More What’s Booming RVA: Aug. 15 to 22
A week of entertainment and inspiration plus a road trip and news
Pigeons of war, anyone? Plus open air music and theater, lectures, art, a new brewery road trip, bookworm news, and more. In today’s What’s Booming, Richmond, Virginia, August 15 to 22, 2024.
Also check out:
- Boomer’s Top 5 picks in RVA this week,
- Browse the week ahead below, and
- Go to our updated events page for Down the Road happenings and ongoing exhibitions and performances.
August 15 to 22
Thursday, August 15
Westchester Concert Series: Soul Expression Band. Live music on the field, chairs and blankets encouraged, and food and drink available. August 15, 5:30 to 8:30, at Westchester Concert Field, Midlothian.
Julia Child’s Birthday and Presidential Dinners. Author Alex Prud’homme discusses his newest book, “Dinner with the President: Food, Politics, and a History of Breaking Bread at the White House.” Inspired by a series of events, including Julia Child’s televised visits to state dinners in 1967 and 1976, this conversation examines the politics of food of 26 presidents. Reception following for Child’s 112th birthday. August 15, 6 p.m., at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, Richmond.
Urban Planning with Maritza Mercado Pechin. Delve into urban planning and the future of Richmond. Pechin was the lead author of “Richmond 300: A Guide for Growth,” the city’s national award-winning master plan. August 15, 6 to 8 p.m., at The Branch Museum of Architecture and Design, Richmond.
Jennie and Winston Churchill: The High Spirits of a Mother and Her Son. The wealthy American woman married the son of an English duke and proved an asset to his political career. Jennie had multiple lovers and yet largely avoided scandal. Her great beauty and irrepressible spirits also worked their magic on her son, Winston, and aided him in scaling the political landscape. Nancy Parrish, author of “The Downton Era,” discusses the mother and son. August 15, 7 to 8:30 p.m., at Agecroft Hall, Richmond.
“Stay on the Line,” Clay Mcleod Chapman. The author is in conversation with Richmond Magazine writer Harry Kollatz Jr. August 15, 7 to 8 p.m., at Shelf Life Books, Richmond.
Suzy Bogguss. See Boomer’s Top 5 Picks.
“Seth’s Big Fat Broadway Show!” As part of its 2024-2025 Spotlight Cabaret Series, Richmond Triangle Players presents Seth Rudetsky in the first of four cabaret performances for the season. August 15 to 16 at Robert B. Moss Theatre, Richmond.
Friday, August 16
Canvas Painting. Select from a pre-drawn creative canvas design or create your own design. Enjoy the outdoor atmosphere on the patio and a tropical beverage. Aug. 16, 10 to 11:30 a.m., at Eastern Henrico Recreation Center, Henrico.
Lenses of Life: Unveiling the Urban, Rural, and Suburban Realities Gallery Opening. The exhibition transcends visual boundaries and invites viewers to explore the diverse tapestry of human existence through art. Aug. 16, 6 to 8 p.m., at Perkinson Center, Chester.
Virginia Roots Music Series: Black Janis Covers Janis Joplin. A Virginia band covers an iconic musical artist, paired with a pre-release Hardywood Virginia Roots Farmhouse Pumpkin beer, highlighting a Virginia ingredient. Aug. 16, 7 p.m., at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery on Ownby, Richmond.
Music at Maymont. Presenting Old Crow Medicine Show with Town Mountain. Aug. 16, 7 to 11 p.m., at Maymont, Richmond.
Music Under the Stars. Chris Adams performs. Aug. 16, 7 p.m., at Montpelier Center for Arts and Education, Montpelier.
Comedy: PhD Dual Dissertation Presentation. A new improv form presents long-form improv, Small World After Hall. Aug. 16, 7:30 p.m., at Coalition Theater, Richmond.
“You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.” See Boomer’s Top 5 Picks.
Saturday, August 17
Mapping the World: Redlining in Richmond and Henrico. Set in the white-flight neighborhood of Highland Springs, but only a short distance from the all-African American community of Bungalow City, learn how Richmond, Henrico, and other localities across America mapped out who could live where. Discover what neighborhoods were deemed “risky” and therefore denied mortgages and investments. Learn about the long-lasting and complex consequences of redlining, including environmental injustice, health disparities, and continued cycles of poverty. Aug. 17, 11 a.m. to noon, at Henrico Theatre, Henrico.
Destroy the Railroad: The Second Battle of Reams’ Station – FREE Sunset Walking Tour. The Petersburg and Weldon Railroad was one of three supplying Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia defending Petersburg and Richmond in summer 1864. Ulysses S. Grant’s strategy centered on cutting this supply line with cavalry raids and infantry maneuvers. Confederate Generals Lee, Hill, and Hampton had other ideas. FREE. Aug. 17, 6 to 7:30 p.m., at Reams’ Station Battlefield, Petersburg National Battlefield, Petersburg.
Pocahontas Premieres: Mini Bluegrass Festival. Music under the stars, with Josh Grigsby and County Line; Virginia Rain Bluegrass Band; River City Band; and Tara Mills Band. Aug. 17, 6 to 10 p.m., at Pocahontas State Park, Chesterfield.
Johnny Folsom 4. A tribute to Johnny Cash. Aug. 17, 8 p.m., at Ashland Theatre, Ashland.
Sunday, August 18
Coffins, Crypts, and Epitaphs in Old Virginia. Some formal final resting places in Virginia are sublime, others eerie and frightening. In the age before modern medicine, sudden disease and death walked daily beside the living. Superstition and myths sprang from the constant hope of outsmarting the Grim Reaper. Aug. 18, 2 to 3 p.m., at Meadow Farm Museum at Crump Park, Glen Allen.
Mobile Soul Sunday – Petersburg. Richmond Black Restaurant Experience shares the deliciousness, with 10 food vendors, community resources, music, kids’ zone, and more. Aug. 18, 2 to 7 p.m., at Petersburg Union Station in Old Town Petersburg.
Free Outdoor Summer Concert. See Boomer’s Top 5 Picks.
Tuesday, August 20
Richmond Flying Squirrels vs. Altoona Curve. Go Nutz and have Funn with professional baseball, giveaways, and fireworks on featured nights. Through Aug. 25 at The Diamond, Richmond.
Wednesday, August 21
Online: Pigeons of War. With their innate ability to return to their home lofts, pigeons played key roles as military messengers during World War II, delivering maps, photographic film, and messages that saved hundreds of lives with a 99% success rate. Explore the history behind military pigeons and the role they played during the Invasion of Normandy. FREE, registration required. Aug. 21, 10 to 11 a.m., online.
“Cold War Virginia.” History at the Memorial lunchtime lecture features historians Gary Powers Jr. and Chris Sturdevant discussing their new book about how Virginia was the setting for critical decisions and activities during this uncertain time in world history. FREE. Aug. 21, noon to 1 p.m., at the Virginia War Memorial, Richmond.
Live at The Branch: Mini-Concert with Høly River. Founded by multi-instrumentalists Laney Sullivan and Jameson Price, the group fuses the pulse of drone pop and worldly instrumentation. Aug. 21, 6 to 8 p.m., at The Branch Museum of Architecture and Design, Richmond.
Summer Nights at the Perk. See Boomer’s Top 5 Picks.
Thursday, August 22
Flowers After 5: Josh Lief Band. Richmond-based singer, songwriter, and guitarist blends the music he loved as a young musician, like Hendrix, Clapton, and Page, the Allman Brothers and ZZ Top. Aug. 15, 5 to 8 p.m., at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Richmond.
UnHappy Hour: Poe Goes Punk. Bat Boy and Doll Baby and Teens in Trouble perform, and Irish Wake Tarot provides for all your tarot needs. Beverages from Funktastic Meads & Beer and food from TBT El Gallo. Aug. 22, 6 to 9 p.m., at The Poe Museum, Richmond.
Groovin’ in the Garden. With Fleetwood Mac cover band, Rumours ATL. Aug. 22, 7 p.m., in the Cochrane Rose Garden at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Richmond.
“Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience.” With the mix of 360-degree projections, 10,000 square feet of screens, and VR headsets, you’ll feel like you’re stepping into a Van Gogh painting. Opening Aug. 22 at the Exhibition Hub Richmond Art Center, Richmond.
Road Trip
Suffolk brewery opens
Grand Opening of Sojourn Fermentory. The new taproom offers beer, cider, and all things fermented. Look for progressive European lagers, spontaneous fermentation, barrel-aged stouts, sweet and dry fruited ciders, and 72-hour fermented Roman-style pizzas and small plates. Aug. 17, noon to 10 p.m., at Sojourn Fermentory, Suffolk.
News & Announcements
For Virginia bookworms
Literary Virginia Book Group Announces Fall Books. The online book group features Virginia authors. Loaner books available at the Library of Virginia security desk. Fall 2024 features:
- Sept. 4 – “Starling House,” Alix Harrow
- Oct. 9 – “Necessary Trouble,” Drew Gilpin Faust
- Nov. 13 – “Happiness Falls,” Angie Kim
- Dec. 11 – “Crossing the River Styx,” Russ Ford
Virginia Literary Awards Finalists Announced. The Library has announced finalists for the 2024 Virginia Literary Awards, presented to outstanding Virginia authors in the areas of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. The nonfiction category includes any author whose book is on a Virginia subject. This year the Library will also present the new Children’s Virginia Literary Award.
- Fiction finalists are Rachel Beanland, “The House Is On Fire”; Sadeqa Johnson, “The House of Eve”; and Angie Kim, “Happiness Falls.”
- Nonfiction finalists are Edward L. Ayers, “American Visions: The United States, 1800–1860”; Ashley Shew, “Against Technoableism: Rethinking Who Needs Improvement”; and Elizabeth R. Varon, “Longstreet: The Confederate General Who Defied the South.”
- Poetry finalists are Ariana Benson, “Black Pastoral: Poems”; Bob Hicok, “Water Look Away”; and Janine Joseph, “Decade of the Brain: Poems.”
- Children’s Virginia Literary Award finalists are Kwame Alexander, “An American Story”; Andrea Beatriz Arango, “Something Like Home”; and Vashti Harrison, “Big.”
The winners will be announced at the Virginia Literary Awards Celebration on Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Library of Virginia, Richmond.
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