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Sept. 7 Newsletter: Keeping Richmond great

Weather: It should be a gorgeous Labor Day, with a high of 84.

On this date in 2015, Virginia Tech loses to No. 1-ranked Ohio State in a college football season opener.

Today's newsletter celebrates the final three honorees in our list of The Richmonder 25, our annual series celebrating the people who make us proud to be Richmonders. Read all of their stories here.

Also, please remember to book your tickets for our celebration on Sept. 25, where we'll celebrate all 25!

Junior Martin dances in the median to inspire you

Keithvell "Junior" Martin has become locally famous for his nightly dancing in the median along Belvidere Street. He’s been at it almost three years.

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“I just really love dancing. It's in my spirit — I have to get out there and do it,” he said.

Martin was diagnosed with ADHD when he was younger and discovered a love for dancing that became an outlet for him. He said he'll keep dancing as long as his career allows. Read more here.

Larkin Garbee contributes to Jackson Ward's thriving

Garbee, a 20-year resident of the district, has seen the ebbs and flow of an ever-evolving neighborhood – one that fiercely defends and fights to retain its deep roots to Richmond’s Black history, while at the same time making sure it stays high on the list of the city’s ongoing renovation and revitalization projects.

“The beautiful thing about Jackson Ward is that you can kind of feel a little New York City because you have the hustle and bustle of Broad,” she said. “But you can go two blocks away to Clay Street and you have these beautiful tree canopies and gorgeous wrought-iron historic homes.” Read more here.

At 85, Franck Boynton has delivered meals to Richmond’s neediest for almost two decades

The longer he works as a Meals on Wheels volunteer, the more Franck Boynton ends up delivering food to people younger than he is.

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The white van he uses to make deliveries across the Richmond region has logged over 400,000 miles and counting.

Now 85 years old, Boynton said he intends to keep doing the meal drop-offs as long as he can. And there’s not much slowing him down yet. When he was doing a delivery a few years back in a high-rise building with a broken elevator, he climbed nine stories — three flights at a time with rest in between — to get food to a blind man who needed it. Read more here.

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Save the date! We're throwing a party for our Richmonder 25 honorees on Friday, Sept. 25 at The Hippodrome. Ticket info is here, or buy a table and invite your friends!

The Richmonder 25 series sponsor:

Proud to call Richmond home, Estes is driven by people who go the extra mile — every day, for every customer. As the nation’s largest privately held freight carrier and a Richmond Top Workplace, we’re always looking for great people to join our team.

Explore careers at Estes

Also today

Power grid auction falls short of meeting 2028-29 energy needs, organizing group cites data centers

Chesterfield County became a data center destination in Central Virginia with the arrival of three Google campuses, but a looming electricity shortfall is raising questions about whether the region’s power grid can keep up. Read more here.

Was that one of Richmond's greatest weeks of high school football ever?

It would not be hyperbole to say that Week 2 of the regular season for high school football ranks among the greatest ever throughout the Richmond area. Consider the headline wins by Varina, Huguenot, Thomas Dale and Trinity Episcopal. Read more here.

In other news

The editor's desk

Last year's celebration of The Richmonder 25 was one of my favorite events we've ever done. This year promises to be even better, and I'm thrilled to welcome guest speaker Perris Jones, a former UVA football player. Get your tickets now!

Michael Phillips, founder
mphillips@richmonder.org

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