Akron Digest
October 9, 2026
Good morning, Akron!
Just up the road in Aurora, a man has lived for the last 15 years in a 17,000-square-foot mansion, steps from the 17th green, while fighting a foreclosure that started in August 2011.
Yes, 2011. The case outlasted multiple bankruptcies, a sheriff's sale, and a sale to an investment company. A magistrate finally approved his eviction this month.
His response? He told News 5 he plans to live there until he dies.
You wouldn’t think “no, thanks” would be such an effective legal strategy.
Let’s dive into this week’s issue.
🗞️The Digest
Akron Leaf Pickup Starts Nov. 9: New Rules This Year
Akron’s citywide leaf collection starts Monday, Nov. 9, and this year the city switched things up. The short version: leaves go on the devil strip, not in the street.
The city also dropped ward-by-ward start dates. Instead, signs go up about 48 hours before crews reach your ward. They’ll move in this order:
5 → 3 → 9 → 7 → 6 → 4 → 8 → 1 → 2 → 10
Find your ward and track crews live at AkronOhio.gov/Leaves.
Keep your pile pickup-ready: no branches or yard debris, no bags, no cars parked on or next to it, and no kids playing in piles near the street.
Missed it? Crews make one pass per street. After that, bag leaves for bulk pickup or rake them back to the devil strip, then request a pickup through 311 (call 3-1-1, visit AkronOhio.gov/311, or use the Akron 311 app). These extra pickups won’t start until all 10 wards are done, so the wait could be weeks. Get as much raked out as you can before crews hit your street.
☀️Good News, Akron!
Willie Nelson Is on the Road Again
More than 30 years ago, Victory Gallop, a therapeutic riding center in Bath, started visiting sick kids with a horse costume worn by volunteers. Then it found Petie, who became the first licensed therapy pony in the country and made hospital rounds for 21 years. Today the job belongs to Willie Nelson, the newest therapy pony.
Ideastream Public Media recently tagged along on one of Willie’s visits to Akron Children’s, where he stops by about once a month. He arrives in a custom van wearing blue socks to keep his hooves clean, after a trim and two baths.
Owner Sue Miller spent eight months training him, starting in her kitchen with banging pots and flushing toilets. The final exam was the hospital elevator.
Now he barely flinches as sticky fingers pet him from every direction. A teen in the burn unit called her birthday visit the best present she’d ever gotten. And the volunteer handing out stuffed ponies afterward, Mackenzie Roach, was once a patient there herself, cheered on by Petie.
Willie during a patient visit at UH Rainbow Babies.
🔥 Top Events This Weekend
Here is our list of hand-picked events around the area:
Pints and Pies: Craft Beer and Pizza Festival 🍺
Friday, October 9, 7 p.m. | Akron Civic Theatre
Pints and Pies brings local and regional beer together with unlimited samples of savory pizza and dessert pie. Beer stations are organized by style, from lagers and pilsners to ciders, meads, IPAs, sours, and stouts, so tasting can follow a preference rather than a brewery map. Admission includes 25 drink tickets.
This is a 21-and-over event, and designated-driver tickets will be sold at the box office that night. The Civic sits downtown, a short walk from Lock 3 and Main Street, which makes dinner or a post-festival stroll easy to plan around.
Akron Oatmeal Festival 🥣
Saturday, October 10, noon–5 p.m. | Mustill Store Museum & Trailhead and Cascade Locks Park, Akron
Akron’s second Oatmeal Festival is taking over Cascade Valley with two entertainment stages, food and arts vendors, a public food drive, and a very particular local history lesson. The day includes live music, a parade of Ferdinand Schumacher look-alikes, goats, historic oat artifacts, local-author discussions, crafts, face painting, and the original Quaker oatmeal cookie.
The festival stretches through the park near Locks 14 and 15 of the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail. Parking is available at the Mustill Store and Beech Street trailheads, with additional street and overflow options nearby.
Harvest Festival at Hale Farm & Village 🍂
Saturday, October 10–Sunday, October 11, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. | Hale Farm & Village, Bath
Harvest Festival puts the seasonal work of a 19th-century farm at the center of the day. Visitors can watch cider pressing, historic cooking, apple-butter preparation, and demonstrations of food traditions that continue in Northeast Ohio. Johnny Appleseed appears twice daily, and there are family activities including corn shucking, storytelling, fall games, a pumpkin patch, and pumpkin painting with a pumpkin purchase.
Live music and seasonal food vendors round out the schedule. Hale Farm is in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, so it is an especially pleasant destination if the plan includes a little foliage viewing before or after.
Akron Independent Horror Short Film Festival 🎬
Saturday, October 10, 6 p.m. | Akron Civic Theatre
Killer Video’s Akron Independent Horror Short Film Festival brings three hours of original independent horror shorts to the Civic, with an intermission built in for anyone who prefers their scares in measured portions. The evening also includes horror-film vendors, food trucks, an awards ceremony after the screenings, and an after-party with Scareoke.
The program is recommended for ages 12 and up; anyone under 18 must attend with an adult. The Civic’s ornate 1929 theater is part of the draw here, giving a local horror showcase a setting with plenty of atmosphere before the first film starts.
Canton Pickle Fest 🥒
Saturday, October 10, 11 a.m.–6 p.m. | Stark County Fairgrounds, Canton
Canton Pickle Fest is a full afternoon for people who regard a pickle spear as more than a sandwich accessory. Vendors will bring jars, specialty pickle items, and pickle-forward food, while attendees help judge favorites and vote for the best pickles at the festival. General admission is $5, with free entry for children 13 and under.
VIP tickets include 10 a.m. entry, a souvenir badge, and a pickle-juice shot. Free parking at the Stark County Fairgrounds makes this an easy drive for a distinctly briny Saturday detour.
📌 Everything Else Worth Knowing
Some bonus picks from us:
🍻 Oktoberfests & Fall Festivals
Lakeside Oktoberfest
Sunday, October 11, noon–6 p.m. | Tudor House Civic Center, New Franklin
Free activities, German fare, drinks for purchase, polka dancing, and Portage Lakes fall views make up this community Oktoberfest.
More info →
Kent Oktoberfest
Saturday, October 10, noon–8 p.m. | Hometown Bank Plaza, downtown Kent
Three beer trucks, German-inspired food, live music, dancers, and a themed fun run make this a full downtown Kent afternoon.
More info →
🛍️ Shopping & Family Fun
8th Annual Pumpkin Patch Shopping Expo
Saturday, October 10, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. | Emidio’s Banquet Hall, Cuyahoga Falls
Browse 90 vendors and crafters, with coffee and food trucks, raffles, a 50/50 drawing, and free admission.
More info →
Downtown Trick or Treat
Sunday, October 11, 2–4 p.m. | Downtown Cuyahoga Falls
Dress up and collect treats from participating businesses and organizations throughout downtown, with sponsor booths at the plaza by the Pavilion.
More info →
📸 #SeenInAkron
🎬🎥 Akron Weekend Movie Action
Nightlight Cinema
The History of Concrete
After attending a workshop about writing and selling a Hallmark movie, filmmaker John Wilson tries to apply the formula to a documentary about concrete.Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
Pan’s Labyrinth 20th Anniversary
In 1944 Spain, young Ofelia discovers a hidden labyrinth and a faun who says she is a lost princess. To reclaim her throne, she must complete three dangerous tasks as war closes in around her.Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution
A 1972 Toronto production of Godspell became an unlikely launchpad for Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Gilda Radner, Victor Garber, and other future entertainment figures.Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Highland Square Theatre
Other Mommy
An 8-year-old girl living in a home strained by marital problems confronts a sinister entity emerging from her closet.Rotten Tomatoes: N/A
Weekend Weather
Friday
70 🌡️ 50 | ☀️ | 2% 🌧️
Saturday
73 🌡️ 57 | 🌤️ | 4% 🌧️
Sunday
62 🌡️ 59 | 🌧️ | 96% 🌧️
Thanks!
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