RVA Fun

There are often a lot of fun things to do in Richmond. We like living in the City and try to enjoy all the benefits of living close to interesting restaurants, museums, lots of events, and good recreation opportunities. I decided to document once such weekend just for fun. 

On Friday, April 29th, my wife and I went to packet pick up for a local 5K and registered for the race. We decided at the last minute to register. The ASK 5K takes place every year at the Diamond in Richmond's Northside. And since we happen to live 1 mile from the Diamond, we thought it might be fun to roll on over there and race. 

On Saturday, the start of race day was pretty nice. We did not have to get up too early since the race was so close by. Melissa and I ran from our house down to the 5k. We warmed up a little more and then jumped into the start coral. The gun went off, and so did we.

The race was fun. I will spare you all the 'race report' details. Nice course, good support throughout with plenty of police officers helping keep everyone safe from goofball drivers. And it is pretty flat which makes pacing easier. 

The race ends inside the Diamond. I have never been inside the Diamond in all the years I have lived in RVA. That was definitely an interesting way to end the race. It was really fun! After crossing the finish line, I went to get some water and whatnot and realized that the Jangling Reinharts were playing at the venue.  They sounded really great in the stadium. They played their unique blend of life, the universe, and everything. At one point, while Melissa was playing with the free Yo Yo that the ASK 5k gave out to participants, I mentioned to her that it sounded like the guitar solo the guitarist was playing did not fit the song. Melissa said, "Isn't that the Stairway solo?" While I had noticed the solo seemed out of place, I had not placed it yet. But Melissa has a keen ear and a quick mind and he put it together as soon as I mentioned it.

We had a good time at the post race celebration. But also, there was some solemn moments. The postrace presentation by the ASK volunteers was quite moving. We had a very long moment of silence for those friends and family who have passed on. The ASK organization sounds like an organization grounded in love. 

After the race, we walked out of the stadium straight into an arts and craft market that is held every Saturday at the Diamond in one of the parking lots. We saw some very interesting hand made arts and crafts. We talked to one particular vendor for a few minutes. He had these really interesting functional sculptures that seemed to be made out of found things. They were all lamps essentially. But they were much more than that. I don't think I could do the artist justice by trying to explain how cool they were. I plan to go back and see him again sometime and see what new things he might have. 

It turns out, seeing those arts and crafts were really a precursor of more to come. Once we got back to the house, we quickly got cleaned up, refueled and were ready to head back out. Next on the agenda was to drive the short distance down to Arts in the Park. Arts in the Park is a very large gathering of vendors selling hand made art and crafts. And it is in the park! There are so many talented artists showcasing their work and their methods. We walked around for 2 hours looking at beautiful artwork created in all kinds of mediums as well as amazing handmade crafts including jewelry, glass, pottery, and other materials. Melissa even found a specific vendor she had been looking for all day. It is so easy to miss things because the show is so big. 

It was a busy and fun day. Getting out of the house to see all the great things RVA has to offer and spending time with Melissa was a great start to the weekend. And that was only Saturday. I recommend the "ASK 5K - Arts in the Park" weekend extravaganza to everyone. If you are from out of town, these events are worth traveling for in my mind. Thankfully, I live close by to all these great events and activities. I hope to chronicle more RVA events in the future as I work on getting out more and interacting with people and places.