"His heirs and assigns forever pay one Red Rose, on the 24th day of June, if same be demanded." That line comes from the deed tied to the 5,000 acres granted to William Penn III, as Penn Township's history of the Red Rose Inn tells it. The building that carries the name still stands at the corner of Route 796 and Baltimore Pike. The township owns it, and this fall it hosts two of the season's most distinctive evenings.
You won't find them on the West Grove Borough calendar. They sit on Penn Township's. The Halloween trunk-or-treat is on London Grove Township's. The ghost stories are on Avon Grove Library's, and the Friday live music is on Stubborn Goat Brewing's. Every one of these places uses a West Grove, PA 19390 mailing address. No single calendar holds all of them.
One Zip Code, Five Calendars
Here is what fills October and November, and who keeps each list.
| Venue | Address | Calendar it lives on | Fall 2026 dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goddard Park and London Grove Township Building | 568 Wickerton Road; 372 Rose Hill Road | London Grove Township | Oct 8, Oct 21, Nov 14 |
| Penn Township Park and Township Building | 260 Lewis Road | Penn Township | Oct 10, Nov 7 |
| Red Rose Inn | 804 W. Baltimore Pike | Penn Township | Oct 24, Nov 29 |
| Avon Grove Library | 117 Rosehill Avenue | Avon Grove Library | Oct 20, Oct 22, Oct 29 |
| Stubborn Goat Brewing | 122 Rosehill Avenue | Stubborn Goat Brewing | Oct 23, Nov 14 |
| West Grove Museum | 513 Prospect Avenue | West Grove Borough | Nov 1 |
All three London Grove dates come from one volunteer group. The London Grove Friends of the Park, a 501(c)(3), hosts Dog Days, Trunk or Treat and the Turkey Trot, according to the township's Fall 2026 newsletter. Penn Township runs things differently. Its events come through a township event coordinator, and the Red Rose Inn open houses are hosted by its Historical Commission. Because the organizers are different, the dates were never planned around each other. That explains both the quiet stretches and the week that gets crowded.
Early October Belongs To The Townships
The season starts outside the borough. Dog Days of London Grove runs Thursday, October 8, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at the Goddard Park dog park. The flyer lists pet vendors, guests from local rescues with adoptable animals, and "all dogs welcome." If you work days, the 4 p.m. start is tight. Ninety minutes is the whole event.
Two days later, on Saturday, October 10, the Penn Township Fall Festival runs from noon to 4 p.m. at 260 Lewis Road. The township's 2026 event schedule promises music, food trucks and fall activities. It also notes that details are subject to change and names an event coordinator for questions.
After that, the township and brewery calendars go quiet for more than a week, and the library fills the gap. Its October calendar lists an Adult Book Club on Thursday, October 15, at 6:30 p.m., and Halloween Movie Trivia on Monday, October 19, at 6 p.m.
The Week Of October 20
Then four calendars stack up over five straight days:
- Tuesday, October 20, 6:30 p.m. Kenneth Serfass presents "Railroad Ghost Stories" at Avon Grove Library.
- Wednesday, October 21, 6 to 8 p.m. Trunk or Treat at the London Grove Township Building, 372 Rose Hill Road. The flyer bills it as candy, costumes and community.
- Thursday, October 22, 3 p.m. Paint-Your-Own Pumpkin back at the library.
- Friday, October 23, 6 to 9 p.m. Dancing Goat plays live at Stubborn Goat Brewing.
- Saturday, October 24. Autumn at the Inn at the Red Rose Inn.
A household with kids could do the library on Tuesday, a costume run on Wednesday and pumpkins on Thursday without leaving a short loop of West Grove addresses. The adults get Friday on Rosehill Avenue. The library at 117 and the brewery at 122 are numbers apart on the same street, so the library's programs page and the brewery's event listings cover a lot of the same walking distance.
Stubborn Goat is the newest name here. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported in December 2025 that the brewery opened in West Grove that year, with craft beer, food and a live music lineup. The same article said a Kennett Square location was planned for 2026. The address has some history of its own. A 2022 announcement planned a Blondes & Brewnettes taproom at 122 Rose Hill Avenue, so the idea of a taproom on that block is a few years older than the one that's open now.
The week ends on Saturday at the Red Rose Inn, the most unusual stop of the season.
Why The Red Rose Inn Is The Stop To Make
Penn Township bought the inn in 2011 after it had sat vacant for several years. It had two reasons: to preserve a landmark, and to get room to improve the "Red Rose Intersection." Restoration started in 2016. The township removed the additions that earlier owners had built and left the original building standing. The Historical Commission then worked to bring the interior back toward its earlier look.
If you remember the inn as a restaurant and bar, you may remember the mural. Maryland artist John Moll painted William Penn receiving the symbolic red rose on an 18-by-6-foot canvas in the 1960s, and it hung in the main dining room. When the township bought the building, Supervisor Curtis Mason removed the canvas and stored it in the township building. In summer 2019, London Grove Framing mounted it in a structural frame. A 20-foot produce truck from Yates Produce of Penn Township carried it back to the inn, where it was reinstalled. County Lines magazine described the building as a house museum in 2025.
The building's age depends on the source. Penn Township's history says the standing structure was "allegedly" built by Samuel Cross between 1731 and 1740, with a tavern license on record in 1762. The 2025 County Lines piece calls it an 1808 building. The township's account also says the inn reopened as a hotel under the Red Rose Inn name in 1927, and that during World War II the National Fireworks Company used it to house 45 female employees.
Autumn at the Inn is listed as a free, family-friendly, fall-themed open house from 5 to 7 p.m. on October 24, with no tickets or reservations. The township's own schedule lists the date but gives a general tour time of noon to 2 p.m. for its open-house days. Call the township office at 610-869-9620 to confirm the hours before you go. The same number books group or private tours.
The inn ties into Penn Township's America250 programming too. In 2026 the township held a local history lecture series under that banner, covering the Lenape and William Penn, the Underground Railroad, and local covered bridges. The year's Red Rose Rent Day open house took place August 2.
November Spreads Back Out
After October 24, the calendars thin out again and take turns.
- Thursday, October 29, 5 to 7 p.m. "ExPoe – An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe" at the library, a preview of the Avon Grove Charter School fall play.
- Sunday, November 1, noon to 3 p.m. The West Grove Museum at 513 Prospect Avenue is open. It is the one date in this lineup on the borough's own calendar.
- Saturday, November 7, 9 a.m. to noon. Penn Township's Shred It & E-Recycling drive-thru. Paper shredding is limited to three boxes or bags per vehicle and electronics to 60 pounds. Collection stops at noon or when the trucks fill. The township says no proof of residency is required, so anyone in the zip code can come, whichever municipality they live in.
- Saturday, November 14. The busiest day of the month uses two calendars. The Friends of the Park Turkey Trot 5K at Goddard Park opens registration at 9 a.m. and starts at 10. Winners get a frozen turkey, and awards go out for things like funniest outfit and brightest lights. That evening, Ten String Duo plays Stubborn Goat from 6 to 9 p.m.
- Sunday, November 29, 2 to 5 p.m. Light Up the Inn, the Red Rose Inn's last open house of the year. The tree and the building are lit at dusk. FreCom, Inc. sponsors it, and admission is free with no reservations.
Penn Township's Letters to Santa program also starts November 23. Children can mail letters at the township and get a personal reply through December 17. That makes November 29 a good day to cover both. Drop off a letter at 260 Lewis Road, then drive to 804 W. Baltimore Pike before dusk to see the inn lit up.
When you live in West Grove, you quickly learn your mailing address doesn't always tell you which township you're in, and that matters for more than event calendars. If you're not sure which municipality your home is in, or you'd like to know what that means for you, Diego Reyes & Associates will walk you through it, in English or Spanish. Let's Work Together.
