In a year where countless towns and community organizations are readying for celebrations of America's 250th anniversary, Atglen Borough will celebrate a milestone birthday of its own.

This year is Atglen's 150th birthday, which will be honored by a massive five-day event that is scheduled to run from Wednesday, June 24, to Sunday, June 28.

"I noticed that we were coming up on an anniversary in the summer of (2024)," said Jennifer Grossman, chairperson of the borough's park and recreation commission. "Then we kind of talked about how we should plan something ... there's been conversations every meeting in 2025 about what we're going to do and having it come together. There's been lots of planning involved."

The event will kick off on Wednesday night with an invitation dinner hosted by The Barn at Stoneybrooke, 4740 Lower Valley Road, Atglen. The dinner will consist of sharing history and stories from more than a century of generations in the borough. After invitations are sent out, the event will become open to the public until the 100 to 125 person capacity is reached.

The borough is asking attendees at the dinner to bring a food donation, which will benefit the Octorara Area Food Cupboard and will go towards the upcoming "Battle of the Boroughs" food drive, set to be contested with nearby Parkesburg and Christiana.

"We'll be collecting food for that in the entire weekend," said Cristi Hahn, borough manager.

On Thursday, June 25, Atglen Public Library will host an informational event titled "But Nothing Ever Happened Here" at 7 p.m. at the library, 121 Main St. The night will detail how the borough participated in the American Revolution; the Christiana Riot; and agricultural, engineering and forensic history. The event is open to the public, although registration is required. To do so, visit https://ccls.libcal.com/event/16434657.

Friday, June 26, will commence the weekend's activities with a movie night at Atglen Community Park, 400 Ridge Ave. Popcorn will be provided at no cost to those who attend.

Saturday, June 27, is scheduled to bring a community day, one that will consist of "a family fun day of events like a cornhole tournament, hay rides, a band and food trucks," Grossman said.

Sunday's packed slate will begin with a multi-denominational community church service at Penningtonville Presbyterian Church (PPC), which derives its name from the borough's original name before being incorporated as Atglen. PPC predates Atglen Borough and recently celebrated its 175th anniversary.

A parade will follow in town, from the park at PPC to Atglen Community Park. While not a true parade with intricate floats and balloons, the borough is inviting members of the public to decorate whatever "wheels" they have, ranging from scooters and bikes to road-certified vehicles.

Sunday's festivities will continue with a "popsicles in the park" event, an annual activity that is being incorporated into the 150th anniversary celebration. A closing ceremony will then close the day and the event at large.

"My hopes for the weekend would be to have a large community involvement," said Grossman. "We chose specifically not to do it over the Fourth of July because of America's 250; we feel like we didn't want to compete with other towns that have more manpower and bigger budgets than what we have."

The event has its own logo, designed by Octorara Area High School student Mary Flowers through the district's Career and Technical Education Center graphic design program.

"I happily accepted, eager to work on a digital project for the town I live so close to," Flowers said of the project. "This design, in particular, pulled together physical buildings as well as the outline of Atglen Borough to frame the work. I sought to include nature through the trees and flowers to highlight the parks, such as Wolf's Hollow, and illustrate how in Atglen County, nature and the town live harmoniously."