NEW BERLIN – The 51st annual Youth Days celebration is already well underway in the Village of New Berlin. Festivities officially kicked-off Thursday and continue throughout the weekend on the grounds of Milford Academy before the carnival pulls out of town for another year on Sunday.

According to event coordinators, this long-lasting end of summer bash has been a great opportunity to pull the community together and simply celebrate the art of being a kid. This year will bring back some of the best-loved traditions and a few others not seen at Youth Days in years, explained Youth Days Committee President Larissa Hanslmaier.

“This is definitely a great community event that everyone really enjoys,” Hanslmaier said. “It’s full of activities that the kids can participate in that aren’t going to cost them anything.”

Following Thursday night’s Miss Youth Day Pageant at the Unadilla Valley Central School, the high spirits of all things summer continues today at 1 p.m. when kids of all ages put their aquatic skills to the test for the sand and water games at Millbrook Reservoir. Games are followed by a watermelon eating contest at 5 p.m. at the New Berlin Fire House and the fun really picks up when the midway opens for the first time at 6 tonight.