The NASCAR Races are today and tomorrow.  So that means – avoid Laburnum Avenue and the Fairgrounds/Raceway area. Events run all day, both days, with the big races starting at 7:30 p.m.

The USA Triathlon Duathlon National Championships come to Richmond this weekend. If you are not racing, consider volunteering or being a spectator. This is a huge two-day format featuring off-road events on Saturday and on-road events on Sunday. The National Duathlon Festival has attracted a broad range of athletes from far and wide plus the opportunity to watch the winner of national championships cross the finish line. Here is the official schedule and the all important road closures.

Official Schedule

Saturday, April 26, 2008

7:30 a.m. Off-Road Youth Age Group Races (7-8, 9-10, 11-12) –1k run, 4k bike, 1k run 8:30 a.m. Off-Road Junior Age Group Races (13-15, 16-19) — 5k run, 10k bike, 2.5k run
Sport Race (non-championship) — 5k run, 10k bike, 2.5k run 10:30 a.m. Off-Road Championships –10k run, 30k bike, 5k run

Sunday, April 27, 2008

7 a.m. Age Group Races — 10k run, 40k bike, 5k run 9:30 a.m. Elite Races –10k run, 40k bike, 5k run - Draft Legal 11:30 a.m. Youth Nationals (7-8, 9-10 and 11-12) — 1k run, 5k bike, 1k run 12 Noon Junior Nationals (13-15 and 16-19) — 5k run, 20k bike, 2.5k run - Draft Legal 1 p.m. Sport Race (non-championship) –5k run, 20k bike, 2.5k run

Road Closures for Friday, April 25th
2nd Street from Byrd Street to Lee Bridge closed – 7:00 p.m. Friday through 1:00 p.m. Sunday

Road Closures for Saturday, April 26th
2nd Street from Byrd Street to Lee Bridge closed – all day.
Byrd Street between 2nd Street and 3rd Streets closed – all day.

Road Closures for Sunday, April 27th
2nd Street from Byrd Street to Lee Bridge closed – Until 1:00 p.m.
Byrd Street between 2nd Street and 3rd Streets closed – Until 1:00 p.m.
The curb lane of the Lee Bridge closed in both directions — 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Riverside Drive closed from Lee Bridge access ramps to 42nd Street — 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
42nd Street from Riverside Drive to Springhill Avenue partially closed, police present to monitor and control — 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Parking on both sides of 42nd Street prohibited — 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

* Spring Playground Clean Up Day (and Pancake Breakfast!) are THIS SATURDAY at Mary Munford *

If you use the playground, why not stop by and help make it prettier?

Saturday, April 26 from 8am-noon. Volunteers are needed to help weed, prune and mulch both playgrounds. You do not need to stay the entire 4 hours. Any time that you can give would be appreciated. Feel free to bring any gardening tools that you may have. When you arrive, look for the sign up list of jobs by the doors to the cafeteria.

Also, the same morning, the Compass Club with Paula Katz is hosting a Pancake Breakfast in the cafeteria. Families can come for a great pancake breakfast, then work off all the calories helping with the playground work! The breakfast is $5 for adults and $3 for children. Proceeds will go towards the club’s charitable giving to the children of Southeast Asia.

I went to college with BJ Kocen, and he is one charismatic guy. Which is why you should pay attention to this really cool event that he’s planned! It even features, my old boss Jim Wark of Inside Business and Style Weekly fame. Yet another charismatic and talented guy, who currently is a student teacher at Mary Munford. Here’s the scoop:

Stretchin’ at Barksdale: All Star Jam
Stretchin’ is an evening of spontaneity. National and local talent take the Cabaret lobby stage at Barksdale at Willow Lawn and try out new material or jam with folks they don’t typically play with. It’s always fun and the perfect way to end the weekend. Questions, contact BJ Kocen at bjkocen@gmail.com.

This Month: ALL STAR JAM
Cost: $10 (Tickets available at the door. No advance sales.)

The Big Dance will include as many local heroes as we can fit on the stage! You can count on Jim Wark, BJ Kocen, Jackie Frost and Stephen Lecky just to name a few. I’ll confirm the complete list as we get closer to it, but get ready to rock and party as we blow out the last Stretchin’ gig of the season!!

The Shops at Willow Lawn
1601 Willow Lawn Drive, Suite 301-E
Richmond, Virginia 23230
Sunday, May 11, 2008
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Contact: 804-282-2620

Sunday, April 20, St. James Armenian Church is hosting Guest Speaker, Karine Birazian, following Badarak (approximately 1 p.m.)

Light lunch provided by the Armenian Relief Society, Richmond Hooys
Chapter. Event co-sponsored by the ANC Richmond.
Karine Birazian currently serves as the Eastern Region Director for the Armenian National Committee of America.
Ms. Birazian was born and raised in Illinois and holds a degree in
nursing. She has maintained a strong focus on genocide education and
broader human rights issues.
As an activist, Ms. Birazian has educated students in Illinois
schools about genocide awareness. She has also exhibited and given
presentations on the topic of genocide curricula at the National
Council for the Social Studies.
On Capitol Hill, Ms. Birazian has lobbied for genocide and human
rights issues. She is an effective community-events organizer and
public speaker who continues to build coalitions with various human
rights organizations. Ms. Birazian co-founded the Genocide Education
Network of Illinois in 2006 and, in the last year, has worked to
advance the Armenian cause through the works of the ANCA. She also
works with various organizations to stop the ongoing genocide in
Darfur.

The location of the April 10 symposium kicking off the inauguration of Edward L. Ayers as president of the University of Richmond has been changed to accommodate high demand for tickets.

“New Perspectives on the American Civil War” will be held on campus at the Robins Center at 4:30 p.m. April 10. A book-signing by the three panelists — Ayers, Harvard University president and history professor Drew Gilpin Faust, and University of Virginia professor of the Civil War Gary W. Gallagher — will follow.

Ticket requests have significantly exceeded the capacity of the originally scheduled location, 600-seat Camp Concert Hall, and continue to come in. Admission is free and open to the public, but advance online registration is required at inauguration.richmond.edu. For more information, call 804-287-1800.

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The Compass Club of Mary Munford is sponsoring a pancake breakfast, Featuring Mr. Muzik’s famous Buckwheat Pancakes to raise money for children in Southeast Asia.
Also, come help clean up the Munford playground, you know you’ll likely have lots of energy to burn after eating all those pancakes!
Date: April 26th
Time: 8 a.m. - 10 a.m.
Cost: $5 for adults, $4 for children
Come enjoy Principal Muzik’s Buckwheat Pancakes, Sausage and Orange Juice
This is a fundraising even for Munford’s Compass Club. During the breakfast, the children will educate people about the plight of children who live in the developing world.

Although it is not exactly in the Near West End, I’m posting a link to coming events at Short Pump Town Center because they are nearby, and best of all free.   Recently, our family has found ourselves at Short Pump often to ride the Short Pump Express, which is $2 and going to our favorite restaturant, Tara Thai Richmond, where our friend, Birdie, is the manager.
Next weekend, the mall will feature a petting zoo:

Spring Petting Farm

Saturdays: April 5 & 12 - 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Sundays: April 6 & 13 - 1:00 – 5:00 PM
Come visit baby bunnies, chicks, ducks, lambs and more…The Spring Petting Farm is located in the Main Plaza, and is held weather permitting. Admission is free. For more information, please call 804-360-1700.

As they are announced, look here for more information on other free concerts in the area.
Summer Concert Series
May 30 - August 29

The Summer Concert Series returns beginning May 30th and continuing every Friday evening (weather permitting) through August 29th. Families are invited to enjoy FREE live music performed by local bands, great food, PRIZES and of course, fabulous shopping! Concerts begin at 6:00 PM and run until 8:00 PM in the Main Plaza.
Friday, May 30
Steve Bassett & The Mystic Soul Bubba’s

Friday, June 6
Susan Greenbaum

Friday, June 13
KOS

Friday, June 20
B2B

Friday, June 27
English Channel

Friday, July 11
The Ray Pitman Project

Friday, July 18
Souler Coaster

Friday, July 25
Son Quatro

Friday, August 1
Marna & Macy

Friday, August 8
E3

Friday, August 15
Cyrus McCormick & The Reapers

Friday, August 22
Ron Moody & The Centaurs

Friday, August 29
KOS

SHOW DATES: APRIL 11th- MAY 23rd                                                                                           
OPENING FRIDAY, APRIL 11th

Gallery 5800 located at Grove and Libbie above Suitable for Framing will feature a solo exhibition of oil paintings from Roanoke artist Greg Osterhaus. Osterhaus’s 25-year career has established him as a well recognized painter in the Eastern United States and beyond. His vibrant oil paintings are rich in their depiction of rural settings including Cow Portraitures, Southern Landscapes, and Blue Crabs of the Chesapeake.

Join us on Friday, April 11th 5:30-8:00PM for the artist reception where we will be holding a drawing at 7:00PM for a free Cow Portrait.

Contact: Robin Grabinska
285-0774

GALLERY 5800 AT SUITABLE FOR FRAMING
5800 GROVE AVE
RICHMOND, VA 23226
804-285-0774

Printmaking Open House

In conjunction with the exhibition “Virgil Marti: Ah! Sunflower,” the Visual Arts Center of Richmond will host a printmaking open house 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., on Saturday, March 29, featuring demonstrations of screen and relief printing techniques as well as activities visitors can take part in.
Faculty and student work will be on display inside and outside the printmaking studio.
At 4 p.m. Artist Virgil Marti will present a Gallery Talk.
All events are free and open to the public.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Darrell Olgers
(804) 943-2283 or (804) 355-2100

RICHMOND, VA - Those wondering what lies inside of one of Richmond’s most stately mansions can now not only stop wondering, but also can own some of the contents themselves. An impressive collection of antique and reproduction furniture and fine art amassed over the years by the Brown family of Windemere Mansion on Cary Street Road will be auctioned by Motley’s Auction & Realty Group on April 2, 2008.

Built in the 1860s, the three-story mansion nestled on 3.1 acres was renovated and enlarged in 1907 to 11,000 square feet. The seven-bedroom, eight-bathroom house was highly praised for its interior décor and collection of fine art and furniture. Many of those items, ranging from an enviable collection of American and French antique furniture, fine art, sterling silver, Oriental rugs from small to palace size, and china and porcelain, are now being de-accessioned by the Brown family and will go home with the highest bidder on April 2.

Read more >

Richmond’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities is offering beginning and intermediate belly dancing classes weekly at its Humphrey Calder Community Center starting March 4.

The beginning level class will meet from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and include instruction in the basic moves, isolations, techniques and posture, as well as practice of traveling steps and an introduction to finger cymbals and veils.

The intermediate class will meet Tuesdays from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and will include more advanced movements based on the fundamentals taught in the beginning class. Students in this class will review and refine the basics and learn “layering” to incorporate multiple moves.

Both classes are for all ages and will run for six weeks. The cost is $35 for city residents and $55 for non-city residents.

Students should wear comfortable exercise clothes and bring a scarf to wrap around their hips.

The Humphrey Calder Community Center is located at 414 N. Thompson St. For more information, call 646-1780.

City residents can register their children to play spring soccer at the Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Faculties’ Humphrey Calder Community Center between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. March 3 through April 4.

• Registration for non-city residents will be held at the same times beginning on March 10.
• Teams will be formed for boys and girls ages 6 through 15 on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Registration is $25 for city residents and $45 for non-city residents, and a birth certificate is required for registration. A $20 uniform fee is also required.
• Teams practice on week nights and games are played on Friday evenings or Saturday mornings.
• The Humphrey Calder Community Center is located at 414 N. Thompson Street beside the fire station at the corner of Patterson Avenue. For more information, call 646-1780.

Owners of gravesites in city-owned cemeteries are reminded that by City Code all flowers, decorations and non-approved vases must be removed from lots and gravesites by March 1. As part of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities’ annual cleanup of the city’s cemeteries, any items not removed will be collected and disposed of by the cemetery staff. New flower arrangements may be placed on gravesites beginning March 20.

For questions, call 646-1401 or 646-1402.

The Near West End’s Mary Munford Elementary School is hosting an auction to raise funds for its student foreign language program on March 1st at 7 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center.
Highlights of the even include MC and auctioning performed by juggler Jonathan Austin, paintings by Ed Trask, and Laura Loe, framed and signed one-of-a-kind print from Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker singer David Lowery, a twilight flight, event tickets and vacation home rentals.
The cost is $10 and includes food and drink from Andrea Huntjens of the Flying Chef and cakes by Caroline Pascual the Bake Cakery.

The Sports Backers announced today that The University of Richmond will host the 2008 Davenport Professional Squash Championship February 25th to March 1st.

The Championship will attract professional and elite players from around the world. The competition will be held in a high visibility glass-walled court at the UR’s Millhiser Gym February 25th to March 1st. Qualifying matches will be held February 23rd and 24th at the Country Club of Virginia.

“This draw is will be the strongest draw anywhere in the U.S. this year and probably one of the top six strongest draws anywhere in the world in 2008,” says tournament director Gus Cook, who is also the head squash pro at the Country Club of Virginia.

“With $80,000 in prize money, we have achieved super series status,” adds fundraising chairman David Hetherington. “It’s a strong statement to the global squash community that Richmond is on the map with London, Hong Kong and New York City.”

Squash, the racquet sport played indoors on hardwood courts with elongated racquets and rubber balls that are softer than racquet balls (hence they “squash” when hit,) has a burgeoning presence in Richmond.
The top 12 world ranked players that have committed to play are: Ramy Ashour Egypt, world #2; Greg Gaultier, France, world # 3; David Palmer, Australia, world #4; James Wilstrop, England, world #6; Thierry Lincou, France, world #7; Karim Darwish, Egypt, world #8; John White, Scotland, world #9; Wael El Hindi, Egypt, world #10 and others.

Tickets are available for squash matches set for Monday, February 25th to Wednesday, February 27th. Matches for Thursday, February 28, 2008 to Saturday, March 1st are sold out. There will be free parking for spectators in the Special Events Lot at the University of Richmond.

The Virginia Squash Racquets Association has the complete schedule.

As a triathlete myself, I guess I have a more personal interest and excitement in announcing that Richmond will host the 2008 National Duathlon Festival. This downtown Richmond hosted the 2007 McDonald’s ITU Duathlon Long Course World Championships in October, but this newly announce April event will bring even more athletes from all parts of the country to our beautiful city.
These are athletes who will come and spend lots of money here and then go home and tell their friends what a great place Richmond is. It is just the sort of thing we need. One of the best parts of all is that in addition to the regular National Championships, there will also be Junior National Championships (think kids and their families) and Duathlon Off-Road Championships showcasing our beautiful and unique urban off road bike and run trails. The festival will also occur here for 2009 and 2010. Richmond really has an oportunity to make a huge impression on these athletes and showcase what a great city we are.

Online registration for the 2008 National Duathlon Festival is now open at www.duathlonnationals.com

Pros, age groups, youth/junior, age group participants will all be running and biking along much of the same course that made the 2007 McDonald’s ITU Duathlon Long Course World Championships such a rousing success. The National Duathlon Festival also marks the first time that the USAT Duathlon National Championships and the Off-Road Duathlon Championships will be combined on the same weekend.

The same start, finish and transition area as the World Championships will be used and a closed bike course very similar to the World Championship course will be challenging and technical but easy enough for the citizens races. The downtown Richmond location allows for a proven off-road duathlon location, having hosted the past eight XTERRA East Coast Championships at this site. The location is also easy walking distance from downtown hotels, restaurants and parking.

The schedule (and event distances) for the National Duathlon Festival are as follows:
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Off-Road Duathlon Championships (10k run, 30k bike, 5k run)
Off-Road Duathlon Junior Race (5k run, 10k bike, 2.5k run)
Off-Road Youth Race (1k run, 4k bike, 1k run)
Off-Road Duathlon Sport Race (5k run, 10k bike, 2.5k run)
Sunday, April 27, 2008
USAT Duathlon National Championships (10k run, 40k bike, 5k run)
USAT Duathlon Junior National Championships (5k run, 20k bike, 2.5k run)
USAT Duathlon Youth National Championships (1k run, 5k bike, 1k run)
Duathlon Sport Race (5k run, 20k bike, 2.5k run)
Sports Backers is a 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit organization founded in October 1991 to build a more vibrant community through sports. The mission of the organization is to maximize the community benefits of sports tourism in the region by:
Creating, attracting and improving significant sporting events,
Serving as a resource in the development and utilization of sports facilities and
Aiding area youth through sports outreach programs.
These activities and programs strengthen the economy, provide health benefits to participants and make the region a more desirable place to live.

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O.K. This is from the North Richmond News, but it’s worth repeating.
Free. Flu. Shots. This Saturday. What else is there to say? Go get one!

The city will hold a free drive-through flu shot clinic at the Arthur Ashe Center (3017 N. Boulevard) from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 17. Passenger vehicles only. Adults 18 and older. Requires pre-registration. Call 646-3137

I’ve been trying to encourage my friends with kids to sign up for Ruby’s Run, in memory of Ruby Harvey. Ruby’s Run is a celebration or Ruby’s life, and a way to raise money for a scholarship in her name at her old preschool.

I didn’t know Ruby, but I did know her mom and dad, Kathryn and Bryan Harvey. They made a huge impression on me. They were the among the first people I knew who were parents and still managed to be “cool”. It sounds silly to say it now, but I was pretty young when I met them, and I had just married and It made a huge impression on me that they were able to be parents and still maintain their pre-kid lifestyle of having lots of friends and being really involved in the things that they were interested in. They showed me you could be a dedicated parent and that it didn’t have to interfere your own sense of self.

Like many Richmonders, I have been devastated by the Harvey family’s death. The best way to honor them, I think, is to remember all the good things about them. Remember the happier times and to celebrate their lives as best we can.

My kids will be running on Sunday, in memory of Ruby, and if you’d like to make a pledge for the Ruby Harvey Memorial Fund or if you’d like your children to participate here’s the info:

Sunday, November 18th
packet pick up is at 1 p.m.
the race starts at 2 p.m.
It is for ages 4-14 (ages 15 and up can volunteer)
the race distance varies from 100 meters to 2 miles, depending on age.

Pledges can be made online.

The University of Richmond’s Chapel Guild will conduct its biennial Christmas House Tour Dec. 6. Five homes along Kanawha, Bandy, Cary, Three Chopt and Cherokee roads will be open.

Tickets, limited to 500 people, are $30 and include lunch at the university’s Jepson Alumni Center. To purchase tickets, call (804) 288-2118 or the Chaplaincy Office at (804) 289-8500.

The Chapel Guild supports Cannon Memorial Chapel and the Office of the Chaplaincy at the university, including sponsorship of a choral production of “Messiah” every four years. In addition, the guild supplies Bibles and hymnals and decorates the chapel for major holidays. The house tour has been held every two years since 1983.