Shelby Township's season of township-run events, from scarecrows to Santa, mostly happens in two places. One is the Civic Center Campus at 52700 Van Dyke Avenue. The other is Burgess-Shadbush Nature Center at 4101 River Bends Drive. For most families, though, the season is shaped by dates that come weeks before any event. The Halloween Spooktacular caps trick-or-treating by time slot. Breakfast with Santa sells no tickets at the door. The children who hand Santa the Key to the Township on December 4 are picked from coloring sheets due November 4.
The calendar below is arranged around those deadlines.
The Spooktacular Is the First Capped Event
The Halloween Spooktacular is Friday, October 9, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Heritage Garden on the Civic Center Campus, south of 24 Mile Road. Kids trick-or-treat around Heritage Garden Lake, where businesses and families hand out candy from tables. There are also cider and donuts while supplies last, crafts, and kid-friendly haunted gardens.
Trick-or-treating runs in three half-hour slots: 6, 6:30 and 7 p.m. The township lists each slot at 75 kids, so the whole evening tops out at 225 trick-or-treaters. You have to register for a slot. It's free for residents and $10 for non-residents. You can register at register.shelbytwp.org or by calling 586-731-0300.
The other side of the table is also open. Businesses, community groups and families can host a candy table, and a business spot costs $15. You bring your own table and chairs. The township asks hosts to dress up or decorate, and it gives an award for the best-decorated space.
The scarecrow entries will be up too. The 2026 Scarecrow Contest displays scarecrows on the municipal grounds around Heritage Lake from October 5 to October 26, and entrants are invited to hand out candy next to their scarecrow at the Spooktacular. You can get contest details at 586-731-0300 or [email protected].
The Deadline Calendar
Here is the season in order of when you need to act. Some dates are entry deadlines. Others are the event itself, for events that sell no tickets at the door or are expected to sell out.
| Act by | What it locks in | Where it happens |
|---|---|---|
| Before Oct. 9 | A Spooktacular trick-or-treat slot | Heritage Garden, 52700 Van Dyke |
| Before Oct. 16 | Haunted Nature Center registration, for faster check-in | 4101 River Bends Drive |
| Nov. 4, 5 p.m. | Christmas Coloring Contest entry | Drop off at Shelby Township Library, 52610 Van Dyke |
| As soon as possible | Breakfast with Santa seats, no tickets at the door | Activities Center, 14975 21 Mile Road |
| Nov. 23 | Dinner & Dancing with Santa reservations | Cherry Creek Golf Club, 52000 Cherry Creek Drive |
| Dec. 11 | Christmas Light Contest photos | Email to [email protected] |
The Coloring Contest row has the most riding on it. It's open to Shelby Township residents and Utica Community Schools students in grades K through 2, and to special needs participants of any age. The winners become North Pole ambassadors. They welcome Santa and give him the Key to the Township before the tree lighting at Christmas Aglow. All entries hang at Township Hall until December 23. Extra coloring sheets are at shelbytwp.org/christmas.
The Dinner & Dancing row has a second deadline built in. The township gives no refunds within two weeks of the December 9 event, and every refund carries a $7 processing fee. Prices run by age. Children 2 and under are $17 for residents and $22 for non-residents. Ages 3 to 12 are $29 and $34. Ages 13 and up are $33 and $38.
Breakfast with Santa is Saturday, December 5, at 10 a.m. at the Activities Center. Seats are $14 for residents and $19 for non-residents. The breakfast is pancakes and sausage, and each child gets a small gift from Santa and makes a holiday craft. The township says the event is expected to sell out quickly and that tickets are not sold at the door. High chairs and booster seats aren't available.
At the Nature Center, the Rule Is Last Entry
At Burgess-Shadbush Nature Center the events are smaller and cost a few dollars. The rules there are about timing more than registration.
Haunted Nature Center runs Friday, October 16, and Saturday, October 17, from 5 to 8 p.m. both nights, with last entry at 7 p.m. The township describes it as "merry-not-scary." It has decorations, games, candy, live animals, and a bonfire with s'mores. Ventriloquist Richard Paul performs his "Ha Ha Halloween" show with life-size puppets. Admission is $5 for residents and $7 for non-residents, and children 2 and under get in free. Registering is optional, but it gets you faster check-in and event updates.
Saturday adds a sensory-friendly hour from 4 to 5 p.m. During that hour the overhead lights stay on, strobing and flashing lights are off, and there's no music. Kids still play games, meet the animals and see the show.
The nature center's walk-in programs are spread through the season:
- Mushroom Hike, Saturday, October 10, 10 a.m. to noon, ages 16 and up
- Guided Hike: Fall Colors, Sunday, October 11, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., free and open to all ages
- Turkey Talk, Sunday, November 8, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., a free guided hike about wild turkeys and how the trail changes this time of year
- Winter Solstice Hike & Bonfire, Sunday, December 20, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., ages 12 and up, with pressed-flower lanterns and a luminary-lit night hike
Christmas on the Frontier is Saturday, December 5, from 1 to 5 p.m. Kids dip candles and make rustic ornaments. Reenactors explain how settlers celebrated Christmas from the 1850s to the 1890s, and visitors can go inside the nature center's Settler's Cabin. Santa visits from 2 to 4 p.m. for photos in front of the cabin. The "Too Happy Voyageurs" play live music, teach traditional dances and lead carols. Admission is $5 for residents and $7 for non-residents.
Breakfast with Santa and Christmas on the Frontier fall on the same Saturday. Breakfast starts at 10 a.m. on 21 Mile Road, and the Frontier event opens at 1 p.m. on River Bends Drive, so one family can do both.
Christmas Aglow Has No Gate, but Its Program Is Set in November
Christmas Aglow is the one big event this season that doesn't require registration. It starts at 6 p.m. on Friday, December 4, on the Civic Center Campus at 52700 Van Dyke, and the Shelby Township Downtown Development Authority presents it. The program includes Shelby TV's stage show, a drone show, horse-drawn wagon rides, a real reindeer outside the library, hot cocoa and holiday music. Santa and township officials light the 40-foot tree. Afterward, Santa and Mrs. Claus move inside the Shelby Township Library for free photos until 8:30 p.m.
The catalog lists Aglow as December 4 in its header and on the Coloring Contest page, but one paragraph of the event write-up says December 5. December 4 is the first Friday of the month, which is when Aglow usually happens. It's still worth checking shelbytwp.org/christmas before the night.
This year's Aglow will take place next to a construction site. On July 15, the township broke ground behind Township Hall on an $11.2 million, 20,000-square-foot amphitheater and Community Relations Building. Auger Klein Aller Architects designed it, and Frank Rewold and Sons is building it. The amphitheater replaces the band shell the township removed in 2019 to build the new library. Community Relations Director Brad Bates told C&G Newspapers that residents started asking where the band shell was going before demolition was even finished. Officials say the project is paid for in cash, with no bonds and no tax increase.
The new venue will host Summer Fest, the free summer concert series and Christmas Aglow. It's expected to be finished in time for the Bicentennial Summer Fest on June 25 and 26, 2027. If that schedule holds, this December's Aglow is the last one before the amphitheater opens. The township hasn't said whether construction will change the layout or parking for this year's event.
The Christmas Light Contest is the last date on the calendar. Send up to four well-lit photos of your fully lit home to [email protected] by December 11. The township will post a map of entries at shelbytwp.org/christmas and on the Parks and Rec Facebook page from December 14 to 18. First and second place will be announced December 22 on the Shelby TV Christmas Lights Show on YouTube. Only homes can enter, not businesses.
Other Dates on the Calendar
Several smaller events fill the weeks between the big ones:
- Spooky Tales Puppet Show, Saturday, October 10, 2 to 2:45 p.m., in the library's Legacy Room. It's for all ages, and costumes are welcome.
- Tween Halloween Beaded Keychains, Thursday, October 15, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., for ages 8 to 12.
- Jack O'Lantern Jubilee, Thursday, October 22, at 11 a.m. at the Senior Center in the Activities Center. Doors open at 10:30 a.m. It has a Rod Stewart tribute, an optional costume contest and lunch.
- Mom-to-Mom Sale, Saturday, November 14, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., with admission at $1 per person. A seller spot with a 6-foot table and two chairs costs $15 for Shelby and Utica residents and $20 for non-residents.
Van Dyke Has New Places for Before and After
The two Aglow-weekend addresses sit along Van Dyke, and the road has changed this fall. Sheetz opened its first Shelby Township store on September 15 at the southwest corner of Van Dyke and 22 Mile Road. The redevelopment cost about $8 million. The store is open 24 hours a day and has a made-to-order food menu.
Farther north, Baldwin Restaurant Group is opening The Baldwin at 55208 Van Dyke near 25 Mile Road. It shares a plaza with Leo's Coney Island and Hamlin Pub, with Vince & Joe's Gourmet Market attached. Executive chef and managing partner Gabriella Baldwin told WhatNow the menu will be progressive new American with "European cafe undertones." This is the group's third restaurant, after J Baldwin's in Clinton Township and Testa Barra in Macomb. The opening date isn't settled. One September report quotes Baldwin as hoping for around November 13, and a later item says around November 11. Both dates fall before Aglow, but neither is firm, and the Instagram account @thebaldwinshelby is the place to check.
For a stop between hikes, the Chief Gene Shepherd Park Splash Pad now has a permanent mural. "The Water Remembers" shows a firefighter's hose turning into a river. It was unveiled in September as a tribute to fallen firefighters and to the park's namesake.
If your plans include selling or moving in Shelby Township in late 2026, the timing works much like the event calendar. Photo dates, showing windows and closing deadlines land better when they're planned around the weeks that are already full. The Zibkowski Team can help you plan that timeline and start with a free home valuation.
