🌹 The Lancaster Ledger

Good morning, Lancaster. We learned something this morning. Lancaster County has 10,111 sheep — more than any other county in Pennsylvania. They might be about to get jobs.

In today's Lancaster Ledger:

• Lancaster's first esports arena just opened

• Solar farms might come to Lancaster on four legs

• A converted PA church is becoming a hub for Amish musicians

Let's do it.

— Collin

Vallahan Esports Training opened this past Saturday at 1619 Manheim Pike — the first esports training arena in Lancaster County. Owners Tom and Linda Hernandez built the place specifically for kids ages 7 to 17, and they're treating it like a youth program with gaming PCs instead of soccer balls. The schedule splits the day by age: kids 7 to 12 have priority gaming 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and ages 13 to 17 have priority 2 to 6 p.m. Gaming is first-come, first-served.

The mission, in their own words, is to "create an inclusive and educational community where kids of all backgrounds, abilities, and skill levels can find a positive and productive outlet" for gaming. Branded under Valhallan, the chain has been growing nationally. This is Lancaster's first. (Yes, your kid is going to ask about it.)

Lancaster County has more sheep than any other county in Pennsylvania — 10,111 of them — and a growing question about how to do solar without paving over farmland. The proposed answer is agrivoltaics: putting solar arrays on farmland and using sheep to maintain the vegetation underneath. Susquehanna University has been running a 14-acre, 3.9-megawatt pilot in Selinsgrove since 2018, with sheep from Owens Farms doing the mowing. Advocates argue it generates clean energy, supplements farm income, and is fully reversible after 30 to 50 years (panels come out, ground stays farmable).

Critics — including the Lancaster Farmland Trust — push back hard. The county's farming culture is built on small parcels (average 72 acres), and there are concerns about visual impact, neighboring property values, and even chemical leaching (research so far says minimal risk). In 2023, New Leaf Energy and the Gruber family tried to build a 25-acre array with sheep grazing in West Lampeter Township; courts shot it down as incompatible with agricultural zoning. No operational agrivoltaic farms exist in the county yet. The conversation is just starting.

Ragamuffin Hall, a former Presbyterian church in McCoysville, PA, has become one of the most interesting venues in the state — and most people in Lancaster have probably never heard of it. Operator Conrad Fisher, a 31-year-old singer-songwriter, bought the building below market value in 2022 and turned it into a venue and recording studio focused on clean country, rootsy bluegrass, and gospel from musicians with Amish and Mennonite heritage.

The roster includes Ben and Rose Stoltzfus (a married Amish couple with more than 30 million YouTube views), Amos Raber out of Goshen, Indiana, and Lancaster-area songwriter LeRoy Stoltzfus. Fisher describes the hall as a place where "those weird things that'll get you ostracized everywhere else" are recognized as gifts. Last weekend, Fisher and the Stoltzfuses played sold-out concerts there. Larger theater dates in PA and Indiana are in the works.

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Open Mic Artist Sessions w/ Henry Devorick at Tellus 360 | Weekly Monday open mic — songwriters, poets, sign-up at the door. | 7:00 PM | Tellus 360, 24 E. King St., Lancaster | No cover

Chess Club at West Art | Weekly casual chess club. Beginners and grizzled veterans both welcome. Boards provided. | 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM | West Art (Art Bar), 816 Buchanan Ave., Lancaster | Free

Lancaster Central Market | America's oldest continuously operated public market — 60+ standholders. | 6:00 AM – 3:00 PM | 23 N. Market St., Lancaster | Free to enter

Stevens & Smith Center — Regular Hours Begin | First day of normal operating hours after the grand-opening weekend. Tue-Sat 10 AM-5 PM; Sundays add noon-4 PM starting Memorial Day. | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM | 13-15 E. Vine St., Lancaster | $20 adult / $18 senior / $10 student / free under 10 / $3 or less SNAP

Line Dance with JW at West Art | Weekly line-dance class. All experience levels — JW walks every dance. | 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM | West Art (City Hall), 816 Buchanan Ave., Lancaster | Free (donations welcome)

Bird-in-Hand Farmers Market | Indoor Amish market. Wednesdays April through November. Produce, fresh meats, cheeses, baked goods, handmade quilts, leather. | 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM | 2710 Old Philadelphia Pike, Bird-in-Hand | Free to enter

Community Yoga w/ Lija at West Art | Weekly Vinyasa yoga, all levels. Bring your own mat. | 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM | West Art (City Hall), 816 Buchanan Ave., Lancaster | $10–$15 suggested donation

Trivia Night at Southern Market | Weekly trivia in the food hall. $1 off beer and wine; gift cards for top three teams. | 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM | Southern Market, 100 S. Queen St., Lancaster | Free entry

Kickboxing at West Art | Weekly kickboxing class — beginners welcome. | 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM | West Art (City Hall), 816 Buchanan Ave., Lancaster | Donation-based

Treasure Island at Fulton Theatre (FINAL WEEK) — 12 N. Prince St., Lancaster. Closes Saturday May 9. | $20–$74 (~$44 avg)

Dear Evan Hansen at Fulton Theatre (Castagna Hall) — 12 N. Prince St., Lancaster, through May 17. | $20–$74

Oklahoma! at Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre (FINAL WEEK) — 510 Centerville Rd., Lancaster. Closes Sunday May 10. | $55 show-only / $78 matinee / $83 dinner + show

Joshua at Sight & Sound Theatres — 300 Hartman Bridge Rd., Ronks. Tue–Sat showtimes. | From $115 (~$190 avg)

Monday High 74°F, low 43°F.

Tuesday High 84°F, low 56°F.

youbet with Super Infinity (album release show) | Indie rock — youbet's self-titled album drops May 1 via Hardly Art; Super Infinity is the indie-folk-rock project of Philadelphia's Rob Grote. Expected to sell out. | 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM | West Art (City Hall), 816 Buchanan Ave., Lancaster | $15 GA / $10 student / $30 balcony (via Humanitix)

Open Mic Artist Sessions w/ Henry Devorick | Open mic — songwriters, poets, sign-up at the door | 7:00 PM | Tellus 360, 24 E. King St., Lancaster | No cover

Old Time Jam at West Art | Old-time / Appalachian acoustic music jam — bring an instrument or just listen | 6:30 PM – 9:30 PM | West Art (Art Bar), 816 Buchanan Ave., Lancaster | Free

West Art Open Mics w/ Andrew Pauls | Acoustic open mic — songwriters welcome | 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM | West Art (Art Bar), 816 Buchanan Ave., Lancaster | Free

Live at Stoner Grille (weekly Wednesday residency) | Rotating weekly lineup — check @StonerCommons for week's act | Evening, typically 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM | Stoner Grille, 605 Granite Run Dr., Lancaster | No cover

Live at McCleary's Pub (weekly Wed-Sat residency) | Rotating local acts — check McCleary's for this week's lineup | Evening (typically 7:00 PM start) | McCleary's Public House, 130 W. Front St., Marietta | No cover

Thanks for reading The Lancaster Ledger today. If you found something useful, please share it with the friend who's always finding bands before you do, and is right almost every time.

Cheers!