December 18 is the Renegade Market’s Holiday Market!

From email announcement:

3-6 pm corner of Idlewood & S. Linden Sts. 23220

Be here, get hot drinks,
find warm gifts and good peeps.
May winter shine upon ya.
Produce, Specialty Foods

Agriberry
Byrd Farm / Rural Virginia Market
Deer Run Farm
Ettamae’s Oven
Faith Farm Foods
Sub Rosa Breads
Tomten Farm
Arts, Crafts, Holiday Greenery

Breeze Hill Farm (lamb’s wool yarns, holiday greenery and gifts)
CityGarden (holiday greenery designs)
Foraged (natural materials made into holiday decorations and gifts)
KR2 Knitting (fingerless gloves and half-mittens, scarves, hats, dickies, mufflers, berets…)
PrayerMonkey (crocheted wire & beaded jewelry)
Ron Stradone (holiday greenery designs)
WBCH Renegade Market Tent

Friendly faces, good cheer, holiday warmth
and More!
Holiday Schedule!!
CLOSED Tuesday CHRISTMAS DAY:
OPEN WEDNESDAY, Dec. 26, 3-5 pm
OPEN Tuesday NEW YEAR’S DAY: Normal Hours, 3-6pm

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_____________________

Ana Edwards, Manager
Byrd House Market & Library Programs
Grace Arents Library & Education Center
William Byrd Community House
www.wbch.org / 804.643.2717 ext.306

William Byrd Community House Announces New Executive Director

From WBCH press release:

Richmond, December 12, 2012 – The board of directors of the William Byrd Community House, the near century-old community organization that provides a range of services to some of Richmond’s most vulnerable families, has named Shelia Givens as its new executive director, effective immediately.
Ms. Givens has served William Byrd Community House as its director of operations for the past four years. She succeeds Robert Bolling, who served as executive director for five years.
“We had the right person ready to step into the role,” said José “Pepe” Porrata, president of the board. “She understands our programs and the people they serve, and has earned the respect and affection of the staff and the many friends and partners of the William Byrd Community House. We are confident that, through her leadership and the dedication she brings to her expanded role, our next century will be as bright and productive as our previous.”
Prior to William Byrd Community House, Ms. Givens held positions at Wachovia Securities, LG&E Power and the Virginia Department of Health.
“William Byrd Community House holds a special place in this community, as it does in my heart, and I am thrilled and proud to serve as its new executive director,” Ms. Givens said. “Our work is critical on so many fronts – as a resource for families striving to gain self-sufficiency, as a safe and nurturing place for children, as a safety net for those unable to meet their basic needs. As we celebrate our 90th anniversary, our focus will be on continuing to meet the needs of Richmond’s most vulnerable families.”
# # #

Oregon Hill East of Belvidere

Some local historians argue that is what is now known as Oregon Hill was actually called Belvidere Hill, and Oregon Hill was the part of the neighborhood that used to exist east of Belvidere. Of course, if you want to go further back, what is now known as Oregon Hill was outside of the old City limits and known as part of the Sydney township.

John Murden, who does the Church Hill People’s News site, has been digging around at the Library of Virginia and found the following photos and information:

From the Richmond Esthetic Survey & Historic Building Survey:

In 1964, the Historic Richmond Foundation (HRF) and the William Byrd Branch of the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (APVA) undertook an inventory of historic buildings in Richmond. The Richmond City Planning Commission assisted the APVA and HRF in underwriting the cost of the survey. Workers carried out the study in the spring of 1965 under the direction of Paul S. Delaney and Carlo Pelliccia of the University of Virginia’s School of Architecture.
The project confined the inventory to the central part of Richmond, from Boulevard east to Chimborazo Park, and from the James River north to Shockoe Cemetery. The area’s concentration of historic architecture, in addition to the amount of change and demolition going on at the time, prompted this focus.

Continue reading →

Renegade Market will be 59 degrees and Welcoming!

From email announcement:

Should be a nice day…
Hope you’re planning to come on by. 3pm to 6pm.

Wanna Stock up on Stocking Stuffers?
December 18 is the Renegade Market’s Holiday Market!
Be here, get hot drinks,
find warm gifts and good peeps.
May winter shine upon ya.

Thanks to Everyone!
who attended this year’s Spaghetti Dinner at Perly’s and to the WBCH associate board and staff who made it happen. special thanks to Perly’s for being THE joint for THIS happening annually for the last 6 years.

ByrdHouseMarket.blogspot.com
Visit our blog for more info on the market, WBCH programs, Eat Good to Grow Great recipes and so much more.

Bees Up Your Alley?
See the Beehive Grant Fund information (Click to open PDF)! You could get money (or reimbursement for funds spent) to start a beehive in your backyard, neighborhood, school, community garden, park… check it out. Remarkable!

_____________________

Ana Edwards, Manager
Byrd House Market & Library Programs
Grace Arents Library & Education Center
William Byrd Community House
www.wbch.org / 804.643.2717 ext.306

Pancake Exam BREAKfast Monday Morning

From the flyer:

 

Need a break from studying for exams?
Join us for the
Pancake Exam
BREAKfast
Who: College Students living in the Oregon Hill Neighborhood
What: FREE Pancakes with toppings
Where: Pine Street Baptist Church (400 S. Pine Street) Come to side door on Albemarle St.
When: December 10th • 9:00-11:00 PM
Why: Because Pine Street Church cares about our neighborhood students!
www.pinestbaptist.com

Community Biking Forum On Sunday

From RideRichmond.net:

Richmond’s Bike-Ped Coordinator will be present, as will members of Virginia Bicycling Federation and BikeVirginia. With the General Assembly for the Commonwealth in Richmond, we have to make use of our community strength to effectively lobby and show that as cyclists, we’re also humans, and deserve rights and legislation that protects us on the road.

Congratulations to Ram Bhagat

Ram Bhagat, celebrated Open High teacher, founder of Drums No Guns and the Richmond Youth Peace Project, recently received one of this year’s Pollak Awards. (Click here for article).

Here is a an earlier profile from a Richmond Magazine article on standout teachers:

Although Ram Bhagat’s students don’t always relish their time in his demanding science classes, the Open High School teacher says “99 percent” of them like him after the classes are over. In his large classroom lined with windows, Bhagat teaches chemistry and AP environmental science.

Open High, part of the Richmond Public Schools system, has always taken an expansive approach to education, allowing students to follow their interests and learn subjects in creative ways. So, when Bhagat’s students study how water molecules behave, they may invent a dance or go to the James River. A teacher for 27 years, Bhagat is a Virginia State University graduate who grew up in New Haven, Conn. In college, Bhagat says, he became engaged in learning, particularly about microbiology, his major. The teachers there were “very inspirational by the way that they taught and cared.”