A friend of mine with the last name Fries pronounces it Freeze. The VA town may not be a mispronunciation. Blame the Fries family for misspelling the family name.
Fries, VA is indeed pronounced Freeze. My kinfolk are from near there.
Fries could be a German name in which case it is pronounced freeze. The second vowel is a long sound in German names. Perhaps there are exceptions but generally true. Although Germans are not one to make exceptions. LOL