Waterford opens October with its 40th Harvest Happening at Hess-Hathaway Park. The two biggest park projects in the township are closed for construction at the same time. Taken together, the event and the closures point the same way. The township is building a new community center on Cooley Lake Road with a planned trail to Hess-Hathaway, and the county is rebuilding the busiest family corner of Waterford Oaks. This month's calendar runs around those projects. The calendars in 2027 and 2028 will run through them.
For a resident, the practical result is that a few familiar spots are closed this fall, and the open ones are mostly on county land, at the library, and at the farm park on South Williams Lake Road.
Forty Years at the Farm Park
Harvest Happening runs Sunday, October 4, from noon to 5 p.m. at Hess-Hathaway Park, 825 S. Williams Lake Road. The township's listing includes pony rides, hayrides, a straw maze, live music, historic demonstrations, animal visits, crafters and a farmers market. It goes ahead rain or shine. The township board agenda for September 28 listed this year's event as the 40th annual. Details are on the township's Harvest Happening page.
Four decades of one event at one park would be good trivia in most years. This year it means more, because Hess-Hathaway is the park the new community center is designed to connect to. The Oakland Press reported in July that the center's plans include a trail link to Hess-Hathaway. The farm park that has hosted the township's fall festival since the 1980s is becoming one end of a new civic corridor.
Two Closures With Two Different Timelines
The first closure is on the former Oakland Community College Highland Lakes campus at 7350 Cooley Lake Road, where the Waterford Community Center is under construction. The township said access would be restricted starting in mid-June, once construction fencing was installed. The township's Parks & Recreation notice, posted July 14, explains what that means for everyday use:
"the grassy area north of Cooley Lake Road will not be available for recreational activities, including dog walking and similar uses, for the duration of this project."
The same notice says the work is expected to last through early 2028. Campus access from Cooley Lake Road is restricted. Visitors to Levinson Hall are directed to Marylestone Street, and the rest of the campus is reached from the Hospital Road entrance. For anyone who walked a dog on that lawn, this fall is the first of two without it.
The second closure is at Waterford Oaks County Park. The Paradise Peninsula area is closed for construction and has been renamed Cattail Cove. Oakland County's park page says it is expected to reopen in spring 2027. The county's project page lists a major playground expansion, new restrooms, a pavilion and a fitness area. That page also says the area closed in June 2025 and still shows a 2026 reopening. The park operations page is the one to go by, and families planning around the new playground should expect spring rather than this year.
The rest of Waterford Oaks stays open, and the county is using it this month.
The October Dates That Work Around the Fences
Every event below is scheduled away from both construction sites. Most are on county land, at the library on Civic Center Drive, or at churches hosting their own Halloween events.
Week of October 1
- Saturday, Oct. 3: Saturday Storytime with Spooky Stories at Waterford Township Public Library, 5168 Civic Center Drive, 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. It's for ages 4 to 8, and no registration is needed.
- Sunday, Oct. 4: Harvest Happening at Hess-Hathaway Park, noon to 5 p.m.
Week of October 5
- Friday, Oct. 9: The free Moonlight Market at the Oakland County Farmers Market, 2350 Pontiac Lake Road, 4:30 to 9 p.m., with vendors, food, inflatables and yard games.
- Friday, Oct. 9: A free guided hike for adults only at Drayton Plains Nature Center, 7 to 8 p.m. Meet at the pavilion at 2125 Denby.
Week of October 12
- Wednesday, Oct. 14: Drive-up Gleaners food distribution at the Farmers Market, 9 to 10 a.m.
- Friday, Oct. 16: Nerf Battle Under the Lights at Shell Park, 4373 Dixie Highway, 6 to 8:15 p.m. Pre-registration is required, and the fee is $15 for residents or $25 for non-residents.
- Friday, Oct. 16: An adults-only screening of the original IT at the Waterford Oaks BMX Track, starting at 6 p.m. It's for ages 18 and up, weather permitting.
Week of October 26
- Sunday, Oct. 25: Trunk or Treat at Waterford Central United Methodist Church, 4 to 6 p.m. It's open to all ages, with food, games and a haunted tunnel.
- Wednesday, Oct. 28: A second Gleaners distribution at the Farmers Market, 9 to 10 a.m.
- Saturday, Oct. 31: Trick or Treat at the Market, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. It's free, with candy from vendors and pumpkin painting, and no registration is required.
- Saturday, Oct. 31: Halloween Fun at the library, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., for ages 3 and up. Monster-themed LEGO sessions run at 10:15 and 11:30 a.m., a creepy craft runs from 2 to 4 p.m., and a spooky scavenger hunt is open all day.
- Saturday, Oct. 31: The River Church Trunk or Treat, 3411 Airport Road, with sessions at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. It's free but ticketed, registration is required, and it's recommended for ages 0 to 11.
On Halloween itself, the market, the library and The River Church all hold daytime events. A family could do all three before dark.
What the Fences Are Building
The closures make more sense next to what each site is expected to offer once it reopens.
| Site | Status this October | Expected back | What's coming |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cattail Cove, Waterford Oaks | Closed for construction | Spring 2027, per the county park page | Expanded playground, pavilion, adult fitness area, year-round restrooms |
| Grassy area north of Cooley Lake Road | Closed to recreation and dog walking | Early 2028, per the township | Part of the community center site |
| Waterford Community Center, 7350 Cooley Lake Road | Under construction | Construction expected through early 2028 | 56,628 square feet, indoor recreation, senior programming, outdoor courts and fields, dog park, courtyard, amphitheater, planned trail to Hess-Hathaway |
The dog park in the community center plans stands out. It would replace the lawn the township closed to dog walking with a space built for that purpose, on the same campus. The amphitheater would give the township an outdoor stage on Cooley Lake Road. The trail to Hess-Hathaway would connect the new building to the park that hosts Harvest Happening.
The trail network has a caveat. Minutes from the Waterford Greenways advisory committee's March 25 meeting say a proposed Discovery Oaks park plan for the nature preserve property on Hospital Road fell through. The committee said that set back a planned pathway connection to the community center. The same minutes say Oakland County's 2026 Access to Transit Program approved funding for pedestrian path improvements along M-59 from Williams Lake Road to Crescent Lake Road. No delivery date was given. The building has a timeline. The paths around it are still being worked out. The township keeps updates on its community center project page.
A New Name on Elizabeth Lake Road
Scalzo's Pizzeria & Bakery, at 5753 Elizabeth Lake Road, Suite B, is one new name on the October calendar. The Waterford Area Chamber calls it a new local business and lists a ribbon cutting there on Thursday, October 15, from 4 to 5 p.m. Its own site lists pizza, subs, salads, bakery items and cannoli. Hours are 3 to 9 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and noon to 9 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.
Next year's festival at Hess-Hathaway will be the 41st, and construction at the community center site on Cooley Lake Road is expected to continue through early 2028.
If you own near Cooley Lake Road, Hess-Hathaway or Waterford Oaks and want to understand how the new community center and Cattail Cove could affect your corner of the township, James White is glad to talk it through with you. He'll give you straight answers and get back to you even after hours. Let's Connect.
