The cool and colorful of my world
by Kate Andrews
Magnolia Jackson Pickett Burnside
I encountered this lady, the ringleader of the Richmond Varietease burlesque troupe, at a party sponsored by Gay RVA (gayrva.com). Magnolia is a cross between Divine and Mae West, and utterly delightful.
Mark Lilly
He started the Farm to Family bus after studying disaster sciences at the University of Richmond. Lilly decided to try to solve the problems inherent in the system of food distribution, as well as educate children about homegrown vegetables and meat.
Dale Brumfield
Covering our neighbor to the north much
like the Onion, News from Doswell (news fromdoswell.com) offers such headlines as "Doswell Man to Offer Free Tattoo Removal" (accompanied by a picture of a cheese grater) and "Doswell Woman Orders Kids out of her Yard by Waving Flappy Tricep."
Melissa Barlow and Carly Herring › ›
Carly's the chef, and Melissa owns The Empress, the new coffee/wine/dining establishment down the street from our West Broad Street office. I went to a sake tasting, one of their Tuesday-night wine events, by myself and encountered a cool (and educational) little community.
You won't regret following these folks
by Brandon Fox
Copeland Casati
On Twitter, she's @copelandcasati, @greenmodernkits, @rvagreendrinks. @greendrinks, @cottages and @prefabcabins. She's the Muse Award-winning guru of green in Richmond. She owns Green Modern Kits, a prefab house kit company, and she really likes chickens.
Kelly Justice
This owner of Fountain Books doles out recommendations and news about releases at @RVABookChik or @FountainBkstore. She also knows when authors are likely to show up at Fountain Books.
‹ ‹ Jeff Kelley
@JephKelley (Kelley of Tobacco Avenue, at tarichmond.com) keeps Twitter the virtual playground it's supposed to be, in between all the boring marketing blurbs and personal updates.
Ed Im
His site, RGL (richmondgoodlife.com), may look old school, but @richmondgl knows what's new in town and is the king of aggregators. He also ferrets out restaurant scoops.
Susan Howson and Lesley Bruno
Sisters @SusanHowson (Howson of RVANews.com and Richmond.com) and @LesleyBruno (Bruno, director of public relations and marketing at the Valentine Richmond History Center) together make great smartass remarks and a good sgroppino (Lambrusco Bianco, vodka and lemon sorbet) straight out of Martha Stewart Living on their blog Marthable at marthable.com.
They make Richmond a happier place
by Harry Kollatz Jr. Meghan Glass Hughes As director of archives and photographic services at the Valentine Richmond History Center, Meg makes my history columns more interesting by helping me find what I need. Happy the Artist Here's a fellow who started out painting on doors in Washington, D.C., in the late 1960s. You can see his car coming for blocks. Cynics scoff, but he's still Happy. Lee Harris We've met only in passing, but Lee is the manic man on WRIR 97.3 FM. He plays all kinds of roots music: rockabilly, country and bluegrass, Tuesdays from 9 to 11 p.m. Barry Bless › › He's leader of the band, or at least ones I've loved and grooved to: the Ululating Mummies and the Happy Lucky Combo. The accordion never sounded so good as in Barry's hands, and I always learn something from him. Lisa Taranto She's a gifted artist and persuasive advocate for sustainable living. Her efforts have included the Tricycle Gardens and community potlucks at her Manchester studio.
A passion for people
by Tina Eshleman ‹ ‹ Ellie Basch Besides running Savor, a Manchester café with outstanding food, Basch has a new mission. Along with Women Chefs and Restaurateurs co-coordinator Sally Schmidt, Basch is assembling chefs to "adopt" Linwood Holton Elementary School with the goal of inspiring better eating. Deborah Love Known as a champion for patients and physicians, Love is executive director of the Richmond Academy of Medicine. Among the successes of her tenure is Access Now, a 3-year-old program that coordinates specialty care for people who lack health insurance. Christina Newton Founder and director of Curated Culture, the organization behind the ultra-successful First Fridays art walk, Newton is an advocate for artists and an excellent resource for those who want to know more about the art scene. Bruce Winn Whether you want to buy a piano, have it tuned or restored, or learn to play it, Winn is a go-to man. An active member of Richmond's Piano Technicians Guild, he's been working the keys for 35 years. Annette Henry She's the Trinidad-infused voice and smiling face in the office of the Richmond City Dance program, where she answers questions from hundreds of dancers and parents, fields complaints and somehow keeps order amid chaos.
Doers, not talkers
by Susan Winiecki Maurice Beane ›› Beane, a longtime Visual Arts Center volunteer, is a talented metal artist and a midcentury furniture dealer. He created the Heirloom Market at the 17th Street Farmers' Market in the late 1990s and the new Antiques on Monument. Lisa Sims Starting your PR career at Opryland gives you a foundation for bigger is better. Sims is the director of the Richmond Folk Festival and coordinates Easter on Parade, Friday Cheers and the Second Street Festival for Venture Richmond. Maureen Denlea Massey You name it and Massey has probably raised money for it. From Hospital Hospitality House to VCU's Massey Cancer Center, from Partnership for the Future to ChildFund, she brings cash in the door. Beth Ritch As VMFA's event manager, Ritch oversaw 54 events between April 1 and June 30. One night included a 400-person prom, a 200-person wedding and an 80-person birthday party. She is calm, knowing that things change and you must adapt quickly. Rich Schultz As executive vice president of both Meals on Wheels and the Central Virginia Food Bank, Shultz loves taking visitors on tours of the massive community kitchen, knowing full well he'll get them hooked on the mission: working together to feed more.
From fashion to food, these folks deliver
by Bethany Emerson ‹ ‹ Erin Kelley My favorite new accessory — a necklace made of coral-colored silk — was selected by Erin Kelley, the master behind much of the inventory at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts' gift shop. Amy Denney Every Wednesday from 10 a.m. to noon, Amy Denney offers free fashion advice at Anthropologie. She helps customers accessorize or match something they already own. John and Kristina Heidel John and his wife, Kristina, are the duo behind the Goochland Drive In, which opened last year. The outdoor theater has enough room for 350 vehicles during showings on Fridays through Sundays. Bruce Wallace Dependable, friendly and fast — reasons why I swear by Bruce Wallace Automotive. The owner has been working on cars since he was 10. Heather Johnson When I'm sitting on a stool at Ellwood's Café I just have to order my current favorite, a caramel latte. Heather Johnson always tops her drink with latte art — a heart or leaf drawn in foam. Best & Worst 2010 Home
