LNP has a new CEO

The Digest

LNP has a new CEO

Mike Orren, friend of the program, has been named CEO of LNP | LancasterOnline. The 231-year-old news organization, which became a nonprofit under Always Lancaster's ownership in January, made the announcement to staff Thursday morning. Orren succeeds former NPR journalist David Greene, who founded Always Lancaster and stays on as board chair. He brings three decades of digital media experience, including founding Dallas-based Pegasus News in 2006 and serving as chief product and marketing officer at DallasNews Corp., where he doubled paid digital subscriptions and grew digital advertising 67%. He moved to Lancaster in 2024 with his wife Crystal.

We're very excited to see what he does with LNP.

Read more at LancasterOnline →

United Express is flying Lancaster ↔ Chicago

United Express' inaugural service from Lancaster Airport launched Wednesday morning. SkyWest will operate 12 round trips per week year-round through 2029, connecting Lancaster (LNS) to Chicago O'Hare International. The inbound flight from Chicago arrived Tuesday evening, kicking off daily jet service. SkyWest is flying the CRJ-200 with 50-passenger capacity, and round-trip tickets start at $291 on United.com or Lancasterairport.com. The new route replaces Southern Airways Express service and includes federal subsidies supporting the route through 2029.

First commercial jet service out of LNS in a while. The drive to BWI just got optional.

Read more at LancasterOnline →

What's happening

Friday

Water Week: First Friday in Downtown Lancaster | Lancaster Conservancy's 10th-anniversary Water Week kickoff with interactive watershed activities, free native trees, plants, and seeds. | 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM | Penn Square, 1 Penn Square, Lancaster | Free

Taste of Lititz | Lititz's downtown food and drink crawl, sample bites from local restaurants up and down Main Street. | 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM | Downtown Lititz | Free entry, pay per sample

First Friday Hispanic Heritage Celebration | Live Latin music, dance performances, and visual art at the Friendship Heart Gallery's monthly cultural showcase. | 5:00 PM – 8:30 PM | Friendship Heart Gallery, 118 N. Water St., Suite 102, Lancaster | Free

Voices of Migration | An art and storytelling celebration at the Ware Center spotlighting Lancaster's immigrant communities. | 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM | Ware Center, 42 N. Prince St., Lancaster | Free

Pequea Valley Kinzer Mud Sale (Opening Night) | Old-school country mud sale with quilts, crafts, food, livestock, and Amish baked goods benefiting Pequea Valley Fire Department. Saturday is the main sale day. | 4:00 PM – Late | Pequea Valley Fire Department, 3204 Vigilant St., Gordonville | Free entry

Lancaster Beer Gardens Season Kickoff Weekend | Lancaster Rec and Tellus360's 2026 pop-up beer garden season opens with three days of local brews, food trucks, lawn games, and live music. Family- and pet-friendly. Runs Thu–Sat. | 4:00 PM – 10:00 PM | Musser Park, 135 N. Lime St., Lancaster | Free entry (21+ to purchase alcohol)

Saturday

Red Rose Run 50th Anniversary | Lancaster's iconic 5-mile downtown road race hits its 50th year. Kids Run + post-race party included. | 8:00 AM | Starts on N. Queen St., Lancaster | $45 ($0 Kids Run)

Lancaster VegFest | Day 1 of Lancaster's biggest plant-based food festival, dozens of vendors, live music, and cooking demos. Continues Sunday. | 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM | Buchanan Park, 901 Buchanan Ave., Lancaster | Free (donations welcome)

Long Community Strawberry Festival | Manheim Township's classic early-summer strawberry festival with shortcake, music, kids' activities. | 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM | Long Community, 600 E. Roseville Rd., Lancaster | Free

Baby Animal Festival | Cherry Crest's annual celebration of farm babies. Sheep, calves, chicks, ducklings, and goats, plus farm games and a hay maze. | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM | Cherry Crest Adventure Farm, 150 Cherry Hill Rd., Ronks | Included with farm admission

Belmont Bourbon Bash | Sip-and-stroll bourbon festival on the Ironstone Ranch grounds. Tasting trains and VIP options available. | 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM | Ironstone Ranch, 1 Hollinger Lane, Elizabethtown | $75 GA / $125 VIP / $250 Tasting Train

Fraktur Lettering Workshop with Emily Smucker-Beidler | Hands-on Pennsylvania Dutch fraktur-lettering class at Landis Valley. Materials included. | 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum, 2451 Kissel Hill Rd., Lancaster | $100 members / $110 non-members

Strasburg Heritage Society Garden Tour | Self-guided tour through six historic Strasburg gardens. Continues Sunday. | 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM | Starts at Joe on the Go Coffee, 2 Miller St., Strasburg | $20 advance / $25 day-of

ODC Food Truck Fest | East Lampeter's food truck rally with kids' activities, live music, and a beer garden. | 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM | Stauffer Park, 1241 Lititz Pike, Lancaster | Free entry

Concordia Community Pancake Breakfast | All-you-can-eat pancakes, sausage, and coffee benefiting Concordia Lutheran Church's youth programs. | 8:30 AM – 10:30 AM | Concordia Lutheran Church, 3825 Concordia Rd., Columbia | Free (donations welcome)

Public Water Independence Day | Lancaster Conservancy's Water Week celebration at Octoraro Reservoir with paddling, water-quality demos, and shore activities. | 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM | Octoraro Reservoir, 226 Reservoir Rd., Nottingham | Free

Sunday

Lancaster VegFest Day 2 | Final day of the plant-based food fest at Buchanan Park, same vendors, music, and demos. | 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM | Buchanan Park, 901 Buchanan Ave., Lancaster | Free (donations welcome)

America250 Family Day at Historic Rock Ford | Free family festival kicking off Lancaster's lead-up to the country's 250th, with colonial reenactors, music, and kids' crafts. | 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM | Historic Rock Ford, 881 Rock Ford Rd., Lancaster | Free (registration recommended)

Strasburg Heritage Society Garden Tour Day 2 | Same six gardens as Saturday, second day to walk through. | 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM | Starts at Joe on the Go Coffee, 2 Miller St., Strasburg | $20 advance / $25 day-of

Choir Boy Closing Performance | Final show of EPAC's run of Tarell Alvin McCraney's gospel-infused coming-of-age drama. | 2:00 PM | Ephrata Performing Arts Center, 320 Cocalico St., Ephrata | $25-$42

Grow a Pollinator Patch Workshop | Lancaster Conservancy hands-on workshop on planting and maintaining a backyard pollinator garden. | 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM | Lancaster Friends Meeting, 110 Tulane Terrace, Lancaster | $20

Now Playing

Joshua | The biblical epic of Joshua marching on Jericho with live animals, massive sets, and a 300-foot panoramic stage. Runs through Dec. 31. | Limited weekend availability — many showtimes sold out | Sight & Sound Theatres, 300 Hartman Bridge Rd., Ronks | $44 child / $82-$104 adult

All Shook Up | Elvis-fueled jukebox musical loosely based on Twelfth Night. Runs through June 20. | Wed–Sat dinner 6 PM, show 7:30 PM | Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre, 510 Centerville Rd., Lancaster | $55 show only / $78-$83 dinner & show

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat | Servant Stage's pay-what-you-will summer production of the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice classic. Runs through Aug. 16. | Fri 7 PM · Sat 11 AM & 3 PM · Sun 3 PM | Lancaster Alliance Church, 210 Pitney Rd., Lancaster | Pay-What-You-Will

Live music

Friday

Corty Byorn & The Light | Americana / Roots | 8:00 PM | Tellus360, 24 E. King St., Lancaster | Free

Saving Abel | Southern rock | 7:00 PM (doors 6:00 PM) | Tellus360, 24 E. King St., Lancaster | $34 advance

Hexbelt | Rock | 8:00 PM (doors 7:00 PM) | Phantom Power, 121 W. Frederick St., Millersville | $10 advance / $15 door

Steve Rexroth | Acoustic / Singer-songwriter | 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM | South County Brewing Co., 26 W. King St., Lancaster | Free

Carl Zeplin & Tim Gross Jazz Duo | Jazz | 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM | Proof, 30 N. Queen St. (Lower Level), Lancaster | Free

Saturday

Scotty McCreery | Country | 7:30 PM | American Music Theatre, 2425 Lincoln Hwy E., Lancaster | $59-$109

Elijah Myers | Singer-songwriter | 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM | Southern Market, 100 S. Queen St., Lancaster | Free

Sunday

Parker Barrow at Long's Park | Long's Park Summer Music Series season opener. Free, lawn chairs welcome. | 7:30 PM | Long's Park Amphitheater, 1441 Harrisburg Pike, Lancaster | Free

Bluegrass Jam with Jordan Rast | Bluegrass / Acoustic | 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM | Tellus360, 24 E. King St., Lancaster | Free

Flipside Big Band + Lampeter-Strasburg Community Band | Big band / Concert band | 6:30 PM | Lampeter YMCA Amphitheater, 800 Village Rd., Lancaster | Free

The Righteous Brothers | Classic rock / Soul | 3:00 PM matinee | American Music Theatre, 2425 Lincoln Hwy E., Lancaster | $49-$79