Unity Day across Wayne Local, Sauerkraut Festival scholarships for three WHS seniors, boys soccer's 6-1 win over Northwestern, a North Warren County road-plan open house next week, and more sunshine.

Weather

Today: 71°F, Patchy Fog then Sunny (high 71° / low 41°)

Outlook: - Thursday — high 69° / low 42°, Sunny - Friday — high 68° / low 38°, Sunny - Saturday — high 70° / low 41°, Sunny

No NWS alerts in effect.

This morning in Waynesville

1. Wear orange today; Sauerkraut Festival scholarships awarded. Wayne Local students and staff wear orange today for Unity Day, part of National Bullying Prevention Month, the district says. The district also congratulated three Waynesville High seniors on 2026 Sauerkraut Festival scholarships of $2,800, $3,000 and $3,200 — the $3,000 Founder's Scholarship, awarded for the 11th year, honors festival founder Albert "Cap" Stubbs, and the $3,200 award is the Joe Coons Community Service Scholarship. (Wayne Local Schools on Facebook)
2. Boys soccer rolls past Northwestern, 6-1. The Spartans' varsity boys beat Northwestern 6-1 at home Tuesday night and host Madison Saturday at 7:00 p.m. Volleyball plays at West Liberty-Salem tonight at 5:00 p.m., and the football team closes its regular season Friday at Valley View, 7:00 p.m. (MaxPreps)
3. Weigh in on North Warren County roads; 13 days to Election Day. A public open house on potential new roadway connections between I-75 and I-71 and possible road improvements in North Warren County is set for Wednesday, October 28, at 4:00 p.m. at the Warren County Career Center, 3525 S.R. 48, Lebanon, according to a Warren County Post listing. Early in-person voting for the November 3 election runs today 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Board of Elections, 520 Justice Dr., Lebanon; the last day to request an absentee ballot is Tuesday, October 27. (Warren County Post · Board of Elections schedule)

Schools

Today is Unity Day across Wayne Local, and the band's Goodwill "Drive to Victory" takes its last donations Thursday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., in the Performing Arts Center parking lot. Three WHS seniors received Sauerkraut Festival scholarships totaling $9,000, and the district thanked the community and festival organizers. The district is hiring substitute bus drivers with a CDL at $22.34 an hour for extra trips, routes or school events; see the district's Facebook post for the contact. On the field, boys soccer beat Northwestern 6-1 Tuesday, and football, 35-7 winners over Eaton last Friday, closes the regular season at Valley View Friday at 7:00 p.m. Girls soccer hosts Indian Lake Thursday at 7:00 p.m. Saturday brings the WHS Leo Club Halloween Carnival at Waynesville Elementary, 2:00 to 5:00 p.m., and the Mary L. Cook Public Library hosts a Little Pumpkins paint party at 11:00 a.m.

Library programs (Mary L. Cook Public Library) - Wed · Oct 21, 10:30 AM — Baby Bookworms - Thu · Oct 22, 10:30 AM — Preschool Storytime - Sat · Oct 24, 11:00 AM — Paint Party (Little Pumpkins) - Tue · Oct 27, 10:30 AM — Toddler Time - …and 4 more — see the full list

This week in sports

Results - Volleyball (Varsity) — Waynesville 0, Archbishop Alter 3 (sets) (Away) — box score - Boys Soccer (Varsity) — Waynesville 0, Badin 3 (Home) — box score - Football (Varsity) — Waynesville 35, Eaton 7 (Home) — box score - Boys Soccer (Varsity) — Waynesville 6, Northwestern 1 (Home) — box score

Upcoming - Volleyball (Varsity) — @ West Liberty-Salem, Wed · Oct 21, 5:00 PM — details - Girls Soccer (Varsity) — vs Indian Lake, Thu · Oct 22, 7:00 PM — details - Football (Varsity) — @ Valley View, Fri · Oct 23, 7:00 PM — details - Boys Soccer (Varsity) — vs Madison, Sat · Oct 24, 7:00 PM — details - …and 2 more — see the full list

Local government

Next up: Warren County Commissioners, Tue, Oct 27 · 9:00 AM — agendas. Latest posted by the commissioners: agenda, Oct 20 (Regular Session 2) · agenda, Oct 20 (Regular Session 1) · resolutions, Oct 13 · minutes, Sep 29. Also next up: Wayne Township Trustees, Tue, Nov 3 · 7:00 PM, 6050 N. Clarksville Rd., Waynesville — latest posted agenda: Trustees Meeting Agenda, Oct 20, 2026. No county agenda has been posted yet for next Tuesday's commissioners session. The village Finance Committee meets at 6:00 p.m. Monday, October 26, at 1400 Lytle Road, and the public is encouraged to attend (notice). Village leaf pickup began Monday; rake leaves to the curb, not into the street, where they can plug storm drains (notice). The Wayne Township Trustees next meet Tuesday, November 3, at 7:00 p.m. On the November 3 ballot countywide are renewal levies for the Mental Health Recovery Board (1 mill, 5 years) and Warren County Senior Services (1.21 mills, 5 years), plus a statewide constitutional amendment on photo ID for voting.

Official notices (past two weeks): - Oct 16, Village of Waynesville — Finance Committee Meeting Rescheduled: The Finance Committee Meeting has been rescheduled to 6:00 p.m. on October 26th at 1400 Lytle Road. The public is encouraged to attend. - Oct 15, Village of Waynesville — Leaf Pick-Up: Leaf Pickup will begin on Monday, October 19th. The Street Department will be following the provided schedule. We ask that leaves be raked to the curb, but not into the street. Leaves in the street can get into the storm drains and plug them up, causing flooding. - Oct 13, Wayne Township — WAYNE TOWNSHIP BOARD OF TRUSTEES NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING: View Notice

November 3, 2026 General Election — 13 days away. Early voting is open today, 8:00 AM–5:00 PM, at the Warren County Board of Elections, 520 Justice Dr, Lebanon. The last day to request an absentee ballot is Tue, Oct 27. 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

Historical Haunts ghost walks leave the gazebo across from the Hammel House Thursday through Saturday at 7:00 p.m.; Saturday's Ghost & Goblet dinner tour is sold out. This weekend is Myths & Monsters Weekend at the Ohio Renaissance Festival, and Waynesville Fall Fest on S.R. 73 is open Saturday and Sunday. Downtown merchants host Trick or Treat Sunday, October 25, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., and CrossView Christian Church holds a Trunk or Treat Sunday, 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Nearby, Kirby's Community Connect Trunk-or-Treat is Thursday, 6:00 to 7:30 p.m., at the Warren County Career Center in Lebanon, and Halloween Haunt runs Thursdays through Sundays at Kings Island through October 31. The Chamber's next Business to Business mixer is Wednesday, October 28, at 5:00 p.m. at the Villager Pub. See the Trick-or-Treat Guide for every event nearby.

Museum at the Friends Home (next 7 days; book on the museum's site): - Thu, Oct 22 · 7:00 PM — Historical Haunts - Downtown Waynesville — Meet at the Gazebo across from the Hammel House 121 S Main St Waynesville, OH - Fri, Oct 23 · 7:00 PM — Historical Haunts - Downtown Waynesville — Meet at the Gazebo across from the Hammel House 121 S Main St Waynesville, OH - Sat, Oct 24 · 6:00 PM — Ghost & Goblet Dinner/Tour (sold out) — 260 Chapman St, Waynesville, OH, USA - Sat, Oct 24 · 7:00 PM — Historical Haunts - Downtown Waynesville — Meet at the Gazebo across from the Hammel House 121 S Main St Waynesville, OH

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 29 · 1:30 PM–3:00 PM — Guided Nature Center Tours
• Fri, Oct 30 · 2:00 PM–3:00 PM — Nature Shapes and Shadows
• Sat, Oct 31 · 1:30 PM–3:00 PM — Guided Nature Center Tours

Public safety

No NWS weather alerts are in effect this morning; expect patchy morning fog before a sunny afternoon near 71°. On S.R. 73, ODOT continues resurfacing with flaggers and one-lane traffic between Red Lion-Five Points Road and Harveysburg Road, plus a new left-turn lane at Old S.R. 73 near Waynesville, through November 30, and between Springboro and Red Lion-Five Points Road through November 1. With leaf pickup underway in the village, keep leaves out of the street.

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): - Began Oct 16: Innovation Way Closure Cyclocross Bike Race (see release for duration) - Began Oct 15: Wilkens Blvd Northbound Closure (see release for duration)

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

Trick-or-Treat Guide: 6 trick-or-treat events in and around Waynesville, night by night — see the guide.

See the full events calendar.

Obituaries

• Dwight Earl Brickley — Jul. 15, 1934 - Oct. 14, 2026 (tribute)

Local headlines

• "Police: 5 people hospitalized after 3 vehicles involved in crash in Warren County" — WLWT, full story.
• "Spectrum Delivers On Promise With Completed Broadband Expansion in Butler and Warren Counties, Ohio" — Charter Communications, full story.
• "Vivid Fall Colors Now on Display in Northern Ohio" — Warren County Post, full story. Fall colors are here!
• "Public Open House North Warren County Transportation Plan" — Warren County Post, full story. The community is invited to an open house on to learn about potential new roadway connections between I-75 and I-71 a
• …and 2 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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