Norfolk's Cannonball Church: Corpse Flowers, Heat Domes, and Fourth of July Fireworks

Good evening, neighbors. This week Brodie and Co are sweating through a Hampton Roads heat dome that is chasing records Norfolk has not touched since 2020, so we are staying hydrated and mostly staying inside. On the news desk, a corpse flower is about to bloom at the Norfolk Botanical Garden sometime between July 4th and 8th, giving off its famous rotting-flesh smell, and that leads us straight into the cadaver bar over at the Zoom Room in Hilltop. There is also a swim advisory across nine Ocean View beaches in Norfolk, and MacArthur Center has finally closed its doors after 27 years.For Strange and Odd of Tidewater, we head downtown to St. Paul's Episcopal Church, where a British cannonball has been lodged in the brick wall since Lord Dunmore shelled Norfolk on New Year's Day in 1776. We also dig up the cheeky story behind the name Pleasure House Road. Then we run down where to catch Fourth of July fireworks, from Town Point Park to the Oceanfront, plus a James Beard dinner coming to Virginia Beach this fall.Question of the week: What is your favorite memory of MacArthur Center before it is gone for good? If you are in Coastal Virginia, this is your weekly mix of local news, odd history, and neighborly conversation. Catch you next Tuesday.