vol. 93 / game onComing at you with three quirky and offbeat activities this weekend!
VOL. 93 / GAME ON
Game on, Richmond. We've got a curious mix of tips, recommendations, and oddities this week. Show your love for this place we call home and get out there to explore them all—from a wine dinner that tests your VI.Q to the grand opening of a retro video game store to an opportunity to explore beautifully abandoned Virginia places and the people that once occupied them.
Let's get to it, friends…
What's Your
VI.Q?
Think you’ve got drink smarts, a sense for expense, or a nose for Bordeauxs? If so, head to Perch this Sunday for What's Your VI.Q? to play a blind-tasting wine game to test your “Vintelligence quotient” with the fine folks from Virginia Wine. Chef Mike Ledesma and the Perch RVA team will be on hand for a fun afternoon of wine tasting and food pairings. The event organizers plan to match up some of the tastiest Virginia wines with wines from around the world for a chance to vote on your favorites. In addition to showboating your wine tasting abilities, there will also be a handful of VIP judges casting their vote (like Danielle DiBlasio of Williams Corner Wine, Michael Smith of Laura Lee's, Shayla Varnado of Black Girls Wine, Phaedra Hise of Style Weekly, Jason Tesauro of Barboursville Vineyards, and Beth Dixon of Perch RVA). Word has it that if Virginia scores in the Top-3, the winning wines will earn by-the-glass placement on the menu for the month.
Vitals: What's Your VI.Q? / Sunday, August 25 / 2:30 pm - 5 pm / Perch / 2918 W. Broad Street
DawnStar
Video Games
If sipping vino isn't your really thing, step around the corner to the grand opening of DawnStar, a new retail store in Scott's Addition offering a lil' retro gaming action. The keen observers around town have likely spotted DawnStar pop ups at local breweries of late and the gamers among us have probably already lined up. For the uninitiated, or, you know, a little too young to remember, we're talking old school video games (think Playstation, GameCube, and Nintendo64). This highly anticipated joint is spearheaded by the likes of Dakotah Coates and Meaghan Riley of The Circuit Arcade Bar and Andrew Griimoiire of Wax Moon Records. The trio also promises to offer up some weird, old consoles like TurboGrafx and Neo Geo. DawnStar will open its doors on Saturday from 11 am to 6 pm, and after the opening festivities they plan to operate their retail store Friday to Sunday and weekdays by appointment.
If you’re looking for something a bit different, consider testing your knowledge of abandoned Virginia this weekend. John Plashal, a celebrated Richmond photographer and author of "A Beautifully Broken Virginia" photographic coffee table book, has two big events on the books that showcase his travels through the backroads of Virginia in pursuit of abandoned homes, churches, schools, hospitals and other structures that have fallen into a beautiful state of disrepair. In addition to the documentation of his finds, John assimilates into these rural communities with the goal of getting the respective backstories on each, all of which are either historically relevant or anecdotally fascinating. The result is "Stories of an Abandoned Virginia," a highly visual and emotionally powerful presentation about beautifully abandoned Virginia places and the people that once occupied them. You can catch John’s stories and photos on Friday during the Pump House Tour & Stories of an Abandoned Virginia and again on Saturday at historic Battersea, a substantial stuccoed brick house located in the City of Petersburg near the south bank of the Appomattox River.
Our friends at Ledbury are back this week with their annual Warehouse Sale (through August 25), offering a chance to shop their 315 W. Broad Street store at up to 80% off! This has become something of a must-attend Richmond tradition with opportunities to score shirts at thrifty prices, as well as blazers, pants and polos on deep discount. Ledbury tell us they plan to restock on Saturday as well, so there will be fresh merchandise for weekend Here. shoppers too. Go support local business in Richmond and sweet prices.
