It has been 20 years of scooping ice cream, concocting authentic vintage soda drinks and creating old-fashioned desserts for The Franklin Fountain, which will be celebrating its 20th anniversary milestone on Saturday, Sept. 28 (rain date, Sept. 29). The public is invited to attend the party, located at 116 Market St., Old City, Philadelphia. The Fountain was established by two brothers, Ryan and Eric Berley, formerly of Media, as a unique rec-reated early 1900s ice cream parlor and soda fountain. Their 1898 building with its pressed tin walls and ceiling and penny- tile mosaic floors is decorated with authentic period soda fountain memorabilia. Anyone attending the party dressed in period attire (ca. 1900-1920) will receive a free scoop of ice cream, and there will be free birthday cake ice cream samples for everyone. The event will be set up along Letitia Street next to The Franklin Fountain and between Second and First on Market Street from noon to 6 p.m. Confection activities of the day include a banana split eating contest (1 p.m.), an ice cream stacking competition (2 p.m.), and a clear toy candy making demonstration by confectionery historian Suzanne Wainwright. The Ice Screamers, an international organization of collectors of ice cream and soda fountain antiques, will be there to display and discuss ice cream history. Drew Nugent and the Midnight Society will provide live music for the festivities from 1 to 3 p.m., and Philadelphias Colonial Fife and Drum Musicians will be playing early patriotic music to kick off the event. Vanity Tin Type Photography will be available using early photographic equipment to serve interested attendees. The Philadelphia Bee Company will be there telling about their beehives on the rooftop of Shane Confectionery, the Fountains sister store nearby. Philadelphia historical interpreter Mary Crathorne from the Betsy Ross House will share her story of taking over her husbands chocolate and mustard business when she became widowed. Delicious City Podcast, hosted by Chef Eli Kulp, will be interviewing people on-site (3 p.m.). Warwick Furnace Farm folks will be on hand to show and tell the story of their Chester County family-owned lavender farm and Marshall Kavanaugh, former soda jerk turned Dream Poet-for-Hire, will be offering his rhyming skills. A kids tent will provide crafts and games (including Corn Hole) during the day. Free behind-the-scenes tours of Shane Confectionery will be running every hour on the hour, and the Berley brothers will give a peek into their latest entrepreneurial project at 104 Market St., a rare surviving 18th-century storefront that once housed a Colonial era print shop, soon to house a chocolate roastery and a private party room. Photos courtesy The Franklin Fountain.