Holiday Celebration Brings Local Talent “Home for the Holidays”

The City’s Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities is proud to introduce a new holiday offering this season. Home for the Holidays brings together Richmond’s diverse artistic community to celebrate the sights and sounds of the Yuletide season on Sunday, December 7, 2014, at Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School, 1000 Mosby Street. The show will begin at 4 p.m.

The lineup for this holiday extravaganza includes home town favorites Larry Bland, Richmond Ballet’s Minds in Motion, the City Dance Theater, Emma Davis- finalist of RVA Got Talent, Richmond’s Youth Jazz Guild lead by Ashby Anderson, and many more.

“Guaranteed to be a fun filled afternoon, Home for the Holidays is a great showcase of talent that will appeal to all ages. The program was created to re-spark interest in the department’s city wide holiday celebration. With attendance in previous years being inconsistent, we expect the introduction of Home for the Holidays to generate great interest once more,” said Dr. Norman C. Merrifield, Director of the City’s Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities.

This event is free and open to the public. Seating is limited, so it is suggested to arrive early. For more information, please call (804) 646-3677.

City to Host “Driftwood Comes to Life” in the Spotlight Gallery

The City’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities will host an art exhibit and gallery talk featuring local artist Everett A. Mayo at the Pine Camp Arts and Community Center, 4901 Old Brook Road. The art exhibit titled “Driftwood Comes to Life” will open on Friday, November 21 with a public reception from 6 to 8 p.m. and a gallery talk beginning at 6:30 p.m. The exhibit will be on display until January 2, 2015.  

Mayo, a former heavyweight boxing champion, was injured in a construction accident and declared legally blind in one eye. Seeking a new hobby, he began producing sculptures using pieces of driftwood. “Today I feel the art took the place of boxing. The love and drive I had to be a champion boxer and the accident made me channel everything I had in me towards creating art out of driftwood. The art is here to stay” says Mayo. Mayo has taught many how to paint on driftwood including Alzheimer’s patients, youth in schools, and pediatric patients in several hospitals.            

The first showing of his work was in 1993. Since then, Mayo’s works has exhibited in several museums and galleries. Mayo was also nominated for and mentored youth in the Virginia Heroes Program which was started by the late tennis professional Arthur Ashe, Jr. Mayo has also appeared as a guest artist to showcase his unique art on the Parents’ Choice Award winning Nickelodeon show “Gullah Gullah Island”.          

Spotlight Gallery hours are from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. This exhibit is free and open to the public. For more information or to schedule tours please contact Shaunn Casselle at (804) 646-6722.

Youth Tackle Football Championship Set

 

The City’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities will host its tackle football championship games on Saturday, November 15 beginning at 9:30 a.m. at City Stadium, 3201 Maplewood Avenue. 

“These players have played a great season and I am looking forward to seeing them play their last game of the season. We should all be proud at this moment,” said Dr. Norman C. Merrifield, director of the City’s Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities.  “Our coaches, both site staff and volunteers, have taken the time all season to ensure that these players understood the basics of the game and how to work together as a team.”

 Entrance to the championship games will be $2 for youth ages two to 12 years old and $4 for 13 years and older.

 

9:30 a.m.	Reid (8-1) vs. Calhoun (5-3) Junior
11 a.m.	TB Smith (9-0) vs. Mosby (8-1)   Midget
12:30 p.m.	Reid (9-0) vs. Blackwell (8-0-1) Pee Wee
2 p.m.	Hotchkiss (9-0) vs. Battery Park (8-1)   JV Pee Wee

City Offices Closed on November 11 in Honor of Veteran’s Day

 

 

In observance of Veteran’s Day, City government offices, including City Hall, will be closed on Tuesday, November 11, 2014. City offices will reopen at regular business hours on Wednesday, November 12, 2014.

This Veteran’s Day closing includes all branches of the Richmond Public Libraries and all City community centers, which will reopen on Wednesday.

Refuse collection will not be performed on Tuesday as the City’s Solid Waste Management Division will also be closed. This closure will result in a one day delay of refuse collection for the week, as the collection schedule will resume on Wednesday, November 12 and continue through Friday, November 14.

The East Richmond Road Convenience Center and Hopkins Road Transfer Stations are also closed on Tuesday, November 11. Each facility will resume its normal schedule on Wednesday.

For more information on City services and schedules, please visit www.RichmondGov.com.

 

City’s Cheerleading Jamboree to Showcase Talents

The City’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities will host the 29^th Annual Cheerleader Jamboree at the Richmond Coliseum on Thursday, November 13, 2014 from 6 to 8:30 p.m.

This high energy event will highlight cheerleading performances by the Department’s community center cheerleaders, high school squads, local universities, and Richmond Lady Raiders. This year, the jamboree will be hosted by the Official Face of the CW Richmond, Troy Michel.

“This is sure to be a fun filled evening watching what these young cheerleaders have been able to learn over the past few months.” said Dr. Norman C. Merrifield, director of the City’s Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities. This event is the largest athletic program for young ladies that is hosted by the department.

 The jamboree is open to the public, with tickets available at the Coliseum Box office or on the Ticketmaster website at http://www.ticketmaster.com/DPRCF-Annual-Cheerleader-Jamboree-tickets/artist/1791830. Ticket prices for ages 2 through 11 years old are $4.50 and tickets for those 12 years and older are $7.