Ronnie Ortiz-Magro from MTV reality TV show “Jersey Shore” (and possibly other cast members) will be a Tiki Bob’s Cantina tonight. [via]

CHAD ANDREWS A Quick Visit to Anytowne, U.S.A.

February 5 – March 20, 2010

Opening reception to be held Friday, February 5, 5 – 9 PM at Frame Nation.

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Join Shockoe Slip merchants and restaurants this Thursday and Friday for their Open House Block Party!

Come to our first annual Shockoe Slip Open House Block Party charity event December 10th and 11th for a barrage of amazing specials and deals and tons of fun! Get an edge on your holiday shopping, take advantage of drink and dinner specials, pet some puppies for adoption, warm up with hot cider, sing some Karaoke, dance to hot holiday music and be among friends all while helping Shockoe Slip raise funds for charities!

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Come join us for a new Richmond holiday tradition. Immerse yourself in the holiday spirit as you admire and shop for stunning fine arts & crafts from over 100 artists in a truly festive atmosphere. See holiday lights, listen to music and bell choirs, enjoy delicious seasonal food and watch Richmond’s very own “Parade of Lights” on the James. It promises to be both joyful and triumphant.

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Segway of Richmond in Shockoe Slip is offering two Segway tours for the price of one through December 15. Choose from nine tours:

• Christmas Lights ($50)
• Hollywood Cemetery ($60)
• Downtown Public Art ($55)

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Check out a new blog coming out of Manchester. Killer Junk offers unique and odd pieces of arts and home furnishings.

Please join artspace on Friday, October 23rd and October 30th, from 7-10PM, for the continuation of bookart@artspace and Colors of Life: International Photography Competition in the Main, Helena Davis, and Frable Galleries. The presentation of artspace members’ work also continues in the Suzanne Foley Gallery, along with an original work by Michael Pierce that is being raffled during the exhibition.

A portion of the funds collected from sales of artists’ works and otherwise at exhibitions will support PANGEA ONLUS, a non-profit organization actively providing and giving assistance to women in need in Afghanistan through PROJECT JAMILA.

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This Saturday, September 26, is the first “Burning up the Bottom” Firefighter’s Festival at the 17th Street Farmers’ Market. This new festival is a celebration of the spirit, passion and dedication of the men and women who provide the valuable services of fire protection and emergency medical care to citizens throughout the Richmond region. It invites public safety workers and their families along with the general public to Shockoe Bottom for a fun filled day of excitement and entertainment for the whole family.

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RichmondMagazine.com outlines plans for the new restaurant inside the Hat Factory. David Bess, managing partner for the restaurant, owns two other Shockoe Slip restaurants, Cha-Chas and the Lucky Buddha. His latest restaurant will be called the Richmond Times Grill, and will feature American fare for lunch and dinner with a focus on sandwiches.

Bess says there will be 20 sandwich options, with salads and other foods as well, and 15 to 20 milkshake options. “The niche is really build-your-own sandwich,” he says. “This is my fourth restaurant, so I am definitely excited.”

The restaurant is scheduled to open September 22. [via]

In addition to ten performers that have already been announced, the Richmond Folk Festival has announced another handful of musicians schedule to perform at the October 9-11 event. [via]

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Style Weekly has the news many music lovers have been waiting for; a new owner is moving into the former Toad’s Place.

The venue is tentatively scheduled to open the first week in September, with a restaurant operated by the owner of ChaChas, Verbena, and Lucky Buddha opening after that. The new owners also have a plan to stay competitive with the National:

In addition to national, regional and local music acts, Hat Factory is setting aside two nights a week as dance nights for college-aged students and country-music lovers — complete with a mechanical bull. [via]

Starting this Wednesday night, you won’t have to worry about finding parking or a designated driver. It’s all thanks to a new privately owned trolley service offering a free shuttle between Carytown and Shockoe Bottom. Jim Porter, the founder of “To the Bottom and Back”, said the trolley aka “The Party Bus” will make about 10 initial trips from Ellwood Thompson’s to the Farmer’s Market between the hours of 5 pm and 3 am.

We also hope to reduce DUI and DUI related accidents as well as offer our townsfolk and tourists the opportunity to see Richmond without the hassle of endless parking spot searches and never ending lot fees!

The shuttle will be paid for by donations and advertisements.[via]

For more information, visit the To the Bottom and Back website.

The brand spanking new GRID Magazine proved they can throw a “rock’n bash” for their launch party at Savor earlier this week. In their first issue, they feature the Shockoe community garden adjacent to the 17th Street Farmer’s Market 

Restaurants in the area were granted plots in the Community Garden.  They are tending to their gardens, harvesting their crops and using the produce and herbs for special features. The other week folks from LuLu’s came down and harvested a big batch of mint. Guess what their special was that night? Shockoe Community Garden Mojiotos! [via]

All About Beer Magazine announced that the World Beer Festival scheduled for August 29 in Richmond will be held instead in the spring of 2010. They will announce the new date as soon as possible. No reason was given to explain the date change.

The 17th Street Farmers’ Market and the Shockoe Bottom Neighborhood Association bring you the second annual Shockoe Chef Showdown is this Saturday, August 1st, from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Top chefs from Richmond and the surrounding area will be competing for top honors in a Signature Dish Competition where entries will be judged in three main categories: the best meat dish, best vegetarian cuisine, and of course, the most decadent dessert. Taste-test the best $2 samples of each Signature Dish from 11AM to 1PM, when afterwards, main courses will be sold in bulk to take home for dinner!