Community Connections highlights events and activities taking place around the JMU community. Featured in our Wellness Wednesday newsletter as the Community Spotlight, this page can help JMU faculty and staff become better connected with the surrounding community.
A new community event will be featured each week, with past events archived below. If you would like Balanced Dukes to highlight a community event, please email balanceddukes@jmu.edu
Current Community Event: Sizzling Chili Cook-off, Car Show and Fall Festival
Sizzling Chili Cook-off, Car Show and Fall Festival
Join the New Market Eagles this Saturday, October 10, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for a fun-filled day at the Sizzling Chili Cook-off, Car Show, and Fall Festival.
Sample delicious chili, check out the car show, enjoy live music, shop a wide variety of vendors, and enter a Frisbee competition. There will also be activities for kids such as pumpkin decorating, a bouncy house, and old-fashioned games.
All proceeds benefit SEARCH, a nonprofit that supports a group home for intellectually-challenged adults in Mt. Jackson.
Click here to learn more.
Past Community Events
- 9/23/26 - Fall Festival
- 9/16/26 - Indoor Yard Sale
- 9/9/26 - Native Tree ID Walk at the Arboretum
- 9/2/26 - Movie Nights in the Park
- 8/26/26 - Friendly City Group Run
- 8/19/26 - Kitty Time at Aristocat Cafe
- 8/12/26 - Augusta Harvest Market Opening Day
- 8/5/26 - Free Guided Walking Tour
- 7/22/26 - Come Grow With Us
- 7/8/26 - Gypsy Express Mini-Train RIdes
- 7/1/26 - Frontier Culture Museum
- 6/17/26 - VMRC National Juried Art Exhibition
- 6/10/26 - Book Sale
- 6/3/26 - Explore More Discovery Museum
- 5/27/26 - Artist Talk: Celebrating Native Bees
- 5/20/26 - Town of Mount Crawford's Annual Summerfest
- 5/13/26 - Music Bingo
- 5/6/26 - Plant Sale & Garden Fest
- 4/29/26 - Spring Plant & Tree Sale
- 4/22/26 - 13th Annual Chocolate Walk
- 4/15/26 - Vintage Pop-up Market
- 4/8/26 - Annual Blacks Run Clean Up Day & Arbor Day Tree Planting Event
- 4/1/26 - Jones Gardens
- 3/25/26 - Vintage with a View Spring Market
- 3/18/26 - Pollinators in Your Yard
- 3/11/26 - Massanutten Regional Library
