Shockoe Bar Crawl by the Historic Shockoe Valley Foundation
Billed as “The day has finally come for all of Richmond’s younger party goers to express support for a plan to better Shockoe….” but where does the young party goers donation go?
Update #1 — February 18, 2014; 8:42 AM
Since this publishing of this article the broken Facebook & Twitter links on the Historic Shockoe Valley website have been corrected and in the case of “Foundation News” removed.
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Original — February 17, 2014
On the same day that the League of Women Voters of the Richmond Metropolitan Area are hosting a Guided Slave Trail Tour you can participate in a bar crawl being organized by Historic Shockoe Valley Foundation.
The event starts at 4:00 PM on Saturday, February 22nd and runs until 12:00 AM. There is a Facebook event set-up for the details. As for the event’s goal, read for yourself:
The day has finally come for all of Richmond’s younger party goers to express support for a plan to better Shockoe with a grocery store, hotel, apartments, heritage site, and ballpark. Let us show City Council just how much fun we can have in Shockoe, by coming out in droves!
There is also a secondary goal:
If you would like to show your support monetarily, bars will be accepting a suggested donation of $5. Stickers will be available from Loving RVA so you can rock your support for the plan by posting photos on Facebook (Loving RVA), Twitter (@LovingRVA), and Instagram (#LovingRVAbarCrawl)!
All donations go to the Historic Shockoe Valley Foundation which aims to both protect history and promote progress in Shockoe as well as independently educate the public on the positives set forth in this development plan that brings a grocery store, hotel, apartments, heritage site, and ballpark to Shockoe and allows for retail development on the Boulevard.
Historic Shockoe Valley Foundation — from checking the IRS page of non-profits and by it’s own commission (via Facebook) — is not yet an official 501(c)3:
The HSVF will first form its charter, board of directors, and incorporate as a non-profit organization. It will then file for it’s tax-exempt 501(c)3 status. It’s first order of business will be to secure the location known as the Adam Craig House as well as the parcel of undeveloped land adjacent to the Adam Craig House which is currently owned by Lovings Produce (herein referred to as the “Grass Lot”).
The point of contact for Historic Shockoe Valley Foundation is Matthew Davey of the The Davey Company. The Davey Company mission statement: “Provide consulting services to organizations and individuals on tourism concepts beneficial to the Richmond area, produce quality events in the community, and provide political campaign management services to those with progressive values.”
“Our mission is to protect history and promote Shockoe Bottom,” said Matthew Davey about the Historic Shockoe Valley Foundation. He said the new group, which expects to finalize its 501(c)3 status sometime next week, is committed to supporting “anything that’s going to make Shockoe Bottom a better place.”
Davey said the bar crawl was conceived as a way to “softly announce our formation as an organization.” He said that the Historic Shockoe Valley Foundation is in favor of Mayor Jones’s Shockoe revitalization plan that uses a new baseball stadium to spur economic development in the area. However, Davey said that Loving RVA, the lobbying group created by the Mayor and Venture Richmond to drum up public support for the plan, has neither funded the upcoming bar crawl nor the Historic Shockoe Valley Foundation despite the heavy Loving RVA branding you see above.
“We’re not in any way…putting it on,” said Rob Jones of the Alliance Group, a Richmond-based PR firm running Loving RVA. But Jones said that Loving RVA is eager to work with local organizations and groups that support the Mayor’s plan. Jones said Loving RVA is only providing the bar crawl with stickers, and not offering financial support, as a way to promote Loving RVA to a younger audience.
Historic Shockoe Valley Foundation is a new endeavor and the website reflects the soft opening mentioned above. Both the Facebook and Twitter link under the Contact Us section link you to the respective WIX accounts. WIX provides templates for website creation. The link to the Foundation News section takes reader to placeholder text and photos.
The $5 donation will definitely get “young partygoers” a sticker but whether that donation will go to “both protect history and promote progress in Shockoe as well as independently educate the public ” remains to be seen.
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Richard Hayes
When Richard isn’t rounding up neighborhood news, he’s likely watching soccer or chasing down the latest and greatest craft beer.
Notice: Comments that are not conducive to an interesting and thoughtful conversation may be removed at the editor’s discretion.
C’est le douche
Richard, your skepticism is somewhat understandable, but funds will be going to HSVF. HSVF is an organization which is bigger than just the Loving RVA campaign. Although HSVF supports the ballpark in the bottom, HSVF will also serve as a vessel for promoting tourism in Shockoe in both a historical and economic capacity. Shockoe has long been ignored by the City. Until the Mayor proposed a ballpark, few people outside of Shockoe were interested in driving tourists or business to the area. HSVF will serve to protect the history of Shockoe, including the slave trade, the civil war hospitals, the Adam Craig House and promote economic growth in the area. Individuals interested in protecting the history of Shockoe Valley while promoting economic growth can rest assured that their donations will be used appropriately.
By supporting the mayors plan you kinda lose your credibility that the HSVF will be using donations appropriately to promote the history of Shockoe, or maybe you guys have just missed the billboards, statements, and articles in the local press regarding this issue.
How quickly and enthusiastically “young partiers” sell themselves out to corporate interests will be an important indicator of how much the administration can force on an otherwise resistant population.
Shockoe has not been “long ignored by the city,” what a joke. Nevermind the millions in restoration and flood protection taxpayers have provided, the neighborhood even has its own special area plan in the Downtown Master Plan. Which, it should be noted, the stadium boosters have “long ignored.”
I just don’t understand how a bar crawl promotes history or a particular area that already has a steady stream of bar customers. I don’t even understand how it raises much money at only $5 per head. With the number of bars scheduled, it doesn’t seem to promote responsible drinking, that’s for sure.
That’s because this Matthew Davey character has many tricks up his sleeve. This is probably a part of his main priority/goal which is to make Shockoe Bottom an area where people can wonder freely with open containers of alcohol, re: Bourbon Street.
This is just all really weird.
Donations were not accepted at this event nor does the Facebook event state anything about donations.
https://www.facebook.com/events/402682573200463/