Good morning, Lancaster County. Partly sunny and comfortable, with a high near 87 and no rain in the current forecast. First, what people carried into a township park last week, and what left in a police car.
In today's Lancaster Local:
A police cruiser left National Night Out packed with stuffed animals, headed for the children's ER
Mahjong at a donut shop in Akron this morning, with people on hand to teach you
Mini-golf inside a library in Mount Joy on Saturday
The US Army Field Band plays a free show in a New Holland park a week from Saturday
COMMUNITY NEWS
The cruiser left the block party full of stuffed animals. They're going to the children's emergency room.
National Night Out is the sort of thing that's easy to be cynical about from a distance — a scheduled evening of neighborliness, put on the calendar months ahead. Then you look at what actually happened at one of them.
Manheim Township held its version on Tuesday, August 4, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Overlook Activities Center on Golf Drive. The police department organized it. Dozens of businesses and community organizations turned up — Chick-fil-A, Mission BBQ, the Lancaster Ice Rink, several branches of the military, and a long list of others.
There were K9 demonstrations. There was a Candy Drop, which the fire department helped hand out, and which the township described afterward with the resignation of people who have watched this before: hundreds of pieces of candy, gone in seconds.
But the part worth carrying around is what people brought with them.
The department ran a drive called Stuff the Cruiser — bring a new stuffed animal and put it in the police car. By the end of the night the cruiser was full. Those toys are going to Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health's Pediatric Emergency Department, to be handed to children who are having the worst night of their week.
So somewhere in Manheim Township last Tuesday, neighbors ate dinner in a park, watched some dogs work, lost a fight with a candy drop, and quietly filled a police car with something soft for a kid they will never meet.
The township's own note ended the way these things do: already looking forward to next year.
EVENTS
Five things today, then a weekend and a big free concert.
🀄 Mahjong at W Donuts — W Donuts, 805 Main St, Akron, PA 17501. Today, Thursday, August 13, 10 a.m.–12 p.m. Free, no registration. The Ephrata library takes mahjong out of the library and into the donut shop. Experienced players and beginners are welcome; helpers will be on hand so newcomers can watch, learn and try. Ages 18+. Bring your own set if you have one.
🀄 Midday Mahjong — Manheim Township Public Library, 595 Granite Run Drive, Lancaster, PA 17601. Today, Thursday, August 13, 1–4 p.m. Adults and seniors. Registration required. There is no formal instructor, but players of all levels are welcome to learn from one another. Bring a set and racks if possible, along with a current 2026 National Mah Jongg League card.
💬 The Chat: Where Real Conversations Happen — Lancaster Public Library, 151 North Queen Street, Lancaster, PA 17603. Today, Thursday, August 13, 5:30–7 p.m. Ages 14–24. Walk-ins welcome. An hour and a half in the library's Brave Place for honest conversation about mental health and belonging, run by CAP.
🧶 Knitting and Crocheting Group — Quarryville Library, Pennington Family Conference Room. Today, Thursday, August 13, 1–3 p.m. Free. Adults and seniors.
🧱 LEGO Creation Club — Eastern Lancaster County Library, 11 Chestnut Drive, New Holland, PA 17557. Tonight, Thursday, August 13, 6–7 p.m. Free.
⛳ End of Summer Reading Bash — Milanof-Schock Library, 1184 Anderson Ferry Road, Mount Joy, PA 17552. Saturday, August 15, 9 a.m.–12 p.m. They are putting a mini-golf course inside the library. Also face painting, Balunguy, and yard games outside. Mini-golf costs $5 per group and requires registration at the circulation desk.
🪄 Summer Reading Show: Ed Schmitt, Magician — Eastern Lancaster County Library, 11 Chestnut Drive, New Holland, PA 17557. Saturday, August 15, 11 a.m.–12 p.m. Free. Ages 3 and up. A dinosaur-themed magic show to close out the summer reading program.
🎸 New Holland Summer Concert: Stu Huggens Band — New Holland Community Park, 400 E Jackson St, New Holland, PA 17557. Wednesday, August 19, 7–9 p.m. Free. Country and Americana in the park.
🎺 New Holland Summer Concert: The U.S. Army Field Band's Concert Band & Soldiers' Chorus — New Holland Community Park, 400 E Jackson St, New Holland, PA 17557. Saturday, August 22, 7 p.m. Free. The Army's touring concert band and its chorus, in a borough park, for nothing. Worth putting on the calendar now.
Thursday, August 13 — Partly sunny, high near 87. Tonight mostly cloudy, low around 67, with patchy fog possible toward dawn.
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