Happy fall, Anchor Bay! Gratiot turns into a car show this Saturday, the scarecrows go up next week, and spooky season opens downtown on the 3rd. Here's what's happening around the bay.

🎟 Community Events & Festival Radar

Macomb St. Clair Mega Cruise. Macomb County's big one, drawing 25,000 people and 200-plus vehicles to Gratiot. Car show, cruise, a cornhole tournament with cash prizes, a Kids Zone with inflatables and fire truck tours and K9 meet-and-greets, a tailgate zone with the game up on a big screen, food trucks, and live music all day. There's $2,700 in car show prize money across Stock, Modified, and Best in Show, and Stahls is running a Veterans Car Show alongside it. Every dollar raised this year goes to veterans services organizations.
Date & Time: Saturday, September 26. Car show 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Location: Cruise HQ, 50500 Gratiot Avenue, Chesterfield, in front of Kohl's
Fee: Free to attend

Chesterfield 5K. There's a 5K run or walk and a free 1K fun run, and everybody who registers gets a t-shirt and a medal, plus water and snacks. Cash prizes run $500, $250, and $100 for the top three men and women. You can register the morning of at Cruise HQ, but advance is easier.
Date & Time: Saturday, September 26. Check-in and bib pickup from 8:00 AM, 5K starts 9:00 AM, 1K at 9:05, awards at 9:50. Early bib and t-shirt pickup Friday, September 25, 5:00 to 7:00 PM
Location: Start and finish at Gardner White, 50400 Gratiot Avenue
Fee: Adults $30, seniors $10, students 17 and under free, 1K fun run free

New Baltimore Farmers Market. Sundays through October. October 4 is Fall Harvest Day, good to grab some cider, squash, and mums.
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

Scarecrows 2026. The 21st year of scarecrows downtown. Build one, drop it at City Hall on one of the two collection nights, and it gets strapped to a light post for the month. Voting happens in the shops downtown, so look for the "Vote Here" signs. Three categories, adults 16 and up, kids 12 and under, and businesses or organizations, with $100 for first and $50 for second in each. One rule worth noting: no political scarecrows.
Date & Time: Drop off Monday, September 28 or Tuesday, September 29, 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. On display and open for voting October 1 through November 1
Location: New Baltimore City Hall, 36535 Green Street
Fee: Free to enter. Applications at cityofnewbaltimore.org or at collection night.

Witch Walk & Warlock Stroll. Seven hours of spooky season downtown. Tashmoo Distilling hosts the free activities, with DJ Big Truck at 1:00, the Cackle Contest at 2:00, the Witch Costume Contest at 3:00, and the Witch Spell Contest at 4:00. The Pink House does free witches and warlocks portraits from 3:00 to 5:00, then the Runway Witch Red Carpet Shuffle at 5:30. The Witches Enchanted Market, a fall and holiday vendor show, runs at Walter & Mary Burke Park and is free to walk into.
Date & Time: Saturday, October 3, Noon to 7:00 PM
Location: Downtown New Baltimore
Fee: Free to attend. The commemorative cauldron unlocks discounts at participating shops, $10 pre-sale and $15 the day of. Pick one up at the Parks & Rec office, Washington Street Wine House, or The Pink House Tea Room & Bnb. NBWitchWalk.com

Dog's Day Out. Bring the dog to Pollard Park for the afternoon. Local rescues bring adoptable pets, there are pet vendors, concessions, and pup cups, plus donation bins if you want to bring something for the rescues.
Date & Time: Saturday, October 3, 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Location: Pollard Park
Fee: Free.

🚗 Worth the Drive

Chicago the Musical at the Boardwalk Theatre. St. Clair's theater opens its run this weekend and plays through the middle of October.
Date & Time: Saturday, September 26 through Sunday, October 11. Evening shows 7:30 PM, Sunday matinees 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

Absentee ballots are out. If you're on the Permanent Absentee Ballot List, your ballot for the November 3 General Election went in the mail September 22. If it hasn't turned up by October 9, call the Chesterfield Township Elections Department at 586-949-0400, ext. 5. You can check your registration, find your polling place, and track your ballot through the Michigan Voter Information Center. If you're already registered you don't need to do anything. The township also has four secure drop boxes, all on camera, emptied daily.

New water portal is live. Chesterfield launched a free customer portal that gives you 24/7 access to your water usage. You can watch your consumption, catch a leak early, set high-usage and away-from-home alerts, and manage more than one property from a single account. You'll need your account number and your name or street address exactly as it appears on your bill. Sign up at chesterfieldtownshipmi.my360-app.com. The portal is informational, and your actual bill still governs what you owe.

Beautification and Tree Board meets Thursday, October 1 at 7:00 PM at the Community Center.

🏪 Around Town

Last call on the Witch Walk crafts. The Painted Toad is running Spooky Bottles and Witchy Glass Trees, but registration closes at midnight Saturday, September 26 so supplies have time to ship. The glass tree comes in six colors. Details at paintedtoad.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

Jingle Bell Run early bird ends October 11. The race is Sunday, December 6, with the 5K at 3:00 PM and the 1-mile walk at 3:10, starting downtown. 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.

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