"Come howl at the moon at The Howl 5K." That line comes from the City of Ballwin's own race series page, describing the Moonlight Howl 5K Run/Walk on Friday, October 23, 2026. The start gun goes off at 9 p.m. About an hour earlier, two other city events at The Pointe at Ballwin Commons are wrapping up. One is for small children and the other is for kids ages 10 to 14.
Look at the Ballwin Parks & Recreation calendar for October 2026 and a pattern stands out. Most Fridays have one event or nothing. October 23 has three, and they are sorted by age. Every other date this month and into early November is lighter, whether it comes before that Friday or after it.
Three Events, Two Addresses, One Evening
Here is the October 23 lineup as the city and its race partner list it.
| Event | Time | Where | Who it's for | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halloween Hullabaloo | 5:30 to 8 p.m. | Outdoors at The Pointe, 1 Ballwin Commons Circle | Open to all | Free, no reservations |
| Glow Pumpkin Plunge | Listed 5:30 to 8 p.m. | Indoor pool at The Pointe | Ages 10 to 14 | Listed at $0, pre-registration encouraged |
| Moonlight Howl 5K | 9 p.m. start | The Wolf Café, 15480 Clayton Road | All ages and fitness levels | $40 entry |
Halloween Hullabaloo is the wide-open part of the night. STL Parent describes it as a free, family-friendly evening with pumpkins, crafts, and games. No reservations are needed, and it is held outside, so bad weather could cancel it. The listing tags it for ages from babies and toddlers through middle schoolers.
The Glow Pumpkin Plunge is narrower on purpose. The city's registration system lists it for ages 10 to 14, in the indoor pool at The Pointe. Each participant picks a pumpkin, decorates it, and enters it in a people's-choice award. Then comes free swim in a glowing pool. The cost is listed at $0, but the city encourages pre-registration to guarantee a pumpkin. The city's own listing gives two different times. The meeting schedule says 5:30 to 8 p.m., while the written description says 7 to 8:30 p.m. Confirm with The Pointe before you plan dinner around it.
Put those two together and the logic of the evening is clear. Hullabaloo is outside and Plunge is inside, both at The Pointe and both on the calendar for the same window. A household with a first grader and a seventh grader can be at one address while each child does something built for their age.
The 9 P.M. Slot Belongs to the Adults
The Moonlight Howl is run by MSE Racing in partnership with the city's race series. It starts at 9 p.m. at The Wolf Café, 15480 Clayton Road. MSE calls it a night race and invites runners to wear glow gear. Packet pickup runs from 7:45 to 8:30 p.m. That overlaps the last stretch of the events at The Pointe, so anyone handling both will want a plan for who goes where.
The course on the race's linked route map measures 3.2 miles with 181 feet of elevation gain. Only 0.6 miles of it is marked as paved, and the surface on the other 2.6 miles is listed as unknown. Runners heading out in the dark should pack a headlamp along with the glow sticks.
Entry is $40 on RunSignup, and the price goes up after 11:59 p.m. CDT on October 15. MSE Racing lists a long-sleeve shirt, a medal, live results, and awards as part of registration. As of today, that leaves a little over two weeks at the current rate. The city's race series page also notes that you can register on race day. The city calendar lists the event from 9 to 10:30 p.m., which gives everyone time to finish.
Here is one way a household could run the evening from those listings:
- Arrive at The Pointe around 5:30 p.m. Younger kids head to Halloween Hullabaloo outside, and a registered 10-to-14-year-old goes to the Glow Pumpkin Plunge indoors.
- One adult leaves for The Wolf Café on Clayton Road before 8:30 p.m. to pick up a race packet.
- Everyone else wraps up at The Pointe by 8 p.m.
- Runners start at 9 p.m.
The Fridays Leading Up to It Are Smaller
Earlier Fridays this month get one event each, and they are built for smaller crowds.
Friday, October 2, is Family Bingo Night, from 6 to 8 p.m.
Friday, October 9, is Yappy Hour, with a Puppyween theme, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Ferris Park, 500 New Ballwin. The cost is listed at $0. The city describes it as a casual meetup where dog owners and their dogs can socialize, have snacks and refreshments, and join light activities.
Friday, October 16, has Ignite: Pool Party on the calendar from 6 to 8:30 p.m.
With three events on October 23 and roughly one on each earlier Friday, the 23rd stands out as the city's main Halloween night.
Saturdays Handle the Errands
Saturdays in October work differently. They cover the jobs a household can't put off.
Saturday, October 10, is the Document Shred Recycling Event, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Saturday, October 17, at 10 a.m., the city is holding an open house for its Public Works & Parks Maintenance Facility. This is the yard behind the services most people only see from the street. The city's capital plan expected the yard reconfiguration to be finished in early 2026. Its facilities page describes the Public Works and Parks Maintenance facilities as under renovation. The event card lists the location only as "Ballwin." The city's Public Works department is at 200 Park Drive in Vlasis Park, but the event card does not say that is where the open house will be. Check the city's Public Works page before you go.
The Monday After
The city's curbside leaf collection starts the Monday after the big Friday. Ballwin's leaf collection page gives October 26 as the start date. Crews come back about every three weeks until the program ends sometime in December. The page doesn't print a year, and it warns that weather, staffing, or equipment problems can shift the schedule. For a yard full of oaks or maples, that means raking the weekend of October 24 and 25 if you want leaves at the curb for the first pass.
The next Sunday, November 1, Vlasis Park hosts race #5 of Big Shark Bicycle Company's Bubba Memorial Cyclocross Series, from 10:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. The race series page describes cyclocross as part road cycling and part mountain biking, raced on a winding circuit of about 1.5 to 2 miles, with races for all ages and abilities. The city calls it "fun to do and watch." If you aren't racing, it's a free way to spend a fall Sunday watching from the edge of the course. Vlasis also has the playground the city finished at the end of 2024.
Where to Eat Around It
One new spot in the area is Pana Coffee & Dessert Bar. It appears in St. Louis Public Radio's list of July 2026 openings, and Ladue News gives its address as 910 Kehrs Mill Road, Suite 102. It works as a dessert stop before or after the activities at The Pointe.
Another Clayton Road opening is still on the way. St. Louis Magazine's September roundup lists La Auténtica Mexican Grill at 15467 Clayton Road, the former Charlotte's Rib space, as a fall opening. That report did not give an opening day. Until the restaurant announces one, plan your race-night dinner elsewhere.
There's one more small October stop for families with a young angler, and it's off the main calendar. New Ballwin Park, at 329 New Ballwin Road, now has a Tackle Box Exchange. An Eagle Scout named Calvin from Troop 792 built it as his project, and the city describes it as a "little free library" of fishing supplies.
Some families use fall to think ahead to spring, including whether the house that works for this October will still work in a few years. If that's you, the team at Jeff Lottmann knows Ballwin's streets and seasons well and would be glad to talk it through. Schedule a market consultation whenever you're ready, even if that's after you've bagged the last leaves in December.
