Ed 183: Winter Events Guide, Christmas Tree Farms, Local Gift Ideas
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Hey, y’all! Alicia here 👋
I hope your holiday break was peaceful and joyful — ours sure were. We came back to work this week feeling refreshed and excited for all that the holiday season has in store for us here in Richmond.
So, let’s get to it!
WEATHER
Wednesday: Partly cloudy; high of 59°, low of 45°
Thursday: Partly sunny; high of 68°, low of 48°
Friday: Mostly sunny; high of 65°, low of 43°
HAPPENINGS
Wednesday, 5 pm - 12 am: Miracle on Cary Street (A Holiday Pop-Up Bar at The Jasper)
Thursday, 6:30 - 8:30 pm: Pines & Pints Wreath Decorating Workshop at Buskey Cider
Friday, 5 - 11 pm: RVA First Fridays in the Arts District
CITY GUIDES
1. Richmond's Top Holiday Happenings & Winter Events 2021
2. Local Experiences That Make Awesome Gifts
3. Shop Local: 2021 Holiday Market Roundup
RICHMONDER TO KNOW
Kelly Cahen: Owner at 1213 Hair Studio, a boutique salon located in the heart of Richmond's Historic Fan District (and the go-to hair studio for our team at The Richmond Experience!). With more than a decade in the beauty industry, Kelly has been recognized both locally and nationally as a revered hairstylist and business owner.
Heads up: 1213 Hair Studio has some incredible giveaways planned for the holiday season, so be sure you’re following them on Instagram at @1213hairstudio for your chance to win.
Keep scrolling for RVA’s latest social news, including the island-inspired taco bar now open in the West End, a new gift shop now open in The Fan just in time for the holidays, a Hanukkah celebration happenings this Saturday featuring free latkes and hot chocolate, and more!
THE LATEST:
THIS WEEK
A coffee shop revival in Church Hill: If the refreshed menu and renewed interior didn’t tip you off, Richmond Magazine just confirmed that Riverbend Roastery (2623 E Broad St) is operating under new ownership. The specialty coffeehouse is now led by Alexa Schuett, whom you may recognize as the owner of another Church Hill staple, Liberty Public House.
Alexa and her wife purchased Riverbend Roastery and redesigned the space to offer a brighter, cleaner aesthetic along with an updated coffee selection built on fair trade, organic, Rain Forest Alliance-certified beans. They also added a list of sandwiches, each of which is available on a choice of English muffin, bagel, ciabatta, or multigrain bread depending if you're in the mood for breakfast or lunch — aka, a true “all day” menu. If you’re looking for a new co-working spot, this just might be it!
Island vibes in the West End: Sloop John B, Richmond’s first “island-style taco bar,” just officially opened its doors at Regency Square Mall (1420 N Parham Rd Suite M226).
For the not-so-nautical among us, a “sloop” is a a fore-and-aft rigged boat with one mast and a single jib — and Sloop John B literally has one hanging from its ceiling to set the vibe of the polished, sea-inspired space along with the real bamboo hanging above the bar, oceanic lighting features, and more.
From Mexican-style shrimp cocktail to beer birria tacos to cinnamon sugar churros and beyond, Sloop John B's menu has our mouths watering already. And don’t even get us started on the cocktail menu! We’ll be visiting for an East Indies Trade Wind (Bombay Sapphire gin, orange curacao, lemon, and egg white) and a Samoan Fog Cutter (Bacardi Superior Rum, Boodles Gin, brandy, sherry, orgeat, lemon, and orange) ASAP.
Gift shopping made easy in The Fan: One of our favorite local online retailers, Shelley’s Gift Shop, just officially opened a brick-and-mortar space near VCU at 1727 W Main St!
From gourmet foods and home decor to apparel and jewelry and so much more, Shelley's Gift Shop has a carefully curated selection of products hand-crafted by small businesses to help you find the perfect gift. A few items we’ve had our eyes on:
Hot Chocolate Bombs by Virginia’s Finest Chocolates
Friday night lights: Ready to see the city glow? Don’t miss RVA Illuminates this Friday, December 3 at 5:45 pm at Kanawha Plaza (801 E Canal St), when the switch will be flipped ON to light up the downtown Richmond skyline for the 2021 holiday season!
This free event will feature an official tree lighting on-site at Kanawha Plaza itself in addition to the illumination of skyscrapers throughout the city, along with live musical performances and uplifting stories from local organizations.
Can't make the event in person? Don't worry, ABC8 News will be airing live coverage for those looking to follow along from home. Be sure to join in the fun by lighting up your own homes this Friday, too!
Santa Claus is comin’ to town: The arrival of Old Saint Nick will be just one of the many reasons to get excited about the Dominion Energy Christmas Parade, happening along W Broad St this Saturday, December 4 at 10 am!
Colorful floats, giant helium balloons, high school and college marching bands, princesses, superheroes, the trademark Wells Fargo Stagecoach, the VCU Peppas, and more will kick off the parade route from the Science Museum of Virginia. From there, they’ll move eastbound along Broad St until finishing up at 7th Street near the Richmond Coliseum. You can check out the full parade line-up here.
Spectators are invited to line streets along the 2.2-mile route to enjoy the excitement IRL, or you can watch the live broadcast from home on WTVR CBS6 (also available to stream on WTVR.com and the WTVR Facebook page, as well as on the WTVR Roku/Amazon Fire Stick/Apple TV channels).
Hanukkah is here: In case you missed it, Hanukkah kicked off on Sunday, November 28 and will conclude on Monday, December 6. If you’re in Richmond and looking to celebrate, you’re in luck: Kehillah and Ten Thousand Villages have come together to present the 3rd Annual Carytown Hanukkah this Saturday, December 4 from 4:30 - 7 pm at Ten Thousand Villages (3201 W Cary St).
This highly anticipated free, family-friendly, annual event will be free hot chocolate and latkes from JewFro (while supplies last), a live menorah lighting, Jewish music, dreidel and other games (with prizes!), an "Ask The Rabbi" booth, kids' story time, and more. No tickets are required, but donations are warmly welcomed to keep this event free for future years!
COMING SOON
It takes a village: In this case, it takes four villages — the Holiday Villages by the Richmond Market, that is. This year, these wondrous, wintry markets will take place in different spots across the city:
Saturday, December 4 - 2928 North Ave
Saturday, December 11 - Forest Hill Park
Saturday, December 18 - 17th Street Market
Sunday, December 19 - 17th Street Market
Each Holiday Village will pop up from 1 - 6 pm featuring 100+ local vendors, live bands and DJs, artists performing live exhibitions, and more. Learn more here.
Run run Rudolph: Looking for a festive way to get active this season and see stunning holiday lights? Look no further than the CarMax Tacky Light Run!
Taking place next Saturday, December 11 at 6 pm, this 6K course shows off Midlothian's best display of tacky lights, including dozens of homes with over-the-top displays in the Walton Park neighborhood. This year’s theme is candy, so you could say the whole experience is expected to be pretty sweet ;)
Each registration includes a Santa Tracker (aka a race day bib), admission to the North Pole (aka the holiday racecourse), an ornament finisher medal, and your choice of a Winter Candy Land-themed beanie or short-sleeved t-shirt. Sign up here!
Weekly Giveaway
Blanchard’s Coffee Roasting Co.
It’s officially the holiday season, and we’re craving all the wintry flavors we’ve been missing out on since last December. If you’ve felt the same way, we’ve got just the giveaway for you this week.
Blanchard’s Coffee Roasting Co. just released an RVA seasonal favorite, their Holiday Blend. This year's blend brings together coffees from Guatemala, Colombia, and Kenya with notes of cocoa, nutmeg, and plum. Basically, it's the quickest way to warm your heart with a cup of cheer this winter!
We’re giving away a 12 oz. bag of the Blanchard’s Holiday Blend to one lucky RVAx winner.
To enter to win: Tell us something you’re looking forward to this holiday season! Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing the Richmond Ballet perform The Nutcracker next weekend.
Last week: Congratulations to last week’s winner, Kimberly S., for winning a dinner for two to Fall Line Kitchen & Bar!
Member Perks
2022 Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10k
You’ve got just under five months to train for the 2022 Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10k, which is officially returning to Richmond in its traditional in-person format on April 23, 2022, with registration capped at 20,000 participants.
2022 will mark the 23rd running of the Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10k. The 6.2-mile road race returns to its traditional format on Broad Street, Monument Avenue, and Franklin Street for the first time since 2019. The 2020 and 2021 events took place in a hybrid format on multiple courses over several days to continue the tradition of one of Richmond’s favorite community events.
Registration is now open here, and we’ve got a special incentive for you to sign up ASAP: a 20% discount code (valid when you register before Thursday, December 2 at 12 pm) that can be used on any 10k registration, including the 10k, YMCA 10k Training Team, and 10k Mini kids run!
RVAx members can use code RVAX at check-out to take advantage of the 20% discount. Register here before noon on Thursday, and we’ll see you at the starting line!
New + Trending from RVAx
SAVE THE DATE
👋
Hey, new members!
We'd like to welcome 66 new members this week: Juliana C., Maggie B., Kelly W., Cindy D., Sarah H., James H., Maggie S., Maranda R., Charlie W., Annie L., Kelsey B., Nancy A., Danielle P., Bridget B., Khalil W., Blakeley S., Laura B., Caroline L., Lena M., Nicole W., Booth H., Reese A., Felicia H., Angelene R., Zoe R., Lauren R., Carmen C., Mackenzie K., Kristianne S., Adam G., Elizabeth A., Nathalie M., Emily F., Chelsea C., Adam H., Danielle G., Josepha M., Rebecca M., Hanna S., Forrest P., Jessica M., Skye B., Gretchen J., Caroline M., Donna R., Whitney F., Connor P., Sarah S., Paul K., Kai B., Funmilayo M., Courtney B., Kate T., Lizette A., Justin B., Bridget F., Julia W., Hilaire A., Ashley H., Georgia G., Jerome H., Britney S., Michael R., Julia S., Erin D., and Clare S., 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 183 of The Weekly Insider.
Have a great week!
- Alicia @ The Richmond Experience
Thank you to AR Workshop Richmond for powering this edition of The Weekly Insider from The Richmond Experience!
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