Happy New Year Virginia Beach!

We’re kicking off the first newsletter of the year with feel-good community news, simple ways to give back, and plenty of reasons to step outside this weekend.

Here’s a peek at what’s waiting for you:

💛 Which national ranking Virginia Beach just earned and what it says about our community
👩‍⚖️ How everyday neighbors are quietly showing up for kids when it matters most
🌠 What’s happening in the January night sky and the best time to look up
🌲 Where your Christmas tree can go next and how it helps locally
📅 What’s happening around town as we kick off the new year

Scroll on and see what’s happening in and around Virginia Beach this week.

— Kim Checcio

🌠 Quadrantids Meteor Shower
FRI., JANUARY 3 – SAT., JANUARY 4

The Quadrantids is an above-average shower, with up to 40 meteors per hour at its peak. It is thought to be produced by dust grains left behind by an extinct comet known as 2003 EH1, discovered in 2003. The shower runs annually from January 1–5. It peaks this year on the night of January 3 and the morning of January 4.

The crescent moon will set early in the evening, leaving dark skies for what should be an excellent show. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Bootes but can appear anywhere in the sky.

🌕 Full Wolf Moon
MON., JANUARY 13
Peak Time: 5:27pm EST

It’s thought that January’s full moon came to be known as the Wolf Moon because wolves were more likely to be heard howling at this time. It was traditionally believed that wolves howled due to hunger during winter, but we know today that wolves howl for different reasons. Howling and other wolf vocalizations are generally used to define territory, locate pack members, reinforce social bonds, and coordinate hunting.

Another fitting name for this full moon is the Center Moon, used by the Assiniboine people of the Northern Great Plains and referring to the idea that this moon roughly marks the middle of the cold season. Other traditional names include Cold Moon (Cree), Frost Exploding Moon (Cree), Freeze Up Moon (Algonquin), Severe Moon (Dakota), Hard Moon (Dakota), the Canada Goose Moon (Tlingit), Great Moon (Cree), Greetings Moon (Western Abenaki), and Spirit Moon (Ojibwe).

Virginia Beach CASA, a nonprofit that pairs trained community volunteers with children facing abuse or neglect, is looking for more people to step up and serve as advocates in the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court. Right now about 60 volunteers help children through the legal system, but demand is outpacing capacity, and there’s a waiting list for cases. CASA volunteers get training and support to give these kids a consistent voice in court and help judges make decisions that support safe, permanent homes. No legal background is needed to make a difference.

👉 For more details, visit this link.

Once the ornaments are packed away and the lights unstrung, the dilemma of disposing of your dry tree remains. The most helpful option is recycling, and there are two opportunities in Virginia Beach. If you leave your tree on the curb, it is recycled as regular yard waste and processed into mulch for city parks and facilities. Trees must be curbside and free of their stand, tinsel, lights and ornaments.  

Another great recycling option is to recycle your tree with the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center. Christmas trees are used to restore our local sand dunes. Trees collect the wind-blown sand that helps to build up the dunes during the winter months and they also provide a protective nesting area for coastal animals. Christmas Tree Recycling at the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center will take place from 9am-12pm on January 10th. Trees can be dropped off in the parking lot across from the main North Building.  

And while you're in the recycling mood, start to gather those old electronics taking up space in your garage or attic and drop them off this month. Another event coming up in the same lot is the E-cycling event hosted by the Aquarium. On Saturday, January 10th from 9am until 12noon they will be collecting electronics (with the exception of old tube televisions), car batteries, old prescriptions and plastics (bags, wraps, etc.).

Visit the website for a full listing of acceptable items. 

Virginia Beach has just been ranked the most caring city in the United States in WalletHub’s latest study of the 100 largest metros. The ranking looked at 38 key measures of compassion, including how much residents volunteer, donate to charity, support vulnerable populations, and work in caring professions. WalletHub grouped these into three big categories — caring for the community, caring for those in need, and caring in the workforce — to find the cities where neighbors truly look out for one another. Virginia Beach came out on top thanks to exceptionally high volunteer hours, strong charitable involvement, low crime and poverty rates, and a community that actively seeks ways to help others.

What makes a city most caring? Some of the things WalletHub used to measure compassion included:

• How often residents volunteer and donate to charity
• Support for vulnerable groups like low-income families and the homeless
• Access to and number of health and caregiving professionals
• Community safety and low crime rates
• Workplace practices that support caregiving and family needs

This ranking highlights what locals already know — Virginia Beach is more than a beautiful coastal destination, it’s a community that cares.

Our next VB Living Dinner Club is happening on January 21, and we’re excited to bring this experience back after a great December dinner turnout.

If you’re new to Dinner Club, read more about it here.

👉🏼 Register for our next event happening in the Hilltop area!

Friday, 1/2
Survival of the Slowest at the Virginia Aquarium | Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center | 9:00am
Arnez J | Funny Bone Virginia Beach | 7:00pm

Saturday, 1/3
Survival of the Slowest at the Virginia Aquarium | Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center | 9:00am
New Year Hike + Hang | First Landing State Park | 10:00am
Adoption Event at Petco in Redmill | 11:00am
New Year, New Me Paint & Sip | 80/20 Eatery | 5:00pm
False Cape After Dark | False Cape State Park | 5:00pm
Wolf Supermoon Walk at the Oceanfront (4 miles) | 241 Laskin Road, #31 | 5:00pm
Arnez J | Funny Bone Virginia Beach | 6:30pm and 9:15pm

Sunday, 1/4
Cars & Coffee Virginia Beach | Java Surf Café & Espresso Bar | 7:00am
Survival of the Slowest at the Virginia Aquarium | Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center | 9:00am
First Sunday Plant Swap | VB Farmers Market | 11:00am