'Street Fair With Flair' Welcomes Thousands To Newtown

NEWTOWN TOWNSHIP, PA — The sights and sounds of Welcome Day filled the streets of Newtown on Sunday as the community celebrated the “18940.”

From Jefferson Street to Durham Road, thousands enjoyed a day filled with live entertainment, fun and games, vendors and plenty of food on a very crowded Sycamore Street.

The energy on the street was palpable as live entertainment electrified the street and live music filled the air including the Irish sounds of Shamrock Shenanigans.

The day’s organizer Rob Howell, dubbed Welcome Day 2025 “a rousing success,” both for the community and for the Newtown Business Association, which stages the event.

“Today has been a great day. The music, the food, the vendors - everything was great. And everybody’s happy,” said Howell. “It’s been an awesome day. We love doing this. And we love showing off the 18940.”

Added NBA President Dave Marcolla, “There’s nothing like a street fair with flair to bring everyone together. It’s been a great day to celebrate who we are and the many businesses and professionals we have in town.”

Kids were lined up all day for the flamingo toss at the Let's Learn Tutoring booth. (Jeff Werner/Patch)

Capital Health was the main sponsor of Sunday's event. (Jeff Werner/Patch)

At times on Sunday, the street was packed with people. (Jeff Werner/Patch)

Employees with Sleepy Hollow Haunted Acres were scaring up new recruits on Sunday. (Jeff Werner/Patch)

Jules Thin Crust Pizza was a popular stop at the Welcome Day food court. (Jeff Werner/Patch)

A new addition this year was a food court and entertainment area set up at the far end of the street between Silo Drive and Durham Road. That’s where the folks at Jules Thin Crust were offering cups of lemonade, offering cookies and inviting hungry festival goers inside to enjoy their signature pizza.

“We’ve had a great response today from everyone,” reported Newtown store manager Anneliese Golden. “We’ve had a great response today. People are always excited when they see us.”

At Silo Drive and Durham Road, members of the Newtown Fire Association were sharing fire prevention tips with the community.

Just a few feet away, representatives from the Newtown Township Police Department were educating parents about scams and handing out fun activity packets to the youngsters.

At the other end of the street, representatives with Capital Health, the event’s main sponsor, were giving tours of its mobile simulated lab.

Karen Zebrowski and Nikki Zebrowski-Beck of Backyard Buzz in Jamison show off some of their products. (Jeff Werner/Patch)

Newtown Rotarians were on hand to promote their growing service organization. (Jeff Werner/Patch)

Employees of the Borscht Belt in Newtown offered Welcome Day visitors a taste of their deli. (Jeff Werner/Patch)

The Newtown Athletic Club was on hand to promote its upcoming country music festival - "Nashville at the NAC" on July 20. Chris Janson will be headlining the show. (Jeff Werner/Patch)

Nearby, there was a buzz in the air at the Backyard Buzz booth. That’s where Nikki and Karen of Jamison were selling bottles of honey, honey cotton candy and The Bee Book.

Nearby, at the Let’s Learn Tutoring booth, kids were having a ball tossing rings around the neck of the company’s mascot pink flamingo named Bethany who was making her public debut.

Located on Sycamore Street, the private education company serves learners from K to 12.

Adding a frightful chill to the event were employees of Sleepy Hollow Haunted Acres dressed up as a reaper, a ghoul and a witch. They were seen scaring up future employees up and down the street.

Just outside of the festival area, on the grounds of the Historic Presbyterian Church, Welcome Day visitors took a step back in time to the days of the American Revolution.

Members of the 1st Crossing Volunteers, home-based at Crossing Community Church, staged an encampment on the historic church grounds, which included Colonial games, musket firing demonstrations and hearthside cooking.

Paul Salvatore used a bell to attract people to a Revolutionary War encampment at the Historic Presbyterian Church.

Visitors who took a look inside the church learned that it is the oldest church in Newtown dating to 1769. They also learned that in 1776 it was commandeered by General George Washington for use as a hospital, a jail and a P.O.W. “camp.”

After the Battle of Trenton, several hundred Hessians were held there before they began their long march to Philadelphia where they would be exchanged for American soldiers.