Two dates bracket downtown Toppenish this fall. October 15 is the last day of the public season at the Northern Pacific Railway Museum and the American Hop Museum. November 28 is the Lighted Parade, which travels east on West First Avenue and turns north on South Toppenish Avenue. In between, crews are rebuilding the intersection where those two streets meet. The contractor's finish window runs from November 15 to December 2, and the parade falls inside it.
So for the next two months, the season has a shape. The museums get a last stretch of time downtown, then most of the calendar moves out toward Fort Road and a few other spots, and then everything comes back downtown on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Here is that shape laid out in order.
| Date | Event | Location | Part of town |
|---|---|---|---|
| Through Oct 15 | Hop Yard Treasure Hunt and the America250 hop baler display | American Hop Museum, 22 S. B St. | Downtown museums |
| Through Oct 15 | Public hours, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Northern Pacific Railway Museum, 10 Asotin Ave. | Downtown museums |
| Oct 10 | Howie Mandel, 8 p.m. | Legends Casino Hotel, 580 Fort Road | Fort Road |
| Oct 16 | Rooted Voices installation celebration, 5 to 7 p.m. | Petrie Hall, Heritage University, 3240 Fort Road | Fort Road |
| Oct 24 | Yakima Valley Bigfoot Con | Legends Casino Hotel, 580 Fort Road | Fort Road |
| Nov 5 | Ranch Party | Toppenish Middle School cafeteria | Around town |
| Nov 7 | Native Art Market, free | Legends Event Center, 580 Fort Road | Fort Road |
| Nov 19 | Learn & Speak IchishkÃin, 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. | Toppenish Library, 1 S. Elm St. | Around town |
| Nov 21 | Rodeo & Livestock Association Dinner & Auction | Toppenish Eagles | Around town |
| Nov 28 | Lighted Parade, 6 p.m. | W. First Ave. to S. Toppenish Ave. to the depot | Back downtown |
| Nov 28 to 29 | Toy Train Christmas | Northern Pacific Railway Museum, 10 Asotin Ave. | Back downtown |
What's Going On at First and Toppenish
The project is officially called the Downtown Intersection Improvements. It's paid for through the state Transportation Improvement Board's FY 2026 Complete Streets Program, which put $1,133,776 into it. The board's project page still listed it in the construction phase, with the most recent payment dated August 20, 2026. The project description covers roadway, sidewalks, curb ramps, crosswalks, a pedestrian push-button signal, and landscaping.
Interwest Construction Inc. is doing the work. NonStop Local reported in mid-September that construction had started about two weeks before the story ran and had closed the heart of downtown to through traffic. By then, crews had already torn out the old roadway. In a later update, the city said crews had finished removing the roadway at South Toppenish Avenue and West First Avenue and were putting in new water mains. That phase was expected to last about two more weeks before the next stage.
Daniel Musgrave, the city's interim public works director, listed the scope in plain terms. "Water main repairs, new traffic signals [will be] put in, some ADA compliant stuff with the ramps," he told the station, plus stamped concrete "to make it look a lot cleaner." He gave the contract timeline as "anywhere between November 15th to December 2nd." The station said the window had moved because the new traffic lights took a long time to arrive.
One more detail matters for anyone who shops or works downtown. Musgrave said some blocks would have to close while crews connect the new water lines, and businesses would get notice before those shutdowns. The city posts project updates on its Facebook page, ToppGovWA. No published source lists exactly which streets are closed on a given day, so that page is the one to check.
The Last Two Weeks of Museum Season
The museums are in the last stretch of their public season while all this is going on. Both run on the same schedule, May 1 through October 15.
The American Hop Museum at 22 South B Street has two things running until the 15th. The Hop Yard Treasure Hunt started September 25. You work your way through the exhibits and the history of the hop yard, finish the hunt, and pick up a prize. Public tours run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The museum is also hosting "Out of Many, One," a Washington State America250 display about a historic hand-wheel hop baler, which has been up since May 1 and comes down the same day. Admission is $8 for teens and adults, $5 for kids 6 to 12, and free for children 5 and under.
October 15 doesn't lock either building completely. The Hop Museum offers group tours all year. The Northern Pacific Railway Museum at 10 Asotin Avenue takes private tours booked in advance when docents are available. If you have guests coming in November and want to show them the depot, call ahead instead of just showing up.
Mid-October Through November, Most of the Calendar Moves to Fort Road
Once the museums close for the season, most of the listed events sit along Fort Road, outside the downtown core.
Heritage University kicks it off on October 16 with the Rooted Voices installation celebration, 5 to 7 p.m. at Petrie Hall, 3240 Fort Road. Legends Casino Hotel at 580 Fort Road has the biggest names on the fall schedule. Howie Mandel plays at 8 p.m. on October 10. Yakima Valley Bigfoot Con brings speakers and vendors to its main event on October 24, after a VIP gathering the night before in Union Gap. On November 7, Legends holds its Native Art Market in the Event Center. Visit Yakima's listing says it's free and everyone is welcome. The Legends Event Center also has fight nights. Live pro boxing is October 3 and Clinch Fight Club's MMA is November 14, with doors at 6 p.m. and the first fight at 7 both nights.
A few November events are in other parts of town and are smaller and more local. The chamber lists a Ranch Party on November 5 in the Toppenish Middle School cafeteria. The chamber calendar doesn't list a start time yet. On November 19, the Yakama Nation Language Program leads "Learn & Speak IchishkÃin" at the Toppenish Library, 1 S. Elm St., from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. It's open to all ages. Two days later, the Toppenish Rodeo & Livestock Association's Dinner & Auction is at the Toppenish Eagles. Social time starts at 5:30 p.m., and dinner and the live auction start at 7. The money goes to the rodeo grounds.
November 28 Brings Everything Back to the Same Intersection
The Lighted Parade is on the first Saturday after Thanksgiving, November 28 this year, starting at 6 p.m. According to the chamber, it lines up in the Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic parking lot, heads east on West First Avenue, turns north on South Toppenish Avenue, goes through downtown, and ends at the Northern Pacific Railway Museum depot.
That route runs right through the intersection the city announced as the center of the roadwork. November 28 also lands inside Musgrave's November 15 to December 2 window. No source so far says what condition the intersection will be in that night, or whether the parade route will be adjusted. The two schedules were published on their own, and as of late September nobody has publicly put them side by side. The chamber's parade page and the city's ToppGovWA Facebook page are the places to watch for an answer.
The museum reopens for the holidays that same weekend. Toy Train Christmas at the Northern Pacific Railway Museum runs November 28 and 29, with model trains, hands-on activities, and a train ride to see Santa. The chamber says it continues the next three Saturdays and Sundays before Christmas, and you can call 509-865-1911 for pricing.
The parade also goes up the block where Kraff's Clothing has its storefront, at 111 S. Toppenish Ave. Sales associate Jaden Santana told NonStop Local that the biggest change from the construction has been lost foot traffic. "We used to have foot traffic all the way through here with tourists and, you know, just locals just walking around Toppenish," he said. The store has been posting more on social media and taking more orders by phone. He also said he's excited to see what the project brings to downtown. Musgrave described the finished work as keeping "true to the roots of Toppenish's where the West still lives" and making the area "a lot better" and safer for both pedestrians and drivers.
A Plan for the Next Two Months
- Get to the museums by October 15. The treasure hunt, the hop baler display, and regular public hours at both museums all end that day.
- Check ToppGovWA before you head downtown. Businesses get notice before blocks close for the water main connections, and the city posts project updates there.
- Call downtown shops before driving over. Kraff's has been taking phone orders during the construction, so a quick call is an option when the barriers are up.
- Mark the Fort Road dates now. The Heritage University celebration on October 16 and the free Native Art Market on November 7 are both on Fort Road, outside downtown.
- Look for a route update in the week before November 28. The parade's published route goes through First and Toppenish, and the contract window is still open that night.
Brad brings hands-on construction and concrete experience to his real estate work, so a project like the one at First and Toppenish is the kind of thing our team follows closely. If you'd like a straight answer about how downtown changes like this one affect a Toppenish property you own or are thinking about buying, reach out to Brad Chandler. Find Your Next Home Today.
