The busiest part of the Heber-Overgaard Chamber of Commerce's October calendar runs from Friday, October 9, through Monday, October 12. The Chamber runs Oktoberfest and the car show on Friday and Saturday, American Legion Post 86 hosts a district chili cook-off on Sunday, and on Monday morning the Chamber holds a ribbon cutting for Gustava & Betty Soul Food Restaurant. The first three days happen on the same lawn at Tall Timbers Park. The fourth happens at 1882 State Route 260 in Heber, and it's the one still there once the tents come down.
That order shapes how the weekend plays out. The first three days are events, with set hours and a cleanup at the end. The fourth day adds a restaurant that plans to serve lunch and dinner every day of the week.
Four Days on One Calendar
| Day | Organizer | Event | Location | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, Oct. 9 | Heber-Overgaard Chamber of Commerce | Oktoberfest & Car Show | Tall Timbers Park, 2798 SR 260, Overgaard | 3 to 8 p.m. |
| Saturday, Oct. 10 | Heber-Overgaard Chamber of Commerce | Oktoberfest & Car Show | Tall Timbers Park | 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Sunday, Oct. 11 | American Legion Post 86 | District 6 Chili Cook-Off | Tall Timbers Park | 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| Monday, Oct. 12 | Heber-Overgaard Chamber of Commerce | Gustava & Betty Soul Food ribbon cutting and grand opening | Gustava & Betty Soul Food Restaurant, 1882 SR 260, Heber | 11 a.m. |
The park is already busy before the long weekend starts. Today, Saturday, October 3, the Chamber calendar lists a pickleball tournament at Tall Timbers Park starting at 8:30 a.m. That makes four of the next nine days with something on the calendar at the park.
Friday and Saturday Belong to the Chamber
Oktoberfest opens Friday afternoon with a shorter evening session. The Chamber's calendar lists the car show, the OMG Band from 3 to 8 p.m., a beer garden, and food and craft vendors. Since it ends at 8, Friday works as an after-work stop.
Saturday is the full day. The Chamber's event page lists the Highway 260 Band from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Kris Kane Trio from 1 to 5 p.m., the beer garden, food and craft vendors, and the Best in Show awards ceremony that closes out the car show. One planning note: a regional events listing gives a 10 a.m. start for Saturday, but the Chamber's own page says 9. The Chamber organizes the event, so its time is the one to plan around. If you're bringing someone to see the cars before the crowd builds, the Highway 260 Band set gives you a clear marker for the morning.
The car show lineup was set weeks ago. The Chamber's vendor and event application listed a $45 vehicle entry fee and an August 31, 2026, deadline. Anyone who missed it and still hopes to show a vehicle can reach the Chamber at [email protected] or 928-535-5777, the contact the flyer gives for car show entries. The Chamber's posted materials don't list a spectator admission price or a beneficiary. Call the same number before you go if either matters to you.
Saturday has one real scheduling conflict. GrowTogether HOCRN Community Garden is holding a winter gardening class from 2 to 3:30 p.m. that day in the Heber-Overgaard Fire Station meeting room at 2061 Lumber Valley Road. That overlaps the Kris Kane Trio's afternoon set. If you plan to put in cold-weather beds before the first hard freeze, you can split the day: the car show and the Highway 260 Band in the morning, the class in mid-afternoon, then back to the park for the awards.
Sunday the Lawn Turns Over to the Legion
The Chamber's two days end, and American Legion Post 86 takes over the same space on Sunday. The District 6 Chili Cook-Off runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Tall Timbers Park. It's a district event, so the competition reaches past Overgaard. The poster says the contest is open to all members of the American Legion, with Post 86 as host.
The details on the poster are short. Team registration is $25, event shirts are $25 each, trophies will be presented, and tasting tickets will be available. It doesn't give a tasting ticket price or competition categories. Even so, tasting tickets mean people who aren't Legion members can still eat and walk around, and on a mid-October Sunday at this elevation, a cup of chili is a reasonable reason to be outside at noon.
The cook-off also points to the Legion's regular schedule, which runs well past this weekend. Post 86, at 2068 Lumber Valley Road in Overgaard, holds Veterans Coffee Time on the first and third Wednesday of every month at 9 a.m. This month that means October 7 and October 21. The Chamber calendar also lists Veterans Outreach at the Legion on Thursday, October 15, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Monday the Weekend Leaves Something Behind
Most of the weekend ends with folding tables and a quiet park. Monday is different. At 11 a.m. on October 12, the Chamber is holding a ribbon cutting for Gustava & Betty Soul Food Restaurant at 1882 State Route 260 in Heber. The Chamber's flyer calls it a grand opening and names "Owner Executive Chef Tony."
The restaurant describes its own story in a sentence: "We've brought the heartfelt recipes of our family kitchen to the mountains of Heber, serving up authentic soul food crafted with love." Its website lists lunch and dinner from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., seven days a week. Online ordering was marked temporarily closed when we checked, so the menu isn't posted yet. Look for the full list of dishes after opening day, and check the hours then too, since a new kitchen sometimes adjusts its schedule in the first few weeks.
What stands out is the timing. The ribbon cutting is on the morning after three straight days of crowds in the park, and from then on the restaurant runs a daily schedule, Monday included. You can find it on the Gustava & Betty website or through its listing in the Heber-Overgaard Chamber directory.
It's also the second opening on SR 260 this month. Penny Pinchers AZ Thrift Store had its own Chamber grand opening and ribbon cutting on October 1 at 2921 State Route 260 in Overgaard. Within twelve days, two new storefronts on the highway will have opened with the Chamber holding the scissors.
After the Twelfth, the Calendar Turns Toward Halloween
Once the long weekend is over, the Chamber calendar goes back to meetings and regular gatherings until the end of the month:
- Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2 to 3 p.m. HOCRN monthly meeting.
- Wednesday, Oct. 14, 5:30 p.m. Chamber of Commerce monthly meeting.
- Thursday, Oct. 15, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Veterans Outreach at the American Legion.
- Wednesday, Oct. 21, 9 to 11 a.m. Veterans Coffee Time at Post 86.
- Saturday, Oct. 31, 5 to 7 p.m. The 20th annual Trunk-or-Treat at Tall Timbers Park.
The Trunk-or-Treat brings everyone back to the park three weeks after Oktoberfest. The Chamber's listing promises candy, a cake walk, hay rides, free "Frankenfurters," free hot chocolate, and contests for best decorated car trunk and best costume. Twenty years makes it one of the steadier fixtures on the town calendar. It falls on a Saturday this year, and the 5 to 7 p.m. window ends early enough for small children.
For anyone heading into the forest between events, the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest alerts page currently shows low fire danger in all five ranger districts and no fire restrictions. That notice dates from July 17, 2026, so check the Forest Service alerts page again before lighting a campfire or a camp stove. The full calendar, including any November additions, is on the Chamber's events page. For more on how civic groups keep the town running, see our piece on the four months Heber-Overgaard went without a doctor and our Heber-Overgaard neighborhood page.
If family is coming up for Oktoberfest weekend and wants to see more of the Rim than Tall Timbers Park, or if a Monday lunch on SR 260 has you thinking about a place of your own nearby, Jennifer M Knaust would be glad to talk through it with you. Let's Connect.
