Byrd House Market Tomorrow! Opening Day For The Season

From email announcement:

Spring Rains Nourish Soil and Soul!

Umbrellas in hand,
tents overhead,
we look forward to seeing
you at the spread.
It’s Opening Day!

Easy Stopping, Easy Shopping
SNAP EBT Welcome!
Massage, Student Boxes!
VCU Wellness Department
Hot coffee! Alchemy Coffee
Great Lunches ready to eat: Cafe 2100, Goatacado, The Grey Hill Cafe

Details and directions at byrdhousemarket.blogspot.com

Next week’s Market May 14
Children’s activities!
Meet our new Executive Director: Shelia S. Givens
Harry Gore Returns! Singer/songwriter Richmond guitarist
Student Boxes
Lambs (for children of all ages)
add to Massage and your stress is less
Chickens & YOU Training Returns to WBCH
The ordinance passed, the education commences. Become a certified Master Chicken Farmer(c): May 15 and 16 – www.ChickensAndYOU.com. To register for the course, go to www.ChickensAndYou.Eventbrite.com.
_____________________

Ana Edwards, Manager
Byrd House Market & Library Programs
Grace Arents Library & Education Center
William Byrd Community House
www.wbch.org / 804.643.2717 ext.306

Final Renegade Market Today!

From email announcement:

Todays hours: 3pm to 6pm
This will be your last chance to feel the Renegade Market spirit – winter market vendors vending at will on our lovely village-like grounds. You should bow down before the grace of Byrd Farm, Faith Farm and Dogtown Lounge for bearing all kinds of winter weather to bring you the good meats, cheeses, noodles, honey, jams, and doggie/kittie treats EVERY Tuesday from last November through today. You should wring your hands with joy that they were joined by Deer Run and Epic Gardens, by Agriberry and Old Church Creamery, by a masseuse!!! (Robin Raver) and last week, a coffee maker (Alchemy). Woof! we’ve got good people.

Next Week: Byrd House Market Opening Day!!
A roster of new and returning vendors coupled with a beautiful, long awaited spring will make for a great market season. SNAP EBT welcome again! Beautiful improvements to the grounds by scads of volunteers and our farmlet manager. Come on out and welcome back the crowd, be one of multitudes to enjoy the launch of a great new season of fresh, locally grown and produced foods. Special guests and new volunteers and great deals will be announced. College students prepare for the return of the $10 Student Box! Details can be found at byrdhousemarket.blogspot.com. (also, please see the note about parking changes below)

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Williams Profiles WBCH

Richmond Times Dispatch columnist Michael Paul Williams has a profile of the William Byrd Community House in advance of its Byrd House Bash fundraiser on Saturday.

More than a century after nurses and social workers introduced the resettlement concept to Richmond, William Byrd provides essential resources to Richmond’s most vulnerable families. That’s an achievement worth celebrating and perpetuating.

Renegade Market: Open and Counting Down!

Byrd House Renegade Market Tuesday 3 to 6 pm.

From Byrd House Market email:

Gorgeous Weather at BYRD HOUSE RENEGADE MARKET…Great Anticipation for a Beautiful Spring, y’all.
CSAs at Byrd House Market

ORIGIN FARMS – www.originsfarm.com
EPIC GARDENS – www.epicgardens.com
FAITH FARM – faithfarmfoods.blogspot.com
BYRD FARM/RURAL VIRGINIA MARKET – www.byrdfarm.org
TOMTEN FARM – tomtenfarmva.org

wbch.org (about WBCH)
gracearentseducation.blogspot.com (about the library)
eatgoodgrowgreat.blogspot.com (all things food, health, culture, and good growth)
_____________________

Ana Edwards, Manager
Byrd House Market & Library Programs
Grace Arents Library & Education Center
William Byrd Community House
www.wbch.org / 804.643.2717 ext.306

Byrd House Bash Celebrates 90th Anniversary of William Byrd Community House

From press release:

Byrd House Bash Celebrates 90th Anniversary of William Byrd Community House
Evening of entertainment, food tastings and live and silent auctions at Historic Tredegar will raise money for community-minded nonprofit

RICHMOND, VA (April 3, 2013) – William Byrd Community House, a social services organization that helps children, families and individuals address immediate challenges and build self-sufficiency, turns 90 this year.
To celebrate, the nonprofit is hosting its fourth annual Byrd House Bash fundraiser at Historic Tredegar on Saturday, April 27 from 7:30 – 10:30 p.m. All proceeds benefit William Byrd Community House programs and services that assist the community’s most vulnerable.

Presented by NewMarket Corporation, the 2013 Byrd House Bash will feature a silent auction, a live auction, live music from The Good Birds, light fare from local restaurants and more. “This is a special year for the Byrd House Bash since we’re celebrating our 90th anniversary,” said Shelia Givens, executive director of William Byrd Community House. “It’s exciting to be able to reflect on the work that we’ve been able to do in Richmond so far and the ways we can benefit the community moving forward. We’re looking forward to celebrating with friends, sponsors and the community. They make our work possible.”

Comfort, Camden’s Dogtown Market, The Continental and other local restaurants will offer light fare and tastings. Beer and wine will be provided by Hardywood Park Craft Brewery and Barboursville Vineyards respectively.

The silent auction will feature items such as portrait packages from Cliff Bruce Studio, a custom jewelry piece by Jay Sharpe and oil change and state inspection packages from Midas of Richmond. New to this year’s Byrd House Bash, the live auction will include a one week Wintergreen vacation stay; dinner for six at Mamma ‘Zu plus limo ride, a one night stay at the Jefferson Hotel and a Redskins Fan package with a signed RGIII jersey, four tickets to a taping of Redskins Nation and two custom Redskins cornhole boards.

“We’re thrilled to sponsor this year’s Byrd House Bash and know that our contribution will directly benefit programs and services that help some of Richmond’s most vulnerable citizens,” said Bruce Hargrove, vice president of corporate resources at NewMarket Corporation. Other generous event sponsors include Hunton & Williams and CRT/tanaka.

Tickets are available in two tiers. A $50 ticket includes open bar with beer and wine. A $30 ticket comes with two drink tickets (beer and/or wine). All tickets include food from local restaurants, live music, a silent auction and a live auction. To purchase tickets, please visit http://byrdhousebash2013.eventbrite.com/# or call 804- 643-2717. For more details and the latest updates on the event, go to the Facebook event page at https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/590586094302189/?fref=ts. Parking for the event is free and available in the Tredegar lot next to the event site.

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Byrd House Market Buys Fine Foods

While its not on their blog yet, Byrd House Market manager Anna Edwards has confirmed that the Byrd House Market farmer’s market, using a mixture of funding from the William Byrd Foundation, federal grants, crowdsourcing, and their own produce proceeds, has purchased the Fine Foods convenience store on Idlewood.

“We wanted to create a ‘game-changer’ for Richmond farmers markets in order to further our mission of providing living laboratories for learning nutrition, ecology and economics.” said Edwards. She alluded to a not-yet-announced partnership with another grocery enterprise to help run the new store/market.

Though a lot of details have not been settled, some things are becoming clear- the farmer’s market with outside vendors will eventually move from their current location near the Grace Arents Community Garden to one side of the Fine Foods building and possibly be open everyday to sell fresh produce. (This is where the Fancy Flea market was held previously.) The Fine Foods building itself will go through a major overhaul. There’s discussion of adding a whole floor to the building and doing significant landscaping changes to the asphalt parking lot area. Solar panels and/or green roof are part of that. A portion of the building will be reserved for gardening and community workshops. The grocery shelves will gradually become more oriented to natural/healthy/gourmet.

Perhaps of more interest to current Fine Foods patrons, the new business will, at least in the beginning, retain the employees of Fine Foods to sell selections from their expanded beer fridge as well as lottery tickets.

KaBOOM! Playground Effort for William Byrd Community House

William Byrd Community House is applying for a project from the non-profit KaBOOM! and are asking for residents to stop in and sign their petition (WBCH will have a copy at their front desk for people to sign). If WBCH is approved, there will be a design day around the beginning of April.

The local community is invited to participate. There will be a one hour youth session where children are encouraged to design the playground of their dreams. Then a 2-3 hour adult session. They are requesting about 15 parents or other non-staff community members to be involved. They will also be asking for volunteers for various teams (recruitment, fundraising, food, music, safety, logistics, construction, green, and youth involvement).

The Build Day would be June 7th. The playground would be open to the community. No details have been settled on, but WBCH is requesting a playground suitable for 5 – 12 year olds. To learn more about KaBOOM! or see photos of the existing playground, check out this link.