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New and old: Opening Day traditions provide fun for all

58 views · Published 13 April 2017 · 2:34 · Indexed 20 September 2026

Channel: LOCAL 12 · 2017 · News & Politics

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CINCINNATI (WKRC) - The Findlay Market Opening Day Parade is a tradition which goes back generations.

The opening day parade at Sonrise Pre School, the Erlanger Baptist Church, is a tradition which goes back just a few hours.

"The Opening Day parade for me is a holiday. So, when I started here, I figured if I couldn't get to the parade we'd have our own," Kim Ross, Director of Sonrise Preschool, said. "So, we started one here."

Which just goes to show that you can enjoy Opening Day without actually being at Opening Day.

Events are all over town, at Fountain Square, The Banks and in Covington, in the Roebling Point district.

Richard Dickmann, Owner of 'Smoke Justis' sports bar, said, "Well it's important for me and for the rest of the bars and restaurants to make this a destination in the community."

Smoke Justis is a Roebling district sports bar named for a baseball player you probably have never heard of, Walter 'Smoke' Justis.

Smoke Justis was the starting Opening Day pitcher for the Covington Blue Sox in 2013.

That's right. Covington, across the river from Cincinnati, once had its own professional baseball team.

It was a big deal to start. The first Blue Sox home run netted the player a dozen pair of silk socks. But the team lasted only a month and a half:

They had a big Opening Day ceremony and all kinds of things went wrong," Dickmann said. "It rained a lot. We had the 1913 flood. Second Street was where the field was. They had floods. Couldn'f afford everything. Ended up being bought by Kansas City."

Clearly, some traditions last longer than others and some traditions last a lifetime.

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