allows guests to enjoy dinner and a movie simultaneously. (Since alcohol is available, this is limited to the 21-and-over crowd.)

Did You Know?

During the Works Progress Administration (1935-43), unemployed artisans w orking under the auspices of the national Emergency Relief Appropriation Act were hired to pave Forest Hill Park’s footpaths with cobblestones; they also built a stone-and-slate octagonal gazebo and a small warming hut for use by winter ice skaters.

Looking Forward

Citing concerns about traffic and the fate of surrounding small businesses, residents of the Stratford Hills neighborhood have fervently protested the construction of a Sheetz gas station on Forest Hill Avenue, gathering hundreds of petition signatures urging the city to reject the development. City government lacks the authority to intervene, however, as the project is in keeping with city codes and zoning and safety regulations.

South of the James Farmers Market

The Vibe

This large region in Chesterfield County is one of its fastest growing, offering suburban ease, planned-community convenience or a rural lifestyle, depending on how far past state Route 288 you’re willing to venture. Home styles range from contemporary in Brandermill and Woodlake to more traditional st yles elsewhere. The far-western section, particularly the sprawling Magnolia Green development, is sprouting suburban growth in an area that once featured only farmland and forests.

Recreation

Chesterfield County’s Rockwood Park offers athletic fields and ball courts, paved and unpaved trails for walking and biking, and an archery course in

Chesterfield County

Running between U.S. Route 60 and U.S. Route 360, this area is home to Brandermill, Central Virginia’s first planned community

the woods. Mid-Lothian Mines Park combines historic interpretation with recreational trails — some paved, some not — for biking or walking where dinosaurs once roamed and the country’s first commercial coal pits were mined. The Magnolia Green Golf Club is the centerpiece of the Magnolia Green development. River City Sportsplex on Genito Road near Route 288 is a hub for youth sports, hosting regional and national events. In 2022, voters approved funding for four additional turf fields, a splash pad, a universal playground, a fitness circuit and 5K trail system and more.

Entertainment

For family-friendly action, head to Chesterfield Berry Farm, where admission for children 2 and younger is free. Enjoy seasonal shenanigans such as pumpkin picking and corn mazes. Hayrides, animals and various kiddie attractions make it like a mini county fair.

Did You Know?

This area is known for being the location of the first commercial coal mine in America, as well as the first railway in Virginia, built to transport coal to port. Many free Blacks and enslaved people did the dirty work in the Grove Shaft, and in 1846, they built First African Baptist Church of Coalfield, the forerunner of the still-thriving First Baptist Church of Midlothian.

Looking Forward

Booming business activity at the Meadowville Technology Park has sent Chesterfield County officials looking for an area to handle further growth. To that end, the county purchased 2,057 acres in western Chesterfield known as Upper Magnolia and rezoned the 1,700acre Upper Magnolia West property there to serve as a technology village. The county considers it “the most attractive site in Virginia to market to high-tech advanced manufacturers, such as semiconductor companies.”

Magnolia Green

Bon Air, Midlothian

Lush neighborhoods are tucked away behind shopping destinations such as Westchester Commons and Chesterfield Towne Center

The Vibe

Abutting the western edge of the city, this area rolls along the James River to the border with Powhatan County. Access is a breeze, with Midlothian Turnpike at its southern edge, the Powhite Parkway to the east and Route 288 to its west. Single-family homes on wooded lots dominate, and classic neighborhoods such as Salisbury continue to attract newcomers. The Highland Hills neighborhood in Bon Air was developed in the 1950s and features midcentury modern homes designed by architect Charles Goodman.

Shopping

Bon Air offers neighborhood shopping convenience, with Bon Air Seafood and the Butcher at Bon Air selling specialty items, along with antiques and collectible

dealers. Chesterfield Towne Center on Midlothian Turnpike offers chain stores along with a Crunch Fitness Health Club and two locally owned restaurants, Island Shrimp Co. and Casa del Barco, which feature rooftop dining. To the west, Westchester Commons adds retail, restaurants and events. Several Midlothian Turnpike shopping centers have antiques dealers, malls and consignment shops.

Recreation

This area boasts several golf courses, from the public links at Independence Golf Club to the private course at Salisbury Country Club. The Virginia State Golf Association’s headquarters can be found between the two courses along Dovercourt Drive. You’ll also find the Windy Hill Golf Course & Sports Complex

nearby, and its par-3 course is lighted during warmer months. The complex has a nine-hole regulation track, plus miniature golf, a disc-golf course and the option to play FootGolf, a cross between golf and soccer, on the par-3 course. Robious Landing Park offers trails and boating access for anyone looking to kayak, canoe, row or paddleboard on the James River. The Virginia Boat Club has a boathouse for rowers in the area, and they offer instruction along with recreational and competitive rowing programs.

Looking Forward

Work has begun to transform the 41.9-acre Spring Rock Green shopping center into a community center. It will feature 300 residential units, 27,000 square feet of office and retail space, public facilities, a hotel, a parking deck and a sports and entertainment facility with two ice rinks. A major aspect of the project is Celebration Street, a thoroughfare that could accommodate festivals and events. The work is part of an effort to revitalize eastern Midlothian and connect the Stonebridge development and the Boulders business park, which stand on opposite sides of Route 60. Completion is expected in mid-2024.

MORGAN RILEY

Bon Air Hotel Annex

Powhatan County

This bucolic area is bordered by the James River, Chesterfield County and the Appomattox River

The Vibe

Twenty miles from Richmond, much of the county is rural, with acres of farms and white fences meandering along rolling horse pastures. Powhatan features quaint antique stores, a winery, two breweries, a distillery and a bevy of stables and farms.

Shopping

The county offers great options for antiques and collectibles, including the family-owned Vintage Antique Shack, which celebrates its seventh anniversary this fall. There are also some unexpected shopping choices, such as Fine Creek Provisions, which offers soaps, seasonal gifts, fresh baked goods and more on the grounds of The Mill at Fine Creek.

Recreation

Powhatan County is home to the 1,500acre Powhatan State Park. Built to fill the need for camping and recreation in Central Virginia, the park boasts about 2.5 miles of riverfront along the James. Waterfront amenities include fishing, canoeing, 9 miles of hiking and horseback riding trails, picnic shelters and a playground. A hockey rink supporting programs for all ages, the Powhatan Ice Den houses a 60-by-120foot ice rink inside a 13,741-square-foot building with a climate-controlled mezzanine for spectators (no public skating or skate rentals are available). For a local craft brew and live music, head to Crazy Rooster Brewing Co.’s Oakbridge Drive taproom. The Powhatan Festival of the Grape lures

wine enthusiasts to the village each October to sample sips from two dozen beverage purveyors and shop nearly 100 food and craft vendors.

Did You Know?

In 1777, the Virginia General Assembly created the county and named it after Pocahontas’ father, making it the only county in the commonwealth that’s named after an American Indian.

Looking Forward

Fine Creek Brewing Co. recently teamed

up with Charlottesville’s Blenheim Vineyards to create Collaboration

Wine. Two blends a red and a white are available at the family-owned Powhatan brewery. Known for their limited productions, Fine Creek Brewing changes their beer menu weekly so there’s often something new to sip, and an inventive food menu rotates monthly using seasonal ingredients from local farms and producers. Plus, special events, pop-ups and beer pairing dinners round out entertainment throughout the year.

Powhatan County Couthouse

SPOTSYLVANIA

It’s Time to Find YOUR Spot!

Ready for a new kind of adventure? Located less than an hour’s drive north of Richmond, Spotsylvania County offers a harmonious blend of rural landscapes and outdoor adventures all in a setting as unique as its name. This is the place to get away from the demands of everyday life and experience new things without venturing far from home. Spotsylvania is a one-of-a-kind destination, offering water sports and fishing on Lake Anna, award-winning wineries and breweries, a world-famous distillery, diverse dining options, music, the arts, as well as scenic walks along endless miles of trails nestled among historic battlefields and landscapes. Spotsylvania has a spot for everyone. It’s time to find YOUR spot in Spotsylvania!

VISITSPOTSY.COM

NELSON COUNTY

Sign up for the EAT. DRINK. LOVE . Pass – a mobile passport that connects you with local producers of craft spirits, wine, cider, beer as well as the most LOVED places in Nelson County, with prizes awarded along the way.

EAT at locally owned restaurants that offer a range of fare from from grab and go picnics to full service restaurants at craft beverage venues to Wintergreen Resort.

DRINK in award-winning craft beverages in Nelson County. Home to Virginia’s original beer trail and the iconic Nelson 151 and 29 craft beverage trails, Nelson County boasts 12 wineries, 3 distilleries, 3 cideries and 6 breweries.

Eight LOVEworks dot the county, the opportunities for a little “Selfie LOVE” and social media attention. You'll adore the spectacular vistas from the mountains to the river, where outdoor recreational opportunities abound. NELSONCOUNTY.COM/EAT-DRINK-LOVE/

FIFTY-THIRD WINERY

Nestled among the rolling hills of Central Virginia's Piedmont region in the traditional farming community of Louisa County, Fifty-Third Winery and Vineyard is conveniently located off Routes 64 and 33. The winery is approximately 50 miles from Richmond, 35 miles from Charlottesville, 45 miles from Fredericksburg and 95 miles from Washington, D.C. The winery’s goal is to be noted as one of the premium wineries in Virginia that is a destination stop for people passionate about wine. Check www.53rdwinery.com for hours of operations and wine related events. See how good Virginia wines can be!

53RDWINERY.COM

happy meals

Places and plates that satisfy our pleasure centers

By Eileen Mellon and Genevelyn Steele

food takes us to a happy place, literally. When we eat certain foods, our brains release feel-good chemicals, and in turn, we’re left feeling warm, buzzy and content. A dining trend we forecast for 2023 is an increase in that need for comfort: bites, sips and eateries that our bodies and souls crave — part indulgence, part therapy. When we need a reliable fallback that instantly rewards, from a cup at a cozy cafe to a curing Cantonese experience, these are places that serve up a dose of dining dopamine.

Lumpia

Auntie Ning’s Auntie Ning’s is named after co-owner Frederico Enriquez’s aunt, a former chef who introduced one of the first Filipino restaurants in Hampton Roads. Though spring rolls can be spotted on several menus at Asian eateries around town, lumpia, not so much. While Auntie Ning’s food truck pops up around the region, I’m a frequent flyer at The Market on Meadow, a takeout eatery and small grocer that’s home to both Auntie Ning’s and Polpetti. Wrapped in foil like a shiny, sacred gift, the hot and crispy, crepeesque handheld snacks are available in beef and veggie; unveiling them immediately rejuvenates the spirit. —EM

Pho Pho Tay Do

There is something immediately soothing about entering Pho Tay Do. Maybe it’s the familiar face of waitstaff mainstay Denzel, maybe it’s the homey, no-frills, cash-only vibes, or perhaps it’s the tables dotted with bowls of inviting steaming broth. Here, diners can show up solo without judgment. During lunch hours, it offers a chance to recharge before heading back to the office. And for pho-loving pals, it’s a destination for a near-religious experience, pointing to their favorite table upon arrival and spouting off standing orders before waiting patiently for the bouquet of mint, cilantro, jalapenos and lime to hit the table. —EM

Westland Special Nick’s Roman Terrace

Tidiness maven Marie Kondo should never set foot in Nick’s Roman Terrace, because nothing in its whimsical decor — from the year-round Christmas tree and train set to the over-the-top Valentine’s Day doll displays — fails to bring joy. As with most old-school Greek/Italian diners, the kitchen and wait station are hidden from view, but the memories aren’t. This is a place for high school graduations in the back party room, which is walled with mirrors for the ultimate selfie station. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, Nick’s is all about the carbs. Pecan pancakes, homemade rolls and Greek spaghetti baked with feta are faves, but the go-to has to be the Westland Special — pancakes, French toast, fried eggs, bacon, sausage and apples with a mimosa. —GS

OLD FASHIONED Shagbark

Catering to fat and happy instincts needn’t mean self-service in sweatpants. Multiyear AAA Four-Diamond-rated Shagbark retains much of its opening staff, all of whom effortlessly fulfill creature comforts while looking sharp. If you believe that Virginia is one of the country’s best eatin’ states, then Shagbark’s menu and bar offer proof positive. The setting: oil paintings, fresh flowers, cushioned seats and a sumptuous chef’s table planned by Helen Reed, Richmond’s first lady of restaurant design. The comestibles: revelatory local in catch, harvest and pour. An old fashioned with Bowman Brothers bourbon, diver scallops with Kite’s country ham, Chesapeake Bay fried oysters with Anson Mills grits, and stewed Pat Boyle’s field peas with fried green tomatoes give this chichi establishment its chicken-fried pedigree. —GS

Chicken Tenders

Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken

Saying goodbye to fast food years ago, my one exception, forever and always, is Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken. The chain’s only Virginia location has been kind to me during my more wallet-conscious college days and served as a regular stop when the magazine’s office was right across the street, and a big box of Lee’s chicken has greeted me at events from parties to funerals. While the drive-thru promises convenience, order inside to catch a glimpse — and a whiff — of the action up close and personal. We’re fans of the tenders, and the crispy, battered handheld bites destined for a dunk in honey mustard are a Richmond staple. A not-so-secret guilty pleasure? Swinging by Lee’s after a shopping trip to the adjacent Whole Foods. This semiweekly ritual doubles as a personal pick-me-up. —EM

Dim Sum Full Kee

Ambling into Full Kee on a weekend is like walking into a formal embrace, one that’s both warm and a bit unknown. In this era of cook and tell, the chefs here don’t feed Instagram. Rather, they fill dim sum carts on leisurely Saturdays and Sundays. There’s no better guarantee than this: Once you’re corralled at a table, the steam cart comes. Its wheels glide across the low-pile carpet, past glossy hanging roast ducks, and tanks swimming with lobster, until the server stops at the table and begins lifting lids. While sipping hot tea with rock sugar, choose among shrimp dumplings, tofu skins, pork ribs, Chinese broccoli and, if you’re a purist, chicken feet from the cart, knowing that noodles and seafood will follow. —GS

Pandebono Cafe Y Sabor

There are two approaches at this buzzy bakery and coffee shop: Join the queue in front of the cappuccino machine, or sit at a table and be waited upon, teased by aromas of freshly ground espresso. Sports fans fist-bump under the big screens, but it’s little wonder most folks choose the line — it feels faster. The view? Two brimming pastry cases chockablock with deep-fried and baked Colombian ecstasies, oranges juicing and coffee beans roasting. The scene could be one from the Bronx, where neighborhood bakeries sprout like mushrooms. Pandebono, panuelo and chicharron de guayaba are but a few of the sweet and savory pastries joining the overstuffed empanadas — and just like at a neighborhood bakery, the snacks are sold for a song. —GS

Eggplant Parmesan Edo’s Squid

Though Richmonders are still mourning the loss of Mamma ’Zu, its memory lives on through plates at sister establishment Edo’s Squid. Yes, you have to walk up a flight of stairs, but that walk is akin to walking up the aisle to another era, one that started in D.C. at the honorable, long-closed A.V. Ristorante, where the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was a regular. All three restaurants were founded by the Vasaio family. Following tradition, Edo’s dining room is cramped and chaotic, with a garlic cloud billowing from the kitchen, stacks of Italian beverages filling every nook and cranny, and a din that requires guests to lean into their table mates to converse. Also legendary is the eggplant Parmesan, with a thick, Parmigiano Reggiano-laced crust blanketed in warm marinara. —GS

Chocolate Chip and Sea Salt Cookies

Pizza Bones

Sometimes less is more, and the chocolate chip and sea salt cookies from this Church Hill ’za shop are a prime example. Simple, classic and utterly delicious, they border on perfection. Dubbed miniature cookies, the chewy delights are bedecked with flecks of sea salt, adding a pleasant contrast to morsels of rich chocolate. It’s no surprise that owner Ashley Patino dabbles in the sweet side of things. The baker’s resume includes stints at Sub Rosa Bakery and San Francisco’s Tartine Bakery, both considered among the country’s best. At only $1 each, there’s no hesitation in buying a five-stack. Pray that you’re rich in cookie karma so you can catch the treats right as they’re being pulled out of the oven. —EM

Ham and Escargot Biscuits

L’Opossum

A trip to L’Opossum is one to anticipate. Walking through the red velvet curtains feels like entering a dimly lit, clown-adorned, psychedelic art den — and we’re here for it. The Oregon Hill restaurant possesses an eclectic charm that transports, and when dining at this safe space where indulgence is welcomed and celebrated, life’s everyday woes seem to evaporate. A must-order at the flirtatious French refuge: escargot and ham biscuits. The dish unlocks dining’s deepest desires — salty fats, pungent garlic and a s--load of butter. Igniting a pathway to pleasure, this staple remains on the menu for a reason. —EM

FROM LEFT: KATIE BROWN; EILEEN MELLON

Consuming Passion

The Richmond Bartenders’ Guild serves up education and camaraderie By

Everyone has felt the draw to join a club or professional organization at some point in life, whether in high school to beef up that transcript, or in college to network for future jobs. Easing into adulthood, we often stop exploring experiences outside the daily routine as we fall into the everyday hum of life.

But when there are whispers of a pizza party meets “Drunk History” episode that dives into the origins of limoncello, or a mushroom foraging event with whiskey at the forefront, joining a club becomes intriguing. Add in that this group is helmed by a crew of local bartenders — natural conversationalists with an encyclopedia of boozy recipes — and embracing an extracurricular activity may seem downright enticing.

Part networking opportunity, part educational outlet, part reason to drink with industry pals, the Richmond chapter of the United States Bartenders’ Guild just may be one of the coolest community organizations in the city. Once a month, a group of 50 bartenders, along with a few enthusiasts (more on them later) and hospitality industry pros, gather for chapter meetings. They talk about trends and try new spirits. They vent, they laugh, they learn. They feel heard. They give back.

“We get rowdy, and we have fun, and we raise funds, too — classic bartender,” says chapter president Beth Dixon, an industry veteran who has worked at Can Can Brasserie, Pasture, Heritage, Perch and L’Opossum and now operates a beverage consulting business, Salt & Acid.

A member since the chapter’s inauguration, Dixon has witnessed the growth of the club from scrappy and slightly grassroots to a more mature version with logistical additions such as membership

surveys, a board of directors and outings listed on EventBrite.

Launched in 2017, the Richmond chapter — the only one in the state — has flourished in recent years, experiencing a serious uptick in membership and reigniting a passion for the craft after a pandemic pause. In 2022, the Richmond chapter was awarded the Best Small Chapter in the Country at the USBG national conference.

“People do take it very seriously,” Dixon says. “Everyone is there because they want to be a part of the community and they want to learn.”

USBG’s origins extend back to 1948 in California, evolving from a trade organization to a member-led nonprofit with members spanning 50 cities from Tucson to Tampa. An unofficial union of sorts, the group provides a chance for bartenders and hospitality professionals to mingle, gain knowledge and build community. USBG hosts global bartending competitions annually, recognizes industry leaders and allows cocktail nerds to feel at home.

Nathan Acevedo, a bartender at EAT Restaurant Partners’ Lucky AF and chap-

Eileen Mellon

ter vice president, first learned about the group during a whiskey tasting dinner at Pinky’s restaurant. He was immediately intrigued by its education aspect.

“I said, ‘That’s cool — what is that?’ ” Acevedo recalls with a chuckle.

Within weeks he had joined the local chapter and was co-sponsored to attend the USBG regional competition in Pittsburgh. Months later he found himself on his way to the national conference in New York with Dixon, fellow EAT Restaurant Partners bartender Savannah Duncan, former Longoven bartender Sophia Kim, and Brandon Peck of The Jasper and The Emerald Lounge.

“I met just as many people in the past year as I met in the last eight I’ve been here,” Acevedo says.

“Taking that first step and being willing to step out and do something means you’re also meeting people who are doing that themselves,” he adds. “It’s been so cool just meeting other people who help make the city run, voices from all over and across the country. We’re all in the same community.”

Although the majority of USBG members spend their days and nights behind the bar, the group is also open to the public. Associate memberships are available for sales reps, media or those in beverage distribution, while hobbyists and individuals who play well with imbibers, dubbed enthusiasts in guild speak, can also join.

“We need enthusiasts because that’s literally how we have a job,” Dixon explains. “What I learned at the leadership conference this year is that a lot of other chapters have enthusiasts on their board because they bring in a different skillset to [help] run a nonprofit organization.”

A pharmacy director by day, Debra Anderson — who also happens to call USBG board member Cody Dunavan her

Everyone is there because they want to be a part of the community and they want to learn.”

BETH DIXON, USBG RICHMOND CHAPTER PRESIDENT

husband — enjoys a fine cocktail at night. She joined the Richmond chapter last year as an enthusiast.

“I just kept going [to guild meetings] and kept getting interested and asking questions — it finally made sense for me to join as an enthusiast,” she says. “It makes it a bit more accessible to people who aren’t doing this as a job. You can be involved and have this be a hobby.”

Past meetings have included a screenprinting event sponsored by Hendrick’s Gin with the help of Richmond’s Studio Two Three, a sake class and light lunch at Longoven, and a rum-forward hang session at The Jungle Room. In January 2023, the chapter worked with spirit-free bottle shop Point 5 to focus on nonalcoholic sips featuring SeedLip. Upcoming plans include a partnership with Jackie Summers, the first Black distiller in the U.S. to receive a license to make liquor, for an event with his Sorel liqueur.

While fun and education are the focus

of USBG, so is giving back. During Campari’s Day of Service, members volunteered at the Richmond SPCA, and a Spring Fling event showcased and raised funds for Safe Bars, a Richmond-based organization that trains staff to address sexual aggression, harassment and assault in places where alcohol is served.

“Another part of community organizing is letting us as the community do good for others,” Dixon says. “It’s an opportunity for those in the restaurant community who may not have a lot of time and funds but can volunteer.”

Much as the chapter has grown, so has Dixon — 2023 marks her last year with the organization. A list wizard with a knack for management, she shares that when she settled into her role, she had an agenda in mind.

“I want to pass this on to the next generation of bartenders and want it to keep going and want them to know they have something to gain,” she says. “It’s about

passing that torch and finding new talent that wants to do this and keeping the profession alive and keeping the pride in it.”

As vice president, Acevedo has a wealth of ideas for the future of USBG, noting plans for an industry art show — a reflection of his own passion for photography — and a recent membership survey to gain feedback on everything from potential programming to favorite watering holes.

“How can we better speak to the industry?” he asks. “By default, everyone coming in is vastly different, but we share this thread of enjoying our work and learning about that work and tasting awesome drinks. Once you’re there, the programming takes over and helps create excitement, and socially people are talking about things and meeting others and expanding on that. You feel good about it.”

To join the Richmond chapter of USBG, visit linktr.ee/usbgrva. Hospitality membership is $125 per year; associate and enthusiast memberships are $150 per year.

Front: USBG Richmond Chapter president Beth Dixon and vice president Nathan Acevedo; (back from left) Sophia Kim, secretary; Andrew Rhea, treasurer (with Bruce the dog); and directors Marcelo Lopez, Jas Singh and Sophie McGale.

STRATFORD HALL

Stratford Hall, a historic preserve located in Westmoreland County in the Northern Neck of Virginia along the Potomac River, offers an immersive educational experience for the entire family. This National Historic Landmark was home to the only two brothers to sign the Declaration of Independence, Richard Henry Lee and Francis Lightfoot Lee, and the birthplace of Robert E. Lee. Visitors can enjoy the 1800acre property through audio tours, overnight lodging, fossil hunting, and programmatic events. Come experience this extraordinary place that played a role in the birth of a nation. Where people can learn about a layered history that began millions of years ago. A history that continues to educate, inspire and influence Americans to the present day.

For more information, visit stratfordhall.org for a full list of operating hours, ticket and tours, and special events.

STRATFORDHALL.ORG

CARTER MOUNTAIN ORCHARD

After 100 years of cultivating Virginia farmland, our family’s favorite thing about our orchards is your smile. Come soak in the stunning, panoramic views at Carter Mountain Orchard. Wander the lush fields of strawberries, blueberries, and pumpkins at Chiles Peach Orchard. Gather the family at either venue to pick sun-ripened peaches or autumn-crisp apples. Bring your dancing shoes for the live music at our seasonal events. Enjoy Carter Mountain Wine and take home a box of our famous apple cider donuts. For five generations we’ve been building our tradition of wholesome food and wholesome fun. You’re invited to any and every one of the orchards’ unforgettable experiences. From our family to yours, welcome!

For seasonal hours, picking availability, and upcoming events, stop by: CHILESFAMILYORCHARDS.COM

Special Sauce

Producing tamari in Richmond since 1987, San-J aims to make the U.S. a fermentation destination

By Genevelyn Steele

Ifirst encountered tamari over 20 years ago at a local restaurant. Visible from the counter, a squatty bottle of San-J sat on a shelf, eager to splash seared tuna. The inky potion added a depth of flavor, but with less saltiness than most soy sauces. It caramelized with applied heat, and when plated, it pooled around the fish, blanketing the pink flesh with umami. It was part of a pan sauce that you wanted to infuse into your tongue rather than mindlessly swallow. At the time, I had no idea that San-J products were fermented just a few miles away, at a factory near Richmond International Airport.

Tamari is a subcategory of soy sauce, a byproduct of miso paste production. In Japan, it’s thought of as the soy sauce for fish. Unlike the broader category of soy sauce, tamari is made strictly with soybeans, rather than the standard 1:1 ratio of soy and wheat used in lighter, Chinese-style soy sauces. Naturally gluten-free, it’s thicker and velvety, with a more nuanced salinity than ordinary soy sauce. Think of tamari like homemade chicken stock, and soy sauce as store-bought chicken broth. Both have their uses.

The Sato family founded San-Jirushi, San-J’s parent company, in the river town of Mie, Japan in 1804. In 1974, San-J opened its Richmond office to begin distribution in the U.S. market. The Henrico production facility was added in 1987, marking the first tamari brewing facility in the country. The three rivers of Mie not

only inspired the San-J logo — the bars on its revamped labels represent those rivers — but also provided the humidity for tamari production. Though we may curse Richmond’s summer humidity, it is essentially what brought San-J to town. The company’s current president, Takashi Sato, is the eighth generation of the family to lead San-J production. Via email, Sato explains that “some elements affect our fermentation process, including water and humidity. Water should be softer, and we need higher humidity. It’s possible to add humidity by placing a big humidifier; but we don’t have to do so if we choose an area where the humidity level is naturally higher.”

It can be easy to forget, in these days of locally sourced, all-natural ingredients, that a concept is rarely new. In 1978, the ‘60s counterculture movement was winding down, but it was still influencing the way people all over the globe live and eat. Sato says, “When we wanted to differentiate ourselves from Kikkoman, we noticed and focused on hippie culture in the United States since it was still active when we opened our office in 1978. Taking the concept of hippie, we wanted to exclude all the additives and to make it natural.”

Unlike some soy sauces, San-J doesn’t use coloring in its products. San-J tamari is different from Kikkoman, one of the most-recognized Japanese food brands, in other ways, too. It is vegan, gluten-free, kosher, non-GMO and FODMAP-friendly, a designation indicating the

Tamari is naturally gluten-free.

product is suitable for those with gastrointestinal disorders.

Traveling chef Lauren Bowes, who calls Church Hill home but frequents the Bahamas working on private yachts, caters to gluten-free clients. She swears by San-J sauces.

“I love their tamari, but I think I first started using it mainly because it says ‘gluten-free’ on the label,” Bowes says. “When zooming through the isles provisioning for yachts over the last 14 years, I just kept it handy. Placing the San-J bottle directly on the dining table helps clients feel comfort.”

While 95% of sales from San-J’s Richmond plant are domestic, in Japan only 4% of the soy sauce market comes from the sale of tamari, with hundreds of other soy sauces dominating the industry. And even that market is shrinking, with dozens of soy sauce companies closing every year as Japan’s population decreases and Westernizes its diet.

One of Sato’s goals is to grow and support the fermentation industry, not only in Japan, but in the U.S., where he envi-

sions creating a larger market through education. In fall of 2022, San-J hosted a series of ticketed workshops that included factory tours, fermented food tastings, DIY miso kits and one-on-one “genius bar” sessions, where the over 200 attendees got the chance to talk with fermentation experts. San-J will host a second symposium in late 2023.

Sato and a team of educators, artists and scientists tout the idea of fermentourism through the think tank and online platform Hakko Hub. The website offers recipes and hosts historical and culinary tours of Japanese production facilities. “The demand for fermented foods isn’t strong enough in the U.S.,” Sato says. “In order to create demand, it’s important to create/ stimulate interest in fermented foods.”

“Hakko” means “fermentation” in Japanese. In the American South, fermentation is often thought of in terms of the lactobacillus organisms found in pickle-making and souring, cultivated historically to build a winter larder. In the East, Aspergillus tamarii spores, known as koji, are

added to soybean paste to kick-start the bacteria bacchanalia that results in tamari.

Will Burgess, executive chef at Amuse at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, has long used San-J tamari, both in Chicago at Duck Duck Goat and later in Richmond at Postbellum, where it served as the backbone of a gluten-free tofu vinaigrette.

“I pr efer San-J to Kikkoman, not only because it’s gluten-free, but for its intense flavors,” he says. For an Appalachian-themed menu at Amuse, Burgess made his own hot sauce and chow chow, as well as sour corn — all products of fermentation.

Sato, along with a professional recipe developer, creates recipes for the San-J Instagram and Facebook pages, but he doesn’t suggest limiting the sauce to Asian cuisines.

“Soy sauce is just seasoning, which could be used for any menu popular in the U.S., that’s why I introduce common, popular foods like grilled corn or beef steak and encourage customers to try soy sauce over it,” he says. “Some might like the flavor, and some might not. But if some people realize that soy sauce matches to the food which they are familiar with, then it would be a great pleasure for me.”

The San-J production facility in Henrico opened in 1987

San-J president Takashi Sato

Growing Gains

An African superfood shows promise in Virginia

By Stephanie Ganz

When we think of crops that thrive in Virginia, corn, apples and tomatoes may come to mind. B ut another crop, a tiny ancient grain, holds potential to join these common foods grown in the commonwealth.

Teff, a small, nutrient-dense cereal grain native to the Horn of Africa, is the subject of research and discussion as a potential high-value crop for Virginia farmers. In October, Dr. A. Ozzie Abaye, a professor in the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences at Virginia Tech, presented information about growing teff and answered questions from potential teff growers during a seminar at Virginia State University.

“Part of our work [at VSU] is to explore alternative crops for our farmers, especially those crops that can be grown in a small area that are profitable for the farmer,” says Dr. Wondi Mersie, associate dean and director of research at the Virginia State University College of Agri-

culture. Teff qualifies. The grain, about the size of a poppy seed, is packed with protein, calcium and iron, giving it high nutritional value for animals and people.

Mersie says a local chicken farmer requested that VSU study crops that could serve as a food source for his freerange chickens. While the seeds are too small for use as feed, Mersie explains that chickens may be able to forage on teff as it grows. As demand for small-scale chicken farming continues to increase due to accessibility and sustainability, teff could be a good way to feed them. Beyond its nutritional value, teff is a resilient grain, well-suited to a variety of growing conditions from drought to waterlogged soils, which may prove beneficial as climate change continues to wreak havoc on farming.

At Nile, an Ethiopian restaurant in Church Hill, co-owner Yoseph Teklemariam knows all about teff. He buys 50

pounds or more of the grain each week from a variety of sources.

Teff flour is the key ingredient in injera, the staple bread of Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine, and you’ll find the spongy flatbread served with almost every dish at Nile. “We only use teff to make injera, and because it is a tricky and time-consuming thing to make, we also sell injera individually to many Ethiopians and others who like to cook at home but cannot or do not have time to do so.”

Teklemariam says, he would be interested in sourcing teff flour from local growers. There may be a market for the grain among other Virginia restaurateurs, especially near Washington D.C., which has a vibrant Ethiopian and Eritrean community. Since teff is naturally gluten-free, there is also interest in using the grain for breads, cookies and other foods for people who don’t eat gluten, raising demand for teff on a global scale.

Nile co-owner Yoseph Teklemariam cooking injera, which is made from teff flour

Teff is a small grain with big value.

People to Watch

A rising class of dining industry standouts

By Eileen Mellon

The ‘Breath of Fresh Air’ Leah Branch, THE ROOSEVELT

Taking the helm at a restaurant with an established identity, once led by a James Beard Award-nominated chef, is no small feat, particularly for someone relatively new to the local dining scene. But at The Roosevelt,

Executive Chef Leah Branch has made a flawless transition.

“It will be one year on Feb. 17,” says Branch, reflecting on her work anniversary at the Church Hill hideaway.

In that time, Branch has embedded herself into the culinary fabric of Rich-

mond. Joining the crew at a time when guests were beginning to dine out again on a regular basis, yearning to be stimulated and satiated, while peers looked on with excitement about the arrival of fresh blood on the scene, Branch delivered.

“I think a lot of times we get really lucky that people say yes to a lot of what we’re interested in playing with; it’s been really great,” she says.

But that “Yes, chef” response isn’t just coming from diners, it’s also echoed by her colleagues and The Roosevelt’s owners, Mark Herndon and Kendra Feather.

“It has been such a breath of fresh air for me in that way,” Branch says. “It’s been really easy to say, ‘Hey, this is important to me,’ and on their end, they say, ‘Hey, this is important to us,’ and really support each other. I think it’s taught me that you really can just have a positive, peaceful, collaborative workspace in the kitchen, and I’ve been in some spaces before where I didn’t know if that was possible.”

Last year, The Roosevelt team served crawfish rolls at Folk Feast, participated in Village Garden’s Chile Chill Out and Tomato Jubilee, joined Leni Sorensen at Indigo House for a dinner spanning three centuries of African American cuisine, showcased a revived Red-N-Sweet heirloom watermelon, and got diners hooked on a lemony, buttery gator piccata.

Branch says her 2023 vision board includes continuing to grow as a chef, while also deepening her Richmond roots and making an impact beyond the kitchen. “I just want to keep learning and keep getting better,” she says. “I would love to do something for Juneteenth and kind of do more things to give back to the community. I think that’s where we could really improve on — what can we do to celebrate food and have fun with it, but also give back to initiatives we support?”

Leah Branch of The Roosevelt

Emmanuel “Manny” Baiden is known to travel frequently and look stylish while doing so. Baiden is a native of Ghana and the private chef behind the venture Manny Eats, and his Instagram reveals a culinary curiosity, infatuation with edible exploration and an eye for fashion. His trips across the country and abroad serve as inspiration, whether he’s returning to Ghana to visit

family and reconnect with his roots or visiting New York and L.A. wine bars for R&D for his latest project, Penny’s Wine Shop, set to open in early February.

Penny’s is the vision of owners and oenophiles Lance Lemon and Kristen Gardner, who operate the wine delivery service RichWine. Located at 405 Brook Road in the former Stoplight Gelato space in Jackson Ward, Penny’s also honors the history of the neighborhood. The name

refers to St. Luke’s Penny Savings Bank, which opened a few blocks away in 1903 and was founded by Richmond icon Maggie L. Walker.

“With my West African background, I want to put a world view on things. I’m a big traveler,” Baiden says. “Last year, I specifically traveled to eat at certain places that I think would follow the vision we want at Penny’s.”

Baiden first learned to cook from his mother, incorporating West African techniques that were passed down through the generations. After immigrating to the U.S., he attended James Madison University, graduating with a degree in hospitality management before landing in Richmond four years ago.

While he may be best known for his private dinners — of which he did almost 60 last year — or sellout lobster roll pop-ups and the African-inspired “Motherland” series, the chef is looking forward to expanding his reach at the wine and tapas bar.

Intended as a pre- or post-dinner stop, Penny’s will offer small plates and tapas-style bites, with dishes intended for pairing with organic or biodynamic wines. Cheese and charcuterie will be rotating staples, while guests can also expect selections including ricotta with a beet-ginger relish, a warm apple-poblano butter oyster, braised short ribs with sweet potato grits and baked fish.

“The idea is that people can come in and order the whole menu to share, and if it’s a small group, they can order four to five items and have a substantial meal,” Baiden says. “It’s a really cozy space and I don’t want people to see a small space, and think we’re limited. We see a lot of cool things in Richmond, but what else can we do differently? We want to be able to push the boundaries a little bit.”

ABIGAIL GREY JOHNSTON

The shiny addition

Emmanuel Baiden, PENNY’S WINE SHOP

Emmanuel “Manny” Baiden in front of Penny’s Wine Shop at 405 Brook Road

The Change-Makers

Taylor Scott and Qui Nguyen, RVA

Throughout the region, brightly colored fridges can be found outside local businesses. Accessible 24/7, they are stocked with pantry items and free food, everything from eggs and vegetables to prepared meals.

Introduced in 2021 by New Orleans native Taylor Scott, RVA Community Fridges has evolved from an effort to address food insecurity and deepen a connection with the city into a prospering mutual aid group with a brick-and-mortar space the horizon.

Based on the principle “take what you need, give what you can,” the venture is volunteer-run and donation-based.

Refrigerators are typically gifted, and then the team works to identify businesses that will host the appliances and provide an easily accessible power source. The fridges require a steady flow of groceries and regular maintenance. The notion that the concept is not only integral to the community, but thrives from the involvement of its members, showcases the magic of mutual aid. “We’re set on everyone getting involved; the fridge is for the community

by the community,” Scott says.

After debuting the inaugural community fridge, also the first in the state, on Venable Street two years ago, there are now 10 in the Richmond area. Locations range from a beauty salon in South Chesterfield to Ms. Girlee’s Kitchen in Fulton Hill, with more on the way.

“We’re still trying to figure out the needs of the community, those are always changing, but we definitely have a better grasp on the nuts and bolts of stuff and the logistics,” says RVA Community Fridges’ Qui Nguyen. “We’ve also gotten a lot better at how we inform the community.”

Tapping into an audience via social media, the duo have used the platform to humanize the group and reach a wider audience. Nguyen says their Instagram reels have even gone viral and people across the globe have contacted them wanting to replicate their efforts.

In early 2023, RVA Community Fridges secured a space in North Side that they plan to share with the Richmond chapter of Foods Not Bombs, a longtime vegan food justice collective.

Food Not Bombs will primarily use the kitchen in the forthcoming space — once a grocery store, coincidentally — and RVA Community Fridges aims to hold meetings there. They also hope to grow their team and host meal prep and cooking sessions.

“Not only can we interact with the community, but we’re sharing it with other community groups who have had our backs from the beginning and doing similar, if not the same, work as we are,” Nguyen says. “We’re looking forward to having this collaborative space and dreaming big and helping hold up each other in supporting these goals.”

ABIGAIL GREY JOHNSTON

COMMUNITY FRIDGES

(From left) Qui Nguyen and Taylor Scott of RVA Community Fridges

In 2022 we declared the Japanese- and Korean-influenced Young Mother pop-up, led by chef Daniel Harthausen, one of the hottest dining tickets in the city. In recent months, that claim has been solidified by a $300,000 check.

After being approached by the producers of the HBO Max series “The Big Brunch,” Harthausen snagged a spot on the inaugural season of the feel-good culi-

nary series — and won.

The night before the filming of the final episode, Harthausen didn’t sleep. Earlier that day, the judges had hinted that the finalists might be expected to present business plans for their future concepts. He didn’t take the hint lightly. In a hotel room in Los Angeles, he reflected on what he wanted from Young Mother.

“I stayed up the whole night writing, rewriting, editing and practicing in the

mirror,” he shares. “They said a big part of me winning was [that] I was the most prepared for that part of the challenge.”

How would he develop his concept from an intimate, once-a-month dining experience to an everyday affair? Who did he want on his team to help him establish a neighborhood restaurant with an elevated ethos and environment? What moments and experiences motivated him to express himself through cooking in the first place?

“[A] big part of my overarching mission that I want to instill, not only in myself, but the environment I’m curating, the people I’m bringing together to work, and the space and how it’s laid out itself, is always embodying this idea of trust,” Harthausen says. “I want people to be able to have this ability to come back and know when they’re coming to my restaurant, they’re going to get a good meal and good service.”

With whispers of a restaurant reveal sometime this year, Harthausen hopes to secure a spot in Church Hill, Manchester or North Side. He envisions a 40-seat dining room, a menu of a dozen staple dishes and a space that doubles as a pop-up incubator.

While he continues figuring it out, Harthausen moves forward with a calm and confident demeanor, the aura of an old soul and seasoned chef.

“In this process of trying to open this restaurant after so much anticipation, I find a lot of peace, actually, in understanding the idea that a lot of people are excited and anticipating what I want to make, and it makes me work harder because I want to make sure it’s something I can deliver on. I always tell myself, these are the moments,” Harthausen says. “When it gets really hard, I’ll say that over and over in my head because it’s true, those are the moments where you grow.”

The Big winner

Daniel Harthausen, YOUNG MOTHER

Daniel Harthausen plans to debut a Young Mother brick-and-mortar this year.

I Scream, You Scream

Cool pitstops around the region

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY

Coco + Hazel

2733 McRae Road, 804-322-7533

Gelati Celesti — Bon Air

3004 Stony Point Road, 804-320-0000

Gelati Celesti — Swift Creek

13487 Hull Street Road, 804-886-9111

Jimer’s Frozen Custard

20800 Hull Street Road

La Michoacana

9110 Richmond Highway, 804-275-0011

The Treat Shop – Midlothian

14736 Village Square Place, 804-608-0181

Wally’s Sweet Spot

4220 Celebration Ave., 804-454-0723

HANOVER COUNTY

Gelati Celesti — Mechanicsville

9357 Atlee Road, Suite 1105, 804-277-2006

The Lazy Cow

7038 Mechanicsville Turnpike, 804-597-1071

Sugar Sweet Dessert Cafe

9555-L, Kings Charter Drive, 804-299-3322

HENRICO COUNTY

Blue Cow Ice Cream Co.

7017 Three Chopt Road, 804-767-8836

Coco + Hazel

411 N. Ridge Road, 804-918-2040

Dalia’s Dulcería

7310 Staples Mill Road, 804-549-1575

DeLuca Gelato

1362 Gaskins Road, 804-741-3202

Eloteria

9022 W. Broad St., 804-447-9873

Frost Gelato

11800 W. Broad St., Unit 1058, 804-716-6373

Gelati Celesti — Short Pump

11805 W. Broad Street Road, 804-364-2100

Gelati Celesti — West End

8906 W. Broad St., 804-346-0038

Neighborhood Scoop

Nine Mile Road, 804-938-9961

Vampire Penguin Shaved Ice

11345 Nuckols Road, 804-447-2735

MOBILE TRUCK

Jiji Frozen Custard

jijifrozencustard.com for locations, 804-404-2773

MULTIPLE LOCATIONS

Sweet Frog sweetfrog.com

NEW KENT

Kilted Creamery

10500 New Kent Highway, Suite C, 804-557-4588

RICHMOND

Bev’s Homemade Ice Cream & Cafe

2911 W. Cary St., 804-204-2387

Bubs and Gracie’s Ice Cream and Cookies

7214 Hull Street Road , 804-918-6444

Charm School Study Hall

4930 Forest Hill Ave., Suite D, charmschoolrva.com

Crossroads Coffee & Ice Cream

3600 Forest Hill Ave., 804-231-2030

Gelati Celesti — Grove Avenue

5808 Grove Ave., 804-288-4088

Gelati Celesti — Scott’s Addition

1400 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd., 804-525-5596

Jeni’s Carytown Exchange

3500 W. Cary St. #C150, 770-769-6438

Kilwins 3115 W. Cary St., 804-358-5000

Mochinut and Kkoko Ice Cream

900 W. Franklin St., 804-447-6982

Narwhals Rolled Ice Cream

3313 W. Cary St., 804-918-0294

Ray’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard

3039 Lauderdale Drive, 804-360-8135

Ruby Scoops 120 W. Brookland Park Blvd. (relocating to 310 W. Brookland Park Blvd. summer 2023), 804-912-1320

Scoop

403 Strawberry St., 804-918-4455

Spotty Dog

2416 Jefferson Ave., 804-818-6889

Stoplight Gelato

405 Brook Road, 804-644-9400

Suzy Sno

Location TBD. Visit suzysno.com for updates.

Sweet Spot Ice Cream Cafe

6 N. 18th St., 804-735-0710

The Treat Shop

6114 Jahnke Road, 804-918-5125

Westray’s Finest 214 N. Lombardy St.

MOVING?

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INFORM US OF YOUR NEW ADDRESS:

SUBSCRIBE@RICHMAG.COM OR 804-355-0111

AIRPORT

5213 Williamsburg Rd. (804) 226-2388

Patio open

SHORT PUMP

11621 W. Broad St. the promenade shops across from short pump town center (804) 330-9446

Patio open

ASHLAND

11670 Lakeridge parkway by bass pro (804) 496-6911

Patio open

MECHANICSVILLE

7162 Mechanicsville Tpk. Banquet & Meeting rooms (804) 559-8126

Patio open

FOREST HILL

7001 Forest Hill Ave. (804) 320-1069

Patio open

WOODLAKE

12031 southshore pointe dr. banquet & meeting rooms (804) 763-5640

Patio open

Gift cards available at all Mexico locations

Kroger

YEARSLONG EFFORTS to preserve a piece of Americana ultimately appeared to fall by the wayside as one of the few remaining neon cowboy hats that once beckoned hungry travelers to Arby’s was set to make way for a Wawa gas station. The restaurant itself, which opened at 5900 W. Broad St. in 1968, was razed in early January, along with several other nearby buildings. Images of the demolition on Richmond magazine’s Instagram spurred some readers to reminisce about the years they spent eating at Arby’s, working there or simply driving by. The sign’s presence on West Broad Street helped mark the transition between downtown Richmond and Henrico County’s West End. Its significance has not been lost on county officials. In reviewing site plans for the Wawa in 2021, Mary Ann Soldano of the Henrico Recreation & Parks Division called the massive 10-gallon hat sign “iconic” and recommended preservation “if possible.”

Among the potential suitors was The Valentine museum, which rejected the offer “based on its large size and condition, as well as the museum’s collecting focus on documenting Richmond-region companies over national chains,” according to a spokeswoman. Likewise, Kim Sicola, Henrico’s history programs recreation manager, said in an email that the county’s museum services had no place to exhibit or store the sign and therefore had no plans to do so.

According to local developer Rob Lanphear, a member of the group that owns the land, a decision about the sign’s fate is still ultimately up to Wawa, but it appears that its support structure will be used for a new sign.

So, for a short time, as the surrounding buildings came down, the tall, brown hat stood alone and watched as old made way for new.

—Mark Newton

See more photos taken around Richmond at instagram.com/richmondmag