Corks and Chords to Bring Music, Wine, and Local History Together in Front Royal

The Warren Heritage Society is inviting the community to start Wine & Craft Weekend with music, food, drinks, and a relaxed evening on the lawn.

Corks and Chords will be held on Friday, May 15, from 6 to 9 p.m. on the grounds of the Warren Heritage Society at 101 Chester Street in Front Royal. The event will feature live music by Bearded Harmony, with food, beer, and wine available for purchase.

The evening is planned as a casual kickoff to the Virginia Wine & Craft Festival weekend. Guests are encouraged to bring a chair, find a spot on the lawn, and enjoy the spring setting around one of Front Royal’s historic properties.

“It’s intended as a kickoff event for the Wine and Craft Weekend,” Warren Heritage Society Executive Director Liz Rishel said during a Royal Examiner interview. “Bearded Harmony will be playing. It’s from 6 to 9. We want folks to bring a chair, sit down on our lawn, and enjoy a chill evening of great music.”

The event is also a fundraiser for the Warren Heritage Society, which preserves and shares the history of Warren County and the Shenandoah Valley through exhibits, archives, educational programs, historic buildings, and community outreach.

Tickets are $10 each and may be purchased in advance or at the door. Admission includes five tickets that can be used toward food, drinks, or possibly games during the evening. Guests may enter from the Chester Street entrance or through the back gate near the Valley Health parking lot.

“We’ll have some food for sale. We will have wine and beer. We’re going to have some great games,” Rishel said.

The Warren Heritage Society is recognizing Clear Horizon Forensic and Counseling Group as the Presenting Sponsor of Corks and Chords. Sponsorships are still available for businesses and community members interested in supporting the event and the Society’s mission.

The grounds of the Warren Heritage Society are part of the evening’s appeal. Visitors can enjoy the lawn and gardens while spending time in a setting tied closely to local history. During the interview, Warren Heritage Society Vice President Karen Monroe noted that the gardens are open to visitors and have been cared for by local master gardeners.

“We always have our gardens open,” Monroe said. “Right now, the master gardeners come in, and they work on our gardens. They’ve done a beautiful job already this year.”

Rishel said the Society has also changed the visitor experience inside Ivy Lodge, the main museum building. The first floor now includes two galleries focused on the history of Warren County, and visitors can take self-guided tours instead of relying only on guided tours.

“It gives people the chance to spend time in the places that they want to and see the things that they want to see,” Rishel said. Visitors can “read all the labels, look closely at an artifact that they might find interesting, and then come back and ask questions about what they saw.”

That mix of history and hospitality is part of what organizers hope will set Corks and Chords apart from other evening events. Guests will be able to relax outdoors while surrounded by historic buildings, gardens, and reminders of Warren County’s past.

The Society’s historic spaces include an outdoor kitchen, smokehouse, blacksmith area, and other exhibits that help illustrate what daily life was like in earlier times.

“It’s really incredible,” she said. “Our outdoor kitchen, really, which is a working outdoor kitchen, really gives us the chance to show folks what it was like to have to go in and make a fire and have to be able to prepare their breakfast.”

The Corks and Chords event comes as the Society continues to expand its public programs. Rishel said the organization has acquired a small Main Street outreach space at the former Jack Rabbit Moto Shop location. The site is only about 4 feet wide, but the Society plans to use it to connect with people walking downtown.

“We’re at this very moment working on fresh tours to give,” Rishel said. Those plans include historic tours and the return of ghost tours, which she said were popular last year. “Ghosts were a big hit.”

She said the walking tours will help serve visitors looking for things to do in Front Royal while also supporting the Warren Heritage Society.

“It’s going to be a great supporter of the Warren Heritage Society itself,” Rishel said. “So it’s a win-win for us.”

Bearded Harmony will provide the music for Corks and Chords, bringing a local sound to the evening. Rishel described the group as a good fit for the event.

“Oh, they’re great,” she said. “They’re local. They’re the nicest people to work with. So I’m excited.”

Organizers are also planning games, including a 50-50 drawing. Guests who want to take part in the 50-50 are encouraged to bring cash.

For the Warren Heritage Society, the event is more than a night of music and refreshments. It is a chance to welcome people onto the grounds, share local history, and raise support for the care of historic homes, archives, exhibits, and educational programs.

Corks and Chords will be held Friday, May 15, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Warren Heritage Society, 101 Chester Street, Front Royal. Tickets are available in advance and at the door. For ticket information, event details, or sponsorship opportunities, contact the Warren Heritage Society or visit the Society’s official website. 

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