It Takes a Village: Richmond Winter Festival Recap

I’ve always resonated with the idea that it “takes a village”. Maybe it comes from growing up in a small town, where being a neighbor wasn’t just a label but something you lived. For me, it looked like friends dropping by unannounced to share a meal, a plow driver clearing your driveway just because they were passing through on their way home, or the familiar wave from a passing car while you’re out on a walk.

It’s that same community feeling that I have felt for over 20 summers at camp. At YMCA Camp Takodah, we share responsibility with things like kapers and waitrons, support each other through trying new things and pushing ourselves to grow, all while finding connection, in person, through nature.

You may not know this, but I live onsite at Takodah year round, which means I’m an official resident of Richmond. For a small town with just under 1,300 residents, there’s a lot going on. From local open mic nights, knitting and reading clubs at the library, pick up pickleball games at the park, and more. Last year, I joined the Parks & Recreation Committee for the town, where I get to plan more of these community building events and have the opportunity to get to know more of my neighbors.

With record-breaking snow and cold this winter, the Parks & Rec Committee knew we had to do something to bring the town together to fight the winter blues. We hatched the idea of hosting a winter festival. When the opportunity to host presented itself, I knew that camp was the perfect place for this kind of event. After all, we’ve been building community every summer in Richmond since 1919.

So in February, YMCA Camp Takodah got to host the first ever Richmond Winter Festival. Honestly, it felt like a natural extension of everything camp stands for. Neighbors gathered for a potluck lunch, joined in conversations by the fire, played in the snow outside, and listened to local live musicians. At one point, couples began dancing, right there in the middle of the camp dining hall.

What stood out wasn’t just the event itself, but the feeling. People weren’t in a rush to get to the next thing. They took time to be together. The potluck tables, filled with lots of homemade dishes, became more than just a meal; they were an invitation to slow down, to share, to connect. It reminded me that being part of a village isn’t passive. It means showing up in the hard, loud moments as well as the quiet, soft ones. Richmond is a small town with fewer than 1,300 residents, but it offers much more. A village works only when people choose to be villagers. When they do, something special takes shape. 

In many ways, that’s what we try to build at camp every summer. We try to create a place where kids feel seen, supported, and part of something bigger than themselves. My hope is that those skills and that spirit is something that Takodians bring with them into their other communities. Community doesn’t just happen. It’s intentional and takes work.