NEW BERLIN – The historic Town of New Berlin, celebrating its 200th birthday this year, will take on a decidedly young look this weekend as the annual Youth Days celebration gets underway.

The front lawn of Milford Academy is now filled with midway rides, lights, food and excitement as the event got kicked off Thursday. On Friday, instead of an ice cream-eating competition like in years past, there will be a pudding eating contest at 5 p.m. at the firehouse. At 6 p.m., the Miss Youth Days pageant will begin in the Unadilla Valley school auditorium. During intermission, participants competing in the Town of New Berlin Bicentennial beard growing competition will take the stage, and there will be an announcement of the Citizen and Youth of the Year.

William Chaplick has been named as “Citizen of the Year 2007.” Coming to the New Berlin area over four years ago, Chaplick helped transform what used to be an old school building into what in the football world would come to be know as Milford Academy, now the number two rated prep school in the nation. Along with Chaplick’s record of success, he said just making a difference with one student and making them a positive part of the community is worth his many efforts.

Named “Youth of the Year 2007” is Cady Beckwith, a recent graduate of Unadilla Valley Central School and the daughter of Bill and Robin Beckwith of New Berlin. Beckwith is planning to attend Broome Community College for nursing and to transfer to Binghamton University to obtain her nurse practitioner degree. She hopes to someday work in the field of trauma or neonatology.

Beckwith has been an active member in both school and community activities. At the school, she was a member of both the Junior and Senior National Honor Societies and the senior class president. She attended the Rotary Youth Leadership Conference at Hartwick College and the Student Leadership Conference at SUNY Oneonta. She is an active community participant and volunteered in many ways, as a member of a local church choir and a member of the Pittsfield Volunteer Fire Department Emergency Squad as a First Responder.

Continuing into Saturday, there will be various events offered at the Youth Days celebration including kids bingo, the “Learn Not to Burn” fire prevention trailer and the Milford homecoming football game is scheduled to take place at 4 p.m., on Fish Field against Globe Institute.