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(Excuse the ad spot testing! This section is planned to be Lancaster Area Small Business only).

Good morning, Lancaster. Happy Presidents Day! Hope you're enjoying the day off (if you got one). There's a whole lot happening this week — including the most important day of the year if you're a fried dough enthusiast.

In today's Lancaster Ledger:

Let’s do it.

— Collin

Lancaster Airport is inviting the public to weigh in on its next 20 years of development at an open house on February 24 from 5–7 PM. The event will showcase highlights from a draft master plan for future building needs, with consultants and staff on hand to answer questions at the terminal lobby (500 Airport Road, Manheim Township).

It's been a transformative few years for the airport. Since Breeze Airways launched the facility's first-ever passenger jet service in October 2024, annual passenger totals have jumped 176% — hitting 17,128 passengers last year, the highest since 1999. New commercial hangars have been popping up every one to two years, and there's still a waiting list of 12 companies hoping for space. With SkyWest adding daily flights to Chicago using 50-seat jets, those numbers are only going up. Register at lanc.news/AirportOpenHouse.

Once upon a time, if you wanted good coffee in Lancaster County's southern end, you were out of luck. That's changing fast. The Daily Grind relocated to a stunning 1930s former Wells Fargo bank building at 1 S. Church St. last October, and the space is something else. The old bank vault still standing open for customers to peek inside!

But The Daily Grind isn't alone anymore. Southern Press Coffee started making mobile rounds in December, Esh Café is gearing up for an April opening at 1013 Lancaster Pike, and yes — Starbucks is coming too, at 55 Friendly Drive near the Turkey Hill. After years with limited options, Quarryville is suddenly awash in specialty coffee. Owner Andrew Morgan, a former executive chef who opened The Daily Grind in 2014, put it simply: "Honestly, one day I had a day off and I just wanted a really good cup of coffee. And there wasn't anything around here." Not anymore.

The Lancaster County Homelessness Coalition has been awarded a one-time $150,000 state grant to help individuals and families find secure housing. The funding comes from the Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement (PHARE) Fund, created through a 2010 state law.

Applications are now open for nonprofits providing homelessness services, with grants ranging from $40,000 to $145,000. The focus is on "transitional housing" — getting people out of shelters or off the streets as quickly as possible, with case workers then helping them find more permanent options. Grant winners will be announced March 26, with services funded for one year beginning in April.

Just in time for Valentine's Day last Saturday, the Belvedere Inn picked up more national recognition. Cosmopolitan named the N. Queen Street mainstay Pennsylvania's best date spot in their "50 Best Date Spots in the USA for 2026" feature, and OpenTable included it in their annual top 100 romantic restaurants list.

It's not the Belvedere's first rodeo — they've made OpenTable's romantic list in 2019, 2024, and 2025 as well. The Cosmopolitan piece highlighted what locals already know: nearly 30 years of fine dining in a Victorian-Italianate mansion, complete with live jazz in the upstairs piano bar. If you've been meaning to make a reservation, consider this your sign.

Tuesday is Fasnacht Day, and you know what that means: it's time to eat your weight in fried dough before Lent begins. Whether you like yours plain, glazed, powdered, or cinnamon-sugared, we've got you covered.

The rundown: Achenbach's Pastries in Leola is open 5 AM – 6 PM on Tuesday ($15.95/dozen). Bird-in-Hand Bakery has drive-thru tents at their main location and at Firestone on Oregon Pike. Oregon Dairy runs a drive-thru from 5:30–10 AM ($7/half dozen). W Donuts in Lancaster and Akron has gluten-free options ($30/dozen for regular, $48 for gluten-free). Central Market's Ric's Bread will have them 6 AM – 3 PM. Shady Maple already has them in stock. Holy Spirit Lutheran Church on Columbia Ave has a drive-thru sale supporting youth ministry.

If you want something a little different — Lancaster Beignet Company offers New Orleans style Beignets year round! But there is just something special about those hot sugary pillows on Mardi Gras! Beignets are much lighter than the local fasnachts, but they’re worth trying out even if you’re a hardcore fasnacht fan.

Columbia is celebrating three centuries since English Quakers first settled on the Susquehanna, and they're doing it with 19 free public events running from February through October. The festivities kick off Wednesday, February 19, with a talk at the National Watch & Clock Museum about Columbia's first settlers.

The year-long celebration includes a Fireman's Parade in June, vintage baseball, a classic car show, Fourth of July fireworks at Glatfelter Park, and — perhaps most dramatically — the illumination of all 27 stone piers of Veterans Memorial Bridge. Local speakers will cover everything from the Underground Railroad to the 1863 bridge burning to the borough's firefighting history. Full schedule at ColumbiaPA300.com.

Monday — Presidents Day
Most government offices, banks, and schools closed. Check before you head out.

Now Through Feb 22
Lititz Fire & Ice Festival Ice sculptures, live carvings, and all the winter wonderland vibes in downtown Lititz. Bundle up and bring the family.

Tuesday
Fasnacht Day 🍩 See above. Eat the fried dough. Honor the tradition.

Wednesday
Columbia 300 Kickoff | "The Pleasantest Country as Can Be" speaker event | 6:30 PM | National Watch & Clock Museum, 514 Poplar St, Columbia

Friday
Designer Purse Bingo | 5 PM | Donegal Presbyterian Church, Mt Joy
Paint Your Partner Workshop | 6 PM | Southern Market

Saturday
Lancaster Paws and Poses Puppy Yoga | 10 AM | 820 Main St, Akron
Jimmy Juice Limited Release Launch Party | 2 PM | Tellus 360, 24 E King St, Lancaster
One-Day Chorus for Treble Singers | 2:30 PM | James Street Mennonite
Off The Cuff Improv Comedy Gameshow | 8:30 PM | 16 S Prince St, Lancaster

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.

Monday High 42°F, low 32°F.

Tuesday High 53°F, low 32°F.

Tuesday
Courtyard on Water Street | Open Mic & Jam with Liam | 7 PM

Thursday
Phantom Power | Making A Mockery w. Marrowed & Nerve Shredder | 7 PM | $15 Southern Market | Music Trivioke | 7–9 PM

Friday
Southern Market | Bridge Street Trio | 8–10 PM

Saturday
Phantom Power | Sons Of Seattle Tour (ft. Black Days, Social Parasite, Serve The Servants) | 8 PM | $20
Tellus 360 | Nineties Entertainment System | 10:30 PM | $10

Thanks for reading The Lancaster Ledger today. If you found something useful, please share it with someone who's definitely going to eat too many fasnachts tomorrow and not regret a single one.

Cheers!