Medieval in the Mountains

North Mountain Vineyard & Winery's first Ravenwood Faire is almost here — and owner Jill Edlich says getting a 90-vendor medieval festival ready on a working vineyard has been its own kind of harvest season. Janet Michael and Kary Haun catch up with Jill for Shenandoah County Tourism Tuesday, checking in on everything that's changed since February: a new accessible walkway, a horse arena, and a vineyard now just months from hosting its biggest event yet. Jill talks through surviving an April frost scare, why Ravenwood Faire leans medieval instead of Renaissance, and what two full weekends (October 16–18 and 23–25) of jousting, vaulting, turkey legs, and handmade crafts will look like at its new home. She also opens up about the Ravenwood Foundation, the nonprofit behind it all that sends kids to camp and keeps them off their screens. Then Kary runs down everything else happening around Shenandoah County this fall — from Autumn Fest to a 50th-anniversary toast at one of Virginia's oldest wineries. EVENT DETAILS - Ravenwood Faire — presented by the Ravenwood Foundation Dates: October 16–18 and October 23–25, 2026 Hours: Fridays 3–9 PM, Saturdays 10 AM–7 PM, Sundays 10 AM–5 PM Location: North Mountain Vineyard & Winery, Maurertown, VA Tickets: Online presale (currently $5 off), tickets also available at the door; children 7 and under free; 2-day, 3-day, and 6-day (season) passes available Website: ravenwoodfaire.us LINKS & RESOURCES North Mountain Vineyard & Winery: northmountainvineyard.com Ravenwood Foundation: ravenwoodfoundation.org Shenandoah County Tourism (events calendar): visitshenandoahcounty.com THE VALLEY TODAY with Janet Michael — A decade of conversations. New podcast episodes drop weekdays at 11 AM. Catch the show on The River 95.3 and Fox Sports 1450 AM weekdays just after noon. Subscribe and listen at thevalleytodaypodcast.com — available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoy the show, please take a moment to leave a rating or review — it helps more listeners find us. Connect with us: Facebook — facebook.com/ValleyTodayFanPage Instagram — instagram.com/thevalleytoday