💎 Your Trunk-or-Treat Guide (Issue #8)

Good morning,

Our job here is simple. Every week we share what’s going on in the Miami Valley so that you can stay up to date and learn more about where we all call home.

A big reason why we do this is because we believe that the more people learn about where they live, the deeper their love will grow for it. And as that love grows, so does the place itself. We’re just trying to play our little part in keeping that virtuous cycle going.

Now that our TED talk is over, here’s what we’ll be covering today:

• A busy weekend full of fall and Halloween action

• A hitlist of Trunk-or-Treat events starting this weekend into next week

• Highway construction updates for I-75 and US 35

• A great resource to learn more about the upcoming school levies

• UD’s Flyer Pep Band getting recognized for extraordinary sportsmanship

• Sinclair continuing to lead the way in workforce development initiatives

• Ohio’s oldest tavern rooted in little ole Yellow Springs

Let’s get to it!

— Max

⚡ WEEKEND WEATHER

Friday

45° 🌡️ 61° | 🌧️ | ☔ 60% | 💨 10-15 mph

Saturday

41° 🌡️ 59° | ☁️ | ☔ 30% | 💨 10-20 mph

Sunday

34° 🌡️ 55° | ⛅ | ☔ 0% | 💨 10-15 mph

📅 EVENTS

🎭 To Kill A Mockingbird

📅 Thursday - Sunday: Multiple Showtimes
📍 Schuster Center, Downtown Dayton
💰 $46+

Broadway has come to Dayton! Witness Aaron Sorkin’s on-stage adaption of Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning masterwork, To Kill a Mockingbird. Directed by Tony winner Bartlett Sher and featuring Emmy-winning actor Richard Thomas as Atticus Finch, this play shines as “one of the greatest plays in history” according to NPR. Not surprising, given that the novel is timeless classic. This performance is recommend for audiences 12 and older, given the nature of the piece. Check out upcoming showtimes and get your tickets.

👻 Fairborn Halloween Festival

📅 Friday: 4-11pm | Saturday: 11-11pm | Sunday: 12-6pm
📍 Downtown Fairborn
💰 Free entry

Celebrate spooky season at what has become one of Ohio’s largest Halloween celebrations. Don’t miss this bewitching three-day event with an array of activities: craft vendors, costume contest, and a spooktacular parade. Grab a bite to eat from the food trucks or a drink at the beer garden. Relax with live music by local artists. Or get a chill down your spine at one of Fairborn’s gems, Foy's Haunted Museum.

🎸 Dayton Music Fest

📅 Friday & Saturday: 5pm
📍 Oregon District
💰 Advance: $20 | Gate: $25

Check out Dayton's vibrant music scene at the 19th annual Music Fest. Over two days, more than 35 acts will perform at The Yellow Cab Tavern, Blind Bob's Bar, and The Trolley Stop, all located around The Oregon District. From indie and rock to electronic and folk, the festival showcases a diverse lineup of local talent. Enjoy a weekend of live music, discover new artists, and immerse yourself in Dayton's rich musical culture. Get tickets.

🍩 Super Villain Donut Run

📅 Saturday: 9am
📍 Stubbs Park, Centerville
💰 Registration: $45 for 5k, $55 for 10k, $20 for kids fun run

This year the Superhero Donut Run meets its match—the Super Villain Donut Run! Instead of dressing up as their favorite hero for this charity run, runners are encouraged to dress as their favorite villain. In addition to the 5k and 10k races, there will also be a 1-mile fun run for the littles ones. Proceeds benefit A Special Wish Foundation, whose mission is granting special wishes to local children battling life-threating illnesses. With the good cause, there’s also a sweet prize. First place finishers will win a dozen Bill’s Donuts each week for one year! Register here.

🃏 Feast Of Fools

📅 Saturday & Sunday: 10:30-7pm
📍 Ohio Renaissance Festival, Waynesville
💰 13 years or older: $32 | 12-5 years old: $10 | Under 5: Free

Need an extra excuse to act a fool this weekend? This event is a celebration of all things comedy and the jesters who make us laugh. This weekend, Renn Fest will be filled with stand-up performances, hilarious sketches, and spontaneous improv. To mark the transition into the fall, the annual Pumpkin vs. Watermelon showdown is on again. Choose your allegiance, don the respective colors—orange for pumpkin, red/pink for watermelon—and watch this whimsical battle re-enacted on the Chess Field. Renn Fest closes for the season at the end of the month. So if you’ve been meaning to go but haven’t, you only have two weekends left. Get tickets.

💀 Dia De Los Muertos Parade & Celebration

📅 Saturday: 12-5pm
📍 Parade starts across from Dublin Pub | Parade ends at Dayton Metro Library
💰 Free entry

Celebrate life and honor the dead at Dayton’s 12th annual Día De Los Muertos celebration. Festivities begin at noon across from the Dublin Pub, featuring face painting, food trucks, and live entertainment. At 2pm, the parade marches from the Oregon District to the Dayton Metro Library, arriving around 3pm. The library will host traditional offrendas (altars) and a headline performance by the award-winning "Soprano Mixe," Maria Reyna. This celebration is held earlier in the Miami Valley to accommodate for the typically colder weather in November. Learn more.

🎃 Punkin' Chuckin' Palooza

📅 Saturday: 1-4pm
📍 Good Works Farm, Waynesville
💰 Free entry

Ever wanted to chuck a pumpkin but find yourself trebucket-less? This Saturday, Good Work Farms has you covered. You can bring your own pumpkin (or buy one there), decorate it, and then launch it using their giant trebucket—for free! Beyond the chuckin’ they’ll also have a pumpkin carving contest, petting zoo, themed raffles, and food to eat. All proceeds go to fuel Good Works Farm’s awesome mission of empowering and supporting differently-abled individuals to reach their fullest potential. Learn more.

🍺 Halloween Bar Crawl

📅 Saturday: 4pm-12am
📍 Troll Pub Dayton, Downtown Dayton
💰 Individual: $25 | Group: $20

Join one of the most spirited crawls of Dayton, going through some the city’s best bars with exclusive food and drink specials. Tickets include 2-3 drinks/shots, a map of participating venues, waived cover charges at those venues, a custom badge, and access to the after-party. Like dressing up? Then put on your best costume and take your shot at the $1,000 costume contest prize! Get tickets.

🍂 Fall Family Adventure

📅 Saturday: 4-7pm
📍 Wegerzyn Gardens MetroPark, Dayton
💰 Free entry

Embark on a magical fall adventure for the whole family. Learn how nature transforms in the fall while enjoying roasted marshmallows and refreshments. Wander through the prairie and be enchanted by storytellers with live music in the background. Then marvel at a magician’s tricks, meet MetroParks' captivating Animal Ambassadors, and uncover the mysteries of spiders. Learn more.

🔍 Let’s Talk About Ancient Apocalypse

📅 Saturday, Oct. 28th: 10:30-12pm
📍 Science Center Auditorium, University of Dayton
💰 Free entry

Join Dr. Bonnie Pitblado for a critical look at popular shows like Ancient Apocalypse that tell alternative narratives about our past. These shows claim that ancient civilizations were far more advanced than we think and mysteriously wiped out. Dr. Pitblado will share why that narrative is inaccurate. And instead, how the real story of people coming to the Americas during the Ice Age is more interesting. This event is hosted by the Dayton Society of the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA). I grew up going to AIA talks with my parents and always learned something from the folks they brought to town. Learn more.

Have an upcoming event you’re attending or hosting? Tell us about it here, if it’s a good fit for our community, we may share it.

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🍬 TRUNK-OR-TREAT

With Halloween right around the corner, multiple Trunk-or-Treat events are popping up around the Miami Valley. We’ve put together this simple list of all the free ones coming up through this weekend and into early next week.

Some folks feel more comfortable taking their kids to events like this. And some use it maximize their candy haul 😉. Either way, we hope you find one to enjoy!

Troops & Treats

📅 Saturday: 10-3pm
📍 Air Force Museum, Dayton

Truck or Treat (Centerville / Washington Twp.)

📅 Saturday: 10-12pm
📍 Oak Grove Park, Centerville

McAfee Heating and Air Truck or Treat

📅 Saturday: 1-4pm
📍 McAfee Heating & Air HQ, Kettering

Trick or Treat at The Greene

📅 Sunday: 2-4pm
📍 The Greene, Beavercreek

Trunk or Treat (Beavercreek)

📅 Sunday: 2pm
📍 Beavercreek High School, Beavercreek

Trunk or Treat (Dayton Christian School)

📅 Tuesday, Oct. 24th: 6-8pm
📍 Dayton Christian School, Miamisburg

BOO Fest and Trunk Or Treat

📅 Wednesday, Oct. 25th: 6-9pm
📍 Austin Landing, Miamisburg

FYI: Bengals’ running back, Trayveon Williams, will be there. Candy and a meet-n-greet? All for the price of free.99? Sounds like a good deal to us!

🗞️ LOCAL NEWS

🚧 I-75 South Of Dayton Opening Up

Starting next week (week of Oct. 23rd), I-75 between US 35 and state route 741 will open up. While lanes may close temporarily overnight, each direction of the highway will restore to three lanes throughout the day. It is planned to stay this way through the winter. Additionally, the on-ramp from east Dixie Drive to I-75 northbound is now accessible. [WYSO]

🚧 Ramp Closure: US 35 West From Woodman

Last Thursday, Oct. 12th, the ramp from Woodman to US 35 heading west was closed. It will remain closed for 6 months, opening back up next April. This closure is part of a $10.3 million Woodman Drive interchange realignment project, which will lead to significant improvements there. In the meantime, the suggested detour is taking Linden Avenue to South Smithville Road, then using US 35 westbound ramp on Smithville. [Dayton Daily News]

🗳️ This Election’s School Levies

This article is a great resource from the Dayton Daily News about the school levies that will be on the ballot this November. The following nine districts have put forth levies: Beavercreek, Centerville, Milton-Union, Northmont, Greeneview, Oakwood, Vandalia-Butler, Troy, and Yellow Springs. If you live in any of these communities, the article does a good job of breaking down what the district is asking for and the intended impact. [Dayton Daily News]

🏅 UD Band Getting Honored For Sportsmanship

The University of Dayton’s Flyer Pep Band is set to receive the Musial Award this November. This is a national award that recognizes the year’s best moments in sportsmanship. The band earned this honor by stepping in to perform for a team without a band during the NCAA tournament. The team they helped, Fairleigh Dickinson (FDU), went on to win a giant upset against Purdue. Apparently, it was the first time many of the FDU players heard their own fight song. Great to see the Flyer Pep Band getting recognized for their kind act! [Dayton Daily News]

🛠️ Sinclair Scores Grant For Workforce Development

Sinclair was awarded nearly $2 million by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to help train Industrial Maintenance Technicians. This grant is a part of the DOL’s new Amplify Industrial Maintenance (AIM) initiative. This program aims to develop apprenticeship programs in this field across the country. Nationally, industrial maintenance employment is projected to grow by 13% through 2032. Creating about 49,000 job openings per year over the next decade. Only 34 entities across 25 states received this funding. Notably, Sinclair was the only higher ed institution selected in Ohio. Yet another example of how critical Sinclair is to workforce development in the Miami Valley. [Dayton Business Journal]

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🔦 LOCAL SPOTLIGHT

Ohio’s Oldest Tavern

Nestled in the heart of Yellow Springs, Ye Olde Trail Tavern is more than a great place to grab a drink and a bite to eat. It’s living history. Having served the area since 1827, it stands as an artifact from Yellow Springs’, and Ohio’s, earliest days.

Shortly after Ohio became a state in 1803, large swaths of the land that make up modern day Yellow Springs were purchased from Congress by settlers. Of particular interest was the area—now called Glen Helen—that contained the “Yellow Spring”. It was said that this spring’s water had healing properties. A belief that likely started with the land’s original owners, the Shawnees.

The area around the spring was developed into a resort, and it’s ability to cure all ills attracted more settlers. Particularly Elisha Mills from Cincinnati, who bought some of this land in the 1820’s and built a tavern with his son on Xenia Ave. That tavern’s hand-hewn logs are what today make up the back portion of Ye Olde Trail Tavern.

His son, William Mills, sold the tavern in 1847. In the 176 years since then, it has continued to change ownership. The most recent owners, who also own Peach’s Bar and Grill in Yellow Springs, bought the business in 2017.

This brings us to September 2023, when I experienced Ye Olde Trail Tavern for the first time. I was getting together with my friends from college, and one of them suggested we go to “Ohio’s oldest tavern”. We had to wait a good bit to get in, but it was worth it. With all the little shops in the area, it’s easy to kill time in Yellow Springs.

Their menu, mainly German-American pub fare, immediately caught my attention. Soft pretzels with beer cheese? Yes please. Oh and they have Reubens? You know I had to try it. As I’ve mentioned in the past, I am on a quest to find the best Reubens in the Miami Valley. I’m happy to say theirs is now on that list.

The soft pretzels were perfectly fluffy and great vehicles for the savory beer cheese. Now, I understand that sauerkraut isn’t everyone’s thing—we had a lively debate about it over our meal. But if you like sauerkraut, you have to try their sauerkraut balls. Who knew deep fried sauerkraut with corned beef could be so good?

It’s always fun to take a little trip out to Yellow Springs. Browse some stores, go biking or hiking, grab something to eat, and cure your ills in the spring (just kidding—drinking from the spring is prohibited). Next time you go, I highly suggest checking out Ye Olde Trail Tavern. Plan to wait, but make that part of the fun and enjoy the village!

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Hope you have a great weekend, and we look forward to seeing you next Thursday!