Downtown Waconia's First Fall After the Construction, Hosted by Shops That Opened During It

The free cotton candy at the end of Downtown Waconia Trick or Treat this Saturday, October 31, comes from Coney's, a candy and soda shop that had been open about two months when the rebuilt streets reopened. The bookstore listing the event on its own calendar is Lakeside Books, which held its grand opening on October 2, about two weeks after the last rebuilt downtown streets reopened. Waconia spent several years rebuilding its downtown in phases. This late-fall calendar is the first one held on the reopened streets, and many of its hosts opened while the work was still going on.

The Last Phase Ended Where the New Businesses Are

The city broke the Waconia Downtown Reconstruction Project into four phases. Phase 1 covered two blocks of Main Street and one of Olive. Phase 2 covered three more blocks of Main plus a block each of Elm, Pine and Spruce. Phases 3 and 4 moved over to First and Second streets. Each phase replaced roads, parking, sidewalks and utilities, expanded stormwater treatment, improved street lighting and added downtown wayfinding signs. The work traces back to the city's 2014 Downtown Master Plan, which called for more parking, a distinct streetscape, easier walking and a stronger link between downtown and Lake Waconia.

The 2026 phase started on First Street from Olive to Spruce. It then moved to Elm between First and Second, Second from Elm to Pine, and the parking lot next to Elm. Pine Street and the City Square Park lighting were scheduled to start after Nickle Dickle Day. According to the Waconia Patriot via Hometown Source, crews raced to get two blocks of Elm and Second paved and open in time for Nickle Dickle Day. The paper also called this "the final year in a multi-year series of downtown projects." The project's September 18 update had also scheduled a road opening for Monday, September 21.

Look at where the year's newcomers set up. Lakeside Books is at 9 W. First St., in the basement. Bakery Off Main operates at 125 W. First St. Olive & Elm is building out on the Olive side of the Wilford at Second Street. All three sit on the streets that were rebuilt last, so this year's openings cluster where the newest pavement is.

Who Opened Behind the Barricades

Most of downtown's 2026 changes happened during construction season. Here is where each one stands as of late October:

• Coney's Candies, 136 W. Main St. This is an old-fashioned candy store and soda shop from owner Crystal Jensen, in the storefront Bakery On Main used to occupy. Hometown Source reported that the City Council approved a façade-improvement and startup grant for the project. KSTP covered its opening on July 28, 2026. Its posted hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Bakery Off Main, 125 W. First St. According to the same Hometown Source story, Bakery On Main moved inside Bode Gray's and reopened under the new name, serving bakery, breakfast and lunch items.
• Lakeside Books, 9 W. First St., basement. This nonprofit community bookstore held its grand opening Friday, October 2, 2026. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. It is closed Mondays.
• Olive & Elm, 140 S. Elm St., in the Wilford. Its website still says "coming this winter" and lists lunch and dinner daily, weekend brunch and catering.

Olive & Elm is the biggest of the four. Brothers Peter and Phil Hoff, who run NOLO's Kitchen & Bar in Minneapolis' North Loop, told Hometown Source they planned seating for 130 to 140 people inside and about 50 more on the patio. Phil lives in Chaska and Peter in Victoria. Peter Hoff described it to the paper as a gathering spot steps from home for residents of the 92-unit Wilford, and steps from downtown for everyone else. It isn't open yet, but it already appears on the Chamber's participant list for D.E.A.R. Day.

One change in town went the other way. J. Carver Distillery at 1300 Mill Lane, outside the downtown construction zone, wound down after 12 years. The Star Tribune's restaurant roll call reported that its cocktail room closed July 19 and that September 25 was the last day to buy bottles.

The Park Is the Last Piece

City Square Park closed after Nickle Dickle Day for what the city expected to be four to six weeks of work. Jon Haukaas, Waconia's public services director, said the job replaces the old lights, installs new electrical service wire and replaces some concrete walkways. The project's October 2 update said final restoration and the park lighting work were both still going, with more lighting work planned for the following week. Four to six weeks from late September puts reopening around the end of October or early November. The project updates page is the place to check before you head over.

The timing matters because the park hosts downtown's biggest late-fall event. According to Destination Waconia, the Waconia Fire Relief Association, the Lions Club and the American Legion each donated $5,000 in 2025 for holiday lighting in City Square Park and along Main and First streets. If the park work finishes on schedule, the November 27 tree lighting will be the first holiday season under the park's new lights.

Five Saturdays, a Sunday and a Friday, Halloween to Homespun

From this weekend through the Saturday after Thanksgiving, most downtown events land on Saturdays. The exceptions are a Sunday social at Lakeside Books and the Friday tree lighting.

Trick or Treat works as a scavenger hunt. A character named Boo hides in participating downtown businesses. Kids pick up a card, visit each stop, trick-or-treat along the way and bring the finished card to Coney's for free cotton candy. Costumes are encouraged and no registration is needed. It's the first time the event runs on the rebuilt sidewalks. Most of the route is on Main and First, both of which have been under construction at some point during the project.

D.E.A.R. Day, short for Divas Enjoying Awesome Retail, is run by the Waconia Chamber. It combines shopping, dining, deals at participating businesses and its own scavenger hunt. The 2026 participant list includes Coney's, Bode Gray's, Lakeside Books, Olive and Elm and Waconia Brewing Company. Two of those names, Coney's and Lakeside Books, didn't exist downtown a year ago.

Bookmark, Charm & Sip at Lakeside Books is an adults-only bookstore social with bookmark-making and a clean-energy drink. It's ticketed, so sign up ahead of time. The Saturday story times run half an hour and close out the month on November 28. That's the same morning as Homespun Holiday, so a family can stay downtown for the whole day.

Tree Lighting in the Park is short: 30 minutes. It includes cocoa, fires, caroling, llamas and a Nutcracker preview, and Santa arrives at 6:30 p.m. to light the park. Plan to arrive before 6, because the whole event runs on the half hour.

Homespun Holiday the next day is the Chamber's all-day, all-over-town shopping day, which it pairs with Small Business Saturday. Santa moves to the Waconia Fire Station. It's the last item on this fall's calendar and the first Small Business Saturday on finished streets for businesses that opened during the construction.

What Comes After November 28

Olive & Elm is the one change still to come. Its "coming this winter" line means downtown's largest new dining room should open within a few months of the construction ending, beside the parking lot at Elm and First that crews paved in September. The restaurant's site has a sign-up list for opening news.

A rebuilt downtown with new shops opening can change what a nearby home is worth, whether it's a block off First Street or out by the lake. If you'd like to know where your home stands now that downtown's streets are rebuilt, Eric and Sharla at Stafford Family Realtors would be glad to walk you through it. Get your complimentary home valuation.