Community
RVA Beer Explorer: Two more Ocktoberfests, 5k at Hardywood West Creek, Tortas at Final Gravity

GO DO THIS
The 52nd Annual Richmond Oktoberfest at Richmond Raceway
October 7-8th
Some say this is the more authentic Oktoberfest. I’m not one to judge since I haven’t been to this one. Either way brats and beer FTW.
The Board of Directors will do whatever it takes to provide you with an Oktoberfest filled with great entertainment, authentic German food, German beer and the famous German “Germutlichkeit”.
You will be greeted with live music when the doors open to get you into the Barvarian mood. The annual march-in parade, featuring the members of the two German clubs which have been organized this event since 1969, the Deutsche Sport Club and the Gesangverein Virginia, will happen as always. Representative of all German clubs of Central Virginia that are present will also participate in the parade.We will crown our Oktoberfest Queen on Friday evening. Both nights will feature live music with traditional German favorites. You can also join us outside in our beirgarten or participate in our fun stein holding contest either night.
Doors open at 6:00 on Friday and at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. Ticket details to follow.
Stone Brewing Richmond Oktoberfest Celebration
October 8th
This one I’m posting because “Whiskers for Whiskers” Beard & Mustache Contest held by the RVA Beard League. Men and women in beards drinking beers seems about right.
Willkommen! Get ready to celebrate the season with a great lineup of our German-inspired beers, festive live music, and fun live-stream-worthy charity contests to benefit RACC, the Richmond Animal Care and Control!
The Tap Room doors open at Noon, and be sure to have your seat saved, because at 2:30 PM we’ll start our “Whiskers for Whiskers” Beard & Mustache Contest held by the RVA Beard League, with a $5 donation to RACC to enter. We’ll have 6 different categories, including a fake beard category – with free supplies on hand – so anyone and everyone can build their own beard and participate! ***Registration for the contest begins at noon.***
🧔 Mustaches
🧔 Partial Beards – goatees, Lincoln/Amish beards, mutton chops, etc.
🧔 Business/Short Beards
🧔 Full Beards
🧔 Full Beards with Styled Mustaches
🧔 Creative/Fake Beards
🕓 Then at 4:00 PM comes a feat of sheer strength and will for those who haven’t skipped arm day at the gym, a Stein Hoisting contest! Participants should make a suggested donation to RACC and will be provided a stein for the beverage of their choice. Will the world record time be beat on October 8th as you hold a filled one liter stein (weighing in at 20 lb.) straight out at arm’s length? Maybe not, but how long do YOU think you can last?
🕔 Next, from 5:00-7:00 PM, don’t miss musician, composer, and celebrated accordionist Miles Hoyle of the Fighting Jamesons for that authentic Oktoberfest experience. Miles has over 13 years of experience & specializes in folk & world music, including German Oktoberfest music and songs.
Thirsty? We’ll have our year round and seasonal beer offerings available, including gluten-reduced Delicious IPA, Buenavida Hard Seltzers, and of course, it being Oktoberfest, half a dozen German-inspired beers too!
🍺 Stone Notorious P.O.G., a Berliner Weisse with passionfruit, orange, and guava
🍺 Stone Kolche, a light-bodied cold-fermented and conditioned golden ale.
🍺 Stone Mattzen, a traditional Oktoberfest Marzen style beer (our brewers are most excited about this one)
🍺 Stone Witty Moron, a dark wheat ale with orange and coriander
🍺 Stone Smoked Porter, a dry dark beer with smoke notes.
🍺 Stone Smoking with the Gnomies, a Belgian quad where 10% of the malts were smoked over cherrywood.

2022 Hardywood West Creek Ales for ALS 5K
October 9th
I’m a drinker not a runner but hats off to those running for a good cause.
Do you love to run or walk for a good cause? Obviously! We are hosting our annual 5K at Hardywood West Creek for the fight against ALS.
Sign-ups are now open to register. Enjoy a fun run/walk/roll with us on a 5K route that will start and end at Hardywood West Creek, and then treat yourself to Andrea’s Ale or Bob’s Brew at the finish line!
All proceeds benefit the cutting-edge research at the ALS Therapy Development Institute to #EndALS.

Torta Sunday with TBT EL GALLO at Final Gravity
October 9th
One of my favorite taco slingers combined with one of my favorite IPA slingers spells a good time to me.
We are excited to have TBT EL GALLO join us for the FIRST time! Expect a menu full of TORTAS!
BEER NEWS
I’m all fore a new brewery.
Brewery owner aims to revive long-shuttered Jordan Point Golf Club – Richmond BizSense
The former Jordan Point Golf Club at 1100 Jordan Point Road in Prince George County is being lined up for a reopening at the hands of Hani Atallah, co-owner of the neighboring Holy Mackerel Small Batch Beers.
County records show that in July Atallah bought the 143-acre golf property for $3.5 million and he’s now seeking a special exemption permit to bring the club back to life. His plans for the property include hosting weddings and other events and adding biking trails, pickleball courts, a dog park, a pool and more to the property, per Atallah’s permit application.
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Education
University of Richmond announces new provost
Joan Saab, an experienced administrator and distinguished art history and visual culture scholar, will join the UR community in July.

Joan Saab, who currently serves as Susan B. Anthony Professor of Art History and executive vice provost of academic affairs at the University of Rochester, will become executive vice president for academic affairs and provost of the University of Richmond, effective July 1.
Saab is an experienced administrator and distinguished art history and visual culture scholar with more than 20 years of academic and leadership appointments at Rochester, where she is also currently serving as interim dean of the faculty of Arts, Sciences, & Engineering.
“Dr. Saab’s passions and expertise as a scholar and administrator align with our own institutional priorities,” said University of Richmond President Kevin F. Hallock. “At her core, she believes in advancing educational opportunities for students of all backgrounds, which echoes our commitments to academic excellence, access and affordability, and belonging.”
“The provost plays an essential role in ensuring continued academic excellence and innovation, and we are very pleased to welcome Dr. Saab to the University community in this role,” said R. Lewis Boggs, Board of Trustees rector. “We look forward to her leadership as we continue to pursue ambitious aspirations for our institution and the students we serve.”
In her time at Rochester, Saab has also served as director of the graduate program in Visual and Cultural Studies and chair of the Department of Art and Art History. Her areas of teaching and research include 19th- and 20th-century American visual cultural studies, American cultural history, public culture and community studies, and sensory history.
“I have long been impressed by the University of Richmond and look forward to working with the exceptional faculty, students, and staff to further strengthen the school’s sense of intellectual community and advance the academic mission,” said Saab. “Richmond’s commitment to creating a holistic and inclusive learning environment where all students can thrive mirrors my own core values. I am extremely excited to join the web.”
The recipient of numerous teaching, research, and grant awards, Saab’s accomplishments include funding from the Mellon Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Getty Research Center at UCLA, as well as a University of Rochester Provost’s Research Grant. Her first book, For the Millions: American Art and Culture Between the Wars, was the inaugural volume in the “Arts and Intellectual Life in Modern America series,” published by the University of Pennsylvania Press.
Her most recent book, Objects of Vision: Making Sense of What We See, is part of the “Studies in Sensory History Series” at Pennsylvania State University Press. She is the author of the interactive, digital book project Searching for Siqueiros, written on the digital publishing platform Scalar, and the lead editor for the Wiley Blackwell Companion to Visual Culture. She is currently completing a manuscript tentatively entitled, Tales From the Crypt: Vincent Price and American Visual Culture. She is a sought-after scholar and presenter for invited talks, symposia, and conferences.
Saab earned her undergraduate degree in English and art history from Tufts University, her master’s in American Civilization with a concentration on material culture and museum studies from The George Washington University, and her Ph.D. in American Studies at New York University.
Saab will succeed executive vice president and provost Jeff Legro, who announced he would be stepping down at the end of this academic year having served in the role since 2017. Legro, an international relations scholar, will remain at UR as a full-time member of the faculty.
Education
Henrico HS principal honored with REB Leadership Award; Colonial Trail ES principal is runner-up
Karin Castillo-Rose, principal of Henrico High School, has been awarded the 2022-23 REB Award for Distinguished Educational Leadership.

Karin Castillo-Rose, principal of Henrico High School, has been awarded the 2022-23 REB Award for Distinguished Educational Leadership. The Community Foundation and the REB Foundation present the award to four principals annually — one each from the school divisions of Henrico, Chesterfield and Hanover counties and one from the city of Richmond. Castillo-Rose was surprised with the news Tuesday afternoon at a pep rally in the school’s gym, attended by her family and Henrico County Public Schools leaders.
Castillo-Rose will receive a $10,000 cash grant and an additional $20,000 for school projects. She plans to use the bulk of her funding for projects that support students’ mental, social and emotional well-being. The grant will fund student grief support groups; classes in social and emotional learning; a labyrinth garden and a “Warrior Farm” flower and vegetable garden, both to promote mindfulness; yoga classes; and outdoor recreation and socialization spaces.
Kevin Schatz, principal of Colonial Trail Elementary School, was runner-up for the award. He will receive a $10,000 grant to build a cricket practice facility accessible to students of varying abilities, including students who use wheelchairs. The facility at Colonial Trail will serve as the centerpiece of a new cricket league for students with disabilities. Cricket is a popular sport in the community served by the school.
The REB award recognizes principals who go beyond the day-to-day demands of their jobs to create an exceptional educational environment. The award stresses management and communication skills, and the ability to inspire, encourage and advocate for the school. Nominees must have served as principal at their school for at least three years.
“I’m at a loss for words,” Castillo-Rose told the crowd Tuesday. “Thank you to the students, because it is your student voice that pushes me every day to think outside the box. [Thank you] for advocating for yourselves. Thank you to the staff and sponsors who listen to the students and push me to push further, and for making sure that it is all about the students, all the time, every day. Behold the green and gold!”
Castillo-Rose has been principal at the school since 2015, after serving as assistant principal from 2012-15. Before that she was an administrative intern and teacher at Varina High School and a teacher with New York City Public Schools. She served in the U.S. Army before embarking on a career in public education. Originally from New York City, she earned a bachelor’s degree from Boston University, a master’s from Mercy College in New York and an education specialist degree from the University of Virginia. She is currently a doctoral student at Virginia Tech.
Schatz became principal of Colonial Trail in 2018. Before that he served as associate principal at Shady Grove, Charles Johnson and Nuckols Farm elementary schools. He began his career as a teacher at Nuckols Farm when the school opened in 1997. Schatz is originally from Denver and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado Boulder.c
“This is a testament to the school, the school community and everybody involved,” Schatz said. “Everybody’s focus is on belonging, but more importantly, trying to find opportunities for those students and those families who are furthest from opportunity. That’s what we do every single day, and I’m so proud.”
Government
City hosting public meeting on replacement of Byrd Park Reservoir roof
The Byrd Park Reservoir was built in 1876 and has been serving the City of Richmond residents and surrounding counties continuously since then. The Reservoir operates as two finished water tanks. Upgrades and maintenance have occurred over the years to ensure peak operating capacity.

The City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities invites residents, commuters, and visitors who utilize areas around Byrd Park to attend a public meeting to learn more about the new phase of the Byrd Park Reservoir Roof Replacement Project. The meeting is from 6 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 23, at the Byrd Park Roundhouse at 621 Westover Road.
The Byrd Park Reservoir was built in 1876 and has been serving the City of Richmond residents and surrounding counties continuously since then. The Reservoir operates as two finished water tanks. Upgrades and maintenance have occurred over the years to ensure peak operating capacity. DPU is in the process of additional upgrades to improve the distribution system reliability and increase the operational flexibility of facilities associated with the reservoir. The concrete roofs are reaching the end of their useful life and will be replaced by two new aluminum roofs.
Construction will be sequenced to maintain the use of the park and will take place within a fenced area, with boundaries shifting as the work progresses. Access to the rest of the park and its trails will be open to the public.
Attendees of the public meeting can expect to learn more about the scope and review project plans.
For more details about this project, visit the project page here.