Subject: FOMR: Upcoming Events in November & December 🎉🍁

Are You a Landowner along the Middle River or its Tributaries? Join Us on December 1st in New Hope.

Friends of the Middle River are cordially inviting landowners to meet your neighbors along the river for holiday snacks, refreshments, and entertainment on December 1st at 6 PM at New Hope Ruritan Club.


We look forward to meeting more of our neighbors and sharing with you our organization’s efforts to conserve this important natural resource in our own backyards.


You will have the opportunity to speak with us and other organizations who can discuss best conservation practices on your property with you. 


This year saw the lowest river levels in decades. How did that affect your property or farm operations? 


Let's talk TIRES. We remove hundreds every year. Where do they all come from? We will share our ongoing plans to clean up the river.


Let us know what else we can do for you!


Bring: Christmas cookies to share if you want to, if not, just bring yourself! There will be plenty of goodies and refreshments on hand


Please RSVP by responding to this email by November 17th.

 

We hope you will join us for this fun evening of camaraderie and enjoyment of our shared amazing resource…The Middle River!  

Join Friends of the Shenandoah at their November 16th Movie Night!

The Friends of the Shenandoah River, our parent organization, are thrilled to invite you to a special evening celebrating local storytelling, community connection, and the protection of our beloved “Daughter of the Stars”!

 

On Monday, November 16, 2026, the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Winchester is hosting a special Monday Movie Night & Fundraiser, featuring "Voices of the Shenandoah River", a showcase of four regionally produced short films. All proceeds from the evening will directly support the vital water-quality monitoring, conservation, and educational work of the Friends of the Shenandoah River (FOSR).

 

Event Details at a Glance

  • Date: Monday, November 16, 2026

  • Location: Alamo Drafthouse Cinema | Winchester, VA

  • Theater Doors Open: 6:00 PM (Come early for pre-show festivities, silent auction, games, and filmmaker meet-and-greets)

  • Showtime: 6:30 PM

  • Tickets: $12 — Available at the Alamo box office or online at drafthouse.com/Winchester. Every ticket sold directly benefits FOSR’s ongoing work to monitor, protect, and restore the Shenandoah and Potomac watersheds.

Pre-Show Lobby Festivities

Come early to catch the fun before the theater doors open!

  • Silent Auction: Bid on exciting items donated by local businesses and supporters.

  • Family-Friendly Games & Activities: Kid-oriented games and prizes too!

  • Meet the Filmmakers: Connect directly with local directors, chat about their creative processes, and grab film merch.

  • Exclusive Vinyl Release: Pick up the official vinyl soundtrack for River Maid right in the lobby!

Featured Short Films

We have an incredible lineup of stories that highlight the history, beauty, and ecological connections of our region:

  1. Chessie’s Big Adventure (Produced by South River Watershed Coalition) Follow Chessie the duck on an inspiring 365-mile journey from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Chesapeake Bay, showing how land, water, and communities link us all together.

  2. Surf and Turf: A Chesapeake Watershed Story (Produced by Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay) An uplifting look at how vibrant communities across the Shenandoah Valley and Chesapeake Bay unite to protect clean water and shared natural resources.

  3. Fertile Fields, Fragile Waters: Farming and the Fate of the Shenandoah (Directed by Celia Cooley) An eye-opening documentary exploring agricultural conservation solutions and the dedicated farmers implementing practices to safeguard our river.

  4. River Maid (Directed by Colin J. Mason / Mirandum Pictures) Filmed along the Shenandoah River and featuring the voice of former WINC Radio legend Barry Lee, this award-winning, lyrical tale follows an aging widower who encounters a mermaid and reawakens his spirit of adventure.

Upcoming Science Talk: These Snakes Work For You

These Snakes Work For You: Natural History Collections & Their Position in the Public Trust


When: November 10th at 7 PM at the Wayne Theatre in Waynesboro


What: Upon entering the Virginia Museum of Natural History (VMNH), or almost any natural history museum, you are immediately surrounded by exhibits, knowledge, and history of this planet and region that have been curated specifically for public interaction and enjoyment. But where do all the locked doors lead? What are these curators doing behind these doors? What does research look like at a museum? In this talk, Dr. Roberts will discuss the research collections of the VMNH, specifically the reptiles and amphibians that he curates. He will discuss ongoing research projects he is leading in the Commonwealth, and how these projects (and their collections) benefit

and involve the public. 


Who: Dr. Jackson Roberts joined the Virginia Museum of Natural History in

June 2026 from the Sternberg Museum of Natural History in Kansas where he was the Zoological Collections Manager. Jackson completed his doctorate on snake evolution and biodiversity in New Guinea at the Louisiana State University Museum of Natural Sciences. As the new Assistant Curator of Herpetology at VMNH, he is set to play a leading role in researching the reptiles and amphibians residing right here Virginia.


Where: The presentation will be livestreamed from the Wayne Theatre and the Virginia Museum of Natural History Facebook pages. Afterwards, it will be posted as a video on those Facebook pages and on https://www.youtube.com/@thecenterforcoldwatersrest6681.

Upcoming Events

November

17 November/December Board Meeting, 7:00 PM, Zoom only


December

1 Landowner's Gathering, 6:00 PM, New Hope Ruritan Club

Need to renew your annual contribution?

How has 2026 flown by so quickly? If you need to renew your annual contribution to FOMR, please do so by clicking the button below:

 
DONATE TO FOMR

Current RAP Booklet Version 06/07/2026

 

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Friends of the Middle River, PO Box 131, Verona, Virginia 24482, United States

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