By Vets for Vets: Free veteran resource festival returns in September
Mountain Valor Fest is an annual event designed by veterans for veterans that takes place at Crooked Mountain in Floyd County. This year's festival is set for Sept. 12.
Mountain Valor Veteran Services will host Mountain Valor Fest 2026 at Crooked Mountain Campground on Saturday, Sept. 12. Admission is free, and gates open at noon for the third annual event.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Virginia Department of Veterans Services will both have representatives on-site, offering benefits counseling, enrollment assistance and resource navigation to veterans and their families. More than three dozen federal, state and local community agencies are expected to participate.
"Most of the veterans we serve have never had someone sit down with them and walk through what they've earned," said Katt Whittenberger, a 21-year Navy veteran and the organization's founder and executive director. "That's what this event is — we bring the resources to them, at no cost, in their own community."
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Mountain Valor Fest also includes food trucks, live music, a kid zone, military displays, artisan and retail vendors, and community resource exhibits. Federal and state agencies will be joined by local organizations providing services that often fill gaps traditional veteran support systems miss. Additional vendor and exhibitor space remains available for both resource providers and vendors. BAE Systems returns as primary festival sponsor for the third consecutive year. Blue Cross Blue Shield is the Kid Zone sponsor.
The event will feature two live acts. Dr. Phil's Kimo Therapy, a Roanoke-based band rooted in Appalachian punk, rockabilly and blues, will perform alongside Glam'r Kiti, an '80s rock tribute act that has shared the stage with Sebastian Bach, formerly of Skid Row, the Bullet Boys, Dokken, Warrant, and Appetite for Destruction.
A 5:30 p.m. remembrance ceremony will honor those lost on Sept. 11, 2001, and through the wars that followed.
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Next to School House Fabrics on Route 8 in the Town of Floyd.
"Rural veterans face barriers that veterans near major metro areas don't," Whittenberger said. "We skew older, less reliant on digital communications, and are significantly more isolated. Distance and fewer resources means veterans are incredibly disconnected. This event closes that gap for one day — and we keep building from there."
Mountain Valor Veteran Services serves veterans of all generations, their families, survivors and caregivers across seven rural Southwest Virginia counties: Floyd, Montgomery, Pulaski, Franklin, Carroll, Patrick, and Wythe. Since its founding in 2024, the organization has reached more than 3,000 veterans, family members, survivors and caregivers, with 1,200 served in person. The nonprofit was named 2025 Nonprofit of the Year by the Floyd County Chamber of Commerce.
Mountain Valor Fest 2026 is free and open to all. The event is accessible for those with mobility limitations and will take place rain or shine. This year's attendee goal is 1,500.
Vendor Registration is Open
Vendor registration is now open for Mountain Valor Fest (MVF) 2026. If you sell handmade goods, food, apparel, veteran-focused products, or services that align with our mission, we want you at the table. MVF brings together veterans, families, and community members from across the New River Valley and Southwest Virginia for a day of music, ceremony, and connection.
Vendor fee is $25. Nonprofit organizations are welcome at no cost. After completing registration, email your proof of insurance to kattw@mtnvalor.org. Your spot is not confirmed until insurance is received. Vendor space is limited.
Secure your spot online here.
