At 20 S. State St., the oven that baked DiCarlo's pizza is now part of a Latin-inspired kitchen. Fat Arnie's Provecho opened there Thursday, Oct. 1, and its menu was planned partly around the equipment the old pizza shop left behind, oven included.

That oven is a good way into Westerville this month. Most of what's new this fall sits inside something that was already here: a former pizza kitchen, a former Winking Lizard, a former Miamar Grill, a historic barn, a beloved playground, the roof over the Community Center. October's calendar is full, and a fair amount of it is arranged around reuse and renovation.

Uptown's New Kitchen Started With Someone Else's Equipment

Fat Arnie's Provecho is the Beardman family's first standalone restaurant. Until now, they have run Fat Arnie's Sandwich Shop inside Rafters Beer Pub on Indianola Avenue in Clintonville. The Westerville location doesn't copy the sandwich shop. It focuses mostly on takeout and delivery, with limited seating, and a few Fat Arnie's sandwiches sit alongside a menu that is mostly new.

The empanadas came over from Clintonville. They are made in-house and hand-rolled daily, with fillings that include mojo pork and beef and cheese. Christopher Beardman runs the kitchen after time at Lindey's and Chapman's Eat Market. His brother Andrew handles marketing, social media and food prep. "Provecho" comes from an expression used across Latin America to wish someone an enjoyable meal.

The building isn't finished yet. Next door, The Blind Pour, a neighborhood bar that Chris Beardman is developing with Columbus radio personality Dino Tripodis, was still described as soon-to-open in The Westerville News' Oct. 1 coverage. Once it opens, guests seated at the bar will be able to order from the Provecho menu. In July, NBC4 reported that the bar was getting ready to launch within a month, so the timeline has moved, and the Oct. 1 coverage gave no opening date.

Up North State Street, the same pattern played out over the summer. Miamar Grill closed at 732 N. State St. on July 17, and by early August Aladdin's Eatery was serving customers in the space ahead of a planned remodel.

On Polaris Parkway, a Tavern Space Splits Into a Dining Room

Bombay House Restaurant & Bar opened Friday, Oct. 2, at 496 Polaris Pkwy. It took part of the former Winking Lizard space, not the whole thing. The Kondhare family, originally from Mumbai, owns it. At 4,800 square feet, it is built for sitting down, with a low-lit dining room, a full bar and handcrafted cocktails.

If you already know your butter chicken, tikka masala, dosas and biryanis, the more distinctive part of the menu is the Mumbai street food:

• Vada pav: a spiced potato fritter on a buttered bun with house-made chutneys
• Misal pav: sprouted lentils and spices
• Pav bhaji: a buttery spiced vegetable mash with toasted rolls
• Indo-Chinese dishes, along with gulab jamun and a brownie served sizzling at the table

The kitchen had already been tested before opening day. Bombay House catered a large order for Indian singer Shreya Ghoshal and her team during her Sept. 9 concert at Nationwide Arena. Carryout, delivery and catering are all available.

These two openings, one day apart, sit at opposite ends of town and serve different nights. Provecho is a carryout counter in Uptown. Bombay House is a destination dining room off Polaris. Both moved into kitchens another restaurant had already built.

Heritage Park Hosts the Month's Biggest Event While Its Barn Is Closed

The Great Westerville Pumpkin Glow runs Thursday through Sunday, Oct. 15 to 18, from 6:30 to 10 p.m. at Heritage Park, 60 N. Cleveland Ave. Tickets went on sale Sept. 13 through the City's Pumpkin Glow page.

This year the City is reworking the event's layout. The whole park will be used, and the glow trail will pick up in new places and spread out more. The City says there will be more artist-carved monster pumpkins than ever, and bumper cars and pumpkin riding are coming back. Glow-in-the-dark mini golf, inflatables, food trucks with pumpkin-themed treats, and fall-themed entertainment round it out. Some displays use flashing lights and fog. All exhibit trails and walking paths are ADA accessible.

Look up the street address for the Everal Barn and Homestead and you get the same number: 60 N. Cleveland Ave. The barn is closed for the rest of 2026 for a full interior renovation, which includes new insulation to protect the historic structure, new flooring, lighting and HVAC, ADA-compliant restrooms, and improved warming kitchens on both floors. Reservations aren't being taken through winter 2027, and the City says availability dates may change. So during the four Pumpkin Glow nights, the event fills Heritage Park around a landmark that is still under renovation.

The Rest of the Fence Line

The same reuse-and-repair work shows up across the parks and roads. Here's where each project stood as of the City's and County's latest posted updates:

• Millstone Creek Park Nature Play is open. The refurbishment of the City's first universally accessible playground added a wheelchair-accessible buddy swing, a chime forest, a creek overlook, and an edible sensory garden planted with herbs and fruit.
• Walnut Ridge Park, 529 E. Walnut St., was closed in the City's last update on July 8, playground and shelter included, with work continuing into fall. The plan calls for rebuilt ballfields, a full basketball court, a consolidated parking lot, new boardwalks and realigned trails.
• The Ohio to Erie Trail between Old County Line Road and Electric Avenue is being repaved. The project also adds flashing beacons at Park Street, College Avenue, Broadway Avenue, Old County Line Road and Hoff Road. The City's pages still show a July projection of a mid- to late-August reopening, so check the project page before planning a ride. The posted detour uses the Alum Creek, Cleveland Avenue and Polaris Parkway trails.
• The Community Center, 350 N. Cleveland Ave., has roof work in phases from September through November. Expect barricades, construction noise and part of the parking lot set aside for materials. The City expects very little impact indoors.
• The Cooper Road bridge over Noble Run has been fully closed since July 27. The Franklin County Engineer lists final completion for Oct. 23, and the project adds a sidewalk on the east side. That date is a posted target, not a confirmed reopening. Until then, the City's detour runs via Schrock Road and State Street.

This repair work is also happening alongside a longer-range plan. Wander Westerville, the public engagement campaign for the City's new Parks, Recreation and Open Space Master Plan, is collecting community input on future priorities. Details are at westerville.org/wander.

October, Date by Date

With the openings and closures sorted out, here's the rest of the month in order:

1. Saturday, Oct. 10, 9 a.m. to noon. The free Sustainable Westerville Repair Cafe and Resource Fair, listed on Uptown Westerville Inc.'s calendar. It fits a month built on fixing things up.
2. Thursday, Oct. 15, to Sunday, Oct. 18, 6:30 to 10 p.m. The Great Westerville Pumpkin Glow at Heritage Park. Tickets required.
3. Friday, Oct. 23, 6 to 9 p.m. Fourth Friday's Midnight Madness on State Street. It's the first Fourth Friday since Provecho opened on State Street, and also the date the County lists for Cooper Road's completion.
4. Thursday, Oct. 29, 6 to 8 p.m. Westerville Beggar's Night.

For a Pumpkin Glow night, dinner beforehand could be empanadas from State Street or vada pav off Polaris. Both kitchens belonged to other restaurants before this month.

Michelle has an interior-design background, so she looks at a reworked pizza kitchen or a barn renovation as a design project too. Notice how existing spaces are being reused, and how a community's landmarks get looked after over time. If you're thinking about what renovation could do for a home of your own in Westerville, Michelle Balzer is glad to talk it through. Schedule a personal market consultation.