vol. 272 / CozyExploring and celebrating the place we all love to call home.
VOL. 272 / COZY
Sit back and get cozy—this week’s guest editor is Jenny Kacani. Jenny is the Volunteer Lead for Keep Virginia Cozy, a Richmond-based nonprofit on a mission to protect wilderness and inspire all Virginians to care for our wild places in the River City and beyond.
Since 2017, the dedicated volunteers at Keep Virginia Cozy have removed over 600 tons of litter from public lands, preserving our natural legacy for current and future generations. Through zero-waste, community-driven efforts, they show that even small actions can lead to meaningful environmental impact.
In addition to keeping Richmond cozy, Jenny is a painter, glass artist (check out Odd Bird for flameworked glass objects), and works in publishing. A Richmond native who has always loved being outdoors, you can most often find Jenny kayaking, hiking, or climbing.
The events Jenny is highlighting this week celebrate what makes Richmond special—a community of people who love to come together to make things, make a difference, and make our city a better place.
Take it away, Jenny...
Reduce, Reuse, Risograph!
This event combines two of my favorite things: art and sustainability. Studio Two Three is offering a Risograph class that teaches you how to reuse materials to make prints. Risograph printing is an approachable medium that invites experimentation and creativity. Best of all, it’s a one-evening class, perfect if your schedule doesn’t allow for longer time commitments! Studio Two Three’s classes are always a wonderful experience—with uber-talented instructors and a warm, welcoming space.
Join Keep Virginia Cozy for our final cleanup before we host the 5th Annual Cozy Ol' Brewgrass Festival We’ll meet at the picnic shelter in Forest Hill Park and pick up litter around the park—including the picnic area, trails, lake, and playground. Stick around afterward for PRIDE on Forest Hill, and come back the next day for the South of the James Farmers Market—which, in my opinion, is the best in town! No sign-up needed. We’ll provide gloves and bags.
Vitals:
June 14, 11 am-12:30 pm / Forest Hill Park / 4021 Forest Hill Avenue
5th Annual Cozy Ol' Brewgrass Festival
The 5th Annual Cozy Ol' Brewgrass Festival will be the biggest and best yet! Join us down by the river to celebrate summer with all your local favorites: food from 1115 Mobile Kitchen, Goatocado, Vegan Action, and ArrozRVA; drinks from Väsen Brewing, HIKE Hopped Seltzer, and Ninja Kombucha; music from Andrew Alli & Josh Small. There will also be a fair for local artists and makers. Best of all, by coming out, you're helping keep our parks, trails, and beloved James River cleaner and cozier for all!
The event is sold out, but ticketholders can find more info here. And if you didn't score a ticket this year, follow along here for details about other events and ways to get involved!
I joined Keep Virginia Cozy to get more involved in the community and give back to the parks where I spend so much of my time. Our community cleanups are always a great experience—we get the friendliest people in attendance, and together we've picked up over one million pounds of trash!
What many people don’t know is that we also offer private community cleanups—a great way for businesses to connect with their local community. They pick the day, and we organize a cleanup for their team. It’s a chance to get out of the office, enjoy some time outdoors, and give back.
We weigh all the trash at the end, and seeing that final number really makes you feel good about what you’ve accomplished. I love leading these events because I get to meet so many new people—and it’s always fantastic when corporate cleanup participants return for our public community cleanups!
vol. 271 / Why RichmondExploring and celebrating the place we all love to call home.
VOL. 271 / WHY RICHMOND
This week, we're honored to welcome Jennifer Wakefield, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Richmond Partnership (GRP), as guest editor. In her role at GRP, Jennifer helps answer the question — Why Richmond?
At the helm of the region’s lead economic development organization—serving the City of Richmond and the counties of Chesterfield, Hanover, and Henrico—Jennifer spends her days recruiting companies from around the globe to bring employment opportunities and taxable capital investment to our local communities. Her goal is to make Greater Richmond the top mid-sized region in the U.S. for business investment.
In her 20+ year career, she has built an impressive reputation in strategic planning, marketing and communications, operations, and organizational leadership—and is recognized as a national thought leader in economic development strategy.
She’s also a self-professed Star Wars nerd who can often be found exploring Greater Richmond with her husband, son, and miniature poodle. She’s here this week to share a few recommendations for making the most of the start of summer in the place we all love to call home.
Take it away, Jennifer…
From Carytown to The Fan
This is the first full week of summer for the kiddos, so I’d encourage everyone to go outside and spend time in the sunshine and hit the pools (as a native Floridian, I still can’t believe pools aren’t open 365)! My favorite place to take out-of-towners is Carytown and the Fan. It’s such a vibe and unlike anything else in the region. My personal fave is Can Can Brasserie (recently named one of the Richmond's best restaurants) for a meal; For the Love of Chocolate for sugary treats (like candy cigarettes!) and their new gift boxes; and then Lou Lou Boutiques for accessories and local Richmond artisan jewelry. Then stroll down the avenue to shop some more, check out the art welcome walls and unique architecture before driving down Arthur Ashe Boulevard to show off the VMFA, which is currently hosting its After 5 Fridays series with a dynamic rotation of categories: First Friday, Taste of Art, and Dance After Work, as well as Summer Breeze.
Draftcade and Summer Music at Short Pump Town Center
And speaking of shopping, I spend more time than I should at Short Pump Town Center, which is just down the road from my house. Lots of great shops, restaurants, and the Draftcade, where I hold the high score on Galaga—my favorite Atari game from the ’80s. The Summer Concert Series kicks off June 12 (Love Story: The Unofficial Taylor Swift Tribute), followed by June 26 (The Deloreans), and July 24 (Dalton Dover). Along with live bands, there will be exciting giveaways and a Wine Garden, with tickets directly benefiting Henrico CASA.
As for a favorite place to take a client: the LEGO Visitor Center! A great example of collaboration and Greater Richmond’s can-do attitude is the LEGO Group’s $1 billion manufacturing facility. While we’re eagerly awaiting the 1.7 million-square-foot facility to open, the Danish manufacturer has installed a visitor center in the shape of one of its bricks. Inside, you’ll find a model of the upcoming factory and playful videos about the company’s history. It’s open to the public and located at 1140 Meadowville Technology Pkwy, Chester.
Vitals:
LEGO Group / 1140 Meadowville Technology Pkwy, Chester
More about Greater Richmond Partnership.
The Greater Richmond Partnership is the lead economic development organization for the City of Richmond and the counties of Chesterfield, Hanover, and Henrico. The public-private nonprofit provides four key activities toward economic prosperity: business attraction, regional marketing, research and analysis, as well as global competitiveness. The 30-year-old organization recently released its five-year strategic plan with a focus on growing Greater Richmond’s vision of being the top mid-sized region in the U.S. for companies to invest.
vol. 265 / ParkerExploring and celebrating the place we all love to call home.
VOL. 265 / GALORE
This week's guest editor is a driving force behind Richmond’s creative community. Meet Parker Galore—a Richmonder so deeply embedded in the arts that he hardly needs an introduction. But in case you haven’t had the pleasure yet, Parker serves on the board of directors for both the Richmond Arts District and Gallery5.
With too many ongoing projects to name, Parker’s commitment to cultivating meaningful, artistic experiences that are open and welcoming to all is unmatched. Parker's work is driven by a passion for creating immersive, interactive spaces that showcase the incredible range of local visual artists, performers, and musicians who shape Richmond’s vibrant creative scene.
You can always find Parker working to build safer, more inclusive environments where people can gather, connect, and feel inspired. And this week, we’re lucky enough to have him slow down just long enough to share a few tips for exploring and celebrating the city we all love to call home.
Take it away, Parker …
Stay Gold: Closing Reception & Happy Hour
Stay Gold. RVA Mag & Gallery5 20 Year Anniversary Exhibit Closing Reception and Happy Hour is tonight. This 20-Year Retrospective Exhibition traces the story of RVA Mag and Gallery5 through zines, street art, punk shows, porch hangs, protests, murals, bike parties, hip-hop showcases, food, beer, and the people who kept showing up. It’s a visual history of how two scrappy platforms helped push Richmond’s creative underground into public view.
Vitals:
Stay Gold. RVA Mag & Gallery5 20 Year Anniversary Exhibit Closing Reception and Happy Hour / Friday, April 25th / 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM / FREE / Gallery5, 200 W. Marshall St.
Richmond Restaurant Week in the Arts District
Richmond Restaurant Week is upon us and we have some great local establishments here in the Arts District that are participating. Each restaurant offers a three course prix fixe menu meal for $35.25 with $5.25 donated per meal to Feed More. Head to each restaurant's socials or websites to check out their menu. Participating Restaurants in the Arts District include And Dim Sum, Bar Solita, Birdies, Common House, Julep's, Tarrants Downtown, and The Lobby Bar at Quirk Hotel
Rest Fest is a celebration of wellness, bringing Richmonders together for group classes, speakers, music, food, vendors, and connection. Rest Fest is a platform to showcase the incredible local wellness talent available in and around Richmond. Group classes include breathwork, yoga, ecstatic dance, sound baths, and more. Presentations include an exploration of the Divine Feminine and Masculine energies inherent in all of us, contrast therapy (alternating saunas + cold plunges), a plant medicine discussion panel, authentic interdependence in spiritual community, and more. Live music kicks off the first night with Holy River and Big Fancy as well!
Vitals:
Rest Fest / April 26th - 27th / 10:00 am - 7:00 pm / The Cardinal, 17301 Memorial Tournament Dr.
More About Parker.
A big part of Parker's work includes helping shape and evolve RVA First Fridays, one of the city’s longest-running monthly community events. Parker is focused on strengthening collaboration between organizations, activating underused spaces, and bringing art into the streets—whether through pop-ups, maker markets, mural spots, or public performances.
Parker deeply believes that art belongs everywhere and loves encouraging all kinds of spaces to become homes for expression—barbershops, boutiques, nonprofits, restaurants—wherever there’s room for creativity to show up and thrive.
“Healthier cities are the ones where governments recognize the vital role artists and creative spaces play in shaping culture, fostering belonging, and driving evolution. That means more than just supportive words—it means enacting policies and putting real funding toward the artists, organizations, and community hubs that give Richmond its soul,” shares Parker. “I feel incredibly fortunate to have friends and be part of communities who share these values—and I’ll keep pushing for a Richmond where art isn’t an afterthought, but a priority.”
Go
