National Poetry Month winds up this week with a chance to enjoy the work of budding bards at the second annual RPS Youth Poetry Slam. Also this week, we have a plant sale, a pet fest and the return of popular local events Ashland Train Day and Richmond Restaurant Week. Enjoy!
A Culinary Win-win
We’re entering one of the most delicious — and charitable — weeks of the year: From April 24-30, dozens of area restaurants will roll out special multicourse prix-fixe menus for a steal at $35.23, with $5.23 per meal donated to hunger-relief organization Feed More. Founded in 2001 by Acacia Midtown co-owner Aline Reitzer, Richmond Restaurant Week has become a local institution, recently reaching a milestone of $1 million raised for the nonprofit. This year, the lineup features newbies such as the Mexico City-inspired Conejo and African-Jewish mashup JewFro, alongside veteran participants such as The Hard Shell and downtown’s Julep’s New Southern Cuisine. Reservations are recommended.
—Eileen Mellon, Food Editor
Plentiful Plants
I found the gorgeous gardens and plantings featured on the Historic Garden Week tours last week so inspiring that I’m thinking about doing some gardening of my own. So, I’m heading to the Carriage House Lawn at Maymont to shop and learn more at Herbs Galore on Saturday, April 29, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. More than just herbs, the annual plant fest offers a bounty of popular and rare plants — including annuals, perennials, vegetables and trees — garden accessories and more from nearly 80 nurseries and specialty vendors. You’ll find everything you need to enliven your landscape, along with live music and eats from local food trucks. BYO wagon to carry home your finds. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children 3-12, and free for kids under 3 and Maymont members.
—Susan Morgan, R•Home Managing Editor
Dog Day Afternoon
Get ready to “Strut Your Mutt” at Richmond Animal League’s Woofstock festival, Saturday, April 29, at Westchester Commons. You can shop animal-related vendors, meet adoptable pets, groove to music, and enjoy fun zones for kids and pups alike at this family-friendly event. Register to compete in the Strut Your Mutt Pet Parade to raise funds for animals in need; awards will be given for Best Dressed, Most Creative, Pawfect Pair and People’s Choice — and the top fundraising pet will become the 2024 Woofstock mascot. The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It’s free, but there’s a $5 suggested donation. For more pet-friendly events, look for the Pet Guide in our upcoming May issue.
—Mindy Kinsey, Editorial Director
Do the Loco-motion
If you love trains, then Ashland will be the center of your universe on April 29. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the 19th annual Ashland Train Day street festival and railroad extravaganza features freight, passenger and model trains; history lessons and singing storytellers; and plenty of kid-focused activities, from a scavenger hunt to a bouncy house and displays of heavy equipment. The event is free, as is parking at one of three areas accessible by shuttle.
—Mark Newton, News Editor
Practicing Poets
As National Poetry Month ends, six Richmond high schools are participating in the second annual RPS Youth Poetry Slam, April 29 at the Visual Arts Center of Richmond. Hosted by The Writer’s Den RVA, the event will feature the spoken-word compositions of 30 students competing for prizes and the title of champion. Participating students have been preparing for months under the tutelage of local poets including Frederick Eberhardt, Rieka Speaks and Rosa Hornsby Castellano. The tournament is hosted by Richmond’s first poet laureate and co-founder of The Writer’s Den, Roscoe Burnems. The event is free, but donations are accepted. Verses kick off at 10 a.m., with the finals at 3 p.m.
—Nicole Cohen, Arts & Entertainment Editor
Other Suggestions
- The final class of the “Making Sense of Contemporary Art” learning series, titled “Where in the World?” is April 25 at the Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University (which just celebrated its fifth anniversary).
- A photography and dance collaboration, Starr Foster Dance’s “Spitting Image II” runs April 27-29 at Firehouse Theatre.
- Head to the 17th Street Market for music, beer, line dancing and more during Blues & Brews in the Bottom on April 29.
- “Forging Freedom, Justice and Equality” continues through April 29 at the Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia, part of the museum’s 40th-anniversary celebrations.
- Touted as “the largest sneaker event to hit RVA,” KicksMania returns to Richmond Raceway April 30.
River City Roundup is Richmond magazine’s weekly compilation of the best things to see, do and experience in the region, compiled by our editors. Get each week’s installment directly in your inbox every Monday by subscribing to our e-newsletter.
