The creation of a Fulton memorial park on Williamsburg Road is a long-term goal of the Greater Fulton’s Future Legacy team, and a pursuit that many of us are involved in and affected by, and continue to be interested in.

Are you interested in connecting pathways to the river?  Are you interested in public open space in Fulton?  Are you interested in memorializing historical events in Fulton?  This is what the proposed park can do for the community.

The next workshop to create the Fulton memorial park will be Saturday August 27th from 10 am until 12 pm under a tent on the corner of Admiral Gravely Boulevard and Williamsburg Road.

Your ideas, which were shared in June at the first park workshop, will be presented as professional drawings and we hope that you — as a resident, former resident, business owner, child, or park user — will visit the tent and review the park drawings.  We need your input for this park to be a success! In case of rain, the workshop will be held a the Neighborhood Resource Center at 1519 Williamsburg Road.

The workshop will be hosted by Storefront for Community Design. Questions about the workshop can be directed to Giles Harnsberger at Storefront by calling (804) 322-9556 or emailing giles@storefrontrichmond.org.  You can also call Jason Sawyer- Community Organizer at the Neighborhood Resource Center (804)864-5797, or you can email him at jason@nrccafe.org.  We hope to see you there!

This week has been a great one in the life of Greater Fulton.  We have had the opportunity to cultivate our relationship with the Virginia Coyotes semi-pro football team, and are working with Parks and Recreation to bring them to Greater Fulton next year.  If all goes well, they will be playing at Montrose Heights park next season.  This is a great opportunity, and we just began meeting with Parks and Rec last week to talk about possibilities.  We will keep you posted on updates!!

In the meantime, the community work continues.  Our Economic Development work team has continued their focus of beautifying and increasing the business presence in our business district.  This weekend we are coming together to paint, hang art, weed, and celebrate community as we work to beautify the business district.  The community led economic development team is interested in making a visible impact at the intersection of Williamsburg and Government Rds.  Come on out and be a part of this great opportunity!!!

We will be meeting in the parking lot of the Neighborhood Resource Center this Sat. Aug. 20th at 9am at 1519 Williamsburg Rd.

Come be a part of the community groundswell that is taking place here in Greater Fulton!! We hope to see you there!!

If you need any further information regarding the event, please call Jason Sawyer-Community Organizer at the Neighborhood Resource Center- (804)864-5797 or you can email him at jason@nrccafe.org

I know this is a longshot… I am a Fulton resident & Gnarly, my sweet littlest kitty has been missing for over a week now. I am a total mess without her and she must be found! Please keep an eye out and let me know anyone has any info. Thanks Richmond!!!

The inaugural Lobs & Lessons Family Open: QuickStart Tennis for Everyone is finally here! The Lobs & Lessons Family Open will serve up to 256 participants in an adult-child doubles tennis tournament that promotes families playing a healthy lifestyle sport together. In addition to tennis, participants will enjoy food, prizes and an awards ceremony, in this non-elimination family centered event. The inaugural Lobs & Lessons Family Open is scheduled for Saturday, September, 17, 2011 at the Mary and Frances Youth Center on the VCU campus.

Lobs & Lessons is a vital organization to the youth of Richmond. Lobs & Lessons is an afterschool and summer enrichment program for elementary and middle school age youth that focuses on character development, a path to higher education and the sport of tennis. In addition, we teach youth how nutrition and healthy eating habits along with physical activity can lead to a lifelong healthy lifestyle. The Lobs & Lessons Family Open will serve up to 256 participants in an adult-child doubles tennis tournament that promotes families playing a healthy lifestyle sport together. This event is for the novice or advanced player- its all about fun! In addition to tennis, participants will enjoy food, prizes and an awards ceremony, in this non-elimination family centered event.

Lobs & Lessons recently received the USTA/Mid-Atlantic Section’s 2010 Community Program of the Year award for the Young Aces Open, the largest QuickStart Tennis tournament in the world according to the Tennis Channel, which USTA is using this event as a national model for other communities. We plan to capitalize on the success of the Young Aces Open by creating an event that includes participants of all ages and abilities.

• Any child age 5-15 can play with an adult to make a doubles team
• The $20 doubles team registration includes breakfast, t-shirts and all activities
• There is a fundraising option called “Team Challenge” where doubles team can help raise money to support Lobs & Lessons!  For the “Team Challenge,” teams must register on-line at http://www.vcuyouthcenter.org/events/family-open/register/.
• For any youth that does not have an adult in their life that can play with them, we will pair them with an adult partner.

If you are not up to playing, please consider joining us as a volunteer as we will need over 80 to make it a success. For information on the event, to register or volunteer please visit www.vcuyouthcenter.org/events/family-open/.

The Greater Fulton’s Future initiative is working on the design and planning of a Fulton Memorial Park to commemorate the history of Fulton, and bring the legacy of Fulton into Richmond’s mainstream historical consciousness.  Storefront For Community Design is hosting the event in partnership with Greater Fulton’s Future and Mt. Calvary Baptist Church.

Please come out and share your ideas about what you would like to see this park become, and how you would like Fulton’s history to be told, shared, and experienced!!

What:        Design Workshop to plan the three phases of the Fulton Memorial Park

Where:     Mount Calvary Baptist Church, 4401 Hobbs Lane, Richmond VA, 23231

When:      Thursday, June 9th, 2011, 6 pm to 8pm

Light Refreshments provided. RSVP to giles@storefrontrichmond.org or call 322-9556.

The City’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities will hold a Family Fishing Fair on Saturday, June 4, from 9 a.m. to noon at Shield’s Lake in Byrd Park. The event is free and open to anyone five years old and older. No fishing license is required because it’s Virginia’s annual Free Fishing Weekend.  

Local fishing experts will be on hand to teach basic freshwater catch-and-release fishing. 

If you plan to attend, the department recommends that you bring water to drink and a folding chair. Also bring your own fishing poles and tackle if you have them. The department will have some poles and tackle available for use, but these will be limited to two per family.  

Co-sponsoring the event with the department are Region 3 Bassmasters, Trout Unlimited, Virginia Fishing Adventures, Green Top Hunting & Fishing, Virginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries, and Chesterfield County.

The Landing will open for business at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 28.

The Landing is located at Byrd Park’s Fountain Lake and offers pedal boat rides and food service during the summer months. It will be open seven days a week from 11 a.m. until dusk.

Pedal boat rides will cost $12 for 30 minutes, and food service will include hot dogs, hamburgers, barbeque, a wide variety of sandwiches, cold plates, sides, ice cream, and beverages, including Polar Shock Frozen Drinks. In addition, you can have your box lunch served in a box – or on Frisbee at no additional charge!

Visit www.petesgreatfood.com for the complete menu or to order in advance to have your order ready for pick up when you arrive at the Landing. Also, ordering online can save time if you are on a limited lunch hour or serve as a convenience if you would like to pick up something to take to one of the Festival of the Arts performances at Dogwood Dell.

The Festival of the Arts kicks off at Dogwood Dell on Friday, June 10 at 8 p.m. with big band and swing music by the Upper East Side Big Band. Watch for a copy of the complete Dogwood Dell schedule to be published on the department’s website at www.RichmondGov.com/parks.

On Sat. June 4th the community will be gathering to celebrate 6 months of working together to create a collaborative community vision for Greater Fulton’s Future.

Resident led work teams have been meeting to organize projects chosen by the community as vital to Greater Fulton. The work teams: Services, Economic Development, Legacy, Education, Parks and Programming, and Housing, are working on projects as we speak. Join us on June 4th for a sunny Saturday of sharing the joy of community.

Come out play games, bounce in the house, eat some food, and hear about the extraordinary work that community members just like you are working on. It’s a great opportunity to see how you can be an active participant in shaping the future of Greater Fulton!!

May 20th is Bike To Work Day! A commuter convoy will gather at Rockett’s Landing at 6:30 am, and will depart for Monroe Park promptly at 6:45 am. At Monroe Park, Bike-To-Work commuters from all over Richmond will convene, awards will be given, and Mayor Dwight Jones will lead cyclists to City Hall–on his bike with police escort. It’s alot of fun!

The three-mile route we will take will be Wharf Street to Dock Street (Virginia Capital Trail section), right on 14th, cross Main, left on Bank in front of Capitol, right on 9th, left on Grace and then left on Belvediere to Monroe Park. The route is quieter than Main Street, and more pleasant by bike.

Biking to work is fun, energizing, easy, cheap, and healthy. And did I mention fun?

Vision: Connect families in the community with financial education resources, in a fun way, to have a more prosperous lifestyle.

On Saturday, May 7th from 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM, LISC AmeriCorps members will host GROW RICHMOND at the Powhatan Hill Community Center, located at 5051 Northampton Street in the Fulton neighborhood. Residents of all ages will have opportunities to discover the resources that can help increase their family’s financial understanding.

GROW RICHMOND presents a day of games, prizes, food and fun, designed with tips on budgeting, investing, and cultivating wealth from people who know it. Our volunteer partners and their associates will join a series of
financial literacy games, while also sharing information in one or more of the following areas: Budgeting, Coupons, Credit, Debt Reduction, Home Ownership, Savings, Financial Planning/Investing, Insurance, Reverse Mortgages, Small Business Development, and Taxes. Game winners will receive door and cash prizes.

Each of the games will be supported by a simulated banking system to encourage and reinforce the need and use of banks. When participants register, they will receive a set amount of “play money” (Fulton Funds), which will be needed to enter new games. Some games will teach life values, like how money is not everything and must be balanced within your life time (i.e. relay races). Some games will help participants learn the advantages/pitfalls of investing (i.e. Invest me). And all games will draw upon a pool of ideas for generating income (i.e. newspaper routes, cutting grass, walking dogs, etc.), while at the same time providing numerous temptations for incurring expenses. The Fulton Central Bank (FCB) will serve as the focal point of all activities, and through Fulton Funds, the cycle of loss, gains, deposits and withdrawals will teach and enforce sound financial practices. Regular deposits with the FCB will be accepted only within designated timeframes, and cash/door prizes will be given only to those participants presenting deposit slips in the highest amounts.