Good morning, Lancaster County. It's going to feel like 102 degrees out there this afternoon, so today's list leans hard on air conditioning until the storms move through. First, a man in Lititz who has shown up to the same job for thirty-two years and was finally asked how that feels.
In today's Lancaster Local:
Thirty-two years at one Lititz organization, and he refused to take the credit
Donuts from a truck in Mount Joy this morning, no registration, no catch
A history walk and a whiskey-barrel wine release, two blocks apart on Sunday
Charles Demuth's own studio, open for a walk-through Saturday afternoon
COMMUNITY NEWS
They finally gave him the award. He handed it straight back.
Larry Zook has worked at Landis Communities in Lititz for thirty-two years. Nearly twenty of them he's spent as President and CEO. Last week the Central Penn Business Journal named him to its CPBJ 300 in the Senior Care category, which is the sort of thing that usually produces a photo and a polite thank-you.
What Zook actually said was this: “While I'm honored to be named amongst colleagues for whom I have great respect, it's truly a team recognition.”
Then he spent the rest of his statement talking about everyone else — crediting the boards and staff for “high-quality care, spiritual well-being, and long-term organizational sustainability, grounded in listening well to those we serve and to the team that serves them.”
Three decades is a long time to keep listening to the same place. Over his tenure, Landis grew well past its original campus into residential living, home and community-based services, and affordable housing that now reaches thousands of older adults across the county. Landis Homes has been named a U.S. News & World Report “Best Nursing Home” more than once, and landed on a Newsweek Top 10 list.
Zook came up through Millersville and picked up an MBA at Eastern. He lives in Manheim with his wife, Dawn.
Thirty-two years, and the man still talks like he's part of the crew.
EVENTS
Indoor picks up front, because of that heat index — then a Sunday in Manheim worth clearing your calendar for.
🍩 Food Truck — W Donuts — Milanof-Schock Library, 1184 Anderson Ferry Road, Mount Joy, PA 17552. Today, Thursday, August 6, 10 a.m.–12 p.m. No registration, no sign-up sheet, no library card required. Donuts from a truck in a parking lot, which is the correct way to handle a morning this warm.
🌉 K'NEX Bridge Building with the Railroad Museum of PA — Lititz Public Library, 651 Kissel Hill Road, Lititz, PA 17543. Today, Thursday, August 6, 1–2 p.m. Free, registration required. The Railroad Museum brings the K'NEX and turns bridge engineering into an hour of building. Registration closes at 12:45, so handle it over lunch.
🧪 First Friday @ The Lancaster Science Factory — Lancaster Science Factory. Tomorrow, Friday, August 7, 5–7 p.m. Free. Two hours of the whole building, no admission charge, and Chemistry Magic with Eurofins Lancaster Labs thrown in free on top.
🎨 Demuth on King Guided Tours — Demuth Museum of Art on King, 120 East King Street, Lancaster, PA 17602. Saturday, August 8, 1–3 p.m. By donation, $10 recommended. A docent takes you room by room through the house and studio where Charles Demuth actually worked, connecting each space to what he painted in it. Runs second and fourth Saturdays.
🔨 Funky Junk — Horst Arts Center, 17 N Main St, Manheim, PA 17545. Saturday, August 8, 10 a.m. Kids build whatever they want from a scrap-wood table eleven feet across, with the tools and materials supplied. Ages 4–12, and every child needs an adult along — you only buy tickets for the kids.
🚶 Manheim Historic Walking Tours — Fasig & Keath Houses Museums, 30–32 East High St, Manheim, PA 17545. Sunday, August 9, 1:30–2:15 p.m. Free. Forty-five minutes on foot with a Historical Society guide who knows the stories. Show up around 1:15; the walk starts on the lawn of the House Museums, weather permitting.
🍷 Second Sunday Sips: Whiskey Meets Wine — Glasshouse Wineworks, 8 South Charlotte Street, Manheim, PA 17545. Sunday, August 9, 2–6 p.m. They're releasing the 2025 Cabernet in the Rye, a dry Cabernet aged in a whiskey barrel donated by Big Spring Spirits. Pours are $5 all afternoon and bottles are 10% off. No ticket — drop in. It's a few blocks from where that walking tour lets out, if you want to make a whole afternoon of it.
📚 Friend's Book Sale — Adamstown Area Library, 110 W. Main St, Adamstown, PA. Tuesday, August 11, 9 a.m.–6:30 p.m. Nine and a half hours of tables. Bring a bag and low expectations about leaving quickly.
🎺 New Holland Summer Concert: Brass Pockets — New Holland Community Park, 400 E Jackson St, New Holland, PA 17557. Wednesday, August 12, 7–9 p.m. Free. A dance band working through Chicago, Earth Wind & Fire, Blood Sweat & Tears, Pink, Amy Winehouse and Bruno Mars in one night.
🎸 The Early November — Mickey's Black Box, 101 Rock Lititz Blvd, Lititz, PA 17543. Thursday, August 13, doors 7 p.m., show 8 p.m. General admission standing room is $34.70 plus fees; reserved balcony and mezzanine seats are $45.40 plus fees. Everything goes up $5 if you buy the day of the show. All ages.
Weather
Thursday, August 6 — Partly sunny with a high near 91, but the heat index climbs to about 102, so shade stops being optional around midday. Storms roll in between 2 and 5 p.m. and hang around into the evening — a 60% chance, though it's a light rain rather than a soaking.
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