CHEVIOT, Ohio — For over a century, the Harvest Home Fair has been a west side tradition, and its 166th year is kicking off this week.
“I grew up coming to the fair; my parents took me, my grandparents took my parents,” said Alex March, the secretary for the Harvest Home Fair Association. “A lot of people involved in the fair have stories like that, and it’s just kinda our blood; it’s part of who we are.”
WATCH: Crews get ready to kick off the 166th annual Harvest Home Fair, what's new this year
On Wednesday, fair crews kicked off the fair season with a lunch and made sure all the final touches were ready.
“We draw probably 6,000 people that watch the parade, so it's a big, big day in Cheviot,” said Mike Huhn, the parade chairman of the Harvest Home Fair. “It’s always called the biggest little parade in Ohio, and I think we’re the biggest parade in Ohio now. It’ll be every bit of 2 hours, 2 hours 15 minutes.”
The parade kicks off the entire fair weekend, which goes until Sunday night.
“We have a lot of rides as you can see, games, music, the exhibits, 4-H animals; we’ve got a horse demonstration going on all throughout the weekend. So, come all 3 days; there’s a lot of stuff going on,” March said.
For many on the west side, the fair is more than the fun and games — it’s a place to celebrate community and old friends.
“For most people, it's where you run into your friends once a year, cause everybody's at Harvest Home. And that's the truth, even the ones you went to grade school or high school with, you’re gonna see them at Harvest Home,” Huhn said.
As the Harvest Home Fair kicks off its 166th year, it holds onto the tradition it is for the west side, but it's also bringing in some new elements this year.
“You can buy tickets online, so if you go to harvesthomefair.com, you can actually buy tickets there. You can buy a whole weekend pass if you know you’re gonna come all 3 days,” March said. “You got a lot of new games this year; the carousel is new as well.”
Thursday’s parade starts at 6 p.m. Roads on the parade route will close at 5:15 pm. The fair will then be open until 10 p.m. Thursday, and then throughout the weekend until Sunday night. For the full hours and admission costs, you can click here.
