In early September, crews poured a new 10-foot sidewalk along the west side of the 100 block of Louisiana Avenue. The city planned to pour the 200 block next. Planter boxes, brick pavers and the roadway were still under way. Across the street, the east side was already done, from roadway and sidewalks to planter beds, landscaping and brick pavers.
October is the first full event month with half of Phase 2 finished, and the calendar fits that well. Most of downtown's October events are either on finished pavement or on side streets away from the remaining work. The unfinished work matters most for the holidays, which come after these events.
The October Calendar, Mapped Against the Work
Phase 2 of the city's Downtown Revitalization Project covers the 100 and 200 blocks of Louisiana Avenue. The 2026 work runs between West Third Street and Front Street. It follows last year's stretch between Indiana Avenue and West Third Street. The city split the work up this way to keep roughly the same number of downtown parking spaces open at any given time.
Here is where each October event takes place:
| Date | Event | Where | Relation to the work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu., Oct. 1 and Oct. 8 | Perrysburg Farmers Market | 100 and 200 blocks of Louisiana Avenue | On the Phase 2 blocks |
| Tue.–Wed., Oct. 6–7 | Country Garden Club 39th Annual Trunk Show | Carranor Club, 502 E. Second Street | Off Louisiana |
| Sat., Oct. 10 | Spooky Movie Night on the Lawn | Commodore Building Lawn, 140 E. Indiana Ave. | Off Louisiana |
| Thu., Oct. 15 | Broom Stick Stroll | Downtown shops and eateries on Louisiana Avenue | On the street itself |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | Festival of Fears | Third Street Market, between Inside the Five and Rosaria's | On Third Street |
Two of the five events take place on the Phase 2 blocks. Both are daytime or early-evening events, and both are built around walking the sidewalk. The finished east side helps those events most.
What the Finished East Side Changes
Before the project, the last streetscape work on Louisiana was almost 30 years ago. Part of the goal is to bring access to business front doors up to current ADA requirements. Sidewalks are being widened to about 10 feet on both sides of the street. The city developed the accessibility plans with the Ability Center of Greater Toledo. The city's plan splits the sidewalk into an unobstructed 8-foot walking zone and an 8-foot amenity zone. The amenity zone holds raised-planter seating and space for farmers market vendors. The City FAQ puts the project's cost at about $6 million.
That vendor space affects the farmers market's last two Thursdays. When the 27th season opened in May, the city said booths would start on the west side's sidewalks and street parking. Vendors would move to the east side once it was finished, and construction would then move west. By WTOL's September report, the east side was finished and crews were working on the west side. The 100 and 200 blocks close at 1:30 p.m. on market days for vendor setup, and the market runs 4 to 8 p.m. through Oct. 8. Downtown Perrysburg, Inc. describes the market as having more than 60 vendors, open rain or shine.
Business owners on the finished side have described the difference in practical terms. "It's nice to have the nice wide sidewalks and the availability of people to get around on this side of the street," said Stephanie Knowlton, a sales associate at Beehaus Blooms. Jane Wurth owns Ragazza at 103 Louisiana Ave. She told The Blade that while the street had no parking out front, customers were sent to the back lot. Once street parking came back in July, she "noticed an immediate uptick."
Getting Around the West Side
City staff engineer Tom Haar said the first half of the project taught the city something about sequencing. "We learned that getting that sidewalk, that first 5 feet in front of all the businesses, was a big first step to give everybody access to the shops and restaurants," he told WTOL. With the wider west-side sidewalk poured in the 100 block, people can reach that block from Front Street or Second Street without walking past crews along the storefronts.
When traffic moved west in July, the city's notice closed southbound Louisiana and kept Front at Louisiana a three-way stop. Parts of both Second Streets closed for staging, and parking was east side only. No newer block-by-block parking map has been published since, so the July notice is the most recent official layout. Some west-side businesses have used back entrances while concrete sets, and most areas reopen the next day. At Vintage Groves, employee Emily Tracy described a caution-taped path that kept the store accessible. She said foot traffic has been "pretty even."
The Broom Stick Stroll Is the Event on the Street Itself
Most of October's events are off Louisiana, but the Broom Stick Stroll on Thursday, Oct. 15 runs right along it. From noon to 8 p.m., downtown shops and eateries on Louisiana Avenue offer shopping specials, treats and drink specials. It's free, and no tickets are needed. The event listing doesn't name participating businesses, so the stroll works best as a walk down the full length of the street.
Shops on the west side have held up through the construction. Earlier this year, Kids Klothesline owner Michelle Holtyn told 13abc that construction had made it hard for customers to get in at times, but she considered the sidewalk upgrades necessary. Bard's Coffee owner Chris Watson asked customers to remember the businesses were still open.
The stroll ends at 8 p.m., two hours before the DORA cutoff. Perrysburg's DORA rules apply to any drink carried outside:
- Drinks can be purchased daily from noon to 10 p.m. and must be finished by 11 p.m.
- Drinks must be bought in approved cups at licensed participating restaurants and must stay inside the DORA boundaries.
- DORA drinks can't be consumed inside restaurants and must be thrown out before entering a permitted restaurant or leaving the area. Businesses with the DORA-friendly decal may let you bring cups inside.
The Off-Street Events
The other three events are away from the work zone.
The Country Garden Club's 39th Annual Trunk Show runs Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 6 and 7, at the Carranor Club, 502 E. Second Street. More than 20 vendors will sell clothing, accessories, home gifts, confections and gourmet foods, and proceeds benefit Northwest Ohio Community Projects. Shopping starts at 9:30 a.m. each day. Tuesday adds a Girls Night with more vendors, music by Chloe & the Steel Strings, food and cocktails. Wednesday shopping ends at 3 p.m. A $10 admission covers both days, and a buffet lunch is available for purchase each day.
Spooky Movie Night on Saturday, Oct. 10 brings back the summer Movie Night on the Lawn with a Halloween theme. Hocus Pocus shows for free on the Commodore Building Lawn at 140 E. Indiana Ave. Activities start at 5 p.m., and the movie begins at dusk. DORA drinks are welcome on the lawn, and Downtown Perrysburg, Inc. suggests bringing lawn chairs and blankets.
Festival of Fears on Saturday, Oct. 24 is the month's one 21+ event. It runs 7:30 to 11 p.m. in a heated tent at Third Street Market, between Inside the Five and Rosaria's. The Beef Carvers play from 8 p.m., and the night also has psychic readings, games and a costume contest. The $20 admission covers entry, snacks, live music, readings and activities. Local beer and signature drinks are sold separately. The festival runs past the DORA purchase cutoff, so any drink carried within the district needs to be bought by 10 p.m.
The Holidays Depend on the Streetlights
The October schedule is fairly safe. The holiday schedule is less certain.
As of early September, the city was on track for substantial completion in late October or early November, with all parking reopened by Thanksgiving. Haar said some smaller work could carry into next year. These are targets from early September, and no later public update has been found.
The new streetlights are the main open item. Haar said they likely won't be delivered until December, which could affect holiday lighting plans. "They came up with two plans. One if we have power and one if we don't," he said. "It's just a matter of whether or not we'll have power wired to the streetlights by the time Christmas lights come around." In August, he told The Blade that paving should be finished by the end of the construction season in November. After that, only the new light poles at Second and Front on Louisiana would remain.
The new planters are part of the same picture. Wurth said it's too late in the year for anything to bloom in Perrysburg's planter boxes, and downtown business owners have discussed decorating them for the holidays. She has dealt with construction outside both her Sylvania and Perrysburg stores. "I think my positivity in Perrysburg comes from I know what happened in Sylvania," she said.
The city hasn't announced 2026 dates for trick-or-treat or the downtown holiday kickoff. The city's calendar still shows the 2025 listings, so check the City of Perrysburg's site before planning around either one.
Chirley Lima follows changes like the Louisiana Avenue streetscape because they affect how downtown Perrysburg works day to day, for neighbors and for anyone thinking about a future move. If you'd like to talk through what the finished project could mean for the streets around downtown, Book A Consultation.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
