Fun at the fair: Gabby Wood takes a whirl on a merry-go-round with her 4-year-old son, Levi, last Sunday at the State Fair of Virginia. The annual event, featuring exhibits, farm animals, midway rides and food, runs through Sunday, Oct. 7, at the Meadow Event Park in Caroline County. (Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press)

Monroe Park is once again open to the public following the biggest facelift in its 167-year history as a public green space. The centerpiece of the park is the Checkers House, which has been remodeled to provide room for a coffee shop, modern restrooms and space for city and Virginia Commonwealth University police officers. The reopening capped a project that took 22 months and cost about $6.3 million, with about half coming from private donors. (Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press)

Mayor Levar M. Stoney, center, cuts the ribbon to reopen Monroe Park on Sept. 27. He is flanked by VCU President Michael Rao and Alice M. Massie, president of the park’s new governing body, the Monroe Park Conservancy, and other dignitaries. The nearly 8-acre space was Richmond’s first public park when the city acquired the land in 1851. The reopening will allow churches and other groups to resume serving meals to the homeless on weekends. The Monroe Park Conservancy has a 30-year lease with the city to operate and manage the park in cooperation with the city’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities. (Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press)

Coleus in North Side (Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press)

Classical dance: Dancers perform a classical Indian dance — the “Bharanthnatyam” — during the 37th Annual Festival of India last Saturday and Sunday at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. The event allowed Richmonders to explore India’s diverse cultures and traditions through an array of foods, music, crafts and dance, including Bollywood and Bhangra dances. Proceeds from the event go largely to the Hindu Center of Virginia. (Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press)

Paws pause: Marcus Perry and his two French bulldogs, Hugo and Keiko, take a break at the inaugural Richmond Dog Festival last Saturday at 17th Street Market in Shockoe Bottom. The festival, benefiting the Enrichmond Foundation, brought together dog lovers and their dogs for music, demonstrations, a pet fashion show, food, music and a bevy of vendors who serve Richmond’s pet community, including dog sitters, trainers, rescue leagues and makers of dog treats. (Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press)