An Athens County village hosted the second annual Amesville Homecoming festival this past Saturday. The event featured cooking and baking contests, a community yard sale and the Amesville Masonic Lodge’s monthly pancake breakfast. Oct. 10, 2026. Photo by Leah Nairn.
AMESVILLE, Ohio — Amesville celebrated its second annual festival Saturday, Oct. 10. The festival featured various events and activities. Proceeds from the event support the Ames-Bern Volunteer Fire Department, the Amesville Masonic Lodge and Amesville Grange #798.
Ames-Bern Volunteer Firefighter Jennie Maxwell prepares a bite of pie, as part of her duties in judging the pie contest at Amesville’s second annual Homecoming Festival. Maxwell, along with Janice Bowley, left, and Alex Gentry (not shown), sampled several pies and deliberated for some time before choosing the top three winners. Oct. 10, 2026. Photo by Leah Nairn.Tim Burns slices up a pie for the judges to sample during the pie contest held at the second annual Amesville Homecoming festival. Burns is a member of Amesville Grange #798. He said the festival is a way to bring the community together in autumn. “It’s a family thing,” he said. Oct. 10, 2026. Photo by Leah Nairn.Sue Jago, left, and Chris Ridgway, right, chat during the community yard sale held during the second annual Amesville Homecoming festival. Oct. 10, 2026. Photo by Leah Nairn.Athens resident Tamie Stalder arranges her handmade crocheted pieces as part of her Hooked on Hope booth that she set up during the second annual Amesville Homecoming festival. Oct. 10, 2026. Photo by Leah Nairn.
With a half-century under her belt, Leah Nairn decided to pivot from a 12-year career in law enforcement to pursue a master’s degree in visual communications and photojournalism through Ohio University. This is not her first trip to Athens, having obtained a bachelors in theater in 1999.
Photography has been a present through her life. In recent years, she combined her work in the criminal justice system with photography, creating “Redemption Through the Lens,” a book highlighting the accomplishments of folks in recovery from addiction.
Leah is also an accomplished musician and avid gardner with a focus on food preservation.
