Spent Grain Brewpub's owners planned to spend Harmony Fest weekend introducing their brewery to downtown Arlington Heights. Instead, they said they would be scooping ice cream. In a Sept. 30 note on their website, they explained what happened. The village had approved their liquor license the week before, while they were away at a Kilwins conference. But their state brewer's license made a special-event license for the festival impossible. They also learned that the state's timeline for a brewer's license is 3 to 8 business weeks, not the 1 to 3 business days they expected. They can't start brewing until that license arrives. Even with a quick turnaround, they wrote, they would have no beer to serve until mid-December. So the opening at 17 N. Vail Ave. moved to early 2027. They had originally hoped to open last April.
That small setback says a lot about the rest of the season. After Harmony Fest wrapped its two days in Harmony Park on Oct. 3, downtown's evenings belonged to a few owner-run rooms on and near Vail Avenue, Dunton Avenue and Campbell Street. Nearly every one of them is partway through a change this fall. The most visible is Hey Nonny, which went up for sale on a Friday and announced more live music in the same release.
The Club on Vail Is Being Sold and Expanding at the Same Time
On Oct. 2, Hey Nonny co-owners Chip Brooks and Chris Dungan announced they are selling the business and its 4,000-square-foot first-floor space at 10 S. Vail Ave. The space is technically a condominium inside the Metropolis Ballroom building. The Daily Herald reported that the club remains open, with fall and holiday programming and bookings that extend into spring 2027. The owners said they hope the buyer keeps it as a live music space. "Finding the right next owner is a process, and we're approaching it thoughtfully," Brooks said. "In the meantime, we're doing what we've always done."
The rest of the announcement changes how the building works. A 24-foot retractable acoustic wall has always separated the 150-person music room from a 66-seat gastropub. That gastropub is now The Lounge, with its own stage and performances five nights a week, some with a $5 cover and some free. The ticketed listening room is now The Venue. The farm-to-table bistro menu is gone, replaced by barbecue you can order à la carte in either room with a QR code.
| The Venue | The Lounge | |
|---|---|---|
| Former role | Signature listening room | 66-seat gastropub |
| Capacity | 150 people | 66 seats as a gastropub |
| Shows | Ticketed performances | Five nights a week, free or $5 cover |
| Food | Barbecue, ordered by QR code | Barbecue, ordered by QR code |
For anyone who lives within walking distance, a show downtown used to mean buying a ticket ahead of time. Now it can be a free Tuesday set over brisket. Hey Nonny opened on Oct. 18, 2018. It will mark eight years this month with a second stage it didn't have last fall.
The October calendar on the club's site shows both rooms in use.
- Oct. 6: Harper Jazz Ensemble with Markus Howell, plus Cocktails With Jim Tinaglia
- Oct. 7: wht.rbbt.obj & Harlem Hayfield, plus Social Sessions with Rob Anderlik and Mike Church
- Oct. 8: Social Sessions with Mike Moroney
- Oct. 9–10: Lee DeWyze
- Oct. 13: Social Sessions with Meghan Stagl
- Oct. 28: It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown featuring the Chris White Quartet, plus Social Sessions with Rob Anderlik and Dana Maragos
The Social Sessions series debuts at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 6, with Mayor Jim Tinaglia interviewed by Ernie Rose. Rose is a Downtown Arlington Heights Business Alliance board member and the organizer of Touchdown Arlington, a business group that wants the Chicago Bears to come to Arlington Heights. That topic is still unsettled too. WBEZ reported on Oct. 3 that the Oct. 1 meeting among Gov. JB Pritzker, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and legislative leaders produced no major breakthrough, and more talks are expected ahead of the November veto session. The veto session is scheduled for Nov. 17. Hey Nonny hasn't posted November and December shows in a form we could confirm yet, so check the club's schedule before planning further out.
Upstairs and Around the Corner, Metropolis Runs a Full Season
Hey Nonny's space sits inside the Metropolis Ballroom building. Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, at 111 W. Campbell St., has the steadiest calendar on the block from now through the new year, and it covers a wide range of ages.
Ride the Cyclone runs through Oct. 25. Chicago Kids Company's The Tortoise and the Hare plays Oct. 19–22 at 10 a.m. and noon, with a sensory-friendly show on Oct. 21 at noon. Tickets are $14. The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical has six performances Nov. 5–7, including 7 p.m. shows on Nov. 6 and Nov. 7. Myths and Mayhem follows on Nov. 8 at 10 a.m.
The holiday shows start before Thanksgiving weekend. The Christmas Schooner runs Nov. 24 through Jan. 3, at $49 for adults and $25 for students. A Christmas Carol has Family Series matinees Dec. 3–19 at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., including a sensory-friendly performance on Dec. 11 at 10 a.m. Main Stage performances are Dec. 13 and Dec. 20 at 6:30 p.m. and Dec. 24 at 2 p.m. The listing shows general admission at $16. If you want a weeknight downtown in December with a set start time, Metropolis is the room to plan around, and The Lounge on Vail now has performances five nights a week.
Two Blocks Over, a Bookstore Is Building Its First Season
Scout's Tales Bookstore opened Aug. 1 at 22 S. Dunton Ave. Owner Dana Foley taught middle school English for 25 years. The idea started during COVID, when her husband built a Little Free Library in their front yard and she curated its themed collections. She told Journal & Topics that residents often had to travel to neighboring towns to buy books. In the weeks before opening, window cleaners kept wiping handprints off the glass.
The store is working with the Arlington Heights Memorial Library on local business incentive programs and cross-promotions. It has a lineup of book clubs and author visits that began in September, and events require registration. It's one more downtown business in its first year. Its calendar is still taking shape, while a club eight years old is redrawing its own.
Vail Avenue has another one still pending. In June, the Daily Herald reported that Passero owner Matt Peota planned Hugh's Chophouse at 9 N. Vail Ave., with an opening expected in summer 2026. We haven't found any local report since then confirming that it has opened.
The Family Calendar Fills In the Gaps
Hey Nonny, Metropolis and Scout's Tales handle the evenings. The Village and the Park District cover the daytime weekends between now and the lights going up.
- Saturday, Oct. 10, 11 a.m.–2 p.m.: Autumn Harvest at North School Park, 307 N. Evergreen Ave. It's free, with hayrides, a petting zoo, pumpkin decorating, live music and a scarecrow contest.
- Saturday, Oct. 24, 10 a.m.–12:30 p.m.: The Park District's Trunk or Treat at Pioneer Park, 500 S. Fernandez Ave. Kids ages 2–13 are $10 with preregistration through noon on Oct. 23, or $15 at the door. Adults don't register. The Village's September notice listed Oct. 25, but the Park District's later event page lists Oct. 24.
- Saturday, Oct. 24, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.: A free Community Open House at the Public Works Facility, 222 N. Ridge Ave.
- Saturday, Oct. 31, 3–7 p.m.: The Village's recommended hours for neighborhood trick-or-treating. As of the Village's Sept. 2 notice, no details had been shared about a 2026 downtown business trick-or-treat event.
- Friday, Nov. 27, 4:30–6:30 p.m.: The Holiday Tree Lighting at North School Park, with free family activities at Harmony Park, at Vail Avenue and Campbell Street.
The Tree Lighting falls three days after The Christmas Schooner opens on Campbell Street, and its free family activities return to Harmony Park, the same park that hosted Harmony Fest on Oct. 2–3. On that Friday evening you can walk from the tree to the Metropolis lobby to The Lounge without moving your car. Spent Grain's taps at 17 N. Vail are still planned for early 2027.
If you're thinking about what living near Vail Avenue looks like across a full year, including the months after the festivals end, our guide to living near downtown Arlington Heights and our August look at the Thursday concert season cover the other half of the calendar. Ashlee Fox knows which downtown blocks stay busy on a December weeknight. If you want to talk through what that means for a home within walking distance of Harmony Park, Request a Free Market Consultation.
