Harvest Home Park is getting revamped.
The park at 3961 North Bend Road in Cheviot is home to the Harvest Home Fair, which honors original settlers of Cheviot who once called that land home. With more than 160 years of history, it’s one of the city’s largest events.
Now, the city wants to revitalize the place where Cheviot began.
The revitalization coincides with the city’s push to upgrade its Harrison Avenue business district – less than a mile from the park – in an effort to attract more people and young families to the suburban West Side city of 8,600.
The park’s revamp also comes after Cheviot was selected as one of 250 communities in Ohio to help celebrate America’s 250th birthday on July 4, 2026. Cities, villages, townships and counties have the opportunity to be highlighted on the nation’s semiquincentennial anniversary, and showcase their culture as it relates to American history.
Here’s what to know about the renovations at Harvest Home Park, according to Cheviot City Councilwoman and fair committee member, Stefanie Hawk.
What will be improved at Harvest Home Park?
In addition to holding public hearings, Cheviot City Council allocated $25,000 for a contractor to devise a park renovation master plan. The park board also worked with community groups to determine how new amenities could benefit community events.
Among the recommendations of the master plan:
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An improved baseball field: Eliminate former field and implement a slightly larger one, still designed for children.
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New playground: Designed for 5- to 12-year-olds.
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Relocated exercise equipment, longer fitness trail: Currently, exercise stations are staggered along a fitness trail. The trail will be extended in a loop around the park. Additional length is to be determined, but could be about a half-mile to three-quarters of a mile.
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Permanent amphitheater: A permanent amphitheater would allow year-round performing arts events, in addition to use at the Harvest Home Fair.
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Grand promenade, pedestrian connections: A pedestrian entrance on the North Bend Road side of the park will be lined by trees and lead into a new tree-surrounded picnic grove, as well as the existing Harvest Home Lodge and picnic areas.
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Future pool and sprayground expansion: Future plans call to expand the sprayground splash pad and pool on the southern edge of the park. Those renovations are a long-term goal.
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Additional parking: More parking lot space is allotted on the western edge of the park off of Davis Avenue.
Cheviot’s plans for the revitalization of Harvest Home Park call for an improved baseball field, new playground, an extended walking/fitness trail and other improvements.
The existing shelters, playground, pool, barn, Harvest Home Lodge and stone entry columns will all remain as part of the plan.
The Lodge was renovated with $100,000 State Capital Improvement Grant awarded in 2020, with an additional contribution from the city. Hamilton County Public Health kicked in $35,000 for the park’s master plan. Park paving was about $140,000 and was funded by a Community Block Development Grant. About $100,000 remains from that grant, and it will be used for future projects arising from the master plan.
How will these improvements help the Harvest Home Fair, city events?
The Harvest Home Fair takes place in September each year. The four-day festival includes a parade, carnival rides, retail and food vendors, games, a 4H show and more. Officials are trying out new things to reach a younger generation as Cheviot’s age demographics shift.
“People always thought Cheviot was an older city, but really it’s a much younger city than it has been historically,” Hawk said. “We’ve got younger families moving in. There’s more kids in the area than there have been.”
The playground Harvest Home Park in Cheviot will get a new playground, designed for 5- to 12-year-olds.
This year, the fair tried out some new amenities, in large part because of new, young blood on the fair committee, according to Hawk. New members suggested local brewery stands. A cornhole tournament was expanded after great fanfare during its 2023 debut. The fair’s longstanding cash-only policy was scrapped this year and it started accepting cards.
Currently, the fair rents out a portable stage each year for its music acts. The permanent amphitheater will not only make it easier for the fair, but it will also allow for new community events.
That will allow the city to hold movie viewings at the park. It also opens the doors for community groups to use it for events, such as educational events for school groups, drama workshops, year-round performances and more.
Part of bigger goal to revitalize Harrison Avenue business district, showcase city amid America’s 250th anniversary
Cheviot is also aiming to lift up its business district, particularly as the city is being spotlighted for the America 250 celebration.
America 250 is a multiyear, nationwide commemoration. In Ohio, residents from all 88 counties are encouraged to celebrate the state’s role in the nation’s story, according to America 250-Ohio, a statewide commission that selected the showcase communities. The commission encourages these communities to showcase their culture as it relates to American history.
A new park revamp will help with that celebration, Hawk said. A committee of local business leaders, residents and supporters was formed last fall when Cheviot got the designation. Now, they hope to lift up the city as a whole by revitalizing its business district.
Cheviot’s business district runs a half-mile stretch along Harrison Avenue, just west of Cheviot’s border with Cincinnati. It is lined with more than 60 businesses, among them, eclectic retail shops, nail salons, and family-owned restaurants and bars. Harvest Home Park is less than a mile up North Bend Road from the business district.
The picnic shelters will remain part of Harvest Home Park as other features are added and renovated.
The city wants a developer to revitalize the former Cappel’s costume shop at Harrison and Glenmore avenues. Council plans to put out a request for proposals for .companies to do something with the city-owned property, Hawk said. Officials were hoping for a brewery, coffee shop, artist space or makerspace, but ultimately it will be up to the developer to decide its use. It could also just be demolished for a parking lot.
Hawk said the hope is to attract more businesses to fill all the vacant storefronts on Harrison Avenue.
“The nice amenities in our park are part of that, because having a thriving business district just helps the city as a whole,” Hawk said, adding that it helps with the tax base and attracting young families to the area. “We just don’t want to see the area decline.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Harvest Home Park in Cheviot will undergo a revamp. What’s the status?
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