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Halloween Parade Takes Over The Streets of Richmond Once Again

Noelle Abrahams | November 1, 2019

Topics: All the Saints Theater Company, Halloween Parade, Lily Lamberta, Monroe Park, Oregon Hill, puppetry

All The Saints Theater Company’s annual Halloween Parade returned to Richmond’s streets for its 14th edition last night — presenting a climate change-inspired “Funeral March For Life As We Had Wished It.”

The Oregon Hill Halloween Parade has risen from the ashes after an announcement last year that the 2018 parade would be the last. All the Saints Theater Company and hundreds of participants gathered in Monroe Park on Thursday night and made their return to South Laurel Street for the 14th annual edition of this Richmond tradition.

The parade is a funeral march with a new theme each year, featuring enormous, macabre puppets made by All the Saints Theater Co. It’s the brainchild of leader and organizer Lily Lamberta, who is the founder, producer, and lead puppeteer at All the Saints. It’s become a ritual for the community in the past 14 years, and the overwhelming response Lamberta received after announcing her plans to put the parade on hold is ultimately what revived it this year.

“We make art because it’s our way to tell the story of our times. We make Art because it’s necessary,” said Lamberta. “The community’s support for the parade is why I changed my mind.”

This Halloween was a “Funeral March For Life As We Had Wished It,” inspired by the climate crisis, the burning Amazon Rainforest, and human rights crises affecting immigrants, indigenous peoples, people of color, and the LGBTQ community. Oya, an Orisha Black Elemental Goddess reference, along with Climate activist Greta Thunberg and a personification of the Amazon Rainforest were just some of the many larger-than-life puppets that towered over the marchers.

Lamberta announced before the 13th annual parade in 2018 that she needed to take a break to focus on her family and her art career, wanting to pursue more installation work. “A group of people began to organize the same day of the announcement to figure out how to support me more this year,” said Lamberta. “We call them the All the Saints Inner Council.”

“Between this immediate response to my truthful unknowing whether it was feasible for me to continue the Halloween Parade after 13 years, and the dire world conditions in the past year, I felt it necessary for me to continue to use my work as a political activist, organizer, puppeteer, and storyteller to do what I do,” said Lamberta. “And what I do is bring the magic of ancient pageant-style puppetry into the streets of Oregon Hill, to celebrate community and fight for a better means for our world and the inhabitants of our world.”

Lamberta no longer has a plan for when the final Halloween Parade will be. She’s now going to play it by ear and decide annually if she’ll be able to make it happen or not. Her words of wisdom for the people of Richmond? “Seize the day and take nothing for granted. See you in the streets.”

Here were some of the scenes from the streets last night:

Photos by Noelle Abrahams

Richmond’s 13th Annual Halloween Parade

RVA Staff | November 1, 2018

Topics: All Saints Theater Company, feminine, Oregon Hill, Party Liberation Front, Richmond Halloween Parade, womens rights

For 13 years, on Halloween, Richmond’s All The Saints Theater Company has brought the River City one of the most unique and intrepid city events: the annual Halloween parade. An occasion marked by pageantry, creativity, and a dedication to the divine feminine, the parade took to the streets of Richmond last night for what could be the final time. With backing beats from the Party Liberation Front and street musicians, the parade snaked through Oregon Hill in an august procession that was as celebratory as it was solemn, a testament to the enduring intersection that makes Richmond…so very Richmond.

Some of the best photos of the parade can be found below:

 

Photos by Landon Shroder and Branden Wilson

Pizza Peddlers Pop Up on Pine Street

Amy David | June 18, 2018

Topics: Good Eats, Oregon Hill, Peddler on Pine, RVA dine, rva food

These days, more and more Richmond food trucks are planting roots with their own brick and mortar spots. Happy Empanada recently set up shop in Westover Hills, mobile Texas-style BBQ truck ZZQ expanded with a huge location in Scott’s Addition, and fried chicken truck Mean Bird opened their shop near Sticky Rice last spring. Adding to that list is Peddler on Pine Street, a new takeout, and delivery spot dishing out pizzas, paninis, pasta, and hoagies. Opening just a few months ago, the shop will be the answer to all your munchie needs, that is, if you can even spot it, as it’s tucked away on the backside of Fine Food market on Idlewood Avenue, in a small space with a tiny gravel parking lot.

Owners Mike Powers (left) and Kelly McCabe (right) opened up Peddler on Pine Street March 21, but the two are no strangers to the fast and ever-changing food game in town. 

“After coming together in 2011, we opened up our three Peddler food carts down in MCV. Mike had done all the footwork before we got together, getting the real estate and all. I then added my culinary expertise and we opened up Discovery Cafe in the Library of Virginia about six years ago,” said McCabe.

The two entrepreneurs, along with McCabe’s wife Catherine and over 10 other employees, run the food carts Mike’s, Taqueria Mexican Grill, and Toastie’s Panini Grill downtown, along with the Discovery Cafe. McCabe was originally an executive chef for the Philip Morris headquarters back in 2003 when they moved from New York to the West End. He then ran food service for SunTrust from here to Fort Lauderdale until partnering with Powers.

And with their new joint, they’re firing up hand-tossed pizzas like the Blanco, Margherita, Caprese and buffalo chicken along with Italian staples like lasagna, penne ala vodka, and baked spaghetti. Of course, cheese steaks and chicken parm sandwiches also grace the menu.

“I want to be known as the local, entrepreneurial, animal, and neighborhood-friendly takeout joint where you can come on down and have some homemade hot sandwiches and pizza made right in front of you for an affordable price, ” he said.

Everything is made from scratch, from the sandwich bread to the sauces, to their potato chips. “I don’t want anyone to have to put anything extra on top for taste,” said McCabe.

RVA Mag had a chance to try are their Caprese pizza, chicken pesto panini, and steak and cheese. Since then, I have ordered two of their buffalo chicken pizzas, which they deliver to my house for $2.00. Next on my list is their margarita shrimp pizza, screw Uber eats for this one. To me, nothing says Oregon Hill more than a take-out joint selling pizza for $2.00 a slice, look out Christians.

The menu is going through some change right now, the owners plan to drop about half their pasta entrees and replace with different types of barbecue. It’s quite obvious this panini and pizza shop is driven by the passion of running a local business and immersing themselves in the local community, not to just make money and keep up with the demand of their food trucks.

Since their opening, the two said they are averaging just around 700 customers a day. As for the future, they hope to extend the outside with picnic benches, and a tent to make it dog-friendly for patrons. 238 S. Pine St. 

Photos By: Ethan Malamud

 

Photo Essay: Richmond Halloween Parade

RVA Staff | November 1, 2017

Topics: All the Saints Theatre Company, Halloween Parade, Oregon Hill, richmond, RVA

2017 has been like one long Halloween parade. Which is why this year’s annual Halloween parade was so opaquely palatable, with tributes to the city’s most deliciously weird, wonderful, and socially conscious. The parade, now in its 12th year, was hosted by All the Saints Theatre Company and started at the corner of Main and Laurel, on the steps of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. The procession was billed by the organizers as a way to “celebrate and honor the dead. We will march with a massive skeleton horse and other day of the dead style massive puppets! And it is our honor to host (all the way back from the dead) confederate used horses against the statues! Also, a huge animal contingent of ‘Animals Against Racist Humans’ (A.A.R.H.). And of course, no Richmond Halloween Parade could resist a “A Funeral March for the Confederacy!”

Swoon.

RVA Mag was on the scene with a small army of photographers to capture the parade in all of its majestic glory.

Branden Wilson:

Follow Branden Wilson: _brandenwilson

Landon Shroder:

Follow Landon Shroder: radio_tokyo

Jacin Buchanan: 

Follow Jacin Buchanan: jacin_buchanan

Allison MacEwen:

Follow Allison MacEwen: almac0419

David Streever:

Follow David Streever: davidstreever

Local oddities shop Rest in Pieces hosts grand re-opening this Saturday in Oregon Hill

Amy David | March 13, 2017

Topics: oddities, Oregon Hill, Rest In Pieces

Oddities shop Rest In Pieces has been intriguing us with their ram skulls, bone jewelry, taxidermy, and other eerie preserved specimens since they launched their online business in 2014.

Since 2015, owners Justine Torone and Alaina Gearhart have operated out of a shop on South Stafford Street selling all sorts of spooky and funky artifacts for the avid collector. Now, the shop has outgrown the space and this weekend, it will move to a bigger location in Oregon Hill at 349 S. Laurel St.

Painted in all black with the exception of a giant white grim reaper mural courtesy of Sure Hand Signs, looming across the space, the new shop will be up and running this weekend.

Rest in Pieces is throwing a Grand Re-Opening party, this Saturday from 6 to 10 pm to showcase some new inventory and for people to check out the new digs.

According to their Facebook, they’ve been hoarding some pretty cool items for the new shop so go check them out this weekend.

And read up a little more on their backstory in an interview RVA Mag did with the business in the fall of 2015 here.

Words by Amy David

Vinyl Conflict’s ‘Customer Appreciation Day’ returns this weekend with record specials, live music and more

Brad Kutner | April 12, 2016

Topics: Oregon Hill, Record Store Day 2016, Vinyl Conflict

While the rest of RVA’s record shops will be celebrating National Record Store Day this Saturday, one Oregon Hill mainstay will continue a tradition started last year that stands in opposition to the
[Read more…] about Vinyl Conflict’s ‘Customer Appreciation Day’ returns this weekend with record specials, live music and more

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