Good morning, Lancaster County. It's a sunny 88-degree Friday and the last day of July, with a 90-degree Saturday right behind it. Here's a weekend worth the sunscreen, plus a few things to circle for the week after.
In today's Lancaster Local:
One local foundation wrote thirteen checks — a steeple and a creek were on the list
A talk on farmer revolts tonight, and a founding-fathers musical closing in Ephrata
Jazz on a Ronks patio, a jazz jam in a Lititz shirt factory, and free rock in Long's Park
Revolutionary, Civil and Spanish-American War reenactors take over Landis Valley
COMMUNITY NEWS
$332,950, split thirteen ways — and you can see where most of it went from the sidewalk.
The Lancaster County Community Foundation handed out its 2026 Passion Grants this month: $332,950 across thirteen local organizations. What's striking is how physical most of it is.
The two biggest went to buildings you've driven past. First Reformed United Church of Christ of Lancaster got $59,100 to restore its steeple and exterior woodwork. YWCA Lancaster got $58,550 for concrete repair and masonry repointing on its historic building downtown.
From there it spreads out in a way that reads like a decent summary of what the county actually needs. The Little Conestoga Creek Foundation received $33,500 for an "Underwater World Up Close" exhibit and a sensory trail. Conestoga Valley SEEDS got $30,000 to work with Union Community Care connecting households to healthcare. The Lancaster General Health Foundation got $19,500 for portable diagnostic equipment for homebound and wandering dementia patients — care that goes to the person instead of making them come to it. Landis Communities got $16,900 for nurse-led in-home support for older adults in the city. Fostering Hope got $10,000 to stock closets with diapers, clothes and car seats for kids entering foster care, often on a few hours' notice.
Also funded: Hands-on House, the Bench Mark Program, Schreiber Center for Pediatric Development, the Demuth Foundation, Lancaster County Chooses Love, and the Red Rose International Film Festival.
EVENTS
Seven picks across five towns — one tonight, a closing weekend, and a two-day living-history event to circle for next Saturday.
🌾 America 250 Lecture Series: Farmer Revolts in America's Early Republic — Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum, 2451 Kissel Hill Road, Lancaster, PA 17601. Tonight, Friday, July 31, 6–7:30 p.m. Philip Gruber digs into the uprisings that rattled the young country, the Whiskey Rebellion among them — the last-Friday-of-the-month talk runs like a happy hour, with light refreshments included. Free for Landis Valley Associates members, $10 general admission; RSVP required.
🎭 1776 — Ephrata Performing Arts Center, 320 Cocalico Street, Ephrata, PA 17522. Closing weekend, final performances through tomorrow, Saturday, August 1. The musical about a sweltering Philadelphia summer and a handful of men arguing a country into existence — fitting timing, given everything else going on this year. Check the box office for curtain times and seats.
🏺 Redware Ornament Workshop — Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum, 2451 Kissel Hill Road, Lancaster, PA 17601. Tomorrow, Saturday, August 1, 9 a.m.–12 p.m. Make at least five clay ornaments using sgraffito, the old scratch-through-the-slip technique the Pennsylvania Dutch potters used. Fired and glazed for you, ready for pickup about four weeks later. Ages 13+, all skill levels, $120–$130, registration required.
🎷 Shirt Factory Jazz Jam Session — Lititz Shirt Factory, 5 Juniper Lane, Lititz, PA 17543. Sunday, August 2, 2:30–6 p.m. First Sunday of the month, local jazz musicians and singers take the Shirt Factory stage and just play. Come to listen or bring your horn. $5 cover at the door, students free.
🎺 Jazz on the Patio: Temple Avenue — The Barn at Paradise Station, 312 Paradise Lane, Ronks, PA 17572. Thursday, August 6, 6–8:30 p.m. Third season of this one: live jazz on the courtyard patio with food and drinks, and Temple Avenue playing this week.
⚔️ America 250 Military Days — Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum, 2451 Kissel Hill Road, Lancaster, PA 17601. Saturday, August 8 and Sunday, August 9, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. both days. Encampments spanning the Revolutionary War, the Civil War and the Spanish-American War, with firing demonstrations through the day, cavalry, and reenactors you can actually talk to. $14 adults, $12 seniors 65+, $10 kids 6–11, free for 5 and under.
🎸 Long's Park Summer Music Series: Low Cut Connie — Long's Park Amphitheater, 1441 Harrisburg Pike, Lancaster, PA 17601. Sunday, August 9, 7:30 p.m. The Philadelphia rock band whose fans somehow include Barack Obama, Elton John and Bruce Springsteen, playing a free Sunday-night show. Bring a blanket early — this one will draw. Free, donations accepted.
Weather
Friday, July 31 — Sunny and hot, high near 88, with barely any wind to help. Saturday climbs to about 90, so if you're headed out to Landis Valley or a park concert, go early or bring the big water bottle.
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