Good morning, Lancaster County. After a soggy start to the week, today's the payoff — partly sunny, warm, and finally dry in the low 80s, the kind of day that was made for a patio. Which works out, because there's a brand-new Greek taverna in Lititz with one, plus a week of free park concerts, a crab-and-blues feast, and a farm full of very fuzzy cows.
In today's Lancaster Local:
A proper Greek taverna — patio and all — just opened on Lititz Pike
A New Zealand–style real-fruit ice cream shop worth knowing about in the city
Free summer concerts, a winery crab feast, and Grammy-winning songwriters at the AMT
A sunny midweek before the heat and storms roll back in
COMMUNITY NEWS
The old restaurant on Lititz Pike sat empty for a while. Now it smells like a Greek island.
There's a new place to know about up on Lititz Pike: Skorpios Mediterranean Taverna & Lounge has opened at 921 Lititz Pike, and it's the real thing — modern Greek cooking, a proper cocktail lounge, and a big outdoor patio built for exactly the kind of summer evening we've been waiting all week for.
The menu runs the Greek classics you'd hope for — moussaka, spanakopita — alongside seafood, steak, and pasta, with the taverna leaning into dinner service: 4 p.m. to midnight, Thursday through Tuesday, closed Wednesdays. It's named for Skorpios, the little Greek island synonymous with sun and escape, and that's the pitch on their own page too: "Join us and experience the charm of the Mediterranean right here in Lititz."
If you've driven past that spot wondering what was going in, now you know. Pull up a chair on the patio some evening this week and find out how the moussaka holds up.
Also around town:
🍦 New scoop in the city: If you haven't found Bramble & Berry Ice Cream yet, it's worth the trip to 559 W. Chestnut St. in Lancaster — real-fruit ice cream where, as they put it, "orchard-picked Lancaster fruit meets a New Zealand–style swirl." Handcrafted pints and scoops, with dairy, plant-based, and gluten-free swirls so nobody's left out. Take a look →
EVENTS
Free concerts in the park, a crab-and-blues feast at the winery, and a big Saturday out at the farm.
🦀 Mount Hope Blues & Brews — Mount Hope Estate & Winery, 2775 Lebanon Rd, Manheim. Saturday, July 11; two seatings, 12–3 p.m. or 5–8 p.m. All-you-can-eat hard-shell crabs, steamed shrimp, pulled chicken, sides, drinks (Swashbuckler ales included), and live blues. $69.95 general admission; kids 5–11 $26.95.
🎸 New Holland Summer Arts: Mike Kropp — New Holland Community Park, 400 E Jackson St, New Holland. Sunday, July 12, 7–9 p.m. Solo acoustic pop and rock favorites from the '60s through the '90s, free in the park. Bring a chair or a blanket.
🎺 Ephrata Community Concert Band — Bandshell at Thomas P. Grater Community Park, Cocalico St, Ephrata. Sunday, July 12, 7 p.m. The community band plays a free summer concert at the park bandshell — pack a folding chair and settle in.
🤠 New Holland Summer Arts: Double Shot — New Holland Community Park, 400 E Jackson St, New Holland. Wednesday, July 15, 7–9 p.m. Country band Double Shot takes the park stage for another free midweek concert. Bring a lawn chair.
🍷 Grandview Vineyard — Wine by the Vine: Starlite Serenade — 1489 Grandview Rd, Mount Joy. Friday, July 17; music 6–8:30 p.m. (deck open 5–9). Live music on the deck with wine, beer, and seasonal cocktails as the sun drops over the vines.
🎤 Shawn Mullins at Tellus 360 — 24 E King St, Lancaster. Friday, July 17; doors 7 p.m., show 7:30. Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Shawn Mullins ("Lullaby") plays an intimate, roots-flavored set downtown. 21+.
🎶 Patty Griffin & Kathleen Edwards — American Music Theatre, 2425 Lincoln Hwy E, Lancaster. Saturday, July 18, 8 p.m. Grammy-winning Patty Griffin and acclaimed Canadian roots songwriter Kathleen Edwards share the AMT stage for a co-headline night. Tickets $39–$69.
🎻 Life in the 1860s Day — Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum, 2451 Kissel Hill Rd, Lancaster. Saturday, July 18, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. An immersive Civil War-era day across the museum's village and farmsteads, right down to a game of vintage "town ball" baseball. Adults $12, seniors $10, kids 6–11 $8, under 5 free.
🐮 Highland Cow Festival — Cherry Crest Adventure Farm, 150 Cherry Hill Road, Ronks. Saturday, July 18; festival noon–6 p.m. (farm open 10 a.m.–7 p.m.). A whole day built around the farm's fuzzy Highland cows — cow-themed games, "Brush-A-Highland," photo ops, live music — with the 50-plus farm activities included. Great with kids.
Weather
Wednesday, July 8 — A good one: partly to mostly sunny, warm and humid, with highs in the low-to-mid 80s. Thursday brings another chance of afternoon storms, and Friday stays humid with more showers or storms possible. Today's the one for the patio.
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