Good morning, Lancaster County. It's a soggy start to the week — a few rumbles of thunder this morning before things dry out and brighten up by tomorrow. Today we've got a genuinely good one out of Ephrata, a brand-new Greek spot setting up in Lititz, and a full week of park concerts and old-fashioned market days to get you back outside.
In today's Lancaster Local:
How an immigrant's produce company keeps Lancaster County tables full — and turns the scraps into soup
A new upscale Greek taverna sets up shop on Lititz Pike
Free summer concerts in the park — from Irish tunes in New Holland to beach anthems in Greenfield
A soggy start to the week that clears up by Wednesday
COMMUNITY NEWS
He came here as a toddler, opened his first restaurant at 18, and built a produce business on good fruit. Now the fruit that can't be sold is feeding hungry families in Lancaster County — and even the trimmings don't go to waste.
Blessings of Hope, the food-rescue ministry in Ephrata, told a story last month worth passing along. It's about George Paxos, a Greek immigrant who came to the U.S. as a small boy, opened his first restaurant at 18, and hand-picked his produce from the big Philadelphia and New York markets until that eye for quality grew into a company of its own, Primo Produce.
Here's the part that lands: good fruits and vegetables get turned away from grocery shelves all the time, not because anything's wrong with them, but because their shelf life is too short for retail.
Instead of letting that food rot, Primo hands the surplus to Blessings of Hope, which routes it straight to families who are struggling to put dinner on the table. And the odds and ends — the trimmings and off-cuts — don't hit the trash either: Blessings runs them through its own dehydration program and turns them into shelf-stable soup mixes that travel to communities facing hunger near and far.
One man's leftover produce, feeding neighbors he'll never meet. That's the kind of quiet good that happens here all the time.
Also around town:
🇬🇷 New in Lititz: An upscale Greek taverna, Skorpios Mediterranean Taverna & Lounge, has set up at 921 Lititz Pike — the former Scooter's spot — bringing a full Mediterranean menu and a cocktail lounge to town. Named for the legendary Greek island, it's open Thursday through Tuesday, 4 p.m. to midnight (closed Wednesdays). Take a look →
EVENTS
A week heavy on free summer music, plus a couple of the county's best market days.
🎺 New Holland Summer Arts: Uptown Band — New Holland Community Park, 400 E Jackson St, New Holland. Wednesday, July 8, 7–9 p.m. The free "Entertainment in the Park" series rolls on with the Uptown Band's mix of jazz, pop, rock, funk, and R&B. Bring a lawn chair or a blanket; food trucks are usually on hand. Free.
🛍️ Green Dragon Farmers Market — 955 N State St, Ephrata. Friday, July 10, 8 a.m.–8 p.m. A Lancaster County institution since 1932 — stalls of produce, meats, baked goods, flea-market finds, and made-to-order food, all day, no admission. A classic all-day summer outing.
🎷 Dave Wilson Trio at Tellus 360 — 24 E King St, Lancaster. Friday, July 10, 7 p.m. Saxophonist Dave Wilson brings his contemporary-jazz trio to the downtown Irish pub and music venue, with farm-fresh food and a full bar to round out the night.
🍷 Grandview Vineyard — Wine by the Vine: 3 West — 1489 Grandview Rd, Mount Joy. Friday, July 10; music 6–8:30 p.m. (deck open 5–9). Grandview's deck series pairs live music from 3 West with wine, beer, and seasonal cocktails and long views over the vines.
🎻 New Holland Summer Arts: Across The Pond — New Holland Community Park, 400 E Jackson St, New Holland. Saturday, July 11, 7–9 p.m. Irish and Celtic tunes fill the park for another free Saturday-evening concert. Pack a chair and settle in. Free.
🛒 Root's Country Market & Auction — 705 Graystone Rd, Manheim. Tuesday, July 14, 9 a.m.–9 p.m. Every Tuesday since 1925, rain or shine — standholders selling fresh produce, meats and cheeses, baked goods, and plants, alongside a bustling live auction. A quintessential Lancaster County market day. Free to browse.
🦌 Habitat Conservation with the PA Game Commission — Manheim Community Library (Kreider Cultural Center), 547 N Penryn Rd, Manheim. Tuesday, July 14, 1–2 p.m. A game warden walks tweens and teens (with an adult) through how the state tracks wildlife, sets seasons, and protects local habitats. Free, but registration is required and closes at 12:45 that day.
🏖️ Greenfield Summer Concert: Sounds of Summer — across from the Calvin G. High Pavilion, 1828 William Penn Way, Lancaster. Thursday, July 16; food trucks 5 p.m., music 7. Prima Theatre turns Greenfield into a beach party with summer anthems like "Surfin' U.S.A." and "Can't Stop the Feeling!" Free and open to all — RSVP encouraged.
🎶 Columbia Lions Music in the Park: Mama Tried — Locust Street Park, 550 Locust St., Columbia. Friday, July 17, 6:30–8:15 p.m. The Lions Club's free summer series brings the Mama Tried Band — a Columbia favorite, classic soul — to the park. Food trucks on site. Free.
🦅 Eaglemania — Tribute to The Eagles at American Music Theatre — 2425 Lincoln Hwy E, Lancaster. Friday, July 17, 8 p.m. The long-running Eagles tribute delivers "Hotel California," "Take It Easy," "Desperado," "Life in the Fast Lane," and more on the AMT stage. Tickets $29–$49.
Weather
Tuesday, July 7 — A gray, muggy one: high near 81, mostly cloudy, with rain showers likely in the morning and a stray thunderstorm possible into the afternoon. Keep the umbrella handy. Good news, though — the wet stretch breaks tonight and Wednesday turns mostly sunny in the low 80s.
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