🌹 The Lancaster Ledger

Good morning, Lancaster. 97 degrees in May 18 should be illegal. Drink water.

In today's Lancaster Ledger:

• The Lititz Record Express turns 150

• An Ephrata coin auction had a wild week

• A covered bridge that washed away in 1938

Let's do it.

— Collin

The Lititz Record Express has been printing weekly news from the town since 1877. The paper's origin story is actually a merger: J. Frank Buch founded the Lititz Record in 1877 to serve the Moravian community that founded Lititz. The same year, local educator John G. Zook launched a literary monthly called the Sunbeam, which became The Express in 1881. The Record Printing Co. bought The Express in 1937 and merged the two into the Lititz Record Express. Lancaster Newspapers Inc. acquired the paper in 1987.

Between those pages: Julius Sturgis opening his pretzel bakery, Wilbur Chocolate going up, Gen. John A. Sutter retiring to Lititz after the California Gold Rush ran him out of his own land. 150 years of community archive.

Read more at LancasterOnline →

Horst Auctioneers in Ephrata held a coins-and-currency auction on May 9, and the numbers are wild. Two 1902 Indian head cents sold for $17,500 each. Two 1899 Indian head cents went for $17,000 each. A single 1877 Indian head cent: $11,000. Half dollars moved too: an 1836 reeded for $6,000, an 1820 for $7,800, plus a 1921 peace dollar at $7,200.

For perspective: an Indian head penny in everyday circulation grade is worth $2 to $3. The $17,500 versions are top-grade mint-state examples from a key date. If you've inherited a jar of pennies from a grandparent, this is your nudge to actually look through them.

Read more at LancasterOnline →

Lancaster County's covered-bridge history has its share of footnotes. One of them was Gentleman John J. Good's Bridge — a single-span Burr truss across Pequea Creek, built in 1892 by Elias McMellen for $2,322. The bridge ran 102 feet (with an 85-foot clear span), had a 16-foot roadway, 13 feet of clearance, and stood 11 feet above the water. It was the next bridge downstream from Sickman's Mill, and notably the last covered bridge the county built at a site where no prior structure had stood.

Then on Sunday June 26, 1938, it washed away. The replacement is a steel two-span combination bridge about 830 feet downstream. The original site is now abandoned.

For $2,322 in 1892 dollars you got a 102-foot wooden bridge that worked for 46 years. That math doesn't really happen anymore.

Read more at r/lancaster →

Looking for a special gift with a unique twist?

Kibanda ya Sitawa (Swahili for "store"; basically Sitawa's Store) offers beautiful handmade gifts, accessories, and stationery right here in Lancaster. Earrings made from recycled bone, lightweight aluminum, and beads. Custom prints and greeting cards. All curated and created by local maker Sitawa.

Shop online anytime at sitawa.square.site (local pickup available) or visit one of three local retail partners in Lancaster and Manheim.

Shop Sitawa's store → sitawa.square.site

Choose Clean Water Conference 2026 | Three-day Chesapeake Bay watershed gathering — 300+ nonprofits, government, business leaders. Runs through Wednesday. | All day | Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square, 25 S. Queen St., Lancaster | Up to $325 full conference

Mindful Monday at Binns Park | Family-friendly movement and meditation, with on-site vendors. | 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM | Binns Park, 100 N. Queen St., Lancaster | Free

An Evening with Isaac Fitzgerald | Author Isaac Fitzgerald in conversation about his work, at Lititz Springs Inn. | 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM | Lititz Springs Inn, 14 E. Main St., Lititz | $40

Columbia Fish & Game Monthly Meeting | Monthly business meeting open to members and the public. | 7:30 PM | 4339 Fairview Rd., Columbia | Free

Free HIIT Bootcamp with LA Fitness | Outdoor high-intensity interval training. Bring water and a mat. | 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM | Binns Park, 100 N. Queen St., Lancaster | Free

Hip Hop Step Aerobics | Cardio dance class at the YWCA. | 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM | YWCA Lancaster, 110 N. Lime St., Lancaster | $20

Tiny T-Rex Book Launch with Jonathan Stutzman | Children's book launch and story time at Aaron's Books. | 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM | Aaron's Books, 35 E. Main St., Lititz | Free

Trap Shoot at Southern Lancaster County Farmer-Sportsmen's Association | Public trap shoot open to all skill levels. | 2:00 PM – 7:00 PM | 742 Hollow Rd., New Providence | $5/round

Bird-in-Hand Farmers Market | Indoor Amish-Mennonite market — produce, baked goods, jams, meats, crafts. | 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM | 2710 Old Philadelphia Pike, Bird-in-Hand | Free to browse

DVS Conference: Building a Community of Care | All-day conference at the Ware Center on community care and support systems. | All day | Ware Center, 42 N. Prince St., Lancaster | $100 ($65 early-bird)

The Patriots Next Door | Talk on Revolutionary War veterans at Woodward Hill Cemetery, at Historic Rock Ford. | 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM | Historic Rock Ford, 881 Rockford Rd., Lancaster | $10

West Art Community Yoga | One-hour Vinyasa flow with Lija. Pay-what-you-can. | 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM | West Art, 816 Buchanan Ave., Lancaster | $10–$15 suggested

Columbia Fish & Game Public Trap Shoot | Weekly public trap shoot. 25 birds per round. | 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM | 4339 Fairview Rd., Columbia | $5

Manheim Sportsmen's Trap Shooting | Weekly Wednesday trap shooting open to the public. | 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM | 552 Oak Tree Rd., Manheim | $5/$10 per round

Trivia Night at Southern Market | Weekly trivia with $1 off draft beer and wine. Gift cards for top three teams. | 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM | Southern Market, 100 S. Queen St., Lancaster | Free

Monday High 97°F, low 63°F.

Tuesday High 88°F, low 66°F.

Open Mic Artist Sessions w/ Henry Devorick | Open Mic / Singer-Songwriter | 7:00 PM | Tellus 360, 24 E. King St., Lancaster | Free

Old Time Jam with Danny Mulligan | Old-Time / Acoustic Jam | 6:30 PM | West Art (Coffee Bar), 816 Buchanan Ave., Lancaster | Free

Infected Rain (Mutation Phase tour) | Metalcore | Doors TBA | Phantom Power, 121 W. Frederick St., Millersville | Tickets via phantompower.net

West Art Acoustic Open Mic w/ Andrew Pauls | Open Mic | 7:00 PM | West Art, 816 Buchanan Ave., Lancaster | Free

Synth Night! (open synth jam) | Synthwave / Electronic | 5:00 PM | Tellus 360, 24 E. King St., Lancaster | Free

Brothers of the Heart (Jimmy Fortune, Bradley Walker, Mike Rogers, Ben Isaacs) | Country / Bluegrass | 7:00 PM | American Music Theatre, 2425 Lincoln Hwy E., Lancaster | $39–$69

Thanks for reading The Lancaster Ledger today. If you found something useful, please share it with someone who has driven over every covered bridge in Lancaster County and has opinions about which one is best.

Cheers!