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Night promises fun for families

The annual family-oriented night full of fun, food and music for locals and Little Leaguers, Williamsport Welcomes the World, is coming Friday.

Around 1 p.m., downtown streets including West Edwin, West Fourth, Pine, Court, William and both east and west Laurel will be closed for vendor and activity set up. The full event will start at 5 p.m. and go until 9 p.m. with vendors being on Pine, West Fourth and Laurel streets, according to Shawn Washington, city director of recreation and special events.

If you plan on coming to this year’s event, Washington suggests parking in the Hepburn Plaza, the Rite Aid parking lot or in the parking lot by the Pine Street United Methodist Church, as many of the downtown streets will be blocked off hours before the event.

This year, there will be a magician walking the streets performing tricks and interacting with locals, a new addition from last year’s event. Magician Eddy Ray will perform two magic shows, one at 5:30 p.m. and one at 7:30 p.m., at the community park at the corner of Market and Fourth streets where he will read the minds of local youth and invite showgoers to be a part of his show.

The kids activities, including bouncy houses set up in front of Liberty Arena and the Kidz Zone behind Trade and Transit Center II, will be free throughout the evening.

“There will be free children’s activities,” Cindi Perry Rischar, chair of the Williamsport Welcomes the World event, said. “The churches participate in keeping all of the children’s activities free for them to enjoy during the event. We wanted to keep it free.”

Former Major League Baseball player Lee Smith from the Chicago Cubs will also be in attendance. He will be doing an autograph signing from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Chamber of Commerce building on West Fourth Street.

With a multitude of food vendors located on the various downtown streets, no one will have to go home hungry. Another addition to this year’s event is Chick-Fil-A, which will provide food alongside Bruster’s Ice Cream and others.

Local dance studios and Uptown Music Collective will provide entertainment at different locations with an acoustic performance on Pine Street and others under the marque at the Community Arts Center.

City police and firefighters will hold activities including rock climbing for children and opportunities for locals to meet their law enforcement officers.

“Williamsport Welcomes the World event is just a time where the community comes to enjoy each other, the food, entertainment, and friends and family,” Washington said.

The city of Williamsport, the Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber of Commerce and iHeart Media organize the yearly event. Visit the iHeart Media website for details on Uptown Music’s performances or where specific activities are held.

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