Friends of the Middle River will have a table in the exhibit hall at the Augusta County Fair from July 21st through July 25th! We hope to see you there!
We could still use a few more volunteers for this event for the following times:
Tuesday 7/21 (Load in) 10 AM - 3 PM
Thursday 7/23 evening 4 PM - 9 PM
Sunday 7/26 (Load out) 10 AM - 3 PM
Please reply to this email to let us know if you're available and on which days of the Fair.
Middle River Photo of the Month Contest
Photo above featuring the spot where Christians Creek joins the Middle River, taken by Angela Jones.
July's photo contest winner is Angela Jones!
Thank you, Angela, for your lovely photo of Christians Creek/Middle River.
Do you have a pretty picture (or several) of the Middle River or its tributaries on your camera roll? Please send us your photos!
We'd love to celebrate the Middle River and its beauty with you and our other Friends of the Middle River. Winners will receive a feature in our next newsletter and 5 free raffle tickets for our 2026 Kayak & Standup Paddle Board Raffle.
If you're interested in sponsoring FOMR's 2026 Summer Programs, you can purchase a sponsorship (and raffle tickets) at this link here or send a $100 check to Friends of the Middle River, P.O. Box 131, Verona, VA 24482.
2026 FOMR Cleanup
Instead of our regularly scheduled monthly float trip for August, we would like to designate August 8th as our 2026 FOMR Cleanup Day.
We have several sites that are in need of a cleanup. If you are interested in helping us cleanup the river on August 8th, please reply to this email and we will connect you with a team leader for more info.
Help Us Come Up With a New Motto
We have a mission statement, we have a vision, but now we need a short, punchy motto. An elevator pitch, if you will. The problem is, we can't decide what it should be. So, we'd love to ask our Friends: what do you think our FOMR motto should be? Friends of the Middle River: Protect and Play? Friends of the Middle River: Educate & Enjoy? Or something totally new?
Reply to this email with your ideas!
FOMR In the News
You may have caught a recent breaking story featuring FOMR at the end of last month after a large illegal trash dumping occurred at Bald Rock Road in Mt. Sidney. While the reason for our news feature was very frustrating, we were delighted to quickly gather a great group of volunteers to assist us in cleaning up the trash left behind.
Thank you so much to everyone who helped us keep the garbage out of the river!
Help Shape Virginia's Energy Future
The 2026 Virginia Energy Plan is now in development, and we want to hear from you. The choices Virginia makes now will shape electricity bills, grid reliability, and resilience for years to come.
Tell us what you think should be prioritized in Virginia's energy future. The public input survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete and is open through July 31, 2026.
28 Monthly Board Meeting, 6:30 PM, Augusta Co. Govt. Center Kitchen
August
8 FOMR Cleanup Day / Floats, time tbd 25 Monthly Board Meeting, 6:30 PM, Augusta Co. Govt. Center Kitchen
New to receiving the FOMR newsletter?
Maybe we met you at a festival recently or you saw us on the local news, but you still wish you knew more about our organization... First of all, welcome! And just so you know, we do have a slightly more detailed sign-up form that tells us some more about you - like any potential volunteer interests you might have - and also gives you the chance to sign up for our River Access Program.
