Got tickets? With no formal gathering planned I thought we might try to pick a place to meet before the game Thursday night (~5:30 pm). If you have tickets and have any ideas let me know. You can reach me at rob@masonrva.com. I will post a location on Thursday morning.
Need tickets? I have two extra if you are interested. Post a reply – Mason Fans Only!
Rob.
THE CHALLENGE (Alumni Charity Challenge) – Which Richmond area alumni chapter can collect the most canned goods at Hardywood on Wednesday, Oct 23, 2013.
MasonRVA ready for the challenge!
THE CHALLENGERS
THE PRIZE – Bragging rights.
THE RESULT – Mason Alumni get to brag!
1st Place: George Mason – 1,091 LB
2nd Place: VCU – 602 LB
3rd Place: JMU – 327 LB
If you missed the challenge we hope you will make the event next year! We are going to need all the help we can get to keep our bragging rights.
THANK YOU!
@MasonRVA would like to thank those who made it possible to win “Bragging Rights” (sorry if we miss anyone)…
Anna Goltz – the best Alumni Rep ever @MasonAlumni – for driving down from Mason and bringing the tent, the swag, and her husband. Not sure how you left at 3:30 and got to RVA before 5:30 – probably don’t want to know.
Brian Jones @B_R_Jones – for bringing the donations from the friends of MasonRVA from up north.
Elaine Gregory ’09 – for her generous donation that resulted in her winning the MasonRVA 1 can – 1 ticket raffle (prize: two tickets for an RVA Brewery Tour)
Tommy Miller and Richmond Brewery Tours for donating to the raffle.
My wife – for supporting me supporting Mason
Alumni Charity Challenge
Don’t forget to pickup some canned goods on the way home tonight to bring to the Alumni Charity Challenge tomorrow (Wed, Oct 23rd 5:30 – 8:30) @ Hardywood Park for the Central Virginia Food Bank.
Deliver your canned goods to the tent with the MasonRVA banner and enter the MasonRVA raffle for a chance to win two tickets for an RVA Brewery Tour. You will get one entry for each canned good you donate. We will also draw one raffle ticket each half hour for a $5 Hardywood gift certificate. Better still, we will have some Mason swag too (we may even have a few MasonRVA koozies left)
Come out show your support for George Mason, meet some new friends, and enjoy some great food and drink.
Bring your friends who graduated from other fine universities and encourage them to bring and donate canned goods and enter the raffle (and help Mason win the challenge)! Everyone is welcome at the MasonRVA tent!
This is a great cause – there so is NO EXCUSE not to stop by!
Go Mason!
(BTW, Hardwood is coming to Northern Virginia soon!)
MasonRVA’s last 2nd Thursday Happy Hour of the summer at Hardywood will be Thursday, September 12th. Sorry if we missed anyone who came out in August, but holiday and other scheduling conflicts got the best of us. We will be at Hardywood tomorrow night (Sep 12).
We also will be discussing plans for fall/winter Happy Hours and other events including Harness Racing in October, watch parties, the Mason/VCU game in January, and if there might be enough interest in a brewery tour in Richmond or the Brewridge Trail in Charlottesville.
If you would like to get involved and cannot make it out to Hardywood, please send us an email.
Hope to see you on Thursday night (Sep 12)!
– Rob.
MasonRVA Second Thursday’s Happy Hour is on the the 2nd Thursday of (almost) every month (except when it is not). Like MasonRVA on Facebook or Follow Us on Twitter for future dates, times, and locations of happy hours, watch parties, and other events in Richmond.
The dangerous weather came and went last Thursday so my decision to postpone may have been premature.
Actually turned out to be a nice evening. Hardywood was not as crowded as usual so lines were short and there was plenty of seating. The downside was the Street Foodies options were limited.
The weather report for this Thursday could not be better and looks like the we will have an even better turnout.
Bring your family and friends and I will bring the Koozies for the Capitol Trail Pale Ale.
See you at Hardywood on Thursday, June 20 @ 6pm,
Rob.
Over the summer months of June, July, August, and September, MasonRVA will host our Second 
Thursday’s Happy Hour at the Hardywood Food Truck Court. Hardywood does a good job to make this a family friendly event:
RVA Street Foodies Court runs from 6-9pm every Thursday through the season and is a family friendly environment. All ages are welcome at the brewery.
Jonathan Austin
In the past, we have seen Richmond’s well known Juggler and Magician Johnathan Austin at the food court and there is always an ice cream truck and the King of Pops food cart, so bring the whole family. In fact, bring your non-Mason friends and their families too! Everyone is welcome to join us on June 13th, July 11th, August 8th, and September 12th during the Summer of ’13.
Our plan is to stakeout an area in the grass and setup our tent, some chairs, and maybe a lawn game or two to give everyone a comfortable place to sit and enjoy the evening with friends and family.
We look forward to making some new friends at Hardywood this summer! – Rob.
MasonRVA Second Thursday’s Happy Hour is on the the 2nd Thursday of (almost) every month (except when it is not). Like MasonRVA on Facebook or Follow Us on Twitter for future dates, times, and locations of happy hours, watch parties, and other events in Richmond.
Join your fellow MasonRVA Alumni at Champps to watch game 1 of the best of 3 CBI Championship! |
|
| When: | Monday, April 1st, 9pm |
| Where: | Champps Stony Point 9202 Stony Point Parkway Richmond, VA 23235 |
“Gunston the …” – well he is green.
#10. University of Richmond Alum (if you can find one that did not move back to New England) reminiscing of the “good old” pre-A10 days in the ’80s and early ’90s when Dick Tarrant was the coach, they beat Mason in multiple CAA finals, and they made it to the Sweet 16.
#9. VCU HAVOC billboards on I-95 and the new VCU/MCV seal on every bus.
#8. You wear your Mason Green & Gold with pride but people think you went to William & Mary.
#7. Your kids go to VCU to stay close to home and/or to go school w/ friends.
#6. Lawyers from UVA law school.
#5. You call a sports bar to organize a watch party and they (all) answer “Home of the VCU Rams”.
#4. Engineers from Virginia Tech.
#3. You’ve had the same Dentist for 20 years and three years ago he would vehemently argue that he graduated from MCV not VCU. At your next check-up, he’s wearing a VCU golf shirt.
#2. You tell your neighbor that her kid should apply to GMU and she tells you her daughter did apply (to James Madison).
#1. VCU fans
Plan to join us for the CBI Watch Party and 2nd Thursdays Happy Hour in April!
| CBI Championship Watch Party | |
| When: | Monday, April 1st, 9pm |
| Where: | Champps Stony Point |
| 9202 Stony Point Parkway Richmond, VA 23235 |
|
| 2nd Thursdays Happy Hour – April 2013 Come join us for a free game of bowling and a beer. |
|
| When: | Thursday, April 11th, 5 – 7pm |
| Where: | Uptown Alley |
| 6101 Brad McNeer Parkway Midlothian, VA 23112 |
|
Local Viewing Locations for Mason fans
Mason Draws Road Game in CBI Opening Round (GoMason.com)
Game Schedule
Opening Round – Tuesday, March 19
George Mason at College of Charleston – 7:00 p.m.
TD Arena – Charleston, S.C.
TV: The game will be televised live nationally on AXS.TV (formerly HDNet). In the RVA area, AXS.TV can be found on:
The 2013 CAA Tournament may be the last time the Mason Men’s Basketball team will play in a tournament in Richmond, Virginia. The fact the CAA Tournament may never return to Richmond is bitter sweet for alumni who call Richmond home. As a Mason Alum who travels to Fairfax for home games, it has been convenient to have the tournament in our backyard and obviously any major event is good for the local economy. I will admit however that I am looking forward to having an excuse to travel. I like destination tournaments.
Richmond has not always been kind to Mason fans and I know many alumni are not very fond of our city (I read your comments on other blogs). I would like to think this is mostly because Richmond was a home game for “that school that must not be named”, but I will admit that even the most devout Richmond native will admit the Richmond Coliseum is a bit dated (yes, I am being kind, but the city owes the Squirrels a new baseball park first, so we are stuck with the Coliseum).
If all you know of Richmond is the area between Richmond Coliseum and “that school” and/or do not think much of Richmond for other reasons, I hope you will give the city one more chance this weekend. I am sure winning will help, but I will suggest some things you might try away from the Coliseum . You should have plenty of time between when you arrive on Friday or Saturday and when we win the championship on Monday night (Go Mason!). Besides, you cannot spend all your time at Penny Lane Pub.
Friday Evening
If you arrive in town early enough for Happy Hour and want to impress your date, go to the Jefferson Hotel (4pm – 7pm). If you are traveling with the kids, I recommend Bottom’s Up Pizza for dinner Friday night.
If you fancy a night on the town, head for the Shockoe Slip or Shockoe Bottom or (no relation to “that local coach”). Start at the Tobacco Company where well drinks are $1 between 8pm – 9pm. If dancing is your thing, stay. If you prefer live music, walk down the hill to Sine’s (Friday Country, Saturday Rock).
I will assume you will either be arriving from out-of-town or sleeping in after a night on the town and will be heading straight to Penny Lane and/or the Spirit Celebration w/ the Green Machine; but if you are up early and need to kill an hour or two, you will have time to visit…
Doc Nix and Friends
Don’t have so much fun you miss the game…
At some point, you will need to eat on Saturday night. One of the things I used to miss about the D.C. metro area are the restaurants. That is not an issue in Richmond anymore. If you want a specific recommendation, come see me at Penny Lane before or after the game. Here are a few of my favorites:
#18 – 100 Best Brunch Spots in America
Nothing is better after a night of celebrating than a good brunch and there are many good options in Richmond, but I only recommend one. Be prepared to wait an hour (or more) – go to Millie’s. What else will you do before heading back to Penny Lane for pre-game?
If you plan to stay in town, find me at Penny Lane and I will be happy to suggest more things to do. I will be the guy with the MasonRVA koozies.
Our goal for this blog is to help Mason Alumni living in, working in, moving to, or visiting Richmond in anyway we can – and – to promote Richmond as great place to live, work, and raise a family (low cost of living, no traffic, great primary and secondary schools!). I tried to keep my recommendations for this weekend brief, but I plan to provide much more detailed information about Richmond in future posts. I hope you will keep MasonRVA in mind any time you find yourself in Richmond and will stay in touch.
Rob.