Ed 176: Folkus Pocus, Cary Potter, Fall Fizz Giveaway
Hey, y’all! 👋
We’re back with another edition of The Trendspotter, aka a roundup of the top 5, can’t-miss, just-opened spots you need to check out in Richmond this October. Read it here!
WEATHER
Wednesday: Overcast with rain showers; high of 79°, low of 65°
Thursday: Mostly cloudy, chance of rain shower; high of 78°, low of 63°
Friday: Partly sunny, slight chance of rain shower; high of 78°, low of 63°
HAPPENINGS
Wednesday, 5:45 pm: X-Team Fitness Free Burn & Brew Workout at Väsen Brewing Company
Thursday, 7:30 pm: Studio “Boo” Three’s Halloween Film Series: Beetlejuice
Friday, 6:30 pm (through Sunday at 6 pm): Richmond Folk Festival
CITY GUIDES
1. Where To Get Your Scare On This Halloween
2. 10 (Free Or Cheap) Things To Do Around Town This Fall
3. Pumpkin Spice, Apple, Cinnamon & More — The Best Fall-Flavored Food In RVA This Year
RICHMONDER TO KNOW
Brittanny Anderson: James Beard-nominated chef and co-owner at Richmond restaurants Metzger, Brenner Pass, and Black Lodge as well as DC restaurant, Leni — and a competitor on season 18 of Bravo's “Top Chef.”
P.S. Black Lodge is in its “soft opening” mode this week as it reemerges into Richmond’s dining scene in its newest iteration as an elevated dive bar; more details here.
Keep scrolling for RVA’s latest social news, including the beloved Halloween movie-inspired beer release we’ve all been waiting for, the official return of a truly magical treat festival in Carytown this month (hint, hint), where you can now find perfectly brewed cold coffee to get your iced coffee fix at all hours of the day or night, the grand opening details for Richmond’s first dog social club, and more.
THE LATEST:
THIS WEEK
Once I make my move, you’re free… to head to Carytown Cupcakes for their annual Cary Potter celebration (yes, that was a TikTok reference). This year’s flavors include:
Sorting Hat - chocolate cake, filled with colored vanilla buttercream that sort you into a Hogwarts house, chocolate cream cheese icing
Aunt Petunia's Pudding - vanilla cream cheesecake with strawberries, strawberry syrup soak, whipped cream, silver sprinkles, cherry
Golden Snitch (VG) - cinnamon cake, golden graham crust, buttery cinnamon buttercream, gold dye
Butterbeer - brown sugar cream soda cake, buttered caramel buttercream, butterscotch ganache
Dumbledore's Favorite Sherbert Lemon (VG) - lemon zest cake, tart pastry cream, lemon buttercream, sanding sugar
Detention with Umbridge (GF) - gluten-free English breakfast tea cake, raspberry filling, pink almond buttercream, pink glitter
I mean, can you say Accio cupcakes? Pre-orders here.
I know we’re in PSL mode, but — have you seen the new cold coffee vending machine from Blanchard’s at their Morris Street location? Unlike their Blanchard's 24/7 vending machines at 1903 Westwood Ave and at their Forest Hill location, which are typically stocked with a variety of best-selling Blanchard's items ranging from beans to instant coffee to equipment, this one is dedicated solely to dispensing cans of cold coffee which are “roasted, brewed, and then snapchilled” to maintain bold, smooth flavor every time.
Basically, we’re saying you can now get your Blanchard’s cold coffee fix at any hour of the day. Pour over ice and thank us later.
It’s all just a bunch of hocus pocus. Whoops, I mean Folkus Pocus — that’s the new RVA Folk Fest-inspired beer release that Hardywood Park Craft Brewery is releasing today to be enjoyed during this weekend’s celebrations. From Hardywood:
“We pulled out our shiniest cauldron for this special brew. There may not be any eye of newt, but you’ll find Folkus Pocus is full of freshly squeezed citrus and ripe peach characters from the Citra hops, further intensified by rounds of dry hopping with Rakua and Wai Iti hops straight from New Zealand. This full-bodied, hazy IPA is the ideal duet partner for your Folk Fest experience.”
You’ll be able to find it at the RVA Folk Festival this weekend, or in 4-packs of cans at all of these locations.
Speaking of the Folk Festival, in case you forgot, it kicks off this Friday at Brown’s Island and runs through this Sunday — and it’s totally free to attend!
You can find the full performance schedule here, food and beverage details here, and everything else you need to know for the weekend here.
Praise Wonton, it’s open again! Chop Suey Books has been undergoing renovations on its Carytown storefront for a few months now, and they’re finally ready to welcome readers back through their doors! Swing by to pick up some seasonal reading material and to see if you can spot the shop cat, Wonton. Bonus points for stopping by Pho Luca’s next door for some delicious, soul-warming food to enjoy along with your books.
Searching for pumpkins but don’t want to visit a patch? You can stop by Cross Creek Nursery to get gourds and pumpkins in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Check out their fall container garden ideas for some inspo too, while you’re at it.
COMING SOON
You had me at “dog social club.” Ruff Canine Club, Richmond’s first combination dog park/bar, just announced that its grand opening paw-ty will take place on Saturday, October 30!
There will be free giveaways for the first 50 guests in attendance, a raffle for one annual membership to this new social club, free caricature drawings from local artist @brandondrawsfaces, and the opportunity to shop vendors S&J Canine Co and The Dog Food Truck.
And perhaps most excitingly, there will be a dog costume contest — and one large dog AND one small dog with the best costume in their size group will each win an annual membership to Ruff Canine Club! More details here.
Three of our favorite F words! Fire, Flour & Fork 2021 tickets are now officially on sale for this year’s long mini-festival November 5 - 7, which they’re calling an “an amuse-bouche to 2022.”
There will be amazing events to choose from during this long weekend event, including:
Friday, November 5: East Meets the Southwest Top Chefs
Saturday, November 6: Ghosts in Virginia Kitchens: John Dabney and James Hemings
Sunday, November 7: Fire, Flour & Fork Drag Brunch
Find more info and get your tickets here.
Weekly Giveaway
Cirrus Vodka “Fall Fizz” Cocktails
We’re all in on autumn right now (who isn’t?!), and our friends at Cirrus Vodka just blended a few of our favorite fall flavors into one delicious cocktail that’s too good not to share.
It’s called the “Fall Fizz,” and it’s part fruity, part spicy, part tangy, and all autumnal bliss. It's made with a flavorful combination you might not expect — Cirrus Vodka, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, Crescent Simple's Apple Spice syrup, and Mother Shrub's Pineapple shrub.
Cirrus Vodka is offering this tasty concoction in their tasting room, in DIY kits so you can craft it yourself from home, or pre-made as single-serve to-go cocktails for on-demand enjoyment.
So, we’re giving away a (gift card in the amount of a) 2-pack of to-go, ready-to-drink “Fall Fizz” cocktails to one lucky winner!
To enter to win: Tell us one of your favorite fall treats! I’m a sucker for a candy apple, personally.
Last week: Congratulations to last week’s winner, Julia R., on winning a copy of “Three Rooms” by Jo Hamya, our RVAx Book Club selection for October!
Member Perks
Apples & Ales: A Celebration of Fall
Join Agecroft Hall & Gardens this Saturday, October 9 for their annual autumnal affair, Apples & Ales: A Celebration of Fall!
Enjoy a relaxing afternoon in the gorgeous gardens at Agecroft with beverages from Blue Bee Cider and Garden Grove Brewing & Urban Winery, as well as pre-order picnic meal options from The Broken Tulip. We’ve got our eyes on the cheese picnic box and some eggplant paan.
Ticket sales end this Thursday, October 7 at noon, so be sure to snag yours ASAP before you miss out!
Adult admission includes two beverage tickets and a walk-through of our museum, but members of The Richmond Experience can use promo code RVAxTakeTheCake when purchasing tickets to get a free slice of apple cake (valued at $6 each) to enjoy as well — get your tickets here.
New + Trending from RVAx
SAVE THE DATE
👋
Hey, new members!
We'd like to welcome 26 new members this week: Lauren H., Michele E., Ruth C., Jenn B., Brandy W., Hilda Y., Darcy C., Jessica D., Natalie L., Naomi W., Andrea M., Robin N., Lee L., Kelsey A., Natalie P., Dana M., Steven S., Jamie E., Jontell P., Caitlin C., Abby H., Amber R., Robin L., Justine A., Brendan S., and Davis B., 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 176 of The Weekly Insider.
Enjoy your week!
- Alicia @ The Richmond Experience
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