As our friends at Keep Virginia Cozy like to say: Be kind. Smile at strangers. Pick up litter. With that in mind, we’ve rounded up three ideas for the weekend ahead to get out, to explore, and to celebrate the River City.
Socially Distant Earth Day
Keep Virginia Cozy, like everyone during this strange time, is working to find ways to stay active. That’s why, this year, the local nonprofit responsible for removing over 10,000 lbs. of litter and recycling from public spaces is hosting Socially Distant—EARTH DAY ANYWAY! (3 months later). The event is designed to clean the Belle Isle and Manchester area this Saturday and will kick off at 11 am. Participants are asked to wear a mask and all supplies will be provided for sprucing up the area. For added incentive, Keep Virginia Cozy will award prizes to those pulling in the heaviest bags of recyclables.
Mending Walls is a public art project that brings together public artists from different cultures and backgrounds to create murals that encourage healing through public art while adding something meaningful to the conversation of Black Lives Matter. You can spot recent murals being created around town this summer (check out 300 E. Broad St. this weekend for a work in progress by Noah Scalin and Alfonso Pérez Acosta) as well as drop by the Virginia Museum of History and Culture for a special pop-up Mending Walls exhibit. On display through September 7, the Mending Walls pop-up features a mural by Jowarnise Caston and Ian Hess. Their collaborative mural serves as a tribute to the late Marcus-David Peters and draws attention to racial and social injustices related to mental health.
Bring your mask and your dollar bills this Sunday to the parking lot of Diversity Richmond as the Drive-In Drag Show makes its mighty return. That’s right, the hostess with the mostess, Grace Wetpants, is back for another socially distanced drag show ($10 per car) benefiting Diversity Richmond. Since its inception, Diversity Richmond has distributed nearly $1,000,000 to area non-profit organizations working to strengthen the LGBTQ+ and Greater Richmond community. And make sure to return again in August for a new event in Diversity Richmond’s summer lineup -- Drive-In Karaoke! Practice your favorite song and wow the audience in the ongoing parking lot series.
We’ve teamed up with Double Image Studio to show kindness and appreciation for our local healthcare workers in a series of photos called Hope Heroes benefiting Central Virginia COVID-19 Relief Fund by Community Foundation.
