Madison's Biggest Fall Saturday Happens in Three Places at Once. Here's How the Day Hands Off.

On Saturday, October 24, three different organizations run three events, and their schedules line up closely. The Downtown Chili Cook-Off in Madison Town Park ends at 4 p.m. That's the hour live music starts on the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center lawn. Out at Hard Labor Creek State Park, the afternoon session of the Haunted Village ends at 4:30, and the evening session doesn't start until 6:30.

That means most of the day can be done one event after another. The schedules overlap twice. In the afternoon, a little planning gets you to both events. In the evening, you'll have to pick one. Before any of that, the fairgrounds have their own week.

The Week Before Belongs to the Lions Club Fair

The Madison Lions Club Fair opens tomorrow, Tuesday, October 13, and runs through Saturday, October 17. This is its 70th anniversary. The club says the Giant Wheel coming this year is the largest Ferris wheel ever to run at the fair. It's also adding a new ride called the Sky Diver, which it calls possibly "the most terrifying ride we've had at the fair in years."

Bracelet prices change by night:

Admission to the fairgrounds and all food concessions is $5 for adults and $2 for children. The Wednesday bracelet is $10 less than Saturday's. Saturday's higher price buys the extra matinee hours. The club posts weather and schedule changes on that page and on its Facebook site.

When the fair closes on the 17th, the next Saturday is the one with everything on it.

Morning Through 4 p.m.: The Town Park Clock

The chili cook-off starts the day. Visit Madison lists it as the 20th Annual Chili Cook-off & CASI GA State Championship Open Cook-Off at Madison Town Park, 218 W. Jefferson Street. The schedule runs like this:

1. 10:00 a.m. Regional artisan crafts, seasonal food, a pumpkin decorating contest and live music on Second Street.
2. Noon. The line opens for the $5 sampling wristband.
3. 12:30 p.m. Tasting starts "sharp," and People's Choice voting begins.
4. 3:30 p.m. Winners are announced.
5. 4:00 p.m. The festival ends.

The noon line for wristbands is the one fixed time that matters here. If you want to taste and vote, you need to be in the park at midday. Entry forms, market details and the full schedule are on the city's Chili Cook-Off & Fall Festival page.

1:30 to 4:30: The Afternoon Overlap

The schedules first collide in the afternoon. Hard Labor Creek State Park's Haunted Village runs its family-friendly session from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. That's rated PG and meant for ages 6 and up. From 1:30 until the cook-off ends at 4:00, that session runs alongside tasting and the 3:30 winners announcement. After 4:00, it keeps going for another half hour. If the kids want both chili and spooky scenes, it works best to do the chili first.

The park describes the village as a trail through Camp Daniel Morgan lined with "scenes of your Halloween scary favorites." Tours last about 15 minutes, start every five minutes, and loop past about eight scenes. Each scene is set up for groups of up to 12. For younger kids who'd rather skip the scares, wagon rides run between the village and the campground from 1:30 to 4:30.

The practical details:

• Admission is $10 cash at the door or $10 online. Wagon rides are $3, cash only.
• A park parking fee is required. The Georgia State Parks ParkPass page has the details.
• Bring water and bug repellent.
• No flashlights during the event, and no alcohol on park property.
• The park is at 5 Hard Labor Creek Road, Rutledge. The event phone is 706-557-3001.

The Cultural Center opens its lawn during this same stretch. The Harvest Festival lets guests arrive as early as 2:00 p.m. to claim a spot, browse the Artist Market and get food from the trucks before the music starts. If you're downtown between the cook-off and the music, Lake Oconee News reports that May Lane Boutique moved from online-only sales into a storefront at 202 W. Washington St. in June and held its grand opening Sept. 17.

The Whole Day on One Grid

The grid shows two clean handoffs. Town Park ends at 4:00 just as music starts on the MMCC lawn. The park's two Haunted Village sessions leave a two-hour gap between them. The 1:30-to-4:00 overlap can be handled by doing things in the right order. After 6:30 you can't, because both evening events run at the same time.

After Dark: Choosing Between Two Events

The Harvest Festival runs until 9 p.m. The PG-13 Haunted Village runs from 6:30 to 9:30. Their evening hours overlap almost entirely, so this is where you pick one.

The Cultural Center's lineup is TopHouse, The Lee Boys, Darin & Brooke Aldridge, and EG Kight. MMCC describes the mix as bluegrass, Americana, Sacred Steel, gospel and Georgia blues. Tickets cost more than anything else that day:

• VIP, $75. Reserved seating, private restrooms and one drink ticket.
• General admission, $50.
• Children 16 and under, $25.

The PG-13 trail at Hard Labor Creek is $10 per person plus the park parking fee. The price gap is wide, but the two events offer very different things. One is five hours of live music on a lawn. The other is about a 15-minute walk through Camp Daniel Morgan.

One timing detail to check. MMCC's own event page says the festival runs 4:00 to 9:00 p.m., with music starting at 4:00 and early arrival at 2:00. The festival's Eventbrite listing gives the hours as 3 to 9 p.m. It also says parking is free and all ages are welcome. If you're timing a walk over from Town Park, go by the MMCC page and check it again that week.

What Comes Next

The rest of October is quieter. The Spooktacular Costume Parade is in Madison Town Park on Thursday, October 29, from 5 to 6 p.m. The Cultural Center's exhibition experience and intersection, featuring work by John Cleaveland and Richard Olsen, closes October 31. That makes Harvest Festival evening one of the last weekends to see it.

December has its own lineup:

• Dec. 4–5: The 2026 Madison Holiday Tour of Homes, presented by MMCC. Daylight tours run 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and candlelight tours 5 to 9 p.m. both days. One ticket covers both days, and daylight and candlelight combo tickets are available.
• Dec. 12: The Christmas Rush Classic 5K, 8K and Fun Run, at the First United Methodist Church parking lot, 285 Academy Street.
• Dec. 13, 2:30 p.m.: The Atlanta Shakespeare Company performs A Christmas Carol at MMCC.
• Dec. 17, 8 p.m.: The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Holiday Concert at MMCC.

The city's Holiday Parade page still shows last year's date, Saturday, December 13, 2025. The 2026 parade date hadn't been posted when this was written.

Lori has spent more than 20 years helping families buy and sell across Morgan, Newton and Walton counties. If you're thinking about a home closer to Town Park, or a few acres out toward Rutledge, Lorraine Krieger is glad to talk it through. Request a free home valuation or local market consultation.