On Friday evening the Village will set out straw bales on Breidert Green, the event space at Kansas and Oak Streets. You won't need to bring a chair. At 6 p.m. Ghost Stories on the Green opens with not-so-spooky stories. Then Edd Fairman, who bills himself as a wizard of sorts, does a Halloween magic show called "It's Not Scary, It's Silly." The popcorn is free and costumes are encouraged.
That night opens three days in a row that close Frankfort's outdoor season. By Sunday afternoon the Country Market will have packed up its tents for the year. After that, the village's calendar moves into a few buildings within walking distance of the Green. One of those buildings is about to get a restaurant run by someone who first came to Frankfort through the market.
Friday to Sunday, from the Green to the Bark Park and back downtown
Here's the weekend in order. Each event is free.
- Friday, Oct. 23, 6 p.m., Breidert Green. Ghost Stories on the Green is a joint event from the Village of Frankfort and the Frankfort Public Library. In the Village's announcement, Mayor Keith Ogle describes it this way: "With ghost stories, magic, costumes and popcorn, it's sure to be a fun night for everyone."
- Saturday, Oct. 24, 10 a.m., the Bark Park at Commissioners Park. Howl-A-Woof is a costume contest for dogs, with prizes for Best Overall, Funniest and Scariest. There's also a bone yard hunt, and dogs can trick-or-treat at the vendor tables, so bring a bag. The Bark Park is in the northwest corner of Commissioners Park at 80th Avenue and Sauk Trail. The gate opens at 9:50 a.m., dogs must stay on leash, and an adult has to come with any dog owner under 12. Bentley's sponsors the event.
- Sunday, Oct. 25, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., downtown Frankfort. This is the last Frankfort Country Market of 2026. The season started April 26 and has run every Sunday since, with close to 70 vendors a week selling produce, flowers, plants, honey, meat, seafood, dairy, baked goods, canned goods and hot food. A blade and knife sharpener has a stand too.
If you want to see who will be there on the last Sunday, the Village posts a 2026 vendor map and list on its Country Market page. If your knives need sharpening, this is the last market morning of the year to get it done.
The vendor who's opening a restaurant downtown
The Country Market draws thousands of visitors a season, according to the Village. At least one of the people selling there liked Frankfort enough to open a restaurant here.
Krunal Patel owns Avocado Theory, which already has locations in Tinley Park, Naperville, Lincolnshire and Wheaton. What Now Chicago reports that he took part in the village's farmers markets and came away impressed. He told the outlet:
"I thought, man, this is such a great community."
His fifth location will be in the Trolley Barn at 11 S. White St. Patch reported that the Frankfort Village Board approved a special use permit for the restaurant in July, after a public hearing in June. According to Board documents, the space won't change much, and there will be seating on the enclosed patio. The menu is built around avocado. Patch lists avocado fries, an avocado bacon, egg and cheese croissant, an avocado buffalo chicken wrap, and avocado creamy mushroom soup, plus wellness juices and smoothies. What Now adds a "Power Morning" menu of breakfast sandwiches, pancakes and wraps, avocado toast in flavors like tomato basil and smoked salmon dill, and menus that change with the seasons, including fall items.
The building has hosted more than one kind of business. A 2011 Patch history of the Trolley Barn says trolley tracks ran down Kansas Street from 1908 to 1922 as part of the Joliet Southern Traction interurban system. Car businesses used the building next. Later it was renovated into a mall for antique and specialty shops. As of What Now's August report, Cultivate Community Table and the shop This & That Gifts were also in the building. The restaurant space is on the east side of White Street near Nebraska Street, so it sits right by the bars and restaurants along Nebraska.
Don't plan around a Nov. 1 brunch yet
The opening date has moved. In July, Patel told the Plan Commission he planned to open Nov. 1. In late August he told What Now he hoped to open by the end of November. The Avocado Theory website still lists the Frankfort location as "Coming Soon!" with no date. Patel told What Now he'll announce the official opening on the restaurant's Facebook page.
For now, "sometime in November" is the safest guess. That fits the season. The restaurant would open a few weeks after the market closes for the year, a block or so from the market's home base.
Out on La Grange Road there's another restaurant in the works. On Oct. 6, Patch reported that Jamaican Jerk Choice won a special-use permit for a carry-out restaurant at 19955 S. La Grange Road in Hickory Creek Market Place. Patch's report did not include an opening date.
Halloween is back on the Breidert Green lot
The Green gets one more morning before it goes quiet. Halloween falls on a Saturday this year. From 10 a.m. to noon, the Frankfort Police Department runs its annual Safety Trunk or Treat in the Breidert Green parking lot. The E.F. Bucko costume parade starts it off at 10, and trunk-or-treating follows. The Village recommends trick-or-treating in neighborhoods from 3 to 7 p.m., according to Patch.
That leaves time for lunch and a costume fix between the parade and the doorbells.
In November, the calendar moves to 140 Oak Street
You can already see the move indoors. Entries for the Frankfort Park District's Scarecrow Building Contest went up outside Founders Community Center at 140 Oak St. Voting runs through Oct. 29, at the Founders office or on the Park District's Facebook page. Once that wraps up, most of the village's events through the end of the year take place inside the same building.
| Date | Event | Where | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 7 | 33rd Annual Holiday Craft Show | Founders Community Center, 140 Oak St. | 9 a.m.–3 p.m. |
| Mon., Nov. 23 | Candy Bar Bingo | Founders Community Center | 11 a.m.–noon |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Santa Photos & Workshop | Founders Community Center | 11–11:45 a.m. and noon–12:45 p.m. |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | Polar Express Storytime Train | Hickory Creek Metra Station, 9430 Hickory Creek Dr., Mokena | Departs 9:30 and 11:20 a.m. |
| Fri., Dec. 11 | Puzzle Mania, Holiday Edition | Founders Community Center | 6–9 p.m. |
| Thu., Dec. 31 | New Year's Countdown for kids | Founders Community Center | 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. |
The craft show is the big one. It's in its 33rd year, and it falls just two Saturdays after the last market Sunday. If you've spent the season buying from local makers at the market, this is the next place to find them. The Park District lists the train departures as "sharp," so get to the Metra station early.
The Green comes back in December
Breidert Green gets about five weeks off, then it's busy again in December. Three dates are on the calendar, and the two events on the Green are still waiting on details:
- Thursday, Dec. 3: Village Lighting of the Green. The listing says details are coming soon.
- Friday, Dec. 11: Midnight Madness, a late-night shopping event with area businesses, listed by the Frankfort Chamber of Commerce.
- Saturday, Dec. 12: Holiday on the Green at Breidert Green, details pending.
Midnight Madness and Puzzle Mania land on the same Friday night. Families can do one early and the other late, or split up. If Avocado Theory opens near the end of November as Patel hopes, the December events on the Green will be its first chance to see what downtown crowds look like in the winter.
So the Green hosts stories Friday and the last market Sunday, then a Halloween parade on Saturday the 31st. After that, the village's calendar moves to Founders Community Center and the storefronts around it for a few weeks, until the lights go up on the Green Dec. 3.
The handoff from the Green to the storefronts happens every fall, and it's one of the things we follow closely at the Michelle Arseneau Group. If you live in Frankfort and you're curious how a lively downtown calendar shows up in what your home is worth, ask us for your free home valuation. We'll walk you through the numbers in plain language, no pressure.
