Best & Worst 2018: Culture

Best Local Lead Vocalist

Lucy Dacus 

A Richmond native and Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School graduate, Lucy Dacus says that for a while she wanted to emulate the sounds of Broadway singers, like her mother, and finding her own voice was a journey. “I think you sometimes have to try on other people's voices to find your own,” the singer-songwriter says. “At least to find out that nothing fits other than your personal voice.”

2. Susan Greenbaum

Best Local Horn Player

Reggie Pace of No BS! Brass Band

Pace, a Virginia native, picked up a horn in middle school and hasn’t put it down since. The trombonist has produced six records with No BS! Brass Band, including a Christmas album and a forthcoming live album; played Coachella four times and Bonnaroo three; written music for pep bands at UR and VCU; and most recently toured with Bon Iver. Pace says he knew he’d made it when he was “only doing music.”

Best Local Percussionist

Dave Witte

He’s been working his way around a drum set for the past couple decades, but Dave Witte has a playing style that can’t be easily defined. He moved to RVA in 2003 to join Municipal Waste, a heavy-metal band with ’80s influences, but he has also made his mark in side projects. Spin magazine voted him one of the “100 Greatest Drummers of Alternative Music” five years ago. 

Best Karaoke Night

Sticky Rice 

2232 W. Main St., 804-358-7870

There has been some form of karaoke at this site for more than 20 years — back when it was Gumbo Ya Ya’s. And the tradition continues at Sticky Rice (est. 1999) every Tuesday night, when, says bar manager Alex Copeland, there’s occasionally a standout: “There’ve been times when I’m slammed behind the bar and I just stop dead in my tracks: Who is this nailing Alicia Keys’ ‘No One?’ ”

2. (TIE) Lakeside Tavern; Metro Bar & Grill

Best Place to Score Vinyl Records

Plan 9 Music 

3017 W. Cary St., 804-353-9996

Records are the OG method of listening to music, and Plan 9 is an OG record store that’s been dishing out vinyl since ’81. The road hasn’t always been smooth: Music downloads, iPods and streaming services all helped contribute to a decline in business. But lo and behold, everything makes a comeback — “People swear by the sound and warmth of vinyl,” says Plan 9 owner Jim Bland — and record sales have surged.

2. Deep Groove 

3. Steady Sounds

Richmond Folk Festival (multi-category winner)

richmondfolkfestival.org

Last year, some 200,000 people came to this three-day musical celebration. Venture Richmond Executive Director Lisa Sims laughingly recalls hip-hop pioneer Grandmaster Flash’s festival performance in 2015: “At first he said, ‘I don’t know about this folk festival thing.’ ” But the audiences couldn’t get enough. This year, from Oct. 12 to 14, highlights include a one-night-only appearance by the renowned Mavis Staples; gypsy jazz music from Lulo Reinhardt (great-nephew of the great Django Reinhardt); and the Orquesta el Macabeo, salsa music from Puerto Rico. “It’s a 14-year overnight success,” Sims says. 

Best Festival or Event in the City

1. Richmond Folk Festival

2. Dominion Energy Riverrock 

3. Greek Festival 

Best Music Festival

1. Richmond Folk Festival 

2. Richmond Jazz Festival 

3. Dominion Energy Riverrock

Best Festival or Event in Henrico

Lebanese Food Festival 

The 34-year-old festival is the brainchild of Monsignor George M. Sebaali, who saw it as a way to build the parish community and make Richmond more aware of Lebanese Maronite culture. “In the beginning I would say that there were still people who’d never tasted Lebanese food,” says Sandra Brown, a member of St. Anthony Maronite Church, which produces the event. “Now they’re saying, ‘This is the best Lebanese I’ve ever eaten.’ Their palates have been enlarged.” 

2. RVA French Food Festival 

3. Innsbrook After Hours 

Best Festival or Event in Chesterfield

Chesterfield County Fair 

chesterfieldcountyfair.org

“Fairs are one of the last-running true family events,” says Brenda S. White, general manager for the 105-year-old Chesterfield County Fair, which runs from Aug. 24 to Sept. 1. “It's a place where people of all ages can come and find something to their liking.” Some vendors have worked the fair for more than 30 years, and music is featured each night, except for Monday, which is the Miss Chesterfield County Fair Pageant. 

Best Festival or Event in Hanover

Hanover Tomato Festival 

hanovertomatofestival.com

Held this year on July 14, this event was started 40 years ago by the Black Creek Volunteer Fire Department, with a parade on McClellan Road; a celebration of local emergency responders; and, naturally, Hanover tomatoes. The festival eventually grew into hosting children’s activities and numerous vendors, necessitating a move to Battlefield Park Elementary School and then, in 1998, to its current location at PoleGreen Park. 

2. Ashland Strawberry Faire

Innsbrook After Hours (multi-category winner)

4901 Lake Brook Drive, Glen Allen, 804-423-1779 

Yvonne Mastromano, executive director of the Innsbrook Foundation, which oversees the music series, credits two important components with Innsbrook After Hours’ success: people who love music and 200 trained volunteers who ensure a smooth-running event. “We have a diverse and a culturally rich community, and our shows reflect that,” she says. The redesigned venue is now mostly covered by grass, with room for relaxing, and the food marketplace was relocated to give concertgoers a convenient courtyard and prevent lines from merging. The reserved seating closest to the stage has also been expanded for those who prefer to sit during a show, and don’t mind paying for it. 

Best Concert Series

1. Innsbrook After Hours

2. Friday Cheers

3. Richmond Symphony 

Best Live Music Venue in the Counties

1. Innsbrook After Hours

2. The Tin Pan 

3. The Beacon Theatre

River City Food Tours (multi-category winner)

rivercityfoodtours.com

Over the course of 497 tours, River City Food Tours has exposed the Richmond food scene to locals and tourists alike. “There’s only been one person who had already visited all the places we went on tour,” says co-founder Brian Beard. The company, which launched in 2014, parades through Carytown, The Arts District and their newest addition, Church Hill. 

Best Local Tour

1. River City Food Tours

2. Eerie Nights Ghost Tour

3. Haunts of Richmond

Best Staycation Activity 

1. River City Food Tours

2. Enjoy the James River/Belle Isle

3. VMFA

Best Movie Theater

Bow Tie Movieland at Boulevard Square

1301 N. Boulevard, 804-354-6099

Between Movieland’s expansive film offerings and Criterion Cinemas at Movieland’s art-house programming, “Bow Tie prides itself on providing desirable content for every valued Richmond customer,” says Jared Milgram, Bowtie’s general vice-president for film and marketing. There’s also some history here: The 17-screen main theater building is the former Richmond Locomotive Works, and the art house Criterion across the parking lot once manufactured the brass fittings for the big engines.

2. The Byrd Theatre 

3. CinéBistro 

Best Theater Event or Series

Broadway in Richmond 

broadwayinrichmond.com

“We are thrilled to be named best theater event or series,” says Steve Traxler, president of Jam Theatricals, which brings these shows to town. The 2018-19 season, which opens in October, includes the Tony-nominated musical “Waitress” and a return engagement by Tony-winning musical “The Book of Mormon,” with the touring production of “Hamilton” arriving in 2019-20 to cement Broadway in Richmonder's hearts. 

2. SPARC Live Art 

3. Virginia Repertory Theatre

Best New Attraction

T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge

jamesriverpark.org

This 1,700-foot pedestrian and bicycle bridge spans the James River between Brown’s Island and Manchester, delivering incredible views. The brainchild of City Planner T. Tyler Potterfield, who died of a heart attack in 2014 and thus didn’t see the amazing success of the project, it’s an example of a person’s legacy enriching the lives of those who are continuing, one step at a time. 

2. Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU

3. (TIE) The Circuit; Maggie Walker statue

Best Escape Room

Escape Room RVA (Ravenchase Adventures)

7025 Three Chopt Road, 800-282-3169

If you’ve ever wanted to be in one of those films where characters are frantically gathering clues to solve a puzzle, well, the Escape Room RVA experience puts you in one. Choose from treasure hunting in “The Lost Jewel of the James,” a descent into madness with “Vanity,” or the struggle between light and dark as symbolized by unicorns and vampires. It’s a real mystery tour. 

2. Breakout Games 

3. Red Vein Escape/Haunted House

Best Trivia Night

Penny Lane Pub 

421 E. Franklin St., 804-780-1682

Patrick Nicholas and Ben Hoover have hosted trivia at Penny Lane since 2010. “Other places, people wander in for a drink and happen to play trivia,” says Hoover, who repairs ATMs by day. “Here, they come to play trivia and happen to have a drink.” He and Nicholas (a social worker) write their own questions for the Wednesday-night event, which consists of seven rounds of 10 questions each. 

2. (TIE) Isley Brewing Co.; Mellow Mushroom

3. The Grill at Patterson & Libbie

Best Arcade

The Circuit 

3121 W. Leigh St., thecircuitarcadebar.com

The zippity-binga-bing-whammiest place in Scott’s Addition, thanks to more than 70 games both new and vintage — and its selection of 50 beers, wines and ciders on tap — The Circuit turns a year old in October. Meaghan Riley, Circuit’s communications manager and a fan of “Attack From Mars” pinball, says that the plan is to rotate in different games to keep things from getting stale. But never fear: Skee-Ball isn’t going anywhere.

2. Dave & Buster’s

Best Dance Event or Series

Richmond Ballet

407 E. Canal St., 804-344-0906

“All of us at Richmond Ballet are proud to receive this honor and to be a part of Richmond’s vibrant arts community,” says Stoner Winslett, the ballet’s artistic director, who started with the organization in 1980. The 2018-2019 season brings the company into its 35th year of gorgeous, muscular, dynamic dance performances, which will be on display during the celebratory gala events, Sept. 28-29.

2. Dogtown Dance Theatre 

3. The Art of Noise RVA (dance party)

Best Art Installation in the City

Murals/Street Art

Now an ingrained part of Richmond’s culture, murals have helped put the city on the map as an art destination. The Richmond Mural Project began in 2012, and now over 100 murals span from the Museum District to South Side. Normal walls have transformed into brilliant, vivid showcases of artistic talent from Amsterdam, Puerto Rico, New York, Richmond and elsewhere. 

2. VMFA 

3. Chihuly Red Reeds at VMFA

Best Live Music Venue Within City Limits

The National

708 E. Broad St., 804-612-1900

Take a Broadway-style house that, since its 1923 inception, has featured every kind of entertainment live onstage and on film, let it go dormant for about 20 years, then undertake a thoughtful renovation and add a multilevel restaurant, and you get a downtown venue for regional and national acts, enjoyed by thousands. 

2. The Broadberry 

3. Brown’s Island 

Best Speaker or Conversation Series

The Richmond Forum 

richmondforum.org

Before each program, Executive Director Bill Chapman lifts the cushion of the iconic red chair on the Richmond Forum stage and writes the name of the evening’s guest underneath with a Sharpie. The forum has hosted some impressive names, including President Barack Obama, director Steven Spielberg, former FBI director Robert Mueller, Oprah Winfrey and President George W. Bush, among many others. “We’re honored to be able to produce America’s largest nonprofit speaker series,” Chapman says. This season, speakers include actress Tina Fey and astronaut Scott Kelly.

2. Chrysalis Institute

3. Mindful Mornings 

Best Museum or Attraction That Keeps Kids of All Ages Engaged

Science Museum of Virginia

2500 W. Broad St., 804-864-1400

Running, laughing and being loud is encouraged, says Jennifer Guild, manager of communications and curiosity at the Science Museum of Virginia: “We’re trying to spark curiosity and blow visitors’ minds.” The museum has collected some interesting items over the years — a moon rock, a 3-D-printed weather station (the only one in RVA) and, until Sept. 3, several well-preserved animal specimens, including a shark, a giraffe and a giant squid, via the traveling exhibit “Body Worlds: Animal Inside Out.” 

2. VMFA

3. Children’s Museum of Richmond