Parks and Recreation Takes 2020 Festival of Arts Virtual

Richmond, VA – The Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities (PRCF) continues to take the safety and health of our residents as a top priority. Based on current guidelines and careful consideration, PRCF has made the decision to change the model of the 2020 Festival of Arts. In lieu of holding our weekly shows at the Dogwood Dell Amphitheater, PRCF will hold weekly live 40 minute performances via the department Facebook page.

Kicking off the season on Friday, July 17 at 7 p.m. will be Jazz fusion band Plunky and Oneness. Other scheduled performances include:

·        Corey El (R&B) on July 24

·        Susan Greenbaum (Folk/Pop) on July 31

·        A Festival Frolic (Dogwood Dell Musical Revue) on August 7

·        City Dance Theatre on August 14

·        Kadencia (Afro-Puerto Rican) on August 21

For more information about how the City of Richmond is responding to COVID-19, please visit www.richmondgov.com/covid19.

For more information about the department, follow PRCF on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Parks and Recreation Starts Summer Off With a Splash!

Looking for something to do this summer? The City’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities (PRCF) is sure to have an event or program to kick start your summer along with great, free activities for everyone in your family!

Kicking off the 61^st Festival of Arts at Dogwood Dell will be the James River Bell Ringers on Monday, May 29. This premier hand bell ensemble will celebrate Memorial Day with patriotic musical selections. The show will begin at 4 p.m.

On Thursday, June 1, the department will host the annual Senior Day in the Park on the grounds of the Carillon. A great opportunity to enjoy live music with friends and family, this event will also have health and wellness and retail vendors on site.

On Saturday, June 3, join the James River Park Outdoor Education staff for the annual Family Fishing Fair at Shields Lake in Byrd Park. This family friendly event celebrates Virginia’s Free Fishing Weekend, when no license is required to fish, and is meant to introduce newcomers and novices to the sport.

On Friday, June 16, residents are invited to join PRCF for the start of the 2017 Movies in the Park Series. The first movie in the series is “The Secret Lives of Pets” and will be shown at Byrd Park at 8 p.m. A full schedule of the 2017 movie series is available at http://richmondvirginiaparks.blogspot.com/2017/ .

Beginning on Saturday, June 17, all City pools will be open for City residents. Week day hours are 1 to 8 p.m. with free swim available from 1 to 4:30 p.m., family time from 5 to 7 p.m. and adult swim from 7 to 8 p.m. Weekend hours for the outdoor pools are noon to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and 1 to 5 p.m. on Sundays.

On Monday, June 19, the USDA Summer Meals for Kids begins serving at more than 100 sites across the City of Richmond. The Summer Meals for Kids Program provides children and teens (through the age of 18) nutritious breakfasts and lunches during the summer months. A complete listing of serving facilities can be found at http://www.richmondgov.com/parks/documents/SMFK_Locations.pdf.

The CarMax Summer basketball league hosted at Pine Camp Arts and Community Center, 4901 Old Brook Road, also begins on June 19. Games are played Monday through Thursday from 6 to 10 p.m. This will be the eleventh year of the league, which is made possible through a generous donation from the CarMax Foundation.

Monday, June 26 marks the beginning of PRCF’s youth summer camps. Both the “Secrets of the Mystery Box” summer camp, for ages 6 to 12, and “Generation Z” teen camp, for ages 13 to 15, are full day camps that operate from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. There are also specialty camps such as soccer, tennis, and Lego that are available as half day camps.

For more information on these events and PRCF sites and programs, please call (804) 646-5733 or visit www.richmondgov.com/parks.

Parks and Recreation Starts Summer Off With a Splash!

Looking for something to do this summer? The City’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities (PRCF) is sure to have an event or program to kick start your summer along with great activities for everyone in your family!

The department will start the 60^th Annual Festival of the Arts on Saturday, June 3 with the Richmond Ballet performing at the Dogwood Dell stage. This free performance will feature exciting performances from the professional company as well as the Minds in Motion outreach program.

On Friday, June 17, residents are invited to join PRCF for the start of the 2016 Movies in the Park Series. The first movie in the series will be shown at Byrd Park at 8 p.m. A full schedule of the movie series is available at http://richmondvirginiaparks.blogspot.com/2016/05/movies-in-park-2016.html.

Beginning on Saturday, June 18, all City pools will be open for City residents. Week day hours are 1 to 8 p.m. with free swim available from 1 to 4:30 p.m., family time from 5 to 7 p.m. and adult swim from 7 to 8 p.m. Weekend hours for the outdoor pools are noon to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and 1 to 5 p.m. on Sundays.

On Monday, June 20, the USDA Summer Meals for Kids begins serving at more than 100 sites across the City of Richmond. The Summer Meals for Kids Program provides children and teens (through the age of 18) nutritious breakfasts and lunches during the summer months. The CarMax Summer basketball league hosted at Pine Camp Arts and Community Center, 4901 Old Brook Road, also begins on June 20. Games are played Monday through Thursday from 6 to 10 p.m.

Monday, June 27 marks the beginning of PRCF’s youth summer camps. Both the “Up, Up and Away” summer camp, for ages 6 to 12, and “Generation Z” teen camp, for ages 13 to 15, are full day camps that operate from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. There are also specialty camps such as soccer, tennis, and Lego that are available as half day camps.

For more information on these events and PRCF sites and programs, please call (804) 646-5733 or visit www.richmondgov.com/parks.

Parks and Recreation Starts Summer Off With a Splash!

Looking for something to do this summer? The City’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities is sure to have an event or program to kick start your summer along with great activities for everyone in your family!

The department will start the 59^th Annual Festival Arts on Sunday, June 7 with a Renaissance Fair at 4 p.m. at Dogwood Dell. The party atmosphere includes magicians, stilt walkers, and jugglers, and this is a fair for all ages.  At 8 p.m., the Henley Street Theatre will present “Romeo and Juliet” on the Dogwood Dell stage.

Beginning on Saturday, June 13, all City pools will be open for City residents. Week day hours are 1 to 8 p.m. with free swim available from 1 to 4:30 p.m., family time from 5 to 7 p.m. and adult swim from 7 to 8 p.m. Weekend hours for the outdoor pools are noon to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and 1 to 5 p.m. on Sundays.

On Monday, June 15, the USDA Summer Meals for Kids begins serving at more than 100 sites across the City of Richmond. The Summer Meals for Kids Program provides children and teens (through the age of 18) nutritious breakfasts and lunches during the summer months.

On Friday, June 19, residents are invited to join the department for the start of the 2015 Movies in the Park Series. The first movie in the series will be shown at Byrd Park at 8 p.m. A full schedule of the movie series is available at http://richmondvirginiaparks.blogspot.com/2015/05/movies-in-park-2015.html.

On Sunday, June 21, the Adventure Recreation division will host the “Summer Solstice Float” in starting from the Huguenot Flatwater in James River Park. Participants are encouraged to bring their bathing suits and preferred means of transportation by water such as a canoe, raft, or kayak.

Monday, June 22 marks the beginning of the department’s youth summer camps and the CarMax Summer League. Both the “All Aboard” summer camp, for ages 6 to 12, and “Generation Z” teen camp, for ages 13 to 15, are full day camps that operate from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. There are also specialty camps such as soccer, tennis, computer coding, and Lego that are available as half day camps. The CarMax Summer Basketball league games will be held at the Pine Camp Community Center, 4901 Old Brook Road, with games being played Monday through Thursday from 6 to 10 p.m.

For more information on these events and department sites and programs, please call (804) 646-5733 or visit www.richmondgov.com/parks.

7th Annual Latin Jazz Festival

The City’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities will host the 7^th annual Latin Jazz and Salsa Festival, presented as part of the 58^th annual Festival of Arts at Dogwood Dell on Saturday, August 16 from 3 to 8 p.m. 

Featured performers will include 2013 Grammy Award winner Marlow Rosado, Ismael Rivera, Jr., Herbie Martinez and Orchestra, Julissa Cruz Latin Vintage Dance Troupe, AllAmerica Dance Group, and DJ Eddy Mayorga. Hosting this event will be Luis “Sweet Lou” Hidalgo. Also during the festival, the City of Richmond Office of Multicultural Affairs will be honored with an award to recognize their ten year anniversary.

The festival is free to attend with seating being on a first come, first serve basis. Pets, alcoholic beverages, or glass containers are not permitted. For more information, please call (804) 646-1031.

Sunday's Dell Performance Cancelled

Sunday, June 30’s performance by the West End Assembly of God at Dogwood Dell has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. There will be no show at the Dell that evening.  

Tonight’s 57th Festival of the Arts Opening Postponed

Due to rain, the department has postponed tonight’s scheduled opening of the 57^th Festival of the Arts at Dogwood Dell until tomorrow night, Saturday, June 8.

      Tomorrow night’s program will begin at 7:15 p.m. with children’s activities and entertainment, including a stilt walker, balloon art, face painting, an organ grinder and a make and take puppet project.  At 8:30 p.m., Virginia Repertory Theatre will present “Town Mouse/Country Mouse,” a children’s theatre production based on the fable, on the main stage.

     The program will repeat on Sunday, June 9 at the same times.

     The Festival of the Arts is the department’s summer-long program of free outdoor family entertainment that takes place at Byrd Park’s Dogwood Dell amphitheater located at 1100 Blanton Avenue. The entire season’s program can be found on the department's website under Cultural Arts.

     For future postponements or cancellations, please call the Dell Hotline at (804) 646-DELL (3355).

Fireworks Rescheduled for Tonight!

The City of Richmond has rescheduled its Festival of the Arts’ Fourth of July program at Dogwood Dell for 7 p.m. tonight, July 5. The program, originally scheduled for last night, was postponed due to inclement weather.
The program this evening will begin with a performance of patriotic music by the Richmond Concert Band, and will be followed by fireworks starting at approximately 8:30 p.m. The fireworks display is contingent on the weather and approval by the fire marshal. A rain delay until 10 p.m. is allowable, however if the fireworks cannot be started by 10 p.m. they will be cancelled for the year.
Parking will be available at City Stadium with shuttle service to and from the Dell starting at 5:30 p.m. Parking at the stadium is strongly advised as parking will not be allowed on grassy areas, medians, bridges or on many of the neighborhood streets and parking regulations will be strictly enforced. Violators will be ticketed and towed at their own expense.
The following traffic pattern changes and detours also will be in effect:

*The Boulevard will be closed to southbound traffic at Cary Street beginning at 7 p.m.
*Westover Hills Boulevard will be closed at Forest Hill Avenue to northbound traffic beginning at 7 p.m. The detour is west on Forest Hill Avenue to the Powhite Parkway or east on Forest Hill Avenue to the Lee Bridge.
*Douglasdale Road between McCloy Street and Blanton Avenue will be closed to traffic from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. as the roadway will be used for shuttle buses only.
*After the fireworks, all northbound traffic on the Boulevard will be detoured eastbound onto Interstate 195. If you are traveling east on Interstate 195 there is a .70-cent toll. The Boulevard northbound will reopen 30 minutes after the fireworks have ended.

City to Kickoff 55th Annual Festival of the Arts June 10

Mayor Dwight C. Jones and the City of Richmond will kick off the 55th annual Festival of the Arts on Friday, June 10, at 8 p.m. on the Dogwood Dell stage with the Upper East Side Big Band. The festival features 30 evenings of outdoor family entertainment at Dogwood Dell throughout out the summer that are free to attend.
Highlighting the annual festival will be the city’s Fourth of July Celebration at the Dell. This year, beginning at 4 p.m., it will feature local hip hop group Kids in Da Biz, jazz by Sharon North, a concert on the Carillon bells, and rousing patriotic music by the Richmond Concert Band concluding with a fireworks extravaganza.
Other highlights of the annual summer festival include a Gospel Music Fest on Sunday, July 10, from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., a Latin Jazz and Salsa Festival on Saturday, July 23, from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., and a special tribute to local musician Page Wilson on Sunday, July 17, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. that will feature Terry Garland and Lil’ Ronnie, Wilson’s band Reckless Abandon, and the Janet Martin Band performing rock, blues and Americana music.
In addition to the wide variety of musical entertainment, the festival brings dance, movies, and theater to the Dell, as well as an entire lineup of morning and afternoon entertainment especially for young audiences on the Ha’Penny Stage, which is adjacent to the Dell.
Families are encouraged to bring picnics and blankets to performances, however no alcohol or pets are allowed. The outdoor amphitheatre is located in Byrd Park at 1300 Blanton Avenue, just north of the Boulevard Bridge.
The Festival of the Arts is produced by the Cultural Arts Division of Richmond’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities. The complete schedule of programs can be downloaded from the main page of the city’s website at www.richmondgov.com.

Have Lunch Served on a Frisbee!

The Landing, the concession at Byrd Park, will open for business at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 28. It's located at Byrd Park’s Fountain Lake and offers pedal boat rides and food service throughout the summer months. It will be open seven days a week from 11 a.m. until dusk.
Pedal boat rides will cost $12 for 30 minutes, and food service will include hot dogs, hamburgers, barbeque, a wide variety of sandwiches, cold plates, sides, ice cream, and beverages - including Polar Shock Frozen Drinks! In addition, you can have your box lunch served in a box - or on Frisbee at no additional charge!
Visit www.petesgreatfood.com for the complete menu or to order in advance. Ordering online in advance will have your order ready for pick up and can save time if you are on a limited lunch hour or on your way to a Festival of the Arts performance at Dogwood Dell. You can also contact Pete's for group rates.
The Festival of the Arts kicks off at Dogwood Dell on Friday, June 10 at 8 p.m. with big band and swing music by the Upper East Side Big Band. Watch for a copy of the complete Dogwood Dell schedule to be published on this website or call 804-646-DELL for program updates.

City Opens The Landing at Byrd Park

June 18, 2010 - Mayor Dwight C. Jones officially opened The Landing with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday, June 18. The Landing is the new concession building constructed by the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities at Fountain Lake in Byrd Park. The new facility includes restrooms and free WiFi, as well as outdoor tables with umbrellas.

“This is a wonderful new addition to Byrd Park that will enhance the amenities of the park,” said Mayor Jones. “Now residents and visitors can come and enjoy Byrd Park, use the free WiFi, and have refreshments from Sally Bell’s.”

“This makes it a perfect place for office workers to sit outside to enjoy lunch or for families to bring the kids for lunch after a pedal boat ride,” said the city’s Director of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities J. R. Pope.

“You can also order in advance and stop by to pick up something if you’re attending one of the city’s Festival of the Arts performances at Dogwood Dell,” he noted.

The Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities incorporated several green components into the construction of the building in keeping with Mayor Jones’ green city initiative. These include the installation of waterless urinals, low-velocity flush toilets, and solar tubes in the roof to bring in more sunlight. The department is also making all of its new signage with recycled materials, and big belly trash cans in the park require emptying less often and save on gas.

The Landing will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays, and Sally Bell’s, which has operated in Richmond for 85 years, will be offering their box lunches, as well as items from the grill, sides and desserts. You can find their complete menu online at www.sallybellskitchen.com., and orders can be placed in advance by calling (804) 204-1501.

City Kicks Off 54th Annual Festival of the Arts June 11

jUNE 10, 2010 - Richmond’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities will kick off its 54th annual Festival of the Arts at Dogwood Dell on Friday, June 11, at 8 p.m. with an evening of big band music by the Upper East Side Big Band.

In addition to the lineup of performances on the Dell stage, this year's summer-long festival of free outdoor entertainment for families includes a series of Tuesday Blue Plate Specials at 12:30 p.m. for active adults; a series for young audiences on the Ha’Penny Stage adjacent to the Dell; a Gospel Music Fest on July 11 from 3 to 9 p.m.; a Words & Music Festival on July 18 from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m.; the Fourth Annual Latin Jazz Festival on August 14 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; a series of Carillon concerts performed by the city’s Carilloneur Larry Robinson; and the popular Fourth of July annual performance series concluding with cannon fire and a fireworks spectacular.

Audiences are encouraged to bring the entire family and arrive early to secure a seat in the outdoor amphitheatre. Picnicking is also encouraged; however, audiences are reminded that no pets, alcohol or glass containers are allowed at the Dell.

The program guide listing this year’s lineup and more information, can be found on the department’s website at www.RichmondGov.com/parks under Cultural Arts, or for more information, call the Dell Information Line at (804) 646-DELL or the department’s main office at (804) 646-5733.