Ringing in the New Year in Richmond, Virginia

It’s that time of year again.  We’re making our resolutions, we’re getting are party shoes polished, and we’re slowing building up our tolerance for alcohol and late nights.   If you don’t want to have all of your friends over to your house to drink all your booze, eat all your food, and likely sleep on your couch, floor, or front porch, check out these goings-on in our fair city and you might very well have the time of your life.

The picture above is from the Carytown New Year’s Eve celebration.  This year, there is no Carytown New Year’s Eve celebration.  This picture is the closest you’ll get to that this year, or any other year in the near future.    The Carytown Merchant’s Association cannot handle the cost.  Not in a down market, not when revelers asked to pay $2 upon arrival don’t.  Also, the city has developed more red tape than ever and the association just can’t handle it.

Just because there won’t be the grand Carytown celebration doesn’t mean that you can’t celebrate in Carytown.  New York Deli is having a bash that should be worth attending, with a champagne toast, music, and lots of yummy food.

If you’re looking to shake a leg, spend a mere $20 for a ticked to the End of the Decade New Year’s Eve Dance Party at Artspace Gallery (Plant Zero).  Fantastic Richmond band No BS Brass Band will be playing (I just love those guys), and there will be a cash bar and snacks.  Eat before you go, because the snacks are never enough and that McDonald’s right there is awful.

The Canal Club’s 10th anniversary party is New Year’s Eve, and the B.A. Flyers are playing.  $10 gets you apps and a champagne toast at midnight.

For more ideas check out Richmond.com.  If you have more suggestions, post ‘em in the comments.  Have a safe and happy new year!

photo by RVADrewsPix

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First sign of the Ukropalypse? Ukrop’s Stores Bought Out

First sign of the Ukropalypse? Ukrop’s Stores Bought Out

The news is that Giant-Carlisle, a company owned by Ahold USA, is buying Ukrop’s grocery stores as the Ukrop family exits the retail grocery business.  In a press conference today at the Sheraton Richmond West, in a room with stained carpet, a recessed ceiling, mirrored wall panels, an oppressive brass chandelier, and scuffed baseboards, Richmond’s Bobby Ukrop addressed members of the press stating that the acquisition is a friendly one, and that he and his family will continue to stay involved in the Richmond community.  In fact, he will be the CEO of a company whose main client will be Giant-Carlisle providing goods to the former chains of Ukrop’s.

The good news for employees (“associates”) of Ukrop’s is that Giant will be hiring them, though nothing has been decided about the associates who work in the corporate office.

Even Nostradamus could have predicted (in Quatrain 17 v 12, perhaps?) that the event would start a little late (4:09 than 4:00 sharp), while the camera technicians  loomed uncomfortably in the back like harbingers of death, famine, war, and pestilence (though we don’t like to talk about 6, 8, 12 and 35 like that).

Many press members (including myself, under the handle @lizaio) arrived for the grand announcement (and, through some sorcery, managed to get press kits, of which I received none), and live-tweeted the event, though some of us came away with different conclusions about the future of the Ukrop’s grocery stores.  According to the representative of Giant-Carlisle and Bobby Ukrop himself, nothing will change right away, including the store’s Sunday closings and the fact that they don’t sell alcohol.  Decisions to change such things will be made later in 2010.

Here is a link to Ahold’s press release.

Ukrop’s has been a Richmond, Virginia staple for more than 50 years, and the Ukrop’s family has been very involved in the community.  When asked about their plans to honor their charitable works, Bobby Ukrop had the following to say:

The press release states that this acquisition constitutes a $140 million dollar deal.

There were a lot of different press people present, who asked some good questions about jobs, Fuel Perks (which they are keeping for now and will honor all accrued thus far), and more, but many people seemed to be concerned with the changes that might occur to our beloved foodstuffs (like Rainbow cookies and White House Rolls – remind me to tell you a funny story about that) and whether or not the store would open on Sundays and sell wine and beer.  One guy did follow up and ask about the corporate jobs, to which there is no clear answer, and one person did ask how this impacted the Ukrop family.

When asked how long his family had been considering selling, Bobby responded, “About 50 years, since I was ten years old.”  He went on to say that in any family business you discuss when the right time to sell would be, and that for his family, this was it.  He quoted Ecclesiastes – there is a time for everything.

Funnier story I told you to remind me about – Bobby presented the Giant-Carlisle fella with a package of White House Rolls. Hopefully those will still be available for years to come. If they aren’t, that guy better freeze them so he can sell them on eBay.  Or pull a loaves and fishes trick with them.

The end of an era? Indeed? The end of Ukrop’s twice-baked potatoes? Lordy, I hope not. What are your fondest Ukrops memories? What do you see happening to our once proud Ukropolis.  Is this is the first sign of the Ukropalypse?

**incidentally, I think that my buddy Matt coined the term “Ukropalypse” back several months ago when the rumors starting flying about the Richmond Baseball team names.  Props to Matt.  You’re awesome.  For those of you unaware of Matt’s awesomeness, stay tuned first of the year for the beginning of our Richmond blogger series, which will star Matt in the first post.

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Traveling the Richmond Blogosphere

Anyone who writes for a living, writes for pleasure, or writes because they are simply COMPELLED to do so knows that it feels great to have readers.  I mean, I don’t know any bloggers, for instance, who get mad when people read their blogs.  Why put it out there if you don’t want people to read it?  We all wanna be the next Dooce, you know.

Richmond has some truly amazing bloggers who deserve tons of recognition.  I was going to pick a top 3, and that was impossible, so then I thought about writing a Top Ten list, but that was still too hard.  There are too many great writers who have top-notch blogs.  Rather than hide anybody’s light under a barrel, I’m going to give you a comprehensive idea of some local bloggers, and will do some follow-up features on some of said bloggers in the not-too-distant future.  Sound good to you?

Some of Richmond’s best blogs are about…Richmond!  One in particular, Tobacco Avenue, is Richmond’s answer to The Onion and is full of  smart, insightful, clever comedic commentary.  Another one, Buttermilk & Molasses, talks about Richmond-type-stuff plus a whole lot more.

A couple of Richmond bloggers write about writing – Fiction Matters and Alicia Farrell are two sites where you can go to get a wealth of information on the craft of writing.   What’s an Azalea writes about her life, art, and poetry, while Kindness Girl writes about her life and her personal mission – to bring goodness and kindness to the world.

Young House Love is a blog about the joys of home ownership.  They bought a house in 2006 and have been documenting the process of turning a house into a home.  They’ve been featured in The Nest, on HGTV, in The New York Times, on RealSimple.com, and lots of other places.  They’re kind of a big deal.

Home Slice is a “30-something mother of girls born 23 months apart” and is a from Michigan, but calls Richmond her home.  She writes about being a Stay-At-Home mom, business owner, and what her life is like.  She’s a delight to read.

Cafe Darkness is a delightful mish-mosh of humor, pondering, advice, and commentary co-authored by The Barista and The Lone Wolf, two forces to be reckoned with.

For a blog more on the humor side of things, check out Jack Goes Forth, a guy who is so committed to his blog that he got fired over it – and then they talked about it on TV!  He’s a 25-year-old bartender who talks about his job and his drunken and sexual (and sometimes both) escapades ala Tucker Max, but in Richmond.

Matt on Fire has documented his progress from laid-off corporation worker to successful freelance writer.  He has a penchant for hockey, but luckily doesn’t blog about it often.  What he does blog about is his life, which is touching, hilarious, and fun to read.

The Checkout Girl is a Richmond treasure.  She is from someplace crazy, like Saturn, or California, which is just CRAZY, but she’s taken the Richmond blog scene by storm and we’re lucky to have her.  She entertains us with tales from her job in an upscale store (unknown, to protect identities and such) and I, for one, wait with baited breath for every new installment of her column, 100 Bad Dates on rvanews.com.

Do you know of anyone we left out?  Comment here and we’ll write them up in the next installment.  Want a whole RichmondVAPresents post all to yourself?  Email me and I’ll take you out for coffee and interview you.

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