In 1907, Herman Billik was charged with killing six people by slowly poisoning them with arsenic. He was a Bohemian fortune teller, and the victims were Martin and Rose Vrzal and their four children, who ran a family dairy in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood. The case brought last-second reprieves, appeals that reached the Supreme Court, and bodies exhumed in secret at night. It also revealed that key witnesses had lied under oath. The story later moved west, to a dairy farm in Downers Grove, to Lombard, and to the DuPage coroner's office in Wheaton.
On October 10, author Steve Shukis will tell that story at Lincoln Center, 935 Maple Avenue, for the Downers Grove Historical Society. The talk sold out, and the Society added more tickets. A local murder case from more than a century ago is outselling plenty of seasonal entertainment, and the rest of the month follows the same pattern. Look at the Downers Grove calendar for October 2026 and the main dates come from groups that look after the village's history and public life: the Historical Society, the Downers Grove Museum, the library and the Tivoli Theatre. The candy and costumes fit around them.
The Historical Society Opens and Closes the Month
The Billik talk runs Saturday, October 10, from 10 a.m. to noon. It's free for Historical Society members and $5 for everyone else. An anonymous donation underwrites the program in memory of Wayne Siatt, whom the Society describes as a man "who loved mysteries of all kinds."
Two weeks later, the Society holds its biggest public event of the season, the 2026 Living Cemetery. It's Saturday, October 24, from 10 a.m. to noon at Main Street Cemetery, 5158 Main Street. Adult and young-adult actors play early settlers buried there and tell stories from Downers Grove's pioneer days. The Society's own description promises "no ghosts." The founders "reappear for this one day every year." It's free, it suits all ages, and you don't need to register.
Halloween itself goes to the Downers Grove Museum. Blodgett House Boo Fest runs Saturday, October 31, from 1 to 4 p.m. The Victorian house will be decorated, with a scavenger hunt, a craft and Halloween games. It's free for all ages. So a Historical Society talk about a 1907 case opens October, a historic house closes it, and costumed settlers fill the cemetery between them.
October 24 Is When the Threads Cross on Main Street
The Living Cemetery starts one hour after downtown's Halloween Window Painting. On October 24, Downtown Downers Grove Management Corp. and the Rotary Club host the painting from 9 a.m. to noon. To get paint, you bring food for the FISH Pantry to 933A Curtiss Street. Paint goes first come, first served, and you supply your own brush. Your family could paint a storefront window and still reach Main Street Cemetery before the settlers finish their stories.
Downtown Trick-or-Treating follows on Sunday, October 25, from 1 to 3 p.m., with stops at participating downtown businesses. The Downers Grove Public Library runs a longer window. Treats are available at each library service desk from 1 to 5 p.m. that day, so the library still has candy after the downtown route closes.
Here are the dates by weekend:
Date | Event | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
Oct. 1 | Maleficarum and Misfortune, 7 to 8:30 p.m. | Downers Grove Public Library | Registration required |
Oct. 3 | Field to Fermenter, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Lyman Woods and Goldfinger Brewing | $60, ages 21 and up |
Oct. 3 | 23rd Annual Music Bowl, 1 p.m. | Downers Grove South High School | Not listed |
Oct. 6 | After Matt, 7 to 8:30 p.m. | Downers Grove Public Library | Registration required |
Oct. 10 | Poisoned! … Murder in Downers Grove, 10 a.m. to noon | Lincoln Center, 935 Maple Ave. | Free for members, $5 for nonmembers |
Oct. 10 | Winnie the Pooh's 100th Birthday Extravaganza, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Lyman Woods | $20 per attendee |
Oct. 11 | EQuality Downers Grove Tea Dance, 6 to 9 p.m. | Skeleton Key Brewery | Free, registration required |
Oct. 12 | American Doctor, 7:30 p.m. | Tivoli Theatre | $7 for members, $11 for nonmembers |
Oct. 16 and 17 | The Laramie Project staged reading, 7:30 p.m. | First United Methodist Church | Free, registration required |
Oct. 17 | Trucks & Treats, 10 a.m. to noon | McCollum Park | Free |
Oct. 24 | Halloween Window Painting, 9 a.m. to noon | Downtown | Food donation for FISH Pantry |
Oct. 24 | Living Cemetery, 10 a.m. to noon | Main Street Cemetery | Free |
Oct. 25 | Downtown Trick-or-Treating, 1 to 3 p.m. | Participating downtown businesses | Not listed |
Oct. 29 | An Evening with David Naughton, 7 p.m. | Tivoli Theatre | Tickets through Classic Cinemas |
Oct. 31 | Blodgett House Boo Fest, 1 to 4 p.m. | Downers Grove Museum | Free |
The Library Leans Into the Past Too
The history thread starts tonight. The library's October 1 program, "Maleficarum and Misfortune," covers the records researchers use to trace people accused of witchcraft. It runs 7 to 8:30 p.m., and registration is required.
On Tuesday, October 6, the library and EQuality Downers Grove present "After Matt: A Turning Point in LGBTQ+ History" from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the library's meeting rooms. It's the first of three EQuality Downers Grove events for LGBTQ+ History Month. The other two are a free Tea Dance on Sunday, October 11, from 6 to 9 p.m. at Skeleton Key Brewery, 8102 Lemont Road, and a free staged reading of The Laramie Project on October 16 and 17 at 7:30 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, 1032 Maple Avenue. All three require registration.
The library's last October event is a screening of Halloweentown at 1 p.m. on October 31, the same afternoon as Boo Fest.
The Park District Has Its Own Anniversary
The Downers Grove Park District is marking a different kind of history this month, the 100th birthday of Winnie the Pooh. Its park hunt has families visit 12 character spots, collect letters and solve a puzzle. Pooh is at Fishel Park, Piglet is at McCollum Park, and Rabbit's friends are at Lyman Woods. Lyman Woods also has a self-guided trail past the characters' homes. It's free, needs no registration, covers about two miles and takes an hour to an hour and a half. It closes October 18, 2026, so you have a little more than two weeks.
The birthday party is Saturday, October 10, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Lyman Woods. Expect games, crafts, cake and a light lunch. It costs $20 per attendee, and everyone attending has to register. It overlaps the Billik talk on Maple Avenue, so a household with both small children and true-crime fans will have to split up that morning.
Lyman Woods also hosts the adult outing. Field to Fermenter on Saturday, October 3, starts with apiary and honey activities at Lyman Woods, then moves to Goldfinger Brewing for lunch, a brewery tour and a tasting. It's for ages 21 and up. The $60 fee covers transportation, lunch and a sampler. Participants meet at Goldfinger. Trucks & Treats on Saturday, October 17, brings local-business trick-or-treat stations and a Touch-A-Truck display to McCollum Park from 10 a.m. to noon. It's free, it's for ages 0 to 12, and you don't need to register.
Evenings Belong to the Tivoli
The Tivoli Theatre at 5021 Highland Avenue hosts the month's two big film nights. On Monday, October 12, the After Hours Film Society screens American Doctor from 7:30 to 9 p.m., with a discussion after the film. Tickets are $7 for members and $11 for nonmembers.
On Thursday, October 29, Classic Cinemas presents "An Evening with David Naughton," a screening of An American Werewolf in London followed by a live Q&A with its star. The show starts at 7 p.m. A VIP after-show meet-and-greet pass costs $33.25, and you also need a general-admission ticket. The ticket page doesn't list the general-admission price. It's the closest the month gets to a straight scare, and even that is a 1981 film screened in a historic theater.
What's New Downtown, and What Isn't Open Yet
Naperville Running Company opened its Downers Grove shop at 5229 Main Street on July 11, 2026. Founder and owner Kris Hartner runs the business. On September 19, the store held a grand-opening fun run and walk from its door, with routes of 2.5 to 5 miles.
Two other projects are still on the way. The Rec League, planned for 844 Warren Avenue, comes from the team behind Cadence Kitchen & Co. and The Foxtail, led by managing partners Todd Davies and Tim Canning. It will pair Spanish-inspired dining with golf simulators and darts upstairs, and the team expects to open in late 2026, according to Downers Grove Wire. Its liquor license is up for a hearing today, October 1. The village's report says the certificate of occupancy is waiting on the final buildout and that Health Department approval is still required. Ranalli's at 5200 Main Street has moved its target from fall 2026 to early 2027, aiming for January because of construction timing.
A few details were still unposted when this went up. The downtown Fall Scavenger Hunt runs October 1 at 8 a.m. through October 23 at 8 p.m., but its event page still says details are coming soon. The Indian Boundary YMCA Downtown Market continues Saturdays from October 3 through 17, 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The downtown events calendar lists the October location as "TBD." The YMCA's own market page names the parking lot outside the Main Street Train Station for its May 9 to October 17 season. Check with the YMCA before you go. Downtown Downers Grove Management Corp. also notes that all events are subject to change.
Main Street Cemetery's settlers return for one morning a year, and a 1907 poisoning case sold out its first run of tickets. If you'd like to talk about what that kind of sense of place means for a home on these streets, I'm Survi Kobawala, and I'd be glad to hear from you. Let's Connect.
