02.14.2024

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Today’s Forecast

53º | Mostly sunny | 6% chance of rain
Sunrise 7:00 a.m. | Sunset 5:47 p.m.

💕 Thanks for sharing the love

Our readers’ local love stories

We love reading your local love stories.

Turns out Virginia — and Richmond — really is for lovers.

This Valentine’s Day, we used your stories to make a map of places where our readers have made memories. From best friend meet cutes to pandemic dates and decades-long love stories, y’all did not disappoint.

A map of the Greater Richmond area with various heart "points" scattered on it, concentrated in the city. — Click the image to read more reader love stories.
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Map by 6AM City via Proxi

Explore all the local love stories by opening the map and clicking the hearts. Here are just a few we had to share.

📍 Pump House Park, Carillon
When I wasn’t taking good care of myself living alone my last year in college, biking over to the Pump House trail and making my way to the river to have picnics (alone) helped me learn to love myself, the outdoors, and life again.”
– Anonymous reader

📍 900 Moorefield Park Dr., North Chesterfield
“In the early 90s my (now) wife and I were just casual friends and would meet in the evenings here after our shifts at Ukrop’s (her in the office, me in the dairy department) to listen to the live acoustic music by local musician Wayne Ruotolo while we ate some riblets, talked about music and books, and commiserated over our troubled love lives. In time we realized the past was not as good as the present, fell hopelessly in love, and have been married for over 30 years now. We still get sentimental for some acoustic yacht rock.”
– Kevin G.

📍 Bottoms Up Pizza, Shockoe
“My partner Jim and I had our first date at Bottoms Up Pizza after meeting at a (now defunct) Richmond Braves game through a Meetup group. Now married for 13 years, it seems like the first date worked out.”
– Carmen C.

More of your stories

Events

Wednesday, Feb. 14

VCU Women’s Basketball vs. UR | Wednesday, Feb. 14 | 6 p.m. | Siegel Center, 1200 W. Broad St., Richmond | $7-$10 | Get BOGO tickets when you buy in-person to watch the Rams and Spiders in a hometown battle.
Lager is for Lovers | Wednesday, Feb. 14 | 6-9 p.m. | Bingo Beer Co., 2900 W. Broad St., Richmond | Free entry | Check out this love-filled pop-up complete with build-your-own-bouquets from Richmond Flower Truck, food and drink specials, and games.

Thursday, Feb. 15

Sam Reed Sings | Thursday, Feb. 15 | 7 p.m. | Gallery5, 200 W. Marshall St., Richmond | $30 | Join the local singer for a tribute to funk singer Betty Davis with burlesque performances from Sasha Nyte, Qing Blaze, Jungle Julia, and Jo’Rie Tigerlily.

Friday, Feb. 16

Kendall Street Is For Lovers | Friday, Feb. 16 | 7 p.m. | The Broadberry, 2729 W. Broad St., Richmond | $15 | Spread the love with the Virginia jam band, plus openers Rigometrics and Bebbus.
Cocoa and Classics: “North By Northwest” | Friday, Feb. 16 | 7-9 p.m. | Richmond’s First Baptist Church, 2709 Monument Ave., Richmond | Free | Enjoy warm drinks and snacks along with a screening of the Hitchcock classic.

Saturday, Feb. 17

Black History Month Vendor Fair | Saturday, Feb. 17 | 10 a.m.-2 p.m. | Beulah Recreation Center, 6901 Hopkins Rd., Richmond | Free entry | Join Chesterfield County and Richmond Night Market for a celebration of Black excellence with 40+ vendors, live music, a maker space, and kids activities.
Gellman Room Concerts: Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia | Saturday, Feb. 17 | 2-3 p.m. | RPL Main Branch, 101 E. Franklin St., Richmond | Free | Hear poems and readings along with the first half of Tchaikovsky’s “The Seasons.”

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

News Notes

Biz

Restaurants in the city will now pay tax bills for the current month instead of the previous month, following a unanimous vote from City Council on Monday. Several local restaurants expressed frustration with the previous system, which generated steep late fees with little communication. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Civic

An inclement weather shelter on Chamberlayne Avenue will soon offer more services for Richmonders in need. City Council voted to allocate $7 million in funds to expand the shelter; Salvation Army will put in $8 million. The shelter will be used as a multi-purpose facility for families and single adults. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Number

$7.2 million. That’s how much Richmond-based startup Buddy brought in during its last capital raise. The company recently pivoted to selling software to insurance companies, while still offering its original platform of on-demand accident insurance for outdoor activities. (Richmond BizSense)

Sports

W League Richmond will be part of the Mid Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in its inaugural season. Division teams include Charlottesville Blues FC, Lancaster Inferno, and Northern Virginia FC. Teams play 10 or 12 matches against division opponents during the regular season.

Read

Friends of the Richmond Public Library is hosting a book drive this Saturday, Feb. 17. Drop off your gently used hardbacks, paperbacks, CDs, and DVDs at the Main Branch from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Festival

Tickets for the JamPacked Festival go on sale this Friday, Feb. 16. The waste-free craft beer and music fest will return to Brown’s Island on Aug. 10, headlined by Greensky Bluegrass.

Pets

Join Henrico Humane Society for its 23rd Annual Pet Expo on Saturday, Feb. 24 at Richmond Raceway Complex. Bring your pet and enjoy vendors, demonstrations, pet contests, and silent auctions. Advance tickets are $8.

Home

If you spent your whole Sunday reorganizing your closet, here’s another spring cleaning suggestion: Move your credit card debt. This card offers 0% interest on a balance transfer until mid-2025. That’s over a whole year to pay off your balance, sans interest. Plus, you’ll earn 2% cash back on purchases.*

Holiday

There’s still time to send Valentine’s Day flowers. Pick up a bouquet from a local vendor, or shop same-day delivery bouquets on 1-800-Flowers.*

Traffic

🚧 7th Street Bridge updates

Watch out for changing traffic patterns on 7th Street

A google earth screenshot of I-95 in Richmond. Arrows point to four of the bridges being rehabilitated — 1st, 4th, 5th, and 7th Street bridges.

Five bridges over I-95 are getting some TLC. | Map via VDOT

VDOT-affiliated crews are wrapping up work rehabilitating the 7th Street Bridge over I-95. Before the end of the month, expect a few new traffic patterns.

Southbound lanes on 7th between Hospital and Jackson Streets will reopen, although there may be temporary single-lane closures for a bit.

On 95, there will be a few overnight lane closures while crews continue to replace the bridge superstructure and make concrete repairs.

The project is part of VDOT’s ongoing rehabilitation of five bridges over I-95. The 1st, 4th, 5th, and East Broad Street bridges were also identified for repairs in order to extend their life cycles and raise vertical clearance. All repairs are targeted for completion this fall.

The Buy

The Buy 2.14.24 (Affiliate + Six & Main)

A portable touch screen for your car, so you can connect your phone and use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto for music, GPS, and more. Stick the screen where you want with its sturdy suction cup holder + use the voice control feature for safe driving.

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The Wrap

Robin Schwartzkopf in a red button down shirt

Today’s edition by:
Robin

From the editor

I enjoyed reading this Style Weekly update on Studio Two Three’s expanded space in Manchester. This past year’s holiday market came in clutch for my gifting purposes.

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