Good morning, Blacksburg.

Happy Labor Day. Most things are closed today, so this one is about what's ahead.

Festival season opens a week from Saturday and runs through Thanksgiving. The town rolled out its new look last week. And as of two weeks ago, you can carry your Virginia driver's license on your phone.

In today's Blacksburg Connect:

Have an idea for a local event, business, or anything else you think would be good to get the word out to fellow Blacksburg locals? Hit Reply to share your ideas!

Festival season starts a week from Saturday and runs through November. Here's what we have so far.

📜 Kiwanis Wilderness Trail Festival — Saturday, Sept. 19, 9 a.m.–4 p.m., downtown Christiansburg. Free. The 53rd year of a festival that has run since 1973. Main Street and the surrounding side streets close for more than 150 vendor spaces, two stages of live music and dance, a children's area with inflatables and face painting, heritage trade and craft demonstrations, classic cars, emergency service vehicles, food vendors, a raffle and a silent auction. All proceeds support children's needs in the Christiansburg area. Details

🎃 Sinkland Farms 35th Annual Pumpkin Festival — opens Saturday, Sept. 19 and runs seven weekends through Nov. 1. 3060 Riner Rd., Christiansburg. Fridays 4–8 p.m. and Thursdays 4–8 p.m. in October (limited activities); Saturdays and Sundays 10 a.m.–5 p.m. (full festival). Admission $15 Thursday and Friday, $20 Saturday and Sunday, $1 off for seniors, military and first responders, free for children 3 and under. Groups of 10 or more get $1 off each ticket bought online. Admission covers parking, the hayride to the pumpkin patch, the five-acre corn maze, live music, Kidz Zone games, and access to food trucks and vendors. This year's theme is America's Harvest Celebration. Details · Tickets

🍷 Sinkland Farms 4th Annual Wine Festival — Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 19–20, 11 a.m.–5 p.m., included with Pumpkin Festival admission. Tastings from Virginia wineries and local distilleries, plus the hayride, corn maze and animal barn. Details

🍖 New Town Festival: Blues, Brews & BBQ — Saturday, Sept. 19, 12:00–5:00 p.m., St. Luke & Odd Fellows Hall, 203 Gilbert St., Blacksburg. Hosted by the Blacksburg Museum & Cultural Foundation at a nationally registered historic site.

🎪 Arc in the Park — Saturday, Sept. 19, 3:00–6:00 p.m., Huckleberry Park, 300 Huckleberry Park Dr. NW, Christiansburg. Free food, splash pad, inclusive playground and raffle prizes. Everyone welcome regardless of ability. Details

🎸 Oldtown Nights: The Glen Shelton Band — Saturday, Sept. 19, 5:30–9:00 p.m., Old Town Fields, 4179 Oldtown Rd., Shawsville. Tenth season of the series.

🍺 2nd Annual Rocktober Fest — Saturday, Oct. 3, 4:00–8:00 p.m., First & Main, 1490 S. Main St., Blacksburg. Live music, local shops and restaurants, movies and fall activities.

🎃 Punkin' Chunkin' Weekend at Sinkland Farms — Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 3–4.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Radford Highlanders Festival — Saturday, Oct. 10, Radford University, 801 E. Main St. Free. Heavyweight athletic competitions, sheepherding demonstrations, clan tents, live music, vendors and food. Draws roughly 10,000 people. Details

🎣 Tony Huddleston Trout Rodeo — Saturday, Oct. 10, from 12:00 p.m., Izaak Walton Park, Christiansburg. Family fishing day; check-in and same-day registration start at noon.

👻 Harvest & Haints at Historic Smithfield — Saturday, Oct. 24, 11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m., 1000 Merry Oak Way, Blacksburg. Fall activities, history and Halloween festivities. Details

⚔️ New River Valley Renaissance Festival — Saturday, Oct. 31 and Sunday, Nov. 1, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Beliveau Farm Winery, 3899 Eakin Farm Rd., Blacksburg. A two-day medieval market with vendors, live music and performances. Tickets

🧶 The Y Artisan Fair — Friday and Saturday, Nov. 6–7, 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m., Blacksburg Community Center, 725 Patrick Henry Dr. The 57th annual craft fair. Details

🍲 NRV Fall Food Fest — Saturday, Nov. 7, 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Uptown Christiansburg, 782 New River Rd.

🎁 Craft & Vendor Event at Uptown Christiansburg — Saturday, Nov. 21, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., 782 New River Rd.

🥕 Blacksburg Farmers Market — Wednesdays 2–6 p.m., Saturdays 8 a.m.–2 p.m., Market Square Park 🕰️ Blacksburg Vintage Market — second and fourth Sundays, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., through November 🥕 Christiansburg Farmers Market — Thursdays, Huckleberry Park 🍂 Sinkland Farms Pumpkin Festival — seven weekends, Sept. 19–Nov. 1

🏈 Sept. 12 vs. Old Dominion (12:00 p.m.) · Oct. 2 vs. Pitt (7:00 p.m.) · Oct. 17 vs. Georgia Tech (time TBD) · Nov. 14 vs. Stanford (time TBD) · Nov. 28 vs. Virginia, the Commonwealth Clash (time TBD)

What did we miss? This is our first pass and we know it's incomplete. Church fall festivals, corn mazes, haunted attractions, school fundraisers, craft fairs, trunk-or-treats, the Christiansburg Police Department fall festival at Uptown Christiansburg, and everything happening in Floyd and Giles all belong here once we have dates. If you run one, or you go to one every year and don't see it, hit Reply and tell us. We'll publish an updated calendar as the season fills in.

Blacksburg launched a refreshed visual brand on Sept. 1, wrapping up a project that started in March with Arnett Muldrow & Associates, a firm that specializes in community branding for small and mid-sized towns.

The interesting part is how it was built. The town ran a month-long public survey that drew 375 responses, held more than 25 stakeholder meetings, and opened the work up at a public open house. What came back got distilled into four brand pillars — the things residents kept saying about this place. (Project page)

🏫 College Town Energy ⛰️ Mountains and Outdoors 🤝 Small Town Warmth 🎨 Creative Spirit

What changes:

The rollout is phased across the coming year, so signage, vehicles and printed materials will carry the old marks for a while. If you spot a mix of old and new around town this fall, that's the plan working, not a mistake.

As of Aug. 26, Virginians can add a state-issued driver's license or ID card to Apple Wallet and present it from an iPhone or Apple Watch. Virginia is the 15th state to offer it. (DMV announcement)

Where it works today:

✈️ More than 250 TSA checkpoints nationwide, including Dulles, Reagan National, Richmond International and Norfolk International 🏛️ All Virginia DMV locations 🚔 Virginia State Police 🍷 Participating Virginia ABC stores 🏪 Hundreds of businesses and entertainment venues around the commonwealth, plus select business apps

How to add it. Open Apple Wallet, scan the front and back of your physical license or ID, and complete a verification step. Presenting it uses Face ID or Touch ID and a tap near a reader — you never hand over your phone. Full instructions are on the DMV's Mobile ID page.

On privacy, which is the reasonable first question: DMV receives only what it needs to approve or deny the request. Once the ID is added, the information is encrypted on your device and Apple cannot access it. Neither Apple nor DMV knows when or where you present it, and your presentment history stays encrypted on your device. When a business asks your age, the ID shares that and nothing else. It runs on the ISO 18013-5 mobile driver's license standard. The terms and conditions are worth a skim.

One catch: keep carrying the physical card, especially when driving. The digital version doesn't replace it yet.

Android users, hold tight — DMV says other digital wallets are coming. Virginia also has a standalone Virginia Mobile ID app that launched last November.

🚂 State rail plan meeting tomorrow. The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation holds a virtual public meeting Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. on the 2026 statewide rail plan, which sets its six-year and 20-year investment priorities. Staff say they'll review feedback gathered so far and explain how comments are shaping the plan. This is worth a Blacksburg reader's attention: the New River Valley station at the historic Cambria depot in Christiansburg is scheduled to open in 2027, restoring passenger service to the valley for the first time since 1979, with current plans calling for two daily round trips to Washington. Registration is open. Note it runs at the same hour as Town Council.

🏛️ Local names on the governor's latest board appointments. Dr. William Swecker Jr. of Blacksburg, professor emeritus of large animal clinical sciences at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, joins the board of trustees of the Sen. Frank Ruff Center for Rural Virginia. Michael Karmis of Blacksburg, a Virginia Tech professor emeritus, was reappointed to the Southwest Virginia Energy Research and Development Authority. Christiansburg acupuncturist Victoria Jean Taylor joins the state Advisory Board on Acupuncture. (Cardinal News)

Thanks for reading Blacksburg Connect today. Please share it with someone who would enjoy!