Author Archives: Scott

November’s Hollywood Cemetery Tours

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From the Valentine Richmond History Tour:

Nov. 3, 10, 17, 24 Highlights of Hollywood Cemetery (10-11:30am) WALKING TOURS
Learn about the cemetery’s history, artwork, symbolism and famous residents, including two U.S. Presidents, writer Ellen Glasgow, Confederate President Jefferson Davis and Generals George Pickett and J.E.B. Stuart. Meet at the rear of the stone structure on the left at the cemetery entrance, Cherry and Albemarle streets.

Nov. 4, 11, 18 Hollywood Cemetery (2-4pm) WALKING TOURS
An extension of the daily “Highlights” tour, this version covers in more detail the cemetery’s unique history, landscape design, architecture, symbols and residents. Meet at the cemetery entrance at Cherry and Albemarle streets.

Nov. 24 I Know Richmond: The Bus Tour (1-4pm) BUS TOUR
An overview of the history of Richmond, including Court End, the James River and the Fall Line, Church Hill, Jackson Ward, the Fan and Monument Avenue. Tour drives by St. John’s Church, Hollywood Cemetery, Main Street Station, the Jefferson Hotel and the Museum and White House of the Confederacy. Tour the State Capitol, walk Capitol Square and see the Civil Rights Memorial. Reservations required: (804) 649-0711 x301. Meet at the History Center.

Letters To The Editor

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The Times Dispatch featured this letter about the new 2nd St. connector road, echoing concerns brought up by Oregon Hill residents as well as the local Sierra Club:

Connector road should have sidewalks

Editor, Times-Dispatch:

As I biked home recently and saw the Second Street connector road under construction, I pondered the design, which calls for two narrow travel lanes and a sidewalk on only one side of the road. This road will connect Second Street just north of the Lee Bridge to Tredegar Street and descends at an extremely steep grade.

The lack of an uphill bike lane and sidewalks will increase delays for motorists and compromise safety for everyone. This new road is in the middle of the city and immediately adjacent to Belle Isle, the Canal Walk and the James River Park System — some of the most popular places to walk, run and bike in the city. For even more evidence that a sidewalk on both sides of the street is needed, look no further than Tredegar Street itself, which lacks a sidewalk on the north side and has a worn dirt path there instead. Fixing this is one of the recommendations in the new Riverfront Plan. What about the thousands of pedestrians who descend this hill to attend the Folk Festival?

Dominion employees will probably have the most time to ponder the road design as they wait behind bicyclists traveling uphill at 5 mph, a problem that would have been easily avoided by adding a mere 5-foot bike lane. It is always more expensive to retrofit a road than to build new, so please, Richmond, let’s stop being pennywise and pound foolish.

John Bolecek.
Richmond.

Also, Oregon Hill resident Todd Woodson implored for a change of leadership in the 5th District:

Continue reading →

Trash/Recycling Pickup Tomorrow

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This Wednesday is a red Wednesday, which means trash and recycling pickup. Please make sure you pick up containers after pickup tomorrow night. They do not belong on the sidewalk after tomorrow night (let’s keep the sidewalks clear for the Halloween Parade!).

In recycling news, The Eugene (Ore.) City Council voted 6-2 to approve a ban on single-use plastic bags at retail stores on Oct. 22. The ban will take effect in six months. Single-use paper bags are still allowed under the ordinance, but retailers are required to charge at least 5 cents each for those bags.

Hurricane Sandy Cancels This Week’s Byrd House Market

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From email announcement:

Good afternoon everyone,

It seems prudent to go ahead and cancel the market for tomorrow. The weather will at best be miserable and we don’t yet know what the specific results of the storm might be in terms of power outages and what our farmers may need to do to harvest and processing crops for market. Better to let Hurricane Sandy play out, assess and get ready for better conditions.

We look forward to seeing all of you next week, in better weather, and with the spirit of community that is strengthened by shared experiences – which in this case we hope are merely inconveniences!

See you then.

Ana
Market Manager
byrdhousemarket.blogspot.com

Flying Brick Library Celebrates 10 Years

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From the Flying Brick Library’s website:

On Halloween Night, 2002, 4 Richmond anarchists and organizers moved into a house at 506 S. Pine St in Oregon Hill. The 4 aimed to expand the lending library they had been a part of in a previous home, but little did they know their little project would still be alive 10 years later!

They are planning their 10-year celebration (sober/no alcohol!) for Friday, Nov. 2. Bring food, and memorabilia if you have it! Go to the site for more details.

RVAnews.com On EAT Oregon Hill

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RVAnews.com writer Nathan Cushing has a feature on EAT Oregon Hill.

Excerpt:

The restaurant has also diversified by adding a mixture of small plates (chicken pot pie, char grilled baguette crostini), medium plates (Canadian style poutine, BBQ lettuce wraps), and large plates (seared duck breast, quinoa and black bean cakes). “People who don’t eat seafood have a plethora” of options now, ranging from $8 – $30. The restaurant will also brew its own beer.

Each beer will be named after a street running through Oregon Hill. The first one slated for debut will be the Idlewood IPA, scheduled to premiere in the coming weeks. It’s precisely this local focus that Manley feels was missing during the restaurant’s first incarnation.

The changes in the restaurant’s menu and approach culminated with a new name, EAT Oregon Hill. It’s derived from three large red letters mounted to the wall of Pescados China Street: E-A-T. It was a simple, playful command that Manley thought encapsulated the new restaurant, one he believes “feels more city-like, more Richmond-like…more Oregon Hill-like.”