5 Ways to Spend the Weekend on the Cheap in the RVA: May 18-20, 2012
Richmond 
has so many awesome things going on each week that RVA on the Cheap’s calendar of events can be a bit overwhelming. Add in everything on Cities on the Cheap’s calendar of events, and there’s no doubt about it–it’s impossible to make it to everything.
To narrow it down a bit, try one of these five ways to spend the weekend on the cheap:
- Richmond Food Cart Derby at 17th Street Farmers Market on May 20, 2012
- Music in the Park at Forest Hill Park: Free Bio Ritmo Concert on May 20 + 2012 Schedule
- Camp Wilton on the James on May 19 & 20, 2012
- Dominion Riverrock: May 18-20, 2012
- Free Imagination Richmond Event at The Shops at Willow Lawn on May 19, 2012
Limiting my list to five means that I must leave out things …overwhelming or not, it’s worth skimming the calendar to make sure you don’t miss the “I’ve been meaning to get to that” events on your list.
–Jennifer Maciejewski
Richmond Food Cart Derby at 17th Street Farmers Market on May 20, 2012
If you’re intrigued by the food truck concept, you’ve got an excellent way to check it out this weekend:
From 11:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. on May 20, 2012, the inaugural Richmond Food Cart Derby will take place at the 17th Street Farmers Market. There’ll be 20+ food trucks & breweries on hand to meet your brunch, lunch & dinner needs on Sunday, plus ample live music, too.
Food Carts:
- Sustenance Truck
- Dressed and Pressed
- Mister Softee RVA
- Station 2
- Crossroads Coffee and Ice Cream
- Boka Truck
- Rooster Cart
- RVA Vegan Bike Powered Cart
- Kenn-Tico
- Papa Ningo
- Sausagecraft
- Pizza Tonight
- Olio Food Cart
- Chef Kelly’s Taqueria
- Hawk’s BBQ
- Chupacabra
- Habeneros Tacos
- Dollop Desserts
- Thinking of You
- Joey’s Hot Dogs
Breweries:
- Legend Brewing- Richmond, VA
- Hardywood Park- Richmond, VA
- Starr Hill Brewery- Crozet, VA
- Devils Backbone- Roseland, VA
- Midnight – Goochland, VA
- O’Connor- Norfolk, VA
- Roanoke Railhouse- Roanoke, VA
- Wolf Hills Brewing- Abingdon, VA
- Bull and Bones- Blacksburg, VA
- Big Daddy- Roanoke, VA
- Blue Lab- Lexington, VA
Bands:
- Chicken & Corn
- Beast Wellington
- DJ Reinhold
- Hear No Evil – silent disco
- with Radio Rubberroom as emcees for the day
17th Street Farmers Market is located at 100 N 17th St, Richmond.
–Jennifer Maciejewski
Music in the Park at Forest Hill Park: Free Bio Ritmo Concert on May 20 + 2012 Schedule
On my list of places to go at least one Sunday this summer:
Music in the Park is a free concert series at Forest Hill Park. Pack a picnic, grab some lawn chairs or a blanket, & head out for an evening of live music.
Here’s the schedule for this week + the 2012 season:
- May 20, 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.: Bio Ritmo (salsa)
- June 17, 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.: Skydog (Alman Bros. tribute)
- July 22, 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.: 808 (ska)
- August 19, 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.: 3rd Wave (surf rock)
- September 16, 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.: Blue Line Hwy (Americana)
- October 21, 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.: Broad Street Ramblers (Hawaiian Island string)
The main entrances to Forest Hill Park are at Forest Hill Avenue at West 41st Street and New Kent Avenue at 42nd Street.
–Jennifer Maciejewski
McDonald’s Coupon, Buck-a-Burger Sale at Whole Foods, Free Music from Spin Magazine, All 2012 Entertainment Books $12 Each + Free Shipping, & More
Don’t miss out on these deals, which were posted on Cities on the Cheap:
- McDonald’s: Coupon for $1 Off a Cherry Berry Chiller & More
- Whole Foods: Buck-A-Burger Sale on Friday, May 18, 2012
- Free Download of 9 Tracks from Spin Magazine’s May 2012 Issue
- 5 Ways to Spend the Weekend on the Cheap: May 18-20, 2012–Cities on the Cheap’s list
- Through May 20, all 2012 Entertainment Books are $12 each + free shipping. And through May 29, you can try out the digital edition of the Entertainment Book for $19.99.
–Jennifer Maciejewski
Daily Deals, Part 2: Memory Quilts, Science Club, Wall Graphics, Vistaprint, & Furniture
A few of the 
online-only & multiple-location deals on the daily deal sites…for the full list of deals from several sites, check out the Daily Deals page on Cities on the Cheap.
Though it’s Friday, May 18, you have a day or so to take advantage of most of these deals:
- On Groupon, Save up to 53% on a custom baby quilt, 12- or 16-square T-shirt memory quilt, or T-shirt memory quilt & pillow from Mominizer.
- On Groupon, $59 = six-month membership to The Magic School Bus Science Club + six monthly science kits.
- On Living Social, $25 = $50 towards wall graphics from Fathead.com.
- On Groupon, $17 = $70 worth of custom-printing services from Vistaprint.
- On Groupon, Save up to 43% on furniture from Home Decorators Collection. 19 options, includes shipping.
–Jennifer Maciejewski
Richmond’s Daily Deals: Hot Tamale Cafe, M Bistro & Wine Bar, Kangaroo Jac’s, Diving Classes, Laser Tag, Massage, & More
Here 
are a few of the highlights from the daily deals sites. If you’d like to browse the full list of deals that refresh automatically, you’ll find it on the Richmond’s Daily Deals page.
Since it’s Friday, May 18, deadlines vary from 11:59 p.m. tonight through Sunday.
Entertainment & Attractions
- Groupon: $10 = admission & walking tour for two at the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford
- ScoreBig (Richmond): Save 10%-70% on tickets to Nickelback with special guests Bush and My Darkest Days. Free to sign up; link lets you skip the wait list for membership.
- Goldstar (D.C./Northern VA): South Pacific, Capitol + Houses of Congress Tour, Cinemark Movie Tickets, Xanadu, The Normal Heart, The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Whipping Man, National Museum of Crime & Punishment, International Spy Museum, Medieval Times, & more.
Restaurants
- Seize the Deal: $10 = $20 at Hot Tamale Cafe
- Living Social: $20 = $40 at M Bistro & Wine Bar
- My River City Deals: $7 = $15 at Virginia Barbeque – Midlothian
Spas & Salons
- Groupon: $39 = one 60-minute massage ($99 = three) at Healing Touch Therapies
- Living Social: $80 = hour-long Imperial Topaz Rejuvenating facial at Rio Skincare
Shopping, Kayaking, Diving Classes, Laser Tag, Horseback Riding
- Living Social: $125 = all-day bounch-house rental ($175 with popcorn machine) from Jesse’s Jump Emporium
- Living Social: $45 = 2.5-hour recreational kayaking course for one ($89 for two) on a weekday, or $49 & $99 on a weekend from KAYAKrichmond
- Groupon: $15 = four kids’ playtime passes at Kangaroo Jac’s in Innsbrook
- Seize the Deal: $50 = $100 worth of PADI scuba diving classes at Sports Factory
- Dealfind: $39 = two sixty minute horseback riding lessons at Sheridan Stables
- Living Social: $15 = two three-game passes at Extreme Laser Tag at Southpark Mall
- Groupon: $20 = $40 worth of plants, gardening supplies, & outdoor decor at Colesville Nursery in Ashland
–Jennifer Maciejewski
Dessa Rose at Firehouse Theatre: Pick-Your-Price Matinees on Sunday, May 20 & June 3, 2012
I’d like to make it out to this show:
Dessa Rose will be at Firehouse Theatre through June 3, 2012. Per the summary: “Dessa Rose [is] a musical full of love, laughter, hope and a pair of two unlikely heroines. One is a fallen lady of society abandoned by her husband, the other a pregnant slave sentenced to death on the gallows. When circumstances thrust them together, they form an uneasy alliance in an attempt to secure them both their freedom and that of their infant children. The journey proves treacherous, and their lives become further intertwined. The women are forced to transcend racial barriers. They forge a true friendship that makes them realize they have far more power together than they ever would alone. Based on imagined details of real events, this dangerous adventure of a musical celebrates life in all its joys, triumphs and challenges.”
Want to see it on the cheap? On Sundays, you can attend a pick-your-price matinee of Dessa Rose. If tickets are still available on the day of the show, you can pick your ticket price to attend. Matinees start at 4:00 p.m., and the deal is available on May 20 as well as June 3, 2012.
FYI-It’s a very intimate theater, so even the “worst” seats in the house are still very good seats. And there’s ample free parking for Firehouse Theatre patrons in the Lowe’s parking lot across the street from the theater.
Firehouse Theatre is located at 1609 West Broad Street, Richmond. 804-355-2001.
–Jennifer Maciejewski
May Play Day at The Armour House & Gardens on May 19, 2012
On Saturday, May 19, 2012,
a free May Play Day will take place at The Armour House & Gardens.
From 1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m., there’ll be old-fashioned games, music, gardening activities, crafts, & more. Plus, The Armour House and its gardens will be open for tours.
The Armour House & Gardens is located at 4001 Clarendon Rd., Henrico. 804-343-3506
–Jennifer Maciejewski
Free “Stories at the Museum” Events at the Virginia Historical Society: Dumpling Soup on May 19 & 24, 2012
This month’s Virginia Historical Society’s Stories at the Museum events have an Asian & Pacific Heritage Month theme.
It’s free to attend the educator-led story times, and no advance RSVP is required.
Here’s the schedule for Stories at the Museum for the rest of May 2012:
Dumpling Soup by Jama Kim Rattigan
- Saturday, May 19, at 11:00 a.m.
- Thursday, May 24, at 5:00 p.m.
The Virginia Historical Society is located at 428 North Boulevard, Richmond. 804-358-4901
–Jennifer Maciejewski
Regal Coupons, Free Slurpee at 7-Eleven, Free Outdoor Essential Classes at Bass Pro Shops, Entertainment Book Sale, & 60% Off Restaurant.com Certificates
Don’t miss out on these deals, which were posted on Cities on the Cheap:
- Regal Coupons: $2 Off a Zap Pack or $2 Off Candy
- Free Slurpee at 7-Eleven on May 23, 2012
- Bass Pro Shops: Free Outdoor Essentials Classes for Adults on May 18-20, 2012
- Through May 18, 2012, promo code “DINE” = 60% off Restaurant.com discount certificates.
- Through May 31, all 2012 Entertainment Books are $15 each + free shipping. FYI–The original info I received stated that you’d have until May 20 to get all Entertainment books for $12 each; it’s worth clicking through to see if it’s still available. And through May 29, you can try out the digital edition of the Entertainment Book for $19.99.
–Jennifer Maciejewski
