Good morning, Lancaster County.
Partly sunny and 86 today, with a 30% chance of storms rolling in after 2.
Today's story happens tonight in downtown Lancaster, and the best part of it isn't the competition.
In today's Lancaster Local:
Three Lancaster artists take the stage while the judges are out of the room
A pickleball tournament in its sixth year in Mount Joy
A book club that only reads books under 300 pages
Board games for people who find party games too easy
COMMUNITY NEWS
While the judges deliberate, the audience makes the music.
Every year ASSETS runs the Great Social Enterprise Pitch, where local entrepreneurs make their case to a panel and a room full of people.
This year, the stretch while the judges deliberate has its own lineup.
Three Lancaster artists are taking the stage: Sir Dominique Jordan, Courtni Frey of Jam Hot Radio, and Alexander Colon.
Two of them aren't going to perform at the room so much as put it to work.
Jordan and Colon are running what ASSETS calls a Sidewalk Session — in their words, "inviting the audience into the creative process as they build a beat together."
The crowd throws out ideas.
The two of them turn those ideas into music, live, on stage.
Whatever gets made tonight has never existed before and won't exist again.
The people involved are worth knowing about on their own.
Jordan is a spoken word poet, educator and community organizer, and by ASSETS' account he's currently the Central PA Hip Hop Artist of the Year.
He's also a father, a mentor, and an Army veteran, and they're clear that all three shape the work.
Courtni Frey is a Lancaster DJ and curator who brings funk, disco, soul and house to the local scene through Jam Hot Radio, a music platform and community built around live events and dance culture.
Colon is a hip-hop artist, songwriter, producer and teaching artist with more than a decade behind him.
And there's a nice loop in it: the evening's performances are curated by RippleHub, which Colon co-founded with Tabitha Benitez — and RippleHub was itself a finalist in the 2024 Pitch.
So the outfit running the stage tonight was competing on it two years ago, asking for the same thing this year's finalists are asking for.
It's at Zoetropolis on North Water Street, 5:30 to 8.
EVENTS
📗 Thursday Book Group — Lancaster Public Library, 151 North Queen Street, Lancaster.
Today, Thursday, September 10, 10:00 to 11:30 a.m.
A book club for people who want to read, or re-read, the classics.
New members are welcome, and registration is required.
🧶 Knitting and Crocheting Group — Quarryville Library Center, 357 Buck Road, Quarryville.
Today, Thursday, September 10, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Open to knitters, crocheters and, in their words, other needle or fabric crafters.
No registration.
The library thanks the Britton family for sponsoring their adult programs, which is a nice thing to see said out loud.
🥒 6th Annual Nick Hershey Pickleball Tournament — Donegal Junior High School, 915 Anderson Ferry Road, Mount Joy.
Saturday, September 12, 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. $40.
Sixth year running.
🍖 Saint Luke Episcopal Church Meats & Treats — JB Hostetter & Sons, 1225 West Main Street, Mount Joy.
Saturday, September 12, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Saint Luke's is the host; Hostetter's is the venue.
No price is posted, so bring cash and expect to ask.
🎲 Dungeons & Dragons Club for Adults — Ephrata Public Library, 550 South Reading Road, Ephrata.
Saturday, September 12, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Adults.
Three hours, a character you make up, and a Dungeon Master who decides how badly it goes.
Registration closes at 12:45.
📕 Small Talk: A Novella Book Club — Manheim Township Public Library, 595 Granite Run Drive, Lancaster.
Saturday, September 12, 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
The rule is the whole idea: nothing over 300 pages.
Their pitch — "Most book clubs are a marathon, this is a sprint" — is aimed squarely at people who keep meaning to join one.
Second Saturdays.
Registration closes at 2:15.
🧓 50 & Up Expo 2026 — Hope Community Church, 1806 Harrisburg Avenue, Mount Joy.
Tuesday, September 15, 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. Free.
🧩 Jigsaw Puzzle Night — Columbia Public Library, 24 South 6th Street, Columbia.
Thursday, September 17, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Bring a puzzle or borrow one from their Puzzle Swap, which is a phrase I enjoyed learning exists.
Registration closes at 5:15.
🪡 Joyful Stitchers — Milanof-Schock Library, 1184 Anderson Ferry Road, Mount Joy.
Saturday, September 19, 9:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
Cross-stitch specifically.
Bring whatever you're working on, no registration.
Three and a half hours, so come and go as you like.
♟️ Strategy Board Games for Adults — Ephrata Public Library, 550 South Reading Road, Ephrata.
Saturday, September 19, 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.
For people who want more of a challenge than party games — war games, city-building, hidden identity.
Catan and The Quacks of Quedlinburg are both named on the list.
Registration closes at 2:45.
Partly sunny and a high near 86 today, with a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. — 30% overall.
Tonight drops to about 63.
Friday clears up: mostly sunny and 80.
Have a good Thursday.
— The Lancaster Local