Community Events

For more information on any community event, please contact the Chamber
by phone (717) 597-4610
or e-mail info@greencastlepachamber.org
or click here for Community Calendar of Events.

Heritage Christmas   

The holiday season finds the streets of Greencastle decked with sparkling lights and a huge evergreen, donated by someone in the community, adorning Center Square.  The yuletide is welcomed with a Tree-Lighting Ceremony the Friday evening before Thanksgiving and the annual Christmas Parade the following morning.

Heritage Christmas offers people the perfect way to get into the holiday spirit. Musical groups from schools and the community perform traditional music of the season, while old-fashioned music is performed on bagpipes and dulcimers, and children can get their photos taken with Santa Claus.  One of its most popular features is the old-fashioned horse and buggy tours of the town.  Non-profit organizations and churches set up shop along Greencastle’s streets, selling seasonal items like fresh greens and Christmas trees, pop corn balls and citrus fruit, and serving hot chocolate and home made cookies.  Downtown merchants also decorate their stores for the holidays, stay open late during Heritage Christmas, offer door prizes, a wide selection of gifts, as well as complimentary gift wrapping.

Old Home Week

In 1902, Philip Baer organized an Old Boys’ Reunion.  Sixty-five “old boys” came out for the festivities, which included: a chicken dinner, a picnic along the Conococheague Creek, a minstrel show, speeches and a band concert.  The reunion was such a success that the men decided to meet again in three years, and bring their wives.

This tradition continues during the first full week in August every three years, with the next Old Home Week occurring in 2004.  People come to Greencastle from across the country and around the world to participate in class reunions, historic displays, a pageant about the community’s past, concerts, an community worship service, fireworks, dances and much more.

Other community celebrations

Apple Festival, sponsored by Tayamentasachta.
The event is on the second Saturday of every October.

Carnival, sponsored by the Greencastle’s Rescue Hose Co.
A week long carnival in July held at the Special Events Center on South Washington Street.

Halloween Party for Children, sponsored by Greencastle-Antrim Women’s Club and other organizations.  The event is the Thursday before Halloween.

Minstrel Show, sponsored by Greencastle’s Rescue Hose Co.
Each March, the shows are at the Greencastle-Antrim High School.

Sidewalk Sales Day, sponsored by the Greencastle-Antrim Merchant’s Association.
A two day event in the month of July, in which dozens of craft and food vendors line the streets.