In May 2016, a band called String Theory played under the upper shelter at Chamberlin Park. The volunteers behind it sold hot dogs, hamburgers, brats and metts, "hoping to make a couple dollars for the park."
According to the people who organized it, the idea started with Mayor John Donnellon and a few friends who wanted live music in Deer Park's own park. Some of the group had experience booking bands. A few times the concerts didn't break even, but the group kept going, and over the years it moved up to better bands and paid for its food and drinks out of event proceeds.
Ten years later, the stage those concerts eventually earned sits at the center of nearly everything on Deer Park's fall calendar. Boo Fest walks you to it. Armchair Races raise money for the park around it. Knowing how the stage got built explains why the calendar works the way it does: volunteers run the events, and some of those events still raise money for what the park doesn't have yet.
How a picnic shelter became a stage
The pavilion took about four years and a few false starts. In order:
- 2016: Party in the Park begins with String Theory under the upper shelter. Volunteers sell food hoping to make a little for the park, and some nights don't break even.
- The years that followed: The series settles at about eight concerts a year. Organizers say people drove in from Springboro, Dry Ridge, Kentucky, and Columbus, Indiana, for the free shows. They also note they were spending a lot each year to rent a stage for the annual festival.
- 2021: The city runs a Chamberlin Park study with public input sessions in October, November and December. The top requests were a music pavilion and a water feature.
- April 2022: The city reports that its state grant request for the renovation wasn't selected and that it is looking for public and private funds instead.
- May 10, 2025: The new pavilion gets a ribbon cutting and dedication, followed by the Jump n Jive Big Band and The Remains. Organizers credit city administrator Dr. William Jetter with commissioning the study and finding grants.
The concession stand was remodeled the same year, so the park's food counter and its stage are both new as of 2025. That makes this the pavilion's second fall. It's also the second year the park has had a permanent stage for its music and events.
Boo Fest is built by people in costume, not a vendor
Boo Fest runs Friday, Oct. 9, and Saturday, Oct. 10, from 6 to 10 p.m. both nights. The zombie trail can run until a hard stop at 11 p.m. The city's fall newsletter printed 6 to 9 p.m., and the city's announcement dated Sept. 28 lists the longer hours.
The main event is the Psycho-Path Haunted Trail. The city says the trail is created and run by community volunteers in costume, with different levels of fright. The city's 2026 park calendar lists tickets at $2 per person, and the Boo Fest announcement says they're sold on site.
The rest of the weekend includes a costume contest, pumpkin decorating, children's games, food and drink concessions while supplies last, and bands on both nights. Those bands play the pavilion that Party in the Park outgrew its way into.
A few logistics before you go:
- Parking: Park at the Community Center, 7640 Plainfield Road, and walk in.
- Trail entry: Take the northern path by the school toward the pavilion area.
- Younger kids: The city recommends arriving early for the Lights-On Edition of the trail, which is designed for younger children and adults. The city adds a warning that it has "seen adults come out crying."
- Trail rule: Don't touch the characters or volunteers along the trail.
The city hasn't said where the trail's ticket money goes. Other park events are clearer. The Park Board says concession proceeds from Touch-A-Truck, held Sept. 26, go toward Chamberlin Park improvements.
November's two nights, and the one that's openly a fundraiser
Armchair Races, Saturday, Nov. 14. This one is held indoors at the Community Center. In a 2022 newsletter, the city described the format: recorded horse races play on screen, and attendees bet from sheets with posted odds and cheer from their seats. Friends of Chamberlin Park lists the Nov. 14 event as a fundraiser. The city's park calendar says doors open at 5:30 p.m., while the fall newsletter says 6:30 p.m., so check with the city before you plan dinner around it.
Christmas Tree Lighting, Saturday, Nov. 28, 7 p.m. Back outdoors at Chamberlin Park, the city calendar lists Santa, hot chocolate and cookies. One child is chosen to help Santa turn on the lights, and the park asks families to register by 6:30 p.m. to be in the running.
Two smaller dates round out the season. The fall newsletter lists one more Deer Park Farmers Market on Sunday, Oct. 4, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the City Complex, and citywide Trick-or-Treat on Oct. 31 from 6 to 8 p.m. The market's regular season runs on first Sundays from May through September at 7777 Blue Ash Road, so the October date is an addition. Daylight saving time ends Nov. 1, the day after Trick-or-Treat, and the city's newsletter reminds families that kids walking to and from school should wear reflective gear.
What the Friends group still has on its list
Friends of Chamberlin Park is a 501(c)(3) formed in June 2020. It raises money for park improvements, events and equipment. Its posted priorities show what's next after the pavilion: new swings, fence repair, sound equipment for the pavilion, security, park Wi-Fi and grass seed. The group lists these as current needs, not finished projects.
The list also shows what the pavilion didn't cover. The stage came first, but it still needs sound equipment, and the park, which has two playgrounds and a paved walking path, still needs new swings and fence repairs. The water feature that ranked alongside the pavilion in the 2021 public sessions hasn't been confirmed as built. A night at the Armchair Races goes toward that list, much like brat sales once kept the first concerts going.
Getting there this fall along Blue Ash Road
If you reach the park from Blue Ash Road, expect utility crews. Duke Energy is replacing 20 wood poles on a 138-kilovolt transmission line with steel poles between Plainfield Road and Redmont Avenue. The new poles will stand about 5 to 20 feet taller than the old ones. Duke's project page projects an August start and completion by November 2026. Duke filed a notice of construction with the Ohio Power Siting Board on Aug. 5, under Case No. 26-575-EL-BNR. At the Aug. 3 council meeting, Deer Park said the pole work was starting that month.
The poles come first so the city can follow with drainage, traffic signal and roadway lighting upgrades on the same stretch. Deer Park's streetscape plan also calls for wider sidewalks, pedestrian islands, raised crossings and bus shelters. The city hasn't posted construction dates for that phase.
Two of the road's longest-running names sit along Blue Ash Road too. Deer Park Deli at 7916 Blue Ash Road traces its start to May 1950. Deer Park Tavern's predecessor, Dwires Saloon, was built in 1886, according to the city's history page. Both are on the same road as the poles, a short drive from the pavilion where Boo Fest's bands play this Friday and Saturday.
At Angel Apking, we follow Deer Park's calendar for the same reason we follow its market: we want to know what keeps a neighborhood going. If Chamberlin Park's stage, Boo Fest's volunteers or the Blue Ash Road work has you wondering what your home is worth these days, request a free home valuation and we'll walk you through it.
