BLEAK & BREWTAL

Strong Ale Festival
At Reaver Beach NFK

BLEAK & BREWTAL

Strong Ale Festival
At Reaver Beach NFK

Community. 

The City of Norfolk is proposing $76 million in upgrades and improvements to Chrysler Hall. Rip it.

Norfolk Scope was selected as the venue for the 2023 ECHL All-Star game, expected to bring over $1 million in economic impact to Downtown Norfolk. Rip it.

The Norfolk Botanical Garden is celebrating the contributions of over 200 African Americans who contributed immensely to the Garden’s founding with free admission every Thursday this month. Rip it.

The Cannabis Outlet, with shops on Granby Street and in Portsmouth, came under fire this week for selling illegal and mislabeled products. The shops are co-owned by Senator Louise Lucas, a co-patron of the state’s recent legalization bill. Rip it.

Teachers across the region are navigating conflicting and changing mask requirements as districts react to Governor Youngkin’s executive actions. Rip it.

FloodMapp an app that alerts Norfolk citizens of flooded streets, went live this month. Rip it.

The City of Norfolk is opening up more ways for residents to give feedback on how to spend ARPA money awarded to the City. Rip it.

Two of the African American female federal judges that President Joe Biden is considering nominating for the U.S. Supreme Court were born and raised in Norfolk. Rip it.

The Norfolk Admirals lost in overtime to the South Carolina Stingrays, narrowly missing a full sweep of the three-game series. Rip it.

ODU Athletic’s move to the Sun Belt Conference could mean significantly more revenue for the department. Rip it.

The OV St. Patrick’s Day Parade is back after a 2-year hiatus. Rip it.

Changes could be in store for Norfolk’s Governor’s School for the Arts after a bill focused on admissions passed the House of Delegates. Rip it.

The Tides have added an additional six games to their 2022 season, which would make it the longest in the history of the franchise. Rip it.

Culture.

The Creative Mind, a collection curated by the African American History Program at the National Academy of Sciences, is now on display at Nauticus. (NFK Currents Original) Rip it. 

Virginia Arts Festival has announced its full spring lineup, including the 25th Virginia International Tattoo. Rip it. 

Norfolk’s Original Indie Comics Expo returns on Saturday to Smartmouth. Rip it.

It’s the last weekend to catch “The Thanksgiving Play” at Wells Theater, a play that pokes fun at performative white allyship. Rip it. 

WHRO is hosting an emerging music concert series. Applications are open. Rip it. 

EDL and Tidewater Waves bring Meeting of the Minds to Selden Market on this Saturday. Rip it.

Balley Virginia will be performing “FIVE,” portraying the story of the Central Park Five. Rip it. 

Norfolk Master Gardners are hosting a 10-party weekly gardening series starting February 8th. Rip it. 

Song of Praise, Broken Beaches, and Castle Black come to Taphouse on February 19th. Rip it. 

Don’t miss the Virginia Ballet Theatre’s 60th Anniversary Concert next weekend. Rip it. 

Currently on Display:
Fence Street Gallery in the NEON District. Rip it.
Pier Luigi Nervi: Art and Science of Building at Chrysler Museum. Rip it. 
FloodZone: Photographs by Anatasia Samoylova at Chrysler Museum. Rip it. 
Water’s Rising: A View From Our Back Yard at Chrysler Museum. Rip it. 
The Totality of Time Lusters the Dusk at Chrysler Museum. Rip it. 
Art from Guantánamo Bay at Gordon Art Galleries. Rip it. 
Glitch City at Slowdive Gallery. Rip it.
Generational Shift at Gallery 21. Rip it. 
Mountain Man Art at Elation Brewing. Rip it.

Commerce.

Vote for Norfolk Currents (@NFK.VA) as your favorite local “Instagram Influencer” in Cova’s Best Of Awards. Rip it.

Pharrell Williams spoke at length about several economic development projects and his vision of what the region could be in an interview with Virginia Business. Rip it.

757 Collab, the parent organization for 757 Angels, 757 Accelerate, and 757 Startup Studios, has brought in a 20 year veteran of Silicon Valley and the tech industry to serve as a Mentor Manager. Rip it.

Sentara is kicking off a program that brings corporate and support staff into non-clinical healthcare roles to alleviate frontline workers. Rip it. 

Selden Market is still accepting applications for new tenants through the end of the month. Rip it. 

Black BRAND is accepting applications to grow businesses after receiving a $750,000 grant from the Rockefeller Foundation. Rip it. 

Steadfast Medical Staffing is on the hook for more than $7 million after denying wages and misclassifying employees. Rip it. 

ODU Economists are predicting inflation to continue without aggressive actions by the Federal Reserve. Rip it. 

59% of Virginia CEOs are expecting sales to increase over the next six months, despite ongoing concerns around the omicron variant. Rip it. 

Norfolk Economic Development has relaunched the Norfolk Small Business Technical Assistance Clinic and is accepting applications. Rip it. 

NRHA and Rent Ready are hosting a series of free webinars for landlords in Norfolk. Rip it. 

Engineering firm Lynch Mykins is breaking the mold in the engineering industry. Rip it. 

My Commissary Kitchen is growing with a second location on the way. Rip it. 

Regional Economic Stats. Port Stats. Labor Stats.

Crowds.

By Odin’s Beard! Fight off the winter weather at Bleak & Brewtal Strong Ale Festival featuring 12 breweries at Reaver Beach this Saturday. (NFK Currents Original) Rip it. 

Catch Norfolk Currents Merch Popup at Reaver Beach for Bleak and Brewtal on Saturday. Rip it. 

The OV St. Patricks Day Parade is back after two years of pandemic cancellations. Mark your calendars for Saturday, March 12th. Rip it. 

Tickets to the Spring Wine Festival at Town Point Park are now on sale. Rip it. 

Several previously scheduled events have been canceled due to rising COVD-19 cases. Please confirm event information and follow all CDC guidelines.   

**Please note that listed times are start times, many events run several hours**
Friday: 
Weekend Wine Tasting at Vino Culture. 4:00 pm. Rip it. 
First Friday Fountain Series at Crudo Nudo. 4:00 pm. Rip it. 
Fatal Romance: A Valentine’s Day Murder Mystery at Hunter House Victorian Museum. 5:00 pm. Rip it. 
The Street Where I Live opening reception at Offsite Gallery. 5:00 pm. Rip it. 
Amy Kaus performs live at Maker’s Craft Brewery. 6:00 pm. Rip it. 
Live Music Friday at Coaster Coffee. 6:00 pm. Rip it. 
James Ford performs live at Cova Brewing Co. 6:00 pm. Rip it. 
Rick Braun performs live at Brother’s Norfolk. 6:00 pm & 8:30 pm. Rip it. 
Aaron Firestone performs live at Benchtop Brewing. 6:00 pm. Rip it. 
Bad Movie Night at Michael and Kimthanh Lê Planetarium. 6:30 pm. Rip it. 
West Coast Swing Dance Dinner Party Mixer at Mambo Room. 6:30 pm. Rip it. 
Freedom Fridays at PBR in Waterside District. 7:00 pm. Rip it. 
Virginia Symphony presents the music of the Bee Bees at Chrysler Hall. 7:30 pm. Rip it.
Virginia Stage Company performs The Thanksgiving Play at Wells Theater. 7:30 pm. Rip it. 
Jan & Zane Duo perform live at Grain. 9:30 pm. Rip it. 
Up & Down Party with 4 DJs at Slowdive Gallery. 10:00 pm. Rip it. 
DJ Nobe and Jacky Flav perform live at Thank You Thank You Bar. 9:00 pm. Rip it. 

Saturday: 
Bohome Style Hanging Macrame Planter Workshop at Norfolk Botanical Garden. 10:00 am. Rip it. 
Meeting of the Minds: Black History Month at Selden Market. 11:00 am. Rip it. 
Youth Entrepreneurs Pop Up Shop at Early Excellence. 12:00 pm. Rip it. 
Noice: Norfolk’s Original Indie Comics Expo at Smartmouth Brewing. 12:00 pm. Rip it. 
Bleak & Brewtal – Strong Ale Festival at Reaver Beach NFK. 1:00 pm. Rip it. 
The Underground River Black History Tour departing Waterside Marina. 2:00 pm. Rip it.
Virginia Stage Company performs The Thanksgiving Play at Wells Theater. 3:00 pm & 7:30 pm. Rip it. 
Jeopardy by Beach Trivia at Cova Brewing Co. 3:00 pm. Rip it.
Fatal Romance: A Valentine’s Day Murder Mystery at Hunter House Victorian Museum. 5:00 pm. Rip it. 
Live Poetry Reading by Teddy the Brave at Pure Lagos. 5:00 pm. Rip it. 
Tidewater Striders Annual Banquet at Norfolk Yacht Club. 5:00 pm. Rip it.
Travis Morrison performs live at Maker’s Craft Brewery. 6:00 pm. Rip it.
Into The Fog Trio perform live at Benchtop Brewing. 6:00 pm. Rip it. 
Rick Braun performs live at Brother’s Norfolk. 6:00 pm & 8:30 pm. Rip it. 
MŒR Acoustic performs live at Boil Bay Seafood City. 7:00 pm. Rip it. 
VCW Pro Wrestling w/ Jay Lethal at Norfolk Masonic Temple. 7:30 pm. Rip it. 
So Fetch – 2000’s Tribute performs live at The Norva. 8:00 pm. Rip it. 
Conor Malone performs live at Grace O’Malley’s. 8:30 pm. Rip it. 
Snackbar Jones performs live at Grain. 9:00 pm. Rip it. 
Micky Slicks & Rylo perform live at Thank You Thank You Bar. 9:00 pm. Rip it. 

Sunday:

Chow.

Model Citizen & NFK Currents are teaming up for CityZen, a free live stream cocktail culture session. Register ahead to get the accompanying punch and Konbini style sandwiches. Rip it. 

Bumbling Beetz a pant-based urban market led by Bumbling Bee food truck comes to  Benchtop this Sunday. Rip it. 

The Beet Stack is ready for its debut. Now at Omar’s Carriage house. Rip it. 

The Beet Down cocktail featuring mezcal, pineapple, jalapeños, and beets is on deck at Four Eleven York. Rip it. 

Who knew Pliny had a whole family? Smartmouth drops Pliny the Younger this weekend. Rip it. 

Yorkshire Pudding has hopped across the pond and landed at Coachhouse. Rip it. 

Don’t be tense, grab some dense AF lemon poppy seed bread from Chelsea Bakehouse. Rip it. 

These handmade fortune cookies by Moontide will turn your fortunes around. Rip it. 

Why not Waakye? Yendidi has the hook-up. Rip it. 

The Ten Top is a top ten reason to cheat on your diet. Especially with this Pastrami, Bleu Cheese, and Cheddar Melt. Rip it. 

Get some more S’mores Waffles from Republic on Granby. Rip it. 

If you’re really head over heels, take your valentine to this 6-course wine dinner at Codex. Rip it. 

It’s very cherry, Jerry. Cure drops the Cherry Bomb, their latte flavor of the month. Rip it. 

Food Truck Sightings:
Friday:
Cheese it Up at Cova Brewing. Rip it. 
Ghost Kitchen at Smartmouth Brewing. Rip it.
Miami Fusion at Maker’s Craft Brewing. Rip it. 
Big Belly Food Truck at Reaver NFK. Rip it. 

Saturday:
Flavor Savor and Not Your Routine Poutine at Reaver NFK. Rip it. 
Ghost Kitchen at Smartmouth Brewing. Rip it.
Hades Wood Fired Pizza at Benchtop Brewing. Rip it.  
Deutscher Imbiss at Cova Brewing. Rip it. 
Pittsburgh’s Best at Maker’s Craft Brewing. Rip it. 

Sunday:
Shawna’s Rich Eats at Maker’s Craft Brewing. Rip it. 
Ghost Kitchen at Smartmouth Brewing. Rip it.
Bumbling Bee, Desmond’s Island Soul, and Capt’n Crabby at Benchtop Brewing. Rip it.  
Miami Fusion Brunch at Cova Brewing. Rip it. 

The Ripcurrent.

There really should be a mermaid bar this cool in Norfolk 

Paul Stetson Rice

Chelsea, NFK

Paul is the creator of NFKVA.com. He was born and raised in Norfolk, graduated from Virginia Tech, and narrowly avoided law school. Chat with him about economics, entrepreneurship, hip-hop, and hiking. When he's not working on five different projects, you'll catch him sharing a beer with friends at a local brewery. Go Hokies!