Best Annual Charity Event
First place: Chesapeake Academy Community Oyster Roast, Irvington, ChesapeakeAcademy.org, 804-438-5575
You won’t be raked over the coals when you ask for seconds (or thirds) at this October event, though your next helping of roasted oysters certainly will be. Serving 15 gallons of fried oysters and 40 bushels of roasted oysters, there are plenty to go around. Proceeds benefit the Chesapeake Academy Financial Assistance Program.
Second place: RE Strong Run, Urbanna, REStrongRun.com, 804-758-4477
Third place: Daniel’s Grace Roast on the River, Virginia Beach, DanielsGrace.org, 757-663-6977
Best Art Event
First place: Virginia MOCA Boardwalk Art Festival, Virginia Beach, BoardwalkArtShow.com, 757-425-0000
More than 250 artists exhibit on the Virginia Beach boardwalk each year, competing for roughly $30,000 in prize money. Art lovers who’d like a little break from sun-and-surf may purchase tickets to the Boardwalk Beach Club for a shaded meal and a cold drink in its 80 feet of tented space on 31st Street.
Second place: Stockley Gardens Arts Festival, Norfolk, StockleyGardens.com, 757-625-6161
Third place: An Occasion for the Arts, WilliamsburgAOFTA.org
Best Art Gallery
First place: Rappahannock Art League Gallery, Kilmarnock, RALGallery.com, 804-436-9309
In 1949, a group of area artists formed the Rappahannock Art League. Today, the league comprises 340 members. In 2000, it opened the North Main Street gallery, where the work of 60 different artists is displayed from mosaics to oil paintings. The league also hosts quarterly art lectures and conducts classes for all ages.
Second place: Objects, Art and More, Irvington, ObjectsArtAndMore.com, 804-438-8024
Third place: Lemon Tree Gallery & Studio, Cape Charles, LemonTree.gallery, 757-331-4327
Best Charity
First place: Daniel’s Grace Charitable Foundation, Virginia Beach, DanielsGrace.org, 757-663-6977
Daniel’s Grace was founded in 2014 by Jodi Newland, in memory of her husband, to provide meals, support and care to cancer survivors in the Virginia Beach area. Over the past three years the organization has raised $200,000 from its popular Roast on the River event.
Second place: Northern Neck-Middlesex Free Health Clinic, Kilmarnock, NNMFHC.org, 804-435-0575
Third place: The Animal Welfare League of the Northern Neck, Inc., Kilmarnock, AnimalWelfareOfTheNorthernNeck.org, 804-435-0822
Best Family Entertainment
First place: Busch Gardens, Williamsburg, SeaWorldParks.com/en/BuschGardens-Williamsburg, 757-229-4386
This is the first season for Busch Gardens’ new Viking-themed “InvadR,” the park’s first wooden rollercoaster, which opened in April. Nine hills, high-banked turns and a stunning plunge of 74 feet at 50 miles per hour will have riders’ hearts racing. Family-friendly shows this season include Celtic Fyre and The Secret Life of Predators.
Second place: Virginia Beach, VisitVirginiaBeach.com, 800-822-3224
Third place: Bethpage Camp-Resort, UrbannaBethpageCamp.com, 804-758-4349
Best Food Festival
First place: Urbanna Oyster Festival, Urbanna, UrbannaOysterFestival.com, 804-758-0368
If you’re planning to compete in the Urbanna Oyster Festival’s shucking contest, you’ll be doing it with the best in the region—champions shuck two dozen oysters in less than two minutes. This year, the festival’s 60th anniversary will include its first craft beer tasting with brews from Devils Backbone, Ardent and more.
Second place: Poquoson Seafood Festival, PoquosonSeafoodFestival.com, 757-868-3588
Third place: Bayou Boogaloo Music and Cajun Food Festival, Norfolk, FestEvents.org, 757-441-2345
Best Movie Theater
First place: Paragon Theater, Newport News, ParagonTheaters.com, 757-525-9898
After a meal at one of Paragon Theater’s in-house restaurants, My Pi Pizza and Neo Kitchen & Bar, moviegoers can take their personal pizzas, craft beers or cocktails along with them as they make their way to their own recliner, and put their feet up until the credits roll.
Second place: Naro Cinema, Norfolk, NaroCinema.com, 757-625-6276
Third place: Beach Movie Bistro, Virginia Beach, BeachMovieBistro.com, 757-963-2548
Best Museum
First place: Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, Chrysler.org, 757-664-6200
Nearly 30,000 works reside in the Chrysler’s permanent collection, from glasswork to photography and painting. The exhibits are just as diverse—from a recent exhibition of the prints of Toulouse-Lautrec to upcoming exhibit, The Shipyard Workers of Hampton Roads, featuring portraits by photographer Glen McClure.
Second place: Virginia Living Museum, Newport News, TheVLM.org, 757-595-1900
Third place: The Mariners’ Museum and Park, Newport News, MarinersMuseum.org, 757-596-2222
Best Music Venue
First place: The NorVa, Norfolk, TheNorva.com, 757-627-4547
Although the NorVa’s backstage amenities are legendary among touring musicians, its roomy floor and bars located on both floors are a big draw for concert goers. The NorVa hosts talent as diverse as DJ duo the Chainsmokers, indie rock radio favorites Glass Animals, and electric violinist and psychedelic pop act Kishi Bashi.
Second place: Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater, Virginia Beach, VirginiaBeachAmphitheater.com, 757-368-3000
Third place: Christopher Newport University’s Ferguson Center for the Arts, Newport News, FergusonCenter.org, 757-594-8752
Best Performing Arts Company
First place: Virginia Stage Company, Norfolk, VAStage.org, 757-627-6988
With the historic Wells Theatre back in action after a nine-month renovation, the Virginia Stage Company returns for its 39th season. Shows include Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash in September and its American Soil Series, a collection of plays and musicals that place Hampton Roads as the setting of each work.
Second place: The Lancaster Players, White Stone, LancasterPlayers.org, 804-435-3776
Third place: Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Norfolk, VirginiaSymphony.org, 757-892-6366
Best Special Event Venue
First place: The White Dog Bistro, Mathews, TheWhiteDogBistro.com, 804-725-7680
The White Dog’s 19th century Georgian charm is just one of the reasons it has become a popular special event venue. The others are slightly more practical—between the White Dog’s intimate mansion space, 7-acre property and the 7,000-square-foot Tabernacle Pavilion, there is space enough for gatherings large and small.
Second place: Belle Grove, King George, BelleGrovePlantation.com, 540-621-7430
Third place: Hope & Glory Inn, Irvington, HopeAndGlory.com, 804-438-6053