We’re really excited to be partnering with the Virginia Craft Brewers Fest to give away four tickets to the event on Aug. 19 in C-ville. First the details, then the catch.

Deets: The Va. Craft Brewers Fest goes off at 2 p.m. (1 p.m. for those with VIP tix) on Aug. 19 at IX Art Park in Charlottesville. It features a ridiculous amount of Virginia craft breweries — almost 100 to be somewhat exact. You can buy tickets here or you can win them right here, two sets of two of them of them, in fact — a $120 value for each set of two. But that’s where the catch comes in…

Last year’s Va. Craft Brewers Fest in Charlottesville.

The Catch: Our friends at the Va. Craft Brewers Fest aren’t just purveyors and promoters of great Virginia beer. They also want to make our fine commonwealth a better place to drink beer. To that end: To be eligible for the tickets to this huge party, you’ve got to visit our friends at Keep Virginia Cozy, an RVA-based group dedicated to cleaning up Richmond and our fair state. Check out their Facebook page here and consider signing up for their next event, which (what are the odds?) starts an ends at Vasen Brewing Company in Scott’s Addition. Once you’ve liked them on FB, shoot us an email (andy@richmondoutside.com) and you’ll be entered in the giveaway.

And finally… Next Monday (Aug. 14), we’ll pick two winners at random and send them an email with a code for their free tickets. Simple as that!

Volunteering note (one that’s extremely family friendly): Registration is now open for the James River Regional Cleanup.

The Cleanup is an annual event of the James River Advisory Council and for years has attracted hundreds of volunteers from Lynchburg to the tidal James, who roam the shorelines on foot and cruise the water in boats to clean up trash, an effort that is a tremendous benefit to the river, its wildlife, and the people who visit and enjoy the river. JRAC even provides refreshments when it’s over. There are numerous official cleanup sites to choose from. Last year 700 volunteers joined together to collect 530 bags of trash and 296 bags of recycling.

Mark your calendars now: James River Regional Cleanup on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017. Or click this link to learn more.

A celebration of Richmond’s urban trail system and popular craft brewery culture, Trails and Ales presented by Capital Ale House is set for Saturday, September 16th and will take place in Manchester (W. 10th Street and Semmes Avenue) adjacent to the SunTrust Mortgage offices, at 4:30 p.m.

Registration is now open for the trail run and craft beer festival, which will feature a new partnership with Capital Ale House and new course highlights, including the popular T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge.

Runners navigate the North Bank Trail during a previous Trails and Ales event. Credit: Sports Backers

“Capital Ale House is proud to partner with Sports Backers for the third annual Trails and Ales trail run and beer festival,” said Amy DuFour, Director of Marketing for Capital Ale House. “Sports Backers provides a valuable service to the Richmond area by promoting an active lifestyle, and we believe in their mission. We are excited for the opportunity to connect directly with our community by supporting Trails and Ales.”

The first block of 250 spots is open now at a special rate of $30 for the Pint Glass course (5k distance) and $40 for the Tall Boy course (8-mile distance). Once the first 250 spots have been claimed, registration will re-open at a later date with a higher fee for both distances. Overall registration will be capped at 1,000 participants.

In conjunction with the trail run will be a craft beer festival, highlighting the exciting culture of craft brewing that continues to rise in the Richmond region. Beers and ciders from local and regional breweries, including Buskey Hard Cider, South Street Brewery, Stone Brewing, and Wild Wolf Brewing Company, will be available at the festival, and race participants will receive a stainless steel finisher cup and one drink ticket to be redeemed at the festival. There will also be food trucks, beverages available for purchase, and music. Friends, family, and spectators are invited to take part in the festival.

Both the Tall Boy and Pint Glass courses will be on the scenic Buttermilk and North Bank trails in the James River Park System. The Tall Boy course pairs medium to high climbs with smooth paths along the river and across the T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge, while the Pint Glass course has lower mileage, but shares the same earthy aromas, scenic views, and exciting finish.

Participants will have the opportunity to donate to support the RVA MORE Trail Maintenance Fund as part of Trails and Ales. All event donations will help with the cost of bridge materials and equipment for volunteer trail work in the City of Richmond to be used in the ongoing efforts to protect RVA’s urban trail system. Click here for more information and to register for Trails and Ales.

It’s no secret that we here at RichmondOutside are big fans of animal cams — especially the RVAOspreyCam (but also this one of grizzlies in Alaska) — so we were excited to see the news this morning on Maymont’s Facebook Page that their cam featuring the the two new river otters is operational. Click here to check it out.

Oh, and while we’re on the subject of Maymont, they’ve got a really cool event coming up on August 6 at 1 p.m. at the Nature Center (home of the otter cam).

Rare at Maymont it’s called, and the five-hour program offers the ability to “Learn about the rare, endangered and protected animals of Virginia…Science Matters, an educational initiative of the Community Idea Stations, along with Maymont educators and community partners, will provide hands-on activities for the whole family. Enjoy interactions with animals and their handlers and in-depth discussions with wildlife experts. It’s a unique opportunity to explore the important issues facing at-risk and protected species in Virginia. This event is in conjunction with the PBS Series RARE: Creatures of the Photo Ark, which will air on WCVE PBS and WHTJ PBS July 18, 25 and August 1 at 9pm, and on WCVW PBS July 20, 27 and August 3 at 8pm.”

Hike the James River Park for a good cause. That’s all the Blue Sky Fund is asking.

Late October might seem like a long way off, but just imagine it: changing leaves, cool dry weather, the actual need to wear long sleeves in the middle of the day. Sounds like bliss, right? Sounds like a good day for a hike, too. That makes it perfect timing for the Hike4Kids, the annual hike-athon fundraiser from our good friends at the Blue Sky Fund.

Last year over 200 participants chose three different distances: 5-, 10-, and 18-milers, all on trails in the James River Park System; started/finished at Legend Brewery; and generally had a blast. This year, the concept is the same but some of the details have changed.

For 2017 you can challenge yourself with the family-friendly 3-mile loop, the tougher 8-miler, or the endurance-distance 14-mile loop. All hikes start and end at the Virginia War Memorial. The after party features local food trucks and beer from the brand new Vasen Brewing (grand opening July 29 in Scott’s Addition).

To learn more and register, click here. Your participation will help ensure outdoor enrichment opportunities for Richmond’s urban youth!

A couple weeks back we introduced a non-profit new to RVA called Keep Virginia Cozy. Litter pickups are a big part — though not all — of what they do, and I’d love to see their footprint grow. If you’ve been down to Pony Pasture between Memorial and Labor days, you know that trash is a constant challenge. So, while we wait for people to figure out that it’s not that hard to leave the park with the same stuff they brought in, let’s support groups like KVC that are doing something about it.

Picking up trash near Texas Beach on the north bank of the James River. Credit: KVC

Here’s the info — and here’s the link — on their next event, a Pony Pasture cleanup:

Hey everyone! I just want to say thanks to all of y’all who came out to our last cleanup down on Belle Isle! Your efforts pulled upwards of 40+ bags of trash out of our beautiful river!! Sadly though, there is still trash to be had.. We are going to set our sights on Pony Pasture and the surrounding rocks that people like to hangout on. As per usual there will be coffee and donuts provided by Sugar Shack Donuts, to get everyone hopped up on coffee and sugar so you can have energy to grab as much litter as you can in 3 hours! I really want to extend a warm thank you to everyone who has come out to our past cleanups…and those of you who have taken the extra step and made a donation for our cause. None of this would be possible without y’all! Thank y’all from the bottom of my heart! I hope to see y’all and all your friends down at Pony Pasture on July 22nd at 8:45 a.m.! And as always…remember….. Be kind, Smile at strangers, Pickup litter, and Keep Virginia Cozy!

A lakeside campsite at Douthat State Park.

If you’ve wanted to try camping but don’t know how to begin, Virginia’s state parks are great places to start with the Great American Campout, June 24. (The National Wildlife Foundation created the Great American Campout to help introduce families to camping.)

Ten state parks will offer special overnight events, including camping in new, unusual locations.

The Great American Campout at Natural Tunnel State Park starts June 23 and offers a special camping experience, including stargazing by the gazebo. It’s $50 for family of up to four people.

Caledon State Park’s Great American Campout features a campfire with stories and a special night hike. $15 per family includes programs, supper and lunch.

Grayson Highlands State Park offers a free program with camping equipment available.

For a first time ever experience, High Bridge Trail State Park is offering camping on High Bridge for $35 plus tax for up to six people.

Bring your own food and equipment to camp for free at Hungry Mother State Park.

James River State Park will have free camping with volunteers on hand to help first-timers.

Natural Bridge State Park will have a Sky Party astronomy event with optional primitive camping for $8 per tent for up to six people. This will be the first camping opportunity in Virginia’s newest Virginia State Park.

Sky Meadows State Park will offer camping in the beautiful backyard of Mount Bleak House. The event also includes live animals from the Blue Ridge Wildlife Center, a demo by Dogs East search and rescue, and a campfire sing-along. $30 per campsite.

At Smith Mountain Lake State Park, you can camp with a ranger available for help and guidance.

Wilderness Road State Park offers camping 101 programs during the day and an optional overnight campout for $10 per family.

Seventeen parks have special programming for the day and encourage participants to make the experience overnight by reserving a campsite in the campground. Five parks have camping programs scheduled. Find the complete list of special programs here.

In addition to campsites, some state parks offer camping cabins and yurts. These facilities are in the campground and guests use the bathhouse. Guests don’t need to invest in a tent and sleeping bags.

BTW, Virginia State Parks offers more than 300 cabins with air conditioning. That seems like a lot to me.

Our friends at the Blue Sky Fund are in the middle of a three-day fundraising blitz. If you’re not familiar with BSF, the above video will give you a taste of what they do and why it’s so vital. Here’s a little bit more about the Blue Skies Ahead campaign that’s currently underway:

With your help Blue Sky Fund will have the resources to offer two additional Outdoor Adventure Clubs this coming school year and will send a dedicated, deserving group of past Outdoor Leadership Institute participants on their 4th Annual Alumni Trip later this month to the beautiful mountains of Colorado!

Blue Sky’s Outdoor Adventure Clubs and Outdoor Leadership Institute are designed to build character traits and skills that have been proven to help children escape destructive cycles of poverty. We work primarily and strategically in Richmond’s East End, which includes the highest concentration of poverty in our region and some of Virginia’s lowest performing schools.

Please take a look at the info contained in the above links and consider contributing to BSF’s incredible mission.