Looking for a quick getaway? This week Evan Kaufman, the Director of the Hopewell Downtown Partnership, is joining us as guest editor. His nonprofit has been hard at work revitalizing one of our region’s most charming Main Streets: Broadway in Hopewell. Take it away, Evan...
Just a half hour drive from Richmond’s Southeast, the Wonder City may be a tiny town of 22,000, but it punches above its weight when it comes to history, dining, and culture. Hopewell recently served as the set for the new Walking Dead TV show, but this waterfront town has a lot more to offer than staged plane crashes and zombies. Plan an afternoon or day trip and discover why Hopewellians call it the Wonder City for yourself!
Waterfront
Since 1634 when the first settlers established City Point—Virginia’s oldest continuously inhabited settlement and today part of the National Park Service’s Petersburg National Battlefield, the confluence of the James and Appomattox Rivers has been the lifeblood of Hopewell. The new boardwalk at Hopewell City Park offers a half-mile promenade along the waterfront. At City Point you can explore Appomattox Manor and the wartime cabin of President (then General) Ulysses S. Grant. After enjoying Hopewell’s verdant riverfront the fresh seafood and cocktails of the Boathouse at City Point beckon. There’s no better way to end an outing than with a drink and a view of the river from their terrace.
Over the past several years, Broadway in Hopewell has transformed into one of the region’s most charming Main Streets. It seems like new businesses are opening every month, so it can be hard to keep up, but here are a few must-visits for your day trip to the Wonder City. Guncotton Coffee & Gallery (pictured) is a hip nonprofit-run coffee house and venue space with a “whack and unwrap” latte that can’t be missed. Saucy’s BBQ, a Petersburg favorite, opened a second location in this Tri-City, and everything on the menu from pulled pork to brisket is cooked to perfection. There’s no better way to finish out your culinary tour through Hopewell than with a stop at Haley’s Honey Meadery! Every one of their honey wines on tap are delicious, but Liquid Silk may be the best of all!
Most Richmonders likely haven’t noticed the steadily growing roster of festivals, open mic nights, stand-up shows, farmers markets, and concerts in the Wonder City, but the culture of this member of the Tri-Cities is thriving. Hopewell’s historic Beacon Theatre offers a wide variety of live music and touring bands. Every 1st and 3rd Thursday, Downtown Thunder gathers some of the regions coolest hotrods and vintage cars for a party and live music along Broadway from 6-9 pm. Those who love the outdoors can join the Friends of the Lower Appomattox River (FOLAR) for their Paddle-or-Battle event on the 28th to canoe, kayak, or SUP their way down the Appomattox in a race or on a guided tour.
If you were disappointed Pride Month was over so soon, never fear: Virginia celebrates its own local Pride in September. For the first time in history Tri-Cities Pride is taking its Petersburg Out & Proud festival to Hopewell. On Monday September 16, Guncotton is hosting a pop-up MonGays screening of the Gospel According to Andre. All money raised from this showing of the documentary on the first black man to break into the world of high fashion will go to support Nationz Foundation’s free mobile HIV testing and food pantry outreach in the Tri-Cities.
It’s that time again, that sweet spot at the tail end of summer when things are still slow and hot, but fall is a brilliant prospect ahead. Take this long weekend to savor the moment. We’ve rounded up three suggestions in hopes of encouraging you to play, sing, laugh, and enjoy a good ol’ fashioned ball game with your pooch.
Labor Day plans and more coming your way...read on!
Crossroads Breakfast
Cabaret
Start your Labor Day celebration early on Friday by making a special trip to Crossroads Coffee and Ice Cream for the Breakfast Cabaret, a longstanding tradition by the Professor and the Dancing Madwoman with deep neighborhood roots. A true community space with a funky bohemian vibe, Crossroads is the perfect spot to kick off your holiday weekend with strangers who will quickly become friends. Expect a lively musical performance, jokes, and a wild sing-along led by musicians Barry Bless and Twila Sikorski. Complete with a top hat and waxed mustache, Barry serves as the ringleader with his accordion in hand and surprises up his sleeve. And if you’re up for more zany action at Crossroads this holiday, consider heading back on Saturday for a Variety Show with DJs, bands, live readings, and local vendors.
Perk: After you’ve fueled up on songs, coffee, and one of their famous breakfast sandwiches, walk across the street to explore Forest Hill Park, a historic 105-acre urban park. Make sure to stop at the “Stone House” where we’ve left the first three Here readers a few surprise RIC t-shirts hidden by the door!
What’s a holiday weekend without plenty of good belly laughs. Laughter Yoga, yes—it’s really a thing, is said to boost your immune system, improve sleep, lower stress, and reduce pain. Some even claim that a minute of laughter is equal to 10 minutes on the ol’ rowing machine! This irresistibly weird and wonderful thing even has a club, called RVA Laugh Club of course, that meets on a regular basis at Integral Yoga Center of Richmond. We have Richmonder Slash Coleman (writer, producer, storyteller) to thank for the range of physiological and psychological benefits laughter yoga is bringing to RVA. Slash, who is a Certified Laughter Yoga Leader, will guide you through a sixty-minute class with prolonged voluntary laughter (1-10 minutes at a time) using Yogic Breathing Laughter Exercises, eye contact, and a host of childlike playfulness. The next Laughter Yoga session takes place this Friday at 6 pm!
Perk: If you want to get paid to laugh and further connect with your community, consider Laughter Yoga Leader Training with Slash to become a Certified Laughter Leader and authorized to start your own Laughter Yoga Club. Because we want to see more laughs in RVA, we’ll cover half of the cost for the three-day intensive training for the first Here reader to email us to let us know they’re ready to bring more chuckles to the neighborhood.
The Richmond Flying Squirrels return home for the final games of the 2019 season this Labor Day weekend, with four games at The Diamond from Friday through Monday to close out the franchise's 10th season celebration. The fun begins on Friday night with happy hour specials, mini wrestling, and a chance for kids (14 and younger) to run the bases after the game. On Saturday night, the game will be followed by an In-Your-Face Fireworks show up close and inside the fences. Come Sunday you can find a Dueling Fireworks show, one of the largest of the season, following the game. Things wrap up on Labor Day afternoon with Fan Appreciation Day & Labor Day Celebration. Gates open at noon on Labor Day and you can even bring your pooch (dogs are admitted free, just make sure to request a dog-friendly seating section).
Perk: Calling all students and teachers. Present your teacher or student ID at the ticket booth for a sweet Back-to-School Deal—$6 general admission tickets for all remaining games!
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.
Go
