Here's to making waves in the River City this weekend. We’ve rounded up a handful of recommendations for people, places, and causes to celebrate.
See you in the city!
AlterNatives
Bluegrass & Brews
AlterNatives Boutique, Richmond's first fair trade store, is hosting Bluegrass & Brews on Saturday at 3320 W. Cary St. in Carytown. If you haven't checked out AlterNatives yet, they offer a variety of products from fair trade craftspeople and companies that offer livable wages and safe working conditions. The shop also operates a nonprofit called Highland Support Project (HSP), which works to empower communities in the Guatemalan Highlands. Thanks to the local nonprofit, volunteer teams here in Richmond make annual trips to the Guatemalan Highlands to help build stoves for families and communities that would normally cook food over an open-pit fire inside of their homes. These stoves prevent illnesses and deaths from smoke inhalation, reduce deforestation because they use less wood, and they help provide women more time to pursue other educational opportunities and trainings within and outside of their rural communities. This weekend's event in Richmond will benefit these efforts. Bands will kick off at 1 pm in Carytown, beer will be provided by Legend Brewing, homemade Guatemalan food served, and there will be plenty of opportunities to learn more about the work of HSP and participate in an online auction with an impressive collection of local goods up for grabs.
Own your freakdom this weekend. Freak Flags, a female-owned and operated flag and pennant shop based in RVA, has the River City abuzz with its latest creations. Freak Flags designs fun and funky flags that celebrate everything there is to love about Richmond. Make sure to follow Freak Flags on Instagram to track their latest pop ups and new offerings, as they sell out fast. Recent flags have included shoutouts to favorite spots around town (check out their Scuffletown flag) and pennants with playful sayings like, "I Love You More Than Springtime in Richmond." Local pickups are available at Tiny Space in Church Hill. Let your freak flag fly!
Vitals:
Shop Freak Flags here / Follow for upcoming flags here
Høly River
at the Pump House
Take a virtual trip to the Pump House on Sunday for a multimedia collaboration of dance, music and film to raise funds to help spruce up this historic and architectural treasure. Located on the North Bank of the James River, the Pump House once served as a public-use pumping station downstairs and a venue for lavish events and dances upstairs until the mid-1920’s. Through donations and volunteer efforts, the Richmond community is revitalizing the Pump House and surrounding park to its former glory. This Sunday’s online event will mark a collaboration between Høly River, The Concert Ballet of Virginia, Starr Foster Dance, and Hourglass Sessions to raise money to replace some of the windows at the Pump House. As many Richmonders know, Høly River is an experimental folk duo by Jameson Price and Laney Sullivan with water protection, environmental activism, and community at its core. You can tune into a live performance by the band at the Pump House on Sunday that will premier on the Friends of Pump House YouTube page. The duo will perform from the top floor of the Pump House filled with dancers from the Concert Ballet of Virginia and Starr Foster Dance.
Spread positives message to friends, neighbors, and strangers this weekend at Carytown Chalk Up The Town. Local non-profits, schools, artists, and community members will be creating positive messages and art with chalk up and down Carytown's sidewalks. Participating blocks, chalk pick-up locations, and sidewalk decorators can be found here.
