There are plenty of reasons to start your engines in the days ahead, including the return of NASCAR to Richmond Raceway. Also worth a short drive this week are the Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Festival; the HeART & Soul Fest; a “Best of” screening of the 48 Hour Film Project; and an author Q&A at the Library of Virginia. Enjoy!
Food Findings
“Appalachia on the Table” is not a cookbook. Nor is it a memoir about food. Instead, author Erica Abrams Locklear — a professor of English and humanities at the University of North Carolina Asheville and a seventh-generation Western North Carolinian — uses her grandmother’s recipe collection as inspiration to explore the often incorrect and belittling assumptions made about mountain people based on stereotypes about their food. Locklear will describe her findings at the Library of Virginia at 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 27, with a book signing to follow. The event is free, but registration is required.
—Mindy Kinsey, Editorial Director
The Banana Stays in the Picture
It’s blazing hot, and there’s trouble in Hollywood, but Richmond’s entries for the 17th annual 48 Hour Film Project will light up the screen at BTM Movieland at Boulevard Square on Saturday, July 29, from 2 to 5 p.m. If you missed the opportunity to judge the films during their premiere screenings last week, this is your chance to view the top picks during the Best of Richmond screenings and awards. Groups of filmmakers had 48 hours (July 14-16) to create shorts that were required to include an IRS employee, the line “Fun fact: I don’t care” and a banana. There’s always fun and surprises in these efforts, and you’ll wonder how some of them were produced in the allotted time. One film will be crowned “Best 48HFP Film of Richmond” and will move on to a screening at Filmapalooza in Lisbon, Portugal. Tickets are $12 ($15 day of show).
—Harry Kollatz Jr., Senior Writer
Brews and ’Cue
Expect flavor overload at the 14th annual Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Festival, an event showcasing some true Southern pleasures, July 29 at The Meadow Event Park. Admission buys you a souvenir glass to enjoy unlimited samples of beer and bourbon. Couple that with a delicious array of food to choose from; music by The Pop Rocks and Junk Food; and seminars in the Tasting Theatre with master distillers, brewmasters and pitmasters, and you have the recipe for a great day out. Tickets are $39 (designated-driver tickets are sold on-site for $25).
—Laura McFarland, Lifestyle Editor
Full Hearts
It’s summertime, and the suds (and spirits) are easy. Presented by Richmond Black Restaurant Experience, the HeART & Soul Festival is back for its seventh year on July 29 at City Stadium. The daylong party dedicated to the art of hip-hop brings together a few of my favorite things in life: music, beer and delicious food. Find everything from Southern fare to seafood and sweets at the RBRE food truck court and sing along to DJs spinning hip-hop and R&B. The itinerary also includes an edition of the Richmond Night Market, live art installations, family fun areas and more. Tickets start at $15.
—Eileen Mellon, Food Editor
NASCAR’s Back
Start your engines: It’s summer race weekend at Richmond Raceway. At 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 29, the regular-season finale of NASCAR’s Craftsman Truck Series revs up for the Worldwide Express 250. At 3 p.m. on Sunday, July 30, is the NASCAR Cup Series race, the Cook Out 400. It could be the last time you can see Martin Truex Jr. race in the River City; he’s publicly pondering retirement for a second straight season, though owner Joe Gibbs has told reporters that he wants Truex back based on his recent success. It’s also the final season for Kevin Harvick, whose last win came at Richmond Raceway in 2022.
—Mark Newton, News Editor
Other Suggestions
- On July 27, J Tucker and the Krewe bring their R&B sound to Music at Main, the Main Street Station concert series.
- CharacterWorks presents “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” performed by high school students at the Perkinson Center for the Arts & Education July 27-29.
- Hometown salsa band Bio Ritmo play Richmond’s newest music venue, Ember Music Hall, on July 28.
- Dogwood Dell hosts the musical comedy “Something Rotten!” July 28-30.
- The Maggie L. Walker Pop Up Exhibition continues through July 29 at the Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia.
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.
