Live music, children's activities and food will be some of the features of Elverson Day in the Park, which will take place on Saturday, June 24, at Livingood Park on South Chestnut Street in Elverson. Events will begin at 5 p.m. and end with a giant firework display at approximately 9 p.m. The rain date is Sunday, June 25.

Musical performances will kick off the evening. "We are beginning with singer Carol Ruffner and her band at 5 p.m. They are the opening act," said Mayor Esther Prosser, a member of the Elverson Day in the Park committee. "(Singer) John Barnett will follow."

The culminating musical act will be the West Chester Swing Kings, known for their repertoire of music by artists such as Glenn Miller, Woody Herman, Tommy Dorsey, Count Basie and Duke Ellington. The fireworks will begin after the group's last song.

Food will be offered by Giovanni's Pizza and Pasta of Elverson, along with food vendors, including Suburban Brewing Company of Honey Brook, a farm-to-table food truck and Kona Ice. Local Boy Scouts will sell hot dogs and soft pretzels.

For children, there will be face painting, a barrel train, T-shirt painting, a petting zoo and a moon bounce. "New this year will be a scavenger hunt," noted Prosser.

For sale in the park will be Elverson T-shirts. The T-shirts, available in green and tan, bear Elverson's nickname, "The Greatest Square Mile." "We will also be selling an Elverson history book, 'Elverson, Our Community' by Bob Patry. He was a wonderful historian," said Prosser.

Twin Valley Fire Department will bring emergency vehicles, including fire trucks, and there will be an exotic animal show by Allison Ueland from Party Animals Express.

In addition, vendors will be on hand offering items for sale, and there will be displays by local organizations. "We will have close to 20 different local vendors," Prosser noted.

Elverson Day in the Park is always held on the last Saturday in June. The tradition began in 2011 when Elverson residents celebrated the borough's centennial by gathering at Livingood Park on a Saturday at the end of June. The event has been held each year since, with the exception of 2020, when the event was canceled because of the pandemic.

Planning begins in February or March. "We meet monthly, and the last meeting is always at the park to (finalize plans)," Prosser noted. "I have a great young committee with kids of their own, so they know what kids like."

For more information about Elverson Day in the Park, including cancellation information, visit http://www.elversonboro.org.

To kick off the day, Anchored Ministries will hold the third annual Elverson Community 5K and 1-mile fun run in the park. Check-in and registration will begin at 7:15 a.m. The 5K will start at 8 a.m., followed by the 1-mile fun run at 8:30 a.m. For more information or to register, visit http://www.AnchoredMinistries.org/5k. Funds raised from the event will go toward the charity's annual back-to-school event, which provides brand-new backpacks, school supplies and more to students and families in the Twin Valley School District.