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...