Downtown Ardmore's annual community celebration returns Oct. 17 with new attractions and a milestone birthday for the group behind it.

The Ardmore Business Association, which launched the free event as an open house in 2019, is marking 75 years of advocating for local businesses. The ABA calls Ardmore Day its largest annual celebration. It runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Schauffele Plaza on Cricket Avenue, with activities spreading into surrounding streets.

"The ABA is a group of volunteers that has resiliently been the voice of the Ardmore businesses for 75 years," ABA President Nina Greberman told Main Line Media News in a Sept. 12 article.

Three new features headline the 2026 lineup: a vintage car show on Rittenhouse Place, a family corn maze and a Children's Spooktacular Parade with a candy scavenger hunt. Returning favorites include the Ardbark Dog Parade and Costume Contest, bumper cars, a trackless train, face painting, caricatures, food vendors and sidewalk sales at Ardmore shops.

Fox 29 meteorologist Bob Kelly will appear alongside Swoop and the Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders. After they depart, two young musicians from Meridee Winter's School of Music will perform on the Schauffele Plaza stage.

The Ardbark contest judges include staff from Ardmore Animal Hospital, Main Line Urgent Vet, Ruff House Dog Center and VEG ER, along with longtime ABA board member Harry Althouse, formerly of Harry's Treasures.

The celebration doubles as a showcase for a plaza in transition. Lower Merion Township is planning a permanent redesign of Schauffele Plaza to convert the underused lot into a civic green with space for events, outdoor dining and daily gathering. A community-led demonstration project by the Friends of Schauffele Plaza, the Lower Merion Conservancy and the Downtown Ardmore District has already added mural art, native plants and seating as a temporary preview of what the space could become.

The ABA also picked up hardware this year. The organization won the Main Line Parent 2026 LOVE Award for Best Community Events, an honor it announced on Instagram in May.

Admission is free.

Presenting sponsors are Wild Fork Foods, Firstrust Bank and Ardmore Pizza.

What to know

  • When: Oct. 17, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Where: Schauffele Plaza, Cricket Avenue, downtown Ardmore
  • Cost: Free
  • Contact: Nina Greberman, ABA President

Coming up in Lower Merion

  • Oct. 10: Electronics recycling drop-off at the Lower Merion Township Transfer Station (pre-registration required)
  • Oct. 17: Ardmore Day at Schauffele Plaza, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.