City of Richmond Announces Holiday Schedule

City government offices, including City Hall, will be closed on Monday, December 23, Tuesday, December 24, and Wednesday, December 25 for the Christmas holiday. City offices will reopen at regular business hours on Thursday, December 26, 2013. This closing includes all branches of the Richmond Public Libraries, which will open on their normal schedule Saturday, December 21, but are closed December 23 – 25.

The City’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities will open the following locations from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday, December 26 through Friday, January 3, 2014, with the exception of Sunday, December 29, Wednesday, January 1, and Sunday, January 5.

Battery Park Community Center                           2803 Dupont Circle

Bellemeade Community Center                          1800 Lynnhaven Avenue

Blackwell Community Center                               300 East 15^th Street

Hickory Hill Community Center                            3000 East Belt Boulevard

Hotchkiss Community Center                              701 East Brookland Park Boulevard

Humphrey Calder Community Center                 414 North Thompson Street

Powhatan Community Center                              5051 Northampton Street

Randolph Community Center                               1415 Grayland Avenue

All sites will resume normal hours on Monday, January 6, 2014.

Refuse collection will follow its normal schedule for December 23 and December 24; however no collection will occur on December 25. Refuse collection will resume on Thursday, December 26 and continue through Friday, December 27.

The East Richmond Road Convenience Center and Hopkins Road Transfer Stations are also closed December 23 - 25. Each facility will resume its normal schedule on Thursday, December 26.

Richmond Animal Care and Control (RAC&C) is normally closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and will also be closed on Wednesday, December 25. RAC&C will operate using their regular adoption hours throughout the remainder of the holiday season.

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

Randolph Community Center Presents: "Bak n da Day" Concert Cafe

Join the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities as we continue celebrating the holiday season with local singing group "Bak n da Day."  

Celebrate the Holiday Season!

Carols at Noon is a free holiday concert series in partnership with Richmond Public Schools.  Featuring school choirs from across the city, each concert is expected to last approximately 20 minutes.

City to Host Annual Holiday Opera

The Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities will host the beloved children’s opera “Amahl and the Night Visitors” on Sunday, December 8 at 4 p.m. at the Landmark Theater located at 6 North Laurel Street.

One of Richmond’s longest running traditions; the Department has offered free performances of this opera since the 1960s.  Pegged as the unofficial kick-off to the holiday festivities in the Richmond area, “Amahl and the Night Visitors” is perhaps the most recognized holiday opera experience for children of all ages. “This outstanding production exposes youngsters and adults to the medium of opera and brings together diverse communities to share in a common holiday tradition,” says Dr. Norman C. Merrifield, director of Richmond’s Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities.

The opera was written in 1951 by Gian-Carlo Menotti and focuses on Amahl, a young peasant shepherd boy with a talent for embellishing fact with a varnish of fantasy.  As the opera opens, Amahl is very excited because he has seen a truly strange and wondrous star outside, one with a long tail the likes of which he has never seen. His Mother dismisses his news, but a knock on their door reveals three kings who are following that very star.  The story unfolds as shepherds come from far and near to observe the visitors, and ultimately leads to the magic of a Christmas miracle.

Staging director George C. Macklin, Jr. will be retiring after a 49-year affiliation with the production, having started as King Balthazar before taking over the director’s chair.  He is joined by assistant director Charmaine McGilvary and music director Diana Covington Greer.  Principal cast members include Matthew Barbieri as Amahl, Bekah Hughes Davis as his Mother, J. David Clatterbuck, Raymond Elmore, and Ben Miller as the Kings Kaspar, Balthazar, and Melchior respectively, and Stanley Fountain as the Page.

This event is free to the public.  Doors will open at 3:30 p.m. and no reservations are necessary. For more information, please call (804) 646-1031.

Program to Feature Richmond in the 1900s

The department will give the public the opportunity to meet the great granddaughter of Harris Stilson and see Richmond as never before through the photos he took as a street car driver in the early 1900s.
     This Afternoon of History and Remembrance will take place on Friday, November 15, from 2 to 3 p.m. at the department’s Pine Camp Arts and Community Center, located at 4901 Old Brook Road on Richmond’s Northside. Kitty Snow, Stilson’s great granddaughter and author of the recently published book, “From a Richmond Streetcar: Life through the lens of Harris Stilson,” will tell the story of Mr. Stilson and show a collection of his photos. Following the presentation, Ms. Snow will open the session for questions and answers.  
     If you are interested in seeing Richmond as it was in the early 1900s, this is an event you won’t want to miss. It’s free to attend and no registration is required.
     The department will hold a second event featuring Ms. Snow on February 14 from 2 to 3 p.m. at Pine Camp. While her first program at Pine Camp will have a wide focus on the City of Richmond, during her second presentation, she will focus primarily on Jackson Ward in the early 1900s.

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Ceremony to Celebrate Completion of Great Shiplock Park Trailhead

 Virginia Capital Trail Reaches Another Milestone —

Great Shiplock Park Trailhead Completed

 

Ceremony Also Highlights Revitalization of Chapel Island and Advancement of Riverfront Plan

WHAT:           Ribbon cutting ceremony for the Virginia Capital Trail western trailhead at Great Shiplock Park and revitalization of Chapel Island

 

WHO:             Mayor Dwight C. Jones, City of Richmond

                        Cynthia Newbille, Richmond City Council, 7^th District
                        Charles Donato, Board of Directors Chairman, Virginia Capital Trail Foundation
                        Dr. Norman Merrifield, Director, Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities

WHEN:          Tuesday, October 15, 2013 at 2 p.m.

                       
WHERE:        Great Shiplock Park
                        2603 Dock Street
                        Richmond, VA 23223

BACKGROUND:

The Virginia Capital Trail Foundation and the City of Richmond jointly announce a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Virginia Capital Trail western trailhead at Great Shiplock Park. The ceremony will also highlight the revitalization of Chapel Island, to include the addition of a non-motorized boat launch, a half-mile trail, and significantly-enhanced access to the 5.6 acres of riverfront parkland. Tours of both Great Shiplock Park and Chapel Island will be available after the ceremony.

Parking will not be available at Great Shiplock Park. Parking is available along both sides of Pear Street, and at the parking lots for the River Lofts at Tobacco Row along Dock Street.

Contacts:

Beth Weisbrod                                              Jay Ell Vaughn

Executive Director                                         Marketing and Public Relations Specialist        
Virginia Capital Trail Foundation                   City of Richmond
beth@virginiacapitaltrail.org                          jayell.vaughn@richmondgov.com
804-788-6455                                                804-646-4642
           

Barbara Jacocks

Principal Planner
Richmond Regional Planning District Commission
bjacocks@richmondregional.org
804-323-2033

 

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Singers of All Ages Wanted for Holiday Performance

The Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities will hold auditions for its 52^nd  production of the holiday operetta “Amahl and the Night Visitors.” The production is scheduled for December 8 at the Landmark Theatre. Director George Macklin Jr. and Musical Director Diana Covington Greer are looking for singers of all vocal ranges for the shepherds’ chorus.
     Auditions will be held on Monday, October 14, from 7 – 8:30 p.m. at the department’s Pine Camp Arts and Community Center located at 4901 Old Brook Road. To audition, please prepare 12 bars of a song that best showcases your ability. Accompanist will be provided.
     Rehearsals for the holiday performance will begin immediately after casting. No performers will be paid. 
     For more information, call (804) 646-1031.

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