Charlottesville, VA—Tom Tom Founders Festival announced today highlights for the sixth day of the 2017 Festival, which runs from Monday, April 10 through Sunday, April 16.
Saturday Morning Marketing, Charlottesville City Market, 7-11am – During the farmers market Tom Tom will showcase 20 local vendors selected by the Community Investment Collaborative, farm-fresh produce, and talented chefs through our annual Iron Chef competition.
Paint the Playground – Color Run, Burnley-Moran Elementary, 8-10am – This family-friendly race will feature color powder stations throughout the accessible 1-mile loop.
Hometown Summit, Jefferson School African American Heritage Center, 8:00am-5:00 – Saturday is the final day of this multi-day Summit that combines dozens of interactive keynotes, workshops and peer-led panels, offering a chance to learn from and connect with change-makers leading some of the nation’s most creative and successful campaigns for community change.
Group Trail Ride, Darden Towe Park, 10am-12pm – Start at Darden Towe Park and meet up with fellow riders at the Saturday Block Party in Lee Park.
Founders Summit Keynote Workshops, Old Metropolitan Hall, 10am-3pm – These exclusive workshops and small group discussions help you hone your entrepreneurial skills. Keynote speakers leading workshops include Justin Ahrens (Rule29), Mike Muse (Muse Recordings), Craig Dubitsky (Hello Products), Susan McPherson (McPherson Strategies), Mike Porath (The Mighty).
McGuffey Open House, McGuffey Art Center, 10am-4pm – Throughout the day, McGuffey will be hosting workshops, demos, en plein air painting, mural painting, and yoga on the lawn.
Screening and Panel – She Started It, St. Anne’s-Belfield School, 10:30am-12:30pm – Screening of “She Started It,” a feature length documentary film on women tech entrepreneurs, shot on location in Silicon Valley, NYC, Europe, Vietnam, Mississippi & more, that aims to highlight successful role models for young women.
Downtown Chili Showdown, Main Street Arena, 11:30am-3pm – The Downtown Chili Showdown features homegrown cooks and professional chefs competing for crowd favorite and judges’ choice awards, benefiting the Ronald McDonald House of Charlottesville.
City Stages, Downtown Mall, 12-2pm – City Stages offers a variety of music and performance pieces on pop-up “stages” on the Downtown Mall.
Saturday Block Party, Lee Park, 12-11pm – Our open air block parties in Historic Downtown Charlottesville showcase the best in music, art, tech, and local food. Saturday’s block party includes daytime concerts featuring, The Dawn Drapes, The Fat Catz, Adar, The Trongone Band, Buddha Council & Bencoolen, a Food Truck Rally, Craft Beer Garden, Art Attack public art, Artisanal Tom Tom vendor market, Pop-Up Park(ing) Spaces that showcase local nonprofits, Sorry, Not Sorry: Interactive Silent Dialogue, StoryStream, and a Sunset Concert featuring The Mantras and Spiritual Rez.
The College Cup, The Haven, 3-5pm – Students from six different colleges pitch their idea for a chance to win $10K and a spot at the Galant Challenge at UVA.
Writer-in-Residence Talk: Roye Okupe, Telegraph Art & Comics, 4-5pm, 2017 Writer-in-Residence and comic industry veteran, Roye Okupe of YouNeek Studios, discusses his process, inspirations, and entrepreneurial insights.
Cville Gives Grant Night, The Haven, 6-8:30pm, Six semi-finalists, identified by Cville Gives, will each present to the audience. The grant winner(s), as determined by a vote of the Cville Gives membership, will be announced at the end of the event
Metal Showcase, Champion Brewery, 2pm-11pm, An annual tradition for local metal lovers – unleashing the country’s rawest thrash metal. Lineup includes: Girl Choir, Sea of Storms, Sharkopath, Washers, Prayer Group, The Unholy Four, and Earthling.
ELBY BRASS – Downtown Parade and Afterparty, Lee Park to Mono Loco, 10:30pm-1:30am – After the Sunset Concert in Lee Park, ELBY Brass will lead a nighttime parade up the Downtown Mall and back to an afterparty at Mono Loco.
Workshop Series, The community workshop series convenes leaders to share their skills, knowledge, creative process, and advice in diverse fields. Saturday’s Workshops are:
Learn About Your City, a Walking Tour with an Architect, Lee Park, 11am-12pm
Life-Size Caricatures, McGuffey Art Center, 11am-12pm
Stained, Glass Mosaics, McGuffey Art Center, 12pm, 12:30pm, 1pm, 1:30pm
This is What Democracy Sounds Like, Second Street Gallery, 12-1pm
Plank Grilling, Spice Diva, 12-2pm
How to Podcast: Making and Distributing Quality Audio, Second Street Gallery, 1:30-2:30pm
West African Dance, McGuffey Art Center, 2-3pm
Make a Book Like Gutenberg, Virginia Art of the Book Center, 2-3pm
Break, Mend, Behold, McGuffey Art Center, 2:30-4pm
Making Money: Designing the Future of Money, Second Street Gallery, 3-4pm
The Ceiling Floats Away, Second Street Gallery, 4:30-5:30pm,
WEEKLONG EVENTS
Farm to Table Restaurant Week, Various Locations, 5-11pm – Participating restaurants will feature a special dinner menu that highlights local food artisans and producers.
Craft Cocktail Competition, Various Locations, 5-11pm – Top bartenders create specialty “Tom Tom” cocktails, featuring local spirits and ingredients. Patrons will vote for their favorites throughout the week, and a panel of judges will also crown a winner.
City as Canvas: Mural Project, Various Locations – In its fourth year, Tom Tom’s 2017 Mural Project will transform underutilized spaces into public art–the embodiment of Tom Tom’s “City as Canvas” initiative.
Office Hours Mentoring Series, During the week of Tom Tom, established professionals in a variety of industries take aspiring entrepreneurs and creative individuals out for coffee at Grit Cafe and one-on-one mentorship.
SCHEDULE
To read more about the Festival and the see the full schedule, please visit: http://tomtomfest.com/
PRESS
To register for press credentials, download approved photography and video, and see the press kit please visit: www.tomtomfest.com/press
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ABOUT THE TOM TOM FOUNDATION AND THE FOUNDERS FESTIVAL
The Tom Tom Foundation is the nonprofit organization that hosts the annual Tom Tom Founders Festival. Supporting high-impact events throughout the year, the Foundation seeks to empower the innovators whose creativity, entrepreneurial spirit, and dedication to community help ensure a better future for us all. Now in its sixth year, the action-packed Founders Festival is held during the week of April 13 (hometown hero Thomas Jefferson’s birthday) in Charlottesville, VA. Learn more: www.tomtomfest.com.
SPONSORS
The Tom Tom Founders Festival is presented by the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, American Evolution, the Quantitative Foundation, and the i.Lab at UVA. It is also generously underwritten by a number of leading organizations, including the University of Virginia, Ting, C-Ville Weekly, New Belgium Brewing Company, Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, City of Charlottesville, Galant Center for Entrepreneurship, the UVA School of Engineering and Applied Science, and the Virginia Tourism Corporation.