Waiting For Godot: The Elusive Promise of Reopening
By Tench Phillips, Naro Cinema The temporary closing of the Naro Cinema on March 20 of this year marked the beginning of a long period of anticipation for the extended Naro family. We originally planned for a July 4 weekend reopening with showings of the...
Empowering Teachers/Overcoming COVID-19
By John L. Horton Well, the “new” school year (2020 – 2021)) is almost upon us. And, the issue of “improving” our public schools lies before us as never before. Accordingly, I got to thinking about what “we” can do to significantly “improve” our public schools for...
Progressland
By Tom Robotham Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair, which I had the opportunity to visit twice. When it opened, I was just shy of my 8th birthday—the perfect age to appreciate the exhibits, it seems to me, in that I was old...
John Lewis: A Profile In Courage
By Tench Phillips It is a good time to reflect on the civil rights era of the sixties and re-learn the effective strategies used by protest organizers and leaders. America has long memorialized the life and work of Martin Luther King. And yet there were other...
OPINION: Moment of Reckoning
By Tom Robotham On the evening of June 1, I was watching CNN’s live coverage of a peaceful protest near the White House. It was quite encouraging, given that rioting and looting had taken place in various cities the night before. Then, without warning or...
Juneteenth — Its Symbolism, Substance And Significance
BY JOHN L. HORTON One hundred and fifty-five years after slaves were declared free, I can imagine the joy and jubilation in Galveston, Texas, when the proclamation was read. On June 19, 1865, Union Major General Gordon Granger recited the order that included these...
Chrysler Museum to Reopen June 20
The Chrysler Museum of Art plans to reopen to the public on June 20. From June 16 to June 19, members will get an early opportunity to visit the Museum. In planning its reopening, the Chrysler has adopted several guidelines designed for the safety of visitors and...
OPINION: America Needs Leadership
BY JOHN L. HORTON An army of sheep led by a lion is better than an army of lions led by a sheep. — Alexander the Great To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and...
Living with Books
By Tom Robotham As my friends and family members know, I own a lot of books—somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,000, by my estimate. Many people have a lot more than that, of course. Years ago I did a feature story on a retired Norfolk librarian who had about...
OPINION: Time Is Now for Granby St Pedestrian Zone
(Charlottesville's Mall, a pedestrian-only corridor in downtown. Photo courtesy of Visit Charlottesville) BY JEFF MAISEY There has never been a better time than now for the city of Norfolk to revisit the idea of closing Granby Street in the downtown corridor and...
VIDEO: Artists Gallery Debuts New Director & Virtual Exhibition
BY JEFF MAISEY The Virginia Beach Art Center, home to The Artists Gallery, has a new executive director and a virtual exhibition debuting on Facebook Live on May 1 at 7:00 PM. In the following video interview, resident artist and gallery manager Vinnie Bumatay shares...
VIDEO INTERVIEW: 20th Anniversary of The NorVa
By Jeff Maisey Twenty years ago today -- April 28, 2000 -- The NorVa opened its doors with the venue's inaugural concert headlined by the legendary Godfather of Soul James Brown. The building which houses The NorVa was constructed nearly 100 years ago as a vaudeville...
VIDEO: Interview with Muralist Adam Stanton
VIDEO: Interview with Muralist Adam Stanton Veer Magazine caught up with muralist Adam Stanton as he was putting the final touches on the Virginia Maritime Association's 100th Anniversary Mural in downtown Norfolk on Plume Street. Stanton is a resident of Chesapeake...
Museums & Galleries Offer Virtual Exhibitions
(Kristin Skees’ “The Musgraves” digital photograph is part of Virginia MOCA’s “New Waves 2020” exhibition) By Jeff Maisey Several local visual arts museums and galleries are now offering virtual views of their current spring exhibitions. Virginia MOCA and The Artists...
JAZZ: Joel Futterman and Creative Music
(Virginia Beach jazz pianist/composer Joel Futterman) By Al Markowitz I wish I could live in that place of ecstasy between the notes in that malleable moment where time stands still These are the times that try our sanity for reasons I usually write about and that I...
Glen McClure: Capturing the Light of Ireland’s West Country
(Light at Loughros Bay, County Donegal, by Glen McClure) By Jeff Maisey Some 50 captivating images from Norfolk-based photographer Glen McClure were to be exhibited through May 21 at the Sandler Center Art Gallery in a show titled “Apprentice to Light: The West of...
ART PREVIEW: Unknown Outcomes
(Sheila Giolitti: Sketch for Atlantis Project #1) By Betsy DiJulio By December 15, 2019, more than 50 artist’s proposals had landed in education and contemporary art exhibitions curator Carrie Spencer’s inbox. Via the release of a call for proposals and the hosting...
K’Bana Blaq: Death to Mindless Music
By Jeff Maisey K’Bana Blaq is perhaps one of the most prolific songwriters and creative music video artists in the 757. Known to many as one of the three dynamic upfront singers in the award-winning R&B group The Fuzz Band, K’Bana has also indulged fans...
FILM: The Woman Who Loves Giraffes
By Tench Phillips, Naro Cinema Towering over me was a massive elongated head whose six-foot-long neck stretched down to meet us. This giant creature was so strange and intimidating when experienced up close that it might as well have been an alien being. And...
CONCERT: Pre-Festival Season Stop for Old Crow Medicine Show
By Jim Morrison Over the years since Ketch Secor and Critter Fuqua began playing together in the hills of the Shenandoah Mountains and then assembled Old Crow Medicine Show in the hippie sanctuary of Ithaca, New York, partly from buskers on the streets, the...
Mead: The Drink of Ancient Kings & Warriors
(Glenn Lavender says everyone needs mead. Photo by Sarah Harris) By Diane Catanzaro and Chris Jones When you think of mead, what picture do you see in your mind’s eye? Some Thor-ish fellow downing a skull-chalice of mead after an epic battle? Beowulf, wolfing down...
Takeaways from VA Beer Co’s 4th Anniversary
(The crew from Virginia Beer Company celebrate curbside. Photo courtesy of the brewery) By Jeff Maisey Virginia Beer Company co-founders Robbie Willey and Chris Smith could never have imagined celebrating the fourth anniversary of their successful Williamsburg brewery...
The O’Connor Decade
(Penny & Kevin O’Connor in February 2020. Photo by Jeff Maisey) By Jeff Maisey A little luck of the Irish and a determined can-do attitude on St Patrick’s Day 2010 got O’Connor Brewing Company up and running with its first batch of beer. In our mid-March 2010...
Baladi Mediterranean Café: A Playground for the Taste Buds
By Betsy DiJulio With some 35 plant-based dishes (and still more that are vegetarian)—mezze, soups, salads, wraps, entrees, sides, and desserts—Baladi Mediterranean Café is a vegan’s veritable playground. They even offer vegan wine. In fact, Wednesdays...
Tour de ’Burg: A drinking tour of Williamsburg
(Diane Catanzaro and Chris Jones treat their out-of-town guests to a tour of Williamsburg, including this scenic stop on the deck of Billsburg Brewery.) By Diane Catanzaro and Chris Jones When you think of Williamsburg, VA, what pops into your mind? A bonny burg...
2019 Distilled
(In 2020, make it your New Year’s Resolution to tour Virginia’s distilleries. Photo by Revel Photo Co.) BY JIM ROBERTS General Assembly Increases Commission For Distillery Stores The Virginia General Assembly passed a bill in March raising the commission for licensed...
Brews News and Clues
(New Realm Brewing Co will be expanding distribution of its popular products like Hazy Like a Fox IPA to the Roanoke region. Photo courtesy of New Realm.) By Chris Jones and Diane Catanzaro Does spending a billion dollars to buy a brewery bring you beer bliss?...
BEER REVIEWS: Guinness, O’Connor, Cape Charles
Stock Ale Guinness Open Gate Brewery Baltimore, MD I’m a longtime fan of Guinness Extra Stout. It was one of the first European beers I tried back in the 1980s and remains a tried-and-true favorite. When in Ireland, it’s my go-to brew, along with Murphy’s. As...
Coelacanth to Close in Norfolk
STAFF REPORT Days before its fourth anniversary celebration (December 14), Norfolk independent craft brewery Coelacanth announced on Facebook it will close its doors at year's end. "It’s been an amazing, crazy, fun, hard, interesting, fulfilling and stressful 4 years....
VEGAN: The Bumbling Bee by Cast Iron Catering
By Betsy DiJulio There are no bumbles—or grumbles—here, just delicious scratch-made vegan “junk” food and burgers, served up with a side of style and genuinely friendly service. Oh, and lots of craft beers and ciders, milkshakes, and sweets. “Dealing weed...
