5 things

Do you like things that are fun and awesome? Good, because here are five of them. AND we’ve got a giveaway!

January 21, 2010; 6:00 AM • by Valerie Catrow

Do you like things that are fun and awesome? Good, because here are five of them. AND we’ve got a giveaway!

1. A Servant of Two Masters

Thwarted lovers! Mistaken identities! Vaudeville-ish antics! The only people who wouldn’t enjoy this are fun-haters. So there. Preview performance on Thursday, January 21 at 8pm. Officially opens on Friday, January 22 and runs through February 13. Pine Camp Arts and Community Center (4901 Old Brook Road), $20. Be sure to check out our review of the show early next week and enter for a chance to win a pair of tickets to go see it for yourself.

2. Band of the Irish Guards featuring Pipes, Drums & Highland Dancers of the Royal Regiment of Scotland

Say that five times fast. The Irish Guards and Regimental Band have been around since 1900 (formed at the specific request of Queen Victoria) but have never visited the US… until now. Join them for an evening of bagpipes, drums, and Celtic dancing. You’re also encouraged to show up in traditional regalia, should you be so inclined — and I so hope you are. Friday, January 22, 7:30pm, Carpenter Theatre at Richmond CenterStage (600 E. Grace Street), $18-$38 with discounts for seniors and children. Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster.

Hold it right there. We’ve got two pairs of tickets to give away for this one (we’re all about that this week). Enter to win them here. The contest closes at 3pm.

3. ChildSavers Muppet Movie Sing-A-Long

You know what pretty much brings me to tears? The thought of tons of Richmond kids singing this in unison:

Saturday, January 23, 10:30am and 1:00pm, The Byrd (2908 W. Cary Street), $8 for adults, $5 for kids. All proceeds benefit ChildSavers, a Richmond area non-profit.

4. Street Fighter II / Mortal Kombat II Arcade Tournament

It seems the folks at Strange Matter are trying to blow your minds. I would pay a small fortune to see the folks that show up at this one. Saturday, January 23, 5pm, Strange Matter (929 W. Grace Street). “Modest prizes” are promised. You can sign up the day of or by leaving your COMBAT NAME on their Facebook page.

5. Help for Haiti

Richmond has tons of opportunities for you to offer your support to the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. Here are just a few:

• Haiti-A Benefit for the Red Cross: Hosted by Community Chest and RVAMag, this one is promising 17 bands (I know, way to pull it together, guys) with all proceeds benefiting the Red Cross. Saturday, January 23, 5pm, Plaza Bowl (523 E. Southside Plaza), $10 (or make a text donation to the Red Cross at the door).
• Haiti-Palooza 2010: It’s my understanding that this event was already scheduled before the earthquake happened, but they’ve adjusted their plans so a portion of the proceeds will go directly to earthquake relief efforts; the rest will go to the Patricia Sullivan Haitian Outreach Foundation, an organization dedicated to supporting children in Haiti. Saturday, January 23, 7pm, The Canal Club (1545 E. Cary Street), $15 in advance, $20 at the door.
• Carytown Helps Haiti: If bands aren’t your thing, this event offers a different approach with a screening of Ghosts of Cite Soleil with proceeds going to the citizens of Cite Soleil and Blanchard, Haiti. Sunday, January 24, 2pm, The Byrd (2908 W. Cary Street), $5.

If none of these are to your liking, be sure to check out our 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.

January 21, 2010 6:00 AM 1