Good morning, Lancaster County.
A milestone for the sweet tooth: the Lititz Chocolate Walk turns 25 on Saturday, October 10, and tickets are limited.
In today's Lancaster Local:
Twenty-five years of the Lititz Chocolate Walk
A free fall festival with a corn maze and hayrides in Mount Joy
An outdoor fine art show with a new season and a new home
Colonial tavern music and cider at Rock Ford
COMMUNITY NEWS
Twenty-five years of chocolate.
The Lititz Chocolate Walk is on Saturday, October 10, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in downtown Lititz, and Venture Lititz, the town's Main Street organization, bills this one as the Walk's 25th anniversary.
It's run by the Kiwanis Club of Lititz Area, and the idea is simple: you stroll from shop to shop with a punch card, collecting chocolate samples as you go.
This year's Walk includes more than 25 of them.
The club calls it "like trick or treating for all ages."
All the money raised from ticket sales goes to children-focused charities.
The ones the club lists are the Lancaster Cleft Palate Clinic, Schreiber Pediatric Rehab, and the Lititz and Manheim Township public libraries.
In the Walk's first 22 years, the club says, it raised $1 million.
New this year: an indoor Artisan Maker's Market at The Main Event at Rudy's Hall, 27 East Main Street.
The club sells a limited number of tickets.
You can buy online and pick up the morning of the Walk, starting at 9:00 a.m., at the Lititz Welcome Center and Train Station, 18 North Broad Street.
Or buy in person with cash or check at Wilbur Chocolate, Purple Robin Reserve, Aaron's Books, or the Lititz and Manheim Township public libraries.
The club offers a discount for buying in person.
Wear comfortable shoes; the club puts the route at about two miles.
One note from the organizers: many locations aren't accessible for people with disabilities.
EVENTS
🔬 Manufacturing First Friday — Lancaster Science Factory, 454 New Holland Avenue, Lancaster.
Friday, October 2, 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Free.
Free admission for the first 300 guests, with more than 80 interactive exhibits for kids in grades K through 8 and their families, plus hands-on, manufacturing-themed activities.
Every child needs an adult along.
The museum closes at 4:00 p.m. that day to set up and reopens at 5:00 for the event.
🖼️ Lititz Outdoor Fine Art Show — Moravian Church Square, 8 Church Square, Lititz.
Saturday, October 3, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Free.
More than 50 years in, the show has two big changes for 2026: it moves from late July to fall, and from the park to Moravian Church Square.
More than 130 local and out-of-state artists.
Rain or shine, and no dogs at this venue.
🍂 East Lampeter Township Fall Festival — East Lampeter Township Community Park, 2330 Hobson Road, Lancaster.
Saturday, October 3, 10:00 a.m. to noon. Free.
The township's third annual fall morning for kids ages 2 to 12: pumpkin painting, leaf crafts, and live animals from the North Museum, while supplies last.
No registration.
🌽 Fall Fest — Mount Pleasant Brethren in Christ Church, 1756 Mount Pleasant Road, Mount Joy.
Saturday, October 3, 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. Free.
A corn maze, hayrides, pumpkin decorating, games, and a candy scramble every half hour from 4:00 to 6:30, then hot dogs and s'mores from 5:30 to 7:00.
All activities are free, and all are welcome.
Pumpkins and food are first come, first served.
🎤 Oh He Dead — Lititz Shirt Factory, 5 Juniper Lane, Lititz.
Friday, October 9. Doors 6:00 p.m., show 8:00 p.m.
A funk, R&B and rock band from D.C., led by vocalist CJ Johnson, back at the Shirt Factory.
Come early for dinner and drinks.
Tickets are $35, and the venue says there are no added fees.
🌿 Phenology Hike at Clark Nature Preserve — Clark Nature Preserve, Pequea.
Saturday, October 10, 9:00 to 11:30 a.m.
Join the Lancaster Conservancy's volunteer team as they walk the meadow and log the birds, grasses, wildflowers, trees and insects they find, data that helps measure a recent restoration project.
The whole walk is on a universally accessible trail.
Recommended for ages 12 and up, and anyone under 18 comes with an adult.
Ticketed.
🍎 Fall Cider Celebration — Historic Rock Ford, 881 Rockford Road, Lancaster.
Sunday, October 11, 5:30 to 9:00 p.m.
At 5:30, historian Mark Turdo gives a talk on cider in Pennsylvania, touching on everything from William Penn to Prohibition.
From 7:00 to 9:00, Forbes Road Frolic plays Colonial tavern music, with fire pits and string lights out front of the barn if the weather cooperates.
Food and both hard and non-alcoholic cider are for sale.
Tickets: $10 for the lecture, $10 for the evening, or $12 for both, with lower prices for Rock Ford members.
One question for you: Where's the best whoopie pie in Lancaster County?
One name is all we need.
Hit reply.
We may print a few answers with your first name and town.
Patchy fog before 10:00 a.m., then clouds giving way to gradual clearing, with a high near 81.
Tonight is partly cloudy and down around 64.
Friday is mostly sunny and 86, with a chance of showers after 2:00 p.m. Saturday turns cooler: mostly sunny and 69.
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Have a good Thursday.
— The Lancaster Local