Weekend brings taste of summer with family-oriented fun

By Josette Keelor -- jkeelor@nvdaily.com

As the Warren County Fair wraps up at the Warren County Fairgrounds this Saturday, other events will sweep through the valley, offering activities across three counties.

• In Shenandoah County, the Route 11 Yard Crawl will provide bargain opportunities from New Market up to Strasburg, even extending through Middletown and into Stephens City.
• Business sidewalk sales, yard sales and antiques will stretch for 43 miles along U.S. 11 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday. For more information, visit www.virginia.org.

• In Warren County, Shenandoah Riverfest at the Raymond R. "Andy" Guest Shenandoah River State Park will take place Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. off U.S. 340 in Bentonville, eight miles south of Front Royal and 15 miles north of Luray.
• The daytime event is open to the public and is designed to connect visitors with the Shenandoah River. Special event admission and parking for the event is $8 per vehicle. In the park, all activities are free, and entrants receive a free trial membership to Shenandoah Riverkeeper and an entree into a drawing to win a Preception Sound Sport Kayak.
• Free canoe trips for participants over 6 and older will be available on the South Fork of the Shenandoah, as well as wild fish and bug displays, environmental education, fly-fishing lessons, wild animal displays and demonstrations and hands-on children's activities.
• The Dill Pikers and the Church Street Project will play bluegrass music, and Bundy's Barbeque will have food available.
• All proceeds from a raffle will benefit Shenandoah Riverkeeper. Prizes are a new 16-foot Wenonah Aurora canoe with two paddles and life jackets, a Dimension Escapade kayak, a two-night stay in a two-bedroom condo at Massanutten Resort with four zip line passes, and overnight stays in Shenandoah National Park Skyland Lodge with cabin stays and camping in any Virginia state park.
• Purchase tickets for the river at Downriver Canoe Company or Front Royal Canoe, or by emailing Alan at alan@potomacriverkeeper.org. For more information, visit Shenandoah Riverfest on Facebook.

• In Frederick County, the Peach Festival at Marker Miller Orchard, on Cedar Creek Grade south of Winchester, will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pick-your-own peaches are available, as are peach cobbler, peach turnovers, peach pie, peach slushees and homemade peach ice cream.
• Music will take place from 1 to 3 p.m., and visitors are invited to pick other fruit as well, such as blackberries, red raspberries, ginger gold apples, green beans and tomatoes.
• For more information, call 662-1391.