The Wrap: RVA Bike Share, Westhampton School’s fate, train station expansion, and more

Photo: @threelittlebirds

The week in brief

Good afternoon Wrap readers! We’re back from a hiatus last week. Let’s get to it and get you to your weekend! Is it just me, or has this been the longest week ever? As I posted on Twitter earlier, it feels like Monday’s eclipse was a solid year ago. Speaking of, Richard Hayes got some great photos not of the eclipse itself, but how people on Brown’s Island took it all in. A little professional people-watching, if you will. Check them out here.

Richmond’s bicycle share program is finally rolling out. Mayor Stoney will kick-off the RVA Bike Share program next Tuesday on Brown’s Island. Expect to find just under 250 bikes at around 20 stations around town. The eight-gear bikes will be equipped with color screens and GPS tracking and will be affordable to rent. You can hop on and off at any station around town, too. Get all the details here.

Whoa, how’s this for an about face? Bon Secours, which originally announced plans to demolish the historic, circa-1917 Westhampton School at Libbie and Patterson, has decided to keep the school’s two buildings–for now. They’ll instead build a 55,000-square-foot medical office building behind them, leaving the door open to future development for the current buildings.

The Amtrak Staples Mill Station is getting some much-needed upgrades–well, a few. The depressing, tiny station could use a full overhaul in my opinion, but I digress. Crews are working on a year-long project to double the station’s parking and make the entire site more handicap accessible. Learn more about the changes and how they’ll impact you here.

It’s RVA Sandwich Week, and there are lots of #rvadine developments you’ll want to get caught up on. Where can you do that? Oh, none other than our Weekly Food News, of course! Fancy a pint? Our RVA Beer Explorer has all the tasty pints you crave.

Five things to know

• Venture Richmond announced even more artists for the 2017 Richmond Folk Festival. What was already an awesome lineup looks even more amazing now. Find out who’s coming here.
• A West End church, whose members are aging and passing away, has donated its building to a younger generation.
• A group of patients at VCU Health received a revolutionary new ALS-slowing drug this past week–the first to be approved in two decades. Here’s what it means for this terrible disease.
• Coworking space Gather will open its third collaborative workspace with a location in Short Pump’s West Broad Village in 2018.

Weekend event picks

Chesterfield County Fair – The Chesterfield County Fair will host its 104th annual event at 10300 Courthouse Road beginning this Friday, August 25th. Expect tons of midway rides, food, a “Senior Idol” competition, all the fair food you love, and more. It’s like the State Fair of Virginia, only smaller. Tickets start at $5 and the fair runs through Saturday, September 2nd. More info on the event website here.

Anthem Moonlight Ride – This Saturday, August 26th starting around 8:00 PM hundreds of bicyclist will don costumes, reflectors, and lights of all sorts and gather at Sports Backers Stadium. They’ll all be taking part in the annual Anthem Moonlight Ride. The costumes are crucial because there are prizes handed out to the top three individuals, duos/groups, and children. Registration is available online and ranges from $30 adults/$10 youth to $50 adults/$25 youth. Besides the closed course and costume contests, there will be well-stocked rest stops on Monument Avenue and in Bryan Park. After the ride and safely back at Sports Backers Stadium, celebrate at the Agee’s Post-Ride Party with live music from the Jangling Reinharts. Enjoy a complimentary slice of pizza, ice cream, and soft drink or cold tasty Sierra Nevada beer. Sign up here.

COTU’s Circle The Wagons – Center of the Universe Brewing Company will host six barbecue vendors for the inaugural Circle the Wagons BBQ Cook-off and Concert benefiting Circles Ashland this Saturday. The restaurants will square off and compete for the coveted COTU BBQ cup. There will be a panel of celebrity judges as well as a people’s choice award. Small plates of pulled pork with a side will be available from each vendor and whole plates can also be purchased, but quantities and pricing will be vendor dependent. COTU will bring back two favorite brews, their Main St. Virginia Ale and the Treat Yourself Session IPA, just for this occasion. There will be raffles, a silent auction, and kids activities on site as well. It all takes place Saturday, August 26th from 1:00 – 8:00 PM and it’s free to attend. COTU is located at 11293 Air Park Road in Ashland. Learn more here.

Demetri Martin at The National – Demetri Martin rose to relative obscurity when he started doing stand-up comedy in New York City at the end of the 20th Century. Later he became a writer at Late Night with Conan O’Brien and then a regular performer on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He brings his unique brand of humor to The National this Sunday evening at 8:00 PM, and tickets are still available for $37.50. Buy them online here.

Be sure to catch our Weekend Event Picks each and every Friday morning at 7:10 AM with Brady in the Morning on Classic Rock 96.5!

Until next time,

Trevor Dickerson, Editor
RVAHub