I just learned on Twitter that 3Sports, my favorite local bike shop (and triathlon store), is moving from Forest Ave (near Tuckahoe Elementary School) to the River Road Shopping Center. This is great news, because they’ll be more conveniently located –but best of all they will be expanding their site to over 5,000 square feet.  Plus they’ll be positioned in a much better site for packet pickups, group rides & group runs.

One of the things I like best about 3Sports is that owners Ben & Jennifer Johnson and their mechanic Andrew Wolak always make you feel at home there.  More than once I’ve had Ben or Andrew show me what they were doing to my bike, and explain it so that if I wanted to fix it myself the next time (and if I was a quick study) I would have the knowledge.  It was Jennifer, in fact, who first taught me how to change a tube in my road bike when I got a flat, and it was Ben who finally made me feel confident that I could in fact fix things on my bike that were broken.  Plus, since “hanging out” has always been part of their company culture, with 2 dogs and living-room like setting in the bike shop, I’m hoping they’ll carry that concept over to the new store with more room.  I’ll keep you posted on the open date as I learn more.

So, congrats Ben and Jennifer. We love to see locally owned businesses doing so well. And you guys deserve it.

FYI, they also have a great website, and you can find them on Facebook as well.

Richmond Public School officials have announced that Feb. 15 will now serve as a make-up day for students and staff. Originally, schools were to be closed in observance of Presidents’ Day.  For those who missed the earlier announcement, Henrico will also use Presidents’ day as a make up day.

Richmond City Schools will open 2 hours late on Thursday, February 11.  Henrico County Schools are also 2 hours late on Thursday.

UPDATED 8:03 am

Richmond Public Schools are now CLOSED for today, Wednesday, Feb. 10th.

Henrico County Schools are CLOSED today,Wednesday, February 10th. They are bringing elementary kids home if they are on the bus, or will hold them until they reach a parent.

The report from drivers in the Near West End is that roads are incredibly slick due to ice under the snow. DO NOT go out if you don’t have to.

To celebrate 7 years in Richmond, Qdoba restaurant will be giving away free chicken or vegetarian burritos from 5-7 p.m. on Wednesday, February 10th, 17th & 24th at Willow Lawn and all other Richmond-area locations. You can also find Richmond Qdoba on Twitter, or RSVP to their Free Burrito Day on Facebook.

Limitations may apply, see store for details.

Local Near West End elementary school, Mary Munford, is hosting their annual auction. If you’d like to attend or donate an item, please read on for details.

SAVE THE DATE!

Saturday March 27, 7-10:30pm

Jewish Community Center

Mary Munford’s Annual Auction fundraiser will be held on Saturday, March 27th, from 7-10:30 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center on Monument Avenue.  As usual, this is an adult only event, so please mark your calendars now for a night out with fellow Munford parents and staff. Food will be provided by one of Munford’s very own, Linda Marcuse, owner of A Movable Feast. The funds raised at this event will help us obtain the additional programs and materials we need to provide many excellent services to our students.

With all schools facing tighter budgets, financial support from the PTA is essential to keeping the quality of education we are used to at Mary Munford. This year we are raising funds for our World Language Program, which supplements our Spanish language classes. We have also recently completed a much needed renovation to our school playground. These efforts, and many others, are funded almost exclusively by the PTA, so please consider how you can help support our children! For questions, donations and sponsorships, please contact our Auction Chair, Lori Sanzone Martin, Lori.Martin(at)Capitalone[dot]com .

DONATE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

Graciously, we are accepting donations and would love additional bid items. We already have some exciting products and services and are thankful for each one. With your generosity, we are looking forward to adding more bid items to round out our inventory. All items should be submitted by March 5 and may be dropped off in the school office. All donations are tax deductible. Tap your network. Think about your friends and family members… Does anyone have a seasonal home or timeshare who is willing to donate a long weekend or possibly a week? Year after year, these get-a-ways are very popular! •Is there a season ticket holder in your network? Maybe someone is not able to make it to every event, will you consider donating tickets to one game? Maybe you have season tickets for the theatre or symphony? We would appreciate any event tickets you are willing to give! Who owns a business? Please ask your network to donate products or services for the auction. BE A SPONSOR This year, we are offering a sponsor program for our auction. If you are not able to donate items or volunteer your time, show your support by being a sponsor. Also, this is a great opportunity to promote your business!

Here are the package details.

$50 Level Recognition in Auction Program

$100 Level 2 Admission Tickets Recognition in Auction Program

$250 Level 2 Admission Tickets/4 Drink Tickets Recognition in Auction Program Recognition on Sponsor Board at Auction

$500 Level 4 Admission Tickets/8 Drink Tickets Recognition in Auction Program Recognition on Sponsor Board at Auction Recognition in Monarch Message Newsletter – April

$1000 Level 6 Admission Tickets/12 Drink Tickets Recognition in Auction Program Recognition on Sponsor Board at Auction Recognition in Monarch Message Newsletter – April Company Logo on Mary Munford Website – March and April

Both Richmond Public Schools and Henrico County Schools are closed today, Friday, Feb. 5th.

p.s.  Really? Wow, it’s not even raining.

My friend Kate Hall, over at RichmondMom.com, clued me into this great FREE event –Lights Up– next weekend, downtown at Richmond’s new CenterStage.

Check it out, what a great day to spend a cold winter’s day with the kids!

Come celebrate a weekend of youth and the arts at the Genworth BrightLights Education Center at Richmond CenterStage. All programs and performances are free, but registration and tickets are required. (registration is on site, starting at 10:30 am)

“Lights Up” presents over 30 workshops, master classes, lecture-demonstrations and live performances featuring the Resident Companies of Richmond CenterStage:

• Richmond Symphony Orchestra
• Richmond Ballet
• African-American Repertory Theater
• Richmond Shakespeare
• Theater IV/Barksdale Theatre
• Virginia Opera
• SPARC (School of the Performing Arts in the Richmond Community)
• Elegba Folklore Society

The weekend also features the Latin Ballet of Virginia, Richmond Boys Choir and Friends of City Dance.

Genworth BrightLights Education Center at Richmond CenterStage is located at 600 E. Grace Street, Richmond, VA 23219.

FREE Family Festival and Open House

Saturday, January 23, 2010

12 to 5 p.m. – Education Workshops, Classes and Lecture–Demonstrations (Registration opens at 10:30 a.m. and continues throughout the day in the Carpenter Theatre Lobby. Registration is on a first come, first served basis.) Workshop Descriptions & Schedule

7 p.m. – “Lights Up” Performance in the Carpenter Theatre featuring young performers of Resident Companies.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

3 p.m. – “Lights Up” Performance in The Carpenter Theatre featuring young performers of Resident Companies.

Tickets for these last 2 shows can be reserved in advance.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Mekong. It is 2 blocks from my house, and I love their great hospitality, food and huge beer selection. I adore An Bui “Mekong” and his hilarious social media posts, yummy food photos, and mobile Facebook uploads .   I love to order a flaming volcano with those goofy 3-foot-long straws to share with friends. Plus they’ve been so kind in helping a group I’m involved with, TRIgirl Training, raise money for our charity, ASK, by donating over money on our behalf.

But also, I’ve been known to drive right past Mekong, to go to my all time favorite Vietnamese restaurant, Vietnam Garden. Vietnam Garden, also family owned, has been a favorite of mine for many years, but the location, at Staples Mill and Glenside is out of the way, and the parking lot is difficult to get in and out of.  Which is why I’m happy to announce that Vietnam Garden will be closing Feb. 19th in order to relocate to the Near West End. They will be moving to 9031 W. Broad Street, near the Food Lion, and roughly across from Babies R Us. A much better location!

So, if you haven’t tried Vietnam Garden yet, consider trying it when they re-open March 30th. And if you love Vietnam Garden as much as I do, make sure you go visit soon, before they close on Feb. 19th.

The Tofu Lemon Grass and Crispy Egg Noodles with DeluxVegetables (and extra cilantro) at Vietnam Garden are incredible.  The Vietnamese Yellow Pancake  is great.   It is just plain and simple, good food.

As for Mekong, they have such great fans, I doubt they’ll be affected by the competition moving closer. And you can be sure I’ll be stopping by soon to say “Hi” to An and order my self a flaming volcano and clay pot tofu.