Lansdale First Friday chili cookoff, Freight House ‘0.5K’ coming this weekend

With temperatures falling and calendar flipping to October, two town events will bring the crowds to Lansdale this weekend.

Borough officials this week previewed the town’s First Friday festivities planned for Oct. 3, and the “Frachthaus Zer0.5K” scheduled for Oct. 5.

“If you like chili, don’t miss this week’s First Friday: the great chili cookoff will be happening, as well as a number of other fun activities, as there always are,” said council President Mary Fuller at council’s Wednesday night meeting.

Town nonprofit Discover Lansdale has hosted a series of First Fridays along Madison Street from Main to Wood Streets from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., with the chili cookoff located at Wood and Madison for the first two hours. Live music, face painting, balloon animals, and a kid zone will also be there, as will food trucks, a beer garden, and more; details are available on DiscoverLansdale.org.

    Winners of the 2023 Discover Lansdale First Friday Chili Cook-off competition included first Place champion Kylai Greenwood, center; second place winner Eve Mitchell, left; and third place winner Alex Mears, right. (Credit: Discover Lansdale)
  

“If you’re really feeling energetic and up to the challenge, don’t forget : Sunday, beginning at 2 p.m. is our Zero-point-five K. Starts with a beer, have a little carb break halfway at the library, and finishes off at the freight house where you can get another beer — and then some, because it’ll dump into Oktoberfest,” Fuller said.

That route starts at Main and Wood, runs along Derstine Avenue to Vine Street, then finishes at Vine and Broad Streets, with participation medals for all, bigger medals for winners, and a costume contest as part of the day — plus a sneak peek at a town destination that’s currently getting a new look.

“And you can take a peek at how the freight house is coming along, and it looks spectacular inside. So I encourage folks to come out to Oktoberfest — it’s really exciting, and I invite you all to come take a look,” Fuller said.

    HVAC equipment and plans for renovation work are stationed within the Discover Lansdale Freight House in Sept. 2025. (Credit: Discover Lansdale)
  

    Newly installed lights, freshly painted doors, and drywall can be seen within the Discover Lansdale Freight House in Sept. 2025. (Credit: Discover Lansdale)
  

    Exterior doors on the Discover Lansdale Freight House now sport colors matching the original 1902 paint scheme, as seen in Sept. 2025. (Credit: Discover Lansdale)
  

Located on the east side of the intersection of Vine and Broad, the freight station dates back to the early 1900s, was bought by Discover in 2016, and has been the focus of a fundraising campaign launched at the end of 2024 to install electric, water and heat services, rebuild the floor, restore doors and windows, add an accessible restroom, recreate an original office space, repair stonework, and create an event venue out of the station’s shipping area, and a courtyard outdoors near the adjacent Liberty Bell Trail.

Work competed in recent weeks at the station includes installation of new ductwork, restoration of windows, placement of drywall, and fresh paint meant to match the 1902 colors, according to updates posted by Discover. Councilman Mike Yetter said he was able to tour the site earlier this week, and came away impressed.

“It does look fantastic, it’s incredible how it’s transformed. It’s going to be a real asset to the community, and a great space for events and lots of great things that’ll bring more business and events into town. So well done by the group — and don’t forget to donate,” he said.        

For more on the Freight House restoration project visit https://lansdalefreighthouse.org/ and for more on the First Fridays and other events visit DiscoverLansdale.org.

This article appears courtesy of a content share agreement between North Penn Now and The Reporter. To read more stories like this, visit https://www.thereporteronline.com