MONROE UNFILTERED: THE DAILY BUZZ | Oct. 9
Garlic Is Back, Plus Five Overlooks for Peak Foliage
Friday, October 9, 2026
WEEKEND WEATHER
Fall is showing off this weekend, and the forecast mostly cooperates. Today is sunny with a high near 70°F after a chilly start in the low 40s, and just a 4 percent chance of rain. Bring a jacket for tonight’s plans, including the Friday Night Fall Festival at Kettle Creek and the Warped Tour band at the Sherman.
Saturday is the pick of the weekend: mostly sunny, a high near 70°F, and only a 6 percent chance of rain. If you are going to chase leaf color, this is the day, and this week’s Five Best of Monroe has five spots to do it.
Sunday is where it turns. Rain looks likely and may hold off until the afternoon, with a high somewhere in the upper 50s to upper 60s. If you are headed to the Food Truck Festival or Quiet Valley, go early, and note the HarvestFest car show does not start until 2 p.m. Monday, Columbus Day, starts with a chance of lingering showers, then tops out in the upper 60s to low 70s.
GARLIC IS COMING BACK
Garlic, the Stroudsburg favorite a lot of you have been missing, is coming back. Restaurateur Michael Tepedino announced in a Facebook video that Garlic will reopen Monday, Nov. 2, at 27 Washington St. in East Stroudsburg, with Tepedino back in the kitchen as chef.
The new Garlic will take over the Bib’s Ribs space. According to Tepedino’s post, Bib’s Ribs closes Sunday, Nov. 1. Tepedino says the menu will lean on steaks, seafood and Italian, and that it will be more affordable than before.
The original Garlic Restaurant & Bar sat at 907 Main St. in Stroudsburg, serving steaks, seafood and new American dishes, with a patio and a happy hour. It has been around for at least a decade, and it has since closed. Its website now reads “Coming Soon.” We can vouch that Garlic’s pop-up at Taste 154 was a success, which may be where this comeback started.
Tepedino has been at the center of East Stroudsburg’s comeback for years. Before Garlic, he ran Liquid, the upscale martini and tapas lounge that later moved into the space beside Trackside Station Grill & Bar on Crystal Street, another of his restaurants. He also runs Taste 154 on Washington Street and Bib’s Ribs, the barbecue joint Garlic is taking over.
My mother-in-law, Dorothy, is going to miss Bib’s Ribs, and if you will too, here is our Sept. 4 look at the five best barbecue joints in Monroe County.
Personally, I’m looking forward to the eggplant at Garlic. We’ll pass along details as soon as we have them.
THE DAILY RUNDOWN
Stroudsburg Moves to Slow Down West Main Street. Stroudsburg Borough Council voted unanimously Tuesday (Oct. 6) to start the process of lowering the speed limit on West Main Street from 35 to 25 mph near Stroudsburg High School and B.F. Morey Elementary, according to the Pocono Record. The motion lets the borough engineer ask PennDOT to begin the change. Council President Matt Abell called 35 mph “unheard of” for a school zone and said the idea came from Michael Schroder through the council’s Codes Committee. It would match the 25 mph limit on the rest of Main Street and the Veterans Memorial Bridge. We previewed the vote in our Oct. 6 edition, when the agenda did not say which stretch council had in mind. A lower number on a sign only means something if the drivers already using that stretch actually slow down, and we have not seen a plan for enforcing it.
Verizon Wants a Cell Tower at Shawnee Square. Smithfield Township has scheduled a conditional use hearing for Wednesday, Oct. 14, on a request from Verizon Wireless to build a cell tower at 107 Shawnee Square Drive. The township’s project page describes a 130-foot monopole with a 4-foot lightning rod, 134 feet in all, on Shawnee Square property in an R-1 low-density residential zoning district. The Planning Commission reviewed the application Oct. 8, and the township lists a Nov. 2 deadline. Supervisors hold the hearing at their Oct. 14 meeting, which is streamed on YouTube and open by Zoom or in person at 1155 Red Fox Rd. Supervisors’ regular meetings start at 6 p.m.
FIVE BEST OF MONROE: SCENIC OVERLOOKS FOR PEAK FOLIAGE
The leaves are making their move. The Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau expects peak color Oct. 10 to 17 in the central zone, which includes northern Monroe, and Oct. 20 to 28 in southern Monroe. Right now the central zone is at about 65 percent color and the south is closer to 30 percent. With a sunny Saturday ahead, here are our five picks for Monroe County overlooks.
Big Pocono Overlook at Big Pocono State Park: Best Overall. The summit of Camelback Mountain gives you views across three states. Travel company Exoticca ranked it Pennsylvania’s top fall viewpoint and tenth in the nation in a survey of 3,012 travelers, according to MyChesCo. The park is open sunrise to sunset and closes in early December. The road up is steep, so take it slow.
Camelback Rd, Tannersville, PA 18372
Knob Overlook in Mount Pocono: Best Drive-Up View. A roadside pull-off with far-reaching views of the eastern Poconos, Big Pocono State Park and Camelback Mountain, and on a clear day you can see into New Jersey and New York, which is the one view some of our locals could do without. Saturday’s forecast should deliver.
Knob Rd, Mount Pocono, PA 18344
Resort Point Overlook: Best Water Gap View. An easy pull-off along Route 611 in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, near the ruins of the old Kittatinny House and Water Gap House hotels. Southern Monroe is not expected to peak until Oct. 20 to 28, and it is only about 30 percent there now, so this weekend you will catch it early and next weekend or the one after is the better bet.
Route 611, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, PA 18327
Chestnut Mountain Nature Preserve: Best Quiet Pick. A 2.8-mile loop to a small overlook with views of the Pocono Plateau and ridges including Spruce Mountain and Skytop’s West Mountain. It is open dawn to dusk. The gate is usually locked, so park along Route 191, and there are no facilities.
Route 191, Barrett Township (near Mountainhome), PA 18342
Shawnee Mountain Scenic Chairlift: Best No-Hike View. Chairlift rides run $10 per person this weekend during the Pocono Food Truck Festival, so you can see the leaves from above and then go find a funnel cake.
401 Hollow Rd, East Stroudsburg, PA 18301
Roads and trails can close without notice, so check before you go.
GET OUT: THE WEEKEND ITINERARY
Thank you to the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau for sourcing our weekend lineups. Their events calendar did the legwork so you don’t have to. Here are our picks:
The Pocono Food Truck Festival at Shawnee Mountain, East Stroudsburg. Funnel cakes, pierogies, corn dogs, ice cream, fried chicken, crab cakes and fresh lemonade, plus craft sales, music and a kids area. Sat. 10/10 and Sun. 10/11, 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for kids 12 and under in advance, or $10 and $8 at the gate, and kids 46 inches and under are free. Parking is free, and scenic chairlift rides are $10. Saturday is the drier day. 401 Hollow Rd.
Quiet Valley Harvest Festival at Quiet Valley Living Historical Farm, Stroudsburg. Candle dipping, scrapple making, tanning, spinning and weaving, one-room school presentations, a Civil War encampment, wagon rides and a quilt raffle. Sat. 10/10 and Sun. 10/11, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. $18 for adults, $10 for ages 3 to 12. 347 Quiet Valley Rd.
Lost in Time Car Club’s HarvestFest Car Show at The Flame Bistro, East Stroudsburg. The club’s car show benefits Bushkill Outreach, with a DJ, food, trophies, a 50/50 raffle and a tricky tray. Sun. 10/11, starting at 2 p.m. Registration is $20, paid the day of the event. Showers are likely Sunday afternoon, so note the rain date: the following Sunday, 10/18. 422 Seven Bridge Rd.
Friday Night Fall Festival at Kettle Creek Environmental Education Center, Stroudsburg. The Monroe County Conservation District hosts an all-ages evening built around the season and nocturnal animals, ending with a night hike and fireside s’mores. Bring a flashlight, and costumes are encouraged. Fri. 10/9, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. $5 per person, adult or child, and you sign up in advance through the Conservation District. 8050 Running Valley Rd.
Warped Tour Band at Sherman Theater, Stroudsburg. A tribute night of emo and pop-punk favorites from Fall Out Boy, Taking Back Sunday, My Chemical Romance, Blink-182 and Green Day. Fri. 10/9, doors at 7 p.m., show at 8. $25 to $41.05 with fees, all ages. 524 Main St.
Neil Simon’s Last of the Red Hot Lovers at Shawnee Playhouse, Shawnee on Delaware. The comedy finishes its run this weekend. Fri. 10/9 at 2 p.m., Sat. 10/10 at 7 p.m., and Sun. 10/11 at 3 p.m. $25 for adults, $20 for seniors, $16 for ages 17 and under, plus fees. Meal and show tickets are available. 552 River Rd.
The Haunted Do It In The Dark Tour at The Haunted Candle Shoppe of the Poconos, Swiftwater. A paranormal history tour led by Pocono Joe with access to the laboratory and, for the first time in 128 years, according to the venue, the attic of one of the area’s most haunted historic homes. The special tour runs Sat. 10/10 and again Oct. 17, 23 and 30. $25 per person, with reservations at MyCandleShoppe.com. 1900 PA-611.
The Curse of Camelback at Camelback Mountain Adventures, Tannersville. The returning Halloween attraction turns Camelbeach into a make-believe post-apocalyptic outbreak zone. Fri. 10/9 and Sat. 10/10, 6 p.m. to midnight, and Sun. 10/11, 6 to 10 p.m., now through Nov. 8. Tickets from $30, sold online.
Have a great weekend, Monroe County, and keep an eye on the sky Sunday.