Last October the scarecrows hung on one street. Starting Monday, Oct. 19, they go up on the lamp posts along both Upton Avenue and Chestnut Street. The Reed City Area Chamber of Commerce is calling it the 2nd Annual Scarecrow Competition. It wants "scarecrow doctors, hair stylists, accountants, athletes, and more" on the posts through Oct. 31.
The Chamber is also changing where the decorating happens. Its listing says, "Instead of businesses decorating their windows this year, let's bring the fun out into the streets and get everyone involved!" The shop windows aren't going empty, though. Student artwork fills them, and both displays end at the same block party. From Oct. 14 for the art and Oct. 19 for the scarecrows, downtown Reed City is set up as a walk that ends on a fixed date. In 2026, that date happens to be Halloween.
How a Lamp Post Contest Started on One Street
The contest is new enough that its start is on the record. On Sept. 8, 2025, at the regular city council meeting in Council Chambers at 227 E. Lincoln Avenue, the Reed City Area Chamber introduced "a community Scarecrow Contest, using the light posts on Upton Ave for display." Council approved it for the 2025 season on a voice vote. The approved minutes show the first year as a one-street event.
The year-one scarecrows ended at the block party. According to Cadillac News coverage of the 2025 event, the afternoon on Upton Avenue included "scarecrow voting" along with live music, an art showcase, a scavenger hunt, a kids and pet costume parade, vendors, games and pumpkin painting. The coverage doesn't name the 2025 winners, and the Chamber hasn't posted the 2026 voting method or prizes yet.
Year Two Adds Chestnut, and the Shops Get Student Art
The 2026 version adds Chestnut Street, and it opens the lamp posts to more people. Churches, businesses, families, sports groups and individuals can each adopt a post on Upton or Chestnut. The scarecrows stay up until the Halloween Spooktacular Block Party on Oct. 31.
The October Art Showcase starts five days before the scarecrows. The Chamber and the art teachers at Reed City Area Public Schools are placing 60 pieces of student art in local businesses. The art can be seen during each host business's regular hours, and the listing encourages people to "stroll through town and see these amazing creations."
Here's how the dates line up this month:
- Wednesday, Oct. 14: The October Art Showcase opens in downtown businesses.
- Monday, Oct. 19: The 2nd Annual Scarecrow Competition begins on the Upton and Chestnut lamp posts.
- Saturday, Oct. 31: The Halloween Spooktacular starts at Westerburg Park and moves to the Upton Block Party. The art showcase and the scarecrow display both end that day.
The Chamber hasn't named the host businesses yet. It says the list of participating businesses will go on its Facebook page and on flyers around town once all the art is installed. Local businesses that want to show RCAPS art can contact the Chamber.
Walking It Block by Block
The scarecrow route covers the two streets where Reed City's downtown businesses are concentrated. Below are businesses listed along the route, mostly from the Chamber's member directory. None of them is confirmed as a 2026 art host. The flyers will settle that.
| Street | Business | Address | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upton Ave. | Pere Marquette Bistro & Catering | 102 E Upton Ave. | Bistro and catering |
| Upton Ave. | Buckboard Bar & Grille | 108 W Upton Ave. | Bar and restaurant |
| Upton Ave. | Homemade & More | 114 W Upton Ave. | Consignment store |
| Upton Ave. | The Inc Spot | 116 W Upton Ave. | Chamber-listed downtown business |
| Upton Ave. | Sunny's Bar & Grill | 122 W Upton Ave. | Bar and grill |
| Upton Ave. | Reed City Brewing Company | 141 W Upton Ave. | Taproom serving food, beer and wine |
| Chestnut St. | Seven Slot Grille | 113 N Chestnut St. | Family restaurant, breakfast and lunch, house-baked breads |
| Chestnut St. | Pompeii's Pizza | 113 S Chestnut St. | Pizza |
| Chestnut St. | Northend Meat and Produce | 315 N Chestnut St. | Meat and produce |
Adding Chestnut changes how the walk works. In 2025 the display ran along one street. This year it covers two, crossing downtown in both directions. Upton's 100 block of West Upton runs from Buckboard Bar & Grille at 108 to Reed City Brewing Company at 141. Chestnut Street adds stops north and south of downtown, from Northend Meat and Produce at 315 N. Chestnut to Pompeii's Pizza at 113 S. Chestnut. If you keep walking south on Chestnut, The Bridge Coffee Shop's website lists its Reed City shop at 758 S. Chestnut St. That's well past the central blocks, and it makes a good first or last stop for anyone walking the whole street.
Because the art can be seen only during each host's regular hours, the weekday and weekend walks will differ. The scarecrows are outside on the lamp posts, so they can be seen whenever you walk by. The student art needs the shops to be open. If you want to see both, plan around business hours.
The Puzzle That Ties the Walk to One Afternoon
The scavenger hunt connects the showcase to the block party. When the Scavenger Hunt Puzzle is available, you pick it up at any RCAPS school office. You fill it in while walking past the art, then turn it in at the Chamber Halloween Spooktacular Block Party on Saturday, Oct. 31, for a prize. The listing doesn't say what the prize is.
So the walk ends at the block party. The puzzle is due there, the scarecrows come down after it, and in 2025 the scarecrow voting took place there.
The 2026 Spooktacular listing describes the same two-part day as last year. Halloween in the Park at Westerburg Park has a treat trail, a petting zoo, local vendors and live music. After that comes the Upton Block Party, with a kids and pets costume parade, pumpkin painting, games, more vendors and music. The Chamber says local partners organize it, and it's open to residents and visitors.
The 2026 times haven't been posted. Last year, Halloween in the Park ran from noon to 1:30 p.m. at Westerburg Park on South Roth Street, and the block party ran from 2 to 5 p.m. on Upton Avenue. Use those times as a rough guide until the Chamber posts this year's schedule.
Why the Finish Line Falls on Halloween This Year
At the same Sept. 8, 2025, meeting where it approved the scarecrows, council also set the Spooktacular's date for five years. It approved the event for 2025 through 2029, held "the last Saturday of October."
Here's where that rule puts the event each year:
- 2025: Saturday, Oct. 25
- 2026: Saturday, Oct. 31
- 2027: Saturday, Oct. 30
- 2028: Saturday, Oct. 28
- 2029: Saturday, Oct. 27
In this five-year window, 2026 is the only year the Spooktacular falls on Halloween itself. Last year it came six days early. This year the park event, the block party, the scarecrow voting and the puzzle turn-in all happen on Oct. 31, and the Chamber's listings already call it "Saturday October 31st." If you're planning your own Halloween, the downtown events and Halloween night are on the same day this year.
After the Scarecrows Come Down
The Chamber's calendar picks up again in November, and the next events move to the Depot end of downtown. The November Art Showcase runs Nov. 11 through 29 at 200 N. Chestnut St., the Chamber office. The Evergreen Festival runs Nov. 27 and 28. Its parade travels along Sears and Upton and ends at the Depot for a tree lighting with carolers, cocoa, cookies and Santa. Santa Social follows on Saturday, Nov. 28, at Reed City Depot, 200 N. Chestnut St.
The Evergreen parade uses Upton, one of the two scarecrow streets. Its listing doesn't say which lamp posts it passes.
At Big Rapids Realty, we've been part of Reed City since 1969, and we like seeing downtown stay busy in October. If your church, team or family adopts a lamp post this year, we'd love to see your scarecrow. If you're starting to wonder what a home within walking distance of Upton and Chestnut might cost, our Reed City office is happy to talk it through with you. Contact Us.
