This Week in Dayton: Levitt's Finale,
Dokken at The Rose, and New
Openings Everywhere You Look.

Fresh for the week of September 14-20, 2026: Levitt Pavilion closes its season with a free Jazz Fest finale on Saturday, Dokken headlines The Rose with Lita Ford and Lynch Mob, the Hispanic Heritage Festival fills RiverScape, and the Vegan Food and Drink Festival lands at Courthouse Square. On the opening front, Wawa just cut the ribbon on Springboro Pike, Hummus & Garlic is open near the Dayton Mall, and Black Rock Bar & Grill is on the way to Beavercreek.

This is also Air Force Marathon weekend at Wright-Patterson, so Beavercreek, Fairborn, and the base corridor are buzzing, and I put the full race details plus the Expo schedule in last week's edition. In this edition: the complete Levitt finale lineup, a night of 80s rock at The Rose, two free downtown festivals, the three new openings above, and a first look at what October is already promising from Yellow Springs to The Greene.

Here is everything fresh I have not covered before.

New Restaurants and Grand Openings

Wawa Rings In a Grand Opening on Springboro Pike

Wawa held its grand opening September 10 at 9800 North Springboro Pike in Miamisburg, right on the corridor that carries commuters between Springboro, Centerville, and the Dayton Mall. The 24/7 store brings the chain's made-to-order hoagies, fresh coffee, and fuel to one of the fastest-growing southern stretches of the metro, minutes from Springboro's schools and the shops along Ohio 73. For anyone buying or renting near the Warren-Montgomery line, it is one more sign this corridor is filling in fast.

Hummus & Garlic Opens Near the Dayton Mall

On the Centerville side of the mall corridor, Hummus & Garlic is open at 2419 Miamisburg-Centerville Road in the former So Pizza storefront, just north of the Dayton Mall. The menu is Mediterranean by way of the name: hummus, shawarma, fresh wraps, and garlic-forward plates that give Centerville and Miami Township a quick, healthy lunch and dinner option.

Black Rock Bar & Grill Coming to Beavercreek

Beavercreek is getting a show with its supper: Black Rock Bar & Grill is on the way to the front of the Mall at Fairfield Commons. The polished grill chain serves steaks and entrees cooked tableside on hot volcanic rock, a cooking-at-your-table experience that would be new to the Beavercreek dining scene. No opening date has been announced yet, and I will post the moment it lands.

A Big Music Weekend: September 17-20

UD Adult Music Program at Levitt: September 17

The week opens Thursday with a free community concert in Levitt Pavilion's PNC Community Series: the New Horizons Band and the Celebration Chorus, part of the University of Dayton's adult music program, take the stage at 7 p.m. at 134 S. Main Street. It is an easy, family-friendly way to spend a cool September evening on the riverfront lawn.

Dokken with Lita Ford and Lynch Mob: September 19 at The Rose

Saturday night belongs to the 80s. Dokken headlines the Rose Music Center at The Heights with Lita Ford and Lynch Mob opening, and doors open at 7 p.m. with the show at 8. It is a full rock bill at one of the best outdoor pavilions in the region, and the hilltop venue always delivers a sunset view along with the music.

Levitt Jazz Fest: The Season Finale, September 19

The same Saturday, Levitt Pavilion closes its 2026 concert season with the Jazz Fest, free to everyone from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. The lineup stacks three acts: SaxTone Arrington at 5:45, the Nasty Nati Brass Band at 6:45, and the Lao Tizer Band with special guest Elliott Yamin at 8 p.m. Fusion, funk, and those American Idol vocals on the riverfront. It is the send-off the summer series deserves.

A True-Crime Evening: September 18 at the Victoria

If live music is not your speed, forensic psychologist Katherine Ramsland brings Cracking the Serial Killer Code to the Victoria Theatre on Friday, presented by Dayton Live. Expect a compelling evening about how investigators profile and catch serial offenders, told by a writer and professor who has studied them for decades.

Two Free Festivals Down on Saturday

Saturday also stacks two free celebrations. The Dayton Hispanic Heritage Festival fills RiverScape MetroPark at 237 E. Monument Avenue with live music, dance, authentic Latin American food, and family activities along the Great Miami River. Then Sunday, the Dayton Vegan Food and Drink Festival runs noon to 6 p.m. at Courthouse Square at Third and Main, with plant-based food trucks, vendors, and live entertainment downtown.

Beyond This Week: A First Look at October

Yellow Springs Film Festival: October 1-4

Across the metro, the Yellow Springs Film Festival runs October 1-4 across the Foundry Theater at Antioch College, the Little Art Theatre, and WYSO's studios. It opens Thursday with a kickoff party featuring comedian Hannibal Buress, then stacks narrative and documentary features, shorts, stand-up comedy, and live music through the weekend in one of Ohio's most picturesque villages, about 25 minutes from Beavercreek.

Trick or Treat & Fall Fest at The Greene: October 18

Mark the calendar, Beavercreek families: The Greene hosts a Trick or Treat & Fall Fest on Sunday, October 18 at noon at the open-air center on Buckeye Lane. Costumes, candy, and fall family activities ahead of the big night, and easy to pair with lunch at one of the center's newest restaurants.

The Corn Maze Season Is Underway

The mazes are open across the region. Cowvin's Corny Corn Maze at Young's Jersey Dairy in Yellow Springs is running daily through November 1, and the Lucas Brothers Fall Festival in Bellbrook keeps its corn maze, pumpkins, and wagon rides going through October 25. Both are a short drive from every suburb I serve, and my complete fall guide has the full pumpkin-patch lineup.

The Suburb Sweep Into Late October

The rest of the fall calendar is stacked, and I keep a running list so nothing slips: the Tipp City Mum Festival September 26-27, Friday Night Flicks at Russ Nature Reserve in Beavercreek September 25, Centerville Fall Fest October 3, the Great Ohio Toy Show at the fairgrounds in Xenia October 3, the Xenia Fall Festival and Vandalia Fall Festival October 10, the Fairborn Halloween Festival October 16-17, the Windmill Farm Spooktacular in Springboro October 23-25, the Kettering Saturday Night Cruise-In October 24, and the Lucas Brothers farm in Bellbrook all season. Full details on each are in my mid-September guide.

Why I Track All of This

I have served this market for over 20 years, and I have learned that the calendar tells the truth about a community. A Wawa grand opening on Springboro Pike, a Mediterranean kitchen in a former pizza spot near the mall, a grill-and-rock concept landing in front of Fairfield Commons: those are decisions businesses make when they see families moving in.

The events matter the same way. Levitt closes its season with a free jazz night, The Rose fills with rock fans, two festivals take over the riverfront and Courthouse Square in one weekend, and every suburb from Tipp City to Xenia has its fall date on the calendar. When I see openings and events stacking up across Centerville, Beavercreek, Springboro, Bellbrook, Kettering, Fairborn, and Vandalia, it tells me these are communities people are choosing, investing in, and raising families in.

For buyers, that context matters. For sellers, it means your home belongs to a working and growing region. And for anyone considering a move to the Dayton area, this is the clearest view of the region's momentum.

Whether you are buying, selling, or just curious about what your home might be worth, I am here with straight answers and a strategy that fits your situation.