Ed 162: Rooftop Pools, CBD Cocktails, Fireworks Displays
Hey, y’all! 👋
Our team is doing a little “summer cleaning,” if you will — shaking out the COVID cobwebs, making some updates to the ways we do things, and putting our heads together to make sure we’re giving our members and the small businesses we work with in the Richmond community the very best we can offer.
So, we’re trying out a new format here, which we hope will be useful for y’all between when we send out The Weekly Insider and The Weekender each week. Let us know what you think!
Wednesday: Partly cloudy; high of 98°, low of 77°
Thursday: Afternoon thunderstorms; high of 95°, low of 73°
Friday: Scattered thunderstorms; high of 77°, low of 68°
Wednesday, 6:35 pm: Richmond Flying Squirrels, Dogoween / Wine & K9s
Thursday, 6 pm: Sunset Community Yoga @ VA War Memorial
Friday, 12 pm: 5th Annual Buskey Cider Red, White, and Blue CIDERbration
1. 4th of July Events Roundup (& Local Places to Find Hot Dogs)
2. Splash in the Sun at These 12 Local Outdoor Pools
3. Planning Your River Float: A Complete Guide
Kelli Lemon: Owner of community cafe Urban Hang Suite, co-founder of the Jackson Ward Collective, host of Richmond podcast Coffee With Strangers, and a self-proclaimed “social entrepreneur/consultant” who does so many amazing things for our community (from hosting events like The Richmond Jazz & Music Festival and After Hours at the VMFA, to assisting in the creation of events like the HeART & Soul Brew Fest and the Richmond Black Restaurant Experience, and much more).
Keep scrolling for RVA’s latest social news including what’s going on this week, what’s opening soon, our latest city guides, upcoming events, and more!
THE LATEST:
THIS WEEK
We see your fireworks and we raise you a laser show. While we’ve rounded up a variety of local fireworks displays here, we also wanted to make sure you know that Henrico County is hosting an event called “Red, White, and Lights 2021” on Sunday from 5 - 10 pm at Meadow Farm Museum at Crump Park — which will feature a day of entertainment, concessions, and fun before culminating with a performance of patriotic selections by the Richmond Symphony and a laser-light show finale. Not fireworks, LASERS!
Don't forget to bring chairs/blankets, water, sunscreen, bug spray, and cash for food and drink.
Speaking of catching a show outdoors… Movies in the Park are back! You can find the full 2021 line-up of Friday night film screenings here, including a showing of "Sister Act" this July 2 at Charlie Sydnor Park (1400 Maury St), “Beetlejuice” on July 9 at Battery Park (2405 Hawthorne Ave), “Gremlins” on July 16 at Jefferson Park (1921 Princess Anne Ave), and “Ghostbusters” on July 30 at Forest Hill Park (4021 Forest Hill Ave). All events are BYOP — bring your own popcorn, obviously.
If an Arnold Palmer and a hard seltzer had a baby, the result would be the just-released lemon iced tea "Sassy Seltzer" from Isley Brewing Company. Swing by their taproom in Scott’s Addition to get a taste before it sells out.
Speaking of Isley Brewing Company, it’s worth noting that they’re hosting a free Red, White & Brew celebration this Saturday and Sunday featuring red, white, and blue frozen "Ice-ley"s along with craft beer from their Beer Wagon out on the patio. There will also be free gifts for the first 50 attendees each day, live music from local artists, dog pools to cool off your pups, and — the big-ticket item, in our opinion — an amazing view of the fireworks displays happening at The Diamond both Saturday and Sunday night.
You can now order a CBD cocktail kit straight to your doorstep. Our pals at Cirrus Vodka just announced their new seasonal cocktail for the summer, Hibiscus Lemonade made with local Cativa CBD — which you taste in the taproom or get delivered to your doorstep in cocktail kit form here. If you’re looking for a super chill July 4 celebration, this may be for you!
COMING SOON
An exciting new addition to Richmond’s rooftop scene, the folks at New York Deli announced that their new rooftop restaurant/bar/movie theater/event space is officially expected to up and running in just three months! In addition to serving New York Deli’s incredible food and drinks AND acting as a community event (and wedding) space, this new Carytown addition will also provide The Byrd Theatre with a second movie screen — making Richmond one of only three cities in the U.S. with an outdoor rooftop movie theater, along with NYC and LA. We truly cannot wait to see this dream come true for the NYD team, for Carytown, and for the Richmond community overall!
Start planning ahead for your next event, because you now have even more opportunities to ride around Richmond in style. We’re thrilled for the RVA TukTuk team, who just expanded their fleet of three-wheeled, 100% electric, open air-limos (aka TukTuks) by 50 percent! That means significantly more availability to book a Bar Hop, a City Lights Tour, a Scavenger Hunt, a Bachelorette Party, or any other custom excursion you can dream up in Richmond.
And just a heads up for you, our members: We’ll be hosting an awesome giveaway with RVA TukTuk on our Instagram this week which will include a Bar Hop as well as gift cards to three local spots we love (Starr Hill Rooftop & Beer Hall, Beauvine Burger Concept, and Canon & Draw Brewing Company), so stay tuned and get ready to enter to win!
Theatre enthusiasts, rejoice. Broadway In Richmond has officially announced its 2021 - 2022 season, which includes upcoming shows like…
Anastasia (October 26 – 31, 2021)
The Lion King (March 9 – 20, 2022)
Mean Girls (September 20 – 25, 2022)
…and more! If you're already a subscriber, you can renew your seats for the 2021-2022 season here. If you're not, you'll need to purchase season tickets here, which come in three different levels (in terms of seating), as well as options for weeknight or weekend shows. Personally, we can’t wait to see “Mean Girls” live in RVA!
And guess what will return next week for its 22nd year? That’s right, the Richmond Shakespeare Festival! Bring your lawn chairs or blankets to the expansive lawn at the magnificent Agecroft Hall & Gardens, grab a popsicle from King of Pops or an adult beverage from Garden Grove Brewing Company & Urban Winery, and settle in to watch as live actors from Quill Theatre perform the works of the Bard himself set in front of a gorgeous view of the James River.
Beginning July 8 and running through August 15, shows will take place every Thursday through Sunday at 7:30 pm.
On Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays during the festival, they will perform "Twelfth Night," a hilarious tale of unrequited love starring one of Shakespeare's most dynamic heroines.
On Fridays throughout the festival you can expect “The Bottom Show,” which follows the story of Bottom, one of Shakespeare's most beloved characters from "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
Whichever performance you prefer, you can snag your tickets here.
Weekly Giveaway
Courthouse Creek Cider
We posted on Instagram about our recent Saturday spent at Courthouse Creek Cider’s farm in nearby Maidens, VA — but as much as we gushed about how great it was, we’re still not sure we did it justice for how truly amazing the cider, food, staff, farm animals, space, and experience really were.
So, we’re just gonna send you there so you can see for yourselves!
This week, we’re giving away one Courthouse Creek Cider flight and a bottle of the cider of your choice, to be redeemed on-site.
To enter to win: Tell us your favorite thing about summer! We’re pretty big fans of hanging out by the pool, personally…
Last week: Congratulations to Kate M. for winning our Maiden Motion giveaway!
Member Perks
Lindz’s Lens Photography
Can you believe we’re already halfway through 2021? As crazy as it seems, it’s true — and as we enter the second half of the year, we have an awesome opportunity for you to capture your family, your relationship, or yourself exactly as you are in this moment!
The next time you’re looking for new headshots, family photos, a couples session, event photography, and more local photographer Lindsey (owner of Lindz’s Lens Photography) is here to help.
RVAx members get 20% off of photography services with Lindz’s Lens Photography — just mention in your initial booking that you are a member of The Richmond Experience, and you’ll be all set! Learn more here.
new + trending from RVAx
SAVE THE DATE
👋
Hey, new members!
We'd like to welcome 21 new members this week: Sara H., Emily C., Sarah C., Kevin H., Chantel B., Sophia C., Ericka Z., Jaret P., Stephanie T., Ryan F., Kara S., Mary Scott H., Tyler A., Kerri B., Lucy R., Keri R., Kristen F., E C., Mandy L., Julie L., and Stephen D., 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 162 of The Weekly Insider.
Have a safe & happy holiday!
- The Richmond Experience
OUR LOCAL PARTNERS
