Mountain Valor Veteran Services

08/28/2026

3 Little Pigs Lawn Enforcement is sponsoring Mountain Valor Fest 2026.

Their support means a great deal to us. Choosing to back our mission tells us they trust what we are building for veterans and their families in this community.

Thank you, 3 Little Pigs Lawn Enforcement.

Mountain Valor Fest is September 12 at Crooked Mountain Farm in Floyd. Free and open to all veterans, families, and the community that supports them.

08/26/2026

Every Appalachian legend needs a name behind it, and Monsters and Moonshine is looking for local businesses to put theirs on one.

Monsters and Moonshine is an Appalachian storytelling competition benefiting Mountain Valor Veteran Services, held Saturday, Oct. 24 at the June Bug Center in Floyd.

Sponsor a Monster puts your business’s name on an Appalachian cryptid for the night, complete with signage, a program mention, and a life-size cutout guests can pose with. It’s $500 per creature, or $250 per business if you’d rather split it with someone.

This year’s featured cryptid is Mothman, sponsored at $1,000 and tied to the night’s main raffle prize: a stuffed Mothman, two tickets to the Mothman Museum, two tickets to Mothman black light minigolf, and a couple of books on the legend’s history.

We’d love to hear which creature you want to see. Wampus Cat, Sheepsquatch, Mountain Witch, and more are all still open, or bring your own to the table.

Interested in sponsoring a creature? Email [email protected].

All proceeds benefit Mountain Valor Veteran Services, a veteran-led nonprofit supporting veterans and their families across rural Southwest Virginia.

08/26/2026

You will work alongside people who genuinely care, meet veterans and families face to face, and watch a small idea turn into a day that matters to hundreds of people. Some volunteers tell us it is the most rewarding part of their year. Others just love being part of something bigger than themselves for a day.

We need volunteers Sept. 12 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. for gates, parking, ceremony setup, assisting guests, trash pickup, and the kid zone.

If you would rather just enjoy the festival itself on Saturday, we also need help with setup on Friday, Sept. 11 from 12 to 5 p.m., and cleanup on Sunday, September 13 from 9:30 a.m. to noon.

Sign up at mtnvalor.org/mv-volunteer. If there’s something specific you’d like to do, add that to the comments section on the form.

Mountain Valor Fest is September 12 at Crooked Mountain Farm in Floyd. Free and open to all veterans, families, and the community that supports them.

08/25/2026

If you haven’t signed up for VA health care - or your were denied years ago - this is an amazing opportunity to get enrolled and knock out your initial appointment. The more veterans who attend, the more likely they are to offer this in the future, so head over to Salem on Saturday!

Calling all Veterans! Help us spread the word on our 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐕𝐞𝐭𝐅𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐄𝐧𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐫! 🇺🇸🏥

The Saturday, August 29, 2026, event is a ONE-STOP-SHOP for practically ALL Major VA Services – which we’ll offer ON-THE-SPOT!

This includes ON-THE-SPOT:

-Enrollment in VA Health Care

-Same-Day Appointments with a VA Doctor (for newly enrolled Veterans)

-Filing and Checking the Status of Benefits Claims (and other one-on-one benefits assistance)

-Toxic Exposure Screenings

-Mental Health One-On-One Support

Complimentary summer picnic food and drinks will be served!

DETAILS:
Saturday August 29, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. inside the Salem VA Medical Center Main Entrance.

Address: 1970 Roanoke Boulevard, Salem, VA 24153

What to bring: DD-214, valid photo ID, and any insurance information.

Get a head start on enrollment – complete this online enrollment form before the event: https://www.va.gov/health-care/apply-for-health-care-form-10-10ez/id-form

At this event, Veterans, their families, and Caregivers can also connect with Salem VA programs and resources including:
-Homeless Veteran Care Team
-Su***de Prevention
-Women’s Health
-Caregiver Support
-Social Work
-Whole Health
-Volunteering Opportunities at VA
-Roanoke VET Center Support

Come get the benefits and care you deserve for serving our Nation! You served us, now let us serve you!

Event Detail Page:
https://www.va.gov/salem-health-care/events/90148/

08/24/2026

Mountain Valor Fest 2026 is bringing the music, and we are excited to announce our full lineup.

Taking the stage first is DR. Phil’s Kimo Therapy. Rooted deep in Appalachian soil, their sound blends the raw edge of punk, the swagger of rockabilly, and the soul of the blues.

Following them is Glam'r Kiti, the nation’s premier 80s rock tribute. Glam’r Kiti brings you back to the golden age of rock music with some of the most iconic songs. Expect no shortage of big hits and even bigger sound.

Mountain Valor Fest is September 12 at Crooked Mountain in Floyd. Free and open to all veterans, families, and the community that supports them.

08/21/2026

The Ceremony Supporter Pass is still available, but we have fewer than 60 left.

For $25, you get a reserved seat in a covered area for the ceremony and one collectible 2026 MVF challenge coin. Mountain Valor Fest costs nearly $20,000 to put on each year, and passes like this help us cover that cost without asking more of our sponsors.

Reserve your Ceremony Supporter Pass before they are gone: https://na2.hubs.ly/H07mrRj0

If you just want the coin without reserved seating, you can prepurchase it here: https://na2.hubs.ly/H07ml2N0 Coins will not be shipped, and pickup is only available in person at Mountain Valor Fest.

Mountain Valor Fest is September 12 at Crooked Mountain Farm in Floyd.

08/19/2026

There's a new way to support veterans in Southwest Virginia, and it involves a dark theater, ghost stories, and moonshine.

Monsters and Moonshine is an Appalachian storytelling competition benefiting Mountain Valor Veteran Services. Storytellers take the stage for seven minutes each, sharing true tales, strange creatures, and local legends. The audience decides the winner by vote, and cash prizes go to the top three storytellers of the night.

It's Saturday, Oct. 24, doors at 6 p.m., at our spooky venue, the The June Bug Center for Arts & Education in Floyd. The room holds 90 people total, storytellers and guests included, so seats are limited.

Tickets are $45 and include charcuterie and one audience vote for your favorite storyteller. For $55, add a keepsake Monsters and Moonshine canning jar mug to sip your moonshine from that night and keep for good.

Grab yours now: https://na2.hubs.ly/H07kXmn0

All proceeds benefit Mountain Valor Veteran Services, a veteran-led nonprofit that supports veterans and their families across rural Southwest Virginia, connecting them to benefits and resources they've earned but might otherwise never hear about. There's no cost to the veterans who come to us. Every ticket, every sponsorship, every vote helps us keep it that way.

08/19/2026

Yes — but first, a note on language. The VA uses the term "survivor" rather than "widow" or "widower" in its materials and programs. If you're searching for benefits after losing a veteran, look for "survivor benefits" — that's the term the VA uses across its programs and application process.

Two programs provide ongoing financial support to survivors: Dependency & Indemnity Compensation and Survivors Pension. They are separate programs with different eligibility rules.

Dependency & Indemnity Compensation (DIC): DIC is a monthly, tax-free payment to the surviving spouse and eligible children of a veteran whose death was service-connected — meaning the cause of death was related to their military service or a service-connected condition. It is not need-based. If the death qualifies, the benefit is earned regardless of the survivor's income or assets. Surviving spouses may also qualify for DIC if the veteran had a 100% Permanent and Total (P&T) disability rating for at least 10 years prior to death, even if the cause of death was not service-connected.

Survivors Pension: Survivors Pension is a need-based monthly payment available to low-income surviving spouses and unmarried dependent children of wartime veterans. The veteran's death does not need to be service-connected to qualify. Income, assets, and medical expenses are all factored into eligibility. Survivors Pension can also be enhanced through Aid & Attendance or Housebound benefits if the surviving spouse requires help with daily living or is largely confined to the home.

These benefits are not automatic. A surviving family member or representative must apply. The sooner a claim is filed after the veteran's death, the better — some benefits can be backdated to the date of application, not the date of death.

To apply or learn more, visit va.gov or call 1-800-827-1000.

08/18/2026

Therapeutic Massage and Wellness of Floyd is back for the third year in a row, giving free massages to veterans at Mountain Valor Fest. They are a collective of holistic wellness practitioners right in downtown Floyd, offering therapeutic massage, deep tissue work, reflexology, neuromuscular therapy, Thai yoga bodywork, and more. That kind of consistency says a lot. Thank you, Therapeutic Massage & Wellness, for showing up for our veterans year after year.

Mountain Valor Fest is September 12 at Crooked Mountain Farm in Floyd. Free and open to all veterans, families, and the community that supports them.

08/14/2026

Mountain Valor has gotten pretty good at getting the word out here in Floyd. The harder part is reaching veterans and families in the communities beyond our backyard. That's where Virginia News One offered to help.

Virginia News One is a regional news network heard on local radio stations across Southwest and Central Virginia and West Virginia. When their team learned more about what we're trying to build with Mountain Valor Fest, they stepped up with their network and resources to help us reach people we might not otherwise reach.

For an organization like ours, that matters. Veterans who could benefit from what Mountain Valor is building don't all live in Floyd County, and neither do the families and communities that support them.

Thank you to Virginia News One and ThoughtOut Media for helping us carry the message a little farther.

Follow ThoughtOut Media here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thoughtout-media/

Mountain Valor Fest is Sept. 12 at Crooked Mountain Farm in Floyd. Free and open to all veterans, families, and the community that supports them.

ThoughtOut Media- Parent Company of Virginia News One | 14 followers on LinkedIn. Connecting Communities Through Trusted Local Media | ThoughtOut Media connects communities through trusted local media. As the parent company of Virginia News One, we provide professionally produced local news to sixte...