Good morning, Lancaster County. Patchy fog before 8, then partly sunny and pleasant with a high near 86 and no rain in the forecast. First, a convoy that needs somewhere to park.
In today's Lancaster Local:
The Mother's Day Truck Convoy is looking for a new staging site capable of handling up to 125 tractor-trailers
Celebrate Lancaster takes over North Queen Street today, and 112 headlines at night
A free Kids Zone runs six hours in Penn Square
The Elizabethtown Fair opens a week from Monday, and admission is free
COMMUNITY NEWS
The convoy that shuts down a Lancaster County road every Mother's Day weekend is looking for somewhere to park.
The Make-A-Wish truck convoy that rolls through the region each Mother's Day weekend is looking for a new staging site.
Each year, hundreds of trucks line up in Lancaster County. Wish children ride with some drivers, and the convoy follows a route past crowds gathered along the roadside. The event raises money to grant wishes for children with critical illnesses.
Here is the part that tells you how big this thing has gotten. The last time the convoy had to move, it was because Burle Industries — which used to host it — was sold. In the chapter's own words on its convoy page: “Unfortunately, there was not another venue that could accommodate our ever-growing event, which led to the move to the Manheim Pennsylvania Auto Auction.”
An auto auction is one of the few kinds of property built to park hundreds of vehicles at once. That is what it took last time.
This year's convoy staged there, at 1190 Lancaster Road in Manheim, rolled out at 1:30 in the afternoon, and ran past crowds at LCBC Church in Manheim and Messick's in Mount Joy.
So the search is on again. Make-A-Wish says it needs a site that can safely accommodate approximately 75 to 125 tractor-trailers, many carrying wish children, along with road access suitable for the convoy. If you own that kind of property, or know someone who does, the chapter is the place to start.
EVENTS
One enormous thing today, then a quiet stretch and a busy 22nd.
🎉 Celebrate Lancaster — 000 and 100 Blocks N. Queen Street, Downtown Lancaster. Today, Friday, August 14, 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Free. The festival runs for ten hours; related street closures begin as early as 7:30 a.m. and remain in place until midnight. Music starts at 5 with LASSAI, then Ralph Real & The Family Jam featuring Naiby, then Carlos Elliot featuring Bobby Gentilo, and Grammy-winning R&B group 112 headlining with DJ BIG AL 360. Eighteen food trucks, 25 vendors, and a beer garden from Lancaster Rec opening at 3.
🎠 Celebrate Lancaster Kids Zone — Penn Square. Today, Friday, August 14, 3–9 p.m. Free. Ages 12 and under. A carnival fun maze, inflatable games, a basketball shootout, mini golf and wax hands — six hours of it, at no charge, in the middle of the city.
🦕 Dinotastic Fun — Lancaster Public Library, Program Room A + B, 151 North Queen Street, Lancaster, PA 17603. Today, Friday, August 14, 10:30–11:30 a.m. Free. Part of the library's summer reading program. For ages 3–12; walk-ins welcome. The library is on the same block as the festival, and North Queen Street will already be closed to traffic.
✂️ Crafterday! — Manheim Township Public Library, 595 Granite Run Drive, Lancaster, PA 17601. Saturday, August 15, 9 a.m.–12 p.m. Free. For children ages 4–11; make-and-take craft.
🗣️ Spanish Language Playgroup — Lancaster Public Library, Program Room A + B, 151 North Queen Street, Lancaster, PA 17603. Saturday, August 15, 11 a.m.–12 p.m. Free. For Spanish-speaking families; no language instruction is provided, and Spanish will be the primary language.
🎸 New Holland Summer Concert: Max & Denise — New Holland Community Park, 400 E Jackson St, New Holland, PA 17557. Sunday, August 16, 7–9 p.m. Free. Acoustic with an edge — rock, blues, folk and pop from the sixties through the two-thousands.
🧵 Joyful Stitchers — Milanof-Schock Library, Engle Room, 1184 Anderson Ferry Road, Mount Joy, PA 17552. Saturday, August 22, 9:15 a.m.–12:45 p.m. Free. Adults. Bring a current cross-stitch project; no registration required.
🍺 2026 Lancaster Craft Beerfest — Ewell Plaza and Binns Park, 100 block of North Queen Street, Lancaster. Saturday, August 22, two sessions: noon–3 p.m. or 4–7 p.m. Tickets $14.64–$55.20. Ages 21 and up only. More than 35 breweries are listed, with Fahrenheit playing the noon session and Bad Slice playing the 4 p.m. session. Designated-driver tickets are available.
🎡 53rd Annual Elizabethtown Fair — 900 E High St, Elizabethtown, PA 17022. Monday, August 24 through Saturday, August 29. Monday 5–11 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m.–11 p.m. Free admission. One of Pennsylvania's 108 state fairs: animal and agricultural exhibits, a free petting zoo, free entertainment every night, contests, rides and food. For a lot of local civic groups and church committees, this week is the whole year's fundraising.
Friday, August 14 — Patchy fog before 8 a.m., then partly sunny with a high near 86. Tonight partly cloudy, low around 66.
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