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York celebrates 275th birthday with street party


More than 500 people sat outside in the sweltering heat to celebrate a big birthday for York city Saturday afternoon.

The city is celebrating its 275th birthday with a series of events all year long, including Saturday’s Birthday Bash – a sit-down barbecue chicken dinner for 550 people at one long table in the center of West Market Street.

The only way to get invited to the dinner was to find one of 275 golden tickets hidden inside 3,000 Wolfgang candy bars at locations throughout the city. Each golden ticket was good for admission for the winner and one guest to the celebration.

The idea was to bring members of the community together to join hands, meet their neighbors and share a meal in the city, organizer David Smith said.

During dinner, guests could also listen to live music by local acts and enjoy family-friendly entertainment, such as face painters, balloon twisters and baton twirlers, he said.

Those who couldn’t get a ticket to the event can find a lot of the same family entertainment at Saturday night’s free Creekfire event, which is open to the public.

Creekfire is a monthly event that brings live music, children’s activities, floating fire pits and an illuminated boat parade to the Codorus Creek at Foundry Park every fourth Saturday through September. Festivities go from 7 to 10 p.m.

Visit www.facebook.com/creekfireyork for more info.