5 things

I know you all might be a little sad because there’s no Folk Festival this weekend, but Richmond has plenty of fun and fabulous things planned to help you get over your “Oh No, the Folk Festival is gone for a whole YEAR” blues. Here are five that happened to capture our attention. (GIVEAWAY INSIDE!)

October 14, 2010; 12:00 PM • by Valerie Catrow

I know you all might be a little sad because there’s no Folk Festival this weekend, but Richmond has plenty of fun and fabulous things planned to help you get over your “Oh No, the Folk Festival is gone for a whole YEAR” blues. Here are five that happened to capture our attention…

1. Richmond Shakespeare: Arcadia

Richmond Shakespeare kicks of the 2010-2011 season with Arcadia, a play by Tom Stoppard, author of Shakespeare in Love. Here’s a brief synopsis, courtesy of Wikipedia (because we know that’s where you’d look anyway):

Arcadia is set in Sidley Park, an English country house, in both the years 1809–1812 and the present day—1993 in the original production. The activities of two modern scholars and the house’s current residents are juxtaposed with the lives of those who lived there 180 years earlier.

In 1809, Thomasina Coverly, the daughter of the house, is a precocious teenager with ideas about mathematics well ahead of her time. She studies with her tutor, Septimus Hodge, a friend of Lord Byron (who is an unseen guest in the house). In the present, a writer and an academic converge on the house: Hannah Jarvis, the writer, is investigating a hermit who once lived on the grounds; Bernard Nightingale, a professor of literature, is investigating a mysterious chapter in the life of Byron. As their investigations unfold, helped by Valentine Coverly, a post-graduate student in mathematical biology, the truth about what happened in Thomasina’s lifetime is gradually revealed.

• Runs Friday, October 15 through October 30 (all performances at 8pm)
• Gottwald Playhouse at Richmond CenterStage (600 E. Grace Street)
• $12-$30 (purchase online)

Giveaway alert! We’ve got a pair of tickets to Friday night’s performance up for grabs. Enter to win them here. The contest closes at 2pm today. Hop to it!

2. Yo Gabba Gabba! Live!

I can appreciate any event with a name that includes two exclamation points. I can also appreciate any event that promises songs as entertaining and relevant to a two-year-old as this:

• Friday, October 15 (7pm)
• Landmark Theatre (6 N. Laurel Street)
• $26-$36 (purchase online)

3. HandsOn Day

Ok, kids, time to get your hands dirty for the good ol’ RVA. HandsOn Greater Richmond has tons of community service projects ready and willing to accept volunteers on Saturday. Check out our coverage from earlier today to find a service project happening in your neighborhood.

• Saturday, October 16 (kickoff celebration starts at 9am)
• All over Richmond
• It will cost just a few hours of your time

4. Finding Thalhimers Release Party

You know you’re from Richmond if there are still Thalhimers gift boxes hanging out in your grandma’s closet. Come celebrate one of Richmond’s most beloved department stores with what’s being dubbed the biggest reunion of Thalhimers employees and customers ever. Sample some legit Thalhimers cake, check out great memorabilia, and get a signed copy of Finding Thalhimers, a new book written by William Thalhimer Jr.’s granddaughter, Elizabeth Thalhimer Smartt. You can read more about Elizabeth and her book right here.

• Saturday, October 16 (1pm to 3pm)
• Virginia Historical Society (428 N. Boulevard)
• Free!

5. Poe’s Pumpkin Patch

Bring the little ones out for an afternoon spent wrapping mummies, beating the mess out of a black cat pinata, searching for prizes in a spooky scavenger hunt, and decorating their very own pumpkin. Be sure to wear costumes!

• Sunday, October 17 (2pm to 5pm)
• Edgar Allan Poe Museum (1914 E. Main Street)
• Comes with regular museum admission: $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and students

Stop by the RVANews Events Calendar for more great stuff happening around town this weekend — you’re sure to find something that suits your fancy.

As the editor of RVANews, Valerie Catrow spends most of her time wrangling people over email and muttering to herself about the content calendar. She also contributes to our parenting column while maintaining her own blog, Made in Richmond. It should be noted that she loves tots, both the potato and child varieties.

October 14, 2010 12:00 PM 2