The Wrap: Restaurant Week, Bike Month, rooftop beer, and Dr. Bedden’s exit

Photo: Michael Chronister

The week in brief

Hey, y’all! The Wrap is back after a brief hiatus, and I just wanted to thank everyone who asked about our absence. Means a lot that you care so much about our scrappy little publication. That said, it’s been a crazy news week, so let’s dive right in.

Perhaps the biggest news of the week was the announcement that Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Dana Bedden will step down at the end of this school year, effectively ending his contract two years early. Right now, there are many more questions than answers surrounding the planned departure. Is it a power play by an all-new School Board? The federal investigation into RPS for alleged discriminatory practices? The fact that the school system was sitting on an $8 million surplus that was only recently revealed? Something else? They’re all possibilities, but the Board’s lack of transparency and public comment on the matter is a bit troubling.

In other school news, you can register your kiddos for summer classes and/or preschool this Saturday at the Arthur Ashe Center. Meanwhile, in Henrico, Freeman High School administrators held a meeting with the school community this past week after it was announced that up to 200 students could have been exposed to tuberculosis this year.

The $41 million landmark VCU Institute for Contemporary Art is set to open this October, and we were lucky enough to get to tour the still-under-construction facility on Tuesday–and boy is it incredible. While photography wasn’t allowed inside, we have a few snaps supplied by VCU staff and I wrote up a piece on my first impressions. This building is so seriously gorgeous and, I think anyway, will be pretty transformative for our city. Also, it’s much bigger than it looks from the outside–there are four galleries, a café and bar, a 240-seat auditorium, and more. Check out the article for details on the first exhibit to open on October 28th.

Richmond Restaurant Week continues through Sunday. It’s your chance to try an old favorite or something new. Over 40 of the area’s best restaurants are participating, and I bet you could still snag a reso at a few. It all benefits the Central Virginia Food Bank/FeedMore and Meals On Wheels. Get all the deets here. Get caught up with all the other restaurant news fit to be eaten right here with our Weekly Food News.

The RVA French Food Festival is also tonight and tomorrow at Little Sisters of the Poor in the West End. Some of the area’s best French chefs are cookin’ up the good stuff, and we’ve got the full menu that will leave you drooling right here.

Let’s get to some crime news around town. Richmond Police are investigating several incidents including the robbery of the Carytown Petco, in broad daylight no less. There have also been a series of commercial robberies in The Fan recently, and police think one suspect could be behind five of them. They’ve also announced an arrest in a shooting that took place earlier in the week in Carytown.

After Martin’s shuttered their location in the Stony Point Shopping Center, the vacant spot has caught the attention of Goodwill, who wants to open a store in its place. That plan is not sitting well with a lot of South Richmond residents, and there’s now a petition to try and block the store from coming into the area. Richard Hayes will get you all caught up on what’s going on and link you to a survey from Councilwoman Larson concerning the matter.

A new rooftop beer garden (er, “biergarten,” if you will) is opening next week in Scott’s Addition atop the Hofheimer Building. It was already a really cool spot, but the addition of 24 regional and German craft beers and sausages, among other things Bavarian, should make it even cooler. The HofGarden, as it’s to be called, debuts next Wednesday night, May 3rd.

Speaking of beer, Richard Hayes has more beer news than you can handle in his RVA Beer Explorer right here.

Weekend plans

Photo: Sydney Lester

RVA Bike Month kicks off tomorrow with two big bike events. The first takes place in Northside–the Pedals & Gears Festival; the other is the return of Breakaway RVA, who will host a pre-season bike meetup at Triple Crossing in Fulton and continue onto the Capital Trail (Full disclosure: I’m a founding member of the group, but I swear I’m not just being biased when I say it’s a ton of fun!).

It’s also NASCAR weekend at RIR, there’s a hopped cider festival in Scott’s Addition, and so much more. Find something fun to do with our Weekend Event Picks! By the way, you can catch our picks every Friday morning with Brady In The Morning on Classic Rock 96.5. Tune in at 7:10 AM!

Five things you need to know

1. There are some traffic detours you need to know about due to NASCAR and GRTC Pulse construction, respectively.
2. Former Vice Presidential hopeful Tim Kaine will deliver VCU’s commencement address this year, the university has announced.
3. The Valentine is hosting an awesome series of history tours in Northside next month.
4. The Byrd Theatre is devoting an entire weekend to Bill Murray movies over Mother’s Day weekend to be known as MurrayFest.
5. The Richmond Public Library is seeking a new mascot, and you can vote for your pick here.

Giveaways

Photo: Dave Parrish Photography

Friday Cheers returns next Friday, May 5th, and it’s going to be an amazing season! Get a preview from contributor Scott Castro (happy belated 30th birthday!) right here. Want to attend for free? We’re giving away season passes and tickets to each week’s show. Stay tuned here, on the website, and on our social channels for your chance to win!

Make it a great weekend, y’all!

Trevor Dickerson
Editor, RVAHub