ESSAY: My Life in Nine Songs
By Tom Robotham Music…is not simply a distraction or a pastime, but a core element of our identity. – Daniel Levitin, The World in Six Songs The other day, I pulled from one of my bookshelves a volume that I’ve revisited often over the last few years: Daniel...
ESSAY: Achieving the Dream
By John L. Horton The most dangerous person in the world is a person who is sincerely ignorant and conscientiously stupid. You have a moral obligation to be intelligent. — Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr. If Dr. King were alive, he would have been 93 years old on...
Read the entire December 15 Issue
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Why is a Norfolk community development entity investing everywhere but Norfolk?
Hampton Roads Ventures, created by the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority, is headquartered in this office building in Norfolk. (Jim Morrison/ For the Virginia Mercury) BY JIM MORRISON, Correspondent, Virginia Mercury NORFOLK — When they posed for a picture...
ESSAY: A Christmas Meditation
By Tom Robotham So this is Christmas, and what have you done? – John Lennon When I was a kid, the Christmas season was the most exciting time of the year. Ushering it in, shortly after Thanksgiving, was the arrival of the Sears Christmas catalogue—or “Wish...
Norfolk’s Ronald McDonald House Marks 40 Years
(Ronald McDonald House provides families relief in challenging moments. Courtesy photo.) By Jeff Maisey To mark its 40th Anniversary, Ronald McDonald House Norfolk has set a goal to raise $40,000 in 40 hours. The campaign starts at 8:00 am December 8 and ends at...
BREAKING: NRHA Settles St. Paul’s Lawsuit
(A copy of the agreement) BY JIM MORRISON, Correspondent The Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority and the city have settled a lawsuit brought by residents of three public housing projects in the St. Paul's area near downtown who said demolishing their homes...
757 Rugby Academy Inspires Youths
(Francois du Cluzel instills encouraging value of rugby into young player. Photo by Stephanie Davenport.) By Jim Roberts The 757 has turned into an incubator for world-class athletes, producing famous personalities in football, basketball, baseball, boxing and a...
OPINION: Rushing to Judgment
By Tom Robotham As the holidays approach, I find myself thinking about my all-time favorite movie for the season—Holiday Inn (1942), starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, which I’ve loved for nearly 50 years. The movie’s biggest claim to fame is that it...
Holiday Happenings in the 757
(Get out and enjoy the spectacular Million Bulb Walk at Norfolk Botanical Garden through January 2. ) HOLIDAY LIGHTS & PARADES Million Bulb Walk Norfolk Botanical Garden November 12 through January 2 5-9:30 PM Nightly NBGlights.org Get out and enjoy the...
Satirical Thanksgiving Play is Spot-On
( Director Jessica Holt) By Jerome Langston “It’s been an incredibly challenging 20 months to be a theater artist,” says Jessica Holt, early on in our conversation about her latest directorial work for Virginia Stage Company, The Thanksgiving Play. A bit earlier in...
Art from Guantanamo Bay
Muhammad Ansi, Untitled (Hands Holding Flowers through Bars), 2016, acrylic on paper, 11 x 8.5 inches By Betsy DiJulio Six artists. Over 100 artworks. Fifteen years, give or take. The artists in this rare exhibition include both current detainees at...
2022 Veer Music Awards Nominees Announced
Ongoing pandemic aside, last year saw music venues finally come back to life and local musicians once again played stages big and small throughout the 757 region. Below are this year's nominees for the 2022 Veer Music Awards. We considered the following when selecting...
Outstanding Winter Exhibitions at VA MOCA
(Cedric Baker’s Aunt Lou won Best of Show for the Made in VA exhibition.) By Betsy DiJulio A trio of new winter exhibitions is arguably Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art’s most captivating in years. Here’s my take on each. Shaping Memories: Expressions in Clay...
Forward with Native American Art
CARA ROMERO, American (Chemehuevi, born 1977), “Water Memory,” 2015, Archival pigment print on Legacy Platine paper, Acquired with funds from the Board of Visitors, Muscarelle Museum of Art Endowment By Jeff Maisey If you think you know Native American art,...
MUSICAL: A Soulful Christmas
By Jeff Maisey Anthony Wayne, the former Norfolk resident who scored success on Broadway performing in “Tootsie: The Musical,” “Pippin,” “Once On This Island,” and “Anything Goes,” as well as Broadway nationwide touring productions of “The Color Purple” and “A...
Goldberg Set to Return with “Hiding in Plain Sight”
By Jim Morrison For Michael Goldberg, the journey back began with a guy in Norway on Facebook. Goldberg was a fixture in the Baltimore music scene in the early 1970s when he was walking upstairs at The Classroom, a club he played six nights a week when he met a woman...
Marie Osmond Brings Symphonic Christmas to Norfolk
By Jeff Maisey Marie Osmond needs little introduction. Marie’s older siblings debuted as bubblegum pop group The Osmonds in 1970. Her brother Donny soon after became a teen idol as a solo artist. Marie Osmond, the second youngest and only daughter in the family,...
PREVIEW: Dave Koz Continues Smooth Jazz Holiday Tradition
By Jeff Maisey Newport News’ Ferguson Center for the Arts has become a traditional stop for Grammy-nominated smooth saxophonist Dave Koz during the holiday season. This year, Koz and Friends — Jonathan Butler (guitar), Rick Braun (trumpet), Richard Elliot (saxophone),...
PREVIEW: Christmas Rolls On with Mannheim Steamroller
By Jim Roberts In 1984, when Chip Davis released his first Christmas album, music industry “experts” told him it would end his career. They couldn’t have been more wrong. Thirty-seven years—and 31 million album sales—later, Davis is the best-selling Christmas...
Twin Restaurant Weeks
(Restaurant Week is a great way to explore creative culinary creations at Mermaid Winery on Shore Drive. Photo courtesy of Mermaid Winery.) By Jeff Maisey Restaurant Weeks serve as a promotion for dining establishments during what would otherwise be a slow period and...
Benchtop Brewing Wins 2021 Golden Tap Award
(Benchtop Brewing celebrates its 3rd Golden Tap Award) Staff Report Norfolk’s Benchtop Brewing Company took home 10 medals and earned the most cumulative points to make it Veer Magazine’s 2021 Golden Tap Awards overall winner. Gold, silver and bronze medals were...
TRAVEL & DRINK: Sixteen Days in Belgium
(Wife and husband beer writers Diane Catanzaro and Chris Jones at Cafe Den Obelix in Hall, Belgium. Photo by Kate Keese.) By Diane Catanzaro and Chris Jones When you’re sitting there in your silk upholstered chair and thinking about your next beer-focused “Vayca,”...
Get a Taste of Smithfield at Red Point Taphouse
A welcoming sign in Smithfield: (L-R) Nick Hess, Julie Hess and Tim Ryan. Photo by Diane Catanzaro By Chris Jones and Diane Catanzaro Farm-to-table dining AND craft beer brewed on premises in a small-town historic building? Yes, please! If this sounds good to...
Prepare for 757 Battle of the Beers
The Garage Brewery won the last Battle of the Beers event. Photo by Eye of the Storm Photography courtesy of Beach Ambassadors. By Jeremy Bender More than 30 regional breweries will vie for this year’s 757 Battle of the Beers crown. The event is held on the grounds...
Suffolk Surprises with Superb Suds at Nansemond Brewing Station
(Sample a variety of beer styles in scenic downtown Suffolk at Nansemond Brewing Station. Photo courtesy of the brewery.) By Diane Catanzaro and Chris Jones Locals may know the Nansemond River, that the Nansemond Native American tribe lived along the river, or that...
Still Tasty After All These Years
TASTE OF SUCCESS: (L-R) Peter and Jon Pruden have enhanced and expanded the specialty gourmet food brand known for its delicious sandwiches, prepared food items, and spot-on wine selection By Marisa Marsey As nightmarish as the past year and a half was, Hampton Roads...
RESTAURANT NEWS: 1608 Crafthouse Rebounds
(1608 Crafthouse’s Bacon Cheeseburger is a popular menu item.) By Jeff Maisey Kevin Sharkey was prepping for the fifth anniversary of his 1608 Crafthouse on Pleasure House Road in Virginia Beach when the pandemic struck in March 2020. He’s been battling ever since...
Fountain Flows into 757
By Jeff Maisey There’s a new hard seltzer in town — Fountain. Made in New York City, this new, upstart brand is fun — from the well-carbonated bubbles, zesty citrus and berry flavors to the eye-catching packaging — screams fun. After enjoying a few cans over a recent...
Driving You to Drink: Beer Touring in Hampton and Newport News
(Members of the Hampton Roads Brewing & Tasting Society gather for a pre-beer photo. Photo courtesy of Diane Catanzaro.) By Diane Catanzaro and Chris Jones Who is ready to get out of the house and visit a bunch of breweries? We’ve put together a little beer tour...