Good morning, Lancaster County. Mostly sunny and 79 today, a west wind, and a low near 58 tonight. The fair opens in Elizabethtown at five. Before that, a table in a library lobby.
In today's Lancaster Local:
Ninety people sat down at a table in the Lancaster Public Library, and housing was the reason more than any other
The Elizabethtown Fair opens tonight, and the last free concert of Columbia's summer is at 6:30
A correction on that library table's hours, because today is the day it matters
Later this week: paint the Akron schoolhouse while standing inside it, and a $14 drive-thru chicken dinner
COMMUNITY NEWS
Someone put a resource navigator at a table in the library lobby. In two months, ninety neighbors sat down — and housing came up more than everything else combined behind it.
United Way of Lancaster County has reported the first results from an experiment that sounds almost too plain to work: put one person at one table inside the Lancaster Public Library, and let people find them.
Between June 1 and July 31, the PA 211 East specialist stationed there served 90 people across 92 in-person conversations. Those conversations surfaced 174 separate needs and produced 244 referrals to organizations that could actually help.
The needs were not evenly spread. Housing accounted for 65 of them — more than the next four categories combined. After that came employment (13), information services (13), and help for individuals and families (12). Food, clothing, transportation, legal questions, health care, utilities and a handful of others made up the rest.
United Way President & CEO Kate Zimmerman put the housing number in context: "Housing instability continues to be one of the greatest challenges facing our community, and these early results show just how important it is to have trusted, accessible places where people can receive help."
The better answer to why a library came from Patricia Espinosa-Vargas, who directs PA 211 East:
"211 at the library just makes sense. Neighbors seeking to expand their knowledge and imagination through books are not much different from those connecting to resources for stability or support during times of personal crisis. At our core, 211 Resource Navigators are knowledge experts. We exist to share that knowledge so our neighbors can thrive. Where better to do that than the library?"
No appointment. Walk-ins are welcome, and it's free and confidential. The table is in the LPL lobby Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays — including today.
One important detail, and it's why we're leading with this on a Monday: United Way's announcement says the specialists are there 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on all three days. That is not true today. The Lancaster City Branch closes at noon on Monday, August 24 for staff training — the library says so in an alert on its own homepage, lists it on its calendar, and its listing for today's 211 table runs 9 a.m. to noon rather than 9 to 5. Wednesday and Thursday are back to 9–5. If you're going today, go this morning.
And if today doesn't work, 211 answers around the clock — dial 2-1-1, text your ZIP code to 898-211, or go to pa211east.org.
EVENTS
Two things tonight, one of which runs all week, and a Wednesday for people who like looking up.
🎷 Music in the Park: The Nobles — Locust Street Park, 550 Locust St, Columbia, PA 17512. Tonight, Monday, August 24, 6:30–7:30 p.m. Free. The Columbia Lions Club closes out its 2026 season with classic rock, R&B and blues. Two things about Mondays: the music ends at 7:30 rather than 8:15, and the food trucks and restrooms the Lions provide are Fridays only. Bring a chair, and plan accordingly. The park is smoke- and alcohol-free.
🎡 The 53rd Elizabethtown Fair opens — 900 E High St, Elizabethtown, PA 17022. Tonight, Monday, August 24, gates 5:00–11:00 p.m. Admission is free. Flag raising at 5:45, Fair Queen competition at 6:00, and Ride for One Price from 6:00 to 11:00. Gillian Smith Band and Nixon Harmony start at 6:00; Daughters of Thunder at 8:00. The fair runs through Saturday, August 29, with gates at 10 a.m. the rest of the week and Senior Citizens Day on Wednesday. No pets — exhibition animals only.
📚 Friend's Book Sale — Adamstown Area Library, 110 W. Main St, Adamstown, PA 19501. Tuesday, August 25, 9:00 a.m.–6:30 p.m. The Friends of the Adamstown Area Library put lightly used books out in the community room and leave them there all day. Every Tuesday, all year.
🧵 Red Rose Quilters Guild — Embroidery mini group — Lititz Public Library, 651 Kissel Hill Road, Lititz, PA 17543. Wednesday, August 26, 1:30–3:00 p.m. No registration. A machine-embroidery group that meets the fourth Wednesday of the month to, in the library's words, "share your knowledge, show and tell project, and answer any problems or questions about machine embroidering." Bring the thing that isn't working.
🎨 Paint A Part of History: The Old Akron Schoolhouse — Jenny Lyn's at The Schoolhouse, 22 N 7th Street, Akron, PA 17501. Thursday, August 27, 6:00–8:00 p.m. $40, which covers everything. You paint the Old Akron Schoolhouse. You do it while sitting inside the Old Akron Schoolhouse. Canvas comes pre-sketched, supplies are provided, instruction is step by step, and no experience is expected.
🐮 America 250 Lecture: "To Market, To Market" — Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum, 2451 Kissel Hill Road, Lancaster, PA 17601. Friday, August 28, 6:00–7:30 p.m. Free for Landis Valley Associates members, $10 general admission. Dr. Scott Sheely on moving livestock from farm to market to table in eastern Pennsylvania — cattle drives, railroads, trucking, and the Lancaster stock yards. Light refreshments, and time for questions.
🎮 Retro Showdown: Console Wars — the N64 weekend — online. Friday, August 28 through Sunday, August 30, noon to midnight each day. Play It Forward is running a fundraiser for the Lancaster Public Library by making the PlayStation 1 and the Nintendo 64 fight it out over which console can raise more money. The PlayStation had last weekend. This one belongs to the 64. Over 20 games, and every dollar donated is one raffle entry for that time slot's prize. The library's listing has the stream link and the raffle rules.
🍗 Lincoln Fire Company — Big John Nolt BBQ Fundraiser — 38 S. Market St., Ephrata, PA 17522. Saturday, August 29, selling starts at 10:00 a.m. and runs until sold out. $14, drive-thru. Two boneless chicken thighs, cheesy potatoes, baked beans, a dinner roll, a baked good and a drink. Lincoln Fire Company is all-volunteer — "Protectors of the West Side," as they put it — and fundraisers like this are how the bills get paid.
🎲 Adult Game Night — Milanof-Schock Library, 1184 Anderson Ferry Road, Mount Joy, PA 17552. Wednesday, September 2, 5:00–7:45 p.m. No registration. The library's own framing is hard to improve on: "Are you an adult who loves board games but don't have anyone to play them with?" First and third Wednesdays, casual, games provided.
🔭 Astronomy Enthusiasts of Lancaster County — Lititz Public Library, 651 Kissel Hill Road, Lititz, PA 17543. Wednesday, September 2, 6:30–7:45 p.m. No registration required. The library's entire description is one sentence: "Come learn about the night sky!" Teens, adults and seniors. First Wednesday of the month.
Monday, August 24 — Mostly sunny, with a high near 79 and a west wind of 5 to 10 mph gusting to around 20. Partly cloudy and cool overnight, low around 58. Tuesday looks similar: mostly sunny, high near 81.
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