The Wrap: Air dogs, BMX bikes, Lebanese food, the Mayor bikes to work, and more

Photo: Christian Melgard

The week in brief

Happy Friday, Wrap readers! The sun is shining and the heat’s on blast–it finally feels like summer after a few rainy, cold weekends. And it’s a good thing, because there’s so much going on this weekend, and most of it is outdoors! I just got back from the Lebanese Food Festival in the West End, and let me tell you–this is the time to go! No lines or anything. I got my food coma in record time. It goes on through Sunday at St. Anthony’s Maronite Catholic Church. Here are all the details and the delicious menu.

Downtown, Dominion Riverrock is taking over Brown’s Island tonight through Sunday. It’s the largest outdoor music and sports festival in the entire country! You’ll see BMX stunt bikes, bouldering, a slack line competition, kayaking, a mud run–you name it. If you’re not participating in any of these events, rest assured that spectating is just as fun. Oh, and don’t forget to check out my personal favorite part–the Air Dog competition! Folks have their dogs jump off a raised platform into a pool of water and see who can catch the most air. It’s awesome.

Get the scoop on Riverrock and all the other fun stuff going on this weekend in our Weekend Event Picks right here. There are also a number of great beer releases and events this weekend that you’ll want to get caught up on in our RVA Beer Explorer.

More than 30 improv comedy acts from across the country will descend upon three venues in Jackson Ward next month for the third annual 2nd Best Comedy Fest put on by the Coalition Theater. We’re proud to be the exclusive media partner of this awesome event, so be sure to stay tuned for free ticket giveaways and weekend passes. The lineup looks pretty awesome. Here’s a look at what to expect this year.

As cities like New Orleans take down their Confederate statues, many are asking whether it’s time to do the same along Monument Avenue in Richmond. We posed the question of whether they should be left as they are, remain with added context, or removed to a museum, and results were mixed on our Facebook page. It was all sparked by this piece that ran in The Atlantic.

The city has finally passed a budget after much deliberation–to the tune of $690 million. The budget provides more funding for schools, raises for public safety workers, a new horse stable for the mounted police, and other line items that you can read about in our budget breakdown here. The passage also came with a controversial amendment that requires City Council to approve moving funds between city programs or departments–a move Mayor Levar Stoney says will be a hindrance moving forward.

Richmond Public Schools is hosting a series of meetings to gather public input on the search for a new school superintendent. Here’s how you can make your voice heard.

Remember the old Ridge Cinema near Regency Square Mall? It’s now a Kroger. I have fond memories of it growing up. Well, what’s old is new again–a new Regal Cinemas is coming to the mall as part of a multi-million dollar overhaul, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports.

Speaking of grocery stores, Martin’s has announced the last two waves of store closures as they exit the Richmond market over the summer. I was never a fan of Martin’s, but I’m excited for Publix to come to town. The closures announced this week are for locations that Publix is not buying–they’ll unfortunately be empty storefronts for the time being with no buyer announced, and that’s going to leave a lot of shopping centers without anchor tenants. Not the best scenario.

GRTC, in an effort to ramp up ridership, has launched a new program called GRTC Rewards, which will allow those with an unlimited bus pass to enjoy specials and discounts at local shops and restaurants around town.

The TEDxRVA speaker lineup was announced this week, and there are folks running the gamut of professions and backgrounds. This year’s theme is Change and the event will be held June 23rd.

Five things to know

1. Richmond Police have hosted a series of meetings to address a recent spike in violent crime. Dive into the numbers behind this year’s incidents.
2. Watch out for a detour if you’re traveling downtown near 6th and Broad this weekend.
3. Drewry’s Bluff, the spot that served as the outer defenses of Richmond during the Civil War, is hosting an anniversary event this weekend; Richard Hayes has some fascinating history of the spot.
4. Mayor Stoney participated in Bike To Work Day on the T-Pot Bridge this morning, and Richard shot some awesome photos of the event.
5. Even the arguably ugliest skyscraper looks pretty in our Photo of the Day today.

Until next time,

Trevor Dickerson, Editor
RVAHub