Sperryville Community Alliance

This Year's Campaign:

Become a Friend of the Sperryville River Trail

The Sperryville Community Alliance is committed to caring for and expanding the Sperryville River Trail—one of our village’s most loved gathering places. The Trail gives residents and visitors a safe, scenic way to enjoy the Thornton River, connect with nature, and experience Sperryville on foot. Families, seniors, and hikers use it every day, and recent improvements—like new stairs, railings, and benches—have made it even more accessible.

To protect this treasured community asset for the long term, we are launching the Friends of the Trail campaign. Thanks to the generosity of early supporters, we have already raised $110,000 toward our $200,000 goal. When completed, this endowment will generate about $10,000 annually for ongoing maintenance and enhancements—mowing, trimming, tree and branch removal, safety upgrades, and continued improvements to the trail experience.

If the Trail has brought joy to you or your family, or if you believe in preserving special places, we warmly invite you to become a Friend of the Trail by making a donation to Give Local today!

Building a Sense of Community in Sperryville

The Sperryville Community Alliance was established on April 9, 2019 to support the well-being of Sperryville and its residents.  Our mission is to promote activities that enhance the safety, inclusiveness, and vitality of the community.  We actioned this mission by focusing on (1) sponsoring community events to bring people together, (2) promoting community safety and traffic calming, (3) improving local amenities, and (4) honoring Sperryville's history.    

Your donations are used to support these activities and our community.  The Alliance is a 100% volunteer organization with a Board of local residents and business owners.  We are Sperryville and we are committed to rebuilding the sense of community that existed prior to COVID.  We hope you will consider a contribution to the Sperryville Community Alliance.

To learn more about us or to sign up for our occasional newsletters, visit www.sperryfest.org.  Thank you in advance for considering a contribution.  Sperryville Community Alliance is a 501(c)(3) public charity with non-profit status (IRS tax ID: 83-4373808).

FOR MORE ABOUT ALLIANCE ACTIVITIES:

COMMUNITY EVENTS. After two years of cancelled events and community isolation, the Alliance leapt into action to create safe ways for the community to reengage. The Alliance hosted Sperryville's delayed 200th birthday with a community potluck on Main Street on July 18, 2021.  Harkening back to a simpler time, the Alliance sponsored two socially-distanced croquet tournaments and hosted a four-show "Sperryville Summer Concert Series" with our friends at RAAC.  ScarryVille brought over 700 kids and parents to Sperryville's Historic Main Street on Halloween night.  On April 20, 2022, SperryFest was back on Sperryville's Main Street with an artisan market, Kid's Corner, food and beverage vendors including our wonderful Rappahannock County wineries, and The Great Rubber Duck Race Down the Mighty Thornton River with 1000 ducks competing.  All these activities brought our community together.  

COMMUNITY SAFETY.  The Sperryville Community Study identified pedestrian safety and traffic calming as the top concern of residents.  The Alliance purchased and installed pedestrian crosswalk signs that slow traffic at two existing crosswalks.  The Alliance drafted a county resolution to require studies on how to improve community safety including crosswalks, speed indicator signs, an extended sidewalk on Sperryville Pike, safety measures on Main Street's sidewalk, and widened shoulders on 211.  While the resolution failed to be considered, recent developments indicate some progress toward achieving some of these goals to improve safety in Sperryville.  

OUTDOOR AMENITIES.  The Sperryville River Walk and network of community walking trails opened in 2019 and continues to grow. The newly appointed Sperryville Trail Advisory Committee, a committee of the Alliance, recently completed a request for a trail master plan with a focus on creating a showcase for native plants and invasive remediation. The plan will include recommendations for picnic and seating areas, signage, and educational kiosks as well as ensure funding for long-term maintenance.  The Alliance purchased and installed eight Adirondack chairs and picnic table, built by students at Rappahannock County High School, along the trail.  The network of trails was recently expanded with a new trail that follows the Thornton River to the River District. 

SPERRYVILLE HISTORY.  The Alliance continues to work to recognize the historic nature of our community by seeking expanded historic designation.  We provided seed funds to a local author to collect stories and photos of Sperryville's history into an history book to ensure our history is preserved and passed to future generations.