Ghent Pride & More
On Tuesday, June 20, Ghent Pride will return in style thanks to the perseverance of event organizer Robert Roman. Together with his husband, Claus Ihlemann, Roman has been one of the most active people in Hampton Roads lobbying politicians, businesses, and ordinary...
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...
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...
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...
Darrell Redmond is a Motivated Man on a Mission
By Joel Rubin Languishing in both juvenile and adult Virginia lockups for 25 years, felon Darrell Redmond could not have imagined that this past April 16, he would be the star attraction at a Hampton fund raiser, attended by local mayors, business leaders, social...
A Beloved Teacher and a Norfolk Native: Eva May Morris Gregory
(ODU student Alayna Vilardi. Photo by Lyn LeFevre.) By Kathryn Finney Inside a large Victorian house on Lafayette Boulevard in Norfolk, thousands of students studied the art of dance with their teacher, Eva May Morris. Her legacy lives on through a merit-based...
NEWS: Chrysler Museum Names Director of Curatorial Affairs
By Jordan Fontenot Following a national search, Castro was selected to oversee the Museum’s Curatorial, Conservation, and Collections & Exhibitions divisions, as well as serve on the Senior Leadership Team. In this role, which begins April 17, he will help to...
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...
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...
Commemorating NATO ACT’s 20th Anniversary, 70 Years of Norfolk NATO Festival
WELCOMING FINLAND INTO NATO: (L-R) French Air & Space Force General Phillip Lavigne (NATO Supreme Allied Commander Transformation), Admiral Rob Bauer of The Netherlands (Chair of the NATO Military Committee), Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, and NATO...
Les Violons du Roy: Timeless Music, Treasure Trove of Jewels
(Classical guitarist Miloš Karadaglić will join Les Violons du Roy on stage.) By Montague Gammon III Hampton Roads snagged first dibs on a new, century spanning program of truly golden oldies, thanks to the Virginia Arts Festival. The celebrated French Canadian...
Marlin Mural Festival at VWUm
By Betsy DiJulio If you are an educator—or even if you’re not—and find yourself envious of this capstone assignment for art students at Virginia Wesleyan University (VWU), the brainchild of Professor John Rudel, you would be forgiven that deadly sin. How he managed to...
The Poem Wants to be Heard
(Poet Tim Seibles and jazz bassist/composer Chris Brydge. Photo by Jennifer Fish.) By Tom Robotham Most of us, I suspect, were introduced to poetry through the written word, and there’s certainly nothing wrong with that. And yet, when we read poems in silence—in the...
Lessons From The O’Jays
(Eddie Levert of The O’Jays) By Jeff Maisey The O’Jays are one of America’s most beloved old school soul and R&B groups. You no doubt know the songs from radio play and television commercials: “Love Train,” “I Love Music,” “Use Ta Be My Girl,” and...
Justin Kauflin Headlines The Z
(Justin Kauflin performing at the Umbria Jazz Festival in Italy. Photo by Andrea Palmucci.) By Jerome Langston The first time I heard acclaimed jazz pianist and composer, Justin Kauflin, actually play — was in support of legendary jazz vocalist, Sheila Jordan, whose...
Hornsby + yMusic = BrhyM
By Jeff Maisey Grammy-winning piano man Bruce Hornsby, known for his pop hits “The Way It Is” and “Mandolin Rain,” has a new collaboration project where he teamed with experimental chamber ensemble yMusic for a refreshing new album — “Deep Sea Vents.” Pop artists such...
ODU Students Shine in 2024 Exhibition
(Avery Keys’ Static ) By Betsy DiJulio “Is it my imagination or is ODU student work considerably stronger than in the past?” I asked John Roth, professor and chair of the ODU art department, via messenger, pressing further, “If the latter, to what do you attribute...
Threshold Rides Symbolism
By Betsy DiJulio Janus, the two-faced Roman god, is featured on the discreet, but rather baroque, medallion mounted above the entrance to the American Academy in Rome’s main building (c. 1914) with its austere, symmetrical, and orderly Renaissance architectural...
Collage Dance Collective Brings Diverse Repertoire to Norfolk
By Jerome Langston No, I’m not in Memphis, but the dancers are working with our rehearsal director, getting ready for our upcoming tour,” says Kevin Thomas, the founding Artistic Director of Collage Dance Collective, in reply to my inquiry about his whereabouts....
World Premiere, Mozart and a Monumental Work
(Composer Juhi Bansal was commissioned by Virginia Symphony Orchestra to create a new classical music work — To Call the Rain.) By Montague Gammon III The Virginia Symphony Orchestra again gives Hampton Roads audiences the honor of being the planet’s first to hear a...
Culinary Alchemists Create Vegan Delights at Mea Culpa
Words & Photo by Betsy DiJulio When a chemist loses her job, what’s a gal to do? Make waffles, of course. Wait, what? Cristina Angelo, co-owner of Mea Culpa with her partner and chef, Kris Harvey, has a master’s degree in chemistry and, until her...
Lindsey Miller: The Fire Behind The Smoke At Redwood
(Lindsey Miller, "Boss Momma" of Redwood Smoke Shack. Photo credit: Back Bay Photography) By Marisa Marsey You may have heard about Bob Roberts and his award-winning, Central Texas-style barbecue. You may know that he found a stationary home for his two-year-old...
TASTE Acquires Cuisine & Co
(Jon Pruden, TASTE co-owner/president, with a Ghent location manager) Staff Report Taste Unlimited, the gourmet/speciality foods business operating TASTE stores throughout Hampton Roads and Richmond, recently acquired the popular full-service catering company known as...
New ABC Laws Go Into Effect July 1
Below is the list of new ABC laws that go into effect July 1. Happy Hour Advertising (HB 2073 and SB 1726) This law allows retail on-premise ABC licensees to advertise both the alcoholic beverages featured during a happy hour and the beverage prices. Creative...
Coastal Virginia Brewery Alliance Festival
(Porter Hardy IV is President of the Coastal Virginia Brewery Alliance and Smartmouth Brewing Co) By Jeff Maisey The 30 independent craft breweries counting themselves as members of the recently formed Coastal Virginia Brewery Alliance (CVBA) are hosting a party and...
Precarious Beer Hall – Ale, Arcade, and Americana
(Spacious Precarious Beer Hall is fun, fun, fun) Words & Photos by Diane Catanzaro and Chris Jones What are the sounds you associate with Colonial Williamsburg? Pumpa-rum pumpa-rum twee twee tweeee…that’s a fife and drum corp as they march through the pedestrian...
New Realm Wins VA Craft Beer Cup, 757 Breweries Score Numerous Medals
Hampton Roads breweries scored multiple awards and Virginia Beach's New Realm Brewing won the overall Virginia Craft Beer Cup, when the Virginia Craft Brewers Guild held its 8th annual Virginia Craft Beer Awards Monday evening at Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond. In...
Dining à la (shopping) Cart at Wegmans & IKEA
(Take a break from shopping at Wegman’s Burger Bar. Photo courtesy of Wegmans) By Marisa Marsey Have you heard about the Swedish meatballs at IKEA? They’re delicious. If only you didn’t have to put them together yourself. Ba-dum-CHING! I’m joking, of course. You don’t...
Reverend Spirits
By Jim Roberts One thing Karl Dornemann’s restaurants have always had in common: whiskey. Lots and lots of whiskey. “The first time I had it, I fell in love with it,” he said. “At least Scotch-wise.” By way of explanation—and only half-joking—he added: “I don’t know...
Tamarind: Taking it to the (Vegan) Streets
By Betsy DiJulio I cannot think of another food establishment that I have patronized three times in a month, not counting my daily stop at Starbucks for a venti Green Tea Soy Frappuccino, no Classic Syrup, no Whip. That is, except Tamarind. And it may have...
ADVERTISEMENTS