Death of a favorite….from the time I was 8 years old, the Ben Franklin at the Beverly Hills Shopping Center was a hangout for my family, including my own children. A trip to the Ben Franklin meant time in the crafts aisles, new pens, paints and, back in the day, penny candy. As of Monday, April 23, it’s now called A.C. Moore because it’s been gobbled up by a 132-store chain headquartered in Berlin, NJ. Farewell, friend.
Source: dan-cqSee this guy? He’s my friend and he’s actually missing. From the looks of it, I’m actually asking a lot if you can just reblog this instead of your other meaningless crap and help find him.
There is a Facebook group called FIND IAN BURNET (click the link).
You all say you would do the right thing, but when someone like me is actually asking for you to just simply reblog this, it disappoints me how little we’re willing to help someone that we’re trying to know is safe.
I’m praying for you Ian, come home safe.
Tonight marked the grand opening of photographer and publisher Gordon Stettinius’ brand new venture, Candela Books+Gallery, at 214 W. Broad St. in the downtown Richmond arts district. Friends, relations and professional colleagues of Gordon showed up to check out the new space and see the exhibition of photographs by Shelby Lee Adams, many of which are featured in Candela’s new book of Mr. Adams’ work, Salt & Truth. Mr. Adams was on hand to talk to the crowd about the book’s images, a collection of black and white photographs taken in the hollows of eastern Kentucky, and sign books.
Candela will hold an additional reception tomorrow night (Friday, Dec. 2, 5-9pm), and the Salt & Truth exhibition will be at the gallery through Jan. 28, 2012.
SO worth checking out! If you’ve never seen Found Magazine in action, this is your moment. Monday, Nov. 7 at Gallery 5. Info on their site.
A few blocks south of the 14th Street bridge, I discovered something that looked interesting on Saturday morning…a sign on the sidewalk that said AIM and pointed down a covered walkway between two buildings. U-turn. Park.
There, as they are every Saturday, 9am-4pm, are familiar folks and cool stuff. AIM is Antiques in Manchester, exhibiting a variety of desirables — mid-century modern, primitives, costume jewelry, vintage attire, art — fine, nouveau, deco and decorative, architectural elements, ephemera, 18th & 19th century antiques. It’s sponsored by Micheal Sparks Design, Ghostprint Gallery and Maurice Beane Studios.
Stop by and check AIM out from now til the end of December, weather permitting. www.aimrva.com, info@aimrva.com
Nepotism Alert: This a shameless promotion of my brother’s show which opens Thursday, Sept. 1 at Quirk Gallery, 311 W. Broad St. This is a photo of him hanging “Invasives,” his large-scale cyanotype photograms on fabric. Spyed will be there with the Spyed-cam so check out the show….you might just find yourself SPYED!
A City Park is Born
Several near West End neighbors gathered on National Night Out, Aug. 2, to meet and celebrate on a patch of greenspace that is now one of the City of Richmond’s newest community parks. In recent years, the rectangular space between Granite and Libbie avenues has been nothing more than a chore for the City of Richmond grass-mowing team. Soon, thanks to the leadership of Granite Avenue resident Barrett Clark, it will feature a walking path and workout stations. And it won’t be like any other City park — it’s the first to be designated a “green,” as in Westhampton Green.
Residents played games, chatted about the history of the area, and relaxed in lawn chairs as the sun set. Making cameo appearances at the get-together were City Councilman Bruce Tyler, who is assisting with the park as well as the recently installed speed “hump,” and a Richmond Police Department officer.
CHICKEN HOUSE REINCARNATE
Every Saturday night for 37 years, the old chicken house behind Ray and Mary Pollard’s Hanover County home was the site of a folksy musical spectacular. Free to attend and decidedly downhome, the Gospel Chicken House featured sodas, snacks, and a few souvenir items for sale, but the foot-stompin’ country gospel music and the friendly family vibe were on the house.
City people and country neighbors wound through the rural roads to faithfully partake of the spiritual good times weekly until this past January when Ray Pollard died. His wife Mary had died in 2008, and the Chicken House kept on, but it was widely predicted that after Ray went, that would be it. And that’s what happened. Today, the Chicken House stands vacant.
But the music did not die. With some other volunteers, Vicki Bruce, a close friend of the Pollards, revived the mission and took the show on the road in March in the form of the Gospel Chicken House Express. They may not be in the old place with its hand-me-down pews, crickets, night air and Shorty, the beagle who howled along with the music, but they’re going strong. They formally invite followers once a month to join them at different venues, and they also play at area retirement homes. “There are about 15 to 20 of us,” says Wayne Adams, who helps out with his wife Jackie. “It’s really like a family.”
At the Full Gospel Tabernacle on Turner Road tonight, Bruce led the packed sanctuary in favorites “I’ll Fly Away” and “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands,” and 10-year-old Elle bravely sang solos of “Jesus Loves Me” and “Amazing Grace.” Brightly lit with brass chandeliers, the carpeted stage was a far cry from the old renovated chicken house but the smiles and loving introductions of longtimers like Judy Satterwhite, JD Burge and The Roosters (Donald Lineberry, Larry Rucker and Sam Richardson) were the same as in the old times.
Catch the Gospel Chicken House Express when they resume their schedule at 6pm on August 13 at the Montpelier Center, 17205 Mountain Road, Montpelier, VA 23192, where they will be once a month through March 2012 (except December).
http://www.gospelchickenhouse.org for much more information and schedule.
Or more like 50 cents these days. So, I’m out of town, in Manchester, NH and I spyed this phone booth on Elm Street. I was actually surprised to see it. It’s been years since I made a call from a pay phone. It got me wondering about the demise of the coin-eating chrome device so I looked around for some info…here, for your educational edification, are a few sites of interest:
The Payphone Project: stories, pictures, phone numbers and news from payphones and public telephony
1.800.Recyling: Ten Repurposed Phone Booths
Pay Phone Directory: Thousands of pay phone numbers!
Just Chill
Plopped down right in the middle of Mechanicsville Shopping Center parking lot, steps away from the Flea Depot, is a tiny hut that may just hold this summer’s salvation. It’s the Sno Shack, purveyor of frozen treats. What’s special is this: these snow cones are made of shaved ice, not clumps of crushed ice like the stuff that spews from a fast food drink machine. No, this ice is delectably light and fluffy.
Shack staffers Sara Hawley and Lindsey Nuckols, in their matching tie-dyed shirts, stand ready to serve up your choice of 50+ flavors and an infinite number of custom concoctions. Most popular? Little Mermaid (kiwi and blue raspberry). Also in demand: Tigers Blood (strawberry, watermelon and coconut) and USA (red and blue raspberry plus coconut). Not so hot: Red Hot (made with cinnamon flavor).
“All the time,” says Lindsey when asked if they ever get bored inside their air-conditioned post. Keeping them busy when customers aren’t: making up new flavors, a deck of cards, a mini basketball hoop, a game of UNO and their phones, of course.
Sno Shack is open Sunday-Thursday 12-8pm, Friday-Saturday 12-8:30pm. 7508 Mechanicsville Tpke, Mechanicsville, VA 23111. Coming from Richmond, take 360 east (Mechanicsvile Tpke), turn left just before the big windmill in the median, stay straight til you see the shopping center on your left. Shack is in parking lot. Call first to make sure they’re open: (804) 730-4788
