West Chester Calendar of Events

A Running List of West Chester Events

Each week I share a Roundup of West Chester news and events at the end of which is a list of upcoming events. However, due to space in the newsletter, I can only share a week or two out but I often have information about events much earlier so I thought I would share with you my working document. Now you know what I know.

September

• Sept. 22 – WCU Criterions Jazz Ensemble Concert, Emilie K. Asplundh Concert Hall, 7:30-9 p.m. This is a free event. Tickets are not required.
• Sept. 23- West Chester Grower’s Market, 201 N. Church St. 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Local seasonal produce and craft goodies. Open sun or rain! Just don’t forget to bring your bags!
• Sept. 23 – Yoga in the Street, Gay Street (near the Post Office), 9 – 10 a.m. No registration required. Just bring a mat and $5 entrance fee (cash only!)
• Sept. 23 – Plagues and Pestilence: A Walking Tour, Chester County History Center. Tours are being held at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Learn the astonishing, little-known history about the diseases that transformed the lives (and deaths) of the people of West Chester. Tickets are $15. Tour lasts 1.5 hours.
• Sept. 23 – Oktoberfest, Downtown West Chester, 11 a.m. Participating locations will have $6 fall beer all day.
• Sept. 23 – 11th Annual Unite for HER Run/Walk, Downtown West Chester, Registration opens at 7:30 a.m. race begins 9 a.m.; kids dash is at 8:45 a.m. 100% of proceeds benefit Unite for HER and those affected by breast and ovarian cancers nationwide. This year more than 5,300 patients will receive integrative therapies, services, and education at no personal cost. $30 to run. Register: uniteforher.org/5k.
• Sept. 23 – A Forest Festival, Gordon Natural Area, 1 – 4 p.m. The Gordon Natural Area turns 50 this year. Celebrate with an outdoor festival featuring food, live music, tours, demostrations and more.
• Sept. 24 – WC Railroad History Special, West Chester Railroad, 230 E. Market St. 12 – 2:30 p.m. Join the WCRR for an interactive guided train ride that will showcase the rich history the railroad has to offer. Tickets: $25/adult; $20/kids 12-2
• Sept. 25 – $5 Movie Night: Back to the Future, Uptown Theater, 7:00 p.m. Free popcorn included with the price of admission!
• Sept. 27 – Composting: Managing a Backyard Pile, West Chester Public Library, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Learn everything you need to know to get started including choosing a container, what to put in your pile, understanding the compost process, and applying finished compost. Registration required. Hybrid option available for those who cannot attend in person.
• Sept. 27 – WCU Chamber Orchestra Concert, Swope Music Bldg Ware Family Recital Hall, 8:15 – 9:45 p.m. This is a free event. Tickets are not required.
• Sept. 28 – Author discussion: Suzanne Simard, Finding the Mother Tree, more details to come.
• Sept. 28 – WCU LatinX Communities Conference, Sykes Student Union Building, 12:30 p.m. This interdisciplinary conference provides a creative space to enhance the understanding of Latinx issues, contributions, and cultures. This is the 15th year for the conference. Register and find a complete list of planned activities on the event website.
• Sept. 28 – West Goshen Historical Society Speaker Event: Wade Catts, West Goshen Township Building, 6:30 p.m. Archeologist Wade Catts will discuss archeology and preservation of sites of America’s war for independence. This is a free event. Registration is recommended.
• Sept. 29 – Festival of Fright, Thornbury Farm, 3 – 10 p.m. Tickets required. Includes a showing of the original Ghostbusters.
• Sept. 30 – Race Against Hunger 5K, East Goshen Park, Veteran’s Pavilion, 8:45 a.m. Race proceeds support the West Chester Food Cupboard. Note: this race is being run in coordination with the larger Race Against Hunger being held at the Navy Yard in Philadelphia.
• Sept. 30- West Chester Grower’s Market, 201 N. Church St. 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Local seasonal produce and craft goodies. Open sun or rain! Just don’t forget to bring your bags!
• Sept. 30 – Fall Festival, United Church of Christ, 1201 N. Chester Rd, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Rain or shine. Enjoy children’s games, food, crafts, apple butter and a golf ball drop raffle. All are welcome!
• Sept. 30 – Plagues and Pestilence: A Walking Tour, Chester County History Center. Tours are being held at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Learn the astonishing, little-known history about the diseases that transformed the lives (and deaths) of the people of West Chester. Tickets are $15. Tour lasts 1.5 hours.
• Sept. 30 – Jay Pharoah, West Chester University, Emilie K. Asplundh Concert Hall, 8 p.m. Best known for his spot-on impressions, Pharoah spent six seasons as a cast member on NBC’s SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. In 2017, he shifted to his first leading role as ‘Floyd Mooney’ in Showtime’s WHITE FAMOUS. Tickets $25-35/adult; $20-30/student/senior

October

• Oct. 1 – Fall Foliage Express, West Chester Railroad, 230 E Market St, 12 and 2 p.m. Enjoy a brisk fall afternoon along the picturesque Chester Creek Valley. 90 minute journey. Tickets: $22/adult; $18/kids 12 – 2
• Oct. 5 – 4th Annual Dr. Clifford E. DeBaptiste/Douglas Lecture, Philips Autograph LIbrary, 3 – 4:30 p.m. This year’s distinguished guest speaker is Dr. Brenda Allen, President of Lincoln University. This event is free and open to the public.
• Oct. 5 – Redistricting Update with Fair Districts PA, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Fair Districts PA‘s Tony Crocamo will explain PA’s current redistricting process, demonstrate how it has undermined democracy, and offer a solution to the problem. This is a Virtual presentation brought to you by the West Chester Public Library. Registration is required.
• Oct. 7 – Plagues and Pestilence: A Walking Tour, Chester County History Center. Tours are being held at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Learn the astonishing, little-known history about the diseases that transformed the lives (and deaths) of the people of West Chester. Tickets are $15. Tour lasts 1.5 hours.
• Oct. 7 – Jess Zimmerman Band, WCU Emilie K. Asplundh Concert Hall, 8 p.m. The Jess Zimmerman Band (JZBand) has won numerous Central Pennsylvania Music Awards including Best Band, Album of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year, and Entertainer of the Year. Tickets: $20/general admission; $10/with WCU student ID
• Oct. 8 – West Chester Chili-Cook-off, Gay Street, West Chester, 12 – 3:30 p.m. The West Chester Chilifest is returning for its 21st year. Sample dozens of the best area chilis at this funn community event. All proceeds go to support the Rotary Club of West Chester.
• Oct. 8 – Fall Foliage Express, West Chester Railroad, 230 E Market St, 12 and 2 p.m. Enjoy a brisk fall afternoon along the picturesque Chester Creek Valley. 90 minute journey. Tickets: $22/adult; $18/kids 12 – 2
• Oct. 8 – Westtown Day, Oakbourne Park, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. This family event features carnival games, live music, petting zoo, historical re-enactors, emergency service vehicles, kid’s architectural dig box, local businesses, and more.
• Oct. 11 – First Responders Appreciation Mass, St. Agnes Church, 9 a.m. Students of St. Agnes Church and residents are honoring First Responders and Law Enforcement personnel with a mass and apparatus parade. Please RSVP to secure a spot in the Church.
• Oct. 12 – John Thoma Memoirs: 50 years of the American Indian Movement, Philips Autograph Library, 3:30 p.m. This event is free and open to all.
• Oct. 12 – WCU Chamber Winds Concert, Swope Music Bldg Ware Family Recital Hall, 8:15 – 9:45 p.m. This is a free event. Tickets are not required.
• Oct. 14 – STEM Fair, West Chester Public Libary, 1 – 2:30 p.m. Details coming.
• Oct. 15 – Fall Foliage Express, West Chester Railroad, 230 E Market St, 12 and 2 p.m. Enjoy a brisk fall afternoon along the picturesque Chester Creek Valley. 90 minute journey. Tickets: $22/adult; $18/kids 12 – 2
• Oct. 16 – The Safe Harbor: Golftoberfest, Radley Run Golf Course, Day begins at 11 a.m. with registration and lunch. Followed by golf (scramble format) and dinner at 4:30 p.m. Cost is $400 for a single golfer to participate in all events. All proceeds go to support Safe Harbor.
• Oct. 17 – West Chester Public Library’s Storytime Registration, virtual, 10 a.m. Online registration opens for the late fall storytime sessions. Session is 5 weeks. Open to kids 0-5.
• Oct. 19 – WCU Faculty Recital: Dali Quartet, Philips Autograph Library, 8 – 9:30 p.m. This is a free event. Tickets are not required.
• Oct. 21 – 22 – Fall Foliage Express, West Chester Railroad, 230 E Market St, 12 and 2 p.m. Enjoy a brisk fall afternoon along the picturesque Chester Creek Valley. 90 minute journey. Tickets: $22/adult; $18/kids 12 – 2
• Oct. 24 – WCU Fall Choral Festival, Emilie K. Asplundh Concert Hall, 8:15 – 9:45 p.m. Featuring the Orpheus Singers, Allegro Voices, and Oriana Chorale in a program with a variety of sacred and secular music. This is a free event. Tickets are not required.
• Oct. 27 – Historic Halloween Train Ride, West Chester Historic Train Station, 6 – 9 p.m. Join the Westtown-Goshen Rotary Club for fun evening of dinner, drinks, costumes and ghost stories. Tickets: $75/person; $135/couple. Proceeds benefit the Goodwill Fire Co.
• Oct. 28 – 29 –Halloween Special, West Chester Railroad, 230 E Market St, 12 and 2 p.m. Wear your favorite costume on this family friendly Halloween train ride through the beautiful Chester Creek Valley. Tickets: $22/adult; $18/kids 12 – 2
• Oct. 28 – Dark Fairy Tales – 5th Annual Halloween Ball, Chester County History Center, 6:30 – 10:30 p.m. This year’s Halloween Ball theme, Dark Fairy Tales, takes peek into the original stories that sprinkled our childhood with magic forests, witches, fairies, wolves, and villains. Tickets: $125/person. All proceeds go to support the CCHC.

November

• Nov. 5 – Fall Foliage Express, West Chester Railroad, 230 E Market St, 12 and 2 p.m. Enjoy a brisk fall afternoon along the picturesque Chester Creek Valley. 90 minute journey. Tickets: $22/adult; $18/kids 12 – 2