So much has changed since we compiled this list of events late last week. After three nights of protests in our city and across the country — while we are still living through a pandemic — it seems frivolous to suggest you turn your attention elsewhere right now. Perhaps a small distraction this week can reassure you that life will go on and offer hope that there are brighter days ahead.
Con at Home
Tickets for GalaxyCon Richmond, set for March 19-21, 2021, go on sale today, June 1. But you don't have to wait that long to meet your favorite celebrities. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, comic conventions around the country have been either canceled or postponed. GalaxyCon’s answer for those who are missing out is to offer free virtual celebrity Q&A sessions. Recent livestreams have included Captain Kirk himself, William Shatner; Cooper Andrews, who portrays Jerry on “The Walking Dead”; and stage and screen actor Tim Curry. Join Gaten Matarazzo, who plays Dustin on “Stranger Things,” at 2 p.m. on June 6. On June 7, hear from “Fright Night” cast members Chris Sarandon, Amanda Bearse, William Ragsdale and Stephen Geoffreys at 2 p.m. And catch Jonathan Frakes, Gates McFadden and Denise Crosby from “Star Trek: The Next Generation” on June 13 at 2 p.m. Registration is required.
—Nicole Cohen, Special Projects Editor
Work on That Green Thumb
Been eyeing that backyard and daydreaming of bountiful rows of tomatoes, radishes, zucchini and other fresh produce? Always wanted to grow your own food and practice sustainability? Bow Tide Farms, a 3/4-acre farm in Richmond’s North Side, is here to help, recently launching a bimonthly video series aimed at homegrowers dubbed “Bow Tide Tips From the Garden.” Founder Joe Jenkins, a former Julep’s New Southern Cuisine bartender, releases a new video each week followed by a live Q&A on Zoom. Check out the next class June 3 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
—Eileen Mellon, Food Editor
Take a Battlefield Hike
It’s easy to maintain proper social distancing during a walk along the lightly used, 8.5-mile network of trails at the Five Forks Battlefield in Dinwiddie County. It’s part of the Petersburg National Battlefield and is out in the country off White Oak Road south of Petersburg. You can do a 1.5-mile loop starting at the equestrian parking lot — the trails are for walkers, bikers and horses, and you can take your dog, too — that will take you through a quiet forest of pines and some hardwoods and through bogs along well-maintained and easy-to-follow blazed trails. Study the map before you go so you don’t get turned around on the web of paths. The visitors center (and restrooms) are closed, but you can check out the history of the battle online.
—Tharon Giddens, Lifestyle Editor
Relive the Richmond Folk Festival
With social distancing limiting access to live performances, VPM and the Richmond Folk Festival have joined forces to bring RVA a summer of music. Tune in to VPM online or at 93.1 or 107.3 FM on the radio each Saturday at noon, now through Aug. 29, for “Encore: The Richmond Folk Festival,” to catch performances recorded live from the Altria Stage last year. Featured artists include the Iberi Choir with Georgian polyphonic singing from Tbilisi, Georgia, on June 6; Richmond favorites Plunky & the Oneness of Juju on July 11; BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet on July 18; and Dale Watson, honky-tonk and country from Austin, Texas, on Aug. 22.
—Susan Morgan, R•Home Managing Editor
Sweat It Out
Though I’ve ridden many miles on the Capital Trail, I’ve never made it from end to end. This may be the summer to cross that off my bucket list, with The Virginia Capital Trail Foundation’s new Capital Quarantine Challenge. Participants have until Aug. 31 to complete all 51.7 miles of the Virginia Capital Trail. You can bike, run, walk or rollerblade the entire length of the trail all at once or tackle it in sections. It costs $20 to register, and all those who complete the challenge will receive a certificate and T-shirt.
If 51.7 miles is not enough for you, check out Sports Backers’ Great American 5000, a virtual team run from San Francisco to New York. Beginning June 14, teams of 12 to 24 people will run a cumulative 24 hours a day to chip away at the 5,000-kilometer (3,107-mile) journey. An online map tracks your team’s virtual progress, and you have until Sept. 14 to complete the journey. If you run every day with a team of 24, each runner would only need to run 1.4 miles per day to complete the challenge — totally doable, right? Registration is $50 per person and gets you lots of cool swag.
—Jessica Haddad, Editorial Director
Don’t Miss
- Boxer Brief Stay Away 5K You might feel funny running through your neighborhood in your underwear on June 6 or 7, but it’s for a good cause — to benefit Hitting Cancer Below the Belt, which provides direct services to prevent colorectal cancer.
- Signs of the Time Snap a photo of a COVID-19-related sign and share it with the Library of Virginia as they document this moment in history.
- Share Your COVID Hair Before you make an appointment at one of the hair salons or barber shops that have just reopened, The Valentine wants you to share a photo of your unruly locks. Do it for history, folks.
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.
