Together With
Hello Friends—
Welcome to the 265 new subscribers who joined since last week’s edition. Happy to have you in our (growing) community!
If you thought last weekend was busy, check out everything we’ve got on the list this weekend… Full disclosure, I had to ask my wife what a ”trunk or treat” was since so many of them have been popping up. Not sure if that makes me too old? too young? Anyways…
Independent Brewing is celebrating their 10 year anniversary with festivities all weekend on Main street… Trick or Treating in Downtown Bel Air returns with tons of participating local businesses… and the 8th Annual BoStrong Foundation Music is Medicine Festival is happening at the Fallston Barrel House on Saturday.
Scroll down, make plans, and enjoy your weekend!
P.S. Next Tuesday, I’ll be at the ConnectProMD Eat. Drink. Paddle: Pickleball Happy Hour buying a drink for any Bel Air Brief reader that says hello! You can register here.
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Things To Do This Weekend In Bel Air & Surrounding Areas
Food & Drink
🍻 Independent Brewing 10-Year Anniversary Weekend (Free)
📅 Friday–Sunday, October 24–26 | 11AM-9PM
📍 Independent Brewing Company, 418 N Main St, Bel Air
CHEERS to ten years! Independent Brewing is celebrating a decade of great beer and good times with a full weekend of live music, food trucks, and local brews. The tent’s back up, so it’s rain or shine — come grab a pint, enjoy the tunes, and celebrate one of Bel Air’s favorite hangouts.
🔥 Pig Roast Weekend at Inverness Brewing (Free)
📅 Friday–Sunday, October 24–26 | 12-10PM
📍 Inverness Brewing, 16200 Markoe Rd, Monkton
It’s one of Inverness Brewing’s biggest weekends of the year — the annual Pig Roast Weekend! Enjoy three days of live music, seasonal brews, and mouthwatering pit specials like Piggy Pizza and bacon-themed eats. Saturday brings extra fun with the Pumpkin’ Chinkin’ contest and adult Piggy-Back Races, plus prizes and cozy fire pits to keep things warm. Don’t miss the release of their newest Bacon Beer — because nothing pairs better with fall than beer, bacon, and good company.
🐾 Bark & Boozy Howl-O-Ween Costume Contest (Free)
📅 Saturday, October 25th | 11AM–1PM
📍 Looney’s Pub, 312 S Main St, Bel Air
Dress up your four-legged friends and join Looney’s Pub for a paws-and-pints Halloween celebration! Enjoy Tito’s cocktails, giveaways, prizes, and treats from Hair of the Dog Barkery. Bring your pup in their spookiest (or cutest) costume for a chance to win.
🎃 Classic Cars of MD Trunk or Treat (Free)
📅 Saturday, October 25th | 1–5 PM
📍 Fallston Barrel House, 2403 Belair Rd, Fallston
Rev up for a spooktacular afternoon at the Fallston Barrel House with Classic Cars of MD and The Boulevard Cruisers! Enjoy trunk-or-treating, adult and kids’ costume contests, pumpkin painting, face painting, and plenty of Halloween treats. Fun for the whole family — costumes encouraged and classic cars welcome!
📚 Booktoberfest @ Das Bierhalle (Free)
📅 Saturday, October 25th | 2–5 PM
📍 Das Bierhalle, 119 S Main St, Bel Air (2nd Floor)
Books, brews, and good vibes collide at the first-ever Booktoberfest, hosted by Odd Bird Bookshop and Das Bierhalle! Enjoy BOGO book deals, a bookmark craft station, permanent jewelry by Rooted Links, and fun giveaways — plus $5 crushes with purchase. It’s the perfect fall afternoon for book lovers and beer enthusiasts alike.
Family Fun
🍁 2nd Annual Havre de Grace Fall Fest (Free)
📅 Saturday, October 25th | 10AM–4PM
📍 400 Block of Franklin St, Havre de Grace
Celebrate the season at the Havre de Grace Fall Fest! Stroll Franklin Street and shop cozy candles, baked goods, permanent jewelry, and handmade gifts from local vendors and boutiques. Enjoy store specials, extended storefronts, and all the small-town fall charm you could want. Perfect for picking up unique finds and soaking in the autumn vibes.
🎃 Trick-or-Treating in Downtown Bel Air (Free)
📅 Saturday, October 25th | 1–3PM
📍 Downtown Bel Air (Stops Along Main, Bond, and Cross Streets)
Put on your costumes and stroll through Downtown Bel Air for an afternoon of community fun and Halloween treats! Participating businesses will display a Trick-or-Treat poster outside their storefronts — start anywhere on the route and enjoy candy, shopping, and dining along the way.
🍁 Fall Park Fun Fest at Ripken Stadium ($)
📅 Saturday, October 25 | 4-7PM
📍 Ripken Stadium, 873 Long Dr, Aberdeen
Join the family-friendly Fall Park Fun Fest at Ripken Stadium for an afternoon packed with fall fun—tractor hay rides, a kids’ zone, pumpkin decorating, trick-or-treating, axe-throwing, cornhole, giant Jenga, face painting, and more. Tickets start at $15 (kids 0-3 free).
🍂 Harford County Farm Fair Fall Fest ($)
📅 Saturday, October 25th | 5–9 PM
📍 Harford County Farm Fairgrounds, 608 N Tollgate Rd, Bel Air
Celebrate fall with an evening of family fun at the Harford County Farm Fairgrounds! Enjoy live music, hayrides, crafts, a bonfire, costume contests, delicious food, and cold beer. Families are encouraged to decorate a trunk and join the Trunk or Treat fun — it’s the perfect mix of spooky and seasonal.
🎃 Trunk or Treat at Pappas Bel Air (Free)
📅 Sunday, October 26th | 10 AM–1 PM
📍 Pappas Restaurant & Sports Bar, 1225 E Churchville Rd, Bel Air
Head to Pappas Bel Air for their annual Trunk or Treat — a family favorite filled with candy, games, giveaways, and festive fun! Enjoy pumpkin painting, tarot card readings, a costume contest, and best trunk voting. Every child receives a certificate for a free kids’ meal, plus plenty of treats to take home.
🚗 4th Annual Fall Foliage Cruise (Free)
📅 Sundday, October 26th | 10AM, Arrive by 9:45 AM
📍 Forest Hill Elementary, 2407 Rocks Rd, Forest Hill
Join the Harford County Vintage VW Club for their 4th Annual Fall Foliage Cruise through the scenic backroads of Rocks State Park, North Bend, and Pylesville before wrapping up at Slate Farm Brewery for lunch. This year’s drive includes a new passengers’ visual scavenger hunt with a prize for the most correct answers. All vintage VW enthusiasts — and fall lovers — are welcome!
🍓 Bel Air Farmers Market (Free)
📅 Saturday, October 25th | 8AM–12PM
📍 2 South Bond St, Bel Air
8AM: Fiore Vineyard & Slate Farm Brewery… 9AM: Sean O’Brien, Live Music Guest… Shop fresh local produce, breads, meats, and crafts.
🥕 Havre de Grace Farmers Market (Free)
📅 Saturday, October 25th | 8:30AM–12PM
📍 700 Block of Pennington Ave, Havre de Grace
Support local vendors and pick up artisan eats and goods.
Music & Entertainment
🎶 BoStrong Music is Medicine Festival (Free)
📅 Saturday, October 25th | 2–10PM
📍 Fallston Barrel House, 2403 Belair Rd, Fallston
Join the 8th annual BoStrong Foundation Music is Medicine Festival—an afternoon of live music, great beer, and community support. Proceeds help fund integrative treatments for young adult cancer fighters and their families. The lineup includes two stages and features artists like Jimmy Charles, Kelly Bell Band, Lodi, and more.
Saving de Grace @ Falling Branch Brewery
📅 Friday, October 24th | 5-9PM
📍 Falling Branch Brewery, 825 Highland Rd, Street
Crushing Day @ Independent Brewing Company
📅 Friday, October 24th | 6-9PM
📍 Independent Brewing Company, 418 N Main St, Bel Air
Mark Bray & The Steel Soul Cowboys @ Looney’s Pub
📅 Saturday, October 25th | 8PM
📍 Looney’s Pub, 312 Main St, Bel Air
For more live music on the schedule this weekend, check out the “Live Music In Harford County” facebook group…
Save the dates:
Fall Fest @ Hopkins Farm Brewery, Nov 1st, Havre de Grace
Opening Night of Winter Wonderland Bel Air, Nov 29th, Bel Air
This Week in the Community…
Eat. Drink. Paddle… Repeat: Pickleball Happy Hour Hits Bel Air
Business-meets-social at The Pickle Factory on Tuesday, October 28 from 5–8 PM, as ConnectProMD hosts a “Pickleball Happy Hour”. Expect live matches, pro demos, a free appetizer buffet, a cash bar, and 10 door prizes. Registration is required. Read more…
Winter Wonderland & Tree-Lighting Return to Bel Air
The holiday magic comes early to Downtown Bel Air: Winter Wonderland in Bel Air returns for its seventh season with horse-drawn carriage rides, Santa visits, live music, and festive food trucks. The celebration starts Friday, November 29, with follow-ups on December 6 and 13 (5–8 PM each night). The highlight: the 35th Annual Bel Air Christmas Parade & Tree Lighting takes place Sunday, December 7, at 3:30 PM down Main Street, with the tree lighting at 5 PM. Float and vendor entries are still open, and all activities are free to the community. Read more…
Ballet Chesapeake Presents The Nutcracker This Holiday Season
Maryland’s premier dance company brings the classic holiday ballet back to life with multiple performances of The Nutcracker. A sensory-friendly version, titled “Nutcracker Sweets,” will be held for younger children at the Bel Air Armory on Dec 5th at 6PM. Tickets are now on sale and you won’t want to miss this festive, family-friendly production. Read more…
Local Harford County Podcast Parodied on SNL by Sabrina Carpenter
When pop star Sabrina Carpenter hosted Saturday Night Live on October 18, she took the stage in a skit that spoofed the Harford County–based podcast group MdFoodieBoyz. The four teenage hosts—ages 13–14—have amassed over 111,000 TikTok followers by reviewing snacks, frozen pizza, and school lunches. The SNL bit resonated with viewers for its uncanny capture of Gen Z podcast culture and put the local crew briefly in the national spotlight. Read more…
Pet Of The Week: Presented by Our Friends at Shannon’s Pretty Paws Pet Grooming
We are more than just groomers, we’re a family!
Give your pet the 5-star treatment & book a grooming session at Shannon’s Pretty Paws today. Your furry friend will thank you (and so will your furniture).
This week’s reader submission is: Ace and Trixi, two shelties
Ace & Trixi, this week’s dynamic duo!
Have a furry, feathered, or scaly friend you’re proud of? Send a photo and a few fun facts, and we might feature them in an upcoming issue. It’s a fun way to share smiles with the community and discover local pet resources along the way.
Real Estate Corner
Are you a realtor (or know one) who is looking to expand your local visibility & feature your active listings in this section to 4,200+ locals? Click here to submit your interest.
Date Spot Of The Week
The Olive Tree (Aberdeen)
This week, we’re headed to Aberdeen for a date night at The Olive Tree — a cozy Italian spot where hearty, old-school favorites meet a warm, family-style atmosphere. It’s the kind of place where breadsticks keep coming, the wine flows easily, and every entrée feels like comfort on a plate.
Start with the Olive Tree Crab Pretzel or Garlic Butter Mussels, then move to one of their rich pastas like Cajun Alfredo Rigatoni with shrimp, chicken, and Italian sausage, or the crowd-favorite Lasagna, layered with homemade Bolognese and mozzarella. Seafood lovers can’t go wrong with the Stuffed Flounder Imperial or Shrimp Milano tossed in creamy Alfredo
Pair it with a glass of Chianti or their house-made Peach Sangria, and don’t skip dessert — the portions are generous enough to share.
👉 Check the menu & details: olivetreeitalian.com
Thanks for reading the Bel Air Brief today! Share this with the person you know who is a regular at Independent Brewing.
Matt | Bel Air Brief
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