Good morning, Lancaster County.
Mostly sunny and 88 today, so enjoy it — Thursday looks wet.
Today's story is a small one, and I mean that as a compliment: a new shop is opening in Mount Joy.
In today's Lancaster Local:
A new consignment shop opens on Market Street, and the town turns 175 the same weekend
Dogs are welcome on the deck at a Mount Joy vineyard this afternoon
A book sale with, in the library's own words, THOUSANDS of books
A guided hike through what may be the first forest garden on public land in Pennsylvania
COMMUNITY NEWS
Mount Joy is having a weekend.
There is a storefront at 1 South Market Street in Mount Joy that is about to stop being empty.
Twice Blessed Consignment opens there this week, and the Mount Joy Area Chamber is doing the honors.
The ribbon gets cut Friday at noon, followed by what the chamber calls "an exclusive sneak peek inside the store."
Then the doors open properly on Saturday, from 9 to 3.
Their invitation is about as unfussy as it gets: "Come shop, browse, and celebrate with us!
We'll have light refreshments available, plus a raffle for THREE store credits!"
I'll be honest that I can't tell you much more than that.
I couldn't turn up a press release or a founder profile anywhere — just a phone number, an address, and a chamber that's showing up with scissors.
Which is sort of the point.
Most new businesses don't arrive with a story attached.
They arrive with a lease, a sign, and somebody hoping people walk in.
And the timing is good, because Mount Joy is busy this weekend anyway.
The borough marks 175 years on Saturday at 300 Orchard Road — the "Stars, Stripes & Joy" celebration that was postponed back in June and has been waiting since.
So: a town turning 175, and a shop turning one day old, on the same Saturday.
If you were looking for a reason to spend Saturday in Mount Joy, that's two.
EVENTS
🐕 Wag & Wine Wednesday — Grandview Vineyard, 1489 Grandview Road, Mount Joy.
Today, Wednesday, September 9, 2:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Bring the dog, sit on the deck, and there is in fact dog wine and biscuits for sale.
Pets are deck seating only, they space you out every other table, and leashes are required — no retractable ones.
No reservations.
It runs every Wednesday through October 28.
🧵 Cozy Stitch Collective — Adamstown Area Library, 110 W. Main Street, Adamstown.
Tonight, Wednesday, September 9, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Crochet, knitting, embroidery, cross-stitch, whatever you've got going.
They put you in front of the fireplace.
All skill levels, no registration.
🎉 Mount Joy 175 Celebration — 300 Orchard Road, Mount Joy.
Saturday, September 12.
The borough's "Stars, Stripes & Joy" 175th anniversary party, rescheduled after a postponement in June.
One caveat worth stating plainly: nobody has posted a reliable start time.
The chamber's calendar lists it starting at 4 a.m., which it very obviously does not, and the borough's own site says nothing at all.
So check with the chamber before you head over.
🌱 Volunteer Workday at Clark Nature Preserve — Clark Nature Preserve, Pequea.
Saturday, September 12, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Three hours of pulling invasive shrubs and weeds out of the preserve with hand tools, as part of a longer eco-restoration effort.
Not glamorous.
Genuinely useful.
📚 Readers' Roundtable Book Discussion — Eastern Lancaster County Library, 11 Chestnut Drive, New Holland.
Monday, September 14, 2:00 to 3:30 p.m.
Open to anyone, no registration.
Their reading list runs the whole year, so ask at the desk what September's book is before you go.
☕ Coterie Book Club — Manheim Township Public Library, 595 Granite Run Drive, Lancaster.
Tuesday, September 15, 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.
Monthly, and they range widely — historical fiction one month, true crime the next.
Registration closes at 12:45.
🎭 Fan-Tastic Broadway Musicals Trivia — Ephrata Public Library, 550 South Reading Road, Ephrata.
Wednesday, September 16, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Ages 16 and up.
A "guess that song" game for theater people, with a prize for first place.
Their own description opens "The hills are alive with the sound of trivia," which tells you the room you're walking into.
Registration required.
🎨 Miniature Paint Night — Lancaster Public Library, 151 North Queen Street, Lancaster.
Thursday, September 17, 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Ages 18 and up.
Chris Medalis teaching dry brushing, layering and glazing on 1:56-scale figures.
The library provides the 3D-printed miniatures, paint, palettes and brushes, so you can turn up with nothing.
Space is limited and registration closes at 4:45.
📖 Friends of the Mountville Branch Fall Book Sale — Mountville Branch Library, 120 College Avenue, Mountville.
Friday, September 18, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, September 19, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Their announcement says "THIS IS NOT A DRILL" and promises thousands of books, CDs, DVDs and board games.
Two days, and the Saturday session is shorter, so the good stuff goes Friday.
🌳 Falmouth Forest Garden and Conoy Wetlands Guided Nature Hike — Falmouth Boat Launch, Bainbridge.
Friday, September 18, 9:00 to 11:30 a.m.
A walk through a working demonstration of regenerative agroforestry — trees, shrubs and crops grown together as one system.
The Conservancy says it's believed to be the first forest garden established on publicly accessible land in Pennsylvania, and I'll keep their hedge on that.
Mostly sunny and a high near 88 today, with a low around 70 tonight.
Thursday turns: showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 2 p.m., 70% chance, high near 85.
Have a good Wednesday.
— The Lancaster Local