Ed 171: Labor Day Weekend Plans, VA Pride Month, Member Happy Hour
Hey, y’all! 👋
Did you know The Richmond Experience donates a portion of each annual membership purchased to rotating nonprofits each month? A huge THANK YOU to all RVAx members who joined and renewed last month — because of your annual membership purchase in August, we were able to make a $100 donation to Keep Virginia Cozy!
Keep Virginia Cozy is leading the effort to permanently protect countless acres of Virginia's wilderness and cities. Since its inception, this volunteer-led organization has removed 66,500+ pounds of litter and recycling (and counting!) from Virginia's waterways, park systems, mountain trails, and neighborhoods.
As a heads up, a portion of all new membership & renewal proceeds in September will be donated to RACC (more details can be found here). So truly, thank you for joining The Richmond Experience as a member and helping us to support awesome local nonprofits like this in our RVA community!
WEATHER
Wednesday: Scattered thunderstorms, isolated tornadoes possible; high of 84°, low of 65°
Thursday: Showers in the morning, partly cloudy in the afternoon; high of 80°, low of 58°
Friday: Mostly sunny heading into the weekend; high of 79°, low of 59°
HAPPENINGS
Wednesday, 7 pm: Woman Crush Wednesday ft. Pistol Sister, Jahnel Daliya & More at The Camel
Thursday, 7 pm: Rock Cats Rescue presents The Amazing Acro-Cats
Friday, 8 pm: Fear of Music, A Talking Heads Tribute at The Broadberry
CITY GUIDES
1. RVA Labor Day Weekend Events Roundup
2. Concerts & Shows Happening in Richmond Now Through Labor Day
3. The Ultimate RVA Summer Bucket List
RICHMONDER TO KNOW
Dan Halloran: Program and Grants Manager at the Robins Foundation and a fundraising volunteer at Side By Side Virginia. After earning a BA from the University of Richmond and an MPA from Virginia Commonwealth University, Dan founded ouRVA Collective, an organization in its inaugural year working to benefit Richmond by empowering its next generation of philanthropists through education, volunteerism, community building, and collective giving.
Heads up: You can still join ouRVA Collective until September 27 to contribute to and vote on the organization's inaugural grant, which will be awarded this October. More details here, or follow along on Instagram here.
Keep scrolling for RVA’s latest social news, including the top events happening in Richmond this Labor Day Weekend, dates to mark on your calendar for Virginia Pride Month in September, need-to-know details about our upcoming RVAx Member Happy Hour next Wednesday, and more!
THE LATEST:
THIS WEEK
Looking for something fun to do this LDW? Check out our RVA Labor Day Weekend Events Roundup for all the best happenings going on this Friday, September 3 through Monday, September 6. Cheers to the long weekend ahead!
It’s Virginia Pride Month! While unfortunately VA Pridefest 2021 has been postponed to 2022 due to COVID-19 concerns, there are still several ways to celebrate and support Richmond’s LGBTQ+ community this September, including…
9/1 - 9/29: Wednesgays at The Byrd Theatre
9/3: Safe Space Pop-Up Pride @ Diversity Richmond
9/9: Pride Night & Fireworks at The Diamond
9/18: Scott's Addition Pride Crawl 2021
…and more! Find additional Pride Month events on our new-and-improved Event Calendar by selecting “LGBTQ+” from the dropdown menu.
Speaking of Virginia Pride Month, the folks at Ardent Craft Ales just released rainbow-clad cans of Plum Basil Gose, with proceeds from sales supporting VA Pride! This pink-hued beer was brewed with a whopping 500 pounds of plum and fresh basil. It’s bright, tart, effervescent, and the ideal pairing for the Scott’s Addition Pride Crawl later this month!
We are also coming up on Rosh Hashanah, aka a celebration of the Jewish New Year! If you are looking for a local way to celebrate, pop-up concept Jewfro is offering Rosh Hashanah take-out dinners for 2, 4, or 10 people including starters, entrees, and desserts — and a portion of all proceeds will be donated to the Jaidon Smith Scholarship Fund at Walter Johnson High School in memory of a young kid from co-owner Ari Augenbaum’s community who lost his life in a tragic car accident. Order here.
September may be here, but it’s still hot! Cool off (and check an item off of your summer bucket list) with a stop at Sweet Spot Ice Cream Cafe, a Black- and woman-owned dessertery in Shockoe Bottom offering discounted $5 pints of ice cream throughout the month of September, with both dairy and vegan flavors to choose from. We’re not drooling, you’re drooling.
Wait — did someone say CBD popcorn? Yup, local Black- and veteran-owned biz Lammar Marie’s Gourmet Popcorn just introduced a new twist on two of their most popular flavors.
Bags of their Buttery White Cheddar and Snickerdoodle popcorns can now be purchased with 30 mg of full-spectrum CBD so that in addition to enjoying a sweet or savory treat, you're also getting the pain-relieving and mood-lifting benefits of CBD with your snack. Shop here!
COMING SOON
Opening in Downtown Richmond later this month: Fall Line Kitchen & Bar, a new upscale-casual eatery located within the newly renovated Richmond Marriott Downtown, is expected to open on September 23.
This new food destination will offer ingredient-focused comfort food along with craft beer and cocktails, with menu items ranging from lump crab hushpuppies and iron skillet cornbread, to wagyu steak frites, truffled bucatini and a belly-on pork chop.
Fall Line will initially be open daily for dinner starting at 5 pm with an indoor dining area, outdoor patio, and indoor bar seating — don't miss the hand-painted mural of a Kingfisher bird created by local artist Hamilton Glass if you stop by!
Mexican fare is on the horizon for Near West End: Mike Platania at Richmond BizSense reported that the owners of Tazza Kitchen, Susan and John Davenport, are embarking on a new concept called Conejo Cocina Mexicana, set to open at Westhampton Commons at the intersection of Patterson and Libbie.
The Davenports are said to be partnering with Danny Mena, chef and author of the cookbook “Made In Mexico,” on this venture, which Platania reported will offer tacos, salads, rotisserie meats, housemade masa (i.e. corn flour), and "antojitos" or Mexican small plates — along with plenty of Mezcal and tequila to choose from. Follow along on Instagram as they work toward an official opening date.
Weekly Giveaway
The Richmond Experience:
Member Happy Hour at Canon & Draw
We're inviting you and the rest of our awesome RVAx members to come hang out with us at Canon & Draw to enjoy some craft beer (and/or craft seltzers!), play some pool, and meet and mingle with likeminded Richmonders next Wednesday, September 8 from 5:30 - 7:30 pm.
This event is totally free to attend, but we're hoping you'll order a drink (or a cheese and charcuterie board from RVA Cheese Girl, yum!) while you're there in order to best support this local biz. That said, we are giving away a $20 gift card to Canon & Draw to one lucky RVAx member to use to cover your tab!
To enter to win: RSVP for the event here! We’ll randomly select a winner from the attendee list and contact them directly next Tuesday, September 7 with a digital gift card.
PLEASE NOTE: We definitely want to be mindful of COVID-19 precautions, so if you have recently been exposed to anyone with the coronavirus or are experiencing any symptoms, we ask that you sit this one out and hope to see you next time. If you are unvaccinated, please plan to wear a mask indoors. Cheers to our awesome community and to supporting one of our favorite local breweries.
Last week: Congratulations to Kerri A. and Ashley S. for winning our Richmond International Film Festival giveaway last week!
Member Perks
The Pit and The Peel Rooftop
New month, new perks! Let your pals know that this month only, when they sign up to join The Richmond Experience as a member, they’ll get a free smoothie on us from The Pit and The Peel Rooftop in The Fan.
Of course, if you’re reading this, you’re obviously already a member — and don’t worry, we’ve got a perk for you, too.
Members of The Richmond Experience can use code RVAX21Main9Sept for 10% off of your order at The Pit and The Peel Rooftop all month long. Check out their menu here and start planning your visit!
New + Trending from RVAx
SAVE THE DATE
👋
Hey, new members!
We'd like to welcome 40 new members this week: Dierdre M., Delaney G., Mackenzie W., Brittany G., Delani F., Tiffany N., Alexis H., Maggie M., Shannon P., Kristine H., Caroline B., Reese A., Nina B., Ceili G., Chrissy C., Kion B., Danielle B., Cristina A., Brennan C., Makaila H., J M., Victoria M., Rebecca A., Yara D., Abipsha P., Hayley G., Alex S., Eric D., Alex S., Christine M., Linda N., Izzy T., Daniel O., Chris P., Eleanor C., Katii S., Zach T., Lauren G., Ariana B., and Erica 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 171 of The Weekly Insider.
Enjoy the long weekend!
- The Richmond Experience
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