Happy New Year! Whether you’re working on resolutions, extending the holiday season or looking to learn something new, there’s plenty to keep you busy around RVA this week. Enjoy!
Schooling Richmond
Inequities in education will be the subject of a discussion Jan. 3 as part of The Valentine museum’s ongoing Controversy/History series. In “Coming up Short: Richmond Needs Schooling,” panelists Amy Wentz, director of outreach and engagement at the Commonwealth Institute, and Genevieve Siegel-Hawley, an associate professor of education leadership at VCU, will explore “segregation in schools and learning leaps and deficits post-COVID in the region” at 5:30 p.m. at The Len, 15 N. 17th St. The event is free.
⎯Mark Newton, News Editor
Join the Club
If you resolved to read more this year, consider joining one of the half-dozen book clubs hosted by Fountain Bookstore. The clubs are virtual, making it safe and easy to meet your goals and make new friends. To participate, sign up on the website and buy the book (in paper, e-book or audiobook format) from the store. The Fountain Faraway Book Club (foreign titles read in translation) meets Jan. 4 and the Fountain Flirt Book Club (romances) on Jan. 5, with additional clubs convening later in the month.
⎯Mindy Kinsey, Editorial Director
Tradicion Navideña
A celebration of Latin American and Spanish holiday traditions, “Legend of the Poinsettia” will be performed by the Latin Ballet of Virginia Jan. 5-8 at The Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen. Created by Latin Ballet founder and Director Emerita Ana Ines King, the story follows Maria, who has nothing but weeds as a gift for baby Jesus, but due to her pure heart, they turn into the beautiful red foliage of the poinsettia. This year’s performances will be accompanied by renowned opera singer James Taylor. Tickets are $20.
⎯Nicole Cohen, Lifestyle Editor
Hibachi at Home
The sizzle of the grill, the succulent meats it produces and that ginger salad dressing we can’t get enough of ⎯ I’m a big fan of hibachi. On Jan. 6, Kitchen Classroom presents Japanese Hibachi at Home, a hands-on cooking lesson focused on katsu, the breaded Japanese comfort food, with accoutrements including tonkatsu sauce, white miso soup, matcha creme brulee for dessert and, yes, that delightfully sweet and zippy ginger dressing. Tickets are $79.
⎯Eileen Mellon, Food Editor
Brown Gold
Explore the Old Dominion’s nicotine habit at “Up in Smoke” on Jan. 7 at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture. Sam Florer, the museum’s manager of public programs, will trace more than 400 years of Virginia’s tobacco history, including Colonial-era accounts of the Washingtons and Custises, how Richmond tobacco magnate Lewis Ginter invented the first baseball cards and tobacco-themed public events, such as the Virginia Slims Circuit and the Richmond Tobacco Festival. The plant remains a dynamic component of the state’s culture, agri- and otherwise. Tickets are $20.
⎯Harry Kollatz Jr., Senior Writer
Other Suggestions
- Sharon Rae North sings music from Anita Baker, Oleta Adams and Brenda Russell at The Tin Pan on Jan. 7.
- The Richmond Weddings Winter Show at Main Street Station on Jan. 7 and The Wedding Experience at the Greater Richmond Convention Center on Jan. 8 both highlight the latest wedding fashions and trends.
- Celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany with a concert of prayer-based music by Red Letter Consort at historic St. John’s Church on Jan. 8.
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.
