Brewing up something new Champion Hospitality Group, an arm of Champion Brewing, recently announced a new concept for the Downtown Mall’s Commonwealth Restaurant & Skybar space. CHG will lead the project as majority owners, while still working with the restaurant’s original owners on a Baja-Mediterranean concept. The menu comes from chef Phil Gerringer, and the […]
Knives out: Things getting dull in quarantine? Sharpen your kitchen game by joining Happy Cook owner Monique Moshier for a free virtual class on Basic Knife Skills. Follow along as she teaches you how to properly handle a knife, as well as basic cutting techniques and knife care. You’ll practice chopping onions and bell peppers, […]
Rock and talk: Gather friends and family (but not too close) for the next live-streamed installment of Save the Music with local groovin’ and movin’ band Reggaelicious. When the dance party wraps, you can ask questions of band members, and learn more about the group’s songs and musical history. Proceeds from the gig benefit Meals […]
Blues and sky: Acclaimed jazz guitarist and vocalist Randy Johnston, who’s played with the likes of Etta Jones, Houston Person, and Lionel Hampton (to name just a few), has wowed audiences all over the world. Lucky for us, he’s coming to our corner of it, where his originals and blues standards will provide the perfect […]
Royal viewing: Queen is the theme of the 2020 Maupintown Film Festival, the annual showcase of narrative movies and documentaries by and about African Americans. It’s all online this year, and programming will honor the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment, with a selection of women-centered films such as Byrdland: From Being […]
Double take: Sharon Harrigan’s debut novel, Half, tells the story of identical twin sisters who are so close they can barely distinguish the boundary between their minds. In Harrigan’s poetically crafted prose, the women narrate as one, and, through the death of a father that towers over their lives, as two separate people. Dealing in […]
Art smarts: Calling all Picasso, Harry Potter, and Bob the Builder fans who want to explore their creative potential at IX Art Park’s Creature Builder Collective camps. Dedicated teaching artists will engage imaginative 6-12-year-old minds in art workshops that offer everything from sculpture and painting, to puppet and stop-motion animation. Campers learn the technical skills […]
Pipeline defeated The Atlantic Coast Pipeline is history. In a surprise announcement on Sunday afternoon, Dominion Power called off the 600-mile natural gas pipeline that would have run from West Virginia to North Carolina. “VICTORY!” declared the website of the Southern Environmental Law Center. The news is a major win for a wide variety of […]
Sip ‘n’ sizzle: Looking for a good way to celebrate America on July 4? How about listening to some Americana at Keswick Vineyards’ Reds, Whites, and Bluegrass, a socially distanced, in-person gathering, with tunes provided by the Tara Mills Band. Playing her self-described “original Blue Ridge mountain folk,” Mills and company will provide relaxing melodies […]
Steel yourself: The Steel Wheels had to postpone its annual Redwing Roots festival (now scheduled for July 2021), but fans can still enjoy the band’s acoustic grooves as part of The Front Porch’s Save the Music concert series. The Americana folk band (minus a few members) from Harrisonburg, delivers the “purity and power” of its […]