Starting Thursday, October 1, a five-foot skeleton decorated by a local business or organization will be waiting for your vote somewhere in Downtown or Centertown Grand Haven. More than 150 of them are on display through October 23, and voting runs daily until noon on the 23rd. The categories are originality, funniest, and scariest.
The skeletons have a job to do. They anchor a month the town schedules on purpose, and the rest of the October calendar in this guide runs alongside them.
Why the calendar looks the way it does
Bones About Town returns this year, and the Grand Haven Tribune has been covering it since the fall of 2023. In a FOX 17 report, Chandi Pape, executive director of the Main Street Development Authority, said the event gets people out and around downtown as the busy summer season winds down. A WOOD TV report quoted Pape calling October the calm before the storm for downtown retail, the stretch between summer visitors and the holiday rush.
In the same WOOD TV report, Marci Cisneros, executive director of the Grand Haven Visitors Center, made a related point. Smaller events in the shoulder season appeal to people who find the big ones too congested, and they let visitors and residents mix a little with local businesses. The Coast Guard Festival fills the town in early August. October events like this one are built at a different scale.
The rest of the month follows the same pattern of modest events, a short walk apart, hosted by businesses you can see from the sidewalk.
October at a glance
| Date | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| October 1 | Bones About Town begins | Downtown and Centertown |
| Friday, October 2 | Witches & Warlocks Night Out, 5 to 8 PM | Starts at The Brass River, then down Washington Avenue |
| October 2 | Toyota commercial filming | Harbor Drive, Bicentennial Park, Musical Fountain |
| Week of October 12 | Boardwalk repairs expected to finish | Lighthouse Connector Park |
| October 23, noon | Bones About Town voting closes | Ballot options are on the Main Street DDA page |
| Saturday, October 24 | Fall Fest and trick-or-treating | Downtown and Centertown |
| November 7 | Tote Club Days | Downtown Grand Haven |
Friday, October 2: a busy evening
Witches & Warlocks Night Out had been scheduled for 5 to 8 PM on Friday, October 2, starting at The Brass River with a Witches Walk down Washington Avenue. The announced plan also included a Spellbook option for participants to collect signatures at participating businesses for special deals, giveaways, and activities.
Toyota had been scheduled to film a commercial on October 2. WKFR reported that the crew was expected to work along Harbor Drive, at Bicentennial Park, and at the Musical Fountain. Brief road closures on Harbor Drive between Lake Avenue and Grand Avenue, plus parking restrictions near the beach, had been expected. The spot is expected to air in spring 2027. City officials reportedly chose Grand Haven for its beach, its waterfront, and the overall quality of the community. Footage could also appear in more than one Toyota commercial across regions.
Both events had been scheduled for October 2, and the reports I found did not list Toyota's filming hours.
The boardwalk fence
Lighthouse Connector Park is the official name of what most people simply call the boardwalk. It runs about 1.5 miles from Chinook Pier to the foghorn house at the end of the South Pier, and it was completed in 1984 during the city's Sesquicentennial. It is 42 years old, and this fall the city is repairing failing sections.
The City of Grand Haven announced that the repairs began Thursday, September 17, with completion expected the week of October 12. The Tribune reported temporary fencing at the primary work site, just west of the Pier Peddler by the donor-inscribed stones. More fencing stood closer to the state park entrance. The work involves removing existing concrete and pavers and building a base adequate to support the boardwalk's structure.
A repair under a schedule can slip, so treat October 12 as a target. Look for the fence before you commit to a long stroll toward the pier. The skeleton trail through Downtown and Centertown is a ready alternative while the work continues.
Breakfast with a new name on Beechtree
Cowan's Cafe at 121 N. Beechtree Street is the newest change on this list. Sarah and Tom Cowan took over what was then Rainy Days Café on May 1, 2023. On September 4, 2026, they became the owners of both the business and the property, and they are now renaming it. The building has carried several names over the years, including The Shamrock, and the Tribune describes the restaurant as one of the oldest in Grand Haven.
The Cowans say the menu keeps the Rainy Days favorites, with a few additions. One is the return of the Sheepherder, a local favorite the owners say many will remember. The café serves breakfast and lunch seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Tribune reports that the new name may be the only change visitors see, apart from perhaps a fresh coat of paint on the exterior.
Fall Fest on the 24th
Fall Fest takes place on Saturday, October 24, across Downtown and Centertown. The Visit Grand Haven page lists 10 AM to 1 PM. One other listing gives a 9:30 AM start, so arrive a little early. Trick-or-treating at participating businesses is scheduled for about 10:30 AM to noon. In past years, participating shops marked themselves with window displays, and the skeleton contest winners were announced at the festival.
Past years added a Haunted Museum at the Tri-Cities Historical Museum, a sensory-friendly haunted house at the Elks Lodge, Touch-a-Truck, and a City Farmer hayride between Downtown and Centertown. The city and Downtown pages I found do not list 2026 details for those extras. The Main Street DDA calendar is the place to confirm them.
Chow Down Centertown, the food truck rally on 7th Street, ran in early October last year. That was the fifth annual edition, with seven food trucks, 25 vintage vendors, and live music. The 2026 date was not posted on the city or DDA pages when this was written. Tote Club Days follows on November 7.
Krissy Dykstra and the team are glad to compare favorite skeletons and October routes with Grand Haven neighbors. Contact Us if your own plans for the coming months turn toward a home.
