Celebrate Spring!!

The Depatment of Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities will celebrate the arrival of spring with community based festivals on Wednesday, April 8, 2014. Festivals will include events such as an egg hunt, face painting (at some locations), arts and crafts, and much more!

All festivals are free and open to the public. For more information, please contact the individual community center.

City Offices Closed April 3 for Spring Holiday/Good Friday

City government offices, including City Hall, will be closed on Friday, April 3, 2015 for Spring Holiday/Good Friday. City offices will open at normal business hours on Monday, April 6, 2015.

This closure includes all City community centers and all branches of the Richmond Public Libraries. All City community centers will open on Saturday for any previously scheduled events. All branches of the Richmond Public Libraries will open at their regular operating hours on Saturday, April 4. Broad Rock Library which is normally open on Sundays will be closed on Sunday, April 5 in observance of the Easter holiday.

The East Richmond Road Convenience Center and Hopkins Road Transfer Stations are closed on April 3. Each facility will resume its normal schedule on April 4.

Residential trash collection will not be impacted by this closure.

Richmond Animal Care and Control, 1600 Chamberlayne Avenue, will also be closed to the public Friday, April 3 through Sunday, April 5. However, the shelter is celebrating the holiday early with reduced fee adoptions on Wednesday, April 1 and Thursday, April 2. Visit www.Richmondgov.com for more details.

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

Spring Learn to Swim Program

The Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities Aquatics Divison will hold registration for the April Learn to Swim classes on Monday, March 30 beginning at 5 p.m. at Bellemeade Community Center Pool located at 1800 Lynhaven Avenue.

The program will operate from April 7 through April 30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Pre-School and Level 1 classes will be held 6 - 6:30 p.m. and Level 2 and 3 classes will be held from 6:45 - 7:45 p.m. The cost for the session is $45 for city residents and $65 for non city residents.

For more information, please contact Jerrod Booker at jerrod.booker@richmondgov.com.

Swansboro Indoor Pool Reopens

The City’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities is pleased to reopen the Swansboro Indoor Swimming Pool, located at 3160 Midlothian Turnpike. The pool will reopen on Monday, March 30 at 8 a.m. The indoor aquatic facility was closed in August of 2014 for comprehensive improvements to the heating, ventilation and air conditioning units.

“These upgrades were necessary for the continued use of the facility by the general public, Richmond Public Schools, and the departments swim teams,” said Dr. Norman C. Merrifield, director of the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities.

Program offerings include: Open Swim for All Ages (Monday through Friday 3-4 p.m. and 7:45 – 8:30 p.m.), Aquacise for Seniors (Monday through Thursday 8:30 – 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.), and Adult Aerobics (Monday and Wednesday 7:30 – 8:30 p.m.

For more information, please call (804) 646-5733 or (804) 646-8088.

New Summer Camp Options Added

Just added to the 2015 summer camp roster is the Eureka Workshop in partnership with CodeVA. The three week long, half day sessions will teach youth about computer science through a variety of creative activities. They will learn animation, crafty computing, and basic electrical circuitry. The price for this camp is $150 for city residents and $170 for non city residents. Camp will take place at Linwood Holton Elementary School.

In addition to the co-ed Lego Engineering Summer Camps operating this summer, there will be a “girls only” section that will operate from August 10 through 13 at Linwood Holton Elementary School. This section of the camp will be taught by women engineers and scientists and provide an environment for girls to apply real world concepts in physics, engineering, and architecture. The price for all of the Lego camps are $160 for city residents and $180 for non residents.

Also added to the summer camp options is a five week video production boot camp at Hickory Hill beginning on June 29. This full day camp has been designed for teens 12 to 15 years that are interested in learning all aspects of video production from creating a story board, writing the script, editing, and how to build sets. The Teen Video Production Boot Camp registration fee is $260 for city residents and $280 for non city residents.

Registration for all camps can be done online today using the link to WebTrac found here or by stopping by any of our community centers.

 

 

 

Spotlight Gallery to Host Hispanic Women in Arts Exhibit for Women’s History Month

The City’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities will host “Mujeres!” in celebration of Women’s History Month at Pine Camp Arts and Community Center located at 4901 Old Brook Road. The exhibit will open on Friday, March 20 with a public reception and gallery talk from 6 – 8 p.m. “Mujeres!” will be on display until May 1, 2015.

Co-sponsored by the Hispanic Women in the Arts organization, the exhibition will celebrate the talents and strength of several female artists of Hispanic descent living in the Richmond area. This show will include paintings, textiles, sculpture, and other works on display. There will also be a special performance from the Eight-Oh-Four Brass, a brass group comprised of music students from Virginia Commonwealth University during the opening reception.

"Oscuros" by Patricia Silva-Santisteban

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.