Good morning, Lancaster County. It's a bright one to start the weekend — partly to mostly sunny and around 80, with a comfortable night to follow. There's live blues in Ephrata tonight, a stacked Saturday of free family fun, and — a little further out — a mini-golf course in Strasburg that's quietly been in the same family for half a century.
In today's Lancaster Local:
A Strasburg mini-golf course that's stayed in one family for 50 summers — with something brand new for its littlest players
Live blues tonight in Ephrata, then a big free Saturday: a community fair, games and ice cream, and a Christmas-in-July party
A free rock-covers concert Saturday night out at the Shoppes at Belmont
Looking ahead: garden jazz, a model-railroading day, and a free Long's Park concert to close the month
COMMUNITY NEWS
Some of the best things in Lancaster County don't change much — they just find a little more room for the next generation.
If you grew up here, you've probably taken a lap around Village Greens. The little mini-golf spot tucked into the farmland just west of Strasburg has been welcoming families to its two courses since 1972 — family owned and operated the whole way, more than fifty summers in.
This year there's a new reason to bring the youngest ones along. Village Greens has opened Tiny Tees Village — what the course calls a "whimsical miniature village" of little playhouses, hands-on spaces, and imaginative play structures built for toddlers and preschoolers who aren't quite ready to swing a putter. It's less a golf hole than a play destination of its own — something the two-year-old can enjoy while the big kids play through.
Fifty-plus years in, in a county where so much gets bought and rebranded, a family-run course still just doing its thing — and making a little more room for the next generation of tiny golfers — is worth a nod. It's open all summer, seven days a week.
EVENTS
An end-loaded stretch — a lively Friday and Saturday up front, a quiet Sunday, and a strong Aug 1–2 weekend to look toward.
🎸 Blues Mojo at Hillside Spirits Co. — Hillside Spirits Co., 333 N State St, Ephrata, PA 17522. Tonight, Friday, July 24, 8:00–10:00 p.m. A Friday-night set of blues and rock at Ephrata's craft distillery and tasting room — cocktails, local spirits, and a good way to ease into the weekend.
🎪 Culture & Community: Mini Stuff To Do Fair #2 — Ewell Plaza (Lancaster Public Library), 151 N Queen St, Lancaster, PA 17603. Saturday, July 25, 11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. A free fair where you can browse tables of local classes, clubs, hobbies, and civic groups — the "Culture, Community & Civic Engagement" edition, put on with Visit Lancaster City. A good stop if you've been meaning to pick up a new skill or find your people. Free.
🎲 Ephrata Game Day — Ephrata Public Library, 550 S Reading Rd, Ephrata, PA 17522. Saturday, July 25, 1:00–3:00 p.m. The Ephrata Lions Club hosts a free community afternoon of board and card games with a free ice-cream bar — best for kids ages 5 and up. No fee to enter or play. Free.
🎅 Christmas in July with Arch Street Center — Decades, 438 N Queen St, Lancaster, PA 17603. Saturday, July 25, 11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. A Summer-Santa "Christmas in July" fundraiser at the retro arcade in the old Stahr Armory, benefiting Arch Street Center — meet Summer Santa, hit the coloring station, and decorate a free cookie (one per child, ages 12 and under; donations to Arch Street encouraged).
🎶 Summer Music Series: Blank Pages — Charles Frey Park at The Shoppes at Belmont, 1600 Fruitville Pike, Lancaster, PA 17601. Saturday, July 25, 6:00–10:00 p.m. A free outdoor concert with Blank Pages, a four-piece rock band running through covers from the '60s to today. Bring a folding chair or a blanket; the stage sits in Charles Frey Park between Finch Jewelers and Carter's. (Rain plan: they may play Sunday 5–9 p.m., schedule permitting.) Free.
🎷 Music on the Lawn: The Dave Wilson Quartet — Conestoga House & Gardens, 1608 Marietta Ave, Lancaster, PA 17603. Friday, July 31, 5:00–9:00 p.m. (music from 6). A summer-evening garden concert — contemporary jazz from the Dave Wilson Quartet. Optional food-and-wine packages from Proof of Lancaster are available by advance order. Tickets from $10.
🚂 Model Railroading Day — Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, 300 Gap Rd, Strasburg, PA 17579. Saturday, August 1, 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Model-railroad displays join the museum's collection of historic steam locomotives and railcars for a day devoted to trains in miniature. Included with regular museum admission.
🧶 Weaving Willow Craftworks 1-Year Anniversary — Weaving Willow Craftworks, 57 E Main St, Lititz, PA 17543. Saturday, August 1, 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. and Sunday, August 2, 11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. The downtown-Lititz craft shop marks its first year with items on sale, craft raffles, a prize wheel, and $5 make-and-take crafts from 11 a.m.–4 p.m. both days.
🎺 Long's Park Summer Music Series: J & the Causeways — Long's Park, 1441 Harrisburg Pike, Lancaster, PA 17601. Sunday, August 2, 7:30 p.m. A free Sunday-evening concert with J & the Causeways, a New Orleans soul-and-rock ensemble, in the long-running Long's Park series. Food vendors on site; come early and make an evening of it. Free.
Weather
Friday, July 24 — Partly to mostly sunny and pleasant, with a high around 80°F and an overnight low near 60°F. Just about perfect for a patio, a park, or a Friday-night set in Ephrata.
Thanks for reading Lancaster Local. Whether it's a round of mini-golf with the little ones, a free afternoon of games and ice cream in Ephrata, or just a Saturday concert under the trees, we hope something here gets you out the door. If it did, forward it to a neighbor who still gets their news from a Facebook group.