Desplaines Departs Norfolk Botanical Garden

Desplaines Departs Norfolk Botanical Garden

By Kelly Welsh Norfolk Botanical Garden (NBG) announces President & CEO Michael P. Desplaines will step down in late June to accept the CEO position at The Los Angeles County Arboretum in Arcadia, California this July. Mr. Desplaines has been with the Garden since...

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Blues Dancing in Norfolk

Blues Dancing in Norfolk

(Mentor artist Joshua Purnell, center, and Noah Stovall, left, dance with partners. Tidewater Blues meets every Monday at the Fred Huette Center in Norfolk for blues dance instruction and a social dance.) Words & Photo By Pat Jarrett  Nationally, the Tidewater...

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In Search of Excellence

In Search of Excellence

By Tom Robotham One of my favorite moments in the history of television is the opening scene of Newsroom, a short-lived HBO series about a jaded TV anchor, Will McAvoy, played by Jeff Daniels. In the scene, McAvoy is asked at a college forum why America is the...

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Game Changing Move for Brothers

Game Changing Move for Brothers

(Kimberly and Tony Brothers at Brothers former location on Plume Street. Photo courtesy of Tony Brothers.)  By Jeff Maisey Tony Brothers has called a brief timeout for his namesake fine dining restaurant and entertainment space on Plume Street in downtown Norfolk, and...

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City of Light—and Warmth

City of Light—and Warmth

By Tom Robotham Paris is so very beautiful that it satisfies something in you that is always hungry in America. – Ernest Hemingway In May of 2016, VEER publisher Jeff Maisey and I flew to London and spent the next 10 days touring Great Britain. It was my first trip...

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ChaWa Embodies Mardi Gras Indian Culture

ChaWa Embodies Mardi Gras Indian Culture

  By Jeff Maisey This year’s Bayou Bon Vivant Festival featuring Cajun cuisine like crawfish and jambalaya, folk art from souther Louisiana, and live music equal in caliber to the famous New Orleans Jazz Festival will be one to remember. Entertainers such as...

THEATER: The Embodiment of Nina Simone

THEATER: The Embodiment of Nina Simone

(Actress/singer Yolanda Rabun portrays Nina Simone) By Jerome Langston “She truly embodies Nina Simone,” says actress/director Kathryn Hunter-Williams, during a recent phone chat, in anticipation of the play with music that she’s directing for the Virginia Stage...

Gaining Glass Art Perspectives

Gaining Glass Art Perspectives

By Betsy DiJulio In 2022, Eddie and Brad Waitzer, directors of the Leah and Richard Waitzer Foundation, together with their brother Scott, generously bestowed upon the Barry Museum of Art their late parents’ collection of works in glass.  Not only does the gift pay...

All That Chicago Jazz

All That Chicago Jazz

(Bianca Marroquin and Lewis Cleale) By Jeff Maisey Fresh on the heels of last year’s “The Sound of Music” in concert, the Virginia Arts Festival presents “Chicago The Musical” in concert May 6 at Chrysler Hall. For audiences, experiencing Broadway musicals in a...

PREVIEW: All Things Equal

PREVIEW: All Things Equal

(Michelle Azar stars as Ruth Bader Ginsburg Photo courtesy of Bay Street Theater.) By Jim Roberts The playwright Rupert Holmes and actress Michelle Azar are sharing universal acclaim for “All Things Equal—The Life & Trials of Ruth Bader Ginsburg,” a one-woman show...

La Patrona Taqueria is All About The Food

La Patrona Taqueria is All About The Food

By Betsy DiJulio In a landscape dotted with mostly fungible Mexican restaurants, Taqueria La Patrona is a welcome respite for the hungry traveler, even if you just traveled from down the street, even if you crave far more than tacos, and even if you subscribe to an...

Run For The Roads

Run For The Roads

(Blackened yellowfin tuna over cauliflower rice risotto, spinach, citrus gremolata and orange hoisin served up at The Roads Bistro. Courtesy photo.)  By Marisa Marsey Michael Baldwin, who recently opened The Roads Bistro, radiates joy. Even over the phone, you sense...

Studly Brewing Opens with Home Run

Studly Brewing Opens with Home Run

Blake Edmunds has Studly Brewing Company on an early season winning streak   By Jeff Maisey Drinker up.  If you’re a baseball fan, chances are as good as the Astros winning another World Series you’re gonna love Chesapeake’s newest craft beer maker, Studly...

VEGAN DINING: In Session

VEGAN DINING: In Session

  By Betsy DiJulio For vegans and those following a plant-based diet, breakfast out often means a couple of choices: avocado toast or an almond milk smoothie, as most mainstream establishments worth their salt at least offer a nut milk alternative.  Venturing...

Alewerks Wins 2022 Golden Tap Award

Alewerks Wins 2022 Golden Tap Award

  By Jeff Maisey Alewerks Brewing Company was crowned the best brewery in the 757 this year when Veer Magazine presented its 2022 Golden Tap Awards at Elation Brewing in Norfolk. Alewerks, which was founded in 2006 by Chuck Haines, has a vast portfolio of...

757 Battle of the Beers Celebrates 10 Years in September

757 Battle of the Beers Celebrates 10 Years in September

By Jeff Maisey Over the last decade, craft beer festivals have come and gone in the Hampton Roads.   Today the 757 Battle of the Beers, celebrating its 10th anniversary on September 24, is the longest running beer event in the region.  The 757 Battle concept was...

GREAT FATHER’S DAY GIFT IDEAS