5 things

Well now, this weekend is looking to be a great big bag of awesome. There is so much to choose from, but I think we’ve managed to give you a nice, diverse sampling of activities. Take a look — and enter to win tickets to one particularly lovely event.

April 29, 2010; 6:00 AM • by Valerie Catrow

Well now, this weekend is looking to be a great big bag of awesome. There is so much to choose from, but I think we’ve managed to give you a nice, diverse sampling of activities. Take a look — and enter to win tickets to one particularly lovely event.

1. Virginia Opera: Porgy and Bess

Wait! I know many of you felt your eyes roll back in your head once you read “opera,” but this one is different. In fact, according to Wikipedia, it wasn’t even accepted in the US as an opera until 40 years after it was first performed. So… it’s like a rebel opera… sure. Here’s what you need to know: it’s in English, the music is by George Gershwin, and it’s set in 1920s Charleston in a place called “Catfish Row.” Not so snoozey, huh?

• Friday, April 30 at 8pm; Saturday, May 1 at 8pm; Sunday, May 2 at 2:30pm
• Richmond CenterStage (600 E. Grace Street)
• $29-$92 (purchase online here)

Giveaway Alert! We’re giving away two pairs of tickets to Saturday night’s performance of Porgy and Bess. Enter to win the tickets here. Contest closes at 3pm TODAY!

2. VMFA Public Grand Opening

Finally! After five long years, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is reopening to the public, and you’re invited to celebrate with them all. day. long. They’ve got tons of stuff planned: music, dancing, lectures, film screenings… gah! It’s too much to mention here (I fear your finger will go numb from scrolling), so go check out the website. But trust me, you won’t be bored. It will be impossible.

• Saturday, May 1, 10am to midnight (MIDNIGHT!)
• Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (200 N. Boulevard)
• Free!

3. NASCAR!!!

It’s time for the Spring NASCAR Doubleheader, and Richmond’s got the BUBBA Burger 250 and the Heath Calhoun 400 happening this weekend. Even if you don’t care about NASCAR, it’s important for you to know that it’s in town, if only to save your sanity while trying to drive around the Northside.

• BUBBA Burger 250: Friday, April 30 at 7:30pm; Heath Calhoun 400: Saturday, May 1 at 7:30pm
• Richmond International Raceway (600 E. Laburnum Avenue)
• Prices vary, see website for details

4. Richmond’s Lesbian and Gay History Bus Tour

Beth Marschak, co-author of Images of America: Lesbian and Gay Richmond will take you on a tour of Richmond landmarks that have helped shape the city’s gay and lesbian community. Topics of discussion will include women who passed as men to serve in the military, the literary and cafe society of the 1920s-40s, and the rise of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights movement.

• Saturday, May 1, 1pm to 4pm (arrive 15 minutes before the tour starts)
• Valentine Richmond History Center (1015 E. Clay Street)
• $23 for adults, $20 for members and children ages 6 to 18; children under 6 are free (call 804-649-0711 x301 to reserve a spot)

5. Live at Ipanema: The Thirds

Sigh, remember how great the last one was? Doesn’t that make you want to head over to Ipanema on Sunday night and enjoy some tunes from The Thirds? I thought so.

• Sunday, May 2, 10pm
• Ipanema Cafe (917 W. Grace Street)
• Free!

If none of these look particularly compelling (although I can’t imagine why), perhaps I can interest you in 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.

April 29, 2010 6:00 AM 2