If you’re looking for family-friendly, not so scary Halloween experiences, check out these wide variety of Halloween events within our local communities of Alpharetta, Johns Creek and Duluth. These events offer great opportunities to get involved in your local community and celebrate Halloween in a fun way. Let us know which ones you plan to go to in the next few weeks.

Johns Creek Police Department Trunk or Treat

The Johns Creek Police Department is hosting its annual Trunk or Treat event on Wednesday, October 23 from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at their Headquarters. Last year the event brought thousands of children, so this year is sure to not disappoint. The event will include activities for children, treats, refreshments and, of course, candy. Be sure to dress your little ones in their best costumes! JCPD Trunk or Treat is a free event.

Duluth’s Howl on the Green 

On Friday, October 25 the city of Duluth will host their annual Halloween event, Howl on the Green on the city’s town green beginning at 6:00 p.m. Bring your kids, friends and furry pets for a night filled of fun, sweet treats, great food and out-of-this-world entertainment. The event includes a variety of free activities including a haunted hay ride, crafts, inflatables, trick or treating, costume contest. After dark, Howl on the Green turns into fright  with dancing werewolves, a twisted fairytale show with fire dancers and aerialists. Howl on the Green is a free event.

Trick or Treat at Avalon

Local businesses within Avalon in Alpharetta are handing out candy and treats to children on Saturday, October 26 from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. When you arrive, stop by the Concierge desk to pick up your Trick or Treat map and then stop by the retailers who are handing out candy. When you’ve collected all your candy, don’t forget to drop off your completed map back at the Concierge desk to be entered into to with an Avalon family fun prize package. Trick or Treat Avalon is a free event.

Spooky Mill at Autrey Mill Nature Preserve

Held on Friday, October 25 and Saturday October 26 from 6-9:00 pm, Spooky Mill is an evening event at Autrey Mill Nature Preserve designed to spook and delight through a series of stations. The stations include a bounce house, craft stations, haunted house, haunted trail, mad scientist and more.

The event is set up carnival style with tickets for sale, each station costs a certain number of tickets. If you wanted to participate in all of the stations once you would need 12 tickets at $1 a piece. In addition, Jr. Spooky Mill for preschoolers will be held on Sunday, October 27 from 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. 

It finally feels like fall outside here in Johns Creek and you may be feeling inspired to match your home decor with the fall weather. Here are five inexpensive ways that will up your autumn style in your Johns Creek home without breaking the budget.

Brighten Up Your Lighting
A metal lantern can take a corner of your home or the front porch from dark to enchanting and a simple fall candle can instantly make a room more cozy. Check out these lantern options from Target and Amazon. Go with a classic wrought iron black lantern for a traditional look or spruce things up with a jeweled, gold-toned lantern to mimic the seasons changing. Keep an eye on the Bath and Body Works candle sales for a large variety of fall scents.

Stack Crates and Hay Bales
Add height to your porch pumpkins and fall plants by painting and stacking a few wooden crates and mix-matching them with hay bales. Accessorize with a wide variety of mums kale, gourds, pumpkins and even fall leaves. Costco has mums for $9 each this time of year and pumpkins can be found at Aldi for less than $3 each. Check out Home Depot for inexpensive kale, hay bales and gourds.

Personalize With a Letter Board
A fun inexpensive way to spruce up your kitchen or mantle is to add a letter board with a fun fall quote that is personalized to your family. The best part of this idea is that you can reuse your letter board for every holiday here on out! Check out Amazon, Target and Letterfolk for a variety of letter boards.

Emphasize Coziness
It’s incredible what adding a new throw blanket and pillows can do to a room. Check out Target and Home goods for inexpensive furniture accessories. To go outside the box color wise and choose to white and silver mixed with navy blues and burnt oranges for a unique fall look.

Add a Wreath to Your Doors (inside and out!)
A cotton wreath is one of my favorite things to add to the front door at the start of fall. I also like to add faux boxwood wreaths on some of my doors inside my home for an extra touch of coziness. Find a tutorial on how to make your own cotton wreath here, or check out Target and Michael’s for inexpensive wreaths here and here. 

Even though it doesn't feel like it outside, Fall is here! We've rounded up our top three events to attend in and around Johns Creek this weekend.

Alpharetta International Night Market: October 4-6

Join the largest and most diverse night market in the United States at North Point Mall in Alpharetta this Friday through Sunday. With more than 75 nationalities represented in Metro Atlanta, this event showcases one of the greatest international communities in the world. Visitors will enjoy delicious food from all over the world, exciting cultural performances, a fun and festive Kids Zone, a huge retail/shopping area, a cooking demonstration tent, a full bar, an educational International Village. Tickets range from $8 for a one day pass to $16 to a weekend pass. VIP taste tent options are also available.

Alpharetta Scarecrow Harvest: October 5

Travel+Leisure recently rated Scarecrow Harvest as the best fall festival in Georgia. This free, family festival features over 100 lifesize scarecrows created by members of the local community and are displayed throughout downtown Alpharetta. The event begins at 10:00 a.m. and lasts through 2:00 p.m. At 12:00 p.m. awards are given for most creative, best personality, best-constructed scarecrows. Join in on the free family entertainment that includes a DJ, games of crow-cornhole, quirky face painting, food trucks, historical demos, artsy activities, stimulating story-telling and engaging inflatables. This event takes place in Brooke Street Park directly across from our office in Liberty Hall, so make sure you check out our beautiful building while you're in the area.

Johns Creek Orchestra Concert: October 5

If you’re looking for a more low key relaxing Fall activity, check out the final free concert of the Newtown Park Concert Series featuring the Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra. Doors open at 6 p.m. Concerts begin at 7 p.m. The concert will take place at Mark Burkhalter Amphitheater in Johns Creek's Newtown Park with food trucks on site and beer and wine available for purchase. To make your evening out even more special you can reserve a table of 8 seats under the Ampitheater online here.

Arguably one of the best festivals in the Southeast, the Duluth Fall Festival will be held this weekend on September 26-29 in Duluth. The event kicks off with the Festival Carnival on Thursday and Friday evening and the Festival officially begins with a Community Parade on Saturday morning at 10:00 am. Each year the award-winning festival hosts over 250 arts and crafts booths, 50 food vendors, three stages of entertainers, a 5K road race, Worship on the Green and a Carnival to make this award winning event a fun experience for attendees.

The Carnival is open from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Ticket prices vary per ride with the cost of a single ticket being $1.25 and $20.00 for an unlimited ride wristband. 

The Community Parade begins at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday morning and showcases local schools, fire trucks, antique cars, dance classes and entertainers. Bring a bag so you can carry home all the candy you collect as a bystander! Streets close by 9:45 a.m. so come early. 

The Festival Booths are open from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Saturday and 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. In addition to the many vendors, there is a Man’s Corner that offers a “lace-free” zone offering products different than a typical arts and crafts show and a place for visitors to catch up on the latest football scores.

On Sunday, the Donut Dash 5K kicks off at 8:00 a.m. and the cost is $35 if you register before race day and $45 on race day. Each participant will receive coffee and a donut from Dunkin Donuts and all proceeds benefit Wellroot Family Services, whose mission is to help children and families experiencing foster care throughout Georgia.

After the 5K on Sunday, the festival will host Worship on the Green, which is a community worship service led by staff, musicians and members of Duluth First United Methodist.

An important point to note is parking at the Festival is very limited. For a better parking experience, the Duluth Fall Festival recommends that you park offsite, at one of the designated shuttle lots, and take the free shuttle to the Festival. Shuttles run every 15 minutes, except during the Parade on Saturday from 9:45 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

The three shuttle lots are located at Chattahoochee Elementary School (Green Lot), Mason Elementary School (Blue Lot) and Duluth Middle School (Yellow Lot). 

If you live in Johns Creek, you’re likely familiar with the award-winning Newtown Dog Park. What you may not know is that every year the city of Johns Creeks hosts a Pup-A-Palooza for furry friends across the Atlanta area.

On Saturday, September 21 from 11:00 am - 1:00 pm at the Mark Burkhalter Ampitheater at Newtown Park, the City of Johns Creek invites you and your furry friend to partake the 2019 Pup-A-Palooza. There will be a Best Dressed Dog and Best Dog Trick contest as well as live music. There will even be a caricature artist, so you can take home a custom photo of you and Fido.

Newtown Dog Park officially opened in 2011 after local resident Pat McNeely won a national contest sponsored by Beneful Dog Food. Since its opening, it has won multiple awards, most recently winning the Best Dog Park in Atlanta by Access Atlanta. The Johns Creek dog park sits on one acre and features artificial turf, sprinklers, water drinking stations, a walking trail and a separate area for small and large dogs. It’s open from 8:00 am - 9:00 pm each day except for Wednesdays, when the park is closed from 8:00 am to 10:00 am for weekly maintenance.

The world changed eighteen years ago today on September 11, 2001. Today we take time solemnly reflect and pray for the nearly 3,000 people who lost their lives on that fateful day and for the people here and abroad who have sacrificed so much since then to rebuild our country.

As our nation continues to rebuild and thrive, the strength and resiliency of the United States of America makes me thankful for what we have in this great country. I remember that fateful day 18 years ago and I remember how the weeks after was a time renewal when Americans came across religious, political, social and ethnic lines to stand as one people. If we work hard enough, we Americans can carry that sense of unity moving forward and renew our nation and the world.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! We're kicking off football season with a breakdown of each Johns Creek high school football schedule. Follow Johns Creek, Northview, Centennial, and Chattahoochee with us!

Whether you're a Johns Creek Gladiator or a Northview Titan, here is a full season schedule of each high school in Johns Creek.

Centennial High School

9/6 vs. Roswell

9/13 @ Pope

9/20 vs. Cambridge

10/4 vs. Alpharetta

10/11 vs. Chattahoochee

10/18 @ Dunwoody

10/25 vs. Johns Creek

11/1 @ North Atlanta

11/8 @ Northview

Chattahoochee High School

9/13 @ Northview

9/20 vs. Johns Creek

9/27 @ Pope

10/4 vs. Cambridge

10/11 @ Centennial

10/18 vs. Alpharetta

Johns Creek High School

9/13 vs North Atlanta

9/20 @ Chattahoochee

9/27 @ Northview

10/11 @ Pope

10/19 vs. Cambridge

10/25 @ Centennial

11/1 vs. Alpharetta

11/8 vs. Dunwoody

Northview High School

9/6 vs. North Forsyth

9/13 vs. Chattahoochee

9/20 @ Dunwoody

9/27 vs. Johns Creek

10/4 @ North Catlanta

10/11 @ Cambridge

10/25 @ Alpharetta

11/1 vs. Pope

11/8 vs. Centennial

11/1 vs. Dunwoody

11/8 @ North Atlanta

Mount Pisgah Christian School

9/6 vs. St. Francis

9/13 @ Whitefield Academy

9/27 @ King’s Ridge Christian

10/14 vs. Mount Paran

10/11 vs. Pinecrest

10/25 vs. Fellowship Christian

11/1 @ Walker

11/8 @ Walker

Providence Christian Johns Creek

9/6 vs. King’s Ridge Christian

9/13 vs. Prince Avenue Christian

9/20 vs. Commerce

10/24 @ George Walton Academy

10/11 @ Riverside Military Academy

10/18 vs. Glascock County

11/1 vs. Athens Christian

11/8 TBC

As summer winds down, Labor Day weekend offers a great opportunity to celebrate the end of summer with friends and family around Johns Creek. We have gathered some of our favorite events for you to explore around town.

Freedom Bowl - Milton

The Freedom Bowl will be played at Milton High School this weekend. The event features 12 varsity high school football teams from Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee and Ohio. There will be six games, with one on Thursday night, two on Friday night and three on Saturday. The mission of the Freedom Bowl is to educate student athletes, coaches and communities on what a true hero looks like to inspire those to support the ones who protect our great country. Admission is $15 and parking is $5. For more information, click here.

Block Party on Main Baha Men Concert - Downtown Duluth

Wind down the dog days of summer and bring your four legged friend with a free concert from the Baha Men in Downtown Duluth on Friday, August 30. Food trucks will have food available for purchase and the entire Downtown Duluth area is an “open zone” which means you can bring your own coolers and beverages as well. There will also be many of pet vendors for your pooch. The concert starts at 8:00 pm in addition to live music in Parsons Alley starting at 6:00 pm leading up to the concert. For more information, click here. 

Dragon Con 2019 - Downtown Atlanta

Held annually in Downtown Atlanta for more than 30 years, Dragon Con is the largest multi-media pop culture convention on science fiction, fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music and film. It’s truly a phenomenon and offers a fun time for your whole family. Perhaps the most fun part of Dragon Con is the Dragon Con parade on Peachtree Street, which offers an opportunity to see costumed characters line up and march the streets of Atlanta. The parade will be held on Saturday, August 31 at 10:00 am and more information can be found here.

Labor Day Donut Dash - Cumming Forsyth County

The Labor Day Donut Dash will be held on the Big Creek Greenway in Cumming in Forsyth County and start at the Fowler Park track. Runners can register in store at North GA Running Company at 5456 Bethelview Rd, Suite 102, Cumming, GA 30040 or online here. The race offers a half marathon starting at 7:30 am, a 5K starting at 7:45 am and a Munchkin Run for kids starting at 9:00 am. Costs vary per race and proceeds benefit Children’s Healthcare of Forsyth. More information can be found here. 

Explore nature and learn some local history near Johns Creek homes at Autrey Mill Nature Preserve and Heritage Center. This property has had a varied and fascinating history. The Cherokee and Creek Indians were the first inhabitants. After the Indians were forced from the area, the land was sold for farming. The Autrey family built a mill which was in use from 1877 to the early 1900s. The mill was primarily used for making wheat flour, though ground corn was also produced. By the 1890s, people could easily purchase flour, and the mill was used less and less.

Today, visitors are welcome to this Johns Creek real estate location to take a self-guided audio tour of the Heritage Village. Three of the buildings were built by former inhabitants of the property, while the other four were saved from demolition and moved here. The buildings are opened for special events or for pre-arranged group tours. See the large Summerour Family House, a smaller tenant farmer’s house, a barn, church, and store. An Indian village is currently under construction and will fill out the story of this land.

Autrey Mill is also a favorite hiking spot for people from Johns Creek homes. There are several miles of trails, which take hikers through old growth hardwood forest and past the creek. You’ll see native plants and wildlife along the way, too. It’s a great place to get younger kids into hiking, as the trails are fairly flat and a manageable distance. There’s also a full schedule of events, classes, and tours. Visit Autrey Mill Nature Preserve and Heritage Center from 8 a.m. to dusk. 

A great benefit to living in the Johns Creek and Alpharetta area is the access to local fruits, vegetables and goods offered at the Alpharetta Farmers Market. Held every Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. through October 26, the Farmers Market offers an opportunity to shop locally grown produce, natural meat, fresh flowers and plants, hand-crafted gifts, jellies, sauces, soaps, homemade bread, desserts and baked goods and local raw honey. 

The Alpharetta Farmers Market is sponsored by the Alpharetta Business Association and Alpharetta Convention and Visitors Bureau  and is set up at Market Street Park on the corner of Market Street and N. Broad Street, which is also directly across from our Robb Realty Atlanta Berkshire Hathaway office in Liberty Hall.

In addition to hosting over 80 vendors, the Farmers Market offers live music each Saturday as well as a Kid’s Zone sponsored by Kaiser Permanente where kids can come make a craft, listen to music and have fun while learning something new. 

Through the Alpharetta community the farmers Market has won the “Best of North Atlanta” Farmers Market award for five years in a row since 2015. You’re able to search by product before you by clicking here. For a full list of market vendors, click here. Free parking is available in the decks on Main Street as well as street parking. Free parking is available in the decks on Main Street as well as street parking.