Join the Ping Pong Challenge

Do you enjoy playing ping pong? If so, come join the Ping Pong Challenge hosted by the City’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities on Friday, June 21, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Hickory Hill Community Center, 3000 E. Belt Boulevard. It’s free and open to all who are interested.

     Ping Pong, also known as table tennis, began as a parlor game in the 1880s.  Today, it is played throughout the world for exercise, sport and recreation.and has even evolved into an Olympic sport. It’s a game that can be played at any age and enjoyed year-round, making it a life-time sport embraced by millions. In fact, ping pong is said to rank second only to soccer in number of participants.

      No matter your age or how well or often you play, the Ping Pong Challenge is your opportunity to meet others who enjoy playing ping pong and get involved in a fun and healthy activity that’s known to help develop eye-hand coordination, reflexes, and mental alertness.

      Additional tournaments will be held at various locations. For more information, call (804) 646-7934 after 1:30 p.m. or stop by the Hickory Hill Community Center anytime between 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. 

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'The Slumber Party' at Hickory Hill

The department will present three performances of “The Slumber Party” on stage at its Hickory Hill Community Center, located at 3000 Belt Boulevard. The performances will take place at 7 p.m. on Feb. 28, Feb. 29 and March 1, and a reception will follow the opening show.
     The play, written by E. Claudette Freeman, is the story of five friends. As children they experienced first loves, heart breaks and the changes of life together. They endured family struggles, bouts with racism, the joy of one’s pregnancy and then separation. Now some six years later, they gather again, at the request of Daniella Reed for a slumber party. An evening of memories and childhood antics turn into a night of skeletons bearing rude awakenings, realizations and tests of friendships.  

    
The production is directed by Margarette Joyner, and the cast features Shanna Battle, Tiffany Byrd, Mahogany Kidd, Carolyn Hayes, Stephanie Pope, and Shalandis Wheeler Smith.

    
You must be 18 or older to attend, and a donation of $10 at the door is requested. Advance reservations are not required.

    
For more information, call 804-646-7934.

Staged Reading Scheduled at Hickory Hill Community Center

The department, in partnership with My Creative Spirit, a new Northern Virginia theater company, will present a staged reading of “That ColorBlind Kind Of Love” at the Hickory Hill Community Center on Nov. 18 at 6:30 p.m.

     The play, written by English teacher Rebekah Peirce, premiered at the Kennedy Center’s Page-to-Stage Festival in September. The drama tells the story of Sampson and his slave Twyla, kindred spirits who have loved and searched for one another for more than a century. The story tells of a forbidden love between master and slave, which they have been forced to abandon over the course of 150 years. By the end of the play, their souls are finally reconnected in the present. This drama asks if love is truly colorblind in this “so-called” post-race era.

     The reading is free to attend and a small reception will be held afterward.

     Hickory Hill Community Center is located at 3000 Belt Boulevard. For more information, call 646-7934.

‘Let’s Pink’ Breast Cancer Event Set for Nov. 4

The department will hold a breast cancer awareness event and fundraiser called “Let’s Pink” at its Hickory Hill Community Center on Nov. 4 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.  The event will include raffles, visual arts, vendors, food, music, entertainment and much more.

     The mission of Let’s Pink is to merge the vibrancy and artistic minds of Richmond’s youth and young adults with the knowledge and life experience of Richmond’s seasoned generation while raising awareness for breast cancer.

     Local artists and photographers will display interpretive works related to breast cancer at the event and have other works from their collections on sale as well. In addition, Lauren Parker from SLAM, Richmond’s youth poet team, will present pieces created especially for the event, and two guest speakers will discuss their personal journeys with breast cancer and how it has affected them.

     An information table will provide brochures and pamphlets to take home, and a variety of vendors representing health, fitness, beauty and fashion will also participate.

     Donations of $5 are encouraged to attend the event, and all proceeds will go to the Central Virginia Affiliates of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

     Although no registration is required, you can learn more about the event and sign up to attend, as well as donate, online by visiting LetsPink.EventBrite.com. You can also call 646-8874 or 245-6637 for more information.

      The Hickory Hill Community Center is located at 3000 E. Belt Boulevard. This program is in line with Mayor Dwight C. Jones’ Healthy Richmond Campaign to promote healthy lifestyles for all residents in the city of Richmond.