Reynoldsburg changed three things about its October calendar this year. Last fall the city's scarecrow listing sent visitors along Olde Reynoldsburg's Main Street and through JFK Park. This year it points them to JFK Park alone. Voting on them used to last two days and now lasts fifteen. Halloweekend in the Burg, which ran Saturday through Sunday in 2025, now runs Friday evening through Saturday night. Put together, the city has shortened the weekend and lengthened everything around it.
All three changes point to one address, 7232 E. Main St. If you know how the pieces fit, the rest of October gets easier to plan.
What Changed Between 2025 and 2026
The City of Reynoldsburg runs both the scarecrow display and Halloweekend. Compared side by side, the two years differ in a few specific ways.
- Name and footprint. The 2025 event was called "Scarecrow City," and the city's 2025 Eventeny listing asked visitors to walk "through Olde Reynoldsburg and JFK Park" to see the entries. This year's version, renamed Scarecrow Park, asks visitors to "take a stroll through JFK Park."
- Voting window. In 2025, voting opened Oct. 18 and closed Oct. 19. In 2026 it opens Oct. 16 and closes Oct. 30.
- Weekend shape. The city's 2025 Halloweekend calendar entry covered Oct. 18 and 19 and put the pet parade and a costume exchange on Sunday. The 2026 Halloweekend listing runs from 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16, to 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17.
The 2025 scarecrows weren't only a city project. VisualOhio reported last October that local businesses and organizations built them and set them up along Olde Town Main Street as well as in JFK Park. The city hasn't published a list of 2026 entrants, so who built this year's scarecrows is something you'll learn by walking the park.
One more detail. Halloweekend's sponsorship page on Eventeny still lists "Saturday October, 18" and "Sunday, October, 19." Those are last year's dates left in the copy. The 2026 event header gives Oct. 16 and 17, and the individual events on the city's calendar fall on those same two days.
The Vote Opens on HallowEATS Night and Closes the Day After Trick or Treat
In 2025, the two voting days fell on Halloweekend itself, so you had to vote that weekend or not at all. This year voting starts Friday, Oct. 16, the same evening HallowEATS Food Truck Friday sets up at JFK Park from 5 to 8 p.m. It stays open through Community Trick or Treat on Thursday, Oct. 29, 6 to 8 p.m., and ends the next day. The display itself stays up through Oct. 31.
So the season's biggest crowds arrive at the start of voting, and a quieter two weeks follow. You could see the scarecrows on a Tuesday lunch walk and vote then, or skip Halloweekend and still have a say.
HallowEATS is the Friday kickoff. The city's listing describes local food trucks, live music and games for kids. The city hasn't named the 2026 trucks. Adults get their own option the same weekend. The city is taking registrations for a Pumpkin Paint and Sip. It's 21 and older, seating is limited, and the listing says registering ahead guarantees a seat, while tickets at the door may be available.
Saturday Holds Most of the Weekend
With Sunday gone, Saturday now carries nearly everything. Halloweekend's own description promises Gigant-o'Lantern pumpkin carving and a "spooky pooch parade." In 2025 the pet parade was a Sunday event. This year it's on Saturday, ahead of the evening events at JFK Park. Here's how the day runs according to the city and the Reynoldsburg Community Association:
- 1 to 3 p.m., Spooky Pet Parade at Huber Park. This one is at the Heritage Sports Complex, 1520 Davidson Drive, not at JFK Park. The city's event page asks for costumed pets and welcomes "all paws, scales and tails." You can register ahead or sign up at the parade. Prizes go to Best Group, Funniest and Most Creative.
- 4 to 8 p.m., Haunted Vendor Valley at JFK Park. The city's listing describes vendors selling spooky goods at 7232 E. Main St.
- Saturday, Reynoldsburg Community Association Halloween party at JFK Park. The RCA's events page lists food, games, entertainment, a Treat Trail, a children's costume contest and an unannounced surprise. The start time on that page is garbled, so check with the RCA before you head over. The association calls the party a longtime Reynoldsburg tradition and says its events have been bringing the community together since 2008.
- Through 8 p.m., Halloweekend wraps. The city's listing ends the weekend at 8 p.m. Saturday.
A family that wants everything can go to Huber Park in the early afternoon, then move to JFK Park for the evening. Every evening event that day happens next to the scarecrows, and voting will be open by then.
Dinner Is a Short Walk Down Main Street
There's a newer dinner option within walking distance of the park. Slab started as a food truck. Its website now says the business has "transitioned to a brick-and-mortar-only operation" at 7360 E. Main St. in downtown Reynoldsburg. The menu is ribs, burgers and wings, with beer, wine and cocktails.
The posted hours fit Halloweekend. Slab is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Happy hour runs Tuesday through Friday, 3 to 6 p.m., at the bar only. If you arrive early for HallowEATS on Friday, Oct. 16, you'll catch the end of happy hour. On Saturday, Slab stays open until 9 p.m., an hour after Halloweekend ends at JFK Park.
It's a fitting place to eat this month. A business that left the food truck life now sits on the same Main Street as a Friday night built around food trucks.
The Season Started Earlier Than Most Calendars Show
Halloweekend gets the attention, but the city's October calendar started two weeks before it. Family Fright Night was Oct. 2, 5 to 11 p.m., at Livingston House Park, 1792 Graham Road. The scarecrows were already up in JFK Park by then. The display opened Oct. 1, 7 a.m., and stays up through Oct. 31, 11:30 p.m.
As of Oct. 12, here's what's left:
- Now through Oct. 31: Scarecrow Park is open for walking at JFK Park, 7232 E. Main St.
- Oct. 16: HallowEATS Food Truck Friday, 5 to 8 p.m., and scarecrow voting opens.
- Oct. 17: Spooky Pet Parade at Huber Park, 1 to 3 p.m.; Haunted Vendor Valley at JFK Park, 4 to 8 p.m.; RCA Halloween party at JFK Park.
- Oct. 29: Community Trick or Treat, 6 to 8 p.m.
- Oct. 30: Scarecrow voting closes.
Compared with last year, a resident has more time to see the scarecrows and vote, and less time to get to everything else. The parade, the vendors, the RCA party and the food trucks now fit into about 27 hours, from Friday at 5 p.m. to Saturday at 8 p.m.
The details on a calendar like this matter to us, because they're part of what makes a neighborhood work day to day. If you're wondering how life around JFK Park and Olde Reynoldsburg's Main Street affects what your home is worth, Kim Kovacs and Partners can help. Get your free home valuation and see how your street compares this fall.
