Fulks Run, VA
Fulks Run, VA : Info from a Local Guy
Are you looking for info on the Fulks Run Lawn Party?
Fulks Run, VA is a nice place to live and visit. It’s a country community with good people. And every guest in town needs to stop by for a Turner Ham Sandwich.
Location
Fulks Run is in northern Rockingham County. It’s along Rt 259 northwest of Broadway and south of Bergton. It’s a small rural community with a lot of farms and a slow pace of life. It’s close to the George Washington National Forest and not too far from the West Virginia State line. The largest nearby larger city would be Harrisonburg.
Known For
The most famous thing in Fulks Run has got to be Turner Hams. The Turner Family are really good people. Turner Hams is a family-owned operation that has been in business since the 1940s. This place wins all kinds of awards – like the Best Ham Sandwich in Virginia. They’ve got everything-you-can-think-of-Ham stuff plus genealogy books and pottery and jelly and honey and wooden things and Polish Pottery. It’s super convenient on Rt. 259. Whenever you go to an upscale restaurant in Washington DC or New York City and they advertise they have Turner Ham, well it comes from this place. Stop in and buy a ham or a couple of ham sandwiches. You will not be disappointed.
Fulks Run has a very active Ruritan Club. They provide services to the community – like things for the elementary school or scholarships for older students or helping with construction on public spaces or maybe clean up. They recognize and honor veterans and first responders. They raise money with truck and tractor shows, onion sales, pageants, the big lawn party, maybe bingo, etc.
Things to Do
The North Fork of the Shenandoah River runs through the community, so there’s fishing and kayaking.
There’s also an annual Fulks Run Lawn Party that draws a lot of people. It’s at the Fulks Run Ruritan Park. But don’t let the sign below fool you – the Fulks Run Lawn Party is NOT always July 25, 26, 27. Fulks Run also holds a big community yard sale every year. It IS ALWAYS the same time every year – July 4.
There is a local weekly paper available around the Broadway/Fulks Run/Bergton area, The Chimney Rock Chronicle. It may have some updated details on things going on in the community. It’s a great read with funny stories about good country life. Tammy Cullers runs the paper. She has a group of a dozen or more regular writers who contribute to the paper. I like to read her husband Randy’s accounts of his hunting adventures. I’m not a hunter myself, but I like his stories a lot.
You may also find local news from nearby Harrisonburg and the Shenandoah Valley at ShenValleyNews.com. This site compiles the news from a bunch of sources (maybe 25-30?) in the area (including the Chimney Rock Chronicle) and takes you to the source of the material. I don’t know any other site that does that. Check it out.
Slate Lick Campground / Slate Lick Dam
There are other things to do in Fulks Run too. Slate Lick Campground is back there. It has some nice campsites (but with no amenities and no fees) and is about a mile from Slate Lick Dam. Access to the lake is somewhat difficult. You do have to hike a mile from the gate on Forest Development Road (FDR) 230, off Route 817. But around the area there are trails, so you can hike, ride horseback and bike. There is no access for boats (I guess you could carry or pull a kayak in), but you can also fish around the reservoir:
Largemouth Bass 5 per day / no length limit
Trout 6 per day / minimum size 7 inches
Crappie 25 per day / no length limit
Sunfish 50 per day/ no length limit
Channel Catfish 5 per day/ minimum size 18 inches
Freshwater fishing license required
Trout license required Oct 1 through June 15
National Forest Permit Required
Fulks Run Elementary School
Fulks Run Elementary School serves the communities of Bergton and Fulks Run. Bergton Elementary School closed in the 1980s, so the kids are bussed to Fulks Run. It is a fine elementary school – home of the Cardinals! Anita Ritchie was teacher of the year in 2024. Like a lot of the other teachers at the school, she has been there many years. The teachers are pretty well-known in the community, and they do tend to stay at the school. Chris Grim has been there over 30 years, I’m pretty sure. The community volunteer of the year was Mrs. Donna Baker. Donna is a really nice person. I didn’t know she was a school volunteer, but I know she would be a good one. The school is on Rt. 259, so please drive slowly when you pass it. (And because it is on Rt. 259, I’m guessing Fulks Run Elementary does not have a “bike to school day.”)
Brocks Gap Heritage Days
Brocks Gap Heritage Days used to take place at the Fulks Run Elementary School, but it outgrew that and is now held at Broadway High School. It’s a cool event where you can go to learn all about families, culture, and history of the Brocks Gap area – this would include parts of Broadway, Fulks Run and Bergton. They have guest speakers, many displays, things for sale, and many people – all curious about Brocks Gap. There has been a lot of great research on the area, and I think most of it is attributed to Pat Turner Ritchie.
Fulks Run Ruritan Park
The Ruritan Park hosts the annual lawn party, yard sale, car show and other community events. It’s a nice space just up Hopkins Gap Road from Turner Hams. The yard sale is huge with traffic backed up along Rt. 259 on sale day. There are hundreds of vendors, and I would guess thousands of visitors on that day. There is a softball field at the park, so if your church is having a picnic there, might as well get in a game. There is also a basketball court and a walking trail. You can pitch some horseshoes too.
Tommy Cooper’s Tire Shop
I personally don’t think any page on Fulks Run would be complete without noting Tommy Cooper’s Tire Shop. It’s located at the back of his Valley Land store. I like Tommy, and my dad has bought about 100 tires from him for our farm. Some tires are new. Some tires are old. One tire was marked “bad.” Dad was a little reluctant to buy that tire, but it worked just fine as far as I can remember. Go get yourself some tires from Tommy. He will give you a good deal. But don’t talk politics.
Places to Stay
There are no hotels or motels in Fulks Run. The closest would be probably New Market, VA or maybe Lost River, WV. There are campgrounds in Fulks Run and Bergton. You could also camp at Trout Pond, WV and Lost River State Park in Lost River, WV. There are also a number of Air B&Bs in the area. I know nothing about any of them.