Sit back and relax Here readers, Ashley Williams is our guest editor this week and she knows a thing or two about appreciating and showing gratitude for this place we call home. Ashley is the founder of BareSOUL Yoga & Wellness. She is a certified yoga therapist and advocate for self-care, social justice and community building. Take it away, Ashley...
Offering yoga and mindfulness practices in community spaces such as schools, health systems, juvenile detention and correctional centers, government agencies, I am given the opportunity to engage and to truly get to know others in Richmond. Yoga is a practice that begins by going within, and can be practiced on the mat through movement, yet it’s essence is taking the practices learned off of the mat and into the world. Here are my three tips for appreciating and loving our home.
Front Porch
Cafe
Front Porch Cafe is a Church HIll neighborhood gem and community hub that is a great place to meet new people or invite people for meetings, food or events. They are owned and operated by Church Hill Activities and Tutoring (CHAT), a nonprofit whose mission is to serve the youth of Richmond’s East End with the heart, head, and hands to make transformative life decisions and offer workforce development for students to become staff. The culture of community is present in their comfortable interior layout with photos of community members mounted on the walls and menu items named after Church Hill staples. Most importantly, there is so much space and opportunity to build relationships with their staff and through events that they host on a monthly basis. Not to mention, they are attached to the Bon Secours Sarah Garland Jones Center, which is available for community use and is host to weekly BareSOUL Yoga classes, health-related small groups, and skills trainings.
I am absolutely thrilled that Richmond Night Market is happening on the 2nd Saturday of each month right in the center of the city in Shockoe Bottom. Created by Adrienne Cole Johnson and Melody Short, the Richmond Night Market is enhancing the vibrancy and sense of community to the 17th Street Market by bringing together local business owners, independent artists, musicians and DJs, and more. They've created a maker space and venue for both youth and adults to enjoy! Each month serves as an opportunity to see the diverse culture of Richmond from a creative lens. Don't miss the next Richmond Night Market this Saturday to learn about new artists, businesses, and community programs.
Sure, Richmond Black Restaurant Experience already hosted its week-long celebration of black-owned restaurants earlier this year—but that doesn't mean we can't keep supporting the region's growing culinary tourism scene. Richmond Black Restaurant Experience was created to celebrate and support black-owned restaurants, food truck vendors, caterers and local chefs during a special week each spring. But their mission is something we can all get behind every day of the year! Get out there this weekend and plan a visit to one of our city's black-owned restaurants for a meal! Check out this passport filled with restaurant names to help you experience the diverse food scene in our area and support black businesses.
Bonus Tip: Once you've finished tasting some of the best food in all the land, come visit me for CommUNITY Yoga at the 17th Street Market to experience the true essence of our city-community. This is a pay what you can class hosted by BareSOUL Yoga and One Drop Yoga every Wednesday at 6:00 pm through the end of September. Richmond neighbors of all backgrounds and ages are invited to practice individual awareness and build community through breath, movement, and meditation. All proceeds support building sustainable yoga and mindfulness school and community programs in our city.
Made Here.
Check out these Old Fashioned glasses that are anything but old fashioned! And there are two varieties by Richmond artists! For the first glass, Richmond Grid magazine and artist Emily Herr teamed up to create cocktail glasses that celebrate Emily's Girls! Girls! Girls! portrait series. And the second glass, features Hamilton Glass and his famous #Whosham RVA logo. Both glasses are laser-etched by Richmond based Big Secret.
vol. 93 / game onComing at you with three quirky and offbeat activities this weekend!
VOL. 93 / GAME ON
Game on, Richmond. We've got a curious mix of tips, recommendations, and oddities this week. Show your love for this place we call home and get out there to explore them all—from a wine dinner that tests your VI.Q to the grand opening of a retro video game store to an opportunity to explore beautifully abandoned Virginia places and the people that once occupied them.
Let's get to it, friends…
What's Your
VI.Q?
Think you’ve got drink smarts, a sense for expense, or a nose for Bordeauxs? If so, head to Perch this Sunday for What's Your VI.Q? to play a blind-tasting wine game to test your “Vintelligence quotient” with the fine folks from Virginia Wine. Chef Mike Ledesma and the Perch RVA team will be on hand for a fun afternoon of wine tasting and food pairings. The event organizers plan to match up some of the tastiest Virginia wines with wines from around the world for a chance to vote on your favorites. In addition to showboating your wine tasting abilities, there will also be a handful of VIP judges casting their vote (like Danielle DiBlasio of Williams Corner Wine, Michael Smith of Laura Lee's, Shayla Varnado of Black Girls Wine, Phaedra Hise of Style Weekly, Jason Tesauro of Barboursville Vineyards, and Beth Dixon of Perch RVA). Word has it that if Virginia scores in the Top-3, the winning wines will earn by-the-glass placement on the menu for the month.
Vitals: What's Your VI.Q? / Sunday, August 25 / 2:30 pm - 5 pm / Perch / 2918 W. Broad Street
DawnStar
Video Games
If sipping vino isn't your really thing, step around the corner to the grand opening of DawnStar, a new retail store in Scott's Addition offering a lil' retro gaming action. The keen observers around town have likely spotted DawnStar pop ups at local breweries of late and the gamers among us have probably already lined up. For the uninitiated, or, you know, a little too young to remember, we're talking old school video games (think Playstation, GameCube, and Nintendo64). This highly anticipated joint is spearheaded by the likes of Dakotah Coates and Meaghan Riley of The Circuit Arcade Bar and Andrew Griimoiire of Wax Moon Records. The trio also promises to offer up some weird, old consoles like TurboGrafx and Neo Geo. DawnStar will open its doors on Saturday from 11 am to 6 pm, and after the opening festivities they plan to operate their retail store Friday to Sunday and weekdays by appointment.
If you’re looking for something a bit different, consider testing your knowledge of abandoned Virginia this weekend. John Plashal, a celebrated Richmond photographer and author of "A Beautifully Broken Virginia" photographic coffee table book, has two big events on the books that showcase his travels through the backroads of Virginia in pursuit of abandoned homes, churches, schools, hospitals and other structures that have fallen into a beautiful state of disrepair. In addition to the documentation of his finds, John assimilates into these rural communities with the goal of getting the respective backstories on each, all of which are either historically relevant or anecdotally fascinating. The result is "Stories of an Abandoned Virginia," a highly visual and emotionally powerful presentation about beautifully abandoned Virginia places and the people that once occupied them. You can catch John’s stories and photos on Friday during the Pump House Tour & Stories of an Abandoned Virginia and again on Saturday at historic Battersea, a substantial stuccoed brick house located in the City of Petersburg near the south bank of the Appomattox River.
Our friends at Ledbury are back this week with their annual Warehouse Sale (through August 25), offering a chance to shop their 315 W. Broad Street store at up to 80% off! This has become something of a must-attend Richmond tradition with opportunities to score shirts at thrifty prices, as well as blazers, pants and polos on deep discount. Ledbury tell us they plan to restock on Saturday as well, so there will be fresh merchandise for weekend Here. shoppers too. Go support local business in Richmond and sweet prices.
vol. 92 / keeping it cozy ⛺We're keeping it cozy this week with guest editor Brian Bell who wants you to be kind, smile at strangers, and pick up litter.
VOL. 92 / KEEPING IT COZY
This week we’re keeping things cozy with our guest editor—Brian Bell. If you haven’t had the pleasure, Brian is the founder of Keep Virginia Cozy, a Richmond based nonprofit that has removed over 20,000 pounds of litter and recycling from our park systems, neighborhoods, and trails. He’s an avid hiker, backpacker, rock climber, and litter picker upper. He's also known to rappel off waterfalls to pull out invasive species of plants, scrub vandalism from our trailhead signs, and teach "Leave No Trace" classes at local breweries. When Brian is not spearheading cleanup efforts around Richmond, you can find him (if you have a good map and compass) somewhere in the mountains if you’re lucky. Take it away, Brian …
If I can inspire just one person to take the first step down a wilderness trail, or to see for the first time the beauty in the bark of a tree, or dew on a blade of grass—then my life makes sense.
How truly blessed I feel to live in this wonderful place. How truly blessed we all are. Here are three tips to get out there. Be kind. Smile at strangers. Pick up litter. And keep Virginia cozy.
Shenandoah
National Park
Shenandoah National Park is a beautiful, historic national treasure that’s just a short drive from Richmond. It includes the 105-mile long Skyline Drive, a National Scenic Byway, and the Park itself covers the crest of Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains for over seventy-five miles. The Appalachian Trail roughly parallels the Skyline Drive and 101 miles of the trail runs right through the Park! We’re talking miles and miles of hiking trails, numerous waterfalls, and some of the best mountain summits around. Park Ranger Programs are offered seasonally and available in the Shenandoah Explorer newspaper that you’ll receive when you enter the park. Camping is also available in the Park in addition to rooms at Skyland, Big Meadows Lodge and Lewis Mountain Cabins. If you get hungry, there are full-service restaurants at Skyland and Big Meadows, plus there are plenty of "waysides" with lighter food. You can even join a guided horseback ride that departs daily (weather permitting) from the Skyland stables or check out the Night Sky Program held at Dickey Ridge Visitor Center Terrace for all the stars without the red carpet. Go now.
When you're looking to get outside, trade the work clothes for some trail shoes, log some miles, and put some nature back into your life...there's literally no better place to go than Walkabout Outfitter in Carytown. They have everything you need for your next adventure or to simply hang a hammock in a secret spot in the woods for the weekend! A knowledgeable staff, tips and tricks for your gear, insights on truly "local spots," and anything and everything else you need to get you back to the wild! Walkabout also hosts a series of monthly hikes throughout Virginia with prizes and a chance to win free gear while you hike. Make them your last stop before skipping town and you’re sure to have the most enjoyable time in the outdoors that you possibly can!
Perk: Post a photo of you enjoying the great outdoors (or even better, cleaning it up) and tag @here.weekly for a chance to win a $25.00 gift card to Walkabout Outfitters.
Come join our Trashy Family! There’s no better way to meet like-minded people than by cleaning up the areas where we all live, work, and play! Every Tuesday, weather permitting, Keep Virginia Cozy hosts Trashy Tuesday as we work together to clean up a different part of our city. Keep Virginia Cozy’s mission is to protect wilderness and to inspire all Virginians to care for our wild places. We contribute to better protection, stewardship and restoration of our public lands, preserving our rich natural legacy for current and future generations. If you’d like to join us in Richmond, our next event will take place at Texas Beach. Be sure to check our Facebook page to find out about future meetups. Things always kick off at 6 pm and everyone is invited to come meet new friends, bring old friends, and help clean this place we call home. All gear is provided. And we always make sure to follow up each cleanup with cold beer at a local brewery.
Perk: The first five Here. readers to join Trashy Tuesday on August 6 will be treated to a post beer on us at Väsen Brewing. Just shoot us an email letting us know you're attending by Monday, August 5 and we'll have a frosty one waiting for you.
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