Last Week in Carlisle | September 21 through 27, 2026 | Slashed Judge Seats, Banned AI Art, and a Disco-Fueled Campus Bash

If you were busy enjoying the fall weather last week and couldn’t keep up, don’t worry! Here’s your quick and easy roundup of the biggest news and events that shaped Carlisle.

Last Week’s Top Stories at a Glance

• County Court Changes: Officials released a plan to cut one magisterial judge seat and adjust coverage areas.
• Harvest of the Arts: Downtown hosted over 100 artists with a strict ban on AI-generated artwork.
• Cross Country Invitational: Over 1,400 runners competed on a newly modified trail to avoid campus construction.
• Bison Football: Carlisle’s varsity team fought hard but lost a tight 28-21 Friday night game.
• Dickinson College Life: Students published a digital Latin report and danced at a disco-themed formal.
• Red Devils Sports: Dickinson’s field hockey and men’s soccer teams battled through a mixed week of wins, losses, and a scoreless draw.

Cumberland County Court and Zoning Proposals

Local governance made waves on Monday, September 21, when Cumberland County officials released a proposal to restructure magisterial district judge coverage areas. The plan suggests cutting one local judge seat while rebalancing the caseloads for nearby municipal courts based on population trends. On that same day, nearby Middlesex Township supervisors announced an October 7 public hearing to discuss proposed zoning revisions for both commercial and residential solar energy setups.

44th Annual Harvest of the Arts Festival

Downtown Carlisle was packed on Saturday, September 26, for the 44th Annual Harvest of the Arts festival. Sponsored by M&T Bank, the rain-or-shine event stretched along West High Street from Hanover to College Street, featuring over 100 juried artists. To protect genuine human craftsmanship, festival organizers enforced a strict rule banning all AI-generated artwork from the showcase. Families explored Kids’ Alley on North Pitt Street, car lovers checked out vintage European sports cars, and Carlisle Bakehouse joined the fun with a Gilmore Girls-themed fall coffee.

33rd Annual Cross Country Invitational

Carlisle High School hosted over 1,400 student-athletes from four different states on Saturday for the 33rd Annual Carlisle Cross Country Invitational. Because of major ongoing construction across the campus, organizers smartly tweaked the middle mile of the Travis Trail to keep runners safe. Despite the changes, the course kept its exact 5,000-meter length, hilly terrain, and stadium track finish. The event featured a new $20 per athlete entry fee, and West Virginia’s University High School alongside New Jersey’s Ocean City High School took top team finishes in the Challenge Division.

Carlisle High School Football Battle

Under the Friday night lights on September 25, the Carlisle High School varsity football team hosted a tough conference rival, Central Dauphin East. The Thundering Herd mounted a spirited second-half comeback drive to keep the contest tight right down to the final whistle. Ultimately, Carlisle came up just short, falling 28-21 to the Panthers. This brings Carlisle’s overall record to 1-4 for the season, and they’ll look to bounce back when they travel to play Harrisburg on Saturday, October 3.

Dickinson College Academics and Disco Formal

Dickinson College had a very active week both in the classroom and in the dance hall. On September 22, the Dickinson Classical Commentaries project published a digital humanities report highlighting the work of 96 high school interns studying ancient Latin and Greek texts. Off the field, the Multi-Organizational Board hosted a free, disco-themed All-College Formal on Saturday night. Students dressed up in bright, warm colors and enjoyed a lively evening of dancing, music, and a free charcuterie spread in the HUB Social Hall.

Dickinson Red Devils Fall Sports Action

It was a busy week on the field for Dickinson athletics as fall action heated up. The field hockey team rolled to a dominant 4-0 non-conference road win against Juniata College on September 23, but later lost 2-0 to #13 Ursinus College on September 26. Meanwhile, the men’s soccer team suffered a narrow 1-0 loss to Juniata, but bounced back on Saturday to grind out a 0-0 conference draw at Washington College. That draw was highlighted by goalkeeper Gavin Marr, who secured a clean sheet to protect the tie.

Looking Ahead in Carlisle

From street festivals protecting human artists to intense high school football games, last week showed off the vibrant community spirit that makes Carlisle great. It’s always rewarding to see neighbors, students, and visitors gather together to support local arts and cheer on student-athletes. As we move deeper into October, we can look forward to even more local gatherings, crisp weather, and exciting matchups ahead.

SOURCES: https://cumberlink.com/news/local/collection\_0640c5d6-db92-53dd-bd6b-317b04d00737.html, https://www.festivalsinpa.com/festival/335/44th-annual-harvest-of-the-arts-festival, https://harrisburg.macaronikid.com/articles/6ab52cf3bcd9fe402b1c938b/downtown-carlisles-huge-art-festival-has-a-whole-alley-just-for-kids, https://pa.milesplit.com/meets/768069-33rd-annual-carlisle-invitational-2026/info, https://www.maxpreps.com/pa/carlisle/carlisle-bison/football/, https://dickinsonathletics.com/sports/field-hockey/schedule/2026, https://dickinsonathletics.com/schedule.aspx?path=msoc&season=2026, https://blogs.dickinson.edu/dcc/2026/09/, https://www.dickinson.edu/events/event/33094/, https://www.facebook.com/61574648030118/videos/were-celebrating-our-1st-annual-harvest-of-the-arts-festival-with-a-whole-lot-of/1619409819851672/