To paraphrase “President” Bill Pullman in that ’90s alien-invasion popcorn pic, this week we celebrate our Independence Day. Catch fireworks at Dogwood Dell tomorrow and check out an extended list of places around town hosting the colorful pyrotechnics. There are plenty of other Fourth of July festivities on offer, including Ashland’s popular annual parade. Also this week, “Peter Pan” visits Mechanicsville, The Blackbyrds celebrate their golden anniversary, and the Virginia Folklife Program presents a showcase of culture. Enjoy!
Let’s Have a Parade
It doesn’t get much more patriotic than Americans decked out in red, white and blue; marching bands performing “America the Beautiful”; and hot dogs, hamburgers and apple pie — and that’s exactly what guests will enjoy during Ashland’s July Fourth Parade & Celebration. This long-running tradition features a nonmotorized parade of walkers and bikers, performances by the Hanover Concert Band, old-fashioned lawn games, and backyard cookout fare. You can also enter your furry friends in the Patriotic Pet Contest and your best bake in the All-American Apple Pie Baking Contest. The parade begins at 11 a.m. on Hanover Avenue and ends at the Hanover Arts & Activities Center, where the lawn party kicks off at noon. Admission to the festivities is free.
—Nicole Cohen, Arts & Entertainment Editor
Second Star to the Right
I think we all have days when we’d love just to fly away and play for a while — which may explain the enduring popularity of Peter Pan. Join the adventure Friday, July 7, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, July 8, at 2 and 7 p.m. as Alpha Theatre and Arts Company stages the musical “Peter Pan” at Atlee Church in Mechanicsville. This presentation is truly all ages, as adults and youth perform the beloved roles of Peter, Wendy, the pirates, the Lost Boys and the rest. Tickets are $10 (free for ages 4 and under), with a $35 cap for families (immediate members only).
—Mindy Kinsey, Editorial Director
A Slice of Folklife
I am grabbing my didley bow and heading to the free two-day Celebration of Virginia Folklife event on July 7 and 8 at the Library of Virginia. Friday’s documentary screening has sold out, but you can still catch the film on loop during Saturday’s festivities from noon to 4 p.m. The documentary features the artists who completed Virginia Folklife Program apprenticeships, including members of the Patawomeck tribe who trained in the tradition of eel-pot weaving and two singers from Roanoke who have studied Lowcountry Gullah Geechee-style gospel singing. The celebration on Saturday highlights Virginia musical traditions including blues, bomba and plena, fiddling, and shape-note singing. Performers include Kadencia, a Richmond-based band dedicated to playing and preserving Afro-Puerto Rican music, and Eddie Bond, an Appalachian old-time fiddler from Fries. There will also be plenty to entertain little ones, such as making a didley bow, a one-string instrument that I try to rock like Van Halen.
—Claire Fortier, Special Projects Editor
Happy Music
Renowned R&B group The Blackbyrds are hitting up The Tin Pan to celebrate 50 years since they formed at Howard University and created an enduring form of jazz funk. After making the charts in the 1970s with tracks including “Walking in Rhythm” and “Happy Music,” another hit, “Rock Creek Park” (about the Washington, D.C., park), found new life in the late ’80s and early ’90s as a goldmine for hip-hop, getting sampled by N.W.A., De La Soul and more. The show at The Tin Pan starts at 8 p.m. on Saturday, July 8. Tickets are $55.
—Mark Newton, News Editor
Other Suggestions
- Enjoy live music and fireworks during Dogwood Dell’s Festival of Arts Fourth of July Celebration (and check out more fireworks here).
- St. John’s Church presents a “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech reenactment at 11 a.m. on July 4; afterward, the cast and staff will read the Declaration of Independence. Tickets are limited to 300 and cost $15.
- Celebrate Independence Day with the Richmond Symphony during Red, White and Lights at Meadow Farm Museum at Crump Park on July 4, culminating in a laser light show.
- Fresh off the release of their new album, “Free Rein to Passions,” The Dirty Nil stop at Richmond Music Hall on July 5.
- Learn “The History of Ice Cream” during a Chesterfield Historical Society of Virginia presentation at Magnolia Grange House Museum on July 8.
- Watch and/or take a ride in World War II airplanes during the Warbird Showcase at the Hanover County Airport on July 8-9.
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.
