Good morning, Lancaster County. It's the last day of June, it's headed for 90 degrees, and the whole county is leaning into a long Fourth of July weekend. We've got fireworks from the ballpark to the back roads, a Broadway classic in its final week, and a river that was quite literally on fire Sunday night.

In today's Lancaster Local:

Sunday evening, a line of fire returned to the Susquehanna.

On Sunday, June 28, the closing night of Riverfest, the Susquehanna National Heritage Area planned to light all 26 historic stone piers of the old Columbia–Wrightsville bridge at 7:45 p.m. — creating a river-wide tribute visible from Columbia and Wrightsville.

The fire was a nod to real history. On the last Sunday of June in 1863, Union troops and local volunteers burned the covered bridge that stood on those piers — then known as one of the longest covered bridges in the country — to keep Confederate troops from crossing the Susquehanna toward Lancaster, Harrisburg or Philadelphia. Days later, the Battle of Gettysburg began.

At Columbia Crossing, visitors gathered for the free Columbia 300 "Light the Night" watch party with music from The Maxwell Project, while others watched from the riverbank, the Veterans Memorial Bridge, and John Wright Restaurant's lawn, where Riverfest's Ignite Finale included a fire-juggling and fire-breathing show. The finale capped a weekend of history, music and riverfront events in a summer when Columbia — celebrating its 300th anniversary — keeps finding reasons to gather by the water.

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A holiday week, Lancaster County style — Broadway, ballpark fireworks, and a demolition derby all in the same seven days.

🎭 West Side Story — Fulton Theatre — 12 N Prince St, Lancaster. Playing Wednesday, July 1 through July 12 (matinees and evenings most days; Friday the 3rd is evening-only, Saturday the 4th is a matinee). The Fulton closes its season with the Bernstein-and-Sondheim classic — the Jets, the Sharks, and one of the greatest scores Broadway's ever had.
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🎸 The Keri Edwards Band — The Lititz Springs Inn & Bulls Head Pub — 14 E Main St, Lititz. Thursday, July 2, 6–9 p.m. Live music on the patio in the heart of historic Lititz — an easy, laid-back summer evening out (weather permitting).
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🎵 Music with Phredd, the Amazing One-Man Band — Lancaster Public Library — 151 N Queen St, Lancaster. Thursday, July 2 at 1 p.m. The one-man ukulele band returns for an hour of silly sing-along songs built for kids and families. Free.
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🎆 America 250 at Penn Medicine Park — 650 N Prince St, Lancaster. Friday, July 3; gates at 5 p.m., the Lancaster Symphony at 8:45, fireworks at 10. The Stormers turn the ballpark and its lots into a free 250th-birthday street party — bounce houses, a petting zoo, a car show, reenactments, food and craft vendors — capped by one of the region's biggest fireworks shows. Free.
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🌽 Sweet Summer Festival & Fireworks — Cherry Crest Adventure Farm — 150 Cherry Hill Rd, Ronks. Saturday, July 4; farm open 10 a.m.–10 p.m., fireworks at 9:30. A full "Let Freedom Ring" day — sweet-corn everything, bubble dance parties, live music, a costume contest, and 70-plus farm attractions, finishing with the farm's biggest fireworks of the year. Included with farm admission.
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🏁 Independence Day Demolition Derby & Fireworks — Buck Motorsports Park — 900 Lancaster Pike, Quarryville. Saturday, July 4 at 7 p.m. (rain date Sunday). Southern Lancaster County's loud, family-friendly Fourth: a full demolition derby on the dirt, concessions, and a fireworks finale. Free parking.
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🪈 Didgeridoo Down Under — St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall (enter on the 6th St side), Columbia — a Columbia Public Library program. Tuesday, July 7, 6:30–7:30 p.m. A high-energy, all-ages mix of Australian music, comedy, and a whole lot of audience participation. Free; registration required.
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🎶 Live Music & Dancing: the Anna Alexander Trio — Lititz Public Library, on the lawn — 651 Kissel Hill Rd, Lititz. Thursday, July 9, 6:30–7:30 p.m. An hour of jazz, classical, and sacred favorites outdoors on the library lawn — pull up a chair or dance in the grass. Free.
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🎤 Terry Fator: Pure Imagination — American Music Theatre — 2425 Lincoln Hwy E, Lancaster. Friday, July 10 at 7:30 p.m. The "America's Got Talent" winner brings his ventriloquism, impressions, and comedy — a family-friendly night with his whole cast of characters. Tickets $49–$89.
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Weather

Tuesday, June 30 — Sunny and a full 90 degrees, with barely a 2% chance of rain. Gorgeous, but a scorcher: it only climbs from here, pushing toward 97 on Wednesday, so keep water close and grab the shade when you can.

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