ESSAY: The Flame of Faith
By Tom Robotham Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.’ On these two commandments hang all...
Big Ugly Wins 2023 Golden Tap Award
Big Ugly Brewing won the 2023 Golden Tap Award in a region-wide competition where the tally was picked by readers and our committee of judges — including Diane Catanzaro, Chris Jones, Brian Koski, and Jen McDonald — provided expert analysis. The 757 region craft...
Iceland: An Ultimate Roadtrip
(A horse riding tour stops for a photo-op at Skogafoss in southern Iceland) By Jeff Maisey PBS travel guru Rick Steves was motoring around Iceland the past July. Steves posted daily blogs from the road, proclaiming the country’s scenic highway to be the “ultimate...
ESSAY: The Killing Fields
By Tom Robotham Last month, after Hamas fighters bulldozed their way into Israel and slaughtered some 1,400 people—including children and the elderly—I struggled to come to terms with the horrific news. Over the next few weeks, I watched CNN coverage for hours on end...
2023 HOLIDAY CHILDREN/FAMILY EVENTS
“A Christmas Carol” December 2 The American Theatre hamptonarts.org Perhaps the best loved holiday story of all time, this adaptation of Dickens’ classic is particularly suited to children. Watch Mr. Scrooge have a change of heart from stone to gold as he is visited...
2023 HOLIDAY CONCERTS
(Good Shot Judy bring their swingin' Noel show to Kimball Theatre in Williamsburg December 14-17) Mannheim Steamroller November 28 Ferguson Center for the Arts fergusoncenter.org Mannheim Steamroller Christmas has been America’s favorite holiday tradition for...
2023 HOLIDAY THEATER
“A Drag Queen Christmas” November 24 Sandler Center for the Performing Arts sandlercenter.org For the 9th consecutive year, Murray & Peter present, “A Drag Queen Christmas," the longest running drag tour in America. Get ready for Host Miz Cracker plus your...
2023 HOLIDAY DANCE
(The Hip Hop Nutcracker returns to Chrysler Hall) “Nutcracker: Magical Christmas Ballet” November 26 Sandler Center for the Performing Arts sandlercenter.org Gather your loved ones for the warm-glow-nostalgia of America’s favorite Christmas celebration....
Black Friday Record Store Day
By Jeff Maisey Black Friday — the day after Thanksgiving — was once the busiest sales day of the year for retailers across the spectrum. While that’s not necessarily the case any longer as brick-and-mortar retail has declined over the last decade, record stores are...
Virginia Arts Festival Announces Season
(Adrienne Warren is a highlight of the upcoming season) By Jeff Maisey The Virginia Arts Festival has unveiled its 2024 season, a mix of audience favorites and newcomers sure to please. One of the upcoming season highlights will be an evening with musical theater...
COMEDY: Preachin’ to the Crowd
By Jerome Langston The subject of comedian Preacher Lawson’s lengthy locs, comes up quite early in our recent phone chat. His hair is even alluded to in his most recent comedy tour name, Loc’d And Loaded, though I guess the tour name didn’t stick...as he quickly...
REVIEW: UPAC Delivers Inspirational “A Motown Christmas” to Zeiders American Dream Theater
By Synnika Alek-Chizoba Lofton While standing on the main stage at Zeiders American Dream Theater in Virginia Beach, Sharon Cook screams "Representation Matters!" Standing on stage with her are Derrion La’Zachan Hawkins (Director), Jennifer Kelly-Cooper...
A Bobby Black Hat NYE
By Jeff Maisey Local blues legend Bobby Black Hat Walters shows no signs of slowing down. If anything, 2023 was one of his most prolific. In addition to two sold-out concert events at Ferguson Center for the Arts, the singer/songwriter/harmonica player will squeeze...
The Local Nutcrackers
(Ballet Virginia’s “Nutcracker” performance by professional dancers.) By Jeff Maisey In retail, many programs exist to “Buy Local” or “Shop Local During the Holidays.” These promotional efforts advocate for supporting locally owned and operated business competing...
King’s Singers: A Christmas Wish Granted
By Jeff Maisey Since the late 1960s, The King’s Singers — hailing from King’s College, Cambridge in England — have made Christmastime special by performing ancient carols from the Renaissance period and then later incorporating a diverse array of modern holiday season...
A Zip, Roaring Christmas Show with Squirrel Nut Zippers
By Jim Morrison When Jimbo Mathus decided to relaunch Squirrel Nut Zippers in 2016 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their breakthrough, "Hot," he moved forward, not back, sending out the call among his New Orleans friends to build a new band playing the old songs....
Virginia Chorale Honors NATO For Holiday Concert
(The members of Virginia Chorale. Photo by Steve Budman) By Jeff Maisey If choral music has a high season, surely it’s the holidays. Over the past thousand years, the most ancient of all music forms — vocal — has been composed for religious ceremonies as well as...
McCartney’s Gift of Photography
(Self-portrait. London, 1963 © 1963 - 1964 Paul McCartney under exclusive license to MPL Archive LLP) By Jeff Maisey Paul McCartney has provided longtime fans a gift this holiday season. First there was the brilliant roll out of “Now and Then” — mini-documentary,...
MUSIC: Winter Winds
(Vocalist Amanda Batcher coming home to sing with the Tidewater Winds) By Jim Roberts John Brewington got his Christmas wish back in August—when Amanda Batcher agreed to sing at the Tidewater Winds’ upcoming holiday concert. Brewington is the musical director for the...
STAGE: A Larger Christmas Carol
(Beatty Barnes Jr. portraying Ebenezer Scrooge in Virginia Stage Company's “A Merry Christmas Carol.” Photo by Sam Flint. By Jerome Langston "We’ve been able to build this – for the last 3 years,” says Tom Quaintance, Virginia Stage Company’s producing Artistic...
Dogs Come First at Pups and Pints
(Wasserhund craft beers are to bark for at Pups & Pints in Virginia Beach.) By Marisa Marsey Woof, woof! Arf! Bark! Bark! That’s Sheepish Onyx, my seven-month-old Mini Sheepadoodle, tail wagging in prestissimo tempo because she’s at Pups and Pints. I’d better turn...
New Realm Expands Virginia Beach Capacity
By Jeff Maisey In 2018, New Realm Brewing Company acquired the gigantic, short-lived brewing facility of San Diego-based Green Flash Brewing Co. in Virginia Beach. The brewing capacity at that time was 40,000 barrels/year. New Realm had only recently opened its...
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...
Veteran-Owned Chesapeake Bay Pedal Club is Back on the Water for 2023
(A fun day on the Inlet. Photo courtesy of Chesapeake Bay Pedal Club) By Dana Nichols It’s hard to miss the lively turquoise and lime green paddle boat cruising Rudee Inlet: the vibe is energetic, music is playing, passengers are smiling or dancing — sometimes in...
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...
REVIEW: Vegan Planet Café Sent Me into Orbit
By Betsy DiJulio A few years back, I visited Vegan Planet Café with the intention of reviewing it, but the casual, eclectic storefront didn’t seem quite ready for its close-up, so I ordered some food, which was just fine, and went elsewhere for my review. But...
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
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
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...
“Why Would We Say No?” Newlyweds take over Starving Artist Café
By Jim Roberts Shanna Myers and Jamie Windemiller went on their first date at Starving Artist Café in November of 2021. Less than a year later, they were married … and running the Norfolk-based restaurant. What transpired in between has all the elements of a Lifetime...
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