vol. 99 / happy folkAn insider's tips on how to enjoy the best festival of the year!
VOL. 99 / HAPPY FOLK
There’s no happier time of year than when the Richmond Folk Festival is in full swing. In preparation for this weekend’s three-day festival we went straight to Lisa Sims, chief executive officer for Venture Richmond, to get an insider’s perspective on how to enjoy one of the largest and most celebrated events in all of Virginia.
In her leadership role at Venture Richmond, a non-profit organization that works to enhance the vitality of the Richmond community, Lisa is known for her tireless efforts to promote the downtown area through economic development, advocacy, and events like Friday Cheers, Second Street Festival, Dominion Energy Riverrock with partners Sportsbackers, and of course—Richmond Folk Festival! Read on for her tips on the many ways to take in this year's celebration of all things music, dance, crafts, and food!
Workshops
& Talks
One of my favorite parts of the Richmond Folk Festival is actually an area that receives very little attention in the media—and that's the workshops and “talks” that are carefully curated throughout the weekend to link artists we might not normally think of as similar. While all the performances are not to be missed, it’s these smaller, more intimate gatherings of artists from different bands, and opposite ends of the country or world, that give us so much insight into each artist while showcasing the power of music to cross boundaries of all kinds. Some of the ones I anticipate the most this year include, “Iconoclasts & Innovators” featuring Bombino (Tuareg guitar), Dale Watson (honky-tonk and country), Michael and David Doucet and Mitch Reed (Cajun), James “Plunky” Branch (Afro-funk and go-go orchestra), and Super Chikan (Delta Blues). I think it’s safe to say you won’t find this configuration of guitarists on any stage anywhere else! And this is just one of the seven workshops we’ll feature this weekend.
This year is our 15th anniversary so we asked one of our performing artists, Super Chikan, if he’d donate a one-of-a-kind, handmade guitar for us to auction as a fundraiser for the Richmond Folk Festival. Super Chikan, who is an amazing Delta blues artist, is also known for the guitars he makes by hand that are often referred to as “chiktars.” The version he made just for us was created from pretreated oak, painted, then layered with glass coating to protect the design. It took several weeks for him to make this special creation and we couldn't be more thrilled to have it as part of this year's festival. The online auction will continue through Oct. 15!
Something else we love, but so few people ever hear about are the 15 or so school shows that our Folk Festival artists perform in Richmond Public Schools. Every year we work with specific artists to come in a day early and make visits to schools. We know that not everyone can get to the festival, but it would pain us to have so many traditional artists in town and have them only perform at the festival. To make these special appearances happen throughout Richmond, we work closely with the school system and JAMinc, a non-profit that’s dedicated to bringing music from all corners of the world to local schools in an effort to expose K-12 students to traditional music from a variety of cultures. While we’re putting the final touches on the festival just before it begins, volunteers from JAMinc will spend all day on Friday taking artists from school to school so that students can have a chance to spend quality time with the artists. It certainly makes us proud, and we’re incredibly grateful to JAMinc. for helping make it happen!
We've all seen the energetic Bucket Brigade teams calling for festival goers to put a "drop in the bucket" to keep the Richmond Folk Festival free. But these days, many of us just don't have cash on hand. That's why this year you can Text to Donate to the Richmond Folk Festival. That's right, fans can easily put a digital drop in the bucket by simply texting the word FOLK to 24365. A text will immediately be sent to your mobile device that will allow you to donate to the Richmond Folk Festival through PayPal, Venmo, debit or credit card.
vol. 98 / funnel cake 🎡Read on for some tasty ideas and fun Richmond perks along the way.
VOL. 98 / FUNNEL CAKE
It’s that time of year again in Richmond, when the air is crisp with just a hint of the Autumn days ahead. And with it brings the return of your favorite festivals in the River City, the sights and sounds of the State Fair, fall bonfires, and the child-like feeling of being able to soon jump in a pile of leaves. Oh, and funnel cake, is there any better time for it? With so much to during the first week of October, we’ve boiled it down to three recommendations to get you started.
See you out there!
State Fair
of Virginia
When it comes to over-the-top and iconic State Fair foods, we don’t mess around. Seriously, who doesn’t covet a good deep-fried Twinkie, giant turkey leg, classic corndog, or something completely hedonistic on a stick. It’s like a taste of Americana in its most portable, edible, and wackiest state. Whatever gets you there, make sure to go because the State Fair of Virginia is only around until this Sunday, October 6. There’s still time to cheer on your favorite oinker at the crowd-pleasing pig races, watch the Human Cannonball in awe at the Ultimate Stunt Circus, and perhaps sip some local beer at the Blue Ribbon Craft Beer Fest with unlimited tastings from over 20 Virginia breweries. Whatever your thing is, State Fair of Virginia has it.
Perk: Head over to our Instagram page to post your favorite fair food. We'll select one Here member for two free tickets to the State Fair of Virginia.
The 2nd Street Festival returns to Richmond on Saturday and Sunday, October 5-6, in celebration of the rich culture of the historic Jackson Ward neighborhood. This free event, produced by Venture Richmond Events, takes place the first full weekend in October every year and attracts 30,000 participants to historic Jackson Ward to reminisce about the days when 2nd Street was the heart and soul of Richmond’s African American community. This year’s celebration will feature four stages of live music, local food vendors, a marketplace, a Kidz Zone programmed by the Children’s Museum of Richmond, balloon twisting by Balloons By Extreme, and an Artists Row featuring Sone-Seeré Burrell, David Marion, Liberated Flow, Kelvin Henderson, Fruit of the Spirit, Abdul Badi, The Art of Badi, and Resheda Pullen Jireh. During the event, Venture Richmond will provide free guided walking tours led by Gary Flowers who has a four-generation family connection to Historic Jackson Ward. Check out Richmond Grid's rundown of the festival and schedule of events here.
The wait is over, folks. Tomorrow, Topgolf Richmond opens its doors to its new, three-level, 55,000-square-foot venue on Westwood Avenue near Scott's Addition. For golfers and non-golfers alike, the entertainment venue boasts 72 climate-controlled hitting bays, three patios, a tasty menu, craft cocktails, over 200 TVs, and a Topgolf Swing Suite with a massive screen in a comfortable lounge setting with a selection of virtual games (including famous golf courses, baseball, hockey, and our favorite—zombie dodgeball). You can even enjoy point-scoring games using microchipped balls that instantly show your performance, including accuracy and distance, on a TV screen in each bay. And this winter, Topgolf will open a 14-hole mini-golf course on the property. On Friday, Topgolf kicks things off with a ribbon cutting ceremony and then opens its doors at 9 am. We’re told to look out for celebrity sightings, such as Rashad Jennings, former running back for the New York Giants and winner of Dancing with the Stars, who will be signing his latest book at the venue during the opening day.
Our talented photog Kate Magee's images are a love letter to our city - and now you can bring them home. Shop our prints and other Here. collaborations online!
Ted Elmore leads a community effort to build a park that spans a river. A bridge that connects us all. As the president of nonprofit Richmond BridgePark Foundation, Ted has a big vision for a system of interconnected parks and public spaces that links the riverfront experience to the City of Richmond. The team's proposed linear public park spanning the James River aims to transform 9th Street into a world-class destination for biking, walking, art, education, events, and community engagement. Ted is also an avid arts lover and patron and ardent Richmond advocate. This week, Ted joins us as our guest editor as we explore this place we call home. Take it away, Ted...
There’s no better time to celebrate our public gathering spaces, integrate art into learning, and to seek out new ways to experience our City, and each other. Here are my three tips for the weekend ahead.
See you in the city!
Park(ing)
Day
This Friday, over 20 Richmond design, architecture, creative firms and artists are celebrating Park(ing) Day, an annual event that takes place across the globe as parking spots are turned into temporary public parks, art installations and other creative uses for the community to enjoy. Here locally, Venture Richmond is coordinating this year’s Park(ing) Day event, which will include a design/build competition that will be judged by a panel of Richmonders. The person or organization with the winning pop-up park for Park(ing) Day will have the opportunity to take their urban park to the next level by partnering with Venture Richmond and the City of Richmond on the creation of a more permanent parklet installation in the downtown area for people to use every day of the year. Here readers can visit the 20+ pop-up parks from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm this Friday.
We’re currently smack dab in the middle of Modern Richmond Week, which means there’s no better time to celebrate modernism throughout the region. While most events are sold out for Modern Richmond Week, there’s still a chance to drop in on the Modern Market, the 3rd annual showcase of 1000+ Mid-Century artifacts. This year’s event takes place on Saturday and Sunday at Mobelux and will feature 12 dealers specializing in all styles of Mid-Century furniture, home decor, lighting, textiles, art, ceramics, art glass, sculpture, vintage clothing, and luxury goods. During the event, ART180 will debut its Pop Up Mod Shop with furniture and art produced by the ART180 program participants. While you’re there, try out glass blowing with artist Michael Martin at his mobile studio and snag the new Modern Richmond book! And on Sunday head over to Aloi for a free Modern Richmond Wrap Up Party open to the public!
For ten years, Studio Two Three, a local nonprofit, has given Richmonders the space, tools, and education to find that thing they love and make it. As Central Virginia’s only arts incubator, Studio Two Three provides 24/7 access to printing presses, darkroom, digital lab, communal workspace and individual studios to support art making and elevate voices in our community. Stop by The Studio Two Three shop, located inside of Studio Two Three, this weekend for Richmond swag, local art, and unique gifts from a rotating cast of local artists. After you get a sense of what Studio Two Three is all about, come back and throw down on September 28 for their annual auction (hot tip: it's the party of the year) on Saturday, September 28, called The Silver Factory! This event sells out every year.
And, of course, get to the River!! Beautiful weekend ahead!
Represent Richmond well in our comfy cotton t-shirt emblazoned with a hand-drawn design. Yes, that's Richmond's airport code. We consider this tee perfect attire for exploring our parks, traveling the world, or enjoying a lazy day in the River City.
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