The 56th Ohio Sauerkraut Festival fills downtown today and Sunday, Waynesville football beat Madison 45-7 in Friday's Pink Out game, and the forecast turns to showers and thunderstorms for Sunday.

Weather

Today: 75°F, Mostly Cloudy (high 75° / low 57°)

Outlook: - Sunday — high 68° / low 57°, Showers And Thunderstorms - Columbus Day — high 81° / low 63°, Mostly Sunny - Tuesday — high 82° / low 56°, Slight Chance Rain Showers

No NWS alerts in effect.

This morning in Waynesville

1. Spartans roll in the Pink Out game. Waynesville beat Madison 45-7 at home Friday night in the WHS Pink Out game for breast cancer awareness. The JV plays at Madison this morning at 10:00, and the varsity hosts Eaton next Friday at 7:00 p.m. on Football Senior Night. (MaxPreps)
2. Sauerkraut Festival opens downtown. The 56th Ohio Sauerkraut Festival runs today from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., per the Chamber. The National Weather Service calls for mostly cloudy skies today with a high of 75°, then showers and thunderstorms Sunday (high 68°). (Festival)
3. A full weekend nearby. The Ohio Renaissance Festival's Time Travelers Weekend runs today and Sunday, 10:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.; the 77th Devil's Staircase hillclimb weekend near Oregonia opens its gates at 9:00 a.m. both days; and Fox Hollow Rodeo has bull riding tonight at 6:00. With S.R. 73 lane restrictions still in place east and west of town, allow extra driving time. (Renaissance Festival)

Schools

There is no school Monday for fall break, and Friday, October 16, is a two-hour early release to end the quarter, per the district. On the soccer field, junior goalkeeper Kinley Suittor has set new school records for career saves and season saves, the district reports; the girls varsity beat Dayton Christian 3-1 on Thursday and hosts Bellbrook Tuesday at 7:15 p.m. on Girls Soccer Senior Night. Mary L. Cook Public Library lists a Sauerkraut Festival appearance on its calendar for 10:00 a.m. today.

Library programs (Mary L. Cook Public Library) - Sat · Oct 10, 10:00 AM — Sauerkraut Festival - Mon · Oct 12, 9:00 AM — Monsters University Interactive Movie Kits - Mon · Oct 12, 5:30 PM — Getting Reel Film Club - Tue · Oct 13, 10:30 AM — Toddler Time - …and 4 more — see the full list

This week in sports

Results - 5 earlier — see the full list - Girls Soccer (Varsity) — Waynesville 1, Tippecanoe 4 (Away) — box score - Girls Soccer (Varsity) — Waynesville 3, Dayton Christian 1 (Away) — box score - Boys Soccer (Varsity) — Waynesville 0, Dayton Christian 0 (Home) — box score - Football (Varsity) — Waynesville 45, Madison 7 (Home) — box score

Upcoming - Volleyball (Varsity) — @ Valley View, Tue · Oct 13, 6:45 PM — details - Girls Soccer (Varsity) — vs Bellbrook, Tue · Oct 13, 7:15 PM — details - Volleyball (Varsity) — @ Archbishop Alter, Thu · Oct 15, 6:30 PM — details - Boys Soccer (Varsity) — vs Badin, Thu · Oct 15, 7:15 PM — details - …and 1 more — see the full list

Local government

Next up: Warren County Commissioners, Tue, Oct 13 · 9:00 AM — agenda. Also next up: Wayne Township Trustees, Tue, Oct 20 · 7:00 PM, 6050 N. Clarksville Rd., Waynesville — latest posted agenda: Trustees Meeting Agenda, Sep 15, 2026. Village Council's October 5 agenda packet carries draft minutes of its previous meeting, at which council voted 6-0 to adopt, as emergency measures, Ordinance 2026-040 and Ordinance 2026-041, which authorizes the village manager to sign a contract to buy real property on Third Street. Early in-person voting for the November 3 election resumes Monday, October 12, at the Board of Elections in Lebanon. Council agenda packet (PDF).

November 3, 2026 General Election — 24 days away. Early voting resumes Mon, Oct 12 (8:00 AM–5:00 PM) at the Warren County Board of Elections, 520 Justice Dr, Lebanon. Full schedule. Statewide and countywide issues on the ballot, as labeled on the Board of Elections' issue list: - Constitutional Amendment Requiring Photo Id for Voting with Pros and Cons (ballot language) - Mental Health Recovery Board Ren 1 Mil 5 yrs (ballot language) - Warren County Senior Services Ren 1.21 mills 5 Yrs (ballot language) 4 other local issues appear only on ballots elsewhere in the county. All issues · candidates

Around town

Beyond the Sauerkraut Festival, Waynesville Fall Fest is open today and Sunday on S.R. 73, Historical Haunts ghost walks continue downtown through October, and the Windmill Farm Market Spooktacular runs through October 31 in Springboro. In Mason, Kings Island's Halloween Haunt continues Thursday through Sunday nights through October 31.

Museum at the Friends Home (next 7 days; book on the museum's site): - Thu, Oct 15 · 7:00 PM — Historical Haunts - Downtown Waynesville (sold out) — Meet at the Gazebo across from the Hammel House 121 S Main St Waynesville, OH - Fri, Oct 16 · 7:00 PM — Historical Haunts - Downtown Waynesville — Meet at the Gazebo across from the Hammel House 121 S Main St Waynesville, OH - Sat, Oct 17 · 6:00 PM — Ghost & Goblet Dinner/Tour (sold out) — 260 Chapman St, Waynesville, OH, USA - Sat, Oct 17 · 7:00 PM — Historical Haunts - Downtown Waynesville — Meet at the Gazebo across from the Hammel House 121 S Main St Waynesville, OH

Building permits, August 2026 — 17 permits issued in Wayne Township and the villages of Waynesville and Corwin, $571,097 in listed project costs. The Warren County Building Department posts each month's report about five to six weeks after the month ends, so these are not new filings. Full report - Aug 4 — CIERRA WAY (Wayne Township): 16x35x5 Pool Trench, Bonding, Electric — $100,000 - Aug 7 — Cobblestone, 10 N MAIN STREET (Village of Waynesville): inspect is needed to restore power to the building after being turned off for more than 30 days per AES - Aug 19 — SANDY RUN DRIVE (Wayne Township): 34x20 add on to detached garage — $40,000 - Aug 20 — FERRY ROAD (Wayne Township): in-ground fiberglass pool w/ concrete pool decking — $103,000 - …and 3 more — see the full list

Merchant Association events (waynesvilleshops.com) - Sun, Oct 25 · 1:00 PM–4:00 PM — Trick or Treat - Fri, Nov 6 · 11:00 AM–5:00 PM — Hearthwarming Holidays - Sun, Dec 6 · 10:00 AM–4:00 PM — Waynesville Street Faire The Christmas Market

Caesar Creek State Park

Naturalist programs at the park, about five miles east of the village, over the next 14 days. Check each program's page for meeting points and any changes.

• Thu, Oct 15 · 9:30 AM–11:00 AM — Giving Back to the Wild: Land Stewardship
• Thu, Oct 15 · 1:00 PM–2:00 PM — Nature Shapes and Shadows
• Fri, Oct 16 · 10:00 AM–4:00 PM — Thirteen Mile Guided Perimeter Hike
• Sat, Oct 17 · 8:00 AM–12:00 PM — Give Back Day
• …and 4 more — see the full list

Public safety

No NWS weather alerts are in effect this morning, and the Warren County Prosecutor's Office posted no new releases in the past week. Flagger-controlled lane restrictions continue on S.R. 73 between Red Lion-Five Points Road and Harveysburg Road through November 30, and between Springboro and Red Lion-Five Points Road through November 1. The County Engineer lists an Innovation Way closure starting October 16 for a cyclocross bike race.

Road work near Waynesville (ODOT, within about 8 miles): - S.R. 73 Resurfacing and Turn Lane Addtiion — lane restrictions through Nov 30. Resurfacing S.R. 73, between Red Lion- Five Points Road and Harveysburg Road, as well as the installation of a left-turn lane on S.R. 73 at Old S.R. 73 near Waynesville. Traffic will be maintained in one lane in either direction with the use of flaggers and/or other traffic… - WAR-73-5.88 — lane restrictions through Nov 1. Resurfacing on S.R. 73, between its junction with S.R. 741 in the city of Springboro to Red Lion Five Points Road. Traffic will be maintained in a minimum of one lane in either direction with the use of flaggers and traffic control devices.

County road closures (Warren County Engineer, countywide): - Starting Oct 16: Innovation Way Closure Cyclocross Bike Race

This week's events

• Wednesdays, Fridays & Saturdays through October · $20 — Historical Haunts — ghost walk of downtown Waynesville (Downtown Waynesville (Museum at the Friends Home)) — details
• Thursdays–Sundays through Oct 31 — Halloween Haunt at Kings Island (Kings Island, 6300 Kings Island Dr, Mason) — details
• Sep 26 – Oct 31 — Windmill Farm Market Spooktacular (Windmill Farm Market, 1454 E State Route 73, Springboro) — details
• Sat/Sun through Nov 1 · Sat 11–6, Sun 12–6 — Waynesville Fall Fest (7392 E State Route 73, Waynesville) — details
• …and 2 more — see the full list

See the full events calendar.

Obituaries

• Bradley Allen Michael Pursley — Apr. 03, 1980 - Oct. 08, 2026 (tribute)
• Rev. Dennis P. Purvis Sr. — Mar. 21, 1957 - Oct. 08, 2026 (tribute)
• Dr. Joyce M. Leifheit — Apr. 08, 1952 - Oct. 06, 2026 (tribute)
• James "Jimmy" Henry Engle — Aug. 16, 1968 - Oct. 03, 2026 (tribute)

Local headlines

• "Soybean Harvest Cab Cam – Mike Lutmer, Warren County" — Ohio's Country Journal, full story.
• "Court Celebrates Sibling Success in Recovery" — Court News Ohio (.gov), full story.
• "Joyce Leifheit Obituary (2026) - Waynesville, OH - News Journal" — Legacy | Obituary, full story.
• "56th OHIO SAUERKRAUT FESTIVAL" — Warren County Post, full story.
• …and 4 more — see the full list

Ask the Brief

Have a question about Waynesville? A road project, a building going up, something you heard and want checked? Email the editor at [email protected] with "Ask the Brief" in the subject line. We'll answer reader questions in upcoming editions.

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