CRESTLINE – Long-time Crestline residents can already sense, and perhaps even smell a whiff of French fries, bourbon chicken and donut burgers as the annual Harvest Festival looms.
Those with a musical-leaning can look forward to the stylings of live music acts with a local flavor — including Lexington’s Sorelle, a group boasting a splash of national attention.
The combination will culminate when the Crestline Harvest Festival begins Sept. 17 at 5 p.m., kickstarting a weekend of live music, festival food, carnival rides and more.
Events kick off at the main stage, with the opening ceremony followed by the 2026 royalty crowning at 5:15 p.m. Thursday’s main musical attraction, Sorelle, will then sing the national anthem, then take the stage to perform at 6 p.m.
Sorelle is a musical act made up of three sisters from Lexington and was a finalist on The Voice Season 23 in 2023. That group is the first of numerous local musical talents to take the main stage at the Harvest Festival.
Gathering entertainment for the festival is a constant effort. Harvest Festival committee members attend an annual Ohio Festivals and Events Association meeting, where most bookings occur.
Then they plan for next year’s festival at the very first committee meeting following the festival.
“It’s truly a year-long process and many aspects, like entertainment, are booked and locked in between November and March,” said Courtney Moody, a member of the Crestline Harvest Festival committee.
Pioneer Performing Arts will follow Sorelle on the main stage from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m.
Sep. 18, festivities start up at noon on the midway. Sky Circus, a favorite from last year’s festival, will return from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
“Last year we added midway performances Friday and Saturday night and those acts return this year,” Moody said. “Festival-goers can expect acrobatics, a giant LED robot, juggling and more performances up and down the midway.”
Friday’s main stage entertainment stays local, with Anything Blue, a blues band from Newark, taking the stage from 6 to 8 p.m. Direct Energy, a classic rock cover band, will follow from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m.
Wrapping it up Saturday, 10 Talents, an indie pop-rock band from parts of Michigan and northern Ohio, takes the main stage from 5 to 7 p.m. Then, it’s Kaitlyn Schmit and Friends covering several genres and decades from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m.
“We really try to book the best bands we can with the entertainment budget we have,” Moody said. “A few years ago we added tables near the main stage seating area so people may enjoy their festival food conveniently near the awesome bands.
“Each year our committee strives to grow the festival and this year we’ve added more vendor space and raised the most funds since 2012.”
Saturday’s events start early, at 7 a.m., with the Crestline Fire Department Pancake Breakfast at the fire station.
At 9 a.m., both the Harvest Festival 5K Color Fun Run, sponsored by Avita Health System and Lightning Nutrition, will take off at Crestline High School. At the same time, the Back The Blue Car and Motorcycle Show along Seltzer Street and in the Village Hall parking lot begins.
The parade will step off at 3:30 p.m. at Kelly Park, traveling East on Bucyrus Street. This year’s Grand Marshal is a group of Crestline veterans celebrating America’s semiquincentennial.
Full Schedule of Events 🗓️
Thursday, Sep. 17
- Midway and rides open – 5 p.m.
- Opening ceremony – 5 p.m.
- 2026 Harvest Festival royalty crowing – 5:15 p.m.
- Sorelle performance (Main Stage) – 6 p.m.
- Decorated pumpkin contest (Kids Stage) – 6 p.m.
- Pumpkin grab contest (Kids Stage) – 6:15 p.m.
- Kids pizza eating contest (Kids Stage) – 7 p.m.
- Pioneer Performing Arts performance (Main Stage) – 8 p.m.
- Midway and rides close – 10 p.m.
Friday, Sep. 18
- Midway opens – Noon
- Rides open – 4 p.m.
- Adult Hay Bale Toss (Main Stage) – 5:15 p.m.
- Anything Blue performance (Main Stage) – 6 p.m.
- Bulldog Backers Night at St. Joseph Convention Center – 6 p.m.
- Sky Circus (Midway) – 7 p.m.
- Direct Energy performance (Main Stage) – 8:30 p.m.
- Rides close – 10 p.m.
- Midway closes – 11 p.m.
Saturday, Sep. 19
- Crestline Fire Department Pancake Breakfast (Crestline Fire Dept.) – 7 a.m.
- Harvest Festival 5K Color Run (Crestline High School) – 9 a.m.
- Back the Blue Car and Motorcycle Show (Village Hall Parking Lot/Seltzer Street) – 9 a.m.
- Craft show (Methodist Church) – 11 a.m.
- Crestline Cutie (Kids Stage) – 11:30 a.m.
- Midway and rides open – Noon
- Taylor’s Balloon Twisting (Kids Stage) – Noon
- Royal princesses (Spots Rolling Bean) – Noon
- Crestline Swimming Team Jeep Invasion (Seltzer Street) – 12:30 p.m.
- Limbo (Kids Stage) – 12:45 p.m.
- Hula Hoop (Kids Stage) – 1 p.m.
- Water Balloon Tossing (Kids Stage) – 1:15 p.m.
- Cookie Face (Kids Stage) – 1:30 p.m.
- Boys and Girls Hay Bale Toss (Kids Stage) – 1:45 p.m.
- Parade (Begins at Kelly Park) – 3:30 p.m.
- Beard/Mustache/Mullet contest (Main Stage) – 4:30 p.m.
- Adult pizza eating contest (Main Stage) – 4:45 p.m.
- 10 Talents performance (Main Stage) – 5 p.m.
- Glovation Circus (Midway) – 7 p.m.
- Kaitlyn Schmit and Friends performance (Midway) – 7:30 p.m.
- Rides close – 10 p.m.
- Midway closes – 11 p.m.
