5 Things

Fests, chicken wings, and an army of restaurants battle for your affections over the next couple of days.

October 16, 2014; 7:50 AM • by Susan Howson

1. OKTOBERFESTS!!!

We’re down to the wire, guys. You can say you’re into Oktoberfests, sure, but are you REALLY into doing the German leiderhosen thing and hoisting your steins in the air to the tune of kinda weird hokey music? What? YES?! Well, then, your place to be is the end-all-be-all of all Richmond Oktoberfests, the 46th annual one. Yeah, 46th. But..if getting on the bandwagon isn’t your game, and you’re more interested in getting behind scrappy upstarts, try the very first annual Oktoberfest at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens.

See sites for dates • see sites for times, you know the deal
Richmond International Raceway and Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens, respectively
So many prices! All below $20! See all the sites, why don’t you!

2. Over the Edge

Because I am not a death-defier-for-a-cause (don’t misunderstand me, I think those kinds of people are shockingly admirable, I’m just cut out of more queasy cloth), I am only dimly aware of these extreme gestures to help worthy causes like the Special Olympics. To me, you guys are superheroes, and when I think of you all, you are not only just rappelling down an annoyingly high building, you are looking into oblivion with nothing but this Hole cover running through your brain. At this point, you are TOO LATE (nice work) for rustling up some charitable support, but it is also an intense thing to come out and watch with great gusto!

Friday, October 17th – Saturday, October 18th • see site for schedule
SunTrust Building, 919 E. Main Street
Free to watch these crazy, philanthropic daredevils!

3. Walk to End Alzheimers

There are no jokes about this. Alzheimers is messed up, and maybe we can do something to help it out. As a family member of a dude who has a similar but equally obliterating disease, there are very few things more upsetting than talking to someone who contributed to your entire makeup as a self-sufficient adult and having them not remember anything about their own life, let alone you and whatever the mess you think you’re doing that’s important. Humbling, frustrating, devastating–there are more adjectives, but I’ll spare you. This is a good thing to do. And don’t just think so because you’re worried/convinced I will show up outside your dwelling late at night with a sign-up sheet and an unnerving expression.

Saturday, October 18th • registration at 8:30 AM, kickoff at 9:30 AM
Innsbrook, Markel Plaza, 1700 Cox Road
Your fundraising goal amount!

4. 1st Kickin’ Chicken Wingfest

Don’t think about these chicken kicking in order to save their wings. Just don’t! It’s a pun that needs to just align itself with delicious flavors. This year, 17th Street Farmer’s Market begins its very own chicken-wing-oriented festival, because it knows that all of you could not resist even if you tried. And now, you can get wings in all sorts of ways. Ways to wings. Wings to ways. Wingways. #wingways

Sunday, October 19th • 12:00 – 5:00 PM
17th Street Farmers Market, 17th and Main Streets
Free to attend! But those wings don’t grow on trees. Bring cash for food. PS – Wing trees would be horrifying.

5. Richmond Restaurant Week

Twice yearly, Richmond Restaurant Week rises to greet restaurantgoers with prix-fixe menus, a crushing paradox of choice, and a chance to support FeedMore. This go-around, 41 restaurants offer three courses from which you can pick one item. That’s literally an uncountable number of possible choices. Better start looking at the menus now…