Hall of Fame outfielder Tim Raines, who was one of the fastest and versatile offensive and defensive players when he played, most notably for the Montreal Expos, will be headlining the 11th annual Williamsport Welcomes the World celebration in downtown Williamsport on Friday, August 20, from 5 to 9 p.m.

This event is being conducted through the partnership of the City of Williamsport and Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber of Commerce. The streets in the Central Business district between Market and Hepburn Streets on West Fourth Street will close to traffic in order to accommodate the four-hour celebration. There will be live music, art, kid’s activities, along with food vendors and craft vendors. UPMC has stepped forward to continue its support of this event as the Official Health Care Sponsor for 2021.

The Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber of Commerce, through its Lycoming County Visitors Bureau, has coordinated a special autograph session with 2017 National Baseball Hall of Fame Left Fielder and top 5 all-time base stealer Tim Raines from 5:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. sponsored by Moff and Associates, The Liberty Group and Allison Crane and Rigging. Raines will only be autographing a signed print being distributed to all attendees during the hour-long autograph session.

“We’re excited to be having Williamsport Welcomes the World this year after not having one in 2020. It’s great to be partnering with the City and downtown merchants to bring visitors and residents alike to the City’s downtown”, stated Jason Fink, President/CEO of the Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber of Commerce. “Everyone is happy to see that there is going to be a Little League World Series this year, and even with the constraints being placed upon activities due to the pandemic, we’re in a better place this year than we were at this time in 2020. Let’s celebrate this step forward in understanding that next year will be even bigger and better with the 75th anniversary of the World Series taking place here.”

There will be a wide range of great music and entertainment from Uptown Music Collective, Williamsport City Jazz Orchestra, and several area high school bands. This is being sponsored by Wegmans, EQT, Weis Markets, Energy Transfer Partners, Cabot Oil & Gas, Highmark, Chief Oil & Gas, and Muncy Bank. There will also be plenty of kids activities in downtown Williamsport in the Kids Zone, including many inflatables, including UPMC’s “Will A. Sport” inflatable, face painting, and other kid-friendly activities. Kids Zone activities are being sponsored by Ciocca Family Dealerships, PPL, Stallion, Marcellus Shale Coalition, Keystone Advertising Specialties, Pennsylvania General Energy, Seneca Resources, Stroehmann’s, and Williams Energy.

This year Pepsi is sponsoring two Williamsport Welcomes the World 2021 collectors pins that will be available from participating downtown merchants. They will be open throughout the evening, offering special discounts with only 750 of each pin available that evening with a $5 purchase.