Community Events

Perfect Weather, Abundance of Still-Green Leaves, & Rousing Musical Entertainment Greet 2025 Festival of the Leaves

Published

8 months ago

October 13, 2025

A Friday, October 10th evening of “Dancing Downtown” powered forward by guest band Cazhmiere set the stage for Saturday’s annual Festival of the Leaves celebration of the arrival of the Fall tourism-attracting changing of the leaves season in Front Royal and Warren County.

We reached out to Festival organizers Sue Lawrence and Craig Laird who lauded this year’s Festival featuring perfect, clear Fall weather, well over 200 vendors lining Chester and East Main Streets and the Gazebo-anchored Village Commons Park, and a rousing day-long crowd who helped a number of those food vendors sell out before the festival’s closing time of 6 p.m. And that’s not even to mention all the food and other downtown business options always available there.

Vocalist Tina leads Cazhmiere into another number at Friday evening’s Dancing Downtown. Below, Tina and bandmates Mitch, Josh, Scott, and Dave launch into another crowd pleaser leading both the young and old to get on the good foot. Royal Examiner Photos Roger Bianchini

You know, the ever-wise “they” say a picture is worth a thousand words. So, this is about to turn into a 28,000 word story — without the words past here.

On Friday evening this Festival of Leaves sign was black & white. But after the festival’s start Saturday festival goers with an impulse toward the artistic helped beautify the sign.

The Village Commons Park area was loaded with its share of the 200-plus vendors that showed up to market their products. Vendors set up along both Chester and East Main Streets as well.

The park area also featured entertainment for the kids, especially those who felt like bouncing around a bit between food, crafts, and entertainment breaks.

The park area also featured entertainment for the kids, especially those who felt like bouncing around a bit between food, crafts, and entertainment breaks.

The ‘Yesterday Swing Orchestra’ presented some musical nostalgia for some of us older festival goers. Last shot we give the upright bassist some since he was cut out of the long group shot.

‘Souled Out’ took the musical baton from the Swing Orchestra and added several decades to the festival’s musical backdrop.

And ‘5 of a Kind’ took their turn with a bluegrass influence, even though we counted only 4 on stage. And the Gazebo proved a prime spot for either listening or dancing to what was going on.

And attracted by the music and dancing, stilt-walker BlissNinja made a not-so-subtle entrance to the Festival goings on. Her impact was mixed, from fearful it would seem in the first 2 photos – ‘Dance this way and don’t look behind you,’ one parent may be coaching their child – to mesmerized by her unusual social graces. In final shot BlissNinja heads across the park to seek a more positive social interaction and perhaps a daring dance partner.