Arts and culture
It was a big week for Betty Reid Soskin, who turned 100 years old on Wednesday and was honored that day with the renaming of an El Sobrante middle school for her. Soskin has been an activist in the Bay Area and a park ranger in Richmond for many years and shows no sign of slowing down. She’s familiar to West Contra Costa school children who have taken her tours through Richmond’s National Historical Park, which has sites throughout the…
Live music, food, artists and vendors return to Richmond this weekend, with the 13th annual Spirit & Soul Festival. The annual ticketed event , hosted by the Richmond Main Street Initiative, celebrates the city’s arts and culture scene. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it will be presented as a hybrid this year. The free virtual broadcast will stream from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., with an in-person VIP Watch Party from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at El Garage, 1428…
Cruz Arroyo owns and operates Tamales Tamazula in Richmond, where his passion for food and tradition drives his business and keeps his customers returning week after week. The 41-year-old tamalero parks his stand at 23rd Street and Lincoln Avenue, where he sells tamales from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m., Wednesday to Sunday. He’s had to move his business to various spots in Richmond in the past eight years and jump a few hurdles to keep it going during a global…
Bryan Goldenberg has been a glassblower for 27 years. He holds weekly classes for students of all experience levels in his new studio, Slow Burn Glass, in Richmond. In August, Richmond Confidential filmed one of Goldenberg’s classes and chatted with students. Some were inspired to take the class after watching the Netflix series “Blown Away,” which is about glass-blowing. Others said they were looking for a communal activity after a year of lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. For all, the…