WCU 250

WCU Homecoming and Family Weekend

October 3-5

Homecoming and Family Weekend Planning Committee 

West Chester Borough Homecoming Information

Join West Chester University October 3–5 for a spirited celebration of campus, community, and Ram pride. Expect block parties, tailgates, live music, WCU vs. East Stroudsburg football game, and other student activities!

Welcome Week/Welcome to the Borough 

Saturday, August 23, 2025  (10:00 am – 2:00 pm)

Come join us as we welcome our first year and transfer students to WCU!  Look for the “WCU250” table on Market Street around the corner from the old courthouse steps.  Take a selfie with Rammy in his best patriotic “Uncle Sam” costume. Giveaways and information about upcoming events will be available.

September 11th Memorial Ceremony

Thursday, September 11th, 2025 (9:00 am – 10:30 am)
Academic Quad (in case of inclement weather, Asplundh Hall)

The Student Veterans Group is planning an event commemorating the 24th anniversary of the attack on the United States.

Separating Fact from Fiction: Debunking Myths about US Immigrants

Wednesday, Sept. 18 (3:00pm – 4:15pm)
Sykes Student Union Theatre

This talk will evaluate some of the commonly held myths about the impact of immigration today in the U.S. Presentation by Dr. Miguel Ceballos, WCU Sociology Department.

Frederick Douglass Lecture Series

Tuesday, October 2 (3:00 - 5:00 pm)
Philips Autograph Library

The Dr. Clifford E. DeBaptiste Frederick Douglass Lecture is an educational and cultural resource for advancing multicultural studies across the community and for deepening the intellectual heritage of Frederick Douglass.

The goal of the lecture is to maintain the legacy of the great abolitionist, orator, and statesman Frederick Douglass before the campus community, local community, region, and the nation. The Dr. Clifford E. DeBaptiste Frederick Douglass Lecture is an educational and cultural resource for advancing multicultural studies across the community and for deepening the intellectual heritage of Frederick Douglass. Each year a guest lecturer is invited to be the speaker, with the goal of attracting a wide audience.

The lecture, which is open to the public free of charge, is hosted by the Frederick Douglass Institute and is made possible through the generous gift of Dr. Clifford DeBaptiste, the first African‐American mayor of West Chester Borough and a recognized champion of education. 

True Crime on Trial (in partnership with the Chester County History Center)

Tuesday, October 21 (2:00-5:00 pm)
Philips Autograph Library
$20/person (FREE for students)

The event is an interactive trial based on an early 20th century murder that transpired at the current location of the Fame Fire Company just off campus. It offers an interdisciplinary exploration of individual rights, forensics, criminal justice, gender, and history as participants consider the evidence of the time, under the rules that applied, to determine guilt or innocence. Chester County Center History Center's Jennifer Green (a WCU alum) created the program which has been touring our area and receiving terrific reviews.

7th Annual Ruby Jones Conference on Social Justice, Race, and Civic Leadership 

Friday, October 24, 2025 (9:00 am - 2:00 pm) at Sykes Student Union in Sykes Ballrooms

On Friday, October 24, 2025, the Dowdy Multicultural Center will host its 7th Annual Ruby Jones Conference on Race, Social Justice, and Civic Leadership from 9am – 2pm at the Sykes Student Union in the Sykes Ballrooms. In recognition of our 250th year of U.S. Independence, the theme for the conference is "250 Years Later: This is America".

The goal of this conference is to create an educational environment where participants can engage in learning that will raise awareness and promote action-oriented dialogue about race, gender, sexuality, health, disability, social and cultural issues, and so much more. This conference will help to examine how these issues impact faculty, staff, and students' lives on campus, in communities, and in society. This year marks 250 years of independence in the U.S. and our hope is that participants will be encouraged to think critically about our independence, the issues concerning their communities, and the role they play.

Native American Heritage Month 

During the month of November

WCU is planning several events celebrating Native American heritage and the history of the original residents of this area, the Lenape, or Delaware Tribe, one of the 574 federally recognized tribes in the United States.

Blob Fest

Phoenixville Borough
July 2026
Colonial Theater

Learn more about Blob Fest

Phoenixville continues its annual Blobfest with a three-day festival celebrating the 1958 sci-fi classic The Blob, which was filmed at the nearby Colonial Theatre. Students can enjoy food vendors, experience local history, live music and participate in the famous, “run out” where participants dash out of the theater just like in the movie!

Turks Head Music Festival

Everhart Park
Monday June 1, 2026

Learn more about Turks Head Music Festival

70+ artists take to Everhart Park for a free, outdoor festival. Featuring local food vendors and craft drinks with two stages of live music from a variety of artist!

Fall Festival at Stroud Preserve

Stroud Preserve
Saturday
October 18, 2025
Natural Lands

Learn more about Fall Festival at Stroud Preserve

Fall Festival & Connect with NextGen (Stroud Preserve) Stroud Preserve is hosting a free fall celebration featuring live music, food trucks and a costume contest!

West Chester Chilli Cook Off

Gay St.
October 12, 2025
Florenza’s Food For Friends (F4)

Learn more about the West Chester Chilli Cook Off

50 teams from local restaurants to hometown chefs, serve up their best chili recipes in downtown West Chester. Vote for your favorites, enjoy live music, and support community nonprofits in a spicy afternoon event.

Holiday Light Parade

Kennet Township
Saturday before Thanksgiving
Kennett Collaborative

Learn more about the Holiday Light Parade

Kick off the holiday season with a parade through downtown Kennett Square! Featuring floats wrapped in lights, dancers, festive vehicles, and the grand arrival of Santa & Mrs. Claus to light the community tree.

Chester County

• https://america250chesco.org/Events.cfm - Mill Technology, 9/6/25
• https://america250chesco.org/Events.cfm -  Impact of the Battle of the Brandywine on American Freedom (November 1, 2025)

Chester County History Center

• Plagues and Pestilence: A Walking Tour
• Bias Inside Us Exhibit - https://biasinsideus.si.edu/homepage - The Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service is traveling The Bias Inside Us to 40 communities across the country from January 2021 through April 2025. Organized into year-long regional tours, the project is touring the Upper Midwest in 2021-2022 before moving to the Southeast in 2022-2023, the Southwest in 2024-2025, and the Northeast in 2025-2026. The Chester County History Center will host the exhibit starting September 11, 2025 through December.