Miamisburg Harvest & Glow Festival: A Sycamore Trails Pool Preview
October 15, 2026
October 15, 2026
Behind the shelters at Sycamore Trails Park there's a new 22-foot slide tower with three body slides. It overlooks five pools, and none of them has opened to swimmers yet. On Saturday, October 17, the city is inviting everyone to come see it anyway.
That invitation is part of the first Harvest & Glow Festival, which Miamisburg Parks and Recreation is holding from 2 to 9 p.m. at Sycamore Trails Park, 214 South Heincke. The festival listing includes pumpkin carving, hayrides and a glowing trail after dark. It also includes a stop at "the brand new Sycamore Trails Aquatic Center to get a sneak peek and get excited for the 2027 swim season."
The pool sneak peek is the biggest part of the day. Sycamore Trails has been under construction for several years, and this is the first time the city has asked everyone to come see the finished park together.
The fall activities run from 2 to 7 p.m. and spread across the whole park. The schedule, per the city's listing, is below.
The Starving Artists Market is the one returning piece. The city calls it "a beloved festival tradition" that "returns to Miamisburg in 2026." The rest of the event is new this year, and the city is taking volunteer sign-ups through the festival page.
From 7 p.m. on, the festival shifts from the activities to the trail. The Pumpkin Glow Trail runs only during the last two hours, so families who want both the carving and the glow walk will be there most of the afternoon and evening.
The original Sycamore Trails Aquatic Center opened in 1996. In fall 2022, city staff noticed the pool was losing water and started testing and making repairs. WDTN reported in November 2023 that the repairs had not stopped the loss and that a large share of the piping would need replacing, so the pool would stay closed through the 2024 season. The Dayton Daily News later reported that contractors spent about six months investigating in fall 2023 and found significant leaks and failing glue joints at many points in the piping.
Instead of replacing pipes under a pool that was nearly 30 years old, the city chose to rebuild the facility. The design the Dayton Daily News described has five bodies of water that each operate separately. It also has a new 22-foot slide tower with three body slides: an enclosed slide, an open flume and a plunge slide.
At the festival you'll see these parts of the new center:
Project updates name each of these five pools. The plans also add seating and shade, accessibility improvements, a larger concessions area, more mechanical space and more parking. Because the pools operate separately, the lap and exercise areas don't share water with the slides or the kiddie pool.
The cost went up several times as the design moved from early estimates to bids to financing. Each figure reflects how far along the project was when it was reported.
| Stage | Reported cost | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Early design reporting | More than $12 million | Dayton Daily News |
| After bids, April 2025 | About $16.75 million | Dayton 24/7 Now |
| Bond financing report | About $18.42 million total | Dayton Daily News |
In April 2025, Dayton 24/7 Now reported that the post-bid estimate was about $16.75 million. At that point the city planned to use a general-obligation bond repaid from the General Fund. The later Dayton Daily News report on the bonds puts the total at about $18.42 million. About $4.17 million of that comes from the General Fund, and $14.25 million comes from long-term bonds. Those bonds replace $14 million in short-term bond anticipation notes. The plan described in that report is a 25-year tax-exempt bond at an estimated 5% interest rate, with debt payments of about $1 million a year.
Sycamore Trails had a second, separate project. In August 2025 the city announced it had finished a $10.25 million redesign of the 75-acre park. The redesign added basketball, tennis and pickleball courts, larger shelters, new playgrounds, a new pond and an improved disc golf course. The grand opening was Saturday, September 6, 2025. General Fund reserves paid for most of the park work, with a smaller amount financed through debt. Grants and the Miamisburg Community Foundation's Community Fund brought in about $665,000.
The city dedicated the park in 1970 and says the redesign came after nearly 25 years of planning. The new playgrounds, shelters and pond reopened last fall. The pool is the last major piece of that work, and October 17 is the first time the public can walk through the park with both projects done or nearly done.
In April, WDTN reported on progress at the site and was still predicting a summer opening. Two weeks later, on May 14, 2026, the city ruled out swimming for this season. By then the slide tower and waterslides were in, tile work in the lap pool was underway, and crews were still pouring concrete and building pathways and landscaping. The city expected construction to finish between early and mid-September.
Even after construction ends, a pool can't open right away. The city listed the steps that come next: hiring and training staff, safety inspections, balancing the water and testing operations. A mid-September finish left no time for those steps before the summer was over. Parks and Recreation Director Ryan Davis said in the announcement:
"Although it's challenging to announce that swimming opportunities will not be available this year, the project is delivering an incredible, state-of-the-art amenity for our community."
The city also told residents to watch for chances to visit the site before the full 2027 season. The festival is that chance. As of early October, the city hasn't set an opening day for 2027, and we haven't found any public update since May that confirms construction finished on schedule. The festival listing calls the center "brand new."
Five days after the festival, the Halloween events move downtown. Boo in the Burg, a Halloween pub crawl, starts at 6 p.m. on Thursday, October 22. Each location sets its own closing time. The event page lists live music, DJs, costume contests and specialty drinks. The DORA, the downtown zone where you can carry drinks between businesses, will be off all day. Participating locations:
Organizers specifically recommend walking down Second Street to Lucky Star, Peerless Mill and Sushinero.
If you want something quieter downtown, Coffeehouse by Val's Bakery opened at 22 S. Main St. on Saturday, June 27. According to the Dayton Daily News, it serves pastries and soft serve every day and has a refill station run with Reduce & Reuse Refillery. The owner has talked about adding games and family events.
After Halloween, the city's next big downtown event is the Miamisburg Holiday Celebration on Saturday, December 5, from 4 to 8 p.m. on Main Street. The parade ends at Riverfront Park, where the mayor lights the tree. The city also starts leaf collection on Monday, October 26.
We're glad to see Sycamore Trails coming back together after several years of construction. If questions about what projects like the pool rebuild mean for your home's value or your plans to sell come up while you're there, Beacon Home Group is happy to go over them with you, with no pressure. Schedule a Consultation and we'll show you what's selling in Miamisburg right now.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
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