5 Things

Various Richmond mainstays on the ol’ cal this weekend, plus some hopeful mainstays-to-be. Here’s a hint: one’s on 2nd Street, one’s in Ginter Park, and one’s on the seat of a bicycle built for one.

October 2, 2014; 7:27 AM • by Susan Howson

1. Mystery Mart No. 1

There are good mysteries and bad mysteries. The movie Clue? A good mystery. The stuff we eat when we open a package of something made in a factory? A bad mystery. Twelve hand-picked crafters? A great mystery! The “who’ll craft it” collaboration between the Bizarre Market and Quirk Gallery will keep your anticipation high during the long, long hours between now and Friday night. But at least you’ll know that you’ll have grub from Saison to make sure your mind stays sharp.

Friday, October 3rd • 5:00 – 9:00 PM
Quirk Gallery, 311 W. Broad Street
Free to attend!

2. African Film Weekend

What a luxury it is to really go deep into one particular area of the glorious world of cinema! University of Richmond nods knowingly. It gets that. And it invites you to attend a two-day series of screenings. It’s free, y’all, which is pretty nuts, and a fantabulous opportunity to get a number of films checked off on your Letterboxd that other people in town won’t be able to. And if you don’t learn things in the process, well, I don’t know what to do to help you. Catch a related lecture tonight at 7:00 PM.

Friday, October 3rd – Saturday, October 4th • see site for schedule
University of Richmond, 28 Westhampton Way, in the Ukrop Auditorium of the Robins School of Business.
Free!

3. 2nd Street Festival

The esteemed, much-anticipated 2 Street Fest! My neighbor counts down the days to it each year! And it’s easy to see why. This historic corridor was the epicenter of Jackson Ward’s awesomeness back in the day AND, arguably, right here in this day. This year, see performances by Midnight Star and Johnny Houston and the Legends, as well as brass, jazz, gospel, and dance acts as well! Oh also, some kick-ass food and kick-bottom children’s activities.

Saturday, October 4th – Sunday, October 5th • see site for times
2nd and Marshall Streets (and nearby environments)
Free to attend!

4. Oystoberfest!

I now turn your attention to the Northside, where Oystoberfest returns once again to claim its kingly throne in Ginter Park. This thing is a juggernaut of fun, and because I know you’re all scratching your heads as to why we didn’t feature a beer-themed event this weekend, I’ll go ahead and tell you that there will be some brewskies there. But back to the oysters. They’re Rappahannock River Oysters this year, and they’ll be steamed, fried, and even raw (Do your thing, I guess, raw-oyster-eaters!). If you’re not into oysters and you just wandered over there like a rabbit into a bear trap, you’ll still have your choice of hot dogs, sausages, fries, hush puppies, and many, many salads (JK).

Saturday, October 4th • 12:00 – 6:00 PM
St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church, 3602 Hawthorne Avenue
$2 suggested donation

5. MARTIN’S Tour of Richmond

This seems like, but blessedly isn’t, a tour of Richmond’s MARTIN’S grocery store locations. No offense, MARTIN’S, but if you’ve seen one, I think you’ve got the general idea. No, sir! It’s a bicycle tour of our fair city (in various length increments) for those of you who need to do some due diligence before stuffing themselves at Oystoberfest or the 2nd Street Festival later on. And, if you’re lucky, this guy will be there.