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CALENDAR - THIS WEEK
Lakeside Farmers' Market
Wed Aug 6
Visit the new Lakeside Farmers' Market every Wednesday and Saturday from May through November at the Lakeside Towne Cent...
Fidos After Five at Lewis Ginter
Thu Aug 7 5:00 pm
On the second Thursday evening of each month (May 8, June 12, July 10, August 14, September 11) leashed pets are allowed...
Flowers After Five at Lewis Ginter
Thu Aug 7 5:00 pm
Take advantage of evening hours at Lewis Ginter every Thursday from July 3 through September 25. The gardens will be ope...
Preschool Story Time at Ginter Park Library
Thu Aug 7 10:30 am
"Stories with Ms. Tori" for ages 3 to 5 years old (with an adult) at the Ginter Park branch of the Richmond Public Libra...
Lakeside Farmers' Market
Sat Aug 9
Visit the new Lakeside Farmers' Market every Wednesday and Saturday from May through November at the Lakeside Towne Cent...
Adult Book Discussion Group at Ginter Park Library
Mon Aug 11 6:00 pm
Second Monday of each month. The Ginter Park library is at 1200 Westbrook Avenue. Call 646-1236 for details.
Baby and Toddler Story Time
Tue Aug 12 10:30 am
@Ginter Park Library An interactive playtime for babies from birth to 36 months (with an adult) at the Ginter Park br...
Battery Park Civic Association Meeting
Tue Aug 12 6:30 pm
The Battery Park Civic Association meets the second Tuesday of each month at 6:30 pm at the Stone House on DuPont Circle...
Families After 5 at Lewis Ginter
Tue Aug 12
Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden will be open until 9:00 pm on Tuesday evenings in the summer for families; the Children's ...
Ginter Park Residents' Association Board Meeting
Tue Aug 12 7:30 pm
The monthly meeting of the Ginter Park Residents’ Association Board will be held this Tuesday, April 8, at 7:30 pm at ...

CLASSIFIEDS
Church Hill condo for sale. $6000 in downpayment, closing costs or condo fees offered. OPEN SUNDAY 1:30-4:30, 22nd & Broad, historic Bellevue Square Unit 3. 2 BR 2 Bath, $239,000. See www.lisacrowley.com for more details.
2410 Hawthorne Avenue is available for rent. This 4 bdrm brick home has a large fenced back yard with off street parking. Contact Wey McLeod with Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc. @ 387-7772
- - -
PLASTER & STUCCO LLC, plaster repair and installation, exterior stucco, spray texture finish, historical tax credit, call for estimate. Todd Wittemann, (804) 545 3185. ref. avail.
Satterlund Fine Carpentry, LLC. From home repair to artistic fabrications, SFC is a licensed and insured company you can trust. 804-321-3002 www.satterlundfinecarpentry.jimdo.com
The Clothesline Children's Consignment Sale's fall/winter sale is at the Woodmont Recreation Center August 22-23, 2008. Consignors, volunteers, and new/expectant moms shop early! Visit www.theclothesline.biz for more information.
Custom window treatments and other fun stuff for your home. Reasonable prices, free estimate 908-1112
AGAINST THE GRAIN FURNITURE Discover Northside's furniture secret: beautifully handcrafted right here in Richmond by local folks who love filling your custom orders. AgainstTheGrainVA.com Ph: 855-1186 ATGVA@comcast.net 5522 Lakeside Ave.
Beginner Belly Dance Class, Tues 9/9-10/21/08. NO Class on 9/30!!!! $45 per 6 week session. Location: Trinity Presbyterian Church, 217 Wilkinson Road, Richmond, 23227. Contact-Zafira (instructor) zafiradaima@yahoo.com
NEW TO RICHMOND? Moving On supports & encourages women through the transition of a move. Starting 9/9, we meet Tuesdays from 9:30-11:30 @ St. Giles Presbyterian Church, 5200 Grove Ave. Childcare provided. For info, call Edith 230-1153 or Mila 249-5776
Odyssey Health Care, a local hospice, seeks volunteers to befriend terminally ill patients & their families. No personal care. Training provided. Call 290-4300. Opportunity is profoundly rewarding & may offer you as much joy as you give.



Archive for May, 2008


May 1, 2008

More details emerge on Bellevue Garden Walk

The latest edition of the Bellevue Times provides more details on the 19th annual Bellvue Garden Walk, which will take place on Saturday, June 8:

All are invited on Sunday, June 8th, from 2:00 until 6:00 pm. Come rain or shone to mosey through a maximum of 16 gardens. There is no charge to meet neighbors, see green thumbs at work, and possibly get ideas and answers for your own yard.


For more information, visit the Bellevue website.

May 1, 2008

Battery Park Civic Association Sets May Meeting

The Battery Park Civic Association will hold its next meeting will be at 6:30 pm on May 13th. The meeting will be held at the Stone House on DuPont Circle.

May 3, 2008

Roundabout on Laburnum gains traction

WTVR Channel 6 reported this week that efforts to remove the stoplights at the intersection of Laburnum and Hermitage avenues — replacing them with a traffic roundabout — is moving forward. The article notes that the proposed traffic change will need approval from a number of boards before it is adopted:

Driving around Richmond is a headache anywhere you go, but one intersection on the Northside is a real nightmare. Hermitage at Laburnum Avenue is a traffic jam just about anytime of the day. The reason? The A.P. Hill statue sits right in the middle, making it difficult to turn in any direction.

The City says 30,000 vehicles travel through the intersection everyday. There’s been an accident there every few weeks, and even some fatalities as well. Now Richmond traffic engineers have a plan to turn this intersection around. They’re considering removing these lights and making Hermitage and Laburnum a true roundabout.

Engineer Tom Flynn says the roundabout would force drivers to slow down to just over 20 miles-per-hour by expanding the circle with landscaping, building curved medians and posting yeild signs at each corner.

May 3, 2008

Artist captures Northside shed


Artist and North Richmond resident is known for her plein air paintings of southern France, but also has quite a collection of North Richmond streetscapes to her credit. This week she posted a painting of a shed along an alley in her neighborhood:

In the evenings, my husband and I love walking through our Bellevue neighborhood, and we try to do it most days that our schedules and the weather will allow. There are a lot of avid gardeners in our ‘hood, and in spring it seems like every nook and corner has a touch of color.

The other evening we took a back alley detour and came upon this scene. It was striking in the light of dusk as the building and the irises were backlit. I came back in the morning to see if I still found interest, and I did. It was a different light, to be sure. But there was a certain pattern that played across the path and fence that I liked enough to do this little pochade.

May 4, 2008

What about “Connecticut”?


The Richmond Times-Dispatch and West of the Boulevard News recently raised a question on the minds of many Richmond Braves fans: If the Diamond goes, what will happen to the sculpture of the Native American rising above the stadium concourse?

Richmond Braves General Manager Bruce Baldwin said Connecticut’s future is in the hands of the Richmond Metropolitan Authority, which operates The Diamond and leases it to the Braves. Yet to be determined is when The Diamond will be occupied by another professional franchise, and with which major-league organization that club is affiliated.

Connecticut wouldn’t seem as meaningful an ornament at Richmond’s ballpark without a farm team of the Atlanta Braves or Cleveland Indians playing there. Robert M. “Mike” Berry, general manager of the RMA, could not be reached for comment.

Carl Custalow, chief of the Mattaponi Reservation, confirmed yesterday that he has expressed interest in Connecticut. He hopes the artwork can be used on top of a Mattaponi Reservation fish hatchery. Custalow said he is in the process of drafting a letter to the RMA to officially inquire about Connecticut. At this time, Custalow said he didn’t have any idea what financial terms might be if the RMA wanted to remove Connecticut from The Diamond.

May 5, 2008

Advance tickets available for Ginter Park Garden Tour

There will be 13 gardens on display on May 17 for the annual Ginter Park Garden Tour, and advance tickets are now on sale at the Azalea Garden Center, Designs By Ron, Once Upon A Vine, Sneed’s Landscape and Garden Center, Embellish, Nicola Flora and Vogue Flowers Market.

Garden Tour organizers are still looking for volunteers for the event; contact gardentour@historicginterpark.org for details.

May 5, 2008

Celebrate four years with Stir Crazy

Stir Crazy has established itself as a North Richmond destination and hub — so much so that it’s hard to believe it’s only been in business for four years! Drop by Stir Crazy this Friday, May 9, and celebrate their 4th anniversary with live music from the Orderlies (check out their music here). The show begins at 8:00 pm and their is no cover charge.

May 5, 2008

National Park Service spotlights Chestnut Hill


A new National Park Service website spotlights Richmond as a historic destination, and includes detailed profiles of a number of North Richmond neighborhoods — including the Chestnut Hill community just south of Brookland Park Boulevard. Here’s a snippet; visit the site for more:

Chestnut Hill includes a number of large Victorian residences standing out amongst smaller Arts and Crafts, American Foursquare, and assorted revival-style homes. Carneal and Johnston, one of Richmond’s best-known architectural firms, designed a house for G. L. Beardsley that would become one of the most noteworthy in Chestnut Hill. This Colonial Revival building at 2300 2nd Avenue has far more detail than the typical Foursquare houses, which surround it. It features an inset two-story central porch with a neoclassical frontispiece, polygonal flanking bays, and a wide, “kicked hip” roof.

May 6, 2008

Richmond Magazine sits at the new Welcome Table Northside

A new Brookland Park Boulevard restaurant is all about creating community and fellowship. The Welcome Table Northside — and its owners Chet and Cheryl Russell — was spotlighted in the May issue of Richmond Magazine:

Soups — “He can whip up a soup in less than 30 minutes from scratch,” says Cheryl — and staples such as smothered pork chops and fried fish are customer favorites.

The folks behind The Welcome Table are passionate about families eating dinner together, gathering around the table to weigh in on the day’s activities. To encourage this fellowship, the restaurant offers family dinner packages that can be picked up and enjoyed for an entire week. The meals, which feed five to seven people, start at $100 and can be customized from the regular menu.


The Welcome Table Northside is located at 100 East Brookland Park Boulevard.

May 6, 2008

Future Bellevue homeowner ISO experienced home inspector

A local weblog focused on one Church Hill couple’s efforts to renovate their home recently received

a request from a soon-to-be North Richmond resident

http://www.lestercat.net/house/2008/04/25/in-which-we-score-a-very-tall-mantle/#comment-2816:

Hi! I’ve been reading your site for about a year now– thanks for putting it up! We’re about to buy an old house in Bellevue, and I was wondering if you had any recommendations for a really good house inspector who knows about the delights and follies of old houses. Thanks for any help you can provide!

Any North Richmond News readers with advice or recommendations should add them in the comments section.

May 7, 2008

Rosedale maintains urban bird habitat

The Rosedale Civic Association has created and is maintaining an Urban Bird Habitat, located at the corner of Westwood and Lanvale — just inside the opening at the fence, at the base of the interstate berm.

There is one main path and one secondary path cut through the area, along with bird houses and feeders, and a butterfly house. The association says they are always looking for more bird houses and feeders, and encourage visitors to refill the water in the bird baths.

May 7, 2008

TD features Lakeside rescue squad’s longest-serving member

Lakeside Volunteer Rescue Squad is celebrating 50 years of service to the community this year, and one of its volunteers has crossed the 25-year volunteer milestone, according to an article in the Times-Dispatch:

Growing up behind the former Lakeside Volunteer Fire Department, Ed Hughes heard plenty of sirens, but rarely from an ambulance.

“A lot of times, if you got sick or something, people would carry you to the hospital in a car,” sometimes in hearses, Hughes said. “They didn’t have ambulances.”

That changed in 1958, when the Lakeside Volunteer Rescue Squad was established. Hughes, 70, is the Lakeside squad’s longest-serving active member, with 26 years of service.

“I like what I do. I feel like I’m doing something for somebody,” Hughes said.

To mark its 50th anniversary, the Lakeside Volunteer Rescue Squad plans to throw a community celebration Aug. 16-17, said its president, Tracy Giddens-Jarrett. By supporting the squad’s twice-yearly fundraising campaigns and volunteering, the community has made free, 24-hour emergency medical care possible, she said.

“We like providing care to everybody — the same kind of care no matter whether they can pay or not,” Giddens-Jarrett said. “There’s really a sense of satisfaction.”

May 7, 2008

Local weblog hits opening day at Lakeside Farmer’s Market

The Richmond Food Collective made the trip to Saturday’s opening of the Lakeside Farmer’s Market and gave the new source for all things fresh and local a thumb’s up:

I didn’t arrive at Lakeside Market until about 10:30. I was greeted by two friendly faces at the entrance and handed a free bright yellow mesh shopping bag displaying the Virgina grown and Lakeside Market logos. Some vendors were already sold out or selling out of produce. Everyone I spoke with was very excited about this great new shopping option and about the future of their new market. Although this market is smaller due to some restrictions, once I got up close I found plenty of wonderful things to choose from. Despite the array of vendors at South of the James my trip to Lakeside Market was well rewarded. Again I ran into some great people, and more to the point I found terrific plants and the fresh asparagus, spinach, and baby beets I had been looking for!

May 8, 2008

More information on roundabouts

As the City of Richmond considers removing the stoplights at the intersection of Laburnum and Hermitage avenues and replacing them with a roundabout, it might be helpful to better understand how roundabouts and other traffic calming techniques actually relieve congestion and reduce accidents.

Wikipedia has a comprehensive entry on the subject — it covers both the safety and effectiveness of roundabouts in some detail.

May 8, 2008

Home Style’s look at Ginter Park gardens is excellent


The latest issue of Home Style, Style Weekly’s monthly insert covering all things home and garden, delves into the gardens of three North Richmond residents:

The best way to experience North Side is off the beaten path. Ignore the streets — the vistas exist down the alleys. It’s deep in the hidden middles of neighborhoods that the personalities really come out. It’s the backyards that keep the secret beauty. North Side isn’t like other Richmond areas, where the front is all-important. Sure, homes here have curb appeal, but it’s reserved — you really get to know the place when you’re invited in. Or when you sneak through those alleys. The Ginter Park Garden Tour facilitates some of these introductions.

If you do find your way in, you’ll recognize something nearly mythic about the place and its people. In the stories that follow are three octogenarians who have seen these neighborhoods rise up, who’ve had a hand in the gardens they’ve built, who build still. Both Jean Reeves and Wayland Rennie have identical twins. Colleen Renaye’s flower beds taught her important truths about human behavior. Bill Reeves put two ponds in the same place. It only makes sense that all of these people are the culmination of great stories — which they like to share. Just make sure you come in the back way.


The rest of the lengthy article profiles the gardens of three residents — along with plenty of photos.

May 9, 2008

InRich.com features video spotlight of Lakeside firefighter

InRich.com’s “Meet the People” video section recently turned its attention to Phil Warner, a lieutenant with the Henrico County Fire Department, stationed at Fire Station No. 5 at 6911 Lakeside Avenue.

May 10, 2008

Saturday at the Lakeside Farmer’s Market

Wednesdays and Saturdays behind the Lakeside Towne Center on Lakeside Avenue.

May 11, 2008

Teacher training open house at 4025 Yoga this Wednesday

There will be an open house for people interested in the teacher training program at 4025 Yoga and Wellness this Wednesday night, May 14th, at 7:30 pm. Meet Carmen Monico, tour the studio and find out more about the program which begins in September. 4025 Yoga and Wellness is located on MacArthur Avenue.

May 12, 2008

Laburnum/Hermitage roundabout detailed in TD

The Richmond Times-Dispatch provides plenty of new information about the proposed roundabout that would replace the lights at the intersection of Laburnum and Hermitage avenues:

The idea is to slow traffic and reduce accidents at the intersection of two major arteries, said Gary DuVal, deputy director of public works.

“There are a lot fewer conflict points,” he said “Everybody is going right and you’re not turning against traffic.”

DuVal said a growing number of traffic engineers believe it would be safer to let traffic flow constantly through the intersection using a roundabout than it now is to rely on red and green traffic lights to keep drivers from slamming into each other.

A 1998 study through the federal government’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program found a 37 percent reduction in accidents and a 51 percent reduction in injuries when roundabouts replace traffic lights.

Roundabouts aren’t like the traffic circles that are the source of so many Washington driving nightmares — even though there is a circle at the center of both types of intersection.

The difference is in the roads leading up to the circle. In the approaches to a roundabout, there typically are small triangular concrete islands that narrow the lanes and guide vehicles into the central circle.

“It lets drivers smoothly merge,” DuVal said. “It’s designed for people to travel through at about 23 mph, and you’re looking left and easily merging with other traffic going 23 mph.”


The proposed roundabout could also mean better landscaping and pedestrian crossing at the busy intersection:

…by narrowing traffic lanes, “we’re going to be taking quite a bit of asphalt out,” he said. There will be more green space around the base of the monument.

In addition, the plan calls for reshaping the medians on Laburnum and Hermitage, so that they will curve. The city would move pedestrian crossings away from the intersection, which DuVal said should make it safer to get across the busy streets at the intersection that is also home to Linwood Holton Elementary School.

May 12, 2008

Lakeside Company Number 5

Participate in the new Richmond Downtown Planning process




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