Flashback: Richmond's unforgettable 2016, from City Hall to clowns
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One of the best things about Richmond in 2016: We got the T. Pott bridge. Photo: Carlos Bernate for The Washington Post via Getty Images
We hear the kids are throwing it back to 2016 and thought it would be fun to play along.
Why it matters: The viral trend is reminiscing over everything that happened a decade ago, which happened to be a big year for Richmond.
The big picture: Politics was the overarching storyline for RVA a decade ago.
- Richmond, you might recall, had a mayoral election that year, and a pretty wild one at that.
- At one point, 16 candidates were running, but the race became largely one among just three: Levar Stoney, Joe Morrissey and former Venture Richmond head Jack Berry.
- Spoiler: Stoney won, becoming the youngest mayor in the city's history, eking out a victory with 35% of the vote over Berry's 34%.
- But it was Morrissey — the scandal-prone attorney and former delegate who served 90 days in jail in connection with his relationship with his then-wife — who dominated the headlines for much of the year. (Anyone remember the old timey pic?)
Yes, but: That wasn't the only political story of 2016. The country got to know Sen. Tim Kaine, then the VP candidate and Hillary Clinton's running mate.
- Many fell in love with the Richmonder, dubbing him "America's stepdad," a moniker locals will never forget.
Meanwhile, life went on as usual for most locals, who in 2016 also got:
- 🌅 Rooftop bars, with the opening of Quirk's in April and Kabana's in June.
- 🌁 The T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge, which opened in December, bridging for pedestrians Brown's Island and Manchester.
- 🤡 A rash of "creepy clown" sightings in Chesterfield and Henrico. (Y'all, someone made anti-clown spray, which apparently did the trick. The clowns moved on.)
- 🍽️ Richmond got a bunch of new restaurants, including Boulevard Burger & Brew, Charm School, Secco Wine Bar in the Fan, Laura Lee's and Stone Brewing Co. (though we're still waiting on that promised restaurant).
- 🍆 L'Opossum was named Restaurant of the Year by Style.
In sadder news, the city recorded its deadliest year in a decade in 2016, including a shoot-out at the Greyhound bus station on the Boulevard, which killed a state trooper.
The bottom line: 2016 was a hell of a year for Richmond. Makes you wonder what this one will look like when we look back in 2036.