We drove downtown this morning, with plans to do several things in the area. First on our agenda was a canal cruise. Richmond, following the example of San Antonio's River Walk, has redeveloped an area along the canals and the James River into a tourist destination and entertainment district: Richmond's River District. We took a 40 minute cruise and also walked along the Canal Walk. The area figured in Richmond's industrial and commercial past, with large tobacco warehouses and an Alcoa plant, but now it advertises loft apartments, and the streets are lined with restaurants and bars.
We parked in a $5 flat rate lot near the canal and were lucky enough to find a public restroom in a nearby building (Canal Crossing), which also turned out to have a large atrium area with cafe tables and chairs, perfect for eating our picnic lunch.
After lunch we walked to the Poe Museum, intending to visit the museum and come back later for the August Unhappy Hour, but we found out that during the free Unhappy Hour, we would be able to see the exhibits, also for free, so we moved on to Capitol Square.
We visited the Capitol Building, which visitors enter though a street level entry to a new underground floor, mainly dedicated to visitor amenities, including exhibits and a gift shop as well as the tour desk. We were lucky enough to be in time for the 3:00 p.m. tour. We got a private tour, since no one else joined us. The most impressive sight was a marble statue of George Washington by Houdon in the rotunda.
We also saw the architects' model of the original central building, designed by Thomas Jefferson. The two flanking buildings were added later and are connected to the main building by "hyphens." We learned a new word. According to Wikipedia, "In architecture, a hyphen is a connecting link between two larger building elements. It is typically found in Georgian style architecture, where the hyphens form connections between a large central house and end pavilions in the Georgian five-part house, which was in turn derived from Palladian architecture" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyphen_%28architecture%29)
We also saw this statue of Robert E. Lee, at the site in the Old House of Delegates, where he stood to accept command of the Confederate forces in Virginia.
Outside, on the Capitol grounds, were several more monuments, including a large and elaborate equestrian statue of Washington. A bronze statue of Edgar Allan Poe seated shows him holding a pen and writing tablet.
The newest monument is the Virginia Civil Rights Memorial. It quotes Barbara Jones, who at 16 organized a student strike to protest the awful conditions in her racially segregated school. This strike eventually led to a court case that was one of the four cases heard together as Brown vs. Board of Education.
We walked through the very ornate Old City Hall, an example of Victorian High Gothic architecture, which is directly adjacent to the Capitol Square. Only the first floor is open to visitors. It is a marvellous sight.
As six o'clock approached, we walked back to the Poe Museum for the Unhappy Hour. It was beginning to threaten some rain showers, so we stopped by the truck to pick up our umbrellas, which turned out to be fortunate. Soon after we arrived and just as the music was about to begin, the sky opened up. The musicians had set up in a small sheltered area by the shrine to Poe, and the group of visitors crowded in to get out of the rain. Everyone was quite flexible and informal.
We were amazingly lucky to be part of the audience for this special performance. Bob Zentz was invited to play and sing sea shanties in keeping with the night's theme: Poe's story “A Descent Into The Maelstrom." Bob was accompanied by Jeanne McDougall (mainly vocals) and drummer John Larrimore. Zentz is a virtuoso on a number of folk instruments, including the autoharp and hurdy gurdy. He provided over 2 1/2 hours of entertainment without a break, inviting audience participation in singing the chorus or call and response for several songs. It was rollicking good fun.
When the Unhappy Hour (actually three hours) ended, we walked to a nearby pizza shop and got some pepperoni pizza slices hot out of the oven. Then we headed home.
August Unhappy Hour Preview
August 24th, 2011 by Melanie
Tags: A Descent into the Maelstrom, events, music, sea shanties, Unhappy Hour
Posted in Education, Events | No Comments »
Our August Unhappy Hour, based on Poe’s 1841 tale “A Descent Into The Maelstrom”, is just a few hours away.
In keeping with the nautical nature of Poe’s tale, we will be treated to sea shanties by Bob Zentz.
Here is a bit more info about him (lifted from his bio – you can read the whole thing on his website:
Over the years, Bob participated in many folk ventures, near and far. He began teaching folk music classes in Old Dominion University’s Rainbow Program in 1971; he created and ran the “Old Dominion Folk Festival” from 1972-81; and became a fixture at the Virginia State Fair beginning in 1980, appearing for his 28th year consecutive year as resident performer in the Heritage Village in October 2009. He appeared on PBS’s long-running program “A Prairie Home Companion” in 1982, and crewed and performed aboard Pete Seeger’s Hudson River sloop “Clearwater,” helping to repair the Hudson River and spreading the word about preserving our waterways, from 1989-91. Bob’s recording of his composition, “Horizons,” was selected in 2006 to be on a tribute to environmental author and pioneer Rachel Carson on the centenary of her birth, entitled “Songs for the Earth.”
Bob has also represented America and its folk traditions far and wide. He represented the U.S. in Shanty Tour, Finland, in 1997, and was an instructor at the inaugural Common Ground, Scotland, in 2002. He performed at the Scottish National Folk Festival in 2002, was featured U.S. artist at the Australian National Folk Festival in Canberra in 2004, and performed that same year in Auckland and Wellington for the New Zealand Maritime Museums. A featured performer at the 2004 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Bob is also a regular member of the faculty each summer at Common Ground on the Hill, held at McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland.
Local accolades in the Hampton Roads area include the 1992 John Sears Award for Community Service from Festevents and the City of Norfolk. He created the program, “Life of the 19th Century Mariner” for the Mariners Museum in Newport News in 1995; composed and performed “(Ode to the) Schooner Virginia” at the keel-laying ceremony in 2002 and launching ceremony in 2004; and was music consultant and performer for the multimedia theater experience, “Chesapeake Celebration” in 2004. He was a founding member of the Outer Banks Opry in 2003; received a grant from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation in 2004 to present “Music of the Chesapeake” in Virginia Schools; and was profiled by Public Television’s “Virginia Currents” in 2003 for recognition of his many contributions to music and the community, at home and abroad.
Here is a clip of Mr. Zentz in action at the 2009 Richmond Folk Festival:
So what is a “sea shanty”, you ask? Well, sea shanties were work songs created and sung by sailors. In the days when most of the work on a ship required muscle power, these songs helped to synchronize sailors’ movements as they toiled at repetitive tasks. They also would have been useful to relieve the boredom that one might experience during long sea voyages. The word “shanty” actually derives from the French word “chanter” which means “to sing.”
Come on out from 6-9pm tomorrow night (August 25th) and get into the nautical spirit. As always, Unhappy Hour is free and open to the public. There will be free nibbles and a cash bar as well as fun activities.
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