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...
The Beauty of Baseball
(THREE GENERATIONS OF FANS: My father's boyhood baseball glove from the 1930s, holding a ball signed by my son's Little League team, which I coached. Photo by Tom Robotham) By Tom Robotham The one constant through all the years has been baseball. ~ Terence Mann,...
VIEWPOINT: AFGHANISTAN: Lessons We Should Have Learned
By John L. Horton Come September 20, I shall celebrate my 81st birthday. As such, I am a 30-year (October 15, 1958 – November 1, 1988), retired, Marine sergeant major, 100 percent disabled, Vietnam combat veteran. Come September 11, 2021, America...
Legacies of 9/11
By Tom Robotham On the evening of September 10, 2001, I was watching Band of Brothers with my then-8-year-old son. At one point, he asked me if I’d ever been to war. “No,” I told him. “I was lucky. I missed the Vietnam-War draft by just a couple of years. I...
Small Charities Benefit from Millers Bikes & Brews
(Jeff Miller of Millers Energy tests his bike out at Benchtop Brewing Company) By Jeff Maisey What better way to reacquaint yourself with the scenic Elizabeth River Trail than by participating in Millers Bike & Brews 2021? The bicycle ride begins at 2 PM on...
Monarchs Ready to Roar
(Head Coach Ricky Rahne stands ready to reestablish ODU’s football program as a winner. Photo by Jeff Maisey) By Jeff Maisey Faster, stronger, now. When the Old Dominion University Monarchs return to the football playing field in September, they’ll do so with a new...
Beach Vacation v. Climate Vocation
(An elevated view of the Intercoastal Waterway with Holden Beach barrier island sandwiched between the Atlantic Ocean. Writer Skip Stiles and family vacationed here during the summer. Photo credit: NC’s Brunswick Islands) By Skip Stiles Bursting at the seams, back...
ESSAY: Musical Riches Await
(Virginia Symphony Orchestra's new music director Eric Jacobsen) By Tom Robotham Recently, for another publication, I wrote a piece about the dawn of a new era for the now 100-year-old Virginia Symphony. As of July, the orchestra has a new music director—cellist and...
ESSAY: Remembrance and Renewal
Words & Photo by Tom Robotham Late last month, I spent a week in New York City. It was my first visit to my hometown since 2018, and in the days leading up to the trip, I had a lot of mixed emotions. On the plus side, I was looking forward to spending time...
Contemporary Art Museum Rebrands
By Jeff Maisey Let’s spell this out so there’s no confusion: Virginia Museum Of Contemporary Art. After more than a decade, the colorful MOCA logo with a splash of gray paint serving as the letter “o” has been replaced by a more slender design stacking the...
New Morse Code Shares World Premieres and Excitement
(New Morse Code. Photo by Tatiana Daubek.) By Montague Gammon III Some things visual and lots of things musical this way come, in the hands of a cello-percussion pair of performers/professors (accompanied by a computer wielding composer), a duo called New Morse Code....
REVIEW: Don Quixote Conquers Chrysler Hall
(Don Quixote dreams of his Dulcinea. Photo by David Polston) By Jeff Maisey The legendary Don Quixote triumphantly rode into Chrysler Hall on Friday, March 25, conquering the hearts and minds of all who attended the phenomenal opening night to the Virginia Arts...
American Ballet Theatre Returns with Don Quixote
By Montague Gammon III The elderly knight-errant Don Quixote comes out a winner in his namesake ballet, which the American Ballet Theatre is performing at Norfolk’s Chrysler Hall March 25-27, under the Virginia Arts Festival’s auspices. Though he doesn’t...
Figaro’s Mad Marriage, Mozart Style
(Alisa Jordheim is playing Susanna) By Montague Gammon III If Mozart’s opera The Marriage of Figaro, the Virginia Opera production coming up on the last weekend of March, were a Golden Age Hollywood romantic comedy, or a door slamming stage farce, it could well be...
Self-Taught Artists Spark Creative Imagination at Muscarelle Exhibition
(Len Jenkin, “Coming In On A Wing and a Prayer,” on loan from Linda Matney Gallery) By Betsy DiJulio The need to create has long been a fascinating, somewhat mysterious, aspect of human nature. Perhaps this drive is nowhere more evident than in the work of...
PREVIEW: The Ribbon Mill @ Little Theatre of Norfolk
(Jessi DiPette plays Patsy in “The Ribbon Mill.” Credit: Josh Stubbs Photography) By Jim Roberts Unless you were a die-hard theater fan living in Memphis in 2002, you probably haven’t heard of a play called “The Ribbon Mill.” But if you’re adventurous enough to take...
Fountain of You is a Must-See at The Z
Maya Days, who played roles in Law & Order (1990), Damages (2007), and Melange (2020), is now cast in “Fountain of You” at Zeiders. By Jim Roberts Faye Chiao and Tasha Gordon-Solmon are working artists in New York’s theater industry, but their new musical...
Sweeney, Selina, and the Antiheroic Tim Burton Revolutionary
By M.T.C. Gammon I didn't expect to find tales of class war in either slashers or superhero films, but an interest in Tim Burton's work led me to try watching both Sweeney Todd (really more of a musical melodrama) and Batman Returns. I found that sometimes...
Terrell’s More Than All Right with Debut Album
By Jeff Maisey Sultry jazz vocalist Liz Terrell will unveil her debut full-length solo album “It’s All Right with Me” on February 22 with a live performance of the work at Zeiders American Dream Theater in Virginia Beach. Terrell’s dynamic voice is familiar to locals...
Uptown Nights Pays Tribute to Early Jazz
(Byron Stripling is conductor and trumpet soloist.) By Jerome Langston “A lot of this is informed by Count Basie,” says Byron Stripling, the acclaimed jazz trumpeter, actor and conductor. “The show is informed by the music of Ella Fitzgerald and so many others, so it...
Foodie Destinations: Fuller’s, El Diablo, Deadrise, and Kismet are making a statement
(Joe Illes, Gary McIntyre and John Ledbetter) By Jeff Maisey Phoebus is going to be the next Ghent. That’s what local businessman/real estate tycoon Richard Levin has been saying for a few years now. He put his money where his mouth is by purchasing numerous buildings...
Celebrating Irish Beer
By Jeff Maisey Once upon a time in America — think 2010 and before — there were basically two choices of beer to consume in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day at local restaurants and bars: Guinness Extra Stout (draft or bottle) and mass produced lagers infused...
The Baker’s Wife Bistro + Bar: A Cinderella Story
(Phillip and Dana Epstein opened The Baker's Wife, a casually-upscale, French-inspired bistro and bar in Phoebus, in January. Photo courtesy of The Baker's Wife) By Marisa Marsey Once upon a time there were two chefs... Ugh! Sorry for that saccharine start. But in my...
Reaver Beach Brewing Opens Norfolk Location
(Reaver Beach Brewing Co. taps will flow in Norfolk) By Jeff Maisey Get ready for some award-winning hoppy and sour beers on North Colley Avenue in Norfolk. Reaver Beach Brewing Company is set to open its second location on Friday, February 19. Operating as Reaver...
DINING REVIEW: NOLA in Ghent
(Chicken & Andouille Sausage Gumbo) By Jeff Maisey In 1960, Norfolk-born singer Gary US Bonds had a hit single titled “New Orleans,” on which he sang the lyrics: “Well come on ev’rybody/Take a trip with me/Well, down the Mississippi/Down to New Orleans.” It’s fair...
New Ghanaian & Turkish Dining in Norfolk
(One of the most requested Ghanaian meals at Yendidi Restaurant is Beans Stew and fried sweet plantains AKA “Red Red or Gob3.” Photo courtesy of Yendidi.) By Marisa Marsey Opening a restaurant is tough. Harder still in a pandemic. Near impossible when your menu might...
1865 Brewing Company – Freedom Starts Here!
HISTORIC BREW: (L-R) Whitteney Guyton, Randy Jones and William “Billy” Comer. Photo credit Diane Catanzaro. By Diane Catanzaro and Chris Jones The Phoebus section of Hampton oozes charm. Cruise down Mellen Street at the intersection with Mallory and you get the feel...
Downtown Norfolk Restaurant Week Begins
(Brick Anchor Brew-House offers a variety of pub fare and healthy options) By Jeff Maisey From January 17-24, Downtown Norfolk will be presenting its winter Restaurant Week. This year, in the midst of the ongoing pandemic, it is a welcomed promotion for restauranteurs...
Smartmouth and O’Connor Among Best in Nation
By Jeff Maisey Norfolk-based O’Connor Brewing Company and Smartmouth Brewing Company each scored gold medals earlier this fall when the Brewers Association held a virtual version of the 34th annual Great American Beer Festival in Denver. In total, 1,720...
HOLIDAY DINING: Feast Out (Or Get Gobbles To Go)
(Thanksgiving to-go includes delicious Edwards’ ham biscuits from Chef Kevin Sharkey at 1608 Craft House in Virginia Beach.) By Marisa Marsey I can’t blame infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci for squashing big family gatherings at home this Thanksgiving. Even...
