5 things

Welcome to mid-June in Richmond! It’s hot, it’s sticky, it’s humid, and there’s a mind-blowing amount of things to do. Take a look at our top picks for hip, hilarious, and even wholesome (how I wish that silent ‘w’ weren’t there) happenings around town this weekend.

June 17, 2010; 6:00 AM • by Valerie Catrow

Welcome to mid-June in Richmond! It’s hot, it’s sticky, it’s humid, and there’s a mind-blowing amount of things to do. Take a look at our top picks for hip, hilarious, and even wholesome (how I wish that silent ‘w’ weren’t there) happenings around town this weekend.

1. Friday Pictures in the Park: Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs

The 18th kicks off the second year of Friday Pictures in the Park, hosted by the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities. First up: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs at Byrd Park. So grab the kiddies, a blanket, some snacks, a few liters of bug spray, and head on over for some fine family fun.

• Friday, June 18 (8:30pm to 10:30pm)
• Byrd Park (600 S. Boulevard)
• Free!

2. The Richmond Vegetarian Festival

Enjoy food from the likes of Cous Cous, Ellwood Thompson’s, Sticky To Go Go, Whole Foods (and more), great local music, a performance from Jonathan Austin (Richmond’s favorite juggler), and even a cooking demonstration from Kendra Feather of Ipanema Cafe and Garnett’s. I also hear the 212th Attack Battalion will be there… yeah, they dress up in Star Wars costumes. I’m not sure what that has to do with being vegetarian, but it all adds up to quite the amusing Saturday.

• Saturday, June 19 (12pm to 6pm)
• Azalea Gardens at Bryan Park
• Free admission

3. Chelsea Handler: Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang

ALERT: Apparently Chelsea announced on her show last night that Richmond is the ONLY town on her entire tour where tickets haven’t sold out yet. Ladies and gentlemen, I hate to get harsh, but this is unacceptable. So, if you have time on Friday and like things that are funny (and highly inappropriate), get to it.

• Saturday, June 19 (8pm)
• Landmark Theatre (6 N. Laurel Street)
• $55 to $77

4. Father’s Day in the Garden

Celebrate the old man with an afternoon spent at Lewis Ginter scoping out classic cars, hot rods, and Harleys while snacking on cookout fare. There will also be music and fun stuff for the kids, so hopefully the whining will be kept to a minimum and Dad can enjoy himself.

• Sunday, June 20 (1pm to 4pm)
• Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden (1800 Lakeside Avenue)
• $10 for adults; $9 for seniors; $6 for kids; members and kids under 3 are free (food costs extra)

5. Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social

Oh this is so cute, I can’t stand it — and it’s going to be hot on Sunday (of course) so it’s perfect. Bring the whole fam out for a late afternoon spent enjoying old-fashioned games, some “toe-tapping” music, and ice cream from Bruster’s.

• Sunday, June 20 (4pm to 6pm)
• Walkerton Tavern (2892 Mountain Road)
• Free!

None of these sound good? Check out our Events Calendar for more fun stuff going on around town.

As always, if you know of something that deserves a shout out, please do so in the comments OR submit it to the calendar yourself!

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.

June 17, 2010 6:00 AM 4