Good morning, Lancaster County. After a soggy weekend, the week starts on the right foot — mostly sunny and near 85. And we've got a genuine bragging-rights story to kick it off: a couple of Quarryville kids just beat the best in the country at their trade. Then a full slate of markets, museums, ballgames, and patio jazz to fill the week ahead.
In today's Lancaster Local:
Two Quarryville students won a national championship — and a $100,000 prize
A tiger storytime, a railroad program, and the Lititz Farmers Market
The "War of the Roses" baseball rivalry comes home for three nights
A bright, dry start to the week
COMMUNITY NEWS
Three young machinists from a Lancaster college went up against the best in the country. They came home in first place — with a $100,000 check.
Here's one worth bragging about. A three-man team from Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology in Lancaster entered Project MFG's National Clash of the Trades — a head-to-head championship pitting the country's top student machinists against each other on precision, troubleshooting, and teamwork — and won the whole thing. First in the nation, and a $100,000 prize to go with it.
And it's a hometown story through and through: two of the three champions, Shaun Hershey and Trevor Masterson, are Quarryville natives (their teammate, Hayden Telford, hails from Greensburg). They came up through the college's Computer Integrated Machining program — the kind of hands-on, make-things-with-your-hands trade that built this county — and proved they can do it better than anyone else their age in America.
It's easy to overlook the quiet skill of the trades until three local kids go out and win a national title with it. Next time someone tells you the trades are a fallback, point them here.
EVENTS
Library fun for the kids, a Thursday market, and a big week of baseball and jazz coming up.
🐯 Wild About Books: Tigers are Terrific — Ephrata Public Library, 550 S Reading Rd, Ephrata. Tuesday, July 14, 6:30–7:30 p.m. An evening story session all about tigers for the kids. Free; registration required.
🚂 Workin' on the Railroad with the Railroad Museum of PA — Manheim Township Public Library, 595 Granite Run Dr, Lancaster. Wednesday, July 15, 10:30–11:30 a.m. The Railroad Museum brings railroading history to life for kids and tweens. Free; registration required.
🧺 Lititz Farmers Market — Lititz Springs Park, 24 N Broad St, Lititz. Thursday, July 16, 4:30–8 p.m. The weekly open-air market fills the park with produce, meats, flowers, baked goods, and food trucks. Free to wander.
🎭 Freaky Friday: The Musical — Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre, 510 Centerville Rd, Lancaster. Tuesday, July 21; lunch seating around 11:45 a.m., show around 12:45. Disney's body-swap mother-daughter musical, served with the theatre's lunch buffet. $24 lunch and show, or $21 show only (plus a $3 per-ticket fee).
🎬 Movie Night: National Treasure 2 — Historic Rock Ford, 881 Rockford Rd, Lancaster. Tuesday, July 21, 8:30 p.m. Bring a chair or a blanket for an outdoor screening on the historic grounds; concessions benefit Rock Ford. Free (registration recommended).
⚾ Lancaster Stormers vs. York Revolution — "War of the Roses" — Penn Medicine Park, 650 N Prince St, Lancaster. Tuesday, July 21 through Thursday, July 23, 6:45 p.m. each night. The cross-river rivalry comes home for three straight nights of Atlantic League baseball.
🎷 Jazz on the Patio: Andy Roberts & Friends ("Christmas in July") — The Barn at Paradise Station, 312 Paradise Ln, Ronks. Thursday, July 23, 6–8:30 p.m. A festive "Christmas in July" spin on the Barn's weekly patio jazz night; the bistro opens at 6.
Weather
Monday, July 13 — A bright, welcome start to the week: mostly sunny and warm, high near 85, with the weekend's storms cleared out. A good day to get outside before the summer heat and humidity build back in later in the week.
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