Street closures for VCU Broad Street Mile

Make sure you stay clear of this Broad Street corridor and portion of Hancock Street.

September 27, 2013; 6:57 AM • by Nathan Cushing

Update #1 — September 27, 2013; 6:47 AM

Richmond Police have announced street closures for tomorrow’s VCU Broad Street Mile (see below).

Beginning at 12:00 PM on Friday, Hancock Street will close at the midpoint between the alley and Broad Street.

At 5:00 AM on Saturday, Broad Street will be closed between Belvidere and Meadow Street. All side streets along this corridor will be closed from the alleys to Broad Street, but will remain open for pedestrians to access alleys and parking decks. Belvidere and Meadow Street will remain open.

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Original — September 23, 2013

If Carytown is a “mile of style” then Saturday’s celebration of VCU’s 175th anniversary will be a mile of fun. The VCU Broad Street Mile will pack fun runs, food vendors, activities, and more between Belvidere Street and Hermitage Road on September 28th.

“There’s so many different ways you can celebrate with a big black tie affair,” said Arianne Dowdell, VCU’s director of university relations, about the school celebrating 175 years. But she said that VCU preferred a “capstone event that would involve the community” because “so much of what VCU is about is incorporating the community, growing the community.”

Instead of a stuffy party, VCU will celebrate its birthday with a community-wide festival. Among the activities are 16 different fun runs, which will raise money for 55 local charities and VCU scholarship funds. There’s the Zombie Mile, wherein walkers and runners are encouraged to dress up as zombies and support the American Red Cross. The Foodie Mile allows participants to dress up as their favorite celebrity chef or food mascot. Parents of young children can also take part in the Stroll-A-Mile, which will support infant and children-related charities.

Schools and departments within VCU are also getting in on the action. VCU Athletics will provide activities for people such as basketball and tossing games. Physical therapy students will operate a “stretch zone” to teach proper stretching. The Mary & Frances Youth Center will use part of a side street for tennis demonstrations. The Window World Kids Zone will have face painting, carnival and sports games, along with inflatables.

Local stores, vendors, and nonprofit organizations will also be on site to take part in the celebration. Musical performances include Japanese drumming group River City Taiko, a cappella troupe Ramifications of VCU, R&B group The Project Band, and others.

The VCU Broad Street Mile takes place on Saturday, September 28th between Belvidere Street and Hermitage Road from 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM.