During these difficult times we’ve kept ourselves going by focusing on the positive and finding something to be thankful for whenever we are feeling down. Today, let’s all be thankful for the technology that allow us to stay connected even when we are separated. Here are our picks for the best ways to support the community and to take your mind off pandemic news this week.
Escape in Interior Design
In the interior design world, Charlotte Moss is an icon. An award-winning interior and product designer, the Richmond native is the author of 10 books on interior design, gardening and entertaining. And although Moss decamped for New York City after graduating from VCU, she’s also known for her Virginia drawl, Southern charm and hospitality. Learn how the designer propelled her career from her first job as a Wall Street marketer to international tastemaker as she shares her stories about getting started in the interior design industry and her career on a recent episode of “The Business of Home” podcast.
—Susan Morgan, R•Home Managing Editor
Support Local Purveyors
If you’re like me, you’ve been hitting those comfort foods hard over the past couple weeks. Pizza and other carbs are near and dear to my heart, but my body is aching for greens and a dose of local produce. Practicing social distancing doesn’t mean that we can’t support our local farmers — enter the age of market modernity with online produce shopping at Fall Line Farms and Local Roots. You must be a member to shop, but it’s affordable (from $6 for a week to $50 for a year), and the site is easy to navigate. Check out the weekly purveyor lineup, order and then pick up at one of the designated locations throughout the region. South of the James Market also recently debuted a drive-thru service where customers contact farmers in advance and then cruise through the market area to grab their goods. Cavalier Produce has also launched a Buy a Box, Give a Box program: For each local produce and specialty foods box ordered, they will donate a box to a service industry worker.
—Eileen Mellon, Food Editor
Read a Book
Will McIntosh has gone from college psychology professor to full-time author. The Williamsburg resident is a sci-fi writer with a Hugo award to his credits, earned for a short story in 2010. Most of his recent works have been for younger readers, but his first novel is a fitting introduction to his work and appropriate for life in a pandemic. That book, “Soft Apocalypse” (2011), is a tale of things falling apart in slow motion in the wake of an economic collapse. McIntosh says in a Facebook Messenger exchange that, in light of the pandemic, “Soft Apocalypse” has been on his mind.
—Tharon Giddens, Lifestyle Editor
Virtual Theater
Anne Frank’s story of hiding in a “Secret Annex” attic from the Nazi occupation in Amsterdam has seen many iterations in literature, theater and film. Now, it’s moved online. Ashland’s Whistle Stop Theatre Co. is airing via its website a six-part series based on “The Diary of Anne Frank.” Installments are posted every Thursday at 8 p.m. through April 30. “This series pulls six entries from ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’ that explore feelings of isolation, longing and finding hope in a new reality,” explains Whistle Stop’s Louise Keeton. Teaching materials and community discussions are posted throughout the week. Kadyn Noelle Bunting portrays Anne Frank and addresses a webcam as though it is her diary. “I think the immediacy of Anne Frank’s observations are powerful,” Keeton says. “People are feeling isolated and alone, and this is what we’re connecting with.”
—Harry Kollatz Jr., Senior Writer
Watch Others Do Good
Tune into VPM beginning this weekend to watch “The Good Road,” an eight-episode series produced and co-hosted by Richmond resident Craig Martin. The program takes a look at global philanthropy as Martin and co-host Earl Bridges, a lifelong friend, trek around the world to meet people who are making a difference in places such as Thailand and Tanzania. They call themselves “philanthropologists with a camera.” The show also has a companion podcast. The 26-minute episodes cover everything from border camps for refugees to anti-poaching squads and tech companies using innovation for good in developing countries. The series is presented by WETA in Arlington, and the first episode will air on WCVW Richmond (PBS Plus) on Saturday, April 11, at 5 p.m.
—Jessica Ronky Haddad, Editorial Director
Other Suggestions:
- Play socially distant trivia via YouTube on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. in this competition featuring prizes from local cideries and breweries.
- Have you always wanted to learn how to dance? The School of Richmond Ballet Adult Division is live streaming classes in ballet, rhythm and motion dance exercise, and barre fitness.
- Hopewell’s Beacon Theatre is live streaming virtual concerts on its Facebook page. Fans are encouraged to “tip” the performers and Beacon Theatre employees. Check out the English Channel on April 8, East of Blue Ridge on April 9, and the Pat & Beau Duo on April 10.
- Maggie Lena Walker is featured in “Unladylike 2020,” a new American Masters film.
- The Richmond Night Market will host a virtual market on Saturday, April 11, from 5 to 10 p.m. on Instagram.
- Watch wildlife in action via the RVA Osprey Cam, broadcasting from a nest on a bridge piling in the James River. A pair of ospreys return to the location every year, and the birds are currently incubating eggs, which take about 34-40 days to hatch.
Our favorite contest returns! This year, voters will chose a Top Dog and a Top Cat. Enter your best furry friend now and help the Richmond Animal League at the same time!
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 and get access to email-only giveaways by subscribing to our e-newsletter.