2024 Kettering Holiday at Home Festival Celebrates Hometown Celebrities

KETTERING, Ohio, Aug. 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The theme for this year's Kettering, Ohio Holiday at Home Festival is "Hometown Celebrities." Everything kicks off on Saturday, August 31st, with the Annual Holiday at Home Gala and runs through Labor Day, Monday, September 2nd. This year's honorary parade Grand Marshal is Kettering native, actor Gary Sandy, best known for his role as Andy Travis on TV's "WKRP in Cincinnati."

Originally known as the Coronation Ball, the Holiday at Home Gala started in 1969 as a tribute to the festival queen and her court. Although the event no longer crowns a queen, that tradition has been replaced by presenting a series of scholarships for young people in the community. Scholarship winners, along with this year's grand marshal, city officials, and event sponsors, are recognized at the Gala. The semi-formal event includes dinner, music, and dancing.

On Sunday and Monday, the Children's Zone offers free games and activities for children of all ages, free live music throughout the weekend, and various shopping and food options. The festival features arts and crafts vendors from all over the region and a wide variety of food vendors. This year's sponsors include Alta Fiber, City of Kettering, DryTech Exteriors, Kettering Health Network, and Marion's Piazza.

Car buffs will enjoy two shows during the festival. Sunday features a Volkswagen show, and Monday is the Invitational Car Show, which showcases a variety of classic vehicles specially chosen to exhibit at the event. 

Lisa Rusak is the president of this year's Holiday at Home Festival planning committee. "We appreciate all of our volunteers, committee members, and sponsors, and the City of Kettering for helping to make Holiday at Home the highlight of the community's year," she said. "We invite visitors from all over the region to come and enjoy everything Holiday at Home and the City of Kettering have to offer."

This year's festival musical entertainment includes Flashback Band, The Fries Band, 5 Band, Noah Kihn, Until Rust, Cory Breth, and Noah Back. 

Scheduled events are as follows:

Annual Gala: August 31, 2024
Arts & Crafts: September 1 & 2, 2024
Auto Show (& Invitational): September 1 & 2, 2024
Children's Zone: September 1 & 2, 2024
5K Race: September 2, 2024
Parade: September 2, 2024

The highlight of the event, the Holiday at Home Labor Day Parade, kicks off at 10 a.m. Monday. This year's Grand Marshal is Bruce Duke, a long-time resident and former Kettering City Council Member. 

Duke came to Kettering in 1974 when he started working at the University of Dayton (U.D.) as a staff psychologist in the Counseling Center. He continued until his retirement as Assistant Director of the Counseling Center in 2001. During his time at U.D., he earned his PhD in Counseling from The Ohio State University in 1981.

Duke has been an active community member throughout his time in Kettering. Over the years, he's served on the Board of Community Relations and the Board of Directors of the Kettering Children's Choir, coached youth soccer, and, with his wife Jan, served on the Van Buren Parent Teacher Association. He's been a member of the Dor-Wood Optimist Club for nearly two decades and served on the Kettering City Council, representing District 4, for 37 years. 

As a wonderful addition to the parade festivities, actor Gary Sandy is this year's Honorary Celebrity Grand Marshal. A hometown native and graduate of Wilmington College, Sandy is best known for his role as Andy Travis on TV's "WKRP in Cincinnati." Visit www.holidayathome.org for more details about this year's Grand Marshal and a complete event schedule, including entry instructions for the car show and 5K.

Media Contact:
Lisa Rusak
937-602-4399
[email protected] 

SOURCE Holiday at Home Festival