You may not find this terribly rewarding unless you're included here, so this is a good time for casual and random browsers to turn back before they get too caught up in the sweep and majesty of the proceedings and can't let go.
The Queen City: Mischief & Magic, & back to the Augusta Springs Wetlands
26 September - 1 October 2026
We've finally got home to Staunton in mid-afternoon, unloaded the car, and decided to see what's going on with all the noise downtown.
Of course, it's the annual Queen City: Mischief & Magic two-day festival in late September -- it was originally planned as a Harry Potter festival but apparently ran into copyright problems and came up with this generic title, though nearly all of the costumed participants seem to be dressed as Harry Potter characters.
We first visited it in 2019 and paced the streets in admiration, but in fact the main streets are only part of the celebrations. This website [as long as it's active] shows a carefully planned schedule of Activities, Attractions, Performance/Shows, Workshops, and special Shopping opportunities taking place all over town, some 'drop in' and others at fixed times.
That's the main thoroughfare, Beverley St, looking east, from the intersection with our Augusta St.
We've arrived in late afternoon and the crowds are presumably thinning, but it's better than showing up as we did in 2023 when the venue was a victim of fairly serious rain. The 2024 events began doubtfully but soon filled the streets to capacity, but we arrived too late for the 2025 party. And that's Beverley looking westward.
And that's S. Augusta looking down towards the Wharf District.
It's fun to see all of these happy citizens, especially the ones all dolled up in faux-medieval costumes, but at the moment we just trying to get place in the line for an early dinner in the Remedy Burger (a favorite) over on the right. Twenty minute wait, unfortunately, and a limited menu for this occasion.
That as-it-were gentleman surely wins the Creepy prize.
A few more photos of the proceeding with very much in common with each other.
Someone has mentioned that, in light of Remedy's wait-time, the Green Room down the street a ways might have some room. We've only been in there once, for a few lunchtime sandwiches for a hike, so we don't know what to expect at this point.
On the far side is the old Masonic Building, wonderful inside, formerly with a used bookstore in the 2nd floor that we patronized frequently when we'd first arrived, but at some point the interior's become entirely restricted to clients of the commercial and legal offices inside.
Many of the many restaurants along the main street, on summer weekends with the bollards blocking the downtown, burst out onto the street with plein air service, but . . .
. . . it rather looks like some of these spaces have been devoted to the various workshop arrangements for the children.
That's our famous Clock Tower looming over all, and Masonic Building behind it.
We're here at the Green Room and not inclined to place our names on this list as well as on the Remedy's. (We came back two weeks later (when it was nearly empty), and it was fine, but dear.)
Back up N Augusta St, blocked off here, after our somewhat disappointing Remedy experience, but it's all in aid of benefiting from the crowds, understandably.
We've stopped in again the next morning. Not that much has changed, but we're showing support.
The famous T J Collins building at the corner of Beverley and Augusta -- the brilliant architect, with some 200 new and renovated buildings in town ca. 1900, had his own office there. Now there's a Cigar Smokers' Club on the ground floor.
That's our Remedy Burger behind that easel in the street, now with another line-up by the door.
Our photographer is just following Kristin about, wherever she wishes to go next.
Even if it's only looking into shop windows
Now that thing's probably worth a glance.
The intersection of Beverley and New St.
The various costumes suggest we've missed some kind of performance, possibly from the students from the university just up the hill.
'Oh, sorry! Carry on.'
Not much business here. We're heading home at this point, and . . .
. . . witnessing the beginnings of the scaffolding for the work to be done on our building to repave the roof of the fourth floor. Which alas means shifting about all of the HVAC machines on that floor. It's meant to take a week, but next year our roof is going to be next.
Finally back to the Augusta Springs Wetlands
One of our favorite walking-about places, and we're glad to be back after four months on the lake.
Alread on 1 October, the trees are seriously getting down to their annual work of 'fall color changing', and it's looking good.
Normally, in our regular expeditions here, we begin with the long boardwalk there and come round the main pond to the north side straightaway . . .
. . . like that. But today we'll reverse that. We haven't been walking very much -- hydrobiking nearly to exhaustion all summer -- and we're not sure if we're entirely ready for the Upland Trail yet.
That's the rudimentary facilities for the clientele.
Bypassing the boardwalk system for the time being
The old 19th century health spa and resort is long gone now, but the best introduction on this website is probably this one from 2020.
The little springs appear all to be very dry at the moment. The whole Shenandoah Valley is said to be very dry at the moment.
Waiting a bit for the stragglers
We proceed.
The main pond
The skeletal stegosaurus
We're bypassing the Uplands Trail this time. Perhaps next time; we'll see.
The US Forest Service, Ducks Unlimited, and the Virginia DWR -- thanks, guys!
Until a few years ago this whole thing was infested with the invasive marsh species Autumn Olive (Elaeagnus umbellata), successfully removed (mostly) by the authorities. Kristin, an expert in these matters, thinks that it's coming back amongst the native species.
Approaching the end of the long boardwalk, where we can't help noticing that . . ..
. . . the wetland creeks are virtually dead.
Very sad. Disgusting, actually.
We should work at finding a way to pray for their prompt recovery!
Back onto the boardwalk across a normally very mushy part of the meadows here.
Nothing going on down there.
That's a ruined old trail map -- there's a fine new one out by the carpark. And alongside this one is a holder for brochures in which we've never seen any brochures.
That was fun -- not taxing by any means, just basically a warm-up for the autumn and winter, and some practice with this awkward cane.
The road back to Staunton, which some wonderful countryside
And some reminders that some of the economic opportunities and longtime population out here in Augusta County are not . . .
. . . totally flourishing.
Except this fellow and his family perhaps. We ran into him a few years ago on the Upland Trail, and he explained that he'd bought that healthy-looking but disused little church and was converting into a family home.
This, by the way, will soon be called Beverley St, the main road though Staunton, and behind it it proceeds through West Virginia to Parkersburg on the Ohio River -- it's called the Parkersburg Turnpike, planned out in 1838.
Staunton coming up -- it's a 20 minute trajet out to the Augusta Springs.
Melvin is adopting a new crash bed.
However much hilarious fun we've had out at the lake, it's subtly heartwarming to be home with the books.
Dinner will evidently be ready soon. (Kristin wisely forbids other members of the family from making any dinners for us at all.)
So back home, nice.
Next up: We're awaiting further dispatches
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All rights reserved, all wrongs avenged. Posted 28 October 2026.
