5 Things for Families: CeCe Bell, music, bats, snakes, and the Grinch
Three of this week’s featured events have me stoked. The other two give me the heebie-jeebies. Take a look and see how it all shakes out for you and yours.
Photo by: photojenni
1. Meet CeCe Bell
Chat with CeCe Bell, author of the 2015 Newberry Honor Book El Deafo, and create your own autobiographical comic strip. I know so many teachers and librarians who got all hand-flappy as they read that last sentence. Check out our piece on Ms. Bell from back in March!
- Thursday, July 23rd • 4:00 PM
- Richmond Public Library–Main Branch, 101 E. Franklin Street
- Free!
2. An Evening with invoke
This looks like something fun and different for the fam: spend an evening in the VMFA’s Robins Sculpture Garden (weather permitting) listening to original pieces from invoke, a “not classical…but not not classical” string quartet.
- Friday, July 24th • 6:00 – 8:00 PM
- Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 200 N. Boulevard
- Free (no tickets required!)
3. Bat Search
The only thing that exceeds my fear of bats1 is my hatred for mosquitoes. And since bats eat mosquitoes, I will support any and all efforts to educate the public about their important role in our ecosystem. On this evening hike, visitors will use spotlights and detectors to “seek out these mysterious friends in the Maymont gardens.”
“Friends?” Let’s not go crazy here, guys.
- Friday, July 24th • 7:30 – 9:15 PM
- Maymont Nature Center and grounds, 2201 Shields Lake Drive
- $8 per person; $6 for members (register online)
4. Richmond Virginia Reptile Expo
Ok, I lied in that last one. The only thing that exceeds my fear of bats/hatred of mosquitoes is the abject terror I feel when faced with a snake.2 So this event, promising hundreds of reptiles for sale and trade (and gawking-at, in general), is basically my worst nightmare. But I’m sure some of your littles one will love it.
- Saturday, July 25th • 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
- Richmond International Raceway, 602 E. Laburnum Avenue
- $8 for adults; $3 for kids ages 2 to 9
5. Christmas in July
Take part in holiday games and crafts; visit with the Grinch, the Snow Queen, and her elves; and scarf down a snow cone or 50 before heading back out into the armpit that is mid-summer Richmond.
- Saturday, July 25th • 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
- Children’s Museum of Richmond Central, 2626 W. Broad Street
- Free with museum admission ($8; free for members and kids under 1)
- One swooped down and grabbed my hair once when I was just getting out of my car and minding my own business. But I do like fruit bats. Fruit bats are the cutest. ↩
- I just feel like they’re all on me. ↩
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Valerie Catrow
Valerie Catrow is editor of RVAFamily, mother to a mop-topped first grader, and always really excited to go to bed.
Notice: Comments that are not conducive to an interesting and thoughtful conversation may be removed at the editor’s discretion.
Or find bats for free by hanging out at the neighborhood pool at dusk! I usually see 2-3 working the bug zones around the lights and every once in a while, a bat will swoop down and get a drink of water WHILE FLYING.
*flails* CECE BELL!
Also, Maymont is totally the place for bats. Once I was reading under a tree there and one FELL OUT OF THE TREE AND LANDED BY MY FEET.
So many caps.
Children’s Museum had raised their admission to $9 per person.