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Best Of VA Missed Connections August 28 – September 3

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School’s back in here in Richmond, and if you’re riding the bus, you just might find yourself in the Missed Connections this week. After all, we’ve all gotta get there somehow.

We’ve got a bunch of fun stuff in the good ol’ MCs this week, from house flippers who want to flip more than just houses to athletic hikers and flirty Food Lion shoppers. Plus a lady forklift driver, which is a rejected Prince song title if I’ve ever heard one, and a Vietnamese food fan who really just wants to check out everyone’s feet. Putting the sandals into early retirement might not be a bad idea this year.

Finally, if you’ve got some donuts your hookup partner isn’t into, the RVA Mag staff is always hungry. But you can spare us the spit.

Get sugary, Richmond.

You want me to spit in your mouth… (Fan)

But you never eat the Sugar Shack donuts I bring over when we hook up. What gives?

Area 51 (richmond)

To the young lady who opened the door for me at Area 51, I was in a hurry to work and would love to chat with you. You were in a white and car and I was in a ????

On the #20 Orbital Bus (Going to Cary and Shepherd)

Hi there, if you actually somehow see this I asked you for help with directions and you were very kind and helpful. I wished I would have asked you your name and told you mine but I’m a little on the shy side. If you see this message me I’d love to hear from you and talk sometime.

Smiling on the pulse bus (Willow lawn)

You have buzzed hair, piercings, and a Rollator walker, I was having a really horrible day but you smiled at me and it really helped. I wanted to say something to you but I was nervous. feel free to reach out if you see this

Red house (Chester)

Green shorts

Caravati’s (Richmond)

Jimmy….I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the conversation we had. You were so helpful. I couldn’t stop looking at you. You have an awesome personality and I was dumb struck staring at those blue eyes. I could have stayed all day. You’re very sweet and I have had you on my mind. Just had to tell you that you left a great impression.

Hot girl with dog named Izzy (Shockoe Bottom Old Stone Row)

I was by your apartments today for a water leak. I spent some time talking to you and petting your dog Izzy. I was speechless you were gorgeous we should take Izzy for a walk sometime and then hang back out at your place.

Pho

You were with 3 of your friends. You were the girl wearing the pink shirt. I thought I overheard you saying one of your friends had ugly feet. Well, you on the other hand had some of the nicest feet and arches I have seen. I’d love to massage your beautiful feet and give you a free pedicure.

Gorgeous woman at Dairy Queen (Ashland)

You worked the drive thru of Dairy Queen in Ashland on Wednesday. I thought you were hot. We traded a long look and a smile. Would like to see you again.

Dorey Park beauty (East End)

I was with a group at Dorey Park on Tuesday and you were with a friend and her daughter. You are a beautiful brunette with tattoos on your arms and legs. We shared several conversations and a wave. I left without getting your number but would really like to see you again. If you remember, let me know what group I was with so I know its you.

Three Women, All Very Pretty and Fit (Westover Hills)

You were on a hike together. I took your picture while shamelessly flirting. Happy to serve as your guide for future hikes. Tell me what we talked about.

Lady house flipper at lowes (Forest Hill)

Pretty, petite white lady I spoke with in the return lane. Tall wm here. Wish I had given you my card. I’m offering my services to help with your flips. 

Food Lion friend

I come into your job quite often and we kinda know each other’s work schedule.idk if it’s just me but it feels like we want to say what we feel but never do.you always smile when you see me and we always joke around when we can.you would always say something about my music. Idk if you would ever see this or even respond but I hope you do.if so tell me my work schedule so I know it’s you.

Macys south park (S Chesterfield)

Cute strawberry blonde that works at macys 

you are kinda short with a cute smile and a great looking body 

would like to find out more about you

Short haired blonde Chester Food Lion (Chester Food Lion)

I saw you in the Chester Food Lion Friday evening. You had short blonde hair and you were thin and pretty. I wanted to chat with you and thought about it as I left. Then I saw you leaving in a car. I know the color and make so use that when you reply so I know it’s you. You saw me too….. 

Cute girl at Cracker Barrel (Mechanicsville)

Cute girl at Cracker Barrel this morning (Wednesday) that i shared a smile with this on my way out. 

Would love to talk to you. 
I had a red shirt/backwards hat

LADY FORKLIFT DRIVER (PETERSBURG)

I shook hands with you this morning would love to buy you a drink.

what color pants were you wearing

Searching for Kimberly Walker

Trying to find Kimberly Walker who was originally from Aylett. We were long distance friends back in the 80’s and early 90’s. Just drifted apart and life went on. I spoke with you about 10 years ago out of the blue and you were happily married and doing well. Heard that your husband passed last year and would like to reconnect. Your Dad worked for the railroad.

A Main Street Movie Theatre Returns To Former Glory In Ashland

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From first-run movies and a unique, locally-focused atmosphere to live music presented by the Broadberry Entertainment Group, the Ashland Theatre’s got it all.

Local is EVERYTHING. And at the Ashland Theatre, Ashland is exactly what you get. The rich history, the architecture, the food, the music, everything.

“When we opened we wanted to make sure we had Homemades by Suzanne in our concessions, Center of the Universe beer in our bars, and that when you come to visit the Ashland Theatre, that you get a real taste of Ashland,” said Douglas Love, CEO of the Ashland Theatre Foundation.

After having been mostly shut down since the 90s, the Ashland Theatre, located 30 minutes north of Richmond in the town of Ashland, was renovated last year. It reopened its doors on December 26th for a soft opening with the movie Mary Poppins Returns, and the screening featured a surprise visit from Poppins herself.

“[Our goal] is to make this as homespun as we can, something you can’t get from a chain,” said Love. “So having a Mary Poppins impersonator, those kinds of things are on-mission for us.”

Along with visits from Mary Poppins, the team at the Ashland Theatre is working to bring that little extra something to every event. For their run of Bohemian Rhapsody (which, yes, it’s the sing-a-long version!), they will have fake mustaches for every guest. They even have plans in the works for special event-specific drinks.

They may have begun with movies, but the Ashland Theatre has plans to go beyond filmed entertainment, bringing panels, speakers, and concerts to the theatre this year. Later in 2019, they will be hosting a panel called “Untold Stories,” in which Ashland’s elders will sit for an oral passing-down of the town’s history through the civil rights movement.

Their grand opening weekend, which takes place on the weekend of February 22-24, will feature a movie and speaker night with Ashland native Matt Green on Friday, February 22. Guests will view The World Before Your Feet, the documentary on Green’s quest to walk every block of New York City’s streets over the course of seven years. The event will also feature a conversation with Green himself.

“The community involvement of the theatre and its whole mission makes the space very special,” said Lucas Fritz, co-owner of the Broadberry Entertainment Group. “It seems as if everyone in the town is in some way or another, involved with the theatre in one way or another.”

The Trongone Band. Photo via Facebook

The Ashland Theatre has teamed up with the Broadberry Entertainment Group to procure a line-up bands designed especially for Ashland. 

“Ultimately our conversations lead to, ‘What if you guys book and promote the music here and curate something for Ashland that’s not playing other places?’” said Love. “That way, it’s not just about moving bands that play at the Broadberry up [to Ashland], but an entirely separate effort. A designed curated concert series, joining forces with them, making it something that is unique to the Ashland Theatre, [something that] reflects the audience that we’re still figuring out.”

Love and Fritz have decided to go in the direction of an eclectic and wide-ranging selection of musicians, to really explore what it means to have an Ashland sound.

“We are working hard to make sure that the artists that come through the Ashland Theatre fit perfectly. It will take a little bit of work to curate the lineup and find the perfect artists but we feel as if we’re off to a great start,” said Fritz.

Following the theatre’s Grand Opening weekend, the Broadberry Entertainment Group will be presenting a regular line-up of concerts at the Ashland Theatre, starting with two Americana-infused Southern Rock’n’roll bands, Richmond natives The Trongone Band and Raleigh, NC’s American Aquarium.  

As for that special local flair, The Broadberry Entertainment Group and the Ashland Theatre will continue to strive to provide events that allow guests to get up close and personal with artists.

“We will work with artists, agents, and managers to curate unique experiences that are special to the Ashland Theatre,” said Fritz. “That way, when concertgoers attend concerts, they will have chances to do things that they may not at other locations.”

With limited seating, and that hometown feel, the Ashland Theatre is ready to offer experiences you won’t forget.

The Ashland Theatre is currently showing The Favorite and Mary Queen Of Scots, and will be showing Green Book and Vice starting Friday. Check their website for showtimes and tickets.

Top photo: Ashland Theatre/via Facebook

Governor-elect Ralph Northam Collaborates With Ashland Brewery to Create ‘InaugurALE’

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Governor-Elect Ralph Northam might have a new favorite beer. The incoming governor tried a few brews after touring Ashland’s Center of the Universe Brewing last night with owners Chris and Phil Ray. The brothers announced InaugurALE, the official beer of the inauguration they brewed in collaboration with the governor, which will be released Jan 13.

“InaugurALE is going to be my favorite beer,” Northam predicted, “but I like everything made in Virginia.”

Northam met the Rays at an oyster fest last month with his chief of staff, Clark Mercer, who lives near the Ashland brewery. Making a beer with ingredients grown in the Commonwealth was the top priority for the three, Chris said.

Northam and Chris Ray talk beer cans

“We wanted to let the local terroir takeover,” said Phil, after his brother detailed the ingredient list. The all-Virginia production includes grain from the Northern Neck, malted in Sperryville by Copper Fox, Virginia-grown hops, and a yeast strain captured at Agriberry Farm in Hanover by Professor Grace Lim-Fong’s biology students at Randolph Macon, who cultivated the strain in collaboration with COTU.

Lim-Fong shares photos of Agriberry with Northam, Phil Ray

Chris described the beer as light, with complex flavors, and a low alcohol content. Samples won’t be available until the day of the inauguration, but he offered Northam, his staff, and this reporter a beer of our choice from the taproom menu for an impromptu tasting.

After selecting a lighter Kölsch-style beer, Northam talked about priorities and challenges for the upcoming year. “The opioid crisis is our number one challenge. Last year, we lost over 1,400 Virginians,” he said when asked about his goals.

He also talked about bipartisanship and reaffirmed his commitment to expanding Medicaid, despite rumors to the contrary, and offered that beer could help unite political opponents.

“Terry [McAuliffe] is leaving the kegerator,” he said, referring to the craft beer setup installed by outgoing Gov. McAuliffe as part of the campaign that brought Stone Brewing to Richmond. McAuliffe will keep his commemorative handle, but Northam already has plans for its replacement. “Maybe I’ll get one in the shape of the Eastern Shore.”

Like his predecessor, Northam was all-in for craft breweries. “We’re so proud of folks like Chris and Phil. They employ 22 people in good jobs with quality wages,” he said. “Small business and startups are the backbone of our economy.”

When pressed to pick a favorite beer out of the ones he’d tried, Northam signaled a shift. “I’m more used to this type of beer, but I’m ready to convert after trying that,” he said, impressed by a sip of my doppelbock. It prompted a follow-up question: Out of 206 breweries in the state, whose beer does he think he’ll stock in the keg?

“I’ll just have to visit all the breweries and sample them.”

Cracker’s Johnny Hickman talks China, country music, and their new album ahead of acoustic performance Friday

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When you look back on the alt-rock and grunge explosion of the early 90s, you see so many bands that were lumped into the genre for having just a modicum of similarity to that Pixies/Nirvana sound. For a band like Cracker, it was definitely not where they belonged on the musical spectrum.
[Read more…] about Cracker’s Johnny Hickman talks China, country music, and their new album ahead of acoustic performance Friday