Edmond's Fall Runs From Broadway to 15th Street: Cycle 66, the Last Heard on Hurd, and a New East-Side Y

Edmond's fall calendar this year starts and finishes in two different places. It opens on Sunday, Oct. 4, with a bicycle race through the blocks around Broadway and 1st Street. It closes on Nov. 16, when a new YMCA opens at 4701 E. 15th St., just east of I-35. The two are directly linked. Proceeds from the 2026 Cycle 66 ride will help pay for a borrow-a-bike program at that new Y.

That means October's biggest downtown event is helping fund the east side's newest public building. Here's how the seven weeks between those two dates work for anyone who already lives here.

Sunday, Oct. 4: Downtown Turns Into a Racecourse

Cycle 66 is a Route 66 Centennial ride, and the City of Edmond is billing this year's edition as its largest. Organizers say the 2025 ride drew cyclists from a dozen states. Jennifer Thornton, a Cycle 66 board member and Edmond's tourism director, framed 2026 as the target the event has been "working towards since Cycle 66 started five years ago."

Every route leaves downtown at 7 a.m. and comes back to the same finish line. These are the round-trip options:

The city calls the Stroud ride 100 miles. The BikeReg registration page lists it as 102 miles in its distance column, so riders choosing the long route should plan for a little extra. General registration costs $66 and includes a T-shirt. The 1-mile kids' ride is free for children 12 and under. BikeReg lists the kids' ride at 10:30 a.m.

The part of the day that matters most to people who don't ride is the Crit @ Cycle 66. It's a closed-course race through downtown streets from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and it's free to watch. This year it's also the USA Cycling 2026 Oklahoma Criterium State Championship, so the field will include some of the state's most competitive racers. Tony Steward, a Cycle 66 volunteer, invited spectators to "cheer on the cyclists while they enjoy brunch or beer in our beautiful downtown." Tour riders and crit racers share one finish line on Broadway between 1st Street and Main Street.

Packet pickup is at Frenzy Brewing, 15 S. Broadway. Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3, and from 6 a.m. on race morning.

The Closures, Street by Street

Anyone who parks, shops or lives near downtown should plan around the closures. Some streets close at 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, and stay closed until 6 p.m. Sunday, and every street on the course will be closed by 5 a.m. Sunday. The city posted warning signs the week of Sept. 27. Vehicles left parked along the course will be towed.

These streets are closed:

• Broadway, between 2nd Street and Campbell
• 1st Street, between the railroad tracks and S. Boulevard
• E. Main Street, between S. Oschner Drive and S. Boulevard
• E. Hurd Street, between S. Oschner Drive and S. Boulevard
• E. Campbell Street, between S. Oschner Drive and S. Boulevard
• Southbound Boulevard, which cuts Boulevard to two lanes between Campbell and 1st Street

Public parking is free throughout downtown for both riders and spectators. The city recommends coming into downtown from the west and north. Most of the closures sit east of Broadway, so that advice amounts to leaving the Boulevard side of downtown to the race.

Saturday, Oct. 17: Heard on Hurd's Last Night of the Season

Two weeks after the race, downtown returns to its usual third-Saturday pattern for the last time this year. Heard on Hurd's 2026 season started March 21 and ends Oct. 17. It runs from 6 to 10 p.m. on Broadway north of 2nd Street and is free, with food trucks, local shops and live music.

We covered how the third Saturday fits with the Railyard and Arcadia Lake in our late-summer Edmond guide. This October has one new stop within walking distance. The Barlor, a wine bar serving cocktails, mocktails, small bites and charcuterie, opened in May at 26 W. Hurd St. That makes it a sit-down option one block off the festival for a group that wants dinner before the music starts or after it ends.

Nov. 16: Why the New Building Sits Where It Does

The new building at 4701 E. 15th St. is a joint project of the City of Edmond, the YMCA of Greater Oklahoma City and the Metro Library System. Henderson Hills Baptist Church is sharing an entrance off 15th Street and an existing parking lot. The Journal Record reported in September that the Kupiec East Edmond YMCA is scheduled to open Nov. 16. Metro Library lists the East Edmond Library as opening in November 2026.

The city's project page gives two reasons for the building. It describes the Edmond library as "the busiest branch in the state." It also says the YMCA wants a facility closer in size to the Mitch Park YMCA, which the city calls the busiest of the Y's 14 branches in the Greater OKC area. In other words, the new building takes pressure off two of the busiest facilities in the metro. The city also explains the choice of site:

"The location is near the geographic center of Edmond and was chosen to serve the community as the population continues to expand east of I-35."

The budget shows how much of the project the city is carrying. The construction budget is $31.64 million: $30 million from the city, $1.5 million from the YMCA and $140,000 from the library. Land cost another $3.85 million and design $3.12 million. Over the life of a long-term lease, the YMCA is expected to repay the city about $12 million. As of the city's July 29, 2026 update, the contractor was still on track to finish in November.

What's Inside

On the YMCA side: design plans from the project architect include a recreational pool, a lap pool, a splash pad, a full-size gym with a track, open fitness areas, group-exercise studios and child-watch space. Outside, plans call for a playground, outdoor programming areas and a public plaza. Connections to Edmond's public trail system are planned for a later phase.

On the library side: Metro Library lists print and digital collections, public technology access, programs for all ages, multipurpose meeting rooms, drive-through pickup and return, and a holds locker in the lobby.

The bikes: Cycle 66 funds will support a borrow-a-bike program at the new Y. The YMCA hasn't yet published fleet size, hours or checkout rules, so check with the Y once it opens.

The 15th Street Corridor Was Already Changing

The new building isn't the only recent opening on 15th Street. Cheba Hut opened Aug. 31 at 1389 E. 15th St. in Spring Creek Plaza, serving toasted subs, sides and desserts, with a full-service bar and a patio. It took over the address where Louie's Grill & Bar operated until its closing was announced in April after 20 years. On the far east side, Bulk Refillery at 239 S. Coltrane Road held a Chamber ribbon cutting in September. It sells refillable bulk food, household and personal-care products.

So the dates line up like this. On Oct. 4, Broadway closes for a race whose registration fees go partly to the Oklahoma Route 66 Association and partly to the YMCA. On Oct. 17, Heard on Hurd wraps its season. On Nov. 16, the Y side of a $31.64 million civic building opens near what the city calls the geographic center of Edmond, with bikes paid for in part by the October race. For a broader look at how these parts of town fit together, our Edmond neighborhood page and our piece on what it's like to live in Edmond are good places to start.

At The Aguilar Group, we follow projects like the 15th Street library and YMCA because they change how Edmond's neighborhoods connect to each other. If you're wondering how the new building could affect daily life or home values near your street, east or west of I-35, we're happy to talk it through. Work With Us.