The last full weekend before Halloween is one of the biggest on the NW Metro Atlanta calendar, and this year it arrives with real news behind it: a first public sculpture in Canton, a senior-housing groundbreaking in Marietta, a 1903 landmark coming back to life in Kennesaw, and a Cartersville football team writing its way into the state record books. Meanwhile, early voting is wrapping up and the November 3 election carries SPLOST questions that will shape roads, parks, and schools for years.
We track this news every week because a city's restaurants, parks, schools, and public decisions shape both daily life and home values for years. Here is what is happening across Marietta, Acworth, Kennesaw, Woodstock, Canton, Cartersville, and Dallas as October comes to a close.
Marietta: A Senior Housing Groundbreaking and a Square Settling Into Place
Evergreen Breaks Ground on Franklin Road
On October 22, the City of Marietta joined the Marietta Housing Authority and Prestwick Companies to break ground on Evergreen, a new affordable senior housing development at 879 Franklin Road. It is the latest addition to the city's housing pipeline and a concrete sign of the mix of housing types Marietta is building as it grows, from townhomes near the Square to age-qualified options like this one.
A Dining Scene Finding Its Rhythm
The restaurants that were "coming soon" around the Square now have opening dates behind them. Glover Park Kitchen held its grand opening October 9 at 72 Atlanta Street, the Southern-influenced restaurant from the Glover Park group with Executive Chef Lance Hagan. Fin & Feathers is taking shape at 16 Atlanta Street in the former Carmen's Kitchen & Cocktails space, Antika continues preparing at 34 Powder Springs Street, and Brasserie Genevieve is still targeting late 2026 or early 2027 in the former Asher and Rose space. The pipeline keeps moving even as the Square runs out of empty storefronts.
Halloween and a Free Cybersecurity Day
Families can catch Marietta Trunk or Treat on Friday, October 23 at 277 Fairground Street SE, while Glover Park Brewery hosts its Halloween Party on October 31. For a different kind of Saturday, Cobb County's free Cybersecurity Day 2026 runs October 30 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Cobb County Civic Center on South Marietta Parkway, a public workshop on protecting your digital life. On the school side, Marietta High reported its ACT scores climbed even as state and national averages fell, building on the Class of 2026's record 95.1 percent graduation rate and highest SAT average in district history. The Scarecrows in the Square displays stay up on the Square through the end of the month.
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Acworth: Halloween JamBOOree and a Farmers Market in Its Final Weeks
The JamBOOree Takes Over Logan Farm Park
The Halloween JamBOOree (formerly the Halloween Carnival) takes over Logan Farm Park on Saturday, October 24 from 3 to 7 p.m., with games, rides, food, and music, plus a costume parade and contest at 5 p.m. It is the signature way Acworth closes out the season, and it lands the same weekend as the National Drug Take Back Day collection point, a chance to safely dispose of unused medications at the same time.
Pumpkin Patches and a Market Winding Down
Acworth's first-ever Mars Hill Pumpkin Patch opened this month, adding a new family destination to the north side of the city. The Historic Downtown Acworth Farmers Market continues its Saturday morning hours at Logan Farm Park on October 24 (it skipped October 17 for Taste of Acworth) as the market heads into its final stretch of the season. And for the coffee crowd, Bizarre Coffee Company has announced a fourth location at 4415 Cherokee Street, joining the self-pour tap wall at Tap Town as another reason downtown keeps drawing people in.
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Kennesaw: Haunted Spirits, a 1903 Landmark Revival, and a Free Halloween Festival
A Landmark Building Gets Its Second Life
On October 12, the operators behind Kennesaw Tap & Market revealed construction plans for the long-vacant, circa-1903 J. G. Lewis / Collier Building at 2881 N. Main Street, bought earlier this year for roughly $915,000. The food hall and taproom concept is expected to open in 2027, and it is one of the clearest signals yet of how far downtown Kennesaw's revitalization has come. The dining pipeline around it keeps moving, too: Dumpling Master is preparing to open at 2500 Cobb Place Lane in the former Birdies Wings space, and Poké House is coming to Barrett Corners Phase III on Barrett Parkway.
A Free Halloween Weekend Downtown
Kennesaw packs the last days of October with free family events. The Downtown Kennesaw Candy Crawl & Halloween Festival runs Saturday, October 24 from noon to 5 p.m. at Depot Park with trick-or-treating, carnival games, bounce houses, and pumpkin photo spots, and the Nightmare on Main 5K closes the Grand Prix series on October 31. For grown-ups, the Southern Museum hosts Haunted Spirits, a Halloween-themed 21-and-over evening, on Friday, October 23 from 6 to 10 p.m. And with the 2028 SPLOST on the November 3 ballot, the proposed downtown walkability work and new community center remain the biggest civic question for anyone weighing a move here.
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Woodstock: Trail Contracts, a Federal Check, and Skelebration
Infrastructure Money Keeps Flowing In
The Woodstock City Council awarded two trail construction contracts in mid-October, and at its October 6 meeting it accepted a $3.15 million federal check for Route 47 construction and approved a new exclusive negotiating agreement for downtown work. The police department also received roughly $97,000 in state funding for DUI enforcement. None of it makes headlines the way a restaurant opening does, but trail contracts and federal dollars are exactly the kind of investment that quietly improves a city's walkability and safety, two things buyers ask us about every week.
Halloween Weekend and a Busy Arts Calendar
The Scarecrow Invasion lines downtown through November 1, "Come From Away" plays Woodstock Arts October 23-25, the Weird Woodstock Walking Tour offers a spooky history walk on October 29, and Ghouls Night Out closes the month downtown on October 30. The big family event is Halloween Skelebration, a free celebration on Saturday, October 31 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Northside Hospital-Cherokee Amphitheater with costumes, treats, carnival games, mini golf, crafts, and live music. The Woodstock Home Show lands the same day, and the Día de los Muertos festival rounds out the weekend. Looking ahead, mark Holiday Sip + Shop on November 19 and the Cozy Crawl on December 5 for downtown holiday shopping.
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Canton: A First Public Sculpture and a Pearidge Milestone
"Currents of Canton" Debuts at Heritage Park
Canton unveiled its first public art sculpture, "Currents of Canton", at the western gateway of Heritage Park near the Waleska Street Bridge on October 20, with an official ribbon cutting set for October 23 at 11 a.m. The piece, an Etowah Darter design by artist Huelani Mei, ties the city's Cherokee heritage and the Etowah River into a permanent landmark. It is the kind of thoughtful public investment that tells prospective residents a community cares about its identity, not just its growth.
A Pearidge Milestone and a Festival Weekend
Canton approved a mixed-use development with more than 200 homes in the historic Pearidge community, a major step for a neighborhood that has been part of Canton's planning conversation for a while. This weekend, the 2nd annual Cherokee County Art & Jazz Festival takes over Cherokee Veterans Park on Saturday, October 24 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and the 3rd annual Jack O' Lantern Jamboree returns to The Mill on Etowah on October 24-25. The Yellow Creek Road Conservation Area, Cherokee County's largest park, is drawing outdoor families, and the county's new e-bike rules from October 6 are now in effect for riders on trails and paths.
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Cartersville: Football History and a Fall Festival Weekend
The Purple Hurricanes Make State History
The Cartersville Purple Hurricanes became the first team in Georgia high school football history to score at least 48 points in seven consecutive games, after a 52-8 win over Cedartown. The previous record of six straight was held by Warner Robins, and Cartersville's explosive start has made them one of the most talked-about programs in the state this fall. For families moving to Bartow County, it is a reminder that Cartersville City Schools support a deeply engaged sports culture.
A Full Halloween Weekend Downtown and Beyond
The 2nd Annual Cartersville Fall Festival returns Saturday, October 24 from 4 to 8 p.m. at Dellinger Park, free and family-friendly with bounce houses, a corn maze, live music, and a Trick-or-Treat Trail, while West Fest at the Booth Western Art Museum and a Halloween Pub Crawl (October 23-24) keep downtown busy. The Intercultural Fest with Día de los Muertos celebrations closes the month on October 25. On the community side, Bartow Family Resources' Hope House is on track to open in early 2027, adding services for families in crisis, and Bartow County's commission chairman approved a Kroger and townhome rezoning in mid-October, another sign of retail and rooftops arriving along the county's corridors.
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Dallas: Trick-or-Treat Village and Paulding's Strong Fall
Halloween Across Paulding County
The Trick or Treat Village takes over Earl Duncan Park on Saturday, October 24, and a free family trunk-or-treat, 316 Fall Fest, runs the same afternoon at 316 Church in Dallas, with a Fall Festival following on October 25 on East Paulding Drive. It is a busy closing weekend for a county whose schools and economy keep earning good news.
Schools, New Dining, and a Tech College Expansion
The Paulding County Board of Education earned the highest recognition from the Georgia School Boards Association for the seventh consecutive year, and the district reported SAT scores climbing again, ranking above state and national averages. On the growth side, Chattahoochee Technical College held a ceremonial groundbreaking to expand its Commercial Truck Driving training site at the Paulding Campus, a direct investment in workforce training. A new Hardee's announced a grand opening in Dallas, joining Melt Yard's second location (in the former car dealership on West Memorial Drive), the McDonald's under construction at Ridge Road and Bakers Bridge Road, and the confirmed Taco Bell for New Georgia. Combined with WellStar Paulding's roughly $300 million expansion, Paulding County continues to invest in the amenities and jobs that support its housing market.
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On the Ballot: November 3 and the Decisions That Shape Communities
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, and early voting is underway or wrapping up in every county we serve. Beyond the candidates, Georgia voters will weigh three statewide constitutional amendments, including a dedicated "Next Generation 9-1-1 Fund" to modernize emergency call systems. Locally, Cobb County voters will see the 1% SPLOST renewal that funds roads, sidewalks, stormwater, and parks (Acworth's November 2 referendum mirrors it), Kennesaw's 2028 SPLOST is on the ballot, and Bartow County's E-SPLOST funds school capital projects as schools approach capacity. These votes decide the pace of trails, parks, and classrooms for the next decade, which is why we watch them closely for our clients.
Why This Matters for Buyers and Sellers
The details of a community's everyday life are what actually decide whether a home feels right. A public sculpture tells you a city invests in identity. A trail contract tells you walkability is getting better. A school board's awards and a football team's record tell you what families in the area care about. Those signals matter for your resale value and for your day-to-day happiness.
That is why we track these stories every week and verify every detail before we publish. Our clients rely on us to know the numbers and the nuance, what is under construction and what is opening next month. If you are thinking about a change, we would love to sit down and share what we are seeing in the community that fits your life.
Have a great day.