This is Richardson

We want you to know and appreciate the fact that Richardson is what it is because of the people who live here.

But on this episode of the local podcast for Richardson, we have a very important announcement.

Tiffany Norris talks with Jason Norris, producer of This is Richardson.

So far, during this worldwide crisis, we've revisited Richardson restaurants and Richardson businesses to see how they're responding and managing the whole situation.

We also wanted to revisit our church, First Baptist Richardson, and we really felt like that warranted its own episode.

A few months ago, I talked with Ivy Lassiter, the children's pastor at church, and this time I sat down, over Skype of course, with Ron Evans, the missions pastor at First Baptist Richardson.

We've heard Ron preach at church several times, and when you see him or talk with him, you immediately hear his heart for this city. He has a passion for connecting our church and our community, and it comes through in every conversation.

And it was so encouraging to talk with him in the midst of this crisis and hear that same conviction for connecting our church and community even though the methods have changed.

We've mentioned this before, but if you are looking for a church home, we can't recommend First Baptist Richardson enough. It is truly our family's favorite thing about this city.

And, right now, you can visit online. No pressure, no awkward small talk. Just check out the service online at

https://www.fbrichardson.org/

The people there love God and love others, and it really just doesn't get much better than that.

I'm Tiffany Norris. This Is Richardson is a podcast that tells the stories of the people and places of Richardson, Texas.

A couple of episodes back, we did an update on Richardson restaurants in light of the COVID-19 situation, so in this episode we wanted to revisit some of the Richardson places we’ve talked about in previous episodes.

Editor’s Note:

This situation is changing day-by-day, so this is the latest from the businesses on the day we’re recording. Check out each place’s website or social media for the most up to date information.

The UPS store on Coit and Campbell is open for business, but when we go check our mailbox, we’ve noticed customers and staff are definitely practicing social distancing and wearing masks.

Richardson Bike Mart is also open for business. The Richardson location is only providing bicycle service at this time, but they do have online purchasing options and even some deals going on.

The Kids Play Co is currently closed, but their website says they’re considering an option for “Private Play” where one family could reserve the play area for an hour at a time. So reach out to them if that’s something you want more information about.

Pure Barre Richardson and Toby‘s School of Dance are both offering livestream classes. All of Toby’s classes, in particular, are being taught via Zoom, which I just love. Their website said “Don’t fall into the trap of too much screen time, isolation, and inactivity,” and I thought that was such an important reminder during this stressful time.

As we talked about on a previous episode, the spring concert was postponed for the Richardson Community Chorale.

The Cottonwood Art Festival has been canceled as has the Wildflower Arts and Music Festival.

Events at the Eisemann Center have been canceled or postponed through May 17, but check out their website for tickets that are still available for purchase for future events.

So I don’t know about you, but going to the park and going to the library are two of the things my girls have missed the most during all of this.

Parks and trails remain open, with social distancing encouraged of course, but people are discouraged from using the playgrounds and park fixtures because it’s hard to keep them clean enough to ensure safe use.

The Richardson Public Library building is also closed but offering curbside pickup. Also, as a librarian myself, I feel the need to say very clearly that our library buildings might be closed, but libraries remain open. Most of us are still providing a huge number of electronic resources and online services, and the Richardson Public Library is no exception.

Finally, the Richardson Animal Shelter is allowing visitors by appointment only, and those appointments are for reclaiming a pet or...

Tiffany Norris talked with Jeannie Stone, superintendent of Richardson ISD in February before all the things happened in our world and schools moved to at-home learning.

In this interview, they talk about the diversity of the district, upcoming goals and initiatives, school ratings, and where in Richardson she likes to go to relax.

So I hope you appreciate this interview in a different context now than when we recorded it.

We've mentioned a couple of times on the podcast how very happy we've been with our experience at our neighborhood public school. Our girls have been taught well, cared for, and truly known by their teachers, and we were already so grateful for all the hard work of the teachers and staff there.

That gratitude has only multiplied in the last month as we've watched Dr. Stone, our principal, all the teachers and staff navigate this extremely challenging experience with grace and good humor.

We would also love to hear about your RISD experience—either in light of our current situation or any time.

Link

Jeannie Stone on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/3jstone

I'm Tiffany Norris, and you're listening to This Is Richardson, a podcast that tells the stories of the people and places of Richardson, Texas.

This is a strange time right now in the world, so this week we wanted to take a look back at some of the places we've featured on the podcast up to this point and let you know how they're dealing with everything.

First up is the restaurants. We've interviewed the owners of seven Richardson restaurants during the last few months, and they are all still open for business in one way or another.

Most are still doing either curbside pickup, drive-through, and/or delivery.

We can personally vouch for the delivery options for Sweet Firefly and Tongue in Cheek as ice cream is my comfort food of choice these days. Eiland Coffee and Woody B's also offer shipping options, and the store front of Sweet Daze is closed, but they are still doing catering orders.

Now Communion Neighborhood Cooperative has been doing some really cool things. Like the others, they offer an online ordering option where you can pick up coffee, many of their regular menu items, or a family meal to go. But they've also launched a campaign called 400 for 500 that we wanted to highlight in this episode.

Here's how it works. For $200, you get 6 of their family-style meals. These are delicious and made from scratch in the Communion Kitchen, and they serve at least four people. You can pick them up hot and ready to go or get them cold and warm them up later in the oven. You can get all six in the same week or spread it out and do one each week for six weeks.

When they hit 400 of these subscriptions, they're committing to serving an additional 100 people per week. Thus the name 400 for 500. Those additional 100 people will include those that are most affected by COVID-19 in our community. So they say that is people who are losing jobs and significant income, first responders, health-care providers, and anyone else who would just be blessed by a meal.

It's hard not to love this idea. Because with a subscription, you're not just helping your family eat. You're not just helping those additional 100 people that Communion is committing to feed. You're also helping a Richardson business and the people who work there. You're helping them stay viable through this uncertain time.

You know, I joked about ice cream earlier, but we really have found ourselves eating out a little more during this quarantined time just because we're aware that the local restaurants that we love have taken a hard hit. And we want to support them. For our little family, that support feels small sometimes, but we are doing what we can. And what we can do includes this podcast.

So the next time you're craving some ice cream or coffee or barbecue or just can't deal with cooking one night, think about one of these seven Richardson businesses:

Communion Neighborhood Cooperative

Eiland Coffee Roasters

Reverie Bakeshop

Sweet Daze

Sweet Firefly

Tongue in Cheek

Woody B's BBQ

I hope we can actually see you at one of these places soon. I'm Tiffany Norris. Thanks for listening to This Is Richardson.

I know several people who've been through the Leadership Richardson program, and it's something I've been interested in too.

So I was super excited to talk with Kim Quirk. She's the executive director and practically a lifelong resident of Richardson, Texas.

Even though I'm not participating any time soon, I enjoyed getting to hear more about Leadership Richardson and what it does for the city.

http://LeadershipRichardson.com/

By the way, do you have any experience with Leadership Richardson? If so, we'd love to hear about it.

Yes, things have changed in our city and our world since I talked with Ian Gill. He’s on a mission to make Richardson a singing city.

And even though their spring performance has been postponed until we navigate through this crisis, we believe that Richardson will be a singing city. We need music, art, and faith now more than ever.

We hope this interview will encourage you and remind you that there is still beauty. You just have to listen.

We’d love to hear from you during this challenging time, especially if there’s a way we can help or encourage you.

Links

Richardson Community Chorale:

Website

Facebook

Instagram

I feel like we've been telling a lot of dessert stories lately. I happen to like sweets almost as much as I like coffee, so we tend to get around on the treat circuit in Richardson.

Sweet Daze is one of my favorites. We first ventured in for donuts one summer, and we were instant fans. I talked with the owner, Holly Nguyen, to hear a little more about her sweet business.

When you get your next craving for a treat, try Sweet Daze. Their designs are so creative, and everything we've tried there has been delightful.

If you do stop by, we'd love to hear about it.

Link

https://www.SweetDaze.com

This Is Richardson is a local podcast telling the stories of the people and places of Richardson, Texas.

Spring is in the air. At least it is when we're posting this episode, and there's nothing like a bike ride to give you spring fever.

I think Woody Smith would agree. He's the president and owner of Richardson Bike Mart, and he has a passion for cycling.

And I have to say I learned SO much in this interview—both about cycling and about Richardson.

Isn't it cool that we are one of only two Texas cities to achieve bike-friendly status? I love that, and it makes me want to ride more often.

We've had three great experiences with Richardson Bike Mart, purchasing two of our daughters' first bikes there and having another one restored. 

I'm Tiffany Norris, and you're listening to This Is Richardson, a podcast that tells the stories of the people and places of Richardson, Texas.

Link:

Bike Mart website

https://www.bikemart.com/about/richardson-pg2159.htm

Looking for a laidback, cool space to hang out on date night? Trying to find a quick drive-through option for ice cream?

We found it.

Tongue in Cheek Ice Cream.

It's in a pretty high traffic area, just off of Arapaho. That presents its own set of challenges, as you'll hear from firefighter-turned-entrepreneur Brett Smith, firefighter-turned-entrepreneur. He's serving up some fascinating and delicious flavors of ice cream.

Did you hear him say coffee-infused ice cream? I'm going to have to try that the next time they offer it. What Brett has done with the space really is impressive, and the ice cream is incredible.

If you check them out, we'd love to hear about it.

Tongue in Cheek web site