Hello, neighbors! The leaves are turning and the scarecrows are up on Washington Street. Here's what's happening around the bay this week.

🎟 Community Events & Festival Radar

Haunted History Trick-or-Treat Trail. The Chesterfield Historical Society's trail is back at a new spot this year. Every registered child gets a donut, cider, and a bag to fill along the way. Space is capped at 50 kids per time slot, so pick your window when you register.
Date & Time: Saturday, October 10. Entry slots between 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM
Location: Chesterfield Historical Society of Michigan
Fee: $10 per child for residents, $20 per child for non-residents. Register through the Chesterfield Township online catalog

New Baltimore Farmers Market. Sunday the 11th is Public Safety Day at the market. Cider, squash, and mums are all in now.
Date & Time: Sundays, 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Location: Downtown New Baltimore
Fee: Free to browse

Kids Night at Chick-fil-A. Kids eat free and there's always something going on.
Date & Time: Tuesdays, 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Location: Chick-fil-A, Chesterfield Township
Fee: Free for kids with a meal purchase

The scarecrows are up, and voting is open. Twenty-one years of this now. They're strapped to the light posts downtown through the first of November, and the voting boxes are sitting in shops along the way. Look for the "Vote Here" signs. Three categories get judged, adults, kids 12 and under, and businesses, with $100 for first and $50 for second in each.
Date & Time: On display and open for voting through Sunday, November 1
Location: Downtown New Baltimore
Fee: Free to vote

Chesterfield Halloween Decorating Contest. Nominate yourself, a neighbor, or that one house on your street that goes all out. The Parks & Recreation Commission does the judging.
Date & Time: Nominations through Monday, October 19. Judging October 27 through 30
Location: Nominations accepted at the Chesterfield Recreation Center
Fee: Free to enter

🚗 Worth the Drive

Chicago the Musical at the Boardwalk Theatre. Final weekend in St. Clair.
Date & Time: Friday, October 9 and Saturday, October 10 at 7:30 PM, Sunday, October 11 at 3:00 PM
Location: Boardwalk Theatre, 109 S. 3rd Street, St. Clair
Fee: See the Boardwalk Theatre for ticket details

Blake's in Armada. The orchard and cider mill has apples, cider, donuts, a six-acre corn maze, and Funland with a giant slide, pig racers, and an accessible train. Blake's Big Apple is running haunted weekends with zombie paintball, a haunted hayride, a wagon ride through the corn, and a three-story haunted barn.
Date & Time: Orchard & Cider Mill, Sunday through Thursday 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM, Friday and Saturday 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM. Big Apple, Monday through Thursday 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Friday and Saturday 8:00 AM to 11:00 PM, Sunday 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM
Location: 17985 Armada Center Road, Armada
Fee: Free to visit. Haunted attractions and activities are individually priced

📍 Local Civic & Roadwork Updates

Sugarbush Road bridge is closed for a while. The bridge over Auvase Creek just north of Gloria Goike Boulevard is still shut because the culvert underneath has deteriorated, and the Macomb County Department of Roads says this is an extended closure while a fix gets researched, engineered, and built. The Municipal Offices, the walking paths, and the Historical Village are all still open normal hours. To get to the Municipal Office Complex, take 21 Mile and head north on Sugarbush.

Hydrant flushing is underway. Chesterfield DPS is flushing hydrants across the township, which clears rust and sediment out of the lines and gets the hydrants ready for winter. While crews are in your neighborhood you may get low pressure, air in the lines, or brown water. If that happens, pull the screens and aerators off your faucets and clean them, then flush your pipes using the cold side of your laundry tub or the lowest faucet in the house that doesn't have a screen.

Who to call about a road problem. Worth saving. For potholes, hazards, and most non-private roads including subdivision streets, that's the Macomb County Department of Roads at 586-463-8671 or roads.macombgov.org. For the expressways and state trunk lines — I-94, 23 Mile (M-29), Gratiot (M-3), and Hall Road (M-59) — call MDOT at 888-296-4546.

🏪 Around Town

Jingle Bell Run early bird ends Sunday. The race is December 6, with the 5K at 3:00 PM and the 1-mile walk at 3:10. Right now both are $15. After October 11 the 5K goes to $25, and after November 22 it's $35. Registration is online only and there's no race-day signup. newbaltimorejinglebellrun.com.

Crafters wanted for the Holiday Craft Show. The show is Saturday, November 14, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM at Lighthouse Elementary, free admission for shoppers. If you make or bake, tables are first come first served at $30 for a six-foot table, non-refundable, handmade and home-baked only. Register at the Parks & Rec office, at NBrecreation.org, or call 586-725-0291.

That's a wrap for this week's Anchor Bay Current. See you around town!