Ed 158: Pride Month, Summer Concerts, Can't-Miss June Openings
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Hey there! Alicia here 👋
I hope everyone had a fun (and safe!) Memorial Day Weekend, and that you’re all looking forward to what June has to offer here in RVA — because the answer is “a lot,” including…
Pride Month events of all kinds, from movie screenings to beer releases to soccer matches to drag shows and way, way more
Where and how you can run for your rainbow cookies at not one but two different local parks this Thursday through Sunday — either timed as a part of Richmond’s racing community or on your own for fun (and a rainbow cookie-inspired finisher medal)
A whopping FIVE different live outdoor musical performances happening around Richmond this week, including the official kickoffs of three different summer concert series
A nearby self-proclaimed “weird and wonderful” winery that just opened last weekend, as well as updates on Church Hill’s first brewery
…and more! Not to mention, we just dropped our latest edition of The Trendspotter outlining the seven new businesses you NEED to know about this month.
Forgive me for sounding like Richmond’s personal cheerleading squad here (although I guess I kind of am) but: Ready? Okay!
THE LATEST:
SOCIAL NEWS
It’s Pride Month, y’all! As someone representing the B in LGBTQ+, I always get excited when June finally arrives so I have even more of an excuse to wear all rainbow everything.
If you’re looking for ways to do the same, we’ve got you covered with our new City Guide, PRIDE MONTH EVENTS HAPPENING IN RVA THIS JUNE (& MORE WAYS TO SUPPORT OUR LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY!).
Speaking of rainbows, time to run for your rainbow cookies. The Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10k presented by Kroger is happening this very week!
Starting this Thursday, June 3 through Sunday, June 6, you'll have the chance to run this traditional RVA race a couple of different ways depending on what you’re comfortable with:
Option 1: You can head to one of two official courses (either at Byrd Park or at Dorey Park) to complete a timed, timed, measured, and certified race with a start and finish line, directional arrows, and encouragement along the way.
Option 2: Participate virtually by running or walking 6.2 miles on your own wherever you like — you can even use the RaceJoy app or upload your results manually to get an official finisher time and be added to the event's leaderboard.
And don’t forget, this year’s finisher medals are rainbow cookie-inspired, so you definitely don’t want to miss out. However you decide to participate, we just hope you have a blast!
A self-described “weird and wonderful” winery for your bucket list. The brand new Merrie Mill Farm & Vineyard literally JUST opened its doors to guests on Memorial Day weekend. The hour-long drive to this nearby wine-filled wonderland will be 100% worth it once you see Merrie Mill’s unique tasting room, which was intentionally designed to feel more like a creative, cozy residence than a standard commercial space.
Expect eclectic antique furnishings, personal artwork, antique taxidermy, and more, along with the pièce de résistance: a 12 ft. tall vine terrace running along the side of the building. Oh, and award-winning wines paired with light bites. Reservations here.
Updates on Church Hill’s first brewery (it’s coming, we promise!). Trapezium Brewing announced late last week that they finally obtained the Special Use Permit they needed from the City of Richmond that will officially clear the way for them to open their new taproom in Church Hill. They’ve still got work to do to the building itself before they’re ready to open (and by “the building,” we mean the former Richmond Association of Masonic Lodges building at 520 N 25th St), but they are optimistically aiming to start pouring for the public by fall 2021. We’ll be keeping a close eye on their social media pages as things progress, so stay tuned!
Outdoor concerts to add to your calendar. Seriously, y’all, we can’t tell you how excited we are that live music is a thing again. So, we rounded up a few shows we’re excited about this week:
Wednesday, June 2 - The Oasis: A High Noon Summer Concert Series kicks off at The Valentine (12 - 1 pm)
Thursday, June 3 - Caiola, Airpark, and Kirby Sybert at The Camel (Doors open at 7 pm; show starts at 8:30 pm)
Friday, June 4 - Aaron Lewis and The Stateliners at the After Hours Concerts at the Meadow Event Park — the series formerly Innsbrook After Hours (Doors open at 5 pm; show starts at 6 pm)
Saturday, June 5 - Pocahontas Premieres: The Richmond Symphony at Pocahontas State Park(8 - 9 pm)
Bring home some GWAR for your bar. You can imagine our surprise when we were perusing The Virginian-Pilot this morning and learned (before we'd even had our coffee, no less!) that Richmond metal band GWAR (yes, as in GWARbar) worked with Catoctin Creek Distilling in nearby Purcellville to release their very own Virginia whiskey.
It’s called Ragnarök Rye. It’s a 92 strength rye whisky that was pot stilled, then aged in charred new white oak, and you can learn all about it here. The first batch sold out almost immediately — but Catoctin Creek says batch number two is on the way. For those enjoying this story, please watch this video for more details, because I’m losing my mind over it.
HAPPENINGS
What type of wine pairs best with yacht rock? Asking on behalf of anyone headed to Brambly Park After Dark this Saturday, June 5 to see Three Sheets to the Wind hit the stage at 9 pm!
ICYMI, "Brambly Park After Dark" is the name of this urban winery's new concert series happening in Scott’s Addition all summer long, which kicks off this weekend. The series will start on Friday, June 4 at 9 pm with a performance by The Ben Phelps Project — you can get tickets to that show here. We just wanted to let y’all know about the Three Sheets to the Wind show first, since that one’s likely to sell out fast!
For the full event series line-up, check out Brambly Park’s event calendar here.
(Looking for something else to do instead? Check out our hand-curated event calendar for more ideas!)
Weekly Giveaway
Discover Richmond Father’s Day Gift Box
Here’s your public service announcement that Father’s Day is less than three weeks away! Instead of getting the dads in your life yet another tie or pair of socks to add to their seemingly infinite collection, get them something local that’ll touch their hearts (and stomachs).
We’re talking, of course, about the Discover Richmond Father’s Day Gift Box — and we’re giving one of these bad boys away to a lucky member, valued at $79!
To enter to win: Tell me your favorite thing about the dad in your life that you’d give this gift box to! My favorite thing about my stepdad has to be his killer dance moves — we’ve got some amazing video of him doing The Worm at our wedding.
Last week: Congratulations to Lena M. for winning our Sprezza Cucina giveaway!
Member Perks
L&M Company
We are SO grateful that bike shorts are back in style, because truth be told, no item is more comfortable to wear during a Richmond summer — particularly if the pair you’re sporting comes from L&M Company!
This local, women-owned business was founded in Richmond in 2018 with a focus on the company’s insanely comfortable leggings. Since then, owners (and sisters!) Lucy and Michele have expanded their offerings to include buttery soft, breathable bike shorts as well as goes-with-everything t-shirts and more.
Whether you order one of these items or all of the above, we’ve got good news: Members of The Richmond Experience get 10% off of their entire order with code RVAX at check-out. Shop now!
new + trending from RVAx
SAVE THE DATE
👋
Hey, new members!
We'd like to welcome 58 new members this week: Jessica R., Regina P., Stephanie C., Jessica S., Donovan A., Cole K., Jessie B., Hayden P., AJ M., Aj R., Donna S., Julia R., Javaria J., Elizabeth W., Jeremiah J., David S., Alycia W., Abi H., Madelyn C., Gustavo L., Nicole P., Rebecca B., Zachariah M., Naomi W., Earl L., Stephen S., Huan J., Mason S., Hilary P., Elizabeth I., Victoria H., Kirby R., Lauren C., Sam L., Julia R., Rebeccah P., Caroline L., Kim R., Heather K., Anna K., Roz H., Kari P., Maddie E., Matthew G., Kaytee H., Yvan D., Bre K., Caitlin A., Diego S., Jordan G., Abel C., Hanna D., Tyler M., Samantha B., Ali W., Dominique L., Laura R., and Paul L., we're so glad you're here!
It takes a village, so let us know if you have any questions, thoughts, feedback, tips, or recs! Thanks for reading edition 158 of The Weekly Insider.
Ta-ta for now!
- Alicia @ The Richmond Experience
Thank you to Canon & Draw Brewing Company for powering this edition of The Weekly Insider!
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