"I think the main thing is that parents and grandparents and kids are all talking to each other. Nobody's on their phone." That is Ann Lamott, president of the Franklin Historical Society board, talking to C&G Newspapers in early September about the Society's yearly Build a Scarecrow morning. The build took place on September 26 at the Kreger barn, 26225 Carol Ave. Ten dollars covered a scarecrow, and families chose shirts, pants, faces and hats from a clothesline. The scarecrows now stand along Franklin Road. Each one has a QR code that links to its own story.
That QR code sums up the fall in Franklin. The village has a small calendar and a short main street. Nearly every item on it is run by an institution that has been around for decades, and each one leads with the past. The historical society, the library, the community association and Main Street Franklin each run part of the season. Even the newest well-reviewed business on Franklin Road made its name by borrowing the village's 19th-century backstory.
The Groups Behind the Calendar Have Been at It a Long Time
Look at the age of the groups behind this season. The Franklin Community Association held its 81st Labor Day Round Up on September 7, with the parade running down Franklin Road from Evelyn Court to Carol Street. The same association lists its Art in the Village show as being in its 45th year, set on the Village Green in front of Franklin Church. The Franklin Cider Mill, farther along Franklin Road, is in what The Detroit News calls its 189th season.
Set side by side, those numbers explain why Franklin's October is easy to predict in a good way. The events don't depend on a promoter's budget or a new developer's opening date. They come back because the groups running them come back, and those groups keep using the same handful of old buildings.
What's Left on the Calendar, Date by Date
September's events are over. These are the dated items still ahead, in order.
| Date | Event | Where | Run by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Oct. 2, 6–9 p.m. | Oktoberfest fundraiser | Franklin Public Library, 32455 Franklin Rd | Franklin Public Library |
| Sat., Oct. 10, 10:30 a.m. | Story time with donuts | Franklin Cider Mill | Library and Cider Mill |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | Franklinstein Frenzy | Downtown Franklin | Main Street Franklin |
| Sat., Nov. 7, 10:30 a.m. | Story time with ducks | Franklin Cider Mill | Library and Cider Mill |
| Through Sun., Nov. 29 | Cider season, 8 a.m.–6 p.m. daily | 7450 Franklin Rd | Franklin Cider Mill |
The library's Oktoberfest is the first item and the only one that costs real money. The flyer lists local craft beer, live music and German-themed food. Tickets have been $75 since September 8, and the price at the door is $100. The fundraiser is two days away, so if you're going, buying ahead saves you $25 a ticket.
The two story times are small on purpose. Seating is limited to the first 20 children. They're a good example of how Franklin's fall connects. The library programs an event, and the cider mill hosts it.
Franklinstein Frenzy Has a Date and a Track Record
So far, Main Street Franklin has posted only a graphic for this year's Franklinstein Frenzy, and it gives just the date, Saturday, October 24, 2026. Hours, route and activities for 2026 haven't been announced.
The last two years show what the event has been. In 2025 it was free and ran from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on October 25. The day included a noon costume parade, trick-or-treating downtown, arts and crafts from the library, cider and donuts from the Cider Mill, a 12:45 p.m. pumpkin roll at Kreger House, and Frankenstein-and-Bride photo stops. The 2024 edition kept the same hours on October 26. The parade lined up at 11:45 a.m. in the Comerica Bank lot, and Pet Paw Boutique held a pet-costume contest.
Both years, the pumpkin roll took place at Kreger House, the same historical society property where this year's scarecrows were built. In 2025 the Cider Mill brought cider and donuts into the village for the day, another link between the mill and the Village Center. Expect Main Street Franklin to post the 2026 details closer to the date. Until then, use the prior years only as a rough guide.
The Cider Mill Sits Just Past the Village Line
Technically, the Franklin Cider Mill is in Bloomfield Hills. Its address is 7450 Franklin Rd, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301, on the same road as the Village Center. The Detroit Free Press lists the 2026 season as September 5 through November 29, open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. The mill's own contact page still shows last year's dates and an earlier 5:30 p.m. closing time. Both sets of hours are in circulation, so call ahead before a late-afternoon trip.
The core of the place hasn't changed. The Detroit News reports that the cider is still made with the mill's historic 90-ton press. A 2026 visitor guide from LittleGuide Detroit mentions the riverside area, duck feeding, weekend jazz, bubbles and face painting. That explains the November 7 story time theme. The ducks are a regular part of the mill.
The Newest Name on Franklin Road Tells the Oldest Story
The one big change to Franklin Road in the past two years backs up the pattern. The Franklin Oyster Bar & Eatery at 32760 Franklin Road is in an 1848 carriage house. The building was most recently home to The Franklin Grill. In February, the Detroit Free Press put it at No. 1 on its 2026 Best New Restaurants and Dining Experiences list. Hour Detroit added it to its own Best New Restaurants list in August.
The concept comes straight out of village history. According to Hour Detroit, the East Coast-style oyster bar was inspired in part by Franklin's 19th-century settlers from New England, who ate oysters shipped in by train and steamboat. Retired Rocket Companies CEO Jay Farner and his partners at Ronin Capital Partners took on the building. Co-owner Nicole Vallianatos designed the interior, using stormy blues, dark wood, and historic photos with a maritime feel. The menu got an equally specific write-up:
- The raw bar rotates eight oysters from the East and West coasts, with occasional niche varieties from places such as New Zealand.
- The cheeseburger is one of the two most-ordered dishes. It comes on a bun baked in-house, with ground Wagyu from West Michigan's Stonefall Farm, horseradish cheddar and grilled onions.
- The fish and chips started as a special and made the menu by popular demand. It's made with Icelandic haddock and comes with Savoy cabbage coleslaw and twice-fried potatoes.
Executive chef Nick Geftos previously cooked at Tallulah in Birmingham and BESA in Detroit. His team includes pastry chef Tanya Bowers and chef de cuisine David Coon. "I don't need something nobody's ever heard of or seen before," Geftos told Hour Detroit. "I just need something that tastes incredible."
For a party that won't fit at a regular table, the restaurant's Events page lists private spaces for booking. That includes the eight-seat Nook, which can serve a seasonal chef's tasting menu. No public fall event is posted there yet. If you're planning a day around Franklinstein on October 24, booking dinner in the carriage house ahead of time is the simplest way to finish it.
Next door at 32750 Franklin Road, Main Street Franklin says Polly's Cafe planned to add a walk-up ice cream window starting in early summer 2026. Check with Polly's for current hours before you count on it.
Franklin's oldest houses are its main fall attraction, and the people who own them usually care about that history. If you own one and are thinking about what comes next, Cindy Kahn and Emily Kahn can help you plan a sale that gives that history its due. Request Your KahnCierge Consultation.