Mud Sales are one of Lancaster County’s many original traditions that attract thousands of people at the end of every winter. Named after the rainy weather and muddy condition of the ground, Mud Sales are auctions held at some of Lancaster’s local fire companies as benefits. It gives visitors a chance to purchase real, hand-made Amish-crafted quilts, crafts, antiques, and more that won’t be found anywhere else on the planet. These massive auctions are full of energy and excitement as locals and visitors meet to exchange goods, food, money, and the relationships that bind us all together. It is a meeting of two worlds, an interaction that seems to always be only an observation and fascination of one to another.
At the Mud Sales, the age of information meets the age of the...
This March, the talented musicians of the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra perform Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.5 at the Fulton Theatre, a National Historic Landmark and the nation’s oldest operating theatre. The Lancaster Symphony Orchestra has established a reputation as one of the best classical music companies in the world, embracing the treasure trove of local skill, talent, and enthusiasm for arts that are found in the capital area. If you haven’t heard Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5, you’re in for an emotional and tumultuous journey of sound through thoughts and feelings of doubt, submission to fate, and the very personal struggles of the composer himself from the 19th century.
In addition to the dramatic performance of Tchaikovsky’s epic instrumental,...
Not such a long while ago, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania was world-famous alongside Germany for its delicious craft beer and skilled brewers. With the rise of craft beer’s popularity and the delicious snacks and food served with it, Lancaster has returned to the forefront of crafting one of our favorite drinks.
Your search for the best beer in town is in the gleaming words of Iron Hill Brewery and Restaurant, sheltered in the green trees and glowing glass of a corner store on Lancaster’s polished College Avenue. Besides its own craft beer, Iron Hill also serves seafood, pizza, sweet potato fries, and dozens of others of your favorites from within the “New American” style of cuisine. Enjoy the knowledgeable and helpful staff, take a tour of the brewery, and,...
Lancaster’s Fulton Theatre has two features this February that brings us all back to cherished stories and treasured tales inside America’s oldest-running theatre. Surround yourself in an energetic crowd, an illuminated stage, and the iconic, ornate Victorian architecture of the 1852 building. As Central Pennsylvania’s premier regional theatre, it entertains almost 150,000 patrons a year in the city of Lancaster.
“Annie Get Your Gun” runs from January 24-February 19, 2017 at the Fulton Theatre. The musical tells the true story of the real-life sharpshooter Annie Oakley, her fierce personality, and her romance with Frank Butler on Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show. Visit the website to view Fulton Theatre’s production page, buy tickets, and see the...
In Lancaster, just once a month, December 17 & 18, 2016 vendors gather to sell unusual and unique pieces of art, handmade goods, collectibles, vintage clothing, and dozens more kinds of goods. Located at the Masonic Center of Lancaster, the Punk Rock Flea Market is a fledgling market with the intention to have a good time, connect with similar (and different) people, and to showcase some truly fantastic items.
If you’re into alternative art, or the untraditional in general, this is the market for you. One vendor to keep your eye out for is Kidhardt Creations, owned, operated, and created by Arielle Kidhardt. This artist sells her 100% handcrafted works at Lancaster’s Punk Rock Flea Market, one of many venues that keeps this local artist busy. Arielle’s work this...
In Lancaster, just once a month, December 17 & 18, 2016 vendors gather to sell unusual and unique pieces of art, handmade goods, collectibles, vintage clothing, and dozens more kinds of goods. Located at the Masonic Center of Lancaster, the Punk Rock Flea Market is a fledgling market with the intention to have a good time, connect with similar (and different) people, and to showcase some truly fantastic items.
If you’re into alternative art, or the untraditional in general, this is the market for you. One vendor to keep your eye out for is Kidhardt Creations, owned, operated, and created by Arielle Kidhardt. This artist sells her 100% handcrafted works at Lancaster’s Punk Rock Flea Market, one of many venues that keeps this local artist busy. Arielle’s work this...
Lancaster’s American Music Theatre of Lancaster presents its holiday show, Winter Wonderland, on stage through December 30. This feel-good holiday event sends you on a journey to a Bavarian mountain village and even the North Pole itself to experience some of the Christmas magic floating around the air everywhere you go. Flawless costumes, gowns, and set props make this an immersive Christmas tale more focused on the fairytale magic of our youth than the religious traditions that also accompany the holiday.
Packed full of Christmas spirit, this world-class cast of singers, dancers, and actors make the American Music Theatre’s 2016 Christmas Show an unforgettable program. The 9-piece orchestra, all-live performances, and the theatre itself all make sure that you really feel...
Fill your holiday season with light and magic at Hersheypark’s Christmas Candylane. The gates open despite the winter weather to give you a thrilling and chilling ride on their rollercoasters, an easy glide around the carousel, and a breathtaking light show. Hersheypark’s N.O.E.L., or “Nights of Extraordinary Lights,” is one of Candylane’s main features. This 12-mile twinkling, dazzling light show displays over 200,000 running lights that move, synchronized to your favorite classic Christmas carols. The reflections along Spring Creek double the view to create a true winter wonderland, showing us the magic of Christmas. The best vantage points to view this light show are along the bridges crossing Spring Creek. To find out more information, and even...
Over 160 years ago, Lancaster County PA was the site of the first spark that would soon ignite into the explosive and shocking Civil War. It was in Lancaster County that some historians claim to be the location of the first battle of the Civil War. On September 11th, 1851, a Maryland plantation owner sought his stolen property in Pennsylvania: four runaway slaves seeking shelter in Christiana, a village in southeast Lancaster County. Under the 1850 federal ruling named the Fugitive Slave Act, the plantation owner was technically, but not morally, within his rights. In the end, he didn't get what he came for...and never returned to Maryland. Four Quakers and thirty-four former slaves killed the plantation owner in whatever altercation followed their meeting; not only did they...
Fresh country air and the richest farmland in the world provided Lancaster, Pennsylvania with the ability to make world-famous craft brews, starting a powerhouse industry in the 1700s. But Prohibition quickly disbanded one of Lancaster County’s most profitable trades. Many of these breweries continued to be fully functional, and the area is rich in Prohibition-era history and exciting stories about the Lancaster, PA brew-making lawbreakers.
Today, the area has revitalized the industry. Lancaster Craft Brew Tours offers a fun and relaxing trip around Lancaster County and Harrisburg that introduces you to the many craft breweries in the area. With sixteen (and counting) craft breweries in the county offering craft beers, Lancaster is able to combine its brewing past with its ever-...
