Active Woman Traveler

Central Virginia’s 3rd year in the international ride recruited over 70 riders and participants in Richmond Va., on May 4th. Police assisted motorcyclists out of The Showplace’s parking lot onto Mechanicsville Turnpike’s weekday traffic. Witnesses to the event are reported to have experienced an overwhelming sense of pride as women rode through congested streets to take part in the world’s largest single day ride. “I traveled with the bikes in my car and kept all four windows down to feel the wind . . . to show solidarity,” said Venus - one of the event’s supporters. Aside from admiring drivers like Venus, the women were escorted by an entourage of male motorcyclists who trailed directly behind the ladies; chivalry is alive and well in the biker community. A Richmond gathering that started with less than 10 riders is growing each year and excitement continues to build over the area’s annual team spirited journey from Richmond to the ride's destination at Lowery's Seafood Restaurant in Tappahannock, Va. Plans are currently being made for International Female Ride Day 2013. The group’s supporters welcome more sponsors and riders. To learn about the history of International Female Ride Day, visit motoress.com. 

My family of riders and I had a blast!  See you on the road the first Friday in May for IFRD 2013!

Marie is the publisher of Just Rydin Magazine.  To reach her regarding this article, send emails to justrydin@gmail.com or submit inquiries on justrydinmag.com.

Above Photograph: Marquis-images.com

     On June 4th, 2011 over one-hundred and fifty bikes participated in this year’s charity ride to raise funds for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Richmond. Organizers for this annual event are the Tuskegee Airmen Motorcycle Club of Richmond, VA. With the support of a well attended police escort, bikers gathered from near and far to ride through areas like Hillside, Creighton, and Mosby Courts. As the bikes approach, children pour onto the streets cheering on each and every rider. Adults throughout the city of Richmond, Highland Springs and Sandston join in too with whistles, peace signs and lots of waving. Community pride becomes infectious and the ride ends what feels like way to soon but thanks to the contributions of local law enforcement, motorcycle associations and independent riders there will be a next year. Come on out and applaud the riders in 2012!

     To learn more about the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Richmond, visit www.bgcmr.org.

     Marie Cammock-Payne is the founder of Just Rydin Magazine and contributing writer for V-Magazine’s online Motorcycle Mania publication. She along with her support team of motorcycle photographers and event riders report on biker events nationwide. To contact Marie with inquiries about upcoming charity rides and bike events, send emails to justrydin@yahoo.com or mjcammo@yahoo.com.

The first Friday in May, every May, is International Female Ride Day (IFRD). Motorcyclists around the world unite to create a global single day ride in celebration of female riders. On Friday, May 4, 2012 Richmond, Va. will participate for the 3rd year straight. In 2010 there were a handful of women and male supporters who took part in the ride, this year coordinator “Mz. Complexxx” records over 100 inquiries into the ride that leaves from the Showplace on Mechanicsville Tpke. Originally a week day was chosen so that the IFRD movement could encourage women to ride to work but this campaign grew and IFRD and Motoress founder Vicky Gray, in Canada, discovered that the popularity of the ride was evolving into a one day celebration. To learn more about the history of International Female Ride Day and the impact this ride continues to make in Canada, U.S., Europe and other locations visit motoress.com. Will Richmond ride 100+ deep? All motorcyclists and non-rider supporters are welcomed to find out. This year’s Richmond Ride leaves the Showplace Friday, May 4th at 11 a.m. Join the ride or cheer Richmond bikers off! Riders leave Mechanicsville Tpk. Showplace and head towards Tappahannock’s Lowery’s Seafood Restaurant.

Article by Marie Payne, publisher of Just Rydin Magazine.  Send your inquiries to justrydin@gmail.com.  Visit justrydinmag.com to read motorcycle stories, news and clips.

150 Years Ago. On this Date. In this Place. At this Time.

Richmond, VA (April 5) – One hundred and fifty years ago this spring, the battles that took place around Richmond shaped the course of the Civil War. In May and June of 1862, more than 200,000 Americans waged war against one another on central Virginia’s farm fields, river bluffs and country roads as the massive Union Army – more than 100,000 strong – fought to capture the Confederate capital. After tens of thousands of casualties on both sides, the Union Army had failed to take Richmond. Robert E. Lee, now in command of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, had taken the initiative. And a new war aim was gaining momentum in the North: Emancipation.

“The spring 1862 battles around Richmond impacted the way the war would be fought for the next three years,” said David Ruth, superintendent of Richmond National Battlefield Park. “And the battles here affected not only the enormous armies themselves, but also the residents of Richmond and central Virginia who were forever changed—from farm families that lost everything to African-Americans seeking freedom with the Union Army. The Sesquicentennial is an opportunity to offer our visitors new and unique programs to explore all of these stories.”

Beginning May 9 and continuing through July 11, the Richmond Region will commemorate the 150th anniversary of this tumultuous period of the Civil War with 60 days of special events: “On this date. In this place. At this time.” During this time, battlefields and historic sites will offer visitors unparalleled opportunities to walk in the footsteps of history, experience Richmond’s story from multiple viewpoints and discover what made these battles so significant.

Exceptional places: Visitors will explore battlefield landscapes at Gaines’ Mill, Glendale, and Malvern Hill that are not regularly open to the public, and witness unique presentations that blend living history and National Park Service (NPS) Ranger-led storytelling on the dates, in the places, and at the times where and when the historic events took place. 

Untold stories: Programs at Historic Tredegar, Gaines’ Mill and Glendale will explore stories of self-emancipation of thousands of African-Americans during the Peninsula Campaign, and the free African-American community at Gravel Hill that was caught in the middle of one of the Civil War’s largest battles.

Interactive children’s activities: Weapons demonstrations and exhibits about Civil War ballooning and telegraphy, as well as scavenger hunts, invite children to explore science and technology through activities that will engage and fascinate audiences of all ages.

“Few areas of the United States were affected by the Civil War like the Richmond Region. The 1862 anniversary events taking place May through July offer visitors the chance to take part in some of America’s most authentic and compelling historical experiences,” said Jack Berry, president of the Richmond Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau. “This provides us with tremendous economic development opportunities. Approximately 10 percent of the Richmond Region’s 6 million annual visitors experience a Civil War site as part of their trip, and research shows that the typical Civil War visitor stays longer in Virginia and spends more money per day than the average visitor.”

A full schedule of events, as well as information about Civil War and Emancipation 150th hotel packages may be found at www.OnToRichmond.com/1862. Below is a sampling of what’s in store in the Richmond Region May 9-July 11.

Battle of Drewry’s Bluff Anniversary Programs: May 9-May 15
The commemoration kicks off on Wednesday, May 9 with a series of events that explore the Battle of Drewry’s Bluff, the U.S. Navy’s first, and last, attempt to take the Confederate capital by water. The battle also resulted in the first Medal of Honor awarded to a U.S. Marine, Cpl. John Mackie who stepped into the breach and manned a naval gun after most of its crew had been killed or injured. The U.S. Marine Corps Historical Company will host exhibits The Marines of the Civil War and Their Relevance and Impact on Today's Corps and Brother against Brother: the Marines at the Battle of Drewry's Bluff.

May 9 marks the opening of the Civil War 150 HistoryMobile at the Chesterfield County Public Library, an interactive 18-wheeler “museum on wheels” housed in a 78’ expandable tractor-trailer. It draws together stories from all over Virginia and uses state-of-the-art technology and immersive exhibit spaces to present individual stories of the Civil War from the perspectives of those who experienced it—young and old, enslaved and free, soldiers and civilians. The HistoryMobile will be on site May 9-12.

On May 9, Chesterfield County Public Library’s Central branch will host multiple activities such as games played in the 1800s; Getting Dressed in a Hurry: 19th Century Ladies’ Clothing and Dressing; the firing of a Civil War-era Napoleon cannon; music from the Press Gang; an interactive scavenger hunt; and a Traveling Trunk demonstration.

On May 11, the library will host a Drewry’s Bluff Panel Discussion with Civil War historians discussing the battle from different perspectives, including the political and home front reactions. From May 9-12, the library will invite visitors to digitally scan historic documents, such as letters and diaries, so that they are accessible for future research.

At the Drewry’s Bluff unit of Richmond National Battlefield Park, multiple artillery demonstrations will take place on Saturday, May 12 and Sunday, May 13, helping visitors understand key elements of the battle. The exhibit Civil War Texting will demonstrate the use of telegraphy during the Civil War. The U.S. Marine Corps Quantico Marine band will host a concert on the site on Saturday afternoon. Visitors will also have the opportunity to participate in presentations from Chip Mann, the great-grandson of Sgt. Samuel Mann - one of the fort’s Confederate defender’s in 1862, and historian John Coski from the Museum of the Confederacy talking about the naval defenses of Richmond.

School groups from throughout the area are invited Monday, May 14 to Drewry’s Bluff Education Day and Student/Teacher Open House Day. NPS and the U.S. Marine Corps Historical Company will host education stations, including Marines Then and Now, where participants will meet Marines and learn about the battle, Civil War engineering, and about the role of Marines today.

On May 15, the anniversary of the battle of Drewry’s Bluff, NPS Ranger-led tours will explore the engagement in the places and at the times where it happened.

Peninsula Campaign Programs: May 19-June 17
. The U.S. Navy’s failure at Drewry’s Bluff ensured that all future attempts to take the Confederate capital were conducted overland. By late May 1862, Gen. George B. McClellan’s Union army – 120,000 soldiers – was just miles from the city. The next six weeks would turn out to be crucial.

Events in May and June such as bus tours of the Seven Pines/Fair Oaks battlefield and a tour of the Battle of Hanover Court House will explore the jockeying of the two armies. On Sunday, June 3, NPS and Henrico County will host Seven Pines and the Peninsula Campaign: Photography Begins to Tell the Tale of the Civil War. On Sunday June 17, NPS and the Virginia State Capitol will present a tour beginning in the Capitol Building called Life in the Confederate Capital City in the Summer of 1862.

Seven Days Campaign Programs: June 19-July 11
. The climax of the Peninsula Campaign came at the end of June with a series of battles between McClellan and Confederate General Robert E. Lee, who was appointed commander of the Army of Northern Virginia on June 1. These engagements, which came to be known as the Seven Days Battles, were among the largest of the war and saved the Confederate capital of Richmond for the next two years.

On Tuesday, June 19, the Virginia Historical Society will host The Civil War at a Crossroads: The Seven Days with University of Richmond President and Civil War scholar Dr. Ed Ayers. On Saturday, June 23, NPS and the American Civil War Center will present Voices from the Storm, Richmond 1862, a special outdoor multimedia program at Historic Tredegar on the banks of the James River created from the images and voices of the people who lived 150 years ago. These important reminiscences illuminate the struggles, hopes and transformations during the summer of 1862. Bus tours on Sunday, June 24 and Friday, June 29, will explore the full Seven Days campaign.

 Living History Weekend at Gaines’s Mill Battlefield Saturday, June 23 and Sunday, June 24, will include exhibits, demonstrations of life and activities in camp and on the battlefield as well as infantry, artillery and cavalry demonstrations. The day also will feature Reconnaissance from Above: Balloons in the Civil War, a demonstration of the use of balloons during the summer of 1862.

Walking tours on Tuesday, June 26 will commemorate the Beaver Dam Creek anniversary and explore the battle that saw the launching of Lee’s offensive against the Union Army.

Wednesday, June 27 will mark the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gaines’s Mill – Lee’s first victory and renowned historian Ed Bearss will tell the tale of the battle. NPS Ranger-led walking tours will take visitors along the paths of the armies, in the places and at the times when the specific actions occurred. Additional tours will explore the story of Sarah Watt and other civilians caught in the maelstrom.

The Confederate Army’s best opportunity – one that was ultimately lost – was at a crossroads in Henrico County called Glendale. The 150th anniversary of the Battle of Glendale takes place on Saturday, June 30and will feature numerous special events. African-Americans Caught in the Vortex explores Gravel Hill, the only free African-American community situated in the middle of the contending armies. Opportunity Lost; The Final Confederate Push at Glendale Falls Short is a walking tour that begins at the Whitlock Farm and finishing along the Willis Church Road corridor.

The final battle of the Seven Days, the Battle of Malvern Hill, ended in a Union victory but by the next day, Confederates held the field as McClellan withdrew his army towards the James River and the protection of U.S. Navy. Events commemorating the 150th anniversary of this battle will take place Sunday, July 1. Highlights include The Battle of Malvern Hill: A Breakdown in Leadership and Communications: a Recipe for Disaster. From cannon fire to infantry attacks, this program will be a unique interplay of narration by an NPS park ranger and living history demonstrations illustrating how the battle unfolded.

On July 11 at the Virginia Historical Society, Gary Gallagher, the John L. Nau III Professor of the History of the American Civil War at the University of Virginia, will conclude the series of events with his presentation More Important Than Gettysburg: The Seven Days Campaign as a Turning Point. Gallagher will discuss the situation after the Seven Days, the ramifications of McClellan’s failure to take Richmond, and where the armies moved from Richmond as a result.

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Visit GPSMyCity.com for a walking tour iPhone app of Civil War highlights in Richmond, VA.