BEST & WORST PART II
A look at some of the highs and lows of 2024
By Mark Newton
Illustration by Erin Bushnell
HIGHS
SQUIRRELS MAKE A NEST
Richmond finally broke ground on the Diamond District this year and unveiled CarMax Park, the new home of the Flying Squirrels. It was a relief to see Nutzy wield a ceremonial gold shovel, thus ending a chapter for a project that blew past deadlines, made us question whether the massive mixed-use development would actually happen and, most importantly, keeps the Squirrels in Richmond for the foreseeable future.
THE IVY TAKES ROOT
This city loves the Richmond Kickers, and so it’s not surprising that a second squad was immediately embraced in its first season. T he Richmond Ivy Soccer Club, a pre-professional women’s team, finished 6-5-1 and averaged 4,811 fans per match at City Stadium. After the Ivy’s final match, players and staff met with fans for a half hour. “They’re all what this is all about – the young girls, young fans and young soccer players who can look up to this team and see themselves on the pitch.” says Madeline McCracken, the Ivy’s sporting director.
OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD VIEWS
It was a great year to stare up at the heavens and think about what lies beyond our pale blue dot. While Richmond wasn’t in the path of totality, the April 8 solar eclipse gave us a spectacular sight that won’t happen again for 20 years. Cosmic displays continued the next month as the northern lights crept down to Virginia. Solar storms returned in October, and they were joined by an unusually bright comet visible in the second
half of the month. Keep your eyes to the skies just after New Year’s Day for the peak of the Quadrantid meteor shower.
REINVENTING THE GAME
Speaking of cosmic displays, the Tri-City Chili Peppers illuminated Shepherd Stadium for four nights of glow-in-the-dark collegiate baseball, thought to be the first black light games ever. With some creative thinking and the help of local businesses, “cosmic baseball” became a reality and brought people to Colonial Heights from across the nation. If you didn’t catch it this year, you can plan ahead for the six cosmic games scheduled for 2025.
ALL HAIL THE GUN HOLE
Thanks to the Chicago Rat Hole’s viral spread across social media, Richmonders were able to bond over and make offerings to an impression of a toy pistol on South Addison Street in January. It’s not hard to imagine why Richmond magazine readers dubbed the frenzy over it the “best moment of the past year.” The Gun Hole was able to tap into our sometimes-jaded love for the city and its rough-andtumble past.
SENATOR TIM TIM
While then-candidate Kamala Harris’ cameo on “Saturday Night Live” was known before it aired Nov. 2, it was Sen. Tim Kaine who seemingly appeared out of nowhere (and retreated back into it). In a game show sketch called “What’s That Name?” Kaine asks host John Mulaney’s character, “You voted for me to be one heart-
beat away from the Oval Office in an election more recent than the release of ‘Zootopia.’ What’s my name?” Excuse us if we start calling our recently re-elected senator by the wrong answers, like Tim Clinton or Tim Tim.
A WARM WELCOME
Carytown unveiled a new gateway sign in October, providing a more official and decorative welcome to the city’s Mile of Style than, say, a 7-Eleven. The art deco-style neon and LED sign hangs from two 25-foot-tall poles between Thompson and Nansemond streets. Discussed for more than a decade, the roughly $100,000 sign finally became a reality thanks to federal funds designed to help cities recover financially from the pandemic. It’s a great homage to the s hopping district’s 1938 founding and buildings from that era, such as the circa-1928 Byrd Theatre.
HOSPITAL TURNABOUT
Plans announced earlier this year to build market-rate apartments at Virginia Union University included the partial demolition of the historic Richmond Community Hospital, which served the Black community for half a century. Sup-
porters felt their pleas and advice went unheard by VUU and developers, and a lawsuit was filed in October. That same day, VUU issued a new plan that would preserve the entirety of the hospital and include public spaces honoring its legacy. It’s a welcome concession that allows Richmonders to treasure an important part of North Side and Black history.
LOWS
THE COST OF LIVING
The campaign to save RCH highlights another problem: Housing i s still too expensive. CoStar’s Apartments.com notes that, “because the average [monthly] rent in Richmond is $1,358, you’ll want to make about $4,526 per month or $54,312 per year.” Easier said than done. The region is finally seeing more construction, but those apartments tend to be “market rate” and not truly “affordable housing.” The reality can seem detached from the wave of good economic news: Jobs reports are positive, and we appear to be making a “soft landing” from inflation. But prices are still 19% above w here they were in February 2021, according to the AP. Here’s hoping the situation improves.
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