Downtown York, Just For You!

Downtown York, Just For You!

by Alli Young

Think there isn’t much going on in downtown York? You’re not alone. This seems to be a popular misconception among the inhabitants of Central PA. However, a little bit of time spent downtown quickly proves that the truth is to the contrary. In fact, there are plenty of entertaining events that occur downtown on a weekly basis that provide viable recreational alternatives for you to consider if you’re tired of the same old. Here are several examples:

Wednesday Night Out
According to Kim Walsh of Main Street York, Wednesday Night Out was developed three years ago at the request of the merchants who keep shop in the downtown area. After hearing about a similar event in Philadelphia, the merchants were sparked with a desire to organize something similar in York.

Vendors that participate in the Wednesday Night Out event remain open until 8 p.m. every Wednesday evening. This is in an effort provide people with the opportunity to enjoy the shopping and dining of downtown York in the evening when it is generally most convenient for them to do so. As Walsh states, "The idea is to give people the convenience of being able to do all of their shopping on one evening."

A Wednesday Night Out discount card exists to further entice shoppers into taking advantage of the event. The vendors listed on the card offer a 15% discount to cardholders on Wednesday evenings. The discount cards can be picked up at participating downtown merchants.

With the existence of this event, there aren’t many excuses left for shying away from the downtown York shopping experience.

Arts, Eats, & Beats
This event takes place at a predetermined downtown location on the every first Wednesday of every month. As its name conveys, the event highlights an aspect of the downtown art scene, features refreshments from a select downtown eatery, and showcases music by local performers.

A visit downtown on the evening of Wednesday, June 7 provided a firsthand experience of the Arts, Eats, & Beats event. Several art exhibits were open for perusal on this particular evening. YorkArts, a regular participant in the event, featured an exhibit entitled "Commerce and Art — Aesthetics of Advertising". Free refreshments were provided by Sam and Tony’s Pasta House, and sounds were provided by the Bill Druck Duo. The York County Heritage Trust displayed Mellon Financial Corporation’s historic art collection entitled "Treasures for the Trust," and featured food from The Left Bank, while Maria Wilson offered acoustic entertainment. The Historic York Architectural Warehouse displayed their items to the sounds of Chris Kostoff, while visitors enjoyed fine Italian treats from Marcello’s. All of the above locations provided the examples of the quality local entertainment that exists in downtown York.

Also offered at the June 7th event was a walking tour of Market Street provided by Nancy Leik of York Imperial Tours. The tour focused on examples of downtown York’s historic architecture with an emphasis on the role York played in the Revolutionary War. Victoria Connor, social chair of the York Historic Registry and a resident of historic York attended the tour. Originally from New Jersey, Connor states, "We’re very surprised people don’t take more advantage of what is here." She adds, "People that live here are blind to it."

Oh, and the Art, Eats, & Beats event is absolutely, 100% free. Pretty cool, huh?

Box Lunch Revue
This event, takes place on Tuesdays and Thursdays downtown York’s scenic Cherry Lane Park, draws quite a crowd. People gather to hear different area musicians do their particular thing from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. throughout the summer. The range of musical genres offered at the biweekly event stretches from area high school musical groups to folk singers to auto harp players. Tables, chairs and umbrellas are set up in Cherry Lane, and the Central Market House is open on these days of the week, so its quite convenient to grab a bite to eat while enjoying the tunes (hence the "Box Lunch" idea). Sharon Keeley, City Special Events Coordinator and organizer of the event, says that this event is a summertime tradition that has been going on downtown for years, and "the feedback we receive is very positive". With that in mind, it is highly likely that a lunchtime visit to this event will prove enjoyable. Break the monotony the lunchtime routine and check it out.

With organizations such as Main Street York and York City Special Events to keep things lively, the downtown scene is not only likely to survive, but thrive. The above events are just a taste of what is offered in downtown York. There are plenty of hidden little treasures nestled in the nooks and crannies of this Central PA city. So get out in downtown York. You might be surprised at what you find!