Farnsworth-Page RiverFest 2026 is on!

July 31-August 2, 2026 in Fries, Virginia

Come visit our beloved tiny historic mountain town of Fries (pronounced ‘Freeze’), Virginia for a weekend of tubing, biking, hiking, karaoke, drum circle/music jamming, and shared meals with family and friends. We’ve rented out the entire Washington Inn in Fries for the weekend as the center of festivities.

All friends and family are invited, but we do need to know who’s coming. Please let us know here by July 15th.

Register to attend – Click here and fill out the form!

The Washington Inn: Party Headquarters

Washington Inn, 509 West Main Street, Fries, VA: Headquarters for the weekend. Come hang out anytime on the front porch rocking chairs, riverview deck out back, or comfy furniture inside.

The rooms at the Washington Inn have been booked for our immediate families. But there are plenty of awesome cabins, hotels, B&Bs, and campsites right in Fries and within 15 minutes’ drive. Housing options and amenities in the larger adjacent town of Galax, VA are 10-15 minutes away. See recommendations below under Housing Options.

The Food Plan

To help with kitchen chaos, storage limitations, and burdens on those traveling, we’re going with centrally planned & purchased meals at the inn instead of potluck/food assignments or dispersed eating. We’ll serve up all of Costco’s bounty, and some signature made-ahead dishes brought by a few of the talented cooks among us.

How you can contribute:

If you can plan to put $50 a person into the pot to cover the cost of all meals for the weekend, it’d be appreciated. (Don’t worry about that if it’s a hardship or you’re not up for it.) We’ll also ask everybody when they arrive to sign up for one of the weekend’s meals to serve it up and clean it up. 

We’ll have vegetarian options available. Plenty of snacks to grab. Feel free to bring snacks to share: non-refrigerated, please, especially if you’re staying at the inn!

Housing Options

Camping Options

  • Goldfinch Cottage, 842 Hester St, Fries, VA – Our trailside house in a neighborhood with a big lot. You are more than welcome to camp out in our yard and use our indoor bathroom & outdoor shower. 1 mile walk/bike/drive to the festivities. 
  • Cliffview Campground – Reservable state park trailside sites on a scenic creek. You can’t drive in to your campsite, but the parking lot is a short walk. 15 mins from Fries. 
  • Hipcamp – like Airbnb for campsites.

FYI

  • Cell service: Be prepared for sketchiness. Usually there’s some signal. Verizon network seems worst around Fries. Have solid directions before you get off the interstate into the mountains. Come to the inn for WiFi as needed. 
  • Air Travel: Greensboro (PTI) airport is smaller and 1.5 hours drive from Fries. Raleigh-Durham (RDU) is larger and 2.5 hours drive.
  • Bike & kayak rentals, fishing licenses: Go to New River Outdoor Adventures. We also have several bikes of all sizes at our place and would love to loan them to you. Get in touch with Sara ahead of time about borrowing bikes if possible.
  • Other essentials: There’s a Dollar General in Fries, three restaurants, and in nearby Galax there’s a Wal-Mart, grocery stores, and several restaurants.

Packing List

  • A cooler and your favorite beverages
  • Don’t forget your water shoes!
  • If you have them:
    • Bikes, kayaks, river tubes
    • Board games
    • Musical/percussion instruments if you’re ready to jam.
    • Camp chairs to chill out by or in the river
  • Snacks to share if desired.
    • No peanuts or shrimp/crustaceans due to severe allergies.
    • Nothing that requires fridge space, particularly if you’re staying at the inn, as we need it for the meal foods.