What's Happening in Medina This Week, September 28-October 4, 2026

Welcome to the first full week of October, and what a week it is. This is the stretch when the Medina and Summit County calendars go from summer busy to fall busy, with Restaurant Week, a cider festival, a juried craft show, a dog festival, and a full bloom of pumpkin patches all overlapping in one weekend. Whether you want a quiet library evening, an outdoor hike, a patio dinner, or a day full of dogs and cider, there is something here for you.

Monday, September 28

Hard Fun: A Cycling Odyssey Across America

Start the week at the library. The Medina County District Library's Brunswick branch hosts "Hard Fun: A Cycling Odyssey Across America" from 6:00 to 7:00 PM Monday, a family-friendly program built around an epic cross-country bike journey. It is free, registration is available through the library's event calendar, and it is a calm, indoor way to ease into a busy week.

Wednesday, September 30

Whose Live Anyway?

Improv comedy returns to the historic Akron Civic Theatre Wednesday night when Whose Live Anyway? takes the stage at 7:00 PM. Expect unscripted scenes, songs, and games built on audience suggestions, in the spirit of the long-running TV improv favorite. It is an easy State Route 18 drive from Medina and a particularly fun date-night or friends' night out.

Thursday, October 1

Ohio Mart opens at Stan Hywet

Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens kicks off its 59th Ohio Mart Thursday, running straight through Sunday. More than 140 juried artisans fill the estate's grounds with pottery, textiles, jewelry, woodwork, and fine art, along with live entertainment and fall treats. Hours are 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM Thursday through Saturday and 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM Sunday. It is one of the most beautiful settings in the region for a fall outing, and the manor's famous gardens put on a show this time of year.

Friday, October 2

Medina Restaurant Week begins

Food lovers, mark it off. Medina Restaurant Week starts Friday and runs through Sunday, October 11, with local independent restaurants around the square and across the county serving seasonal menus, specials, and signature dishes. It is the perfect excuse to try somewhere new or revisit an old favorite, and spots book up quickly on weekends, so calling ahead is a good idea.

Norton Cider Festival

Just down the road in Summit County, the Norton Cider Festival returns to Columbia Woods Park for a full weekend starting Friday. Expect live music, a parade, festival food, craft vendors, an apple decorating contest, train rides and inflatables for the kids, and the always-talked-about Outhouse Stuffing, with fireworks lighting up the sky Saturday night. Admission is free (no pets, please), and typical hours are 5:00 to 9:00 PM Friday, 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM Saturday, and noon to 6:00 PM Sunday. It is a short hop from Medina and one of the friendliest small-town festivals around.

Summit County Home Expo

Planning a remodel or a new build? The Summit County Home Expo fills the Summit County Fairgrounds in Tallmadge Friday through Sunday, with vendors, builders, and home improvement pros all under one roof. Admission is free. Hours are noon to 6:00 PM Friday, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM Saturday, and 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM Sunday.

Friday night live music in Akron

Two good Friday night shows in Akron: the Eagles tribute One of These Nights plays the Goodyear Theater at 7:30 PM, and West Akron Fadeaway headlines the Knight Stage at the Akron Civic Theatre at 7:30 PM. Take your pick depending on your mood for classic soft rock harmonies or something with a little more edge.

Saturday, October 3

Medina Square Farmers Market

The Saturday market on Public Square returns from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM with its full autumn lineup: apples, cider, mums, squash, eggs, baked goods, and the usual cast of 70-plus vendors. The city is also celebrating its "Medina Food and Farms" America 250 event at Uptown Park from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM the same morning, so the whole downtown feels extra festive. The market keeps its Saturday rhythm through October 10, but this is a great week to stock up before the leaves really fly.

Akron DOGtoberfest at Lock 3

Dogs of every breed, size, and costume take over Lock 3 on Saturday from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM for Akron DOGtoberfest. Expect costume contests, pet adoptions, vendors, and food trucks, all free to attend. It grew out of the old Akron Pug Fest and now welcomes all dogs, and watching the costume parade alone is worth the trip.

Fall Canal Clean-Up at Cascade Locks

Lend a hand on the Towpath. The Fall Canal Clean-Up meets at Cascade Locks Park near Mustill Store and Lock 10 from 9:00 AM to noon, with Summit Metro Parks, the River Guardians of Ohio, EnviroScience, and Keep Akron Beautiful teaming up to clear the canal corridor for fall. Gloves and good shoes are recommended, and helpers of all ages are welcome.

Fun on the Farm: All Abilities Fall Fest

Bath's Crown Point Ecology Center hosts Fun on the Farm starting at 10:00 AM Saturday, an inclusive, family-friendly fall festival designed so kids and families of all abilities can enjoy farm activities together. It is a thoughtful, welcoming way to spend a Saturday morning in the countryside with the kids.

Fungirl at Medina Brewing Company

Stay closer to home Saturday evening: Fungirl brings live music to Medina Brewing Company on South Court Street at 7:00 PM. Grab a local pour and a seat, and enjoy a low-key night right in town after a busy day of markets and festivals.

Wish You Were Here at the Akron Civic

The Pink Floyd tribute Wish You Were Here: The Sight and Sound of Pink Floyd fills the Civic's ornate auditorium Saturday at 8:00 PM with a multimedia journey through the band's catalog. For Floyd fans, it is the weekend's most atmospheric show.

Sunday, October 4

Sunday at the Farm, final market of the season

The Brunswick Area Historical Society's Sunday at the Farm market at Heritage Farm Museum & Park pours its last cups of cider for 2026 on Sunday from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. It runs every Sunday from June through the first Sunday of October, so October 4 is the season finale. Say goodbye to the season with local produce, farm goods, and a stroll around the museum grounds.

The Princess Bride: An Inconceivable Evening with Cary Elwes

As you wish. Cary Elwes brings his one-of-a-kind evening built around The Princess Bride to the Akron Civic Theatre Sunday at 3:00 PM, with a screening of the beloved film plus behind-the-scenes stories from Westley himself. Equal parts movie night and storytelling hour, it makes a lovely multigenerational family outing.

Closing days: Ohio Mart and Norton Cider Festival

Sunday is the last chance for two of the week's big ones. Ohio Mart wraps its 59th year at Stan Hywet from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and the Norton Cider Festival finishes its weekend from noon to 6:00 PM. Both are easy day trips from Medina, and if you are ambitious you can catch one in the morning and the other in the afternoon.

Pumpkin season is officially here

If there is one theme uniting this whole weekend, it is pumpkins. Three standouts within an easy drive of Medina are all in their full fall swing:

Mapleside Farms Pumpkin Village

Brunswick's Mapleside Farms is in full pumpkin mode: Pumpkin Village runs weekends through November 1 with 20-plus attractions across more than 100 acres, including corn mazes, hayrides, a jump pillow, and slides, plus Fun Fridays from 4:00 to 9:00 PM for the adventurous evening crowd. It is the region's biggest farm fall day-trip.

Heritage Farms Pumpkin Pandemonium

Tucked along Riverview Road in Peninsula, Heritage Farms' Pumpkin Pandemonium runs September 26 through October 25 with hayrides, a harvest maze, scavenger challenges, and kids' activities. It is picture-book gorgeous down in the Cuyahoga Valley this time of year.

Szalay's Farm corn maze

Szalay's Farm & Market in Peninsula has its decorated three-acre corn maze open daily from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM through October 31, with eight wooden pumpkins hidden inside for finders, plus a pumpkin patch and fall produce. Six dollars gets you in, and it is a classic Cuyahoga Valley fall stop.

Around Town This Week

The park district wants you outside. The Medina County Park District's 20th annual Trekking Through Autumn self-guided hiking challenge runs through November 30. Complete at least eight of the district's designated hikes to earn awards, and catch the county's trees at peak color along the way. Full trail lists are on the district's site.

Mark your calendar. Foster the People plays Blossom Music Center on Thursday, October 8; the square hosts its "Salute to Farming" special market Saturday, October 10, the same weekend as the Medina County Fall Foliage Tour on October 10-11; and the Downtown Akron Fall Fest takes over Lock 3 on October 17. Plenty to look forward to, and I will have the full details in next week's note.