CHEVIOT, Ohio — The 2022 Harvest Home Fair kicks off festivities with the annual parade on Thursday night, followed by free admission to the fair into the evening.
The parade steps off at 6 p.m. Thursday evening and many Harvest Home enthusiasts began staking out their spot along the route as early as the day before.
Staging for the hundreds of floats expected in the parade will start at 4 p.m. along the side streets of Cheviot. Portions of Bridgetown Road, Harrison Avenue, Washington Avenue, Davis Avenue, St. Ann Place and Homelawn Avenue will be closed for the parade preparations.
After Thursday, the fair will be open Friday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday from noon until 11 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 8 p.m. Admission for those days will be $5 per person. Children aged 12 and under get free admission.
The theme of the 2022 Harvest Home Fair, which has existed in some form since before the Civil War, is "The Tradition Continues," according to a press release from organizers.
The festival will feature its traditional rides, games, live music, hobby competition, an art show, a flower show, a 4H exhibit. Added new in 2021, the artisan market that features local crafters and the 1869 Red Stockings will also return for the 2022 fair.
The fair returned in 2021 after canceling in 2020 for the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2021, organizers said a years-long shortage of new volunteers could put the historic event's future in limbo; aging volunteers struggling to keep up with the annual demands of putting the fair together needed younger people to step in and help shoulder the burden.
“Most of us Kiwanis are 65 and older,” said Bonnie Perino, who was the event's public relations chair in 2021. “The young group we have gotten through the Harvest Home Association is all younger. In their 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s. That’s what we need. That’s what we need to keep this going."
Despite that, the 2022 Harvest Home Fair is expected to attract around 40,000 people to Cincinnati's west side for the weekend's festivities.
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