FCMV

Oktoberfest
2023-10-07 09:00 - 19:00 UTC | Frontier Culture Museum, 1290 Richmond Ave., Staunton, VA, 24401, United States
Our Annual Oktoberfest is back on October 7, 2023 from 12 PM – 7 PM!
This year we will be joined by the Stonewall Brigade Band, SGTEV Hirschjäger, and the Edelweiss Band for non-stop music and fun. Venture into the museum to learn how 18th century Germans brewed beer and cooked for festivals and special feast days. Explore the American exhibits and see how German culture continued in the descendants of those who immigrated to the American colonies.
Beer will be available for purchase at the Lee S. Cochran Pavilion. Brats and More will be on-site, as well as Rick’s BBQ & Catering, serving up traditionally styled German food.
This is a special ticketed event and annual passes do not cover this event.

2023 Lecture Series, "Alexander Spotswood’s Germanna: A Gateway to Colonial Virginia’s West”
2023-09-19 18:00 - 19:00
Join the Frontier Culture Museum on Tuesday, September 19, 2023 for the next installment of our 2023 Lecture Series. This month’s lecture is “Alexander Spotswood’s Germanna: A Gateway to Colonial Virginia’s West” presented by Dr. Eric Larsen from the Germanna Archaeology Foundation. The lecture starts at 6:00 PM in the Dairy Barn Lecture Hall and is free and open to the public.
Lt. Governor, Alexander Spotswood served as Governor of Colonial Virginia from 1710 to 1722. During his tenure, Spotswood established two forts along the western edges of the colony’s settlement. One of these forts came to be called Fort Germanna. Opened in 1714, Spotswood placed several families of German speaking immigrants in the fort to serve as a “barrier” between the French and French influenced Natives to the west. The fort, itself, was short lived and came to be replaced by a significant Georgian home built by Spotswood during his post Governor years in Virginia. This mansion came to be known as Spotswood’s “Enchanted Castle.” A small community of Germanna, grew up over this first half of the eighteenth century. This was the same period that the colony of Virginia was pushing westward into the piedmont and over the Blue Ridge. Germanna was part of this journey.
Meet the speaker:
Dr. Larsen brings more than 30 years of archaeological experience to his position with the Germanna Foundation. He has worked with the National Park Service at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, and for the University of Maryland on sites in Annapolis, Maryland. He directed fieldwork at the Freedmen’s and Contraband Cemetery for the City of Alexandria, Virginia. He has taught Introductory Archaeology classes and trained numerous students through a variety of Field Schools around the Mid-Atlantic States. Dr. Larsen has been with the Germanna Foundation for eight years, during which time the Germanna Archaeology Project was born.

Revolutionary War Weekend: Global Tempest
2023-09-16 09:00 - 2023-09-17 17:00
September 16-17, come join the Revolution that sparked a world-wide conflict. Global Tempest: A Revolutionary War Weekend, will see highly skilled reenactors and historians from across the country transform the Frontier Culture Museum into a world at war. Visit and explore the American Revolution as you’ve never seen it before, through the eyes of the many diverse peoples who lived it. Allow us to take you on a journey across the Atlantic, where you can explore West Africa, England, Ireland, Germany, and America, and see yourself in our Revolutionary beginnings. Hear the stories of the men and women, free and enslaved, European and American, indigenous and immigrant, who braved the Global Tempest of the American Revolution. The drums will beat, the muskets will roar, and this is sure to be an event you won’t want to miss.
This weekend, we will be joined by living historians from across the country.
The days activities will be made available later in the summer, check back for a full list.
This is a general admission ticketed event!

Fall Homeschool Days
2023-09-07 09:00 - 2023-09-08 17:00
Fall Homeschool Days are Thursday, September 7th & Friday, September 8th.
Homeschool Days are designed specifically for homeschool children and parents in mind. Stop by the school house for a 19th century school lesson, join our interpreters for historic games, and experience everyday life with hands on demonstrations. Bring a picnic lunch and spend the whole day at the museum, we have plenty to do!
Tickets on these two days are $3 for children under the age of 18 and $5 for adults.
Purchase Tickets

Labor Day Weekend
2023-09-02 09:00 - 2023-09-03 17:00
Come and relax with the Frontier Culture Museum this Labor Day Weekend. Play games with us and learn about cooking in different parts of the world and throughout time. Stop by all weekend long to learn about leisure and how people took a break from the everyday life.

Virginia Rain Bluegrass Band (Roots Concert Series)
2023-08-27 17:00 - 19:00
The Frontier Culture Museum American Roots Concert Series is back for the 2023 season. Join us every Sunday in August from 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM for live roots music! The final concert of 2023 will feature Virginia Rain Bluegrass Band.
Virginia Rain Bluegrass Band is based in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, where bluegrass roots run deep, traditional and true. They hope their music reflects the love and passion each of them has for bluegrass!
Tickets are $12 per person, or reserve an entire table for $60.00. Tickets for Roots are included in museum admission, so spend the whole day with us! Rick’s BBQ & Catering will be on site during the Roots Concert for dinner!

Harvest Festival
2023-08-06 09:00 - 17:00
Join the Frontier Culture Museum for our Harvest Festival. Late summer and early fall is when the wheat that would sustain you throughout the winter would be harvested. Stop by as we explore what this time of year would have been like for people around the world and across time. This event will feature hands on activities and a vendor fair. Don’t forget to stay after 5 PM that day for the first concert in our Root Concert Series. The Judy Chops!

Want to be a vendor? We are looking for vendors that are selling handmade goods or produce for this event! Email events@fcmv.virginia.gov for more information!

4th of July Celebration
2023-07-04 09:00 - 17:00
Be sure to stop by the Frontier Culture Museum this Independence Day for our 4th of July Celebration from 9 AM – 5PM.
March with the troops and listen to a reading of the Declaration of Independence. Speak to the soldiers of Crockett’s Western Battalion as they set up camp at our Settlement site. Bring the family for historical games, trades, and much more!
Chaddie’s Food Truck will be on-site this July 4th for lunch!
This is a pay-what-you-will donation day, so bring the whole family.
Timed activities are coming soon, so check back often.
