NORFOLK-HAMPTON ROADS: WAYS AND MEANS TO ACHIEVE ITS FULL POTENTIAL
BY John L. Horton “Opportunities are like sunrises. If you wait too long, you will miss them.” (s) William Arthur Ward, American Writer (1921-1994) In the past several weeks, there has been much conversation and editorializing about how to bring...
101 Things to Do Before You Die in Coastal Virginia (Revised 2019)
(The sand sculpture contest as part of the Neptune Festival is an amazing artistic sight.) By Staff Three years ago we published a list of 101 Things to Do in Hampton Roads Before You Die. The feature story was well-received by readers, and many contacted us to share...
VIEWPOINT: Busing and Politics
By Tom Robotham In the wake of the recent Democratic debates, the widespread consensus was that there was one clear winner: Kamala Harris. And there was one moment above all others that made her stand out—her confrontation with Joe Biden over his opposition to...
5 Great July 4th Celebrations
Lights of Freedom July 4, All day/night Colonial Williamsburg www.merchantssquare.org Stars & Stripes Explosion The Deloreans, 31st St Park @ Oceanfront, 7-11 PM Chester B’s Motown Revue, 17th St @ Oceanfront, 7-10 PM Tidewater Winds, 24th St @ Oceanfront,...
Battle of the Bar-Arcades
(Gaming like its 1989. Photo by Josh Howell) By Josh Howell When I first heard Norfolk was going to soon gain a bar-arcade (BARCADE is trademarked), I was excited. I have fond memories of blowing through quarters at Aladdin’s Castle and Flipper McCoys, but I also...
ERADICATING NORFOLK PUBLIC SCHOOLS’ TRUANCY AND DROPOUT DILEMMA
By John L. Horton “It takes an (entire) village to raise a child.” (African Proverb) “Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come” (Victor Hugo, Writer-Poet-Statesman) “No man stands so tall as when he stoops to help a child.” (Abraham Lincoln, Among...
Deep Ecology: How Life Works
By Tench Phillips, Naro Cinema I’ve been conflicted about the message I want to convey in this month’s column. How do I tackle the most important issues of our time. What is the tone or spirit I want to express that would make some kind of a contribution for...
Change for All the Wrong Reasons on NPR
(NPR theme music composer and former Virginia Beach resident BJ Leiderman) By Jeff Maisey Let’s set the record straight: National Public Radio (NPR) has made a mockery of BJ Leiderman’s theme music composed for its “Morning Edition” news program. The new version is...
Lynne Seagle Reflects on 40 Years at Hope House Foundation
(Lynne Seagle has been at the helm of Hope House Foundation for four decade) By Jeff Maisey On June 27, Hope House Foundation will celebrate 40 years of service and visionary leadership of its transformative, charismatic executive director, Lynne Seagle, during...
Summer of Miracles
By Tom Robotham We haven’t had that spirit here since 1969 – The Eagles In July, 1979, President Carter went on national television to deliver what came to known as his “malaise speech.” At the heart of the address was Carter’s assertion that the country was...
ART: Orchid Fascination
(Jennifer Angus, Floriography) By Jeff Maisey Flower lovers will no doubt rejoice when experiencing Orchids: Attraction & Deception, the second temporary exhibition presented by the Barry Art Museum at Old Dominion University. “The work included in this...
Art and Food Pair to Nourish at MOCA
(Richard Nickel, “Pea Pod Family,” 2020, Ceramic and low fire glaze, 46 x19 x15 inches, Courtesy of the artist) By Jeff Maisey Since the beginning of the pandemic, visual art museums and galleries as well as the food and beverage cultures of Hampton Roads have...
Light Brings Black Art in Focus
(Artwork by Chesapeake-born Julian Haskins) By Betsy DiJulio “How about not me?” quipped Clayton Singleton in a recent Zoom interview. “I wanted to put some brothers and sisters up on the wall…to have that feeling of being in the background,” explained the VEER...
Best Visual Art Exhibition of 2020: Shifting Gaze at Virginia MOCA
By Staff & Betsy DiJulio They didn’t see it coming. But it is almost as though they did. Not Covid-19 and the global pandemic, but the global protests for racial justice that have roiled in the wake of George Floyd’s death. No, MOCA had slotted Shifting...
Mural Artist of the Year: Clayton Singleton
(MURAL, MURAL ON THE WALL: Artist Clayton Singleton stands with the Black Lives More Than Matter mural he collaborated on with Nicole Harp. Photo by Jeff Maisey) By Betsy DiJulio Since the pandemic began in earnest, evenings and weekends have found Clayton Singleton,...
Best Local Music of 2020
(Bennett Wales & The Relief's dynamic sophomore album, "II." By Jeff Maisey Way back in 1980 — 40 years ago — MTV debuted with The Buggles’ “Video Killed The Radio Star,” and thus entered a new threat to a medium in which recording artists made a career for...
Best Visual Arts Educator of 2020: Virginia MOCA’s Alison Byrne
By Jeff Maisey Virginia MOCA Deputy Director of Exhibitions & Education Alison Byrne was recently named Museum Art Educator of the Year by the Virginia Art Education Association. The honor is well deserved, and we wholeheartedly second it. Under Byrne’s...
SURREAL: Pfac Goes Out on Top
(Peninsula Fine Arts Center Executive Director Courtney Gardner) By Jeff Maisey When the Peninsula Fine Arts Center (Pfac) presents Masters of Surrealism: Picasso, Dalí and Miró November 21 through December 20 it astonishingly marks the visual arts center’s...
MUSIC REVIEWS: Sinnett, Lucky 757 & More
Jae Sinnett & Brittany Burrell “All the Lights We See” (Single) (J-Nette Music) How do you cap off a year when your “Just When You Thought…” album continues to reel-in great reviews and remains high on jazz recording charts? When you’re Jae Sinnett, you drop an...
Judy Collins Virtually Live from Chrysler Hall
By Jeff Maisey Singing to an empty auditorium isn’t so hard if you ask Judy Collins. The Virginia Arts Festival recently commissioned a live concert featuring longtime folk music recording artist Judy Collins for a virtual performance from Chrysler Hall in...
21 Craft Breweries in Hampton Roads by End of 2015
By Jeff Maisey Let’s see, how many breweries will the Coastal Virginia region have by the end of 2015? Currently operating are these: St. George (Hampton), Williamsburg Alewerks, Brass Cannon (Toano), O’Connor (Norfolk), Smartmouth (Norfolk), Reaver Beach (Virginia...
Summertime is Session Time
By Diane Catanzaro and Chris Jones Summertime in Hampton Roads, when air temperatures are in the 90s and the percent relative humidity is also in the 90s, no sane person wants a barley wine or an Imperial Stout. What we want is a session beer, a relatively low...
Remember Mom’s Cinnamon Toast?
Words & Photos by Stef Wasko From the two entrepreneurs who introduced Norfolk to The Handsome Biscuit and Field Guide, comes a third culinary phenomenon serving the best thing since sliced bread— Toast. This newest member of the David Hausmann and John Porter...
IPA Border Crossing
By Jeff Maisey What do you get when you mix two of the finest IPAs (India Pale Ale) brewed in Virginia? 40 Mile to the Border Agave IPA, of course. Unlike most collaborations between brew masters in the craft beer industry where unique, over-the-top concoctions...
No Animals were Harmed in the Making of This Feast (And Many Were Helped)
By Marisa Marsey Maybe it was the movie Babe. Or passing a truck crammed with chickens en route to the processing plant, feathers drifting onto your windshield like fresh-fallen snow. Even the most diehard carnivore may be prompted to forgo flesh from time to time,...
Bold Mariner Lands in Lamberts Point
By Diane Catanzaro and Chris Jones Ah, life in the United States Navy, haze gray and underway. Periodically while afloat in a boat, the salty sailor gets a hankering for some salubrious suds. All that time at sea, and you can't see a malted beverage...
Virginia Distillery Company
By Jim Roberts According to Andrew Shand, a master distiller who worked in Scotland’s whisky industry for 35 years before moving to Virginia two years ago, the most important qualification in his trade is patience. “We always say: If you want gin or vodka, you order...
Home Republic is Beer at its Freshest
By Elizabeth Erschens It has taken years since the closing of Hilltop Brewing Company and Alt Platz Brewing Company, but Hampton Roads again has a locally owned brew pub. Joe Curtis, owner of Home Republic Restaurant and Brewpub in Virginia Beach, has his system up...
Taste of Spring – and BEER – at Tides Inn
By Jeff Maisey The scenic Tides Inn, known for its romantic location on the Chesapeake Bay for weddings and its world class marina, spa, golf course and restaurants, has decided to give ol’ man winter the boot and celebrate the full bloom of warmer weather with...
NORFOLK NATO FESTIVAL’S Wines of the World
By Jeff Maisey Savoring a glass of Old World vino is without question one of life’s most enjoyable experiences. American travelers vacationing in France, Italy, Spain and Portugal are accustomed to trying fine wines found at every café, brasserie and restaurant...
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