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.
vol. 91 / bullseye 🎯Coming at you with three quirky and offbeat activities this weekend!
VOL. 91 / BULLSEYE
This week we’re taking aim at unlikely summer activities—from tossing axes with friends to blitzing RVA with books to trying your hand at highfalutin' mini-golf to sipping craft beer while playing street-side shuffleboard.
Cheers to the weekend! Read on…
Virginia
Axe Company
Just an axe throw away from Short Pump sits the Virginia Axe Company, a recreational axe and knife throwing venue that invites you to take aim. The 3,000 square foot facility offers Richmohders a chance to grab a 5-pound axe and take a swing in one of its 5 throwing pits. Locally owned, Virginia Axe Company is part of an edgy new trend in entertainment options nationwide that offer an alternative way to get an adrenaline fix with friends and fam. So if you’re in need of a little lumber jack action in your life, head out to Goochland to throw some axes this weekend. And not to worry, Virginia Axe uses regionally repurposed timber cut targets from already downed trees. Corporate team building events, birthday parties, private lessons, and bachelor/ette parties are available!
Still looking for the perfect summer read? Or maybe you have some beach reads to swap out? Join the Friends of the Richmond Public Library for a reverse scavenger hunt this Saturday. Teams of 3-5 people will meet at Blue Bee Cider in Scott’s Addition at 3 pm to pool together a collection of books for re-homing that they've gathered in advance. From there, the group plans to blitz the books across Richmond's 30+ Little Free Library locations! Teams will document each "blitz" on Instagram using #rvabookblitz and the Little Free Library charter number for each little library that the team stocks. After the blitz, join other book lovers at 5 pm at Blue Bee Cider for an after party complete with cider prizes for the teams with the most creative pics, most books, and the most libraries stocked. It’s $10 to participate, with 100% of registration fees supporting the Friends of Richmond Public!
Step inside Hotel Greene this weekend and you’ll be transported to a fictional hotel in the 1930s where a bellhop will check you in for an evening filled with mini-golf, cocktails, and tasty eats. Housed in a former hotel at 508 East Franklin Street, Hotel Greene opens today and offers Richmonders a chance to tee off in the lobby and play their way down the halls and throughout the hotel that has been retrofitted with a course by an internationally renowned mini-golf course designer. Along the way, enjoy classic cocktails, club sandwiches, and other menu items inspired by the times. Or go straight to the good stuff, and stop at the shot station.
Vitals:
Hotel Greene / Opens July 25 / 508 E. Franklin Street
BONUS TIP: Väsen's Anniversary Festival
25+ breweries plus six bands, streetside shuffleboard courts, an archery station, and disc golf! That sounds like our kind of block party. On Saturday, Väsen Brewing will host an epic anniversary bash in Scott's Addition from noon to 7 pm. Session #1 will kick off at noon and Session #2 at 3 pm. The brewery will be closed to the general public, so make sure to snag tickets (word has it that the VIP tickets come with a special beer table with a “secret stash” and commemorative swag! In addition to new beers by Väsen, the festival will include participating breweries like The Veil Brewing Co., Triple Crossing, Commonwealth Brewing Company, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Tabol Brewing, Aslin Beer Company, and more! And the all-star lineup of bands will feature Chance Fischer, Minor Poet, Mikrowaves, Calvin Presents, Paulo Franco, and Weekend Plans. As a mission driven brewery, Väsen will also offer a nonprofit village with local charities, like Keep Virginia Cozy and BridgePark, there to share their mission. Cheers.
Go
