Virginia War Memorial Holds Virtual Valentine’s Day Event

The Virginia War Memorial is holding a a virtual event on Wednesday, Valentine’s Day, starting at 10:30 am.

From event description:

The simple act of sending and receiving a Valentine’s Day card or letter provided a boost in morale among service members.

Many military personnel were grappling with homesickness on the frontlines. Their loved ones at home were dealing with the anxiety of the unknown.

Join our Archivist Sylvia Marshall on Valentine’s Day as she looks at historical Valentine’s, cards, and letters sent during wartime. Sylvia will bring you some selections from our Archives that highlight stories of love, romance, and loss of those who were far apart during wartime.

As always, our Livestream Programs are free and open to all, but registration is required.

Register on Zoom from the event page.

Virginia War Memorial To Host Vietnam Veteran Event On Wednesday

The Virginia War memorial will host a special event on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, ‘National Vietnam Veterans Day’, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The free event will feature a book discussion featuring Barbara Powers Wyat, author and editor of “We Came Home: The First Hand Stories of Vietnam POWS,” followed by a tour of the Memorial’s newest exhibit, “Fifty Years Beyond The Vietnam Veteran Experience.”

“Virginia is home to nearly 700,000 military veterans. Of these, over 200,000 served during the Vietnam War from 1961 through 1975,” said Daniel Gade, Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Veterans Services (DVS). “More than 1,300 Virginians died in service, and another 46 are still missing in action. Nine Virginians who served were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, our Nation’s highest military honor.”

The Virginia War Memorial is requiring registration as space is limited.

Antique Cars Today, Virtual Memorial Day Ceremony Tomorrow

From Neighbor and OHNA President Todd Woodson:

Hope you are having a blessed Memorial Day Weekend!

Today (Sunday) between 1:15-1:45, a group of about 30 Vintage cars will be driving down 300 block S Cherry on a road rally from the Antique Auto Club.

Well worth a walk over to see.

Also, tomorrow, our neighbor the Virginia War Memorial will be holding its annual Memorial Day service. Due to the current stay-at-home orders, they regretfully cannot host their annual Memorial Day events open to the public. The Virginia War Memorial instead invites you to this year’s Memorial Day Ceremony “virtually” at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, May 25. To watch, connect on their website.

“Megan Leavey” At Virginia War Memorial This Saturday

Saturday, March 7, the Virginia War Memorial will celebrate Women’s History Month with a screening of “Megan Leavey” (2017, PG-13) – a story of a Marine and her military K9 dog – followed by a panel discussion with women veterans of the so-called “the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT)”.

Just keep in mind that “Hollywood isn’t in the business of telling true stories”, and some have criticized the film as being “oblivious to Iraqi suffering”.

Also, star actress of the movie, Kata Mara later joined the Humane Society in delivering close to 200,000 petition signatures to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, urging the agency to restore online records of inspections and violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act and Horse Protection Act after it had suddenly purged many records.

The screening is free and open to the public. and doors open at 10:00 AM. Movie begins at 10:30 AM. Snacks will be available during the film.

Artist Reception At the Virginia War Memorial This Thursday

This Thursday from 6pm to 8pm, the Virginia War Memorial is hosting an artist reception.

From their site:

Join us at the Virginia War Memorial to celebrate the opening of the Veterans’ Art Gallery with a reception, presentation, and live music. Our inaugural exhibit contains stunning artwork in varied mediums from a collection of veterans. Come see, learn, and be inspired by this new, one-of-a-kind gallery. Our featured artist is Mike Fay.

Exhibit Artists included:

Mike Fay
Diana de Avila
Pamela Corwin
Bernie Donato
Dennis Hicks
Saxon Martinez
This event is free and open to the public.

Busy Weekend Ahead with ‘Shiver In The River’ and War Memorial Ribbon Cutting

It’s forecast to be a sunny but chilly weekend ahead here in RVA, and neighbors can expect a lot of weekend visitors as the 6th Annual Shiver In The River celebration happens down at the riverfront and the Virginia War Memorial is having a grand opening for its finished expansion.

So, no raining on the parades, but worthy of some consideration-

Shiver In The River combines a lot of activities- a community clean up that helps keep our neighborhood and riverfront clean, a 5 kilometer walk/run that allows appreciation of the natural beauty of the area, and lastly, a group dip or ‘polar plunge’ into the James River designed to raise money for Keep Virginia Beautiful.

On the surface, all of these activities sound fun and worthwhile, and they might still be, but citizens should also be aware of the backstory- Keep Virginia Beautiful’s mission is programming that supports litter prevention, community outreach, education, recycling and beautification for the Commonwealth of Virginia. It started as an offshoot of Keep America Beautiful, a national organization that was founded in 1953 by group of businessmen from the beverage and packaging industries who were concerned that government would make them responsible for solving the litter problem by regulating their industries.

In the early 1970’s a new campaign was launched with the theme “People Start Pollution, People Can Stop It”. Environmentalists were not happy with the campaign theme and wanted KAB (Keep America Beautiful) to focus on making producers responsible for packaging waste, but the organization’s industry backers refused. In 1974 KAB publicly opposed California’s proposed bottle bill. However due to reactions that the organisation was self-serving, they decided to drop any official position on the issue. KAB changed their approach to promote alternatives to bottle bills instead. In 1975 KAB introduced a Clean Community System campaign which encouraged local communities to clean up their litter and had the effect of keeping interest in bottle bills at bay. In 1976, more than a dozen environmental and citizens groups quit KAB after a member of the board of directors called for the organization to oppose four upcoming bottle bills. In the 1980s the Clean Community System expanded and became more focussed on encouraging people to recycle. In the 1990s there was a new campaign theme “Let’s not waste the 1990’s” which purported to support a sensible strategy to managing waste with source reduction, recycling, composting, incineration and sanitary landfilling. In practice, however, the campaign did not attempt to implement any real methods or targets for achieving improvements. And so it goes…it should be noted that in recent years KAB have launched a cigarette butt litter prevention program with support of Philip Morris. As part of this they have undertaken a significant public service announcement campaign stressing the fact that cigarette butts are a significant pollutant and that the chemicals leaching from them into our soils and waterways are a severe environmental concern. And, the plastics industry has become an even greater support of Keep America Beautiful.

Locally, RVA Cleansweep and other groups have continued to work with Keep Virginia Beautiful, and that is understandable. (Editor’s note: I have taken part in the litter pick ups and the James River Jump in past Shiver In The Rivers). On the whole, the organization does great work and its leaders should be appreciated, but it’s important that the ‘greenwashing’ potential be explained and information shared. This is more important than ever now that we know that we can never recycle or ‘litter pickup’ our way out of the plastics crisis, and that this crisis is becoming more and more pressing.

In a similar vein, there are things to know about the Virginia War Memorial.

Where the War Memorial is today used to be Oregon Hill ‘proper’. Technically, what is known as Oregon Hill today was known as Belvidere Hill, a subsection of the original neighborhood. It’s important to recognize that part of the neighborhood was sacrificed for the Virginia War Memorial and that was not just ‘blank land’ where it stands today. From the National Parks Service:

“In 1847, the Harvie Family platted their property east of Belvidere and south of the penitentiary as the Oregon Hill subdivision. The community’s name came from the witty geographic observation that a pedestrian excursion trip from the center of Richmond to Oregon Hill seemed the equivalent of a trip to Oregon by the standards of the day. The original portion of Oregon Hill consisted of modest houses east of Belvidere and south of Spring Street. Its early occupants were a mixture of white and African American laborers and artisans. This area, just outside the boundary of the district, was demolished to construct the Virginia War Memorial and state office buildings.”

Oregon Hill residents hope the Virginia War Memorial will continue to be a good neighbor and help protect our river views.

Another thought is that, while most people are not against memorializing those who have died in battle, many do wish our country was expanding its peace efforts instead. The ‘endless’ foreign wars in the Middle East keep supplying a trickle of new names for the War Memorial. Some of the wars are ‘covert’, but the names keep coming. Between Hollywood Cemetery and the Virginia War Memorial, there are some strong solemn presences around the neighborhood.

Pearl Harbor Day Remembrance ceremony At The Va. War Memorial Saturday

Navy Cmdr. Jean Marie Sul- livan, commanding officer of the USS Whidbey Island, will be the keynote speaker at the Commonwealth’s Pearl Harbor Day Remembrance Ceremony at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Virginia War Memorial, 621 S. Belvidere St.
The free event is co-hosted by the Richmond Council of the Navy League of the United States and will be held in the war memorial’s Shrine of Memory.
During the ceremony, wreaths will be presented in memory of Virginians who died on Dec. 7, 1941, when the forces of Imperial Japan bombed the U.S. Pacific Fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, resulting in the United States entering World War II.
More than 2,400 American were killed and more than 1,100 were wounded during the surprise attack.
The Paul and Phyllis Galanti Education Center at the memorial will be open for tours 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 7.
Parking is available at the Virginia Housing Development Authority lot at 601 S. Belvidere St. and at the Afton Chemical Corp. lot at Belvidere and Spring streets.
Details: www.vawarmemorial.org. or (804) 786-2060.

Virginia War Memorial Veteran’s Day Celebration

Tomorrow, 10:45 am – 12:00 pm

From their event page:

Veterans Day originated as “Armistice Day” on November 11, 1918, marking the first anniversary of the end of World War I – the 11th day of the 11th month at the 11th hour.

This year, the Virginia War Memorial invites you to join our ceremony, hosted on the War Memorial grounds for the first time in 3 years. We will welcome Keynote Speaker, the Honorable Ralph S. Northam, Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, as we honor this 101st Anniversary of the original Armistice Day in 1918.

The program will also include the winners of the Middle School and High School 2019 Veterans Day Essay Contest reading their winning essays. Join us for the

Veterans Day is the federally recognized holiday that honors, remembers and thanks all who have served and who are currently serving whereas Memorial Day remembers those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. This event is free and open to the public. Parking will be available in the VHDA parking lot next to the War Memorial.

Virginia Craft Spirits Roadshow At Va. War Memorial On Saturday

From event page:

Calling all lovers of local spirits! Come join us for the Virginia Craft Spirits Roadshow at the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond, Virginia, on Saturday, September 14, 2019 from 3-8pm. Tickets will include all samples of artisan spirits as well as craft cocktails from 11 Virginia distilleries; while guests can mix, mingle and engage with Virginia distillers firsthand! Purchase any bottles you enjoy to take home (we’ll store them at our concierge station while you enjoy the event).

Save $$$ by purchasing your tickets at the advanced promo prices vs. the day of: $20 for one general admission, or $35 for two general admission tickets. Designated driver tickets are complimentary.

Day of / onsite: $30 for one general admission. Designated driver tickets are complimentary.

Featured Virginia Distilleries:
Belle Isle Moonshine, Richmond
Catoctin Creek, Purcellville
Caiseal Spirits, Hampton
Cirrus Vodka, Richmond
Ironclad Distillery Co., Newport News
KO Distilling, Manassas
Reservoir Distillery, Richmond
Tarnished Truth Distilling Company, Virginia Beach
Virago Spirits, Richmond
Virginia Distillery Company, Lovingston
Vitae Spirits Distillery, Charlottesville

Featured Food Truck:
Jus Cukn’ BBQ / Wings / Ribs, Chesterfield

This is a 21 and up event (no children), and rain or shine.