It’s a bittersweet time of the summer for us, knowing this will be our last August without school in the mix. The announcement came in June that this will be the final year our schools will start after Labor Day, and come 2023, we’ll start back in mid-August. The public schools in our area are among the last to follow this trend, and I hear it’s not so bad once you get used to it. But as we all know, change is hard, especially after only knowing school as an early September through mid-June thing for my entire life. The first year will be especially rough, with summer vacation shrinking down by a few weeks, but I’m sure we’ll all get used to it and probably even come to enjoy the new schedule eventually. And hey, there will now be no worries that my older son’s graduation will fall on his younger brother’s mid-June birthday since graduations will now be sometime in May, so there’s that silver lining.
For this year, we’ll soak up the lazy days of summer all the way until Labor Day, enjoying some of our favorite rituals, like evening cookouts, bike rides to the ice cream shop, our annual beach trip with friends, and our newest favorite summer event, the Virginia Credit Union Moonlight Ride on Friday night, August 5. If you haven’t done this before, I highly recommend it. I mean, when else can you ride your bike right down the middle of Arthur Ashe Boulevard, Lakeside Avenue, and through Bryan Park with no vehicles on the road?! And all while people cheer you on from the side of the road! The lights, decorations, costumes, music, and party atmosphere can’t be beat. It’s really so much fun for the whole family. Head to page 35 for more information about this awesome Sports Backers event, and be sure to stop by the RFM table and say hi before the race or at the post-race party.
There is plenty to love in this issue of RFM, and if you’re like me, you’ll be adding Asheville to your travel bucket list after reading Wendy Irvine’s feature, beginning on page 38. I had already been itching to visit the area after hearing so many great things about it, but now that I see just how much there is to do for the whole family, we’ll definitely be taking a road trip there soon.
In addition, you’ll come away with a lot of solid advice on teaching kids about consent after reading Aditi Wardhan Singh’s article beginning on page 18, so be sure to check that out. And on the lighter side, on page 24, you’ll get some great tips on finding fun and budget-friendly family things to do in Richmond from this issue’s Real Mom, Nikki Brown. Our very first DadZone writer Tony Farrell is back on page 66 with his hilarious recap of his college-aged kids return to the nest for the summer.
As always, the RFM calendar is brimming with so many fun things to do all over RVA and beyond. There are even more events on our website, so be sure to keep up with us at RFMonline.com, and while you’re there, subscribe to our weekly RFM eNews for weekend highlights, new contests, and more, delivered straight to your inbox every Thursday.
Enjoy this issue and thanks for picking up RFM!
