Oakwood events, November 2026 to February 2027

Oakwood's winter calendar is a neighbourly one. Most of what happens between now and the end of February takes place within a few blocks of Far Hills Avenue, at the community center, the library, a Park Avenue shop or Shafor Park. Here is what is on, with dates as each organizer publishes them. Plans change, so check the organizer's page before you go.

November

Card-making on Park Avenue, November 11. Lula Bell Whimsical Cards and Gifts, the mother-daughter card and gift shop at 23 Park Avenue, runs two morning and afternoon classes on Wednesday, November 11, one for fall wreath Thanksgiving cards and one for pumpkins and fall leaves. Sign up on the shop's events page.

Family Movie Night, November 13. Wright Memorial Public Library on Far Hills Avenue shows The Peanuts Movie on Friday evening, November 13.

Far Hills Speaker Series, November 15. The Oakwood Historical Society and Wright Library's local history series continues on Sunday afternoon, November 15, with Lucinda Davies on the WAVES, the Navy women who worked in secret on codebreaking during World War II, and why Dayton mattered to that work. Oakwood has a direct link: the society's history notes that WAVES slept at NCR's Sugar Camp, inside the city, while they worked on the Enigma project. Seating in the library's community room is first come, first seated, and the talk is also streamed on Zoom with registration.

Friendsgiving Feast, November 18. Young chefs aged 6 to 12 cook a Friendsgiving menu, including mini pumpkin pies, at the Oakwood Community Center on Wednesday, November 18, in a class taught by Katie Blauser of Eat Pretty Darling. Registration is through the city's MyRec site.

December

Meet the Makers at Lula Bell, December 3. The Park Avenue shop invites customers to meet the people behind some of the goods on its shelves on Thursday afternoon, December 3.

Canvas Cookies and Cocoa, December 3. On the same evening, an adult and a child paint a winter scene together at the community center, with cookies and cocoa, in a class led by artist Heather Lockwood.

Holiday Home Tour, December 5. The Oakwood Historical Society's 2026 Holiday Home Tour takes place on Saturday, December 5, with proceeds supporting the society. Tickets are on sale through the link on the society's events page.

Holiday of Lights, December 6. The city's 2026 calendar lists Oakwood's big winter tradition for Sunday evening, December 6, centered on the Shafor Park shelter. Lit luminarias line Far Hills Avenue and Shafor Boulevard, the city tree is lit in Shafor Park, and there are songs, refreshments, a visit from Santa and horse-drawn carriage and wagon rides through the neighborhoods.

Holiday fun at the library. Wright Library's December calendar includes Paws to Read: Holiday Edition on the evening of December 2, where children in kindergarten through grade 6 read to a therapy dog, Holiday Crafts for Kids on the evening of December 7 and a Noon Year's Eve celebration for families on the morning of December 30.

Gingerbread and cocoa at the community center. Children aged 7 to 13 (younger ones with an adult helper) decorate pre-baked gingerbread houses on Tuesday, December 8. Young cooks make cookies and homemade hot cocoa mix on Wednesday, December 16.

More card-making, December 9. Lula Bell's Wednesday classes return with Christmas cards in the morning and winter wreath cards in the afternoon.

Winter break at the community center. Over the school break, children aged 8 to 13 can compete in the Holiday Break Youth Cooking Challenge, desserts on December 21 and appetizers on December 28, and 7- to 12-year-olds can enter the Winter Break Trivia Tournament on December 22.

January and February

New skills at the community center. The new year brings classes for adults: Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging, on Tuesday mornings starting January 5, an American Mahjong introduction with a demonstration on January 28 followed by a beginner course from February 4, a Saturday-morning French conversation class starting January 16, and a Friday-morning Game Time Social from January 8.

Writing at the library, February 2. Wright Library hosts Magic of Place, a writing workshop, on the evening of Tuesday, February 2; details are still to come on the library's calendar.

Far Hills Speaker Series, February 21. The local history series returns on Sunday afternoon, February 21; watch the library's calendar for the topic.

All season long

Wright Library is showing Breaking the Code: Dayton's Secret Role in WWII, an exhibit that includes an Enigma machine, a bombe rotor and other codebreaking artefacts on loan from the National Cryptologic Museum. It pairs well with the November 15 talk. The library's America250 Reading Challenge, a tour through the founding documents and writings that shaped the country, runs through January 2027.

If you are bringing something sweet to a holiday gathering, Ashley's Pastry Shop, the family-owned bakery at 21 Park Avenue since 1982, takes orders for custom cakes and pies.

Before you go

For city events, check the events page on the City of Oakwood's website. Community center classes and registration are on the Parks and Recreation MyRec site, which also posts weather cancellations. The library's events calendar lists every program, and the Oakwood Historical Society and Lula Bell keep their own events pages.