July 12, 2024

Today’s Forecast

80º | 96% chance of precipitation
Sunrise 5:58 a.m. | Sunset 8:31 p.m.

🛹 Richmond, meet Taylor Farm Park

The new park will open to the public on Tuesday, July 16. | Photo by RICtoday

Henrico’s newest park officially opens next week. The county will host a dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony for Taylor Farm Park on Tuesday, July 16 at 11 a.m.

Located in Sandston near the Chickahominy YMCA, Taylor Farm is the first new park in Varina in over 40 years.

The 99-acre park has been in the works for several years. The land was purchased in 2016 and the Board of Supervisors awarded a $1.67 million contract for its design and engineering back in January 2021.

After gathering community input, the development of a master plan, and the approval of a construction contract, ground was broken in February 2023.

RICtoday_TaylorFarmPark_MapPlan_HenricoCounty — A preview of Taylor Farm Park shows the plans for a skate park, memorial garden, nature playground, and more.
|
Rendering via Henrico County

Taylor Farm Park includes an event lawn, two nature-based playgrounds, and spray park. Visitors will also be able to get rolling at the 17,000-sqft skate park, 12,000-sqft pump track, bike skills course, and mile asphalt trail loop.

The park also features a memorial area for public safety workers and military service members.

In addition to the dedication, opening week events will include:

Recreation and Parks Day | Wednesday, July 17 | Stop by the park for fitness demos, bottle rocket launches, a scavenger hunt, and animal chats.*
Grand Opening Celebration | Thursday, July 18 | Grab a bite from a local food truck and explore the park.*
Outdoor Movie Night | Friday, July 19 | 8:30 p.m. | Enjoy a totally rad screening on the event lawn — the movie hasn’t technically been revealed, but think pizza-loving-reptiles-on-skateboards.
BMX Day | Saturday, July 20 | 3-6 p.m. | Experience the new skate park with Rad Share and Richmond Cycling Corps.
Grand Opening Concert | Saturday, July 20 | 6-8 p.m. | Enjoy a family-friendly show to wrap up the park’s opening week.

*Exact times have yet to be announced for these events. We’ll keep readers informed when they are.

Events

Friday, July 12

Emo Nite | Friday, July 12 | 9 p.m. | The National, 708 E. Broad St., Richmond | $21 | Enjoy a night of your favorite emo hits — $1 from every ticket sold will be donated to Living The Dream Foundation.

Saturday, July 13

Artist Talk: Tracing Limits | Saturday, July 13 | 2-4 p.m. | Black History Museum & Cultural Center, 122 W. Leigh St., Richmond | Free | Register to hear Michael Dela Dika and Eugene Ofori Agyei discuss the themes of boundaries and limitations in their clay works.
Sounds Funny with Micah “Bam Bamm” White | Saturday, July 13 | 8 p.m. | Dogwood Dell, 600 S. Arthur Ashe Blvd., Richmond | Free | Get your laughs in at this part-music-part-comedy event as part of the Festival of Arts.

Sunday, July 14

Flying Squirrels vs. Harrisburg Senators | Sunday, July 14 | 1:35 p.m. | The Diamond, 3001 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd., Richmond | $10-$25 | The Diamond will transform into Fairytale Funnville with the first 1,000 kids receiving a free royal cape.
“The Third Man” | Sunday, July 14 | 2 p.m. | The Byrd Theatre, 2908 W. Cary St., Richmond | $9 | The film noir series continues at the Byrd with this Carol Reed mystery.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

News Notes

Development

Dominion Energy needs approval from the State Corporation Commission to build a $500 million natural gas storage facility in Greensville County. The SCC will evaluate whether the cost of financing the facility is fair to ratepayers. If approved, construction could begin in 2025. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Listen

The new 15-ton pipe organ at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart will make its debut at a special demonstration today at 6:30 p.m. The instrument features 4,332 pipes, 67 stops, and wood carvings featuring Virginia plants and flowers. It took over two weeks to assemble on site. (Style Weekly)

Number

$50,000. That’s how much ReEstablish Richmond will receive in grant funding from the Community Foundation. The local nonprofit connects refugees and immigrants in our region to critical resources. Pro tip: You can volunteer with ReEstablish Richmond — find out how with our guide.

Arts

The city will celebrate the dozens of new murals covering a Carytown parking garage with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Monday, July 15 at 10 a.m. The Parking Lot Pieces were completed in mid-May by over 30 local artists, organized by All City Art Club.

Outdoors

Did you know? This Sunday, July 14 is Worldwide Rollout Day, encouraging community activities on wheels of all kinds. Grab your roller skates, bike, board, or scooter and join RVA Roll Patrol for a journey through Byrd Park from 4 to 8 p.m.

History

The Library of Virginia shared a series of images in honor of John Mitchell Jr.'s birthday yesterday. Born in 1863, Mitchell was only 21 years old when he became editor of The Richmond Planet. The paper became known for its dedication to racial equality and strength of coverage.

Arts

Local artists of all mediums are invited to apply to be featured in the August All-Media Show at Art Works. “Color Theory” will showcase works inspired by the theme The Richmond Queer Experience. Check out the guidelines and enter before Aug. 12.

Wellness

Feeling lost in a sea of generic health advice? Lumen analyzes your unique metabolism with a single breath in the morning — and we scored you 15% off.*

City

🗑️ Gather your garbage

RICtoday_NeighborhoodCleanUp_Schedule2024

DPW visits each zone twice per year. | Map via Richmond Dept. of Public Works

The city starts the second round of its Neighborhood Clean-Up Program tomorrow in the Bellevue, Ginter Park, and Washington Park zone.

The program visits 15 neighborhood zones across the city twice per year, offering free curbside bulk and brush pickups.

Crews head out at 8 a.m. and continue until 12 p.m. Acceptable items for curbside pickup include:

Furniture
Mattresses
Tires (max four per household)
Appliances

Brush will also be picked up, so long as it’s cut into four-foot lengths and bundled.

DPW will not collect electronics, construction debris, hazardous waste, or broken glass.

See when crews will come by your neighborhood at the button below.

The full schedule

The Buy

A portable handheld fan. The battery-operated mini fan is compact enough to throw in a purse or tote, making it your new best friend for sports events, beach days, and outdoor festivals this summer.

More worth The Buy

Answered

We asked you how much visitors to Virginia State Parks spent in 2023.

Around a quarter of respondents had the right idea — park visitors spent approximately $349 million in Virginia last year. Of that number, around 40% was by out-of-state travelers.

Click the button below to see how you can shape the future of Virginia State Parks.

See the plan

The Wrap

Robin Schwartzkopf in a red button down shirt

Today’s edition by:
Robin

From the editor

If you or someone you know is color blind, there’s an interesting opportunity at Powhatan State Park coming up. Bonus: If selected, you’ll get a pair of EnChroma glasses for your participation.

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