Piñata PartyExploring and celebrating the place we all love to call home.
VOL. 295 / PIÑATA PARTY
This week brings a reopened public perch at City Hall, a new way to shop from a longtime favorite, and a piñata party. These three tips offer just a handful of ways to shift perspective as you explore and celebrate this place we all love to call home.
Piñata Party
1708 Gallery, a nonprofit contemporary art space downtown, is hosting a piñata party tied to its program ALL WEYS ARE CREATED EQUAL tonight from 7–10 p.m. The free, public event will feature music, snacks, and of course piñatas. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own bags and their “best swinging arm” for collecting treats. The gathering also offers a chance to meet the current artists-in-residence, Bryan Ortiz and Luis Vasquez La Roche.
Vitals:
1708 Gallery / January 8, 7–10 p.m. / 319 W Broad St.
The People's House
Yesterday, Mayor Danny Avula announced that the City Hall Observation Deck has reopened to the general public. Located on the 18th floor, the overlook has been closed since 2020, when it shut down during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“For decades, the City Hall Observation Deck has been one of Richmond’s gems,” says Mayor Avula. “It’s a place where you can step back, see our city from a new perspective, and appreciate how all our neighborhoods connect in ways that aren’t always visible from the ground.”
Reopening the Observation Deck has been a major goal during Mayor Avula’s first year in office. Updates to security measures, elevator logistics, and visitor flow made the reopening possible. Swing by, say hello at the new concierge on the first floor, take the dedicated elevator, and enjoy your city from a different perspective.
Vitals:
Open to the public from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday / Visit City Hall / 900 E Broad St.
Mama J's Market
Mama J’s, a beloved Richmond restaurant in the heart of Jackson Ward, has opened the doors to Mama J’s Market. The new community-focused retail space features grab-and-go items from the restaurant’s kitchen, pantry staples, snacks, and a growing selection of prepared foods and grocery items.
Velma and Lester Johnson, the mother-son duo who own and operate Mama J’s, are currently welcoming Richmonders inside as part of a soft opening and inviting feedback as they dial in the space. Mama J’s is also sharing first-time visitor reactions on its Instagram page. The momentum is building toward a grand opening on February 1 — but why wait? Go now.
Vitals:
Mama J's / Soft opening phase, daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. / Grand Opening, 2 p.m. on February 1 / 101 E. Clay St.
Together at the Valentine.
As the Valentine team and the Richmond community continue to mourn the loss of Bill Martin, January will be a quieter month for public programming, with one important exception. The Life, Liberty & Happiness lecture will take place as planned on Religious Freedom Day, January 16, at the Library of Virginia. This lecture series was a particular favorite of Bill’s, and the Valentine hopes the community will join them in continuing that tradition. There will also be an open house at the Valentine in Bill’s honor on Saturday, February 7. The gathering is intended as an opportunity for the community to come together, share memories, and reflect on Bill’s life and work. For those wishing to honor Bill in another way, memorial gifts may be made to the Valentine in support of the redesign of the Valentine Garden, a project that deeply mattered to him.
