LedgerA farm from 1717 gets a new plan, and Hershey's Lancaster roots
The Digest
A farm older than the country could become a community farm
The Miller farm at 917 Farmingdale Road in East Hempfield has been in the same family since 1717, and Lancaster Farmland Trust wants to turn it into a community farm. It would be the first property the nonprofit has ever owned, and the 60 acres would offer education and hands-on farm experience for the public, schoolchildren and people who want to learn to farm. The trust hasn't decided yet whether it will buy the farm or acquire it some other way. Township supervisors are considering rezoning the land from an agricultural holding zone, which sits in a growth area where development is expected, to an agricultural zone that would keep it a farm.
Brothers Bob and Marlin Miller first talked with the trust about preserving the farm in 2018, but the next generation of the family has decided not to farm it. Supervisor chair Bob Johnson says he recently learned it's the oldest farm in Pennsylvania. "If there was any farm that should be preserved, this would be the one," he said. Not bad for a farm that's 59 years older than the Declaration of Independence.
Read more at LancasterOnline →
How a Lancaster architect gave Hershey its look
C. Emlen Urban, the Lancaster architect behind Southern Market and the Watt & Shand building, spent 50 years designing for Milton Hershey, and a new book by architect Gregory J. Scott tells the story. The two met as young men at the Hamilton Club in the early 1890s. Urban designed Hershey's 25-room mansion on South Queen Street (where the Save A Lot is now), then doubled his Lancaster Caramel Co. factory on Church Street in 1894. When Hershey left to build his chocolate town in Derry Township, Urban designed much of it, from Hershey's High Point mansion to homes for workers and executives, a bank, schools and a trolley barn that later became a round restaurant.
The book, "Urban & the Chocolate King" ($95 from Egg & Dart Books), also turns up a surprise: the Hershey Theatre, long credited to Urban, was actually designed by Philadelphia architect Paul Philippe Cret. "He made his fortune here. He didn't make it in Hershey," Scott says. The Lancaster book launch is 5 to 7 PM Thursday, Oct. 29, at Commons on Vine at the Lancaster County Convention Center, free with registration.
Read more at LancasterOnline →
What's happening
Monday
Bryan Hughes Business Connections Breakfast | A weekly hour of business networking over breakfast in the Wegmans cafe | 8 AM to 9 AM | Wegmans, 2000 Crossings Blvd, Lancaster | Free
Silent Book Club at Our Town Brewery | Bring a book, grab a beer and read alongside everyone else, no discussion required | 6 PM to 8 PM | Our Town Brewery, 252 N. Prince Street, Lancaster | Free
Pajama Storytime | Kids come in pajamas for stories, songs and dancing before bed | 6:15 PM to 7 PM | Lancaster Public Library Mountville Branch, 120 College Avenue, Mountville | No admission listed
Chess Club at West Art | Open chess night in the Art Bar for all levels, hosted by the Lancaster Chess Society | 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM | West Art, 816 Buchanan Ave, Lancaster | No admission listed
Thirsty for Knowledge Trivia at Brendee's | Weekly team trivia tournament at the West End pub, running through Nov. 23 | 7 PM | Brendee's Irish Pub, 449 W Lemon St, Lancaster | No cover listed
Tuesday
Root's Country Market | The Tuesday country market and Old Mill flea market, open every Tuesday year-round | 9 AM to 9 PM | Root's Country Market, 705 Graystone Road, Manheim | No admission listed
Wheatland Tours at LancasterHistory | Guided tours of James Buchanan's home on the half hour, reopening after Monday's closure | 10 AM to 5 PM, tours 10:30 AM to 3:30 PM | LancasterHistory, 230 North President Avenue, Lancaster | $20 adults for museum plus Wheatland ($18 online), $10 museum only, kids 10 and under free with an adult
Kids Art Play at West Art | A messy hands-on art hour for kids with paint, clay and collage | 10 AM to 10:45 AM | West Art, 816 Buchanan Ave, Lancaster | $20 per class per family
Read Philosophy with Me! | A small lunch group reading philosophy together, and newcomers can just listen | 12 PM to 1 PM | Prince Street Cafe, 15 N Prince St, Lancaster | Free
Book Folding Class | Fold the pages of an old book into a sculpture you take home | 2 PM to 3 PM | Moores Memorial Library, 9 West Slokom Avenue, Christiana | $10 per person
Line Dance with JW at West Art | Line dancing for all levels, with a lesson at 6 | 6 PM lesson, dancing 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM | West Art, 816 Buchanan Ave, Lancaster | $10 suggested donation
Trivia Night at Tellus360 | Weekly pub trivia with rotating topics, 21+ | 7 PM | Tellus360, 24 E. King St., Lancaster | No price listed
Now Playing
Joshua | Israel's journey from the Jordan River to the walls of Jericho, through Dec. 31 | Tue 11 AM & 3 PM | Sight & Sound Theatres, 300 Hartman Bridge Road, Ronks | $82 to $104 adults, $44 ages 2 to 12
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical | The Carole King story over dinner, through Nov. 7 | Tue 7:30 PM, dinner at 6 PM | Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre, 510 Centerville Road, Lancaster | $55 show only, $83 with dinner, plus a $3 fee
Dear Soldier Boy | Amish musical comedy about two friends writing letters to troops in 1990, closing Wednesday | Tue 1 PM & 7 PM | Bird-in-Hand Stage, 2760 Old Philadelphia Pike #A, Bird-in-Hand | Show only $47 adults, $18 children
Live music
Monday
The Starlite Trio | Live music with dinner at the Southern Italian spot on Main Street | 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM | Beccafico, 27-31 E Main St, Lititz | No cover listed
Open Mic with Henry Devorick | Weekly open mic in the pub, get there early for the sign-up sheet, 21+ | 7 PM | Tellus360, 24 E. King St., Lancaster | Free
Vocal Harmonix Chorus with Melica A Capella | Harvest & Harmony, a fall a cappella concert | 7 PM | West Art (Sanctuary), 816 Buchanan Ave, Lancaster | Pay what you will
Fall Faculty Sampler at Elizabethtown College | Piano, oboe, cello, clarinet, sax and guitar from the college's music faculty | 7:30 PM | Leffler Chapel and Performance Center, 1 Alpha Drive, Elizabethtown | Free
Tuesday
Old Time Jam with Danny Mulligan | Old-time and folk jam, bring an acoustic instrument or just listen | 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM | West Art, 816 Buchanan Ave, Lancaster | No cover listed