Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the uh Hampton City Council ceremonial session.

Uh this uh evening we will have our council spotlight uh highlighting some great things going on in our community, and uh tonight we have uh the spotlight on Hampton's placemaking efforts, and uh they're coming through uh talking about the local music scene.

And so I'd like to invite uh Neva White, our library director, uh, along with Brian Marcese, I'm marketing and outreach team to come forward and then share a little bit more about what we're doing this evening.

Mayor Graveface, my Vice Mayor Brown, City Manager Munting, members of council.

I'm here tonight, not as your library director, but as the leader of the council's placemaking strategic strategic priority area for tonight, uh placemaking.

So, as part of Hampton's strategic plan, placemaking focuses on creating vibrant, authentic places that reflect and celebrate our community's unique culture, history, and character.

But it's about more than physical development, it's about creating spaces where people feel connected, welcomed, and inspired.

And one of the most powerful ways we bring those things to life is through arts and culture.

Whether it's public spaces, community events, or live performances, these experiences activate our city in ways that make Hampton a place that people want to be, not just to visit, but to come again and again and again.

We're seeing that happen across Hampton and especially through our local music scene.

So tonight, I'm excited to introduce tonight's highlight of three Hampton venues that are bringing this vision of placemaking to life through live music, welcoming spaces, and not to mention good food, um, as they are being recognized across the region as being the best of the very best in Hampton Roads.

Thank you, Neva.

And trading off like this, it feels like we're on an Oscar's uh presentation here, and the end of award goes too.

Um as she shared, placemaking is about more than creating experiences that bring people together.

And live music does exactly that.

Each year, the Veer Music Awards recognizes excellence across Hampton Roads music scene, from artists and performers to the venues and people who make live music possible.

This year's awards were being were held in February at the Norva and Naufic, celebrating the very best our region has to offer.

This year, Hampton stood out.

Three of our local venues, stuffed, the Vanguard, and Victorian Station, were each recognized with top honors.

Together, they show how music is helping shape Hampton into a destination, one where people can gather, connect, and experience something meaningful.

Let's start with Vic in Phoebus with two of these award-winning experiences, which are just steps away from each other.

First, Victoria Station, also known as the Big Pink.

Big Pink Music was awarded best listening room in the region.

A listening room is a unique kind of venue, one where the focus is entirely on the performer.

It's a space where audiences come to truly listen, creating a deeper connection between the artists and the community.

Big Pink Music and a member supported is a member supporter nonprofit and has the kind of environment through open mics, music circles, and songwriter showcases that highlight local talent across a wide range of genres.

But their impact goes beyond performances.

They've brought people together to sport to support musicians in need, raising thousands of dollars for artists affected by the flooding in Asheville.

They've also rallied community support to improve their own venue space.

The listening room is also dedicated to the memory of Von Deal, a beloved figure in the peninsula's music community, whose legacy continues to inspire generations of performers.

At this time, I'd like to invite Kelly Murphy from Big With Big Pink Music and Victoria Station.

Actually, all the people from Victoria Station come up, can you come on up here to get recognized?

And just a short walk away, stuffed has created an equally uh a completely different but equally powerful musical experience.

Stuff's open mic jam Tuesday, hosted by Patrick Ryan, was named the best open mic in the region.

What makes this open mic stand out is its collaborative nature.

Instead of performing alone, musicians are backed by a full house ban, creating an environment that is welcoming, supportive, and creatively energizing for the performers of all experience levels.

Whether it's someone stepping on the stage for the first time, or a seasoned musician trying out something new, the atmosphere encourages participation and connection.

That sense of community is at the heart of both music and the venue itself.

At this time, I'd like to invite Patrick Ryan, the band leader of the Open Jam Tuesday at Stuffed to come forward as well as Casey Huss, Leoner, and anybody else actually.

Bring a whole whole restaurant up.

I won't say any about storage.

The Vanguard was named the best live music venue in a brewery by the Vera Music Awards.

Located in the former National Guard Armory and on North King Street, just a stone's throw from City Hall here.

Since opening in 2018, it has hosted a wide range of live performances from local lakhs and national touring artists offering a flexible space that can be supportive for both intimate shows and large high-energy events.

And yes, they've also hosted City Council a number of times for uh some music videos uh that you guys have done for the state of the city.

Um it's also become a regional hub for music, even hosting the VR Music Awards themselves.

The Van Regard continues to draw people to end to Hampton, contributing to the energy and vibrancy that define great place making.

At this time, I'd like to invite Randy Thomas for the Vanguard to come up, and anybody else from the Vanguard.

Just you, just Randy.

Yeah.

Absolutely.

So these three venues offer something unique, but together they demonstrate how arts and culture help bring our placemaking vision to life by creating experiences that make Hampton vibrant, welcoming, and connected.

Tonight we're proud to recognize Big Pink Music at Victorian Station, the Vanguard Brewcrub Blue Brew Pub and Dillery, and stuff for their contributions to Hampton's cultural life and bringing award-winning music experiences to our community.

But we also have lots of other music venues in Hampton that are also equally exciting to enjoy, including the Rhythm Room, Noir, Pacola's, and our very own American theater and Coliseum.

So with that, Mayor, I turn it back to you.

Good.

Thank you, uh Brian and uh Neva for uh arranging this presentation.

And uh it's a very special presentation because you know when you think about these three venues, you know, especially on great evenings in the summertime and all, they're all packed with people coming, and I know it's just not those who live in Hampton that visit these uh venues.

People come from all over the Hampton Roads region, and so that's what's uh that's what's exciting, that's what makes it a great uh addition to our community because having great things to do, Neva.

You know this as well, you know, regarding placemaking, uh it's about having nice places and spaces for people to come to enjoy.

So thank you all for your investment in Hampton and uh making the music scene uh a great one and uh you know really providing some nice places, great food for people to come and enjoy and uh want to visit our city.

So we appreciate what you've done.

And uh we we we want to take some more pictures, so uh we're gonna come back down here in the well and uh let you all come up and uh think we want to do like a big group picture and uh then any individual shots that we'll do those too.

So with that uh that concludes uh spotlight session for this evening.

So we are adjourned.