Downtown
Free trees, which to get, and where to plant them
Fallen trees need replacing and local folks are trying to make it easier for us all.
This has been a summer full of tree destruction. Replacing a tree in your yard is not as simple as picking on you think will look pretty. The replacement needs to be appropriate for the spot. The Richmond Tree Stewards are here to help you out.
The Right Tree for Your Place
7 – 8:30 p.m. Thursday August 18
Round House, Byrd Park
(intersection of Lakeview Avenue and Strollers Lane)Learn from Master Arborist Janine Lester how:
- to analyze your potential planting sites
- identify species that would thrive there
- select healthy trees
Lester is the owner and operator of Landscape Design Consulting and has earned the highest certification offered by the International Society of Arboriculture, the organization that sets standards for and certifies professional tree care practitioners. She is also a member of the Richmond Tree Steward Advisory Board and directs the annual training tree steward volunteer training course.
If you have questions, call Louise Seals at 389-8798 or CONTACT US
If you can’t make the workshop at the very least you should check out the Tree Stewards tree List (trees they’ll have availble for free) and their tips Selecting Trees for Urban Landscapes.
But that’s not all the Tree Stewards have links to two programs that can get you a tree for free or a reduced price.
The Adopt a Tree program
- $50 for a tree
- the tree is planted for you
- applications are due by Sept 1
- www.richmondgov.com/PublicWorks/UrbanForestry.aspx
The Community Roots program
- trees are free
- you pick up and plant the tree
- applications open on August 19
Image: Richmond Tree Stewards
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Community
Results from “Lost Cause” Studio Project Survey Reveal a Richmond Eager to Confront its Past
The survey asked Richmond region residents to share their knowledge about and ongoing impact of the Lost Cause myth, their desire to learn about this complex history and how a transformed Valentine Studio can address community needs.
From the Valentine.
Today the Valentine released the results of a community survey, conducted in October and November of 2020.
The survey asked Richmond region residents to share their knowledge about and ongoing impact of the Lost Cause myth, their desire to learn about this complex history and how a transformed Valentine Studio (the location on the museum’s campus where sculptor Edward Valentine created many Lost Cause works) can address community needs. More than 1,000 participants, representing a wide variety of perspectives and backgrounds, completed the survey.
A diverse team of historians, activists, local leaders, Valentine family members and community members developed the survey. The Valentine also held focus groups to gain a deeper understanding of the variety of opinions about the Lost Cause, the role of cultural institutions in sharing this history and the potential installation of the damaged, paint-covered Jefferson Davis statue, until recently displayed on Monument Avenue, in the space. The results of the survey and the focus groups will inform and guide the project development.
Results included:
A majority of respondents stated that they would like to see the Valentine use the reinterpreted studio to explore the history of power and policies in Jim Crow Richmond, the art and artistic processes that created Lost Cause sculptures and the history of racial oppression in Richmond.
Additionally, 65% of respondents from the Richmond region agreed that museums should acquire the monuments from Monument Avenue and display them with context. For the Valentine specifically, this reinforced our request to the City of Richmond to acquire and display the graffiti-covered Jefferson Davis statue on his back as he fell.
Additionally, focus group participants, moderated by project partner Josh Epperson, felt that using the studio to explore Lost Cause history and connect it to the present would be a valuable use of the space. Focus group participants also affirmed the Valentine’s commitment to continuing its high level of community engagement, which they expected to be critical to the success of the reimagined studio.
You can find additional survey results HERE.
“Based on the survey feedback we received from our fellow Richmonders, we are confident that this is the best next step for this space and for this institution,” said Director Bill Martin. “We look forward to providing a location where Richmonders can learn about the Lost Cause, consider Richmond and the Valentine’s early role in disseminating the damaging Lost Cause myth and ultimately gain a deeper, more nuanced, more empathetic understanding of the region we call home.”The Valentine will continue to solicit and address community questions, comments or concerns as the Studio Project develops.
On December 31st the Washington Post had an article on the museum taking a closer look at the role that founder of Edward V. Valentine had in the lost cause.
Today, the artist’s studio is closed to visitors at the Richmond museum that bears his family name — the Valentine. But museum director Martin and others see the workshop as the center of what could be a public reckoning with the racist mythology that Valentine’s sculptures helped bring to life.
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Community
Bookbinder’s Brings you Mac & Cheese on Another Level with BIGWIFE’S Pop-Up
This isn’t your typical mom’s mac & cheese. If your mom makes mac & cheese like this we would like to be adopted.
Old Original Bookbinder’s Seafood & Steakhouse has launched a new experimental pop-up concept focusing exclusively on macaroni and cheese. BIGWIFE’S Mac & Cheese is operating for delivery and carryout from the Bookbinder’s kitchen.
The inventive menu includes creative spins like Buffalo Mac with spicy chicken and gorgonzola cheese; Little Figgy Mac with goat cheese, ham and fig; Mac Lorraine with bacon, scallions, and gruyere; and Greek Wedding Mac with tomato, olive, artichokes, pepperoncini and feta. Any mac can be made gluten free.
Orders can be placed at https://www.bigwifesmac.com/ and via Grubhub. BIGWIFE’S is open Monday through Thursday from 5 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Old Original Bookbinder’s is located at 2306 E Cary Street, Richmond, VA 23223.
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Crime
City of Richmond declares State of Emergency due to “credible threats” related to planned protests
The city’s declaration opens up funds for emergency use and was voted into effect unanimously by City Council Monday evening.
The City of Richmond and Mayor Levar Stoney’s administration has declared a State of Emergency for the city due to what officials call “credible threats” of violence related to planned protests leading up to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20th.
The declaration follows Governor Ralph Northam’s declaration of a statewide State of Emergency, which allowed the administration to send National Guard troops and State Troopers to Washington, D.C. to help with security, logistics, and other immediate needs following the insurrection at the Capitol last week.
The city’s declaration opens up funds for emergency use and was voted into effect unanimously by City Council Monday evening.