Western Avenue between 4th Street and Terrace Street is closed to cars this fall. The City of Muskegon scheduled the resurfacing for September 8 through October 31, 2026. Those are the downtown blocks where the city would normally stage its seasonal programming. The first phase, from 8th Street to 4th Street, wrapped up in October 2025. This second phase covers the rest of the stretch.
Most of October's downtown events have moved one block over, onto and around Third Street. The hay bales line the 300 block, the October 17 street festival fills the blocks up to Houston Avenue, and the October 20 walk-through of Muskegon's planned waterfront park happens where Third meets the lake. Put the events side by side and Third Street reads like a route, running from Houston Avenue past Hackley Park to Muskegon Lake.
The Hay Bales Moved First
The Harvest Hay Bale Trail was the first event to change course. It's in its fourth year and is run by the Downtown Development Authority and the Muskegon Social District. The city's event page says it plainly: "Due to resurfacing along Western Ave, this year's walkable trail has moved nearby."
This year the decorated bales sit in three spots. One is the Hackley Park grounds, between 3rd and 4th streets and W. Clay and W. Webster avenues. Another is the 200 block of W. Webster near the Art Museum. The third is the 300 block of Third Street, between Western and Clay. Voting is free, runs through October 31, and happens online at mkgcity.com/haybales. The bale with the most votes wins a trophy.
The new layout makes for a short loop. Start at Western, walk Third past Clay, cut through Hackley Park, and come back along Webster. The 300 block of Third ends at Clay, and Hackley Park runs from Clay to Webster, so the bales line up in a continuous path. Hackley Park was already one of the extensions of the Downtown Social District, which mostly follows Western from 8th Street to Pine.
Webster to Houston Belongs to the Nelson Neighborhood
The hay bale route stops at Webster. The Third St. Fall Fest begins there and runs north to Houston. The festival is Saturday, October 17, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., on Third Street from Houston to Webster. The city lists it as "an all-day street celebration presented by Nelson Neighborhood, and local businesses on Third, including Little Miss Green Thumb, PLAY Muskegon, and The Corner." The day includes harvest crafts, children's activities and a car show with trunk-or-treat.
Those three businesses are all in one building. Visit Muskegon describes The Corner at 280 W. Muskegon Ave as a 1930s-era building whose former church auditorium is now The Stage, a venue for theater, concerts and comedy. Food trucks rotate through the area behind it during shows. The same building houses PLAY Muskegon, the children's musical theater program Broadway Bootcamp, and Little Miss Green Thumb.
All three tenants are fairly new. MLive reported in December 2024 that Little Miss Green Thumb began in 2023 as one of downtown's chalet incubator businesses before moving onto The Corner's first floor. The Stage started hosting events in fall 2024. The plant shop sells houseplants, pots and gardening supplies, and it holds workshops. PLAY Muskegon is an indoor imaginative-play center for kids 6 and under. MLive covered its grand opening in May 2025, describing pretend-play settings and a café for parents.
October 17, Hour by Hour
On the Nelson Neighborhood's Fall Fest page, the day starts at PLAY in the morning and ends at The Stage that night. The page also points visitors to the Muskegon Farmers Market, which it calls one of "Nelson's other greatest treasures." The market has its own Halloween event that morning.
| Time | Where | What's on |
|---|---|---|
| 9 a.m. | PLAY Muskegon | Boo Bash kicks off the Third St. Fall Fest |
| 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Muskegon Farmers Market | Halloween Bash with pumpkin decorating and games at 10, trick-or-treating at 11, and Critter Barn on site |
| Noon | Mike Miller Garden | Pumpkin decorating |
| 3 p.m. | Third Street | Classic cars and trunk-or-treat |
| Evening | The Stage at The Corner | The Rocky Horror Picture Show with The Rocky Road Shadowcast |
The city says the Farmers Market's pumpkins and games are free while supplies last, and kids are encouraged to come in costume. The market is one of three city-affiliated spots, along with Western Market and the Downtown Splash Pad, that the city says will stay fully open for the whole resurfacing project. Its October newsletter lists regular hours as Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
With Western closed to cars, parking takes a little planning. The city's parking and pedestrian guide lists free street parking on the side streets and free public lots nearby. Every sidewalk along Western and some designated crosswalks stay open to foot traffic. The city has also posted a downloadable map of the work zone, parking and open crossings.
Three Days Later, Third Street Ends at the Water
The Fall Fest covers the inland end of Third Street. The Tuesday after, the city holds a meeting at the lake end. On October 20, from 5 to 6:30 p.m., the City of Muskegon is hosting a public design review on the site of a planned 3.12-acre waterfront park. The site sits "at the end of Third Street, adjacent to the Shoreline Inn."
The city's event page says this idea goes back a long way. "More than 20 years after the community first envisioned a waterfront destination connecting downtown Muskegon to the lake, that vision is taking shape." According to the city's project page, the land follows the shoreline and then wraps into a protected inlet. The project has $2.8 million in State of Michigan funding for buying the property and building the park, and construction is scheduled to start in fall 2026. Residents will also get to help pick the park's name later in the process.
At the October 20 session, attendees can walk the property and look at two concept plans. They can also fill out an activity sheet with drawing supplies to sketch their own ideas. The city describes the goal as a gathering place that links downtown, Muskegon Lake and the existing bike path. Free parking is in the city lot at 4th Street and Shoreline Drive, and flags will mark the way to the site. For limited-mobility parking, enter the Shoreline Inn lot from Terrace Point Road and stay in the far-left lane. That leads to a small lot along the north edge of the park site.
The site already has a downtown landmark next door. The Portal, the sculpture Lee Brown designed and built, had just been installed along Shoreline Drive when Fox 17 reported on it in September 2024. It stands in front of the Shoreline Inn. From September 30 to October 2, volunteers joined the Muskegon Conservation District and the city to plant dune grass around it. Anyone at the design review will see that new planting just steps from the park site.
The Rest of October, Block by Block
Over the last two weeks of October, more of the calendar fills in along this same corridor:
- Saturday, October 24. The Muskegon Farmers Market holds an open house. The market's newsletter still lists the time as to be announced.
- Tuesday, October 27, 5 to 7 p.m. The Shoreline Spooktacular Trunk or Treat comes to Hackley Park with trunk-or-treating, music, games and costume contests for kids and adults.
- Saturday, October 31. Hay bale voting closes. It's also the scheduled last day of Western Avenue resurfacing. The city's trick-or-treating hours are 6 to 8 p.m.
The Halloween end date for Western Avenue is still the city's schedule, not a confirmed finish. The city's project materials haven't posted an October progress report. To check whether blocks are reopening, you can sign up for the city's updates at mkgcity.com/resurfacewestern.
Construction on the waterfront park at the foot of Third Street is set to start this fall. The October 20 walk-through is likely the last chance to see the site before work begins.
The new park at the end of Third Street is the kind of change we follow closely at Fortress Realty, because downtown projects like it become part of how nearby homes get valued. If you own a home near downtown Muskegon and want to know what the area's current sales say it's worth, ask us for a free home valuation.
