5 Things

Have you ever danced with the Devil in the pale moonlight? Me neither! Moving on: the weekend is here. Do you know what that means, besides reinforcing an arbitrary social construct of time classification? We gets ta’ do stuffs! Here’s 5 things for you to do, each of which are waiting for you…to do it to them? Did that come out wrong?

June 16, 2011; 6:00 AM • by Nathan Cushing

Reminder everyone: Father’s Day is on Sunday, so if you’ve neglected finding a greeting card, let a alone a whole gift, for Dad, don’t say that I didn’t warn you. Because I JUST did. If you’re a good son or daughter, however, you’ve already taken care of Father’s Day stuff, and so you’re ready for the weekend. Got nothing planned? Pshaw! Consider yourself booked.

1. Vegetarian Festival

Is Dad a fatty? What better way to show your appreciation for all his hard work than to stage an intervention for the sake of his health! But eating healthy doesn’t have to make your dietary palette so boringly banal. Vegetarian and vegan options not only don’t suck, but they’re actually very good (I say that as a vegan). We Richmonders are lucky to live in a city with a ton of really great veggie-friendly restaurants and businesses. The Vegetarian Festival will showcase food, speakers, local businesses, nonprofits, and music. This event is both animal and family friendly.

• Sat., June 18 • Noon – 6pm
• Azalea Gardens at Bryan Park
• FREE

2. Central Virginia Wine Festival

OK, so now we’ve got Dad eating veg, now we need to move him away from his other way-too-calorific indulgence: beer. Beer is SO last year! Every doofus has their very own home brew and their very own keggerator. PUH-lease. Remember the Gospel of John, that story in the Bible (you know, that thing you use as a paper weight)? Top Dawg Jesus didn’t turn water into a Belgian triple IPA, he turned it into wine! Why? Because Jesus had class. And so should you! Don’t know squat about wine? Fret not. The Central Virginia Wine Festival will feature 14 local wineries. You can bring your own fold chairs, EZ-up tents, and your leashed dog.

Want to go? Well, what do you know? We have TICKETS that we’re giving away for FREE! Simply click HERE and enter your info. Good luck!

• Sat., June 18 • Noon – 6:00pm, rain or shine.
• SnagAJob Pavilion, 4910 Lake Brook Drive, Glen Allen
• $20 online, $25 at the gate

3. Friday Cheers: The David Grisman Sextet with The Hot Seats

Any band with the word “sex” in their name has got to be good, right? Well, if that’s not enough of an incentive to get you out of the house, let’s try this: David Grisman has been a mandolinist, composer, and producer for close to 50 years. He’s mixed together the many modes of American music, as well as other international musical spices to create his very own idiom: Dawg music, which was coined and given to him by Jerry Garcia (some dude from some band called The Grateful Dead). So, we have both “sex” and good music in store? Yep, I’ll see you there.

• Fri., June 17 • 6:30pm
• Brown’s Island
• $5

4. Martin Lawrence

Mah-tin! Listen, I know you have the DVD collection of his FOX show, Martin (that’s why you moved the Bible off the shelf, to make room for the box set). I also know you’ve seen Big Momma’s House, Bad Boys, and Bad Boys 2. But back in the day, before he was a television and movie star, Martin Lawrence was a cutting-edge stand-up comedian who hosted the ground-breaking Russell Simmons-produced HBO series, Def Comedy Jam. He’s a comedy legend. He’s returning to stand-up, and will be appearing here in Richmond tonight. Do the math.

• Thurs., June 16 • 8pm
• Landmark Theater
• Tickets are $55.50 – $75.50

5. Kick for the Cure

They say that giving is better than receiving. If you’d said that to me that when I was a teenager, I would have laughed in your face and then stole something off of your person. But now that I’m older, wiser, and more compassionate, I realize that this aphorism is very much true. So, dads, instead of using this weekend to just celebrate how wonderful and gosh-darn sexy you are, take a little time and do something for the ladies, as well as yourself.

The Richmond Kickers are supporting the Susan G. Komen organization. Not only do you get to have fun watching one of the area’s (and America’s) fastest growing sports, but you can support a great cause. Proceeds will benefit Susan G. Komen, the global leader in breast cancer awareness and alleviation. There will be a pink jersey auction, along with health and info activities for the entire family. You can order PINK PACKS, which gives you four tickets and four limited edition pink t-shirts for $40 ($10 of which will benefit the Komen foundation).

• Fri., June 17 • Silent auction begins at 6pm • Game begins at 7pm
• Richmond City Stadium, 3201 Maplewood Avenue
• Order tickets at RichmondKickers.com and enter PINK at checkout. Ticket prices will vary.

June 16, 2011 6:00 AM 1