Newtown Historic Association 40th Annual Market Day

Photo credit: https://www.newtownba.org/event/welcome-day-2016/

The Newtown Historic Association will be hosting its 40th annual Market Day. A craft and art fair, on Saturday, October 1^st, from 10am – 4pm. It will be held on the streets in and around the heart of historic Newtown. The Newtown Historic Association’s headquarters, the Half Moon Inn at 105 Centre Avenue (Court Street and Centre Avenue), will be open for tours. Market Day celebrates an old harvest tradition in Newtown when farmers brought their crops to town to sell and to enjoy a festive day of friendly contests that culminated with a horse race down State Street.

For four decades the Newtown Historic Association has celebrated Market Day. Thanks to our many sponsors this anniversary year, NHA is able to offer our community a fun-filled family day. Market Day is expanding to State Street and will include non-profit organizations and local businesses. We are grateful this year for our primary sponsor Rothman Institute.

There are over 85 crafters, demonstrators and artists offering a wide variety of interesting crafts. Demonstrations will include: carpentry, blacksmithing, quilting, dressmaking, gunsmithing.

In the historic Boone Garden, across from the Half Moon Inn, the Penn’s Wood Puppeteers will be performing “Captain Crook and the Missing Treasure” at 11:00am, 1:00pm and 3:00pm. Colonial candle dipping, a children’s participation event, will begin at noon in the Boone Garden. New for this year will be a Balloon Artist who will be creating balloon art from 11:30am to 1:00pm. Scarecrow-making for children, will be held inside the Half Moon Inn from 10:30am to 3:30om. “A Better Way Farm” and their team of Belgian draft horses and wagon will provide horse drawn hayrides by the Newtown Library. The hayrides are free this year thanks to the sponsorship of Harris Comfort and Oxford Valley Pain and Spine.

The First Crossing Volunteers – a colonial militia revolutionary war encampment will be camped in the backyard of the Half Moon (Court Inn). A colonial gunsmith and dressmaker will also be there demonstrating their trades. Colonial Open Hearth Cooking will be demonstrated by Connie Unangst in the Half Moon Inn all day.

At the NHA Welcome Tables at both Court and Congress Streets will be assorted contests and guessing games, including the Corn Husking contest at 1:30 pm. NHA Market Day T-shirts will be on sale for $5 and there is a limited supply. The raffle this year is a $400 gift certificate to use toward a weekend at the historic “Queen Victoria Bed and Breakfast Inn”, Cape May, New Jersey. Tickets are $1.00 each or 6 for $5.00.

The “Full Moon Musicians” will be performing Colonial tunes in the Half Moon Inn from 10 am to Noon. “Bill Dooley and the Coyotes” will be performing a selection of folk music in front of the Half Moon Inn throughout the day starting at 11:30am through 4 pm.

The Festival of Foods will feature local Newtown restaurants and offer delicious luncheon treats. The special kettle corn vendor “Best Darn Kettle Korn” will be here again. Local fresh farm produce and autumnal decorations will be available in the Farmers Market on Court Street.

To help with parking this year, there will be a free shuttle bus provided by Pickering Manor Home. The shuttle will provide transport for our visitors to get from the New Life Christian Church parking lot to Market Day and back. The New Life Christian Church is located at 4 Freedom Drive, (off of S. State St.) Newtown, PA 18940. The buses will run from 10:00am to 4:30pm. The bus is handicap accessible. There is also street parking in town and several public parking lots.

The Newtown Library’s 5K Fun Run will also be taking place Saturday morning at 8:30 am, so come on out to Newtown and enjoy a fun-filled day with all your friends and neighbors.