5 Things

I had no idea, but it appears that the first weekend in May is the date that every single thing begins, and as such this weekend COULD NOT BE CONTAINED.

May 2, 2013; 6:50 AM • by Susan Howson

I had no idea, but it appears that the first weekend in May is the date that every single thing begins. South of the James summer market starts up, First Fridays kicks off, Innsbrook After Hours gets jamming, and lots and lots more. Let’s face it, spring is Richmond’s time to shine. Shine it has and shine it will.

For those of you who want to dig a little deeper into the world of family-oriented Things, head over to our new 5 Things for Families. But then head back. I’ll get lonely.

1. Warby Parker at Need Supply

Hey, you. You with the boring glasses and the out-of-date prescription. You can’t see the sign that I’m holding up, but it says, “GET WITH THE TIMES.” You gotta have Warbys or nothing, these days, and it’s so obvious why. They’re affordable eyewear of good quality, and they give back to people who can’t afford glasses at all. So you should be super stoked that they’re setting up a shop within Need Supply. There will be cocktails! Food! Ice cream! DJ Robot E. Lee! And the hippest clothes you can’t afford to wear.

Thursday, May 2nd • 6:00 – 9:00 PM
Need Supply Co., 3100 W. Cary Street
Free, but please RSVP via Facebook

2. RVA Street Foodies Court at Hardywood: American Made Meetup

You may not find the Martha Stewart Omnimedia empire as utterly fascinating as some of us do, but please consider wearing your new fashion-forward Warby Parkers to Hardywood Thursday evening. You’ll get to meet LUCINDA SCALA QUINN WHAT WHAT WHAT???? She’s like Martha only regular and her recipes are all like “Come on. Let’s just eat a thing, relax. I’ve got three huge boys to feed.” Anyway, she’s hosting a meetup for small businesses as part of the RVA Street Foodies regular Thursday night gig. You can learn about all sorts of things, plus drink the beer and eat the food and get the autograph. I am dying to know how this all came about, and when LSQ and I become besties and I get that information, I will pass it right along.

Thursday, May 2nd • 6:00 – 9:00 PM
Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, 2408 Ownby Lane
Free to attend

3. Friday Cheers: Shovels & Rope/Hayes Carll

When I was a kid, Friday Cheers was a smallish thing that could take place in a moderately sized courtyard and usually involved Fighting Gravity (the ‘90s!). Now, it’s an enormous beast with a varied line-up of musical wunderkinds. It begins this Friday for the 2013 season with Shovels & Rope (a twangy yet stripped and sophisticated folk/alt-country/bluegrass/indie rock duo) and Hayes Carll (who’s like a wry smirky country rocker). Go get your Southern culture on and report back, preferably in song form.

Friday, May 3rd • 6:00 – 9:30 PM
Brown’s Island, 500 Tredegar Street
$5, kids 12 and under are free!

4. Free Comic Book Day

Let it be known that Velocity Comics has a cute tumblr, and I’m not just saying that because its wallpaper image is from the one comic I have actually read. But friends, Saturday is Free Comic Book Day, and stores like Velocity are celebrating in kind. The idea is pretty simple: comics are cool and they just want you to get into them. Bring your kids, get them hooked, watch them read their social life away later on…it’s all good.

Saturday, May 4th • all day
Velocity Comics, 819-A W. Broad Street
Free!

5. Arts in the Park

This weekend. More than 450 artists from around the country will assemble at Byrd Park. Your mission is to stroll around, enjoy the fine weather, and possibly buy something. It’s sooooo simple. Bring your taste for wood, ceramics, jewelry, paintings, anything and everything artistic. But don’t bring your pets. They’re always heckling, and nobody likes a heckler.

Saturday, May 4th • 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM and Sunday, May 5th • 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Byrd Park
Free to attend

Bonus Thing: Go! Discover Richmond

This weekend COULD NOT BE CONTAINED. Get a historical amount of exercise by walking the Go! Discover Richmond 10K. This year’s route takes you back to the downtown area but makes a foray into Oregon Hill as well. You’re also likely to run into historical impersonators, who are always good sports about posing for silly photographs. May I recommend “Patrick Henry lying on the street pretending he’s been hit by a car” or “Christopher Newport reading a newspaper at a bar.” The options are limitless with this stride backwards through time.

Saturday, May 4th • really early
Virginia War Memorial, 621 S. Belvidere Street
$25 through today, $30 at the event

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Future Things

Innsbrook After Hours has announced its 2013 schedule, which includes Pat McGee, Sheryl Crow, and Peter Frampton
Schmooza Palooza – May 9th
Arts and Culture Xpo – June 29th
David Sedaris tickets now on sale – October 19th

Photo by: by Sam Howzit