Oct 08 Thursday
Masa Ishikawa and Sam Suggs bring their keyboard and bass duo to benefit the RHSPCA. Doors at 6 PM, music at 7 PM. $10 suggested donation at the door.Sandwiches and Down Home Plates Available!
Please note that the platform forced outdated contact information above. The event organizer is Marti Eads in the English program (540.432.4165/martha.eads@emu.edu.)
Award-winning fiction writer and EMU alumna Patricia Grace King (1989) will read selections from her new book, THOSE WHO VANISH, and discuss her writing process with her former student Esther Harder (2003) at a university homecoming kick-off event in Martin Chapel at 7 pm on October 8, 2026. Q and A and book-signing will follow.
Winner of the 2026 Drue Heinz Literature Prize, THOSE WHO VANISH follows the stories of Guatemalan citizens and North American expats set on a collision course by war. Set in a world of daily disappearances, the collection addresses a vital question: When all certainties are snatched away, what remains of lives, of memory, of faith?
King, a North Carolina native who now lives in Durham, England, draws from her experience of having lived in Guatemala. Harder, who documented peace efforts in Uganda and Rwanda for a decade after graduating from EMU, now serves as a "book coach who helps writers with battered passports transform their far-flung lives into cohesive narratives."
Weird Al brings his legendary full-production multimedia comedy rock show back to the concert stage with the BIGGER & WEIRDER 2026 Tour, playing his iconic hits as well as some never-performed-live-before fan favorites. Al’s long-time band is joined by four additional players to create a super-sized concert experience.
Oct 10 Saturday
Join us on October 10 for the annual American Liver Foundation (ALF) Liver Life Walk in Virginia! Honor the 50th anniversary of American Liver Foundation and support the 100 million Americans affected by liver disease. The Liver Life Walk in Virginia includes an accessible route at Forest Hill Park and provides an amazing opportunity to bring people together to support and raise awareness of the liver community. All funds raised by ALF’s Liver Life Walk in Virginia benefit the millions of people and families affected by liver disease. Together, we are moving closer to a world without liver disease. Registration/check-in begins at 9 am, and the walk kicks off from 10 am until 12 pm.https://alf.social/LLW26VA-Cal
Trinity's Senior Choristers join the Staunton Suzuki Studio, and select instrumentalists for an evening of music to benefit La Familia Fund. La Familia supports families in the SAW area who have members facing detention and/or deportation.
Join us on the slopes of Massanutten Resort for Fall Festival 2026 to highlight the beautiful Shenandoah Valley with local musicians, food trucks, scenic chairlift rides and artisans.
Tickets:
Advance | Through Oct. 9th | $11.79
At the Gate | $20
Children 6 & Under | Free
Chairlift Rides | $7 | Limited vouchers will be available for sale at the gate or in advance at the Concierge Desk, The Market, or the General Store thru October 9th. The chairlift ride will sell out for the day and vouchers will be sold on a first come, first served basis. Admission to Fall Festival does not guarantee admission to the scenic chairlift ride.
Band Line Up:
The Six Piece Suits | 4:30 – 6:00 PM
The Judy Chops | 2:15 – 3:45 PM
Spilling Dew | 12:00 – 1:30 PM
Food Vendors:
Base Camp, and more coming soon!
Artisan Vendors:
Coming soon!
Kids Activities:
Featuring yard games including Big Jenga, Big Connect 4, cornhole, and more!
CaveSim
Amazingly realistic caves, in a mobile version! CaveSim is an educational experience that makes learning effortless and fun. Look down! What's under your feet? Awesome caves! Come crawl and climb through CaveSim to learn about caves and test your careful-explorer skills. Try not to hit the delicate formations as you explore 150 feet of artificial cave passage. A computer tracks each artificial formation that you hit so you can see your damage and me when you finish caving. But that's not all! Try your hand at vertical caving on a 12 foot tower. Get hands-on practice with cave rescue equipment, including a rescue stretcher and cave rescue phones. See how tight a space you can fit through with our squeezebox. CaveSim is good clean fun for everyone in your family.
Find more info and get your tickets here!
Flow into fall with 🌊 C U R R E N T S 🌊A dance show of original choreography performed by local artists, ~c u r r e n t s~ features the joy of movement and welcomes audiences of all ages! Shows run around 80 minutes (with a 15-minute intermission) and there are four days/times to choose from, including a pay-what-you-will Sunday matinee.Get your advanced tickets today!Oct 9 @ 7pmOct 10 @ 3pm & 7pmOct 11 @ 3pm
Oct 11 Sunday
Celebrate the beauty of fall with a fun-filled day at Camp Horizons! Our annual Fall Festival is a free, family-friendly event open to the community, perfect for all ages. Spend the day exploring camp while enjoying a wide variety of seasonal activities. From games and crafts to archery, a petting zoo, and pony rides, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. You can also browse our vendor fair, connect with local businesses, and soak in the festive atmosphere. Come hungry! A selection of delicious hot food and treats will be available for purchase throughout the day. Whether you stay for an hour or the whole afternoon, it’s the perfect way to enjoy fall with family and friends at Camp Horizons. We can’t wait to see you there!
Oct 13 Tuesday
Three-time GRAMMY Award nominee, Stile Antico, is one of the world's most accomplished and innovative vocal ensembles. Working without a conductor, they thrill audiences with their fresh, vibrant and moving performances of Renaissance polyphony. If you’ve never experienced Renaissance music before, there is simply nothing else like it.
Oct 15 Thursday
Learn fun ways to paint a forest in this informative workshop! We will use brushes, mat board, foam core, sponges and salt to make woodland scenes of any season of the year, including fall. You will learn new techniques, tips on composition, and how to choose colors that will work well in a painting. Bring photos of forest scenes (Peg will have some, too). Peg will provide color worksheets, demonstrations, one-on-one help, and critiques. Register with a friend and make it even more fun! This workshop is suitable for beginners to advanced painters.
For beginner to intermediate, but no experience necessary!
Note: All required materials can be provided for $15; simply add this to your order if you prefer. Otherwise, see the materials list with some requirements online.
Oct 07 Wednesday
Using gongs, crystal and Tibetan bowls, voice, drums, shakers, and chimes, Connie Magee will take you on a sound journey that will relax and de-stress you and bring your whole being back into a state of harmony on all levels; physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Connie Magee is a multi-modality massage therapist, medicine woman, Yoga Instructor, and meditation teacher. $25 registration fee. Meet at the Arboretum's Pavilion.
Weird Al brings his legendary full-production multimedia comedy rock show back to John Paul Jones Arena with the BIGGER & WEIRDER 2026 Tour, playing his iconic hits as well as some never-performed-live-before fan favorites. Al’s long-time band is joined by four additional players to create a super-sized concert experience.
Oct 09 Friday
The Blue Ridge Irish Music School presents a concert of harp and guitar. Máire Ní Chathsaigh, steeped in the traditions of her native Co. Cork, is a recipient of Irish traditional music’s most prestigious award, Musician of the Year (Gradam Ceoil TG4 - Ceoltóir na Bliana) and a multiple All-Ireland winner; her 1985 solo album, 'The New Strung Harp’, was a milestone in Irish harp music. Chris Newman is a “dazzling” guitarist, who has toured and recorded with such luminaries of the folk and jazz worlds as Boys of the Lough and Stéphane Grappelli, and a composer and record producer.Their performances are a breathtaking blend of traditional Irish music, hot jazz, bluegrass and baroque, spiced with striking new compositions.The celebrated partnership of a brilliant English master of the acoustic guitar with “the doyenne of Irish harpers” has presented its unique musical vision in twenty-four countries on five continents to venues ranging from the tiniest of village halls to palaces in Kyoto and Istanbul, London’s Barbican, Cologne's Philharmonie, and Town Halls from Sydney to Seattle.
Oct 14 Wednesday
Get ready to kick off your Sunday shoes and cut loose with Footloose: The Musical! Bursting with high-energy dance numbers, electrifying music and a story that celebrates freedom, friendship and finding your voice, this stage adaptation of the iconic film will have audiences on their feet from start to finish. Contains adult content and violence. Parental discretion advised. FOOTLOOSE is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals.
From Quebec! An amazing opportunity! Timi Turmel, Quebecois one-row accordion champion & Erin Leahy bring their joyful music to the Grill!
Little Grill owners, Ron and Melaine Copeland are thrilled to share with Harrisonburg the music of Cecilia. They had the pleasure of seeing the group at last year's Richmond International Folk Festival and were blown away by the quality of the music and the sheer joy that emanated from the group! Ron saw them 3 times in one weekend. He says, "They were so full of joy, I just wanted to be wherever they were," and he vowed to get them to Harrisonburg! And on October 15th, they will be at The Little Grill bringing the best of many musical worlds together in their explorations of traditional, Celtic and Quebecois music, and you don't want to miss them!
Opening Act: The Hazelwoods
Sandwiches and Down Home Plates Available!
Oct 16 Friday
Boston-based Bluegrass artist Max Wareham (banjoist for Peter Rowan) will kick off the Clementine Bluegrass Series. Redbud, up and comers from North Carolina, will open the show.
Oct 17 Saturday