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Riverfest cleanup: Park crews and volunteers work hard on Labor Day

51 views · Published 11 September 2017 · 2:34 · Indexed 21 September 2026

Channel: LOCAL 12 · 2017 · News & Politics

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CINCINNATI (WKRC) - It's the unofficial last day of summer and every year Cincinnati spends it with a hangover from the year's biggest party.

On Monday night, several hundred thousand packed the Ohio riverfront for the Western & Southern / WEBN Fireworks.

The crowds were back on the river on Tuesday. Some came to play and some came to work.

It's Labor Day and it has struck a chord with Cincinnatians. Some have some fun, splashing around with mom and dad or making it a big game with friends.

But long before the crowds could enjoy the riverfront, it had to be cleaned up.

Not long after the fireworks set and before the sun came up, the work began. Crews got all the big stuff, but there was still some work going on well into Labor Day.

In Newport, they were hauling off the big dumpsters and loading up some of the leftovers.

Park’s crews were busy in Yeatman's Cove, getting the little stuff missed by the blowers.

In Smale Park, UC volunteers Ethan Patton and Corinne Smith logged service hours fine-tuning the cleanup.

“There were people here yesterday from four in the afternoon until four in the morning picking up trash and I get the leftovers,” said Ethan.

Riverfest leftovers, that is.

“I found some plastic toy spiders and I found somebody's shoe down by the river. So that's some weird stuff that I found,” said Corinne.

“I found an entire set of ear buds. Still looks fine and lot of alcohol. An entire bottle of Hennessy,” said Ethan.

So much for Riverfest being alcohol-free, apparently.

It's a holiday meant to honor working men and women, but when you have to clean up after a party with half a million guests, it takes everyone, staff, volunteers and top management, to pitch in.

A lot of bosses don't work Labor Day, but there was one down on the river. The guy shuttling out all those Jake Sweeney Kias displayed on the riverfront was none other than Jake "Coby" Sweeney. It's his gig every Labor Day.

“Getting a good workout today. Driving them back and forth and getting the other one. It's about a mile each way. It's a good workout,” said Sweeny.

Police estimate there were 500,000 people on the Cincinnati side of the river Monday night and 250,000 in Northern Kentucky.

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