Can you feel it? The city is coming back to life. Music venues are booking shows. Restaurants have more customers than they know what to do with. Popcorn is popping at the movie theaters and kids are whizzing down the waterslide at the pool. Hugs are back in vogue.
COVID isn’t gone, but locally, the last few weeks have seen cases plummet and stay low. Charlottesville and Albemarle recorded less than 50 COVID cases in the entire month of June. (At our peak in February, the area saw 250 new cases in a single day.) The local vaccination rate is among the highest in the state.
The last year has changed us all, casting our society’s weaknesses and inequities into a new and harsher light. Celebrating a “return to normal” would mean squandering an opportunity to turn the hard lessons of the pandemic into meaningful change.
We can celebrate each other, though, and we can celebrate the chance to be together. The photos that follow offer a glimpse at the city’s joyful return to togetherness this spring.
You’re never too old to boogie: Seniors cut a rug at The Center at Belvedere. Photo: Tristan Williams.
Foodies flock to the bustling farmers’ market at IX Art Park. Photo: Tristan Williams.
Chamomile and Whiskey perform in front of a packed house at Fridays After Five. Photo: Cole Fischer.
A group raises a glass—or, rather, a can—while enjoying The Fitzroy’s bubbly atmosphere. Photo: Tristan Williams.
