"He has always desired to construct and dedicate a Vietnam Veterans Remembrance Memorial in Springboro to honor those soldiers."
That line is in the minutes of the Springboro City Council meeting of April 16, 2026. It describes Daklak Do, a Springboro resident and business owner who emigrated to the United States from Vietnam in the late 1970s. According to the minutes, Mr. Do decided to fund the memorial privately and had "been fundraising and writing his own checks." By that April meeting there was enough money to start construction. The memorial is planned to be dedicated at Gardner Park at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 11.
I keep thinking about that memorial as I look at the rest of Springboro's calendar for this fall. Nearly every date between now and the Christmas parade happens in a place the public owns. These include a city-owned arts building, city parks and the downtown streets. Neighbors fill those places: an artists' guild, a volunteer theater company, a festival committee and one man who wanted a memorial built. The season has a clear order, and it starts in a park most of us know for something else entirely.
Gardner Park, and why the location matters
The City is setting aside land at Gardner Park for the memorial, right next to the existing Veterans Memorial and Purple Heart Memorial. When it's finished, that corner of the park will hold three memorials together, and the new one will take its place in a spot the community has already set aside for this kind of remembrance.
Council approved a contract with Dryden Builders to build the memorial for $465,465.45. The board behind the memorial includes Mayor Agenbroad, Council Member Ferris and Mr. Pozzuto of the City. The minutes also note that Mayor Agenbroad and Mr. Ferris are both Vietnam veterans. In April, the plan was to finish construction by Veterans Day and hold a community dedication then. The City's October through December CityNotes newsletter now invites the public to that dedication at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11.
The dedication falls on a Wednesday morning, so anyone who wants to attend will probably need to plan for it around work.
The building on the old IGA Plaza site
Most of Springboro's indoor fall programming happens at the Springboro Performing Arts Center, 115 Wright Station Way. It's newer than it feels. The building went up where Springboro IGA Plaza used to stand, and the City dedicated it in September 2019. The City owns and operates it. When it opened, the City described it as home to the Chamber of Commerce, Springboro Community Theatre and Center Stage Dance Studio.
That arrangement explains the fall schedule. The City supplies the building, and resident groups put their own work in it. Here is what's on the calendar there through the end of the year:
| Date | What | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 1–26 | "The Encore Project," African American Visual Artists Guild | More than 15 artists; reception Sunday, Oct. 11, 1–4 p.m. |
| Tuesday, Oct. 20 | Premier Health Stroke Awareness program | Free, one hour, starting at 11 a.m. |
| Nov. 6–8 and 13–15 | Sweeney Todd, Springboro Community Theatre | Fri. and Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m.; $18–$20 |
| Tuesday, Nov. 17 | Premier Health health-and-wellness program | Free, 11 a.m. to noon |
| Nov. 21 | Life Unscripted improv | 8–10 p.m.; $15 |
| Dec. 4–6 | Holiday Jubilee, Springboro Community Theatre | Dec. 4 and 5 at 7 p.m., Dec. 6 at 2 p.m.; $15 |
| Tuesday, Dec. 15 | Premier Health health-and-wellness program | Free, 11 a.m. to noon |
A few details will help you plan. The gallery is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., on special-event weekends or by appointment. If you work during the week, the Oct. 11 reception may be your easiest chance to see The Encore Project on a weekend. The City hasn't announced topics yet for the November and December Premier Health talks. October's is the only one so far with a named subject.
Sweeney Todd is directed by David Shough, and the season page lists performances on two November weekends. When we checked the theater's online box office, every listed performance showed as sold out. Ticket availability can change, so the box office page is the place to check. If you can't get Sweeney Todd tickets, Life Unscripted on Nov. 21 and Holiday Jubilee the first weekend of December are both $15. The theater is also holding auditions for Perfect Arrangement Dec. 28–30, ahead of performances in February 2027. If you've been thinking about getting onstage yourself, mark those dates.
The weekend downtown takes over
The memorial uses park land and the arts center is a City building. Christmas in Springboro takes over the historic downtown itself. This year's festival runs Nov. 20–22. The City's posted hours are 6–10 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
It opens with a ceremony and tree lighting in Rotary Park at 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 20. Saturday is the busiest day. The 5K Run/Walk starts at 9 a.m., and the parade comes down Main Street at noon. The festival lists 76+ craft vendors, 29+ food vendors, a Children's Tent with Santa, an Entertainment Tent and a Warped Wing Beer Tent. The shops and businesses of Historic Springboro will be open too.
Look at the three main events together. A Wednesday-morning dedication at Gardner Park on Nov. 11 comes first. Sweeney Todd finishes its run at Wright Station on Nov. 15. Then the Rotary Park tree lighting is on Nov. 20. All three happen within ten days, at three different public places, and each one depends on residents who organized it, performed in it or paid for it.
Before all that, two October chores
Two City services fall in the middle of October, and they matter more to daily life than anything above. The City has announced an early leaf pickup that will come on Oct. 12, 13, 14 or 15, depending on your neighborhood. The City asks residents to rake leaves to the curb and keep them out of the street. That Saturday, the City is holding free electronics recycling at North Park, 195 Tamarack Trail.
Here's a practical order for October, built around those dates:
- Sunday, Oct. 11, 1–4 p.m. Go to The Encore Project reception at the Performing Arts Center, the weekend window for an exhibit that's otherwise open on weekday hours.
- Oct. 12–15. Have your leaves raked to the curb before the early pickup comes through your neighborhood.
- Saturday, Oct. 17, 10 a.m. to noon. Take old electronics to North Park. The event is for Springboro residents with ID, and it ends at noon or when the trucks are full, whichever comes first. Arriving early is the safer plan.
- Tuesday, Oct. 20, 11 a.m. Attend the free Premier Health Stroke Awareness program at the Performing Arts Center.
- Oct. 26. It's the last day of The Encore Project.
After that comes November, with the memorial dedication, the second weekend of Sweeney Todd and the tree lighting in Rotary Park. Fall cleanup season is also when many families start dealing with a house they've been putting off, whether that's a parent's home, an estate or a garage full of things to sort before the holidays. If you're facing that this fall, Wenzler Concierge Group can coordinate the cleanout, repairs and preparation so you can be at the dedication, the theater and the parade without the extra weight. Schedule your complimentary concierge consultation.
