Old Towne archive
August 5, 2008
1/2 Way to Mardi Gras Celebration
To mark the 1/2-way point to Mardi Gras, this Friday (August 8, from 7pm to 10pm) Java Mio will be serving up Po’boys, cajun specialities, and king cake, to be complemented by a wine tasting presented by Cooper’s Vineyard and music by Shadee. In addition, the walls will feature photographs by Tom Peterson. Read more >
August 4, 2008
Book reading @ Minerva Books by Ella E. Schneider Hilton
During this month’s Friday For the Arts! (August 8), Minerva Books will host author Ella E. Schneider Hilton, who will read from and discuss her book entitled Displaced Person. The gripping and universally relevant book “chronicles Hilton’s remarkable childhood–one that took her from the purges of Stalinist Russia to the refugee camps of Nazi and postwar Germany to the cotton fields of Jim Crow Mississippi before finally granting her access to the American dream.” Read more >
August 4, 2008
Open House of renovated Carriage Barn @ Destiny Inn B&B
The Destiny Inn B&B will host an Open House celebrating completion of the newly renovated Carriage Barn Recreation Room during Friday for the Arts, August 8, 6:30pm to 10pm. Read more >
August 3, 2008
The Brickhouse Run presents Summer Seafood Feast
Get your feast on at the Brickhouse Run pub August 17, from 4pm to 8pm. By ticket only; tickets $40 per person. Featuring live music and tables of crabs, mussels, shrimp, scallops, oysters, fish and more! Read more >
June 22, 2008
A veterans park may be coming to downtown Petersburg
Brain Moore says in this RTD article that the city has identified several potential sites that could be used toward a veterans park in Old Towne, on which would be located a statue of Petersburg native Ret. Lt. Col. Howard Baugh, who was a member of the Tuskegee Airmen.
May 17, 2008
Java Mio’s new hours
Monday-Thursday, 7am to 7pm
Friday, 7am to 10pm
Saturday, 8am to 5pm
May 11, 2008
Have you noticed the new banner-flag doodads that are up?
May 10, 2008
The Farmer’s Market!
Lots of produce, sweet-scented goodies for the garden, eggs, sausage, maple trees, …. it’s all there. Saturdays, 7am to noon. Present location: ** NOT at the Farmer’s Market building at 9 E. Old St. as indicated on Google, but a block north and 1-2 blocks east on River St, under what Google gives as the Adams St./2nd St. bridge.
May 1, 2008
Minerva Books — grand opening May 9
Minerva Book’s grand opening extravaganza is set to coincide with the May Friday for the Arts (May 9). Best-selling author Sheri Reynolds will be reading from her latest book, Firefly Cloak, and signing books at 7pm. MB will have copies of all of Sheri’s books available for sale before and after the reading. Read more >
April 22, 2008
Scavenger Hunt coming to Old Towne Petersburg
From the Old Towne Merchants Group: Shopping and dining in Old Towne just got a little more interesting, thanks to an innovative effort sponsored by the Old Towne Merchants Group. The first-ever Old Towne Scavenger Hunt will run from May 9th to May 15, 2008 and will give participants a chance to become more familiar with the city, as well as win cash and prizes. Read more >
April 6, 2008
Tedesco on DPI
In today’s P-I, DPI President Joe Tedesco communicates that DPI is alive, busy with the tasks of searching for a new Exec. Director, searching for a new office, and identifying its scope of project focus (named: beautification of Old Towne, Halifax Triangle; R/UDAT; Army Community Heritage Partnership).
April 1, 2008
Walking tour, Historic architecture of Petersburg
Willie Graham, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation’s Curator of Architecture, will lead a free walking tour through Old Towne Petersburg’s historic architecture explaining how the popular frame and brick technology changed and developed over the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. The tour is sponsored by the Historic Petersburg Foundation (HPF) and will take place at 10 a.m., Saturday, April 12. Read more >
March 15, 2008
Paper With Style: Come See Our Store Expansion!
From the folks at Paper With Style: “We are excited to announce that our store is now bigger in order to serve our customers better! We have just completed a store expansion project and are thrilled with the results! Stop by to see our new invitation viewing and ordering room, which allows much more space for our invitation customers. And our new innovative invitation display walls allow for more room in the shopping area of the store. Stop by soon to check it out! Thank you to all of our very patient customers while we were closed two days this week to complete our project.”
March 9, 2008
Roof + car + force majeure = Sculpture!
What the folks at the soon-to-open Minerva Books have to go through to hook us up with good reads: Read more >
March 7, 2008
Come give input on future of South Side Depot
The public is invited to attend one of two public meetings to determine if there is sufficient support in the community for the National Park Service to acquire the historic South Side Depot (and thereby establish a presence in Old Towne). The scoping meetings will be held at Union Station at 10 am to 12 noon, then again from 7 pm to 9 pm, on Friday March 14 (Friday for the Arts). This forum will allow public comments, opinions, and concerns about the depot.
March 5, 2008
Out with the purple awning, in with the arched windows
(This is an updated version of a post that was lost during last month’s site meltdown…) Thanks to Joe and Beth Battiston, the NW corner of Sycamore and Washington is getting a facelift. Check out the updated set of photos below.
Revealed: old adverts on brick Read more >
March 5, 2008
Thursday in Old Towne, the schedule and the Foundation
This year’s Thursday in Old Towne performance series kicks off April 6 April 3 and runs through September 25. All performances will be at Old Towne Civic Center, 136 River St., with one band playing outdoors from 7-10pm and another band playing indoors 9:30-11:45pm. Click here for a copy of the current performance schedule. Of note, this year’s series will be operated by the Petersburg Foundation; all proceeds from the Thursday in Old Towne events will be used to enhance the Washington St. entrance into Petersburg from I-95.
February 28, 2008
Tour a kitchen to build a kitchen
Pathways will be hosting Petersburg’s first annual home kitchen tour on March 16 from 1-5pm. The event will showcase seven beautiful kitchens from homes across downtown Petersburg, with styles ranging from Old World to Ultra Modern. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 on the day of the tour. Read more >
February 27, 2008
April 1865 panorama of Petersburg - UPDATED
[UPDATE: For a larger image with greater detail, click here. And if you hover over the larger image, you should be able to zoom a bit by left-clicking, to see even further detail.] [Moderator's note: I removed the link to the large-format image at the copyright holder's request.]
In April 1865 a Brady photographer, standing on Archers Hill, exposed four images of Petersburg, looking south across the river. Perhaps the photographer originally intended to create a panorama from all four images, but it was not done until 2002, 137 years later, when Michael Vaughan stitched the images together in a large, high-resolution print. In this print, one can make out details such as a horse grazing across a footpath, wash hanging on clothes lines and fluttering in the breeze, and a couple of people on the banks of the Appomattox. One can also see the architecture of mid-19th century Petersburg in glorious detail. Read more >
December 17, 2007
“NBC12 Not on Our Side”
Jeff Abugel responds to NBC12’s story last week (updated NBC12 link) that took what was intended to be a public safety message that applies across the country to suggest, incorrectly, that crime is up in Old Town. His response is provided in a comment on the thread ‘Careful folks.’
November 19, 2007
Holiday Bling in Old Towne
Ron Moring treats us to the following: Read more >
October 1, 2007
Nostalgiafest, Oct 5-7
Read below for the schedule of events. Read more >
April 15, 2007
Photos from Work Places & Living Spaces Tour
Richmond’s John M gives us photos of the buildings on the Work Places & Living Spaces Tour plus a few more — note that the buildings’ histories are provided in captions. Neat goodie: Second Hand Rose,before and after.
March 28, 2007
Work Places & Living Spaces: 19th Century Buildings for 21st Century Use
Work Places & Living Spaces, Downtown Petersburg, VA, April 13th & 14th, 2007.
