Back on the streets, Front Royal’s Festival of Leaves celebrates a half century

As Middletown’s Another Fine Mess band finishes a truly FINE set, Festival of Leaves Committee members Sue Laurence and Rick Novak, yellow event staff T-shirts, update the crowd on festival activities scheduling. – And by the way, the leaves in the Front Royal Village Commons event ground zero are cooperating with this 50th anniversary scheduling, as you can see. Royal Examiner Still Photos Roger Bianchini

Speaking of Another Fine Mess’s very fine set, who needs a light show when you’ve got Front Royal’s downtown fall setting for a backdrop.

And the weather added to the perfect fall ambiance as temperatures climbed into the 70s under clear, blue skies.

But not all of Front Royal’s trees are showing an early peak season, as vendors in all directions often had green leaves to shade under, or their own canopies – trust us, leaf season has JUST begun.

Since the partially obscured ‘Front Royal Train Company’ sign is now just a logo for the rail-locked Village Commons caboose, the kids were offered another mode of leaf-season sightseeing transportation.

The kids were drawn (pun intended) to hands-on art booths for a little face painting, not sure about the ‘stress free’ promise tho, as adults were to some more experienced artists booths. And some kids may have thought after a little practice – ‘Yea, I could get the hang of this art stuff.’

A harp makes its way into the arts-on-the-streets fray.

A little Five of a Kind Bluegrass gets the kids moving, and the adults attention.

Can we eat the flowers too, some may have wondered. If not, there were other options available.

A final panorama of the Front Royal Village Commons during the 50th Festival of Leaves anniversary, after some pandemic-related delays.