Willie Clayborne Boomer III was sentenced to 10 years in prison for killing Al-Tarik Johnson in March 2004 in a gunfight on the 4100 block of North Avenue. [via]

Renovations to include resurfacing and installing new nets and screening begin Monday on the tennis courts at Byrd Park. Some of the courts will remain open during the the process. [via]

The main classifieds pages for For Sale/Wanted and Housing now include listings pulled from Craig’s List. Listings submitted through North Richmond News will always be at the top of the list.

CAPS Meeting, Books on Wheels, Teen Book Club Meeting, more…

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The Lakeside home furnishings and garden shop and tearoom Huckleberries, destroyed by fire in April 2006, has found a new permanent location at the Huguenot Village Shopping Center at Huguenot and Robious roads in Chesterfield County.

The RTD’s A storybook ending has a look at the last day at A.V.Norrell Elementary School through the perspective of a first-year first grade teacher at the school.

Keep your calendar free the evening of Tuesday, July 17, when Friends of Bryan Park cut the ribbon for the opening of the Bryan Park Disc Golf Course. There will be free ice cream, cookies and drinks — and plenty of disc golf — at Shelter 1 at 7 pm. For details, visit the Friends of Bryan Park website.

The organizers of the 5th annual Richmond Vegetarian Festival are banking on sunny skies and big crowds this Saturday, June 23, from noon until 6 pm at Bryan Park’s Azalea Gardens. There will be live music, speakers and dozens of vendors and exhibitors. For details on all of the activities, visit the Richmond Vegetarian Festival website.

Help clean the streets and alleys of Ginter Park this Saturday, June 23, during the Ginter Park neighborhood cleanup. Volunteers will meet at St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church 7:30 am; call Chris Saneda (355-9554) to volunteer. Trash should be placed at your normal Supercan pickup location BEFORE 8:00 am Saturday morning, and all trash must be placed at the curb.

There will be more than gently used items available at the Rosedale Yard Sale this Saturday at the corner of Boulevard and Westwood Avenue (in the DeTech parking lot). The annual fundraiser for the Rosedale Civic Association will include plenty of yard sale items, a collection for the Central Virginia Food Bank, donations for area animal shelters, baked goods and representatives from the Richmond police and fire departments. The Rosedale Civic Association website has more details.

Don’t forget that one of North Richmond’s favorite summer destinations is tucked away on Hawthorne Avenue! The Lewis Ginter Recreation Association pool is now accepting applications for new members.

If you aren’t on the email list for Tastebuds catering/diner on MacArthur Avenue, you might want to drop an email to taste-buds@msn.com and start receiving a weekly update on their take-out (and eat-in) menu. Tastebuds is open Tuesday through Friday. Some items on this week’s menu include a Pan Roasted Chicken Breast, Lemon Butter, Rice Torte & Sautéed Rapini for $10.25; Pulled Pork & Chorizo Quesadilla, Grape Tomato Salsa & Chunky Guacamole for $10.75; and Sirloin & Mushroom Kabobs over Citrus Tomato & Herb Cous Cous for $12.75. Visit Tastebuds’ website for details on their to-go meals, boxed lunches and dinner selections.

Lewis Ginter will have extended hours (open until 9 pm) and special activities on Thursday evenings from July 5 to September 27. A sample of some Flowers After Five events include:

- Sample wines from around the world (additional ticket required); 6 - 8 p.m.; indoor location in case of bad weather

- Listen to live music in a beautiful outdoor setting; indoor location in case of bad weather

- Enjoy dinner at the Garden Cafe or Tea House (both have indoor and outdoor seating). Cafe open til 7 p.m.; reservations suggested for the Tea House (804)262-9887, ext. 399.

- Browse in the Garden Shop (open til 7 p.m.)

- Stroll through the Garden, including the Conservatory and Children’s Garden

- On the second Flowers After 5 Thursday evenings of each month (July 12, August 9 and September 13) the Garden allows leashed pets in the Garden as part of Fidos After 5.

Click away to get details (and discounted tickets) for this Thursday’s Groovin’ in the Gardens concert at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens featuring alt.country stars, the Cowboy Junkies. Gates open at 5:30, the opening band starts at 6 and the Cowboy Junkies take the stage at 8 pm. Next Thursday, tribute band 1964 closes the series out.

Longtime North Richmonders might remember when The Ranch on Brook Road (just past the Main Post Office) was the place to go for a workingman’s lunch. Style Weekly’s Deveron Timberlake recently reported on the revitalization of The Ranch:

The Ranch, long a staple for daytime eating on the North Side, is getting modernized while retaining its Southern charms. Ribs, fish, seasonal vegetables, fresh cornbread — the menu is classic comfort food with sandwiches, salads and full breakfast platters. A few tables with umbrellas out front give more sidewalk eating space to the area, a couple of blocks from the main post office. The Ranch serves breakfast and lunch weekdays…

The North Richmond YMCA will be offering a variety of summer camps for school-age children this year. The camps run in one-week sessions and run through September. There are three different camp offerings. From the North Richmond YMCA’s website:

Camp Iwana — School-age camp
Camp Iwana is an alternative to traditional outdoor summer camp. We provide both indoor and outdoor activities that include field trips, clubs, arts & crafts, swimming lessons, games, skits, songs and special interests. You may choose for your child to attend all summer or choose between 10 one-week sessions.
Ages: K - 5th grades
Times: 7 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Cut off arrival time: 9:30 a.m.
Facility member: $200/week
Community Member: $230/week

YMCA Specialty Camp — Counselors-In-Training
This program teaches leadership skills and the foundations for working with children. Each Counselor-in-Training is paired with a staff member and is given the opportunity to develop in areas such as camp activity implementation, discipline, first aid, and child interaction. You may attend all summer of choose 10 one-week sessions.
Ages: 13 - 15
Time: 7 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Cut-off arrival time: 9:30 a.m.
Facility member: $230
Community member: $260

YMCA Youth Sports Camp — Combo Camp
Camp will teach the fundamentals and sportsmanship for basketball, volleyball, flag football and baseball for the first half of the day. The second half of the day includes camp experiences such as arts and crafts, field trips and clubs. Full-day program. You may attend all summer or choose 5 two-week sessions.
Ages: Rising 4th - 8th graders
Time: 7 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Cut-off arrival time: 9:30 a.m.
Facility Member: $200
Community Member: $230

Neighborhood School of the Arts is a ten-year-old secret, providing singing and choir camps, on-site after-school art and performance classes, private music lessons and other arts-oriented instruction at Ginter Park Presbyterian Church on Seminary Avenue. Check out the Neighborhood School of the Arts website for details on its programs, staff and registration.

The Rev. Brian K. Blount of Princeton Theological Seminary has been named president of Union Theological Seminary and Presbyterian School of Christian Education, according to North of the James magazine (not available on the Internet, but widely distributed in front yards and stores across North Richmond). Blount takes on his new role on July 1 after the retirement of current president, Louise B. Weeks; he is a native of Smithfield, Virginia.

Bellevue attorney Joan Davis will offer a monthly legal clinic geared toward artists, according to North of the James magazine (not available on the Internet). Davis’ clinics will be held one Monday each month at Stir Crazy coffee shop on MacArthur Avenue — interested artists should contact Davis at 264-8832. Her free legal advice will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

After a series of fits and starts, it looks like work is underway again on the renovation of the old Richmond Memorial Hospital building on the eastern portion of the property on Westbrook Avenue, according to North of the James magazine (not available on the Internet).

According to Norma Murdock-Kitt, of the Ginter Park Residents’ Association, Ed Hawkins recently purchased the east half of the property from Shane Parr, who still owns the west half of the campus…
Construction works have already demolished the two-story structure that connected the hospital with Laburnum House and are busy gutting the interior of the hospital. The entire project should be completed by the fall of 2008…
Approximately 60 condominiums will be constructed in the old hospital building.

Details on the project can be found in the June issue of North of the James.