IT'S OUR BIRTHDAY!

June 1 & 2: Founders Day Weekend Kick-off with Takeover & Food Truck Rally

West Chester is planning a weekend party to mark its 200th birthday. The first weekend of June will combine some of the community’s favorite events with new offerings to mark this momentous year.

Founders Day Weekend events are free and open to all and will be celebrated the weekend of June 1-4.

“We’re pulling out all the stops to celebrate our past, present and future in this bicentennial year,” said Township Administrator Larry D. Burks. “Our focus is on community and celebrating this place we call home.”

West Chester Township was founded on June 2, 1823 as Union Township. A bicentennial planning committee of local volunteers has been working since summer 2022 to assemble a variety of celebrations to mark this landmark year.

The party kicks off Thursday, June 1, with a Bicentennial Takeover presented by First Financial Bank on The Square. The Remains will launch the 2023 Takeover season with a free concert from 6 to 9 p.m. (See full schedule on page 15).

There will be food, beer and soft drinks available for purchase. Sorry, but alcohol cannot be brought into the event.

West Chester is partnering with the Union Centre Boulevard Merchant Association (UCBMA)for the big birthday event on Friday, June 2.

The UCBMA will host its annual Food Truck Rally from 11:30 a.m. until 10:30 p.m. featuring 40 specialty food trucks worthy of lunch, afternoon snack, dinner and dessert. The Food Truck Rally began in 2013 and remains a staple of summer plans for the community.

The day-long event celebrates community with participation by local non-profit organizations and benefitting the West Chester-Union Township Historical Society.

Alongside your food truck feast, a full musical line-up will be available.

West Chester Township provides the grand finale for the Food Truck Rally birthday celebration on June 2 with a performance by Blessid Union of Souls beginning @ 8:30 p.m. followed by a special drone show birthday greeting.

A custom choreographed drone show by Sky Elements will cap off the night in the skies above The Square @ Union Centre.

To get involved in Food Truck Rally, visit www.UCBMA.org

June 4:VOA Museum Community Day

The Voice of America Bethany Station played a critical role in the United States’ communication efforts and was a lifeline for sharing cultural events and news in countries with little access to either. Now, this place of such importance is preserved as The National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting.

Groundbreaking for the VOA Bethany Station was June 3, 1943; and as part of West Chester’s bicentennial celebration the Museum will host Community Days on Sunday, June 4, 2023 as part of Founders Day Weekend.

The Museum will be open for tours from 1 to 4 p.m. and the front lawn will be open for family kite-flying, yard games and picnicking.

“Every resident of West Chester should make time sometime this summer to visit the VOA Museum,” said Barbara Wilson, West Chester spokeswoman. There will be special music performances and demonstrations throughout the day.

Visit voamuseum.org for more information about the Museum.