In a world where people sit in their homes all evening watching crappy shows on TV, one website is fighting to save street life in Norfolk…

The Norfolk Social Network

This film takes place two years after the story of The Social Network. Mark Zuckerberg does not play a part, except as the unacknowledged hero in the background, the man who set out to make it easier for students at Harvard to keep in touch and ended up saving Norfolk.

The real protagonists of this movie are Hannah Serrano and Jesse Scaccia, Whitney Metzger, and a host of creative, committed organizers who use the web, and particularly Facebook, to reach out to people to connect them to events, and to give them a sense that there really is a cultural, youthful heart beating in downtown Norfolk.

Oh, the horror of Art | Everywhere. (Art | Carl Tarkington)

We open with a montage of Facebook postings leading up to the first Art | Everywhere opening in April, 2010. The growing number of followers for the AltDaily page. The excitement building as the event is announced, artists are selected, and slowly, in a way that few thought was possible here in Norfolk, vacant shopfront windows begin to fill with colorful signs of creative expression.

We see the glow of a sunset, and follow groups of buskers as they shuffle along the street, settling into comfortable spots, drawing fiddles, banjos, guitars from cases and setting up a pleasing racket. We see a portable amp and electric guitar, a drumset, and hear the raucous happy sound of music, free music on Granby Street.

Behind a sheet of glass, in a storefront, an attractive couple sits on a bed, fully dressed, and regards the crowd out on the street, who are regarding them. Erasable pens appear, and a dialog begins, scrawled on the window.
“What are you doing in there?”
“Raising awareness about homelessness.”
“Isn’t it boring, just sitting in there?”
“No, we have you guys to watch.”
“Where do you go to the bathroom?”
“Not telling.”
And so on.

Down the street, at the square by TCC, a crowd begins to gather. Facebook has told them that at 8pm they will see something new to Norfolk, a Thriller flash mob. A tall, slender dancer with a thick tuft of black hair bounds onto the plaza, and his zombies congeal around him as the music begins. They shamble and wobble in synchronized contortions, spreading joyful terror.

Yes, Norfolk can be Thrilling. (Pic | Sam Shinault)

The crowd remains at the square. They pop into the free photo booth that has been erected on the corner for the evening, staffed by a young man in chain mail. Musicians gather on the grass at the center of the square, and in a moment the whole crowd is singing, “No, I won’t hesitate, no more, no more, this will not wait, I’m yours!” without artificial prompting or awkwardness.

People’s heads bobble as they eye each other in wonder. Where did all these interesting people come from? The whole event seems magical, unlikely, and surprising, as if it emerged spontaneously. As if a bunch of people had said, “hey, there’s going to be a great party on Granby Street tonight, pass it on.” Which, in fact, is exactly what happened. Through Facebook.

Pic | John Cachero

Of course, a ton of planning, hard work, teeth gnashing and exertion went into Art | Everywhere, as there is in any successful event, but it was the first major event in downtown Norfolk to ever have been promoted almost entirely on Facebook. We saw the same thing happen in the fall with Survive Norfolk, where an innocent Facebook invite, aimed to get a few people together to play zombie tag, escalated into an event with street-closings, police protection, and more than 700 runners and undead. We are seeing it with the rennaisance on 35th Street, with cycling, with Out in the Park. And it continues to happen.

Through Facebook we are talking to each other, sharing ideas and enthusiasms, killing apathy, making change. We are realizing that creative, motivated people have been out there in our community in large numbers all the time, just waiting for opportunities to make art, music, and joy. This is how Facebook is saving Norfolk, by helping us discover each other and work together.

The final scene of this movie has yet to be filmed. It will be shot this April 30 on the streets of downtown when the second annual Art | Everywhere event kicks off with music, art, and people, droves of creative, happy, people, walking the streets, marveling at each other. Someone will lift up her mobile phone and snap a photo of the crowd, singing and dancing together. She’ll upload it to her Facebook page with the caption, “This is Norfolk. Can you believe it?”

Advocate for the Arts

Speaking of all that, today just happens to be Arts Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C. My own father, who has dedicated his life to bringing theater, music and dance to people in Michigan, Kansas and now Texas, is on Capitol Hill today, fighting to help restore funding for the NEA, and you can too! Just click to send a message to your representative and senators in support of the arts.

HRT halts study on light rail in Va. Beach indefinitely

The new mantra in Norfolk government, including the offices of Marcus Jones and Phil Shucet, seems to be, “Be careful, and take your time.” Both men have stepped into public hot-seats, and both have a whole lot of angry eyeballs on them, just waiting for them to screw up. So they’re being careful. Jones recently postponed a decision on what to do with Waterside, while he continues to analyze the information. And today, Shucet announced he is suspending the study of extending the light rail to the beach until HRT is able to provide more data on ridership projections that the federal government has asked for. According to the article, “a ‘time-out’ of a year or more may be necessary” to collect the needed data.

N.C. regulators consider first commercial wind farm

At a hearing today in North Carolina, Iberdrola Renewables will present their proposal for a windfarm with up to 150 turbines to be located on 20,000 acres in Perquimans and Pasquotank counties. It could generate power for up to 55,000 homes.

EVMS Community Care Day

This Saturday from 10a.m. to 1p.m. at Maury High School’s cafeteria, 322 Shirley Ave, students and doctors from Eastern Virginia Medical School will offer free screenings for high blood pressure, glaucoma, and skin cancer. For more information, visit www.evms.edu/community.

Critics: Va. redistricting plan designed to protect politicians

Shocker.

“The Pox and the Covenant: The Curious History of Science and Religion in Colonial America”

Free public talk tonight at the Virginia Air & Space Center, tonight at 7:30p.m.

For some in Va. Beach, dredge stations are a drag

Everybody wants deeper channels. Nobody wants a dredging transfer station.

Monthlong ‘pothole blitz’ ends; more than 10,000 holes filled

Va Dept of Transportation would like to apologize if they missed any on your route.

Social Networking for the Tragically Apathetic

If you’re not convinced or not impressed that Facebook activism is saving Norfolk, perhaps you should join GroupMeh instead. This site bills itself as “A revolutionary, game-changing social network for the tragically apathetic.” It’s there for you, man, but I suspect you won’t bother….