Why October 24 Is Now the Fullest Day on the Western Springs Fall Calendar
October 15, 2026
October 15, 2026
Harvest Fest was supposed to be over by now. The Western Springs Park District scheduled it for September 19, from noon to 10 p.m. at Spring Rock Park with free admission. Weather forced a postponement, and the village calendar now lists the festival for Saturday, October 24. The new date puts the village's main fall park event on a weekend that was already booked. Village True Value Hardware has a Grand Re-Opening on Burlington Avenue that weekend. The Theatre of Western Springs opens its fall musical two days earlier. A new Italian restaurant next door to the hardware store is aiming to open in late October.
So in practice, Western Springs gets one fall festival day instead of two quieter ones, and it happens in two places. Here is how each piece of that weekend stands as of October 10.
The clearest change from the postponement is how the Park District describes the day. Its upcoming events page still lists the October 24 entry as Harvest Fest, starting at noon. The description underneath reads like a different event:
Kick off your Halloween celebration at the Halloween Bash & Chili Cook-Off before heading out for trick-or-treating! Families are invited to enjoy a fun, festive afternoon filled with costumes, seasonal activities, and community spirit in a safe and welcoming park setting.
The listing ends with "More information coming soon."
The lineup announced for September was a full day and night. The Kidlist event listing, now titled "Halloween Harvest Fest" and marked "POSTPONED TO OCTOBER 24," still includes all of it:
That listing places the festival at Spring Rock Park, 4400 Central Ave., runs it from noon to 10 p.m., and keeps it free with drop-in attendance. The Western Springs Business Association's October newsletter gives the same noon to 10 p.m. window for October 24.
For planning purposes, think of the September lineup as what was announced and the Halloween Bash and Chili Cook-Off as the Park District's current description. The chili cook-off and costumes are new since the move. The fireworks, carnival and 3K haven't been confirmed for the new date in the Park District's own listing yet.
Costumes fit the calendar, too. Moving the festival a month brought it within a week of Halloween, and the Park District is now pitching it as the start of Halloween season rather than the end of summer.
While Spring Rock Park fills up, the downtown block by the Metra tracks is having a busy weekend of its own. The WSBA's October 2026 newsletter lists a Village True Value Hardware Grand Re-Opening for October 23 through 25, so it covers all of Harvest Fest weekend. The WSBA business directory puts the store at 835 Burlington Avenue and notes it has been downtown since 1954. The newsletter doesn't say what prompted the reopening or what the weekend will include.
Two doors down is the spot most people on Burlington are watching. Salerno's Pizzeria closed at 821 Burlington Ave. in early January, and Patch reported in July that Alano Ristorante is coming to the space. Owner Chris Elsey said he hoped to open in late October. Elsey also owns the Hillgrove Tap locations in Western Springs and Tinley Park.
| Address | Business | Late-October status |
|---|---|---|
| 835 Burlington Ave. | Village True Value Hardware | Grand Re-Opening, Oct. 23–25 |
| 821 Burlington Ave. | Alano Ristorante | Target opening late October, not yet confirmed |
| 800 Hillgrove Ave. | Hillgrove Tap | Open, same owner as Alano |
Patch described Alano's planned menu as appetizers, salads, pastas, pizza, fish, chicken and steaks, served with spirits, cocktails, wine and beer. The article described the plans as minor remodeling, with the existing special-event room to be upgraded and kept. WhatNow reported on August 5 that the team still hoped to open in October.
As of today, the Alano Ristorante website says "Opening this fall" and describes pasta, pizza, steaks and fresh fish, with no firm date or hours. A Village Board packet lists proposed Class B, G and H liquor license ordinances for Cotto Geneva LLC, doing business as Alano, at 821 Burlington Avenue. The packet shows the proposals, not a final vote. The Board of Trustees meets October 12 and again October 26, according to the WSBA calendar. Those meetings are the public places where licensing questions like this one get settled.
If Alano opens on schedule, its first weekend could overlap with the True Value reopening and Harvest Fest. If it slips, the block still has the hardware store event on October 23 through 25.
The third piece is the Theatre of Western Springs. Its production of "Working" runs October 22 through November 1 at the Lou & Nancy Schauer Mainstage Theatre. The run opens one day before the True Value reopening starts and continues through Harvest Fest weekend.
The timing also matters for the theater's season. "Veronica's Room" finishes its run at the Mary Cattell Theatre on October 11, which is tomorrow. After that, "Working" is the next show, and the High School Rep production of "Macbeth" follows November 6 through 8 back at the Mary Cattell. Harvest Fest weekend is now also the theater's season changeover weekend.
Taken out of September, Harvest Fest now falls between the village's two other Halloween events. Here is the rest of October, per the village and WSBA calendars:
A month ago, Halloween Hoopla and trick-or-treating were the village's only two Halloween events, and Harvest Fest belonged to September. Now three Halloween events fall within 15 days. Harvest Fest is the only one that runs into the evening, and on the original lineup it was the only one with fireworks.
Because so much falls on one weekend, the 24th works best with a rough plan. The festival starts at noon and, as originally announced, runs until the fireworks close the night. The True Value event covers the whole weekend, so Friday the 23rd or Sunday the 25th leaves Saturday free for the park. For a show that weekend, "Working" is in the middle of its October 22 through November 1 run, and the theater's page has the performance schedule.
The things still to confirm are the same ones mentioned above. Watch the Park District's events page for the promised details on the Halloween Bash and Chili Cook-Off, including whether the carnival, the D101 3K and the fireworks are part of the new date. Check Alano's site for an opening date, since the late-October target came from the owner in July and hasn't been updated with a specific day. Village trick-or-treating stays on October 31, a week after Harvest Fest, so costumes bought for one can be worn again for the other.
A crowded weekend downtown, with a hardware store reopening and a restaurant aiming to open in a storefront that has been empty since January, is the kind of block-by-block activity Wardlow Group follows across Western Springs. If you're curious how the Burlington Avenue changes fit into what homes near downtown are worth right now, ask us for a free home valuation, or see our off-market listings near the village center.
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