Two Octobers in a row, the building at the center of Martinsville's biggest downtown festival was a construction site, and the festival went to the Morgan County Fairgrounds. The Fall Foliage Festival had been held on the courthouse square since 1959. Because of the courthouse work, most of it moved to the fairgrounds in 2025 and again in 2026.
The holiday season is staying downtown. From the first open house on Nov. 7 to the Cookie Stroll on Dec. 12, nearly every date on the calendar is tied to a shop, a stage or a street that touches the square. This is also the courthouse's last holiday season as a project. Inside, the work is aimed at county offices moving in during the first quarter of 2027.
Two Octobers at the Fairgrounds
Visit Morgan County's festival schedule for 2026 put the move plainly:
"This year's Fall Foliage Festival will be held at the Morgan County Fairgrounds due to an ongoing renovation project at the Morgan County Courthouse. This project is in the second year of a two-year time span, after which the festival committee will reevaluate whether or not to return to downtown Martinsville in October of 2027, or remain at the Fairgrounds."
The 67th festival ran Oct. 8 through 11. According to the Morgan County Correspondent's festival coverage, even Taps on the Square moved to the fairgrounds for the festival's Friday night. The Sunday parade still came downtown, and the paper photographed the Shrine Club turning onto Jefferson Street near the courthouse square as crowds lined the street.
A four-day carnival with a midway needs open ground. The holiday calendar needs storefronts, a stage and a parade route, and downtown Martinsville still has all three.
What the Square Is Waiting On
Construction on the Morgan County Courthouse started in 1857 and finished two years later, giving Martinsville a two-and-a-half-story Italianate building. Its $25 million renovation and addition began in 2025, the Morgan County Correspondent reported in April. Stone masons spent months on point-and-tuck restoration of the clocktower. A new 5,000-square-foot addition on the north side is going up with an ADA-compliant elevator and restrooms on both floors.
The courts have already moved to the new judicial campus. When the renovation is done, the courthouse is slated to house:
- the assessor's office
- the county surveyor
- the planning office
- the treasurer, auditor and recorder
- the Purdue Extension Office
- the Morgan County Soil and Water Conservation District
The old Superior III Courtroom on the second floor is being converted into the Treasurer's Office.
Outside, the plan for the grounds is a sequence. New stormwater lines go in first, then grading and sidewalks, then landscaping. The final step is bringing back the stone borders, the steps, the archway, the Civil War cannons and the historic monuments, which were moved elsewhere during construction. In April, Meyer Najem project manager Will Tiebout said he expected most of the grounds work to be finished by fall, before winter could slow it down, and the interior to be ready for county offices by the first quarter of 2027.
The courthouse is one of four downtown projects paid for by the county's $72 million bond. The others are a new parking lot, the judicial campus, and a $17 million renovation of the current administration building at 180 S. Main St., which Meyer Najem takes on next. The county's courthouse renovation page carries the project's official updates.
November Belongs to the Shops
The season opens with a shop changeover. Berries & Ivy Country Store closes completely on Nov. 1 to switch from Halloween to Christmas, then reopens for its Christmas Open House on Saturday, Nov. 7, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. People are typically lined up outside when the doors open, and the first 50 customers get a gift.
A week later, Saturday, Nov. 14, is the biggest day for open houses on and near the square:
- The Sterling Butterfly, on the square on Morgan Street, opens 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It carries Indiana artisan work and jewelry by owner Pam Hurst, who also teaches jewelry-making classes.
- Fables and Fairy Tales, the downtown independent bookstore, holds its 2026 Holiday Open House 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Indie author Don Fisher signs there from 1 to 3 p.m.
- Wood & Cotton Co., a locally owned boutique on south Main Street, holds its open house the same day.
- At 6 p.m., the Morgan County History Center & Museum brings Bill Martin to the Morgan County Public Library downtown for part two of his talk on Martinsville's sanitariums. Around the turn of the century, the town drew visitors for mineral water health treatments.
Two more dates fill out the month. The Art Sanctuary of Indiana's Second Friday Open Studios runs 6 to 8 p.m. on Nov. 13, featuring the 2026 Morgan County Veterans Creative Arts Festival. The Martinsville Entertainment Theatre screens Planes, Trains, & Automobiles on Nov. 21 for $5 at the door, with the movie starting at 7 p.m.
Every Saturday in November and December, Martinsville Candy Kitchen makes handmade candy canes in front of visitors, and it posts each week's demonstration times on its Facebook page.
Saturday, Nov. 28, From Morning to Lights
The Saturday after Thanksgiving packs the season into one day, and the day ends at the far side of town:
- All day: Rediscover Martinsville runs Small Business Saturday Bingo. Shoppers pick up a card at the first stop, collect stamps at participating shops, and turn in a full card at the last shop to be entered in a drawing.
- Same day: The Art Sanctuary of Indiana holds its 10th Annual Small Business Saturday Makers Market, with booths from local artisans.
- 2 to 4 p.m.: Santa makes his first visit of the season at Martinsville Candy Kitchen.
- 6 p.m.: The City of Martinsville's Home for the Holidays Christmas Light Parade starts on Washington Street.
- After the parade: The route ends at Jimmy Nash City Park in time for the Winter Wonderland Festival of Lights kickoff, when Santa turns on the park's displays for the season.
After opening night, the lights at Jimmy Nash City Park stay on from 6:30 to 9 p.m. every evening through Jan. 1, 2027.
Dec. 6 Circles the Courthouse
The biggest downtown day of the season belongs to a local song. Martinsville resident Bobby Helms made "Jingle Bell Rock" famous in 1957 as its original artist, and the town's Bobby Helms Jingle Bell Rock Christmas Music Spectacular carries the song's name.
This year it falls on Sunday, Dec. 6, at The Venue, 183 N. Jefferson St., and it's free. Live music starts on stage at 3 p.m. There's also hot cocoa, s'mores, Santa, and characters from How the Grinch Stole Christmas. From 3 to 7 p.m., a trackless train for kids and carriage rides for everyone loop around the Morgan County Courthouse. A free synthetic skating rink stays open until 8 p.m. The Christmas tree lighting follows the music at about 7:15 p.m.
So this year's carriage route circles a courthouse with a new north addition, a restored clocktower, and grounds in the late stages of a two-year project.
The day before, two downtown businesses hold their own events. DeLyn Jewelry's holiday open house runs 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Dec. 5, and Peddler's Loft Cafe holds its Soup-er Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
What Comes After the Lights
The last big downtown date is Dec. 12, with the Cookie Stroll and Holiday Market. Visit Morgan County notes that its listings are subject to change, so check each organizer's page before heading out.
After the holidays, the square starts working differently. Once the courthouse fills with county offices in the first quarter of 2027, the people walking those sidewalks on a weekday will include residents going to the treasurer, the recorder or the Purdue Extension Office. The festival committee then decides whether the Fall Foliage Festival returns downtown in October 2027 or stays at the fairgrounds.
At The Evans Realty Group, we follow changes like the courthouse reopening and the festival decision because they shape how a downtown works day to day. If you live in Martinsville and want to talk through what the next year on the square might mean for your home, we'd be glad to listen. Let's Start a Conversation.
