HARRISONBURG, VA (Rocktown Now) — The Salvation Army will be holding a three-day celebration for their 100th anniversary of arriving in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County starting today, June 27, 2025.

The Salvation Army first started when two female officers arrived in Harrisonburg in 1925 to announce the establishment of the organization.

According to Lt. Douglas Ingold, 15 to 30 people volunteer for the charity on a weekly basis.

“But during Christmas in July and Christmas Kettles, we have thousands of volunteers,” said Lt. Ingold. “So last year we logged a little over 2,700 volunteers. They gave almost 6,000 hours of volunteer time.”

The three-day celebration will kick off with a reenactment at 6:00 PM tonight in Downtown Harrisonburg at Court Sqaure. A team of actors will be dressed in the 1920’s Salvation Army uniforms and playing a drum. They will be recreating the “open air”, which is an outdoor announcement that occurred when the Salvation Army was about to be established in Harrisonburg.

On Saturday, June 28, a gala will be held at the James Madison University Festival Conference and Student Center.

“This is our major fundraiser to capture the 100 years of service that we have come to,” said Lt. Ingold. “But it really is a milestone in eternity, is what we’re calling it. It is a milestone where we are going to begin looking at the next 100 years.”

The last day, Sunday, June 29, three previous officers will come back to finish out the celebration at the Harrisonburg Corps headquarters at 185 Ashby Avenue, Harrisonburg, VA 22802 in the chapel. First Sunday school will commence at 9:00 AM and then breakfast will be served before the Homecoming Celebration.

For more information about the celebration and to donate, visit their website here: Harrisonburg Corps.