It's 6AM and I'm ready for my second cup of coffee

The Digest

Downed trees, sheds and powerlines reported as Lancaster County assesses storm damage

A storm packing 60 mph winds ripped through Lancaster County Monday night, and the cleanup is still underway. Starting around 9:41 p.m., emergency dispatch fielded reports of downed trees, traffic hazards, and a collapsed building across Brecknock, Earl, Lancaster, and Salisbury townships, Lititz Borough, and Lancaster city. Wires came down in Bart, Paradise, Lancaster, Warwick, Rapho, and East Earl townships, and multiple transformers were damaged in Warwick and Paradise.

On Tuesday, the 400 block of Woodcrest Avenue in Lititz Borough was closed after a large tree and powerlines came down, while crews on St. Joseph Street in Lancaster city spent the morning clearing a tree that had blocked the roadway. Homes in Earl Township and Lititz Borough also sustained damage. If you drove through the county yesterday and noticed something looked different — it probably did.

More than 14,000 PPL customers lose power as storms hit Lancaster County

The Monday night storm didn't just knock down trees — it knocked out the lights for a lot of people. More than 14,000 PPL customers across Lancaster County lost power shortly after 10 p.m. Monday as high winds and heavy rain slammed the region. More than 2,100 individual outages were documented, heavily concentrated in the eastern and northern parts of the county.

By Tuesday morning, around 900 customers were still waiting for their power to come back on. PPL crews have been working around the clock to restore service, but some of those repairs — especially where downed trees tangled with powerlines — are taking time. If you're still in the dark (literally), hang in there. Hopefully your phone is charged enough to read this.

Permit snafu delays ball fields for Hempfield Youth Association in East Hempfield Township

If you're a youth baseball family in East Hempfield Township, you might need to be patient a little longer. A pollution discharge permit for Indian Springs Park — the last step needed before the Hempfield Youth Association can build four new ball fields — has hit a bureaucratic snag. The permit was expected by March 24, but township manager Cindy Schweitzer told supervisors there's "a bit of a snafu at the county level," and the issue has been escalated to the state Department of Environmental Protection.

The NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) permit notification is now expected in June. That's a roughly three-month delay for families who've been waiting on these fields. Supervisors are meeting again tonight (March 18) at the East Hempfield municipal building in Landisville if you want to stay in the loop.

What's happening

Wednesday

Trail Running Film Festival | Documentary screening celebrating trail running culture, hosted by RunPA & Every Mountain Outdoors | Doors 6:00 PM, Film 7:00 PM | Tellus360, 24 E. King Street, Lancaster | $18

Thursday

Fat Head's NEW Beer Launch Party | Fat Head's Brewery launches new beers with a community tasting | 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM | Tellus360, 24 E. King Street, Lancaster | Free

Menopause The Musical 2: Cruising Through 'The Change' | Hilarious sequel to the smash-hit musical comedy about four women navigating midlife | 2:00 PM & 7:00 PM | American Music Theatre, 2425 Lincoln Hwy East, Lancaster | $44-$74

Art Battle Lancaster | 12 painters compete live in 20 thrilling minutes — vote for your favorites and bid in a silent auction | Doors 6:30 PM; Painting 7:00 PM | West Art, 816 Buchanan Ave, Lancaster | $15.76-$21.00

Anthony DeVito Headlines West Art Lancaster | NYC-based comedian Anthony DeVito headlines a stand-up comedy show | 8:00 PM | West Art (Elbow Room), 816 Buchanan Ave, Lancaster | Check westartlanc.com for tickets

Health Rocks! | Health and wellness themed event at Lancaster County's premiere entertainment venue | 6:00 PM - 10:00 PM | Mickey's Black Box, 101 Rock Lititz Boulevard, Lititz | $25.45 (+ fees)

Historical Society of Salisbury Township: 'The Real Boys of the Civil War' | Presenter Joel Moore discusses the real boys involved with the Civil War and historical fiction based on their lives | 7:00 PM | Salisbury Township Building, 5581 Old Philadelphia Pike, Gap | Free

Friday

Booth Brothers in Concert | Southern gospel trio performs live | 7:00 PM | Lancaster Bible College, 901 Eden Road, Lancaster | Check venue for tickets

Feed My Starving Children MobilePack | 11th annual Lancaster County MobilePack — volunteers pack meals for children in need worldwide, all ages welcome (March 20-22) | Two-hour shifts (check schedule) | Willow Street Mennonite Church, 399 E. Penn Grant Road, Willow Street | Free (volunteers welcome)

Zenkaikon 2026 | Anime, sci-fi, fantasy, comics, and gaming convention — panels, cosplay, vendors, and more (March 20-22) | Check zenkaikon.com for daily hours | Lancaster County Convention Center, 25 South Queen Street, Lancaster | $75 pre-reg; $80 at-door (3-day); $45 Sunday only

Riverdance 30 - The New Generation | Grammy Award-winning dance spectacular celebrates 30 years with reimagined choreography (March 20-22) | 8:00 PM (also Sat 3:00 PM & 8:00 PM, Sun 2:00 PM & 7:00 PM) | American Music Theatre, 2425 Lincoln Hwy East, Lancaster | $59-$79; VIP $175

Saturday

Derek Zanetti & Jill Good Art Opening | Art opening reception featuring work by Derek Zanetti and Jill Good | 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM | West Art (Art Bar), 816 Buchanan Ave, Lancaster | Free

Sunday

POV Comedy presents Matt Bergman | Stand-up comedy performance by Matt Bergman | 7:00 PM | Tellus360, 24 E. King Street, Lancaster | Check venue

Now Playing

The Shark is Broken | Hilarious behind-the-scenes comedy about the chaotic filming of JAWS | Fulton Theatre, 12 North Prince Street, Lancaster | $20-$74 | Through March 22

You Can't Take It With You | Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy about the eccentric Sycamore family | Servant Stage at Lancaster Alliance Church, 210 Pitney Road, Lancaster | Pay-what-you-will | Through March 22

Little Shop of Horrors | The rock musical comedy about a carnivorous plant named Audrey II | Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre, 510 Centerville Road, Lancaster | Dinner + show: $75-$83; Show only: $35-$55 | Through March 21

Enchanted | Immersive dinner theatre with grand illusions from Master Illusionist Brett Myers | Magic & Wonder Dinner Theater, 3065 Lincoln Hwy East, Paradise | Dinner+Show: Adults $74.95, Children $37.95; Show Only: Adults $54.95, Children $27.95; Premium $99.95

Joshua | Sight & Sound's spectacular production celebrating 50 years — the story of Joshua and the battle of Jericho | Sight & Sound Theatres, 300 Hartman Bridge Road, Ronks | Adults $82-$104; Children (2-12) $44

Nothing in this section is sponsored. They're just the things you need to know. I'll always let you know when something's sponsored.

Live music

Wednesday

West Art Open Mics | Open Mic | 7:00 PM | West Art (Art Bar), 816 Buchanan Ave, Lancaster | Free

Major Vibes: Friends-Days | Electronic/DJ Set | 9:00 PM | Tellus360, 24 E. King Street, Lancaster | Free

Thursday

Chuck Ragan with Divided Heaven & Bret Tobias | Folk-Punk/Americana | 7:00 PM | Phantom Power, 121 W. Frederick Street, Millersville | $25 advance / $30 day of

Friday

An Evening with Drew Angus | Singer-Songwriter | 7:30 PM | West Art (City Hall), 816 Buchanan Ave, Lancaster | $15

Slimfit | Live Band | 7:00 PM | Tellus360, 24 E. King Street, Lancaster | Free

Electric Starlite | Vintage Jazz/Blues/R&B | 7:00 PM | Southern Market, 100 S. Queen Street, Lancaster | Free

BIG ROOM VIBES with Major Vibes | Electronic/DJ Set | 10:00 PM | Tellus360, 24 E. King Street, Lancaster | Free

DJ Yung Goody Anime Rave | Electronic/DJ Set | 10:00 PM | Tellus360, 24 E. King Street, Lancaster | Free

Saturday

American Rock Revival | Rock/Tribute | Doors 6:30 PM; Show 7:30 PM | Mickey's Black Box, 101 Rock Lititz Boulevard, Lititz | $27.50 advance / $32.50 day of (+ fees)

The Roommates | Covers/Variety | 8:00 PM | Southern Market, 100 S. Queen Street, Lancaster | Free

A Tribute to Old & in the Way, and Wood Flower | Bluegrass/Americana | 8:00 PM | West Art (Sanctuary), 816 Buchanan Ave, Lancaster | Check westartlanc.com for tickets

Benny Benack Jazz: Great American Crooners | Jazz | 7:30 PM | The Ware Center, 42 N. Prince Street, Lancaster | $27 adults / $19 students

raDiANCE with DJ Edge | Electronic/DJ Set | 10:00 PM | Tellus360, 24 E. King Street, Lancaster | Free

Gordon Sterling & The People | Live Band | 10:30 PM | Tellus360, 24 E. King Street, Lancaster | Free

Sunday

Irish Session with Paraic Keane | Traditional Irish | 2:00 PM | Tellus360, 24 E. King Street, Lancaster | Free

Monday

Open Mic Artist Sessions w/ Henry Devorick | Open Mic | 7:00 PM | Tellus360, 24 E. King Street, Lancaster | Free