Monticello's fall plans got rearranged this year. The Loyd's Lake trail is still behind a closure notice. The San Juan Record has printed its last paper edition. And the City has launched a brand-new event that asks everyone to spend October and early November moving through downtown, stop by stop. The Scarecrow Invasion runs October 1 through November 6, 2026, and it is the first time the City has held it. Put the three changes together and the town's fall season this year runs through its own businesses.
The lake loop is fenced off past this season
In a September 18 notice, the City said Loyd's Lake remains closed. That covers the walking trail, picnic areas, fishing, the pavilion and the rest of the recreation area. The City said recent weather has delayed the work and that it will post an update when reopening is possible.
The work is large. The City's Spring 2026 newsletter described a grant-funded restoration that replaces and upgrades all three bridges, cuts ditches, installs culverts and riprap, and resurfaces the whole trail. With the City's $25,000 match, the project totals $1,145,000. That newsletter said to "anticipate everything to be back to normal Spring of 2027." Since then, the weather delays have made that target a hope, not a date.
A second project is also tied to the lake. At the September 22 City Council meeting, City Manager Kaeden Kulow said the city is finalizing a $5.3 million USDA grant and loan application for the Spring Creek water project, which includes a $675,000 price contingency. The design adds a new diversion box near the top pond so operators can send raw water to Loyd's Lake through an existing 15-inch transfer pipe. Environmental clearances were signed August 18. Bidding is expected this winter, with construction on the mountain likely running from early spring 2027 through late 2027. Taken together, the lake is a construction story for at least another year. Walks this fall will happen somewhere else.
Twenty-four clues, one route through town
The Scarecrow Invasion gives you that somewhere else. The City's scavenger hunt sheet asks one question: "Can you find the scarecrows around town and figure out which local business they belong to?" Pick up a form at the City Office or the Welcome Center. Bring the finished sheet back to the City Office for a small treat.
Each of the 24 clues is a short riddle. Grouped by category, the list reads like a directory of what keeps the town running day to day. The table below sorts the clues by the kind of place they describe and leaves the solving to you.
| What the clue describes | Clue numbers |
|---|---|
| Food and drink, from a meat counter to coffee, pizza, sandwiches on homemade bread, and spirits "behind the door" | 3, 8, 16, 19, 21 |
| Personal care and fitness, including a salon, a gym, and a practice that helps you "stand tall" | 2, 6, 7 |
| Shops, from craft supplies to a spot "where fashion and health meet" | 1, 14 |
| Everyday services, including banking, insurance, phone and internet, a laundromat, and auto repair | 5, 10, 15, 17, 22 |
| Public places, including paying utility bills, county roads, maps and rangers, and books and backpacks | 4, 9, 11, 13 |
| Emergency responders, plus an "old rescue ride" parked out back | 23, 24 |
| A tall machine "newly refurbished" with "no rust," and a pair of scarecrows who have "fall[en] in love with dancing" | 12, 20 |
Some clues spell out the hint in capital letters: JUAN, RIDGES, COUNTY, DEPENDABLE, READY? GO! Others make you work. Clue 24 warns, "Don't search up front where the busy rigs go, there's a quieter place where the back winds blow." Clue 8 asks you to find "the duo named Zig and Zox" who "took extra Z's for their favorite pie."
There is also a second layer. Residents have been invited to decorate their own homes with scarecrows and email the City a photo. The hunt sheet points out that these home scarecrows "aren't part of the scavenger hunt, but they're another fun reason to take a drive around Monticello and see what you can find." So the hunt gets you onto Main Street, and the home displays get you onto side streets you may not drive very often.
Main Street has changed since the last time you made the full loop
If you work all 24 clues, you will pass businesses that are newer than many residents realize. On Center Street, The Over Bite at 133 E Center reopened under new owners on July 16, 2025, with sourdough bread baked on site and breakfast and lunch sandwiches and salads. At 65 South Main, Chance to Dance Ballroom opened April 4, 2025, and by December of that year it was running lessons and weekly dance parties. Both opened within the last 18 months, and both sit right on the route.
Center Street is also getting brighter. At the September 22 council meeting, resident Tom Wiggington said dark streetlights on Center Street lead visitors to comment that the town looks "out of business." Kulow said the city had secured a bid to replace the fixtures at 60 and 62 Center Street with bright white LED bulbs. Pending buyers of the commercial storage properties on Center have also been told to install light shields to cut glare. Those fixes matter more as the evenings get shorter, since a five-week hunt that runs into November will put plenty of people downtown after dark.
Veterans Park is a stop on many downtown loops, and plans there keep moving too. The council discussed a two-court pickleball facility estimated at $75,000 to $100,000. Administration recommended putting together an itemized materials list for concrete, fencing and surfacing so the city can ask for donated materials, skilled labor and cash to go alongside possible city capital funds. For now, the project is still under discussion.
The calendar after the scarecrows come down
Once the hunt ends, the downtown season keeps going. Each date below comes from a City notice or a San Juan Record story, and the City labels some of them tentative.
- Thursday, October 8, 7 p.m. Kigalia Fine Arts presents Los Hermanos de los Andes in the San Juan High School auditorium. Admission is a season pass or $15. The group also plans an afternoon program for elementary students.
- Monday, October 12. City offices are closed.
- Thursday, October 15. Secondary water is expected to shut off, and the system will be drained Monday, October 19. The City says the schedule could move up if an early freeze hits.
- Friday, November 6. The Scarecrow Invasion ends.
- Saturday, November 7, 10 a.m. to noon. Volunteers set up holiday lights at Veterans Park, through the Parks & Beautification committee. The City notes the date could change.
- November 11, a half day November 25 with closing at noon, and November 26–27. City offices are closed.
- November 30 through December 11, tentative. The Gingerbread House Tour pairs shopping with signature collecting for a chance to win a gift card to a local business.
- December 11–12. The Monticello Christmas Festival brings vendors and Santa, with more details still to come.
The Gingerbread House Tour uses the same idea as the scarecrow hunt. You visit local businesses, collect proof that you came, and turn it in. Between October 1 and the Christmas Festival, the City has set up two business-to-business routes through town, about three weeks apart.
The city also lifted fire restrictions inside city limits after recent rain. State law still keeps the fireworks ban in place until New Year's. That opens up fall yard cleanup, though not anything that goes bang.
Where the updates will show up now
Several items on that list carry warnings like "tentative," "may change" and "details forthcoming." This year, the place to check those updates has changed. In a September 29 announcement, the San Juan Record said it would stop printing after that week's issue. The paper put the break in perspective with this line:
"For exactly 111 years, the hometown newspaper for San Juan County has not missed a week covering the events in our corner of the world."
Coverage moves to sjrnews.com, which the paper says will be updated daily instead of weekly. Subscribers will still get a weekly news summary, now by email. Coverage on Redrock92 and Redrock92.com is expanding too. The City says all of its events and notices are posted at monticelloutah.org/news/category/56/. Changes to the gingerbread dates, the lights setup or a Loyd's Lake reopening will show up on those two sites, not on a printed page.
Our team at Blake Walker Group follows Monticello's council updates, park projects and Main Street changes closely, because all of them shape how the town feels from one season to the next. If you're curious how this year's updates connect to what your home is worth, ask us for a free home valuation and we'll go over it with you, after you've turned in your scavenger hunt sheet.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
