Norfolk's Cannonball Church: Corpse Flowers, Heat Domes, and Fourth of July Fireworks

Norfolk's Cannonball Church: Corpse Flowers, Heat Domes, and Fourth of July Fireworks

Good evening, neighbors. This week Brodie and Co are sweating through a Hampton Roads heat dome that is chasing records Norfolk has not touched since 2020, so we are staying hydrated and mostly staying inside. On the news desk, a corpse flower is about to bloom at the Norfolk Botanical Garden sometime between July 4th and 8th, giving off its famous rotting-flesh smell, and that leads us straight into the cadaver bar over at the Zoom Room in Hilltop. There is also a swim advisory across nine Ocean View beaches in Norfolk, and MacArthur Center has finally closed its doors after 27 years. For Strange and Odd of Tidewater, we head downtown to St. Paul's Episcopal Church, where a British cannonball has been lodged in the brick wall since Lord Dunmore shelled Norfolk on New Year's Day in 1776. We also dig up the cheeky story behind the name Pleasure House Road. Then we run down where to catch Fourth of July fireworks, from Town Point Park to the Oceanfront, plus a James Beard dinner coming to Virginia Beach this fall. Question of the week: What is your favorite memory of MacArthur Center before it is gone for good? If you are in Coastal Virginia, this is your weekly mix of local news, odd history, and neighborly conversation. Catch you next Tuesday.

New Virginia Laws, a Great White Sighting, and Virginia Beach’s First Official Song

This week on Tidewater Talk, we covered a mix of local news, odd stories, and summer happenings around Coastal Virginia. We talked through several new Virginia laws taking effect July 1, including job salary transparency requirements, changes that allow certain criminal records to be sealed from public view, and a new rule requiring speed limiter devices for drivers convicted of going 100 mph or more. We also touched on the ongoing conversation around Virginia’s new restrictions on certain semiautomatic firearms and large-capacity magazines. On the lighter side, we shared the wild story of a Virginia Beach fishing charter spotting a roughly 15-foot great white shark offshore near the wind project, and we dug into the surprising fact that Virginia Beach now has its very first official city song, "Driving East." We also looked ahead at the week’s weather, with storms giving way to sunshine and rising temperatures, and swapped a few Tidewater tips for upcoming events and experiences. Highlights included Hampton’s "Invisible to Others" exhibit exploring blindness and perception, Virginia’s "VA250" passport program for visiting historic sites across the Commonwealth, beachside movie night featuring "Lilo & Stitch," the Independence Day 5K Totten Trot, La Fiesta at the Virginia Beach oceanfront, a junk journal craft night in Norfolk, and the long-running Hampton Jazz & Music Festival. We also asked listeners to share what song makes them think of Hampton Roads, continuing the conversation about what gives this region its sense of home.

From Monticello Avenue to Town Point Park: Waffle Cones, Tall Ships, and Juneteenth

This week on Tidewater Talk, Brodie and Co get you ready for one of the biggest weekends Hampton Roads has seen in years. In the news: Sail250 Virginia kicks off Friday at Town Point Park, bringing 60-plus tall ships from more than 20 countries to the downtown Norfolk waterfront. Virginia Beach Police are also watching the Oceanfront ahead of a rumored teen takeover this weekend. For Strange and Odd, Brodie takes us to Doumar's on Monticello Avenue in Norfolk, where a carhop still brings your food to the window and the same waffle iron from 1905 is still making cones every single day. Turns out the Doumar family invented the waffle cone at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. Tidewater Tips covers the full Juneteenth weekend lineup: Fort Monroe in Hampton, the Jazzteenth Festival on 24th Street in Virginia Beach, and Beach Blanket Cinema at 29th Street.

Smithfield Ham Museum + New Kent Speed Cameras + First Heat Wave of Summer

This week on Tidewater Talk, Co returns with exciting family news while Brodie discovers he's in Hurricane Evacuation Zone C. The neighbors discuss Virginia Beach's surf park offering free lessons to local kids, a Chesapeake student found with a firearm at school, and the surprising fact that New Kent's speed cameras have generated millions in fines while only about half the tickets have been paid. For this week's Strange and Odd of Tidewater, we head back to Smithfield and the Isle of Wight County Museum, home to the world's oldest ham, the world's largest ham, the most well-traveled ham, the last official Smithfield ham, and even the world's oldest peanut. Because apparently one famous ham wasn't enough. Plus, dangerous heat arrives with temperatures pushing into the upper 90s, tropical season is underway, and we share Tidewater tips including Duck Dive Tavern's comedy night, a Jimmy Buffett-inspired party aboard the Battleship Wisconsin, and more. Question of the Week: What's the strangest museum, attraction, or roadside stop you've ever visited?

Fort Eustis and the Flying Saucer: Tidewater History, a Fishing Trip, and June Tips

Co is out this week celebrating a new grandbaby, so Brodie takes the wheel solo on episode 70. He opens with a follow-up from Thursday -- a fishing run out toward the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel with his daughter that ended with bluefish for dinner and one of those moments you end up talking about for years. No news this week, but Strange and Odd more than covers it. Brodie walks through the U.S. Army Transportation Museum at Fort Eustis in Newport News, a completely free museum most Hampton Roads residents have never stepped inside. A Cold War flying saucer that never got more than three feet off the ground, a jetpack soldiers kept nearly dying on, and the only surviving Vietnam gun truck in the world are all sitting right there on the Peninsula. Your driver's license gets you through the gate and admission is free. Go soon -- the Army has announced plans to close it by 2027. Tidewater Tips this week: check bacterial advisories before heading to Buckroe Beach, catch a free concert at 17th Street Park on June 4, watch the North American Sand Soccer Championships on the Oceanfront June 5 through 7, and mark your calendar for Chalk the Walk on June 13. This week's question: What local landmark in Tidewater do you think deserves a historical marker? If you're in Coastal Virginia, this is your weekly mix of history, happenings, and home.