Cast your vote in RICtoday’s Best competition. | Graphic by 6AM City
We’re officially days away from closing votes. Don’t miss out on telling us who your top picks are here for best of the best in RIC. Voting ends this Friday, April 25.
From trash to (garden) treasure
Look for the colorful Richmond Compost Initiative bins to drop off your scraps. | Photo by RICtoday
In celebration of Earth Day, we’vegathered the dirt on how to reduce landfill waste and give back to community green spaces. Enter your composting era with this scraps-to-soil guide.
Composting 101
Composting is the process of decomposing organic matter like leaves, food scraps, and yard trimmings. The result is a dark, nutrient-heavy material, like soil, that you can use to enrich your lawn, garden, or indoor plant pots.
How do you get started?
Find a dry and shady spot in your backyard to build your compost pile or shop at a local hardware or gardening center for a compost bin that suits your needs. Be patient — composting can take several months.
Can you compost without a backyard?
Absolutely. If you’d like to compost but don’t have the space, you can drop off compost materials with the Richmond Compost Initiative. The city has free compost drop-off sites at libraries and community gardens around town. Look for purple bins with green lids labeled “Compost Only.”
Water Quality of the James River: Educational Program | 6 p.m. | James A. Buzzard River Education Center + virtual | Free, RSVP | Attend this informational session reviewing the health of the James and how locals can get involved with RVA’s water monitoring teams.
Euphoria Again, Whitehall, and Dogwood Tales | Doors at 7 p.m., Show at 8 p.m. | The Camel | $15+ | Join the crowd for three live performances, ranging from Euphoria Again’s dreamy indie sound to Dogwood Tales’ folksy Shenandoah Valley influence.
Wednesday, April 23
Girl Scout Cookie Beer Pairing/Tasting | 6 p.m. | Benchtop Brewing | $18 | Taste-test your way through four beer and Girl Scout Cookie pairings, available on a first-come-first-served basis + followed by a 7 p.m. trivia night.
Thursday, April 24
River Trivia | 5:30-7:30 p.m. | Starr Hill Brewery, Crozet | Free | Put your knowledge of the James to the test at this themed trivia night hosted by the James River Association.
Friday, April 25
Community Planting Event | 9 a.m.-12 p.m + 1-4 p.m. | East End Branch Library | Free, RSVP | Celebrate Earth Week and Arbor Day by planting trees at a local library — free lunch is included (along with the feel-good reward of helping the planet, of course).
This year marks the 80th Book & Author event — making it the longest-running event of its kind in the country. | Photos provided by Junior League of Richmond
Love books? You’re in good company. The Junior League of Richmond’s 80th Book & Author event is happening Thursday, May 8 at the John Marshall Ballrooms.
Starting at 6 p.m., enjoy an evening of cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar, and conversations with nationally known authors discussing their latest books. Fun fact: Past authors include Robert Frost, Mary Higgins Clark, and Emily Henry.
If you can’t make it in person, virtual tickets are available, too.
Keira D’Amato represented the River City at yesterday’s Boston Marathon, ranking No. 35 among women and No. 4 in the women’s ages 40-44 category. Revisit our previous interview with D’Amato detailing her running career + her favorite spots to train in the area, from state parks to riverside stretches.
Number
$338.5 million. That’s how much state officials have allocated toward 14 Richmond-area transportation initiatives. What can you expect? Major projects propose improvements to I-95 interchanges as well as support for a new GRTC Pulse bus line. See what other changes are on the road ahead. (Richmond BizSense)
Closing
Tablespoons Bakery — a nonprofit providing programming for young adults with developmental disabilities — has announced its impending closure, due primarily to financial difficulties. Comments of heartfelt support have flooded Tablespoons’ Instagram announcement, where you can share your love as well. The decade-old organization plans to close by Saturday. May 10. (CBS 6)
Show
Get runway ready — RVA Fashion Week is here. Sign up for daily events ranging from a free pop-up market + a wellness day to ticketed fashion shows debuting local designers. See what suits your style, and register now.
Feel Good
Remember the troop of ducklings we spotlighted yesterday? In case you didn’t see the latest update from Lewis Ginter, these very lucky ducks were guided by staff from the parking lot to a new home at Sydnor Lake inside the gardens. Looks like they have a picturesque life ahead of them.
Stat
$10,000. If you owe that much in debt, this organization can reach out to credit card companies and potentially reduce what you owe. See how it works.*
Announced
We crunched the numbers and compiled your official RICtoday’s Best nominees. Now comes the fun part: voting. Now through Friday, April 25 you can vote for your favorites in each category. Winners will be announced Monday, May 5.
The Buy
Save time and simplify your life with these must-have kitchen gadgets:
This is your reminder that it is totally free and totally encouraged for you to submit upcoming events for your businesses, community groups, organizations, etc. to RICtoday.
Head to this page, click “Submit & Promote Event,” and simply provide the appropriate links, info, and description. Next thing you know, you might find it spotlighted in an upcoming newsletter.
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