5 things

Anyone else feel like Richmond is just completely saturated? Anyone else tired of me always introducing 5 things by talking about the weather?

December 10, 2009; 6:00 AM • by Valerie Catrow

Anyone else feel like Richmond is just completely saturated? Anyone else tired of me always introducing 5 things by talking about the weather?

1. Richmond Ballet presents The Nutcracker

An expected pick, of course, but you can’t ignore the magic of this show. It’s just so… pretty. Plus, I don’t know about you, but I’m mildly fascinated by how they manage to wrangle all of those children. Be sure to bring the little ones to Clara’s Tea Party following select matinees (my six-year-old self just swooned). Opens Friday, December 11 and runs through December 23. Carpenter Theatre at CenterStage (600 E. Grace Street), tickets prices vary. See website for show times and pricing.

2. NO BS! Christmas

Because, really, who wants to deal with BS during the holiday season? Join Richmond’s bosses of brass (that’s what I’m calling them now) for an evening of rowdy holiday fun, all to benefit the Central Virginia Foodbank AND Goodwill. Friday, December 11, 9:30pm, The Camel (1621 Broad Street), $6. Bring canned goods and get $1 off admission for each can (up to three) or donate a coat to get in for $3.

3. Handmade Holiday

If you lose your mind over all things Etsy-ish, this is the place for you. Headed up by the Richmond Craft Mafia, this craft and design extravaganza promises oodles (yes, I said oodles, this kind of event does that to me) of unique, handmade gifts and goodies, brought to you by some of the best artists in Richmond. Saturday, December 12, 10am to 5pm, Visual Arts Center of Richmond (1812 W. Main Street). It’s free to get in, but come ready to shop. And for those interested, there’s also a preview party on Friday night from 7pm to 10pm also at the Visual Arts Center ($10 suggested donation to benefit the venue).

4. 14th Annual Hamaganza

I can’t say “Hamaganza” without laughing. Anyway, folks like Melissa Chase, Manoli Loupassi, and Dirtwoman join the ladies of Varietease! to bring you an evening of dancing, juggling, and general debauchery, all for a $10 donation or equivalent food stuffs to be passed on to the Central Virginia Foodbank. Friday, December 11, 9pm, Poe’s Pub (2706 E. Main Street) or Saturday, December 12, 9pm, Capital Ale House Downtown (623 E. Main Street).

5. Patch Adams at The Byrd Theatre

And now with your token, non-holiday event…

I have to confess something. When Patch Adams came out, I went and saw it in the theater not once, not twice, but thrice. It was the noodles scene – got me every time. For those of you not familiar with him, the real Patch Adams is a MCV grad who went on to piss off/inspire lots of people by taking an unorthodox approach to caring for his patients. (You can’t beat the piss off/inspire combo, can you?) This weekend, Patch will be stopping by The Byrd to give a talk on his unique approach to life, which will be followed by a screening of the film and a Q and A. Saturday, December 12, 12pm to 3pm, The Byrd (2908 W. Cary Street), $40, $25 with student ID. All proceeds will benefit the Gesundheit! Institute. Purchase advance tickets here.

If none of these are to your liking, be sure to check out our The RVANews Holiday Guide or the Events Calendar for more ideas.

And as usual, if you’d like to give special shout-outs to happenings this weekend, leave them in the comments!

(Don’t forget: If you’ve got an event in the works that you’d like to see featured, send it our way.)

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.

December 10, 2009 6:00 AM 0