HarvestHomeFair.com
Title
Welcome to the Harvest Home Fair! :: Harvest Home Fair sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Cheviot-Westwood
Description
Harvest Home Fair History
Early in its history, the Kiwanis Club of Cheviot-Westwood was confronted with a community challenge that it accepted at the urging of its charter president. Only a year after Kiwanis was established as the community's newest organizational the demise of the community's oldest organization appeared inevitable. Bankrupt and with aging leadership that recoiled from the challenges of changing times, the Green Township Harvest Home Association directors voted to discontinue the annual festivals, which had been held on the last Thursday in August for 78 years without a miss, during times of war and peace, prosperity and depression.
Enoch and Ashsah Carson had settled on 20 acres of Green Township land in 1806 with their eight children. When their first harvest was abundant out of this fertile land, they invited the other settlers to rejoice and give thanks for the harvest, and in a grove outside of their cabin they held the first of many annual "festivals." The Green Township Agricultural Society was organized to hold the annual festival on Carson's ranch from 1855-1859. Then the newly organized Green Township Harvest Home Association continued the Festival in Cheviot beginning on Friday, August 17, 1860 in Carson's beautiful grove and yearly after that until 1939, when the young men of the infant Kiwanis Club of Cheviot-Westwood took over the reigns for the 79th annual one day festival. The Green Township Agricultural Society held the deed for the Harvest Home Park and this ownership was transferred to the City of Cheviot with the stipulation that the City of Cheviot permit the Kiwanis Club of Cheviot-Westwood to use the Harvest Home Park for the Fair.
Dr. Foster Williams, whose grandfather, Dr. Peter Williams, M.D. and father, Dr. John Williams, M.D., were presidents of the old Green Township Harvest Home Association, became the first chairman of the Kiwanis committee. He continued in that capacity for 32 years when he became Chairman Emeritus in September, 1970. John J. O'Rourke, our club's first president, was General Manager of the first 18 festivals until Oreste Barone took over in 1958 for the next 13 years. Fos and John accepted the "lumber, the seats, ropes, flags, tables, and building" at Harvest Home park and started working on the 79th festival. Lacking operating cash, it was necessary for the Kiwanians to raise a "starter fund" to underwrite the first festival. $270.50 was subscribed by individual Kiwanians and community business establishments with the largest contribution of $25.00 from the Western Hills Publishing. With that boost, the first efforts of our young club wound up with $112.25 in the black. Some of the "Display Exhibits" the first year were Vitt and Stermer, Western Hills Press, Rebold Funeral Home and Wullenweber Motors. Gate receipts were $477. The largest expense item was advertising and printing, $149.56, by the Western Hills Press.
