I have linked to this great blog before because she covers Richmond foodie topics in nice laid back way that I enjoy and seems to go to South of the James Farmers Market every weekend. Add to this the ability to take a damn good photo and you have a good blog. This links to all her SOJFM posts but please explore her site because you will find some other food related gems scattered throughout. This weekend brunch was on the menu.

The above image is from River City Food and Wine. If you like it go to the site and check out the others.

I bought the latest issue of Richmond Magazine and thought I would share some of the Southbank locations that made the various lists. You’ll need to purchase the magazine to see what the editors had to say and the many of lists that we didn’t make. My comments are in ( ). We already discussed the Farmer’s Market here.

• Best Neighborhood Restaurant – Joe’s Inn #1 (Suprised O’Toole’s didn’t make it.)
• Best South-of-the-Border Fare – Mexico #1 (Our informal poll picked Cielito Lindo.)
• Best Outdoor Dining – Legend Brewing #2 (View yes, food not so much.)
• Best Nonchain, Bang-for-Your Buck Restaurant – Joe’s Inn #1
• Best Beer Selection – Legend Brewing #3 (This one confuses me as they don’t have a large selection, good beer-yes, varitey-no.)
• Best Nonchain Italian – Maldini’s #3
• Best Neighborly Neighborhood – Westover Hills #2 (Could have just as easily been Forest Hill or Woodland Heights.)
• Best Grocery-Store Deli & Best Family Owned Business – Ukrops #1
• Best Family Pool – Granite Recreation Association #1 (We submitted our application this summer great place.)
• Best Kid-Friendly Nonchain Restaurant – Joe’s Inn #1, O’Tooles #3 (Legend should have been on this one.)
• Hippest Wedding Location – Plant Zero #2

Note from Patrick Henry’s director of finance

Dear Friends,

When I took over the position as Patrick Henry’s director of finance, I was excited to help out with this new venture and amazed at the complexity of charter school finances. Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts is only the fifth charter school in the state and the first in the city of Richmond. Therefore, there is no precedent to dictate how much funding we should receive from Richmond Public Schools, and the Virginia charter law does not provide a formula for determining the per-pupil funding calculation from the usual state and local sources.

Although charter schools are part of the public school system, they are not funded the same way other public schools are funded. We will receive only a percentage of the per-pupil funding that other public schools receive and, unfortunately, we receive no start-up funding from RPS.

For Patrick Henry to be successful in the long term, we must raise $1.5 million over three years, including a goal of $175,000 by September 2009. These funds are critical to meeting a number of start-up obligations, including ADA renovations to the facility, purchasing educational materials, and hiring a principal.

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Saw this bit of news over at River District News: Savor is hosting the launch of the new Greater Richmond Grid magazine focusing on the lifestyle, culture, and benefits of Richmond and the surrounding counties. Event is tonight from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

School is starting up soon and parents city-wide are outfitting their kids in anticipation. There are a shocking number of Richmond families who can’t afford to properly send their kids off with the supplies they need. 34.5% of children in our city live below the poverty level, and the YMCA of Greater Richmond Bright Beginnings program works to help these kids get what they need to start the school year.

Whether you choose to fill a backpack or send a check, you can do a world of good!

YMCA Bright Beginnings helps more than 2,400 children from low-income families arrive on their first day of school with a new backpack filled with school supplies, new clothes and shoes, and a readiness to learn. With your help, YMCA Bright Beginnings will serve its 25,000th child in the Greater Richmond and Petersburg area since the program began in 1992.

Forest Hill and Westover Hills are partnering together for National Night Out, which will take place on Tuesday, August 4, 2009 from 6 to 8 pm at the Forest Hill Presbyterian Church, located at 4401 Forest Hill Avenue.

Bring your friends, family and dogs for ice cream, dog treats, and activities for children!  The Richmond Police Department and Fire Department will be on hand to meet you. This is a great chance to meet your neighbors and the professionals who keep us safe, and sign up for the Neighborhood Watch!  Can’t make it?  Well you can still participate by turning on your porch lights for safety.  A simple flick of the switch can ward off would be criminals, so turn those lights on each and every night!

Woodland Heights is holding a Community Organization National Night Out Party Wednesday August 5 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Fonticello Park. There will be free food, music and games for the kids.

RTD list of street closing through out RVA.

The Times-Dispatch is reporting that six richmond area post offices are slated to close and, whattya know, the one most convenient to the Hills and Heights area is closing.

The post office has been struggling with a sharp decline in mail volume as people and businesses switch to e-mail for personal contact and bill paying. The agency is facing a nearly $7 billion potential loss this fiscal year, despite a 2-cent increase in the price of stamps in May, cuts in staff and removal of collection boxes.

We’ve received a report of a theft from a motor vehicle from our neighborhood Crimewatch Captain. Please make it a habit to store easily portable items out of sight in your vehicles or take them inside.

The theft took place in the 5000 block of Devonshire Road. The incident occurred sometime between 11:00 p.m. Sunday night and 8:00 a.m. Monday morning.

A pickup’s passenger side window was smashed and a GPS unit was removed from the vehicle. The GPS unit was mounted to the windshield.

Please do not leave items of value such as GPS units, cell phones, etc. in your car. With the warm weather we are seeing a lot of foot traffic through the area. An item of value that can be observed by someone walking by puts your property at risk for theft.

If you have any questions or comments please contact me at noahrogers@comcast.net or 310-2648/358-8340.

More than 40 people from Forest Hills and Westover Hills came out last night
for National night Out that was held in the front lawn of Forest Hill Presbyterian Church.

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Pictures were taking on August 4th and thanks as always to David Hathcock fro sending them our way. Mobile Dredging has really taken advantage of the dry weather the past few days. I realize that it is raining now as I post this but at least it isn’t a downpour and I am sure the workers are enjoying the cooler temperatures. They have moved an amazing amount of material out, and the historic confines of the lake are really beginning to take shape. Remember, this is still a construction zone, and is off-limits to the public.

I know every parent out there has enjoyed every single minute of time spent with his/her child this summer. I also know that not one of you will breathe a sweet, sweet sigh of relief as your angel goes off to school next month leaving with a quiet house. In preparation for the start of school the commonwealth is cutting you a little break. No sales tax on school supplies or clothes purchased Fri-Sat-Sun. Each eligible school supply item must be priced at $20 or less, and each eligible article of clothing and footwear must be priced at $100 or less. Full list of eligible items and regulations here.

The list of school supplies that your child will need on the RPS website. If you have a little extra cash please consider helping out a family that needs a little boost.

Interesting description and detail about Forest Hill Park from the July 9th 1901 issue of the Richmond Dispatch.

Full page can be found here: Richmond Dispatch July 9, 1901

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Once a week resident Thomas Scott sends us a photo taken in the neighborhood. More of his stunning photographs at the blog Punch Photo and an online portfolio Thomas Scott Photography. Click on the image to see full size.

The Old Stone House

Slide with all the past Photos of the Week

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Once Upon a Vine will be having their weekly tasting on Friday from  5-8 p.m. The beer will be Allagash and the wines to tasted include Tres Ojos Garnacha Rose, Milton Park Chardonnay, Montebuena Rioja, and Busi Chianti.

Forwarded to us by Noah Rogers the local Crime Watch captain.

A residential break-in occurred yesterday in the 5700 block of Woodburn Road.

Woodburn Road runs east to west between Langdon Drive and North Riverside Drive.  For further reference, Woodburn is 2 blocks north of Forest Hill Avenue and is located south of the Westover Hills West Subdivision.

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Only three concerts are left at Forest Hill Park as part of the Music in the Park series. This Sunday will feature Blue Line Highway. I didn’t realize it until I read it on the Westover Hills Neighborhood Association website that with all the bands in the series that at least one member is a resident. Music starts at 6 and goes until 8 and is free due to the hard work and donations of the Westover Hills, Forest Hill, and Woodland Heights Neighborhood Associations, and the City of Richmond.

Yesterday afternoon, I was surprised to see a white car missing two side tires propped up on one side by a cinder block, right where Peterborough dead-ins into New Kent. Flat tires removed to be repaired? I couldn’t figure it out.  The answer came in my email box from neighborhood Crime Watch captain, Noah Rodgers:

A vehicle parked in the 5200 block of New Kent Road had 2 tires stolen sometime between 8 p.m. on 8/6 and 7:00 a.m. on 8/7.

The vehicle involved was a 1997 Acura.

The vehicle’s driver’s side tires were stolen and the car was left on cinderblocks.

Please continue to be aware of any suspicious vehicles or persons traveling through our area. Take note of as much descriptive information as you can and call 911.

From the Woodland Heights Yahoo Group:

Cat is named Renee. She is white with gray and brown spots and is wearing a pink collar. She was last seen in the vicinity of Forest Hill Ave, and W. 31st/W.32nd Streets last night around midnight. She is an indoor cat and her parents have been frantically looking for her all day.

Please contact Alicia at 868-6067 with any information you might have regarding her whereabouts.

From Craig’s List: My boyfriend and I drive a 2000 maroon jeep Cherokee with the license plate JAR BINX. On the 8th of august between the hours of 1am-8:30am someone broke the back passenger side window and stole the following: Betsey Johnson sunglasses with tiny pink hear on the side, Betsey Johnson Hot pink make up bag with Marilyn Monroe face filled with used make up, cd player, Check book with the name TREVOR SWINSON on it, Black SE Draft bicycle that has rust on the handle bars, yellow bicycle bag with black work shoes, spiderman cd book filled with cds and a small C3p0 star wars figure that was velcroed to the dashboard. If anyone saw anything or has seen any of these items please respond. Thank you so very much.

This occurred between 21st and 22nd on Riverside Drive

Our good friends over at Blanchard’s are looking to hire a full time employee. The job function they have  very descriptive and gives you a good idea of what they are looking for;

The Assistant Roastmaster will be responsible for daily running Blanchard’s Coffee Company retail space and working with the Roastmaster to increase its growth and profitability; will maintain organization of company files, orders, and client databases; will be responsible for billing retail subscribers and invoicing wholesale clients; will be responsible for putting together a monthly newsletter to go out to all customers (with contributions from all Blanchard’s staff); will answer phones and input coffee orders into the ordering system; will assist Roastmaster with roasting, bagging, sealing, and boxing orders; will keep shop supplies in stock; other duties as needed.

The full job description can be found here:assistant roastmaster description PDF. Everyone that works there is great, they make some great coffee, and you’ll get to meet even more of your neighbors.

RichmondPolice: Look for Richmond Police tonight in the Westover/Jahnke Road areas for a community walk thru starting at 7 p.m. #rva

Richmond Police Chief Bryan T. Norwood and his Command Staff will walk through and visit with residents and business owners in the Westover area this evening.

The walk-through will start at 7 p.m. today at Elizabeth D. Redd Elementary School, 5601 Jahnke Road. Parking is available at the school.

Leaders from the Richmond Police Department will knock on doors and speak to residents and business owners in the neighborhood about police presence and any crime concerns they may have. The walk-throughs help foster relationships between the Department and the community.

The blog Jack Goes Forth tells us what we already know: Crossroads is one of the “Best Cafes In The RVA”.

A cramped spot that tends to feel more like a house than a cafe. Wi-fi is sometimes iffy and it’s only comfortable if you get lucky and snag the right spot. On the flip side, the food and service are excellent. The clientele is very eclectic due to the general diversity of the area where it’s located. I’m usually only here when hungover due to its proximity to my girlfriend’s house and the fact that I drink a lot.

The blog is life viewed from the eyes of a bartender and Jack’s empire of bar thoughts has expanded to the column Punch Drunk at Style Weekly.

NBC12 brought out their cameras for the local police walk-through in our neighborhoods. Story here.

We received the following message from the folk at Patrick Henry

Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts is working on building partnerships with other schools, non-profit groups,and businesses as the July 2010 start date nears. We need people for the Partnership Committee who would be interested in establishing these connections. One large component of the partnerships will be support for the inter-session programs planned to help remediate or enrich students’ learning during breaks between the regular school 9-weeks learning blocks.

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This has little to do with Hills and Heights except that there are some (few) like minded fans and I do mention the Kickers. Please don’t worry about the blog sliding into a personal site with my rantings on the best sport in the world. I did want to get the word out about some exciting soccer that is going on and perhaps getting more fans together.

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