RECENT COMMENTS
Church Hill Irish Festival is Saturday and Sunday
Beer and music and food a 5K and dancing and crafts and more beer and more takeover 25th and Broad this Saturday and Sunday for the Church Hill Irish Festival.
The Hill Topper 5K rolls out at 9:00 AM on Sunday.
Proceeds from the festival benefit the St. Baldrick’s Society and their fight against childhood cancer, the Church Hill Association, the Church Hill Crime Watch, Richmond Hill, Child Saver’s Clinic of Richmond, the St. Peter’s Meals Program, St. Francis Home, the McShin Foundation and other neighborhood causes. Proceeds also benefit the historic preservation of St. Patrick’s Church, built in the 1850’s by Irish immigrants to Richmond, and its outreach programs.
It looks like the weather is going to be *gorgeous*, so expect a huge turnout.
Church Hill Music Co. is on the Celtic Stage at 5pm on Saturday!
It’s not fun for anyone who lives nearby, the noise from set up and take down is all night and the trash (and other things from people drinking to much, that’s usually in the alleys) is everywhere. Also the lack of parking for the neighbors. They forget this is a neighborhood of people who work and want to run errands on the weekend. All I have ever asked is that they encourage and advertise to park in the satellite lots and take advantage of the shuttle, this would help neighbors who need to park on the street find a pot, and respect the neighborhood and it’s residents.
A big THANK YOU to all the patrons of the Irish Festival. Yes parking is a mess and you could spend 15 minutes waiting behind a Chesterfield pick up truck to try and parallel on Marshall, but as a recipient organization of the proceeds your dollars help bring critical mental health services for kids in our community, support local teachers who educate extreme at risk kids and prevent and treat child abuse and neglect. (Probably other stuff I don’t even know about because I’m only affiliated with a couple of the non profits). So yes, I’ll have to park 3 blocks from home and inevitably I’ll need groceries this weekend and somebody might puke in my yard…..but it’s not in vain. But seriously, county folks gotta learn how to park. 😉
I am not against the Festival i just wish they were advertise and promote the satellite parking, and remind people that this is a neighborhood. But we know people are to lazy to wait 5 minutes for a bus to take them to and from with minimal walking. They would rather block handicapped sidewalk ramps, pin someone in because they could squeeze their car in and then leave their trash on sidewalk so they don’t dirty their cars. I have lived up here for over 30 years, and remember the festival when it was a day on 26th St. with the Men’s groups making Brunswick stew.
Parking on the street to find a pot is how you get arrested. 🙂
3rd weekend in a row now that RVA has been celebrating “beer”, all in the name of the irish
There is absolutely nothing wrong with celebrating beer- it’s a purely human tradition that goes back thousands of years. 😉
Lara McKinney Mossler
Remember how you bought a house in the city? Welcome to the city.
Permission to shoot me if i get this whiny. Come down to 21st or Marshall any day of the week where parking is a challenge because commuters (county folk) park on our streets to catch buses to their city jobs where they can’t afford parking. They dump their coffee cups, food bags and what not every. Single. Day. This is a fundraiser. Same weekend every year. Plan FCS.
can u spell fuddy duddy??? pretend ur young again, at least for 2 days
It beats those bike races anyday
And do you guys who like this festival so much also have any sympathy for the business owners on the Boulevard who lost a weekend’s business because of the festival there? Just curious.
I think Richmonders are allergic to shuttle buses.
We have all these great parks around here that would be perfect for an event like this. Yet, Chimborazo is empty and the streets at a major intersection in the neighborhood is closed. Why?
As I said we have lived here over 30 years, when neighbors watched out of each other and never parked in front of a neighbors house if we didn’t see the car on the street.
My neighbor put out cones to save the stop in front of their house for his wife who was shopping (pregnant) with their 2 year old. Someone moved the cones and parked their car. She unloaded and parked 5 blocks away. She put a note on the car and asked the person to knock when they left so she could move her car. They took the note and wrote a rather rude response. In the mean time someone else got the spot.
Kay9: because St. Patrick’s Catholic Church is right there on 25th Street and the festival originated with them and part of the proceeds help benefit their outreach programs? It’s not there randomly…
What’s so hard about what Kathy suggested, using shuttle service?
@16 That sucks but I’m not surprised.
Thanks @17- I understand the connection with the church. Does it play an integral role in the execution of the festival? It appears that everything is going on outside in the streets and in tents. Right?
Katherine Jester Thank you I have tried for all the years the Festival has been in existence. bottom line I am a terrible Christain, Other people need to say something. An example, my pregnant next door neighbor husband put out cones in front of thir house today since he would not be home to unload groceries and their 2 year old. Someone removed the cones and parked, She called and we helped unload while she parked 4 blockes away. She left a note asking the person wno moved and parked in front of their house a note asking to let them know when they were leaving so she could park her car nearer to the house. The note was unprintable. ,
Oh good Lord. It’s two days people and it happens every year! Plan for it!!
The bike races were annoying but at least the observers were a lot more civil.
Kay9, I get it. You want the festival that has historically taken place at 25th by the Catholic church that started it to relocate 10 blocks away to an unrelated park because that will be more convenient for you, even though it’s a dislocation from the festival’s origins. Right?
The church uses it kitchen in the basement to prepare some of the food.
I know what you mean. I have been here for 12 years and it is right in front of my house. I just plan around it, stock up a little and remind myself it is helping a lot of folks. That being said, anyone who lives here has a right to be annoyed. I get it. The noise really gets to you at times.
Can we talk about how the multiple accidents on 23rd on sunday? Learn to stop people and if you can’t see what’s coming slowly move out .
When did church hill start to suck again?
This is my why we can’t have any fun in ‘Church Hill’. C’mon up to Chimborazo – you can Irish or bike race all day on my street!!
Actually, we have a lot of fun in Church Hill. This weekend was proof of that! Chimborazo is a lovely park and area and I would say a hidden gem in that it is not utilized as much as it could be. But move the Irish festival there? Um, no thanks – that needs to stay right where it is.
The festival’s come and gone without any major injuries or deaths, fun was had, and a bunch of random people from the counties got to wander through Church Hill and admire the lovely ironwork. All’s well that ends well!
I agree that Chimborazo or Ethel Baily Furman Memorial Park would be a better location for this festival.
I do think the time has come to explore “other options” for this event’s location. This is the perfect event to host in one of our beautiful parks–after all, isn’t this their intended purpose…
Can’t have alcohol in city parks.
@34…then how does the Hogtober festival serve beer in Libby Hill Park each year for the BBQ festival?
Alcohol can be served with a permit. I think the organizers do an exceptional job with clean up. Driving through on Sunday night, it looked as though no event had ever happened.
@35 I have never been to Hogtober so I do not know. Perhaps someone here could answer your question. ABC laws require a distinct, roped off area for alcohol. The East End Music Festival at Chimborazo Park closes the street and serves beer and wine in a roped off area.