WHRO Events

Join us for a whimsical adventure at the 36th Annual Virginia Children’s Festival, presented by Sentara Health Plans, on Saturday, October 4th, at the enchanting Town Point Park along the Downtown Norfolk Waterfront!

Watch Mr. Steve from PBS Kids perform on stage and visit the WHRO booth to meet Superwhy, play games, and win prizes!

Crafted especially for little explorers aged 10 and younger, this magical festival brings to life more than 100 hands-on activities where imagination knows no bounds! Enjoy costumed characters that leap off the page, lively musical performances that will get you dancing, captivating dance lessons and a treasure trove of surprises just waiting to be discovered! Create unforgettable memories with your family in this playground of joy and wonder!

Children ages 1 and younger are free.

Join the WHRO News team for an engaging and informative evening that takes you behind the headlines. Learn how a simple tip becomes a fully developed news story, meet the reporters who bring you trusted local journalism, and discover the standards and processes that guide WHRO’s newsroom every day.

This interactive discussion will highlight the critical role local journalism plays in keeping our community informed and connected. You’ll also have the chance to ask questions, share your perspectives, and connect with our reporters directly before and after the panel.

5:30pm Lobby Opens
6pm WHRO News Panel with Maurice Jones
6:45pm Audience Q&A
7pm Mingle with Journalists

This event is presented by the WHRO Community Advisory Board

Moderator
Maurice Jones, VP of WHRO News

Panelists
Denise Watson - Editor
Katherine Hafner - Climate and Environment reporter
Steve Walsh - Military and Veterans reporter

THIS EVENT WILL BE RECORDED FOR DISTRIBUTION ON WHRO CHANNELS.

Catch TWO CHANCES to chat with local Williamsburg candidates this month at Williamsburg Regional Library!

SPACE IS LIMITED 🚨 REGISTER AT TICKET LINK

Join WHRO Public Media and Williamsburg Watch for candidate forums happening from 6pm-7:30pm

OCT. 8

James City County candidate forum featuring candidates for James City County Board of Supervisor and the Williamsburg-James City County School Board. Register for the free event to hear candidates’ plans for local government and have a chance to ask your own questions.

OCT. 15

Williamsburg-area candidate forum featuring candidates for the 69th and 71st House of Delegates districts. Register for the free event to hear candidates’ plans for state government and have a chance to ask your own questions.

ROŪGE THEATER REINVENTED and ODU REP PRESENT The Great Filipino American Aswang Pageant

Navigate a world filled with fantastical creatures and heartwarming camaraderie while uncovering the true meaning of identity and self-discovery in "The Great Filipino American ASWANG Pageant". This groundbreaking production defies expectations as it weaves together mythology, camp, and high-stakes pageantry with music and scandal! This unique production is a collaboration between playwright, Kat Stevens; creative lead, Philip Odango; and ROŪGE: Theater Reinvented

October 9 | 7:30pm
As part of ODU Literary Festival

October 16 + 17 | 7:30pm
October 18 | 2:00pm

at University Theatre on the campus of Old Dominion University

Catch TWO CHANCES to chat with local Williamsburg candidates this month!

SPACE IS LIMITED 🚨 REGISTER AT TICKET LINK

Join WHRO Public Media and Williamsburg Watch for candidate forums happening from 6pm-7:30pm

OCT. 8

James City County candidate forum featuring candidates for James City County Board of Supervisor and the Williamsburg-James City County School Board. Register for the free event to hear candidates’ plans for local government and have a chance to ask your own questions.

OCT. 15

Williamsburg-area candidate forum featuring candidates for the 69th and 71st House of Delegates districts. Register for the free event to hear candidates’ plans for state government and have a chance to ask your own questions.

Come by Chrysler Museum's Perry Glass Studio to see WHRO during the first night of the 10th annual NEON Festival! We'll have freebies and plenty of info on WHRO.

The NEON Festival is a free two evening event that encourages visitors to explore and discover the NEON District. The festival celebrates the energy in NEON and draws from the passion and creativity in Downtown and the region. Anchored by the Chrysler Museum of Art and Harrison Opera House and extending to The Plot on Granby Street, the NEON District includes many creative small businesses and arts partners that contribute to the festivities.

Come out to enjoy local art & stop by the community tent to say hello! We'll have freebies and plenty of info on WHRO.

Since 1984 Hope House Foundation has hosted the Stockley Gardens Arts Festival, a two-day event featuring over 125 artists from across the U.S. and overseas to participate and showcase their art in a variety of mediums, including photography, pottery, sculpture, painting, mixed media and jewelry.

Stockley Gardens Park offers the festival a distinctive atmosphere with its peaceful garden setting in the heart of the historic district in Ghent, Norfolk. The festival is free and open to the public and attracts thousands of people who enjoy the art, live music, an array of food and the community atmosphere of the event held in the spring and fall each year.

Join us for an exclusive early sneak peek of The American Revolution, a captivating new documentary that brings history to life.

The entire 12-hour, 6-part documentary, which includes scenes filmed throughout Colonial Virginia, premieres on PBS on November 16th and is co-directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt.

Admission is free. Seating is limited—register today at the ticket link!

Stick around after the screening with Dr. Hamilton from Christopher Newport University

ABOUT THE FILM:
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION examines how America’s founding turned the world upside-down. An expansive look at the virtues and contradictions of the war and the birth of the United States of America, the film follows dozens of figures from a wide variety of backgrounds. Through their individual stories, viewers experience the war through the memories of the men and women who experienced it: the rank-and-file Continental soldiers and American militiamen (some of them teenagers), Patriot political and military leaders, British Army officers, American Loyalists, Native soldiers and civilians, enslaved and free African Americans, German soldiers in the British service, French and Spanish allies, and various civilians living in North America, Loyalist as well as Patriot, including many made refugees by the war.

ABOUT OUR SPEAKER:
Dr. Hamilton is a historian of the American Revolutionary and Early Republican periods. He has published widely on this period, including his books "The Making and Unmaking of a Revolutionary Family: The Tuckers of Virginia" and "The Revolutionary War Lives and Letters of Lucy and Henry Knox." He is also the author of "Serving the Old Dominion: A History of Christopher Newport University."

Corporate funding for THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION was provided by Bank of America. Major funding was provided by The Better Angels Society and its members Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine with the Crimson Lion Foundation; and the Blavatnik Family Foundation. Major funding was also provided by David M. Rubenstein; The Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Family Foundation; Lilly Endowment Inc.; and the following Better Angels Society members: Eric and Wendy Schmidt; Stephen A. Schwarzman; and Kenneth C. Griffin with Griffin Catalyst. Additional support for THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION was provided by: The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations; The Pew Charitable Trusts; Gilbert S. Omenn and Martha A. Darling; Park Foundation; and the following Better Angels Society members: Gilchrist and Amy Berg; Perry and Donna Golkin; The Michelson Foundation; Jacqueline B. Mars; Kissick Family Foundation; Diane and Hal Brierley; John H. N. Fisher and Jennifer Caldwell; John and Catherine Debs; The Fullerton Family Charitable Fund; Philip I. Kent; Gail Elden; Deborah and Jon Dawson; David and Susan Kreisman; The McCloskey Family Charitable Trust; Becky and Jim Morgan; Carol and Ned Spieker; Mark A. Tracy; and Paul and Shelley Whyte. THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION was made possible, in part, with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

David Sedaris, America’s best-selling humorist and social satirist, returns following the publication of his most recent book of short stories, "Happy Go Lucky," and his first-ever children’s book, "Pretty Ugly."

In his customary sartorial and humorous manner, David will make you laugh and think in equal measure with new, unpublished stories and commentary. The reading will accompany a book signing in the Diamonstein Concert Hall lobby.

PRE-SALE TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE: https://tickets.fergusoncenter.org/4424?utm_source=enewsletter&utm_medium=enews&utm_term=image&utm_campaign=241213

Join us for the premiere screening of WHRO Public Media's newest Documentary,"Virginia Symphony Orchestra Fellows: Orchestrating Change."

WHRO followed four remarkable young musicians on their year-long journey as VSO Fellows. This groundbreaking program was created to provide underrepresented orchestral musicians with the opportunities and experiences they need to succeed.

With Black and Brown musicians making up a very small percentage of orchestral performers nationwide, the VSO is taking important steps to advance the goal of increased diversity in symphony orchestras.

✨ Reception – 6:00 PM
Enjoy light refreshments and conversation before the film.

🎬 Screening – 7:00 PM
Experience the premiere on the big screen at the beautiful Goode Theatre, and stick around for a post-viewing panel discussion.