Beach Events: Beach Music Weekend

Beach Music Weekend 05/17/2012 – 05/20/2012

Beach Music Weekend blends the best of the “oldies” with dancing under the stars in a jam-packed blast to the past! Settle into the sand as the top Beach Music bands from up and down the East Coast descend on the Virginia Beach oceanfront in a nostalgic salute to the “good old days” of cool cars and hot tunes.

A three-day series of free concerts is presented on a stage built right on the beach at 30th Street. Evening shows on Thursday and Friday give way to a full day of entertainment on Saturday and more daytime concerts on Sunday.

All beach performances on the beach are free to the public. Thursday’s ticketed show takes place in a local restaurant. The festival atmosphere is enhanced with beer and food served in tents on the sand alongside a sea of beach chairs and dancing couples! Boardwalk sponsors and vendors overlook the beach, luring visitors from the boardwalk into the fun of Beach Music Weekend! A giant 20-foot inflatable jukebox on the beach towers over the fun as festival-goers kick off their shoes and dance their cares away on the sands of Virginia Beach.

SCHEDULE:

Thursday, May 17 (Pre-Festival Party) *Ticketed Event*
Neptune's Restaurant
7:30-10:30pm, The Entertainers

Friday, May 18 *FREE*
30th St. Beach Stage
7:30-10:30pm, Craig Woolard Band

Saturday, May 19 *FREE*
30th St. Beach Stage
Noon-2pm, Coolin' Out
2:30-4:30pm, Bill Deal's Rhondels
5:00-7pm, The Mystic Soul Bubba's
7:45-10:30pm, The Embers

Sunday, May 20 *FREE*
30th St. Beach Stage
Noon-3pm, Main Event
3:30pm-6pm, Band of Oz

WHERE:

Beach Music Weekend
On the Beach at 30th Street
Virginia Beach, VA 23451

 

Special Event: International Fashion Expo

Special Event: International Fashion Expo

Virginia Fashion Week and Splash Model Management will be hosting the International Fashion Expo. The fashion expo will be a tribute to the tall ships that will be sailing in from around the world for the Virginia OpSail 2012 festivities. The event will feature fashion designers participating in the 2012 Virginia Fashion Week. Also, the expo event will feature a segment on vintage fashion with live musical performances.

The International Fasion Expo will be held June 10th, 2012 from 7:00 p.m. to 10 p.m. The event will be held at  the New Colony Theater located at 43o High Street, Portsmouth, Virginia. Tickets are $25.00 +2.37 Fee.

Featuring Designs By:

Azi Blass * Gohar Ayvazyan Beaver * Lizzi London

Mikasa La’Charles * SeharPeerzada * Willie Charles

Stephon Stallings * Ivelisse Nieves * Ma’Mitons

Vintage Feature!

Doors open at 7 p.m., the show starts at 8 p.m. Purchase tickets here: International Fashion Expo.

Restaurant: Norfolk Ramen

Restaurant: Norfolk Ramen

Yes, otaku's and Japanese food enthusiasts, you read that correctly. Norfolk has it's very own ramen shop, called Norfolk Ramen. This has definitely made me love Norfolk. I just happen to run across it while surfing the web.

It has become so popular that the Virginia Pilot has completed a review of the restaurant.

From the Virginia Pilot:

"Occasionally, I have what I'd call a big-city restaurant experience right here in Norfolk. And I don't mean a place with big-city prices or standing-room-only crowds. I mean a restaurant that dares to try something new and that carves out a previously unoccupied niche to do so. On Sundays, I find just that at Norfolk Ramen.

This restaurant is all about authentic Japanese ramen, a dish of noodles, broth and whatever else a chef tastily packs in. Ramen shops have started up in some major cities - New York, D.C., San Francisco - but for our area, Norfolk Ramen seems to be testing new ground. It's a mini-restaurant of sorts, making waves on social media. Check it out on Twitter and Facebook, where I first got wind of it.The eatery is open on Sundays only inside a spot otherwise occupied by Chin's Chinese Cafe, owned by the ramen chef's family.

The menu is small and focused. The shop serves piping hot bowls of its namesake dish for $8 a pop in two varieties - pork and vegan. The pork option is officially called a Norfolk Bowl and is packed with pork broth, noodles, a sous-vide egg, sliced pork and mustard greens. Request "spicy", and you'll get a dollop of a house-made hot sauce to stir in.

(Chef Paul Chin told me that when he opened a few months ago, customers asked for sriracha to give the ramen some heat. He thought he could make something better in the kitchen, and he was right. The paste-like hot sauce gives the broth the kick it needs.)

After a few trips, I can attest that the dish is just about perfect every time. The pork is tender, the greens fresh. The noodles have a good, chewy bite. You'll slurp up the salty, homey broth to the very bottom of the bowl. Eggs are not my thing, so I order mine without. But my dining companions praised the texture they add.

The Norfolk Ramen experience goes beyond the bowl, though.
A visit is complete only with a side of char siu bao - pork buns. The dough is divine, and the tender pork inside has a bit of spice. If you're extra-hungry or have a big group, add an order of rice flour dumplings, filled with taro for a unique flavor. But skip Norfolk Ramen's third appetizer offering: the cold tofu sashimi. I found the tofu mushy and the accompanying sauce nothing special.

My group of four barely touched the plate. I must assume the vegetarian ramen bowl has better quality tofu. Though I have not tried the dish - which also has mushrooms and scallions - others have raved about it. Your Sunday experience at Norfolk Ramen can be enhanced by the beer selection, including my favorite, the Japanese Sapporo.
Sunday is still the weekend, after all. Ramen shops in D.C. and New York should look out. They've got some competition for the hottest bowl down here."

The Norfolk Ramen sounds like a place worth checking out.  Remember it's only open on Sunday's.  More Information:

Norfolk Ramen
8401 Hampton Blvd #11,
Norfolk, VA 23505
Hours: Sunday

11:00 am

-

9:00 pm

Facebook

By Janelle Cogan
The Virginian-Pilot
© May 9, 2012

Nightlife: Comedy Clubs

Comedy Clubs

The Hampton Roads area has some good comedy clubs. Many famous and infamous names have grace the stages of the 757's local clubs. Comedy clubs not only offer a dose of laughter but drinks, food, and even dancing. Creating a great atmosphere and fun times for all. Checkout this list of Hampton Roads comedy clubs:

The Funny Bone
217 Central Park Ave
Virginia Beach, VA 23462
(757) 213-5555

Website

The Funny Bone is a comedy club located in The Town Center area of Virginia near The Westin Hotel and Pembroke Mall. There have been many notable names at Virginia Beach Funny Bone making it a prime spot for laughter and fun.

Cozzy Comedy Club & Tavern
9700 Warwick Blvd,
Newport News, VA 23601
(757) 595-2800

Website

Cozzy's Comedy Club & Tavern, located in Newport News, offers food and laughter.  They offer lunch and dinner plus VIP memberships. They have weekly performances form national acts.

Hampton Roads Events: May 2012

The Virginia Art's Festival is in full effect this month with performances across Hampton Road. Grab the kids and head for the Pirate Beach Party in Virginia Beach and don't miss the Pungo Strawberry Festival. This month is full festival bringing in the summer season.

Events for the May 2012:


Cinco De Mayo
May 4th, 2012
Norfolk,VA

Virginia Beach Gospel Festival
Friday, May 4, 2012 - Saturday, May 5, 2012
Virginia Beach,VA

6th Annual Town Center Art and Wine Festival
May 5, 2012
Virginia Beach,VA

Atlantic Coast Kite Festival presented by The Oceanfront Inn
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Virginia Beach,VA

6th Annual AT&T Spring Town Point Virginia Wine Festival
May 12, 2012
Norfolk,VA

PANorama Caribbean Music Festival
Friday, May 11, 2012 - Saturday, May 12, 2012
Virginia beach,VA

Pirate Party on the Beach
Friday, May 18, 2012 - Saturday, May 19, 2012
Virginia beach,VA

11th Annual Virginia Beer Festival hosted by Virginia Arts Festival
May 19, 2012
Norfolk,VA

9th Annual Int'l Spring Wine Festival
When: May 19, 2012
Virginia Beach,VA

Pungo Strawberry Festival
Saturday, May 26th, 2012 - Sunday, May 27th, 2012
Virginia Beach,VA

Virginia Arts Festival: Week 5

Week Five of the Virginia Arts Festival May 14-20, 2012

		The Daedalus Quartet COFFEE III Tues. May 15, 10:30 AM Ohef Sholom Temple,  Norfolk
		The Daedalus Quartet André-Michel Schub, piano Raymond Jones, host Wed. May 16, 7:30 PM Trinity Episcopal Church,  Portsmouth
		Virginia Beer Festival Sat. May 19, 2-6 PM Town Point Park, Norfolk
		Attucks Jazz Series Tim Warfield, saxophone Sat. May 19, 8:00 PM Attucks Theatre, Norfolk
		Chris Botti, trumpet Sun. May 20, 7:30 PM Sandler Center for the  Performing Arts,  Virginia Beach

Information taken from the Virginia Arts Festival Newsletter

Wildife & Eco Tours

Checkout these website for wildlife tours, dolphin watching, kayaking lessons, and more. 

Rudee's Inlet Virginia Beach,VA Website

Kayak Nature Tours Virginia Beach,VA Website

Cheaspean Tours Chesapeake,VA Wesbite

Wild River Outfitters Virginia Beach,VA Website