🌹 The Lancaster Ledger

Good morning, Lancaster. Don't tell us you're tired. Donald Shank, a Manheim native, just turned 100. He plastered until he was 95, hiked into his 80s, and still walks into card games with one greeting: "Are you ready to lose today?" What a guy.

In today's Lancaster Ledger:

• Lancaster's biggest cultural opening of the year is here

• A 100-year-old Lancaster card shark

• Strasburg is writing an e-bike rulebook

Let's do it.

— Collin

The Thaddeus Stevens & Lydia Hamilton Smith Center finally opens to the public May 1 and 2 at 13-15 E. Vine St. — the result of 25 years of preservation work and $19 million. Friday May 1 features a public ribbon-cutting in the morning and a donor gala that night; Saturday May 2 is a free community block party with museum tours all afternoon. Regular hours start Tuesday May 5 (Tue–Sat 10 a.m.–5 p.m., with summer Sundays from Memorial Day on).

Admission is $20 adult, $18 senior, $10 student, free for kids 10 and under, and $3 or less for SNAP recipients. The center expects 4,000 to 6,000 visitors a month. "It's a mix of old and new," said Director of Interpretation Stephanie Townrow — original artifacts alongside immersive video and interactive exhibits. Twenty-five years in the making.

Donald W. Shank, born and raised in Manheim Borough, just turned 100. Drafted right out of high school in 1945, he served as a night guard in Japan with the Allied Occupation Force in 1946. He plastered for 65+ years under the same employer — last job at age 95 — and hiked into his 80s. He met his second wife Pat at Sunday school in 1976 and they've been married 22 years. After his first wife Margaret passed suddenly in 1999, he taught himself to bake (Boston cream pies) just to have a reason to keep going. I love boston cream pies.

His four lessons, in his own words: enjoy each other's company (he learned to from former enemies in Japan), stay active, find a reason to keep going, and stay competitive. That last one comes through every time he sits down for Hasenpfeffer — a Pennsylvania Dutch card game — with the same opening line: "Are you ready to lose today?" Happy 100, Donald.

Strasburg Borough is overhauling its traffic ordinance for the first time in years, and a new section will spell out exactly how e-bikes and e-scooters can operate inside the borough. Police Chief Nick Ferretti told LNP the goal isn't to lock anything down: "Our intent isn't to restrict folks from doing normal things, it's to make sure that whatever they're doing, they're doing it safely." Specific rules and an effective date haven't been announced.

The first draft was presented to council April 14. The borough solicitor is reviewing it now, and the next council meeting is May 12 at 7 p.m. — the public chance to weigh in. If you ride one, mark the calendar.

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'A Stitch in Time': Hand-sewing in the 18th Century | Lancaster Area Sewing Network presentation by Ruth Konrad on historical hand-stitching techniques. | 7:00 PM | Lancaster Friends Meeting House, 110 Tulane Terrace, Lancaster | Free for members, $5 nonmembers

Gleaners Film Club at West Art | Weekly indie-screening film club. | 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM | West Art (Sanctuary), 816 Buchanan Ave., Lancaster | Free (donations welcome)

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

Mahjong Night at West Art | Casual community Mahjong night — bring a friend or come solo. | 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM | West Art (Sanctuary), 816 Buchanan Ave., Lancaster | Free

Lancaster Square Dance | Open square dance — all skill levels welcome, callers walk you through. | 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM | West Art (City Hall), 816 Buchanan Ave., Lancaster | Free (donations welcome)

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

Community Yoga w/ Lija at West Art | Weekly all-levels community yoga — bring your own mat. | 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM | West Art (City Hall), 816 Buchanan Ave., Lancaster | Free (donations welcome)

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 class — beginners welcome. | 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM | West Art (City Hall), 816 Buchanan Ave., Lancaster | Donation-based / sliding scale

Hairspray at Fulton Theatre — 12 N. Prince St., Lancaster, through May 3 | $20–$74

Treasure Island at Fulton Theatre (Family Series) — 12 N. Prince St., Lancaster, through May 9 | $20–$74 (~$44 avg)

Dear Evan Hansen at Fulton Theatre (Castagna Hall) — 12 N. Prince St., Lancaster. The only Castagna Hall show of the season. Through May 17. | $20–$74

Oklahoma! at Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre — 510 Centerville Rd., Lancaster, through 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 (avg ~$190)

Monday High 67°F, low 38°F.

Tuesday High 58°F, low 43°F.

The Steel Wheels w/ Maya de Vitry | Folk / Americana / Roots (The Steel Wheels are VA-based; Maya de Vitry is a Lancaster County native, now Nashville) | 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM | West Art (City Hall), 816 Buchanan Ave., Lancaster | $25 advance / $30 door

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

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 this 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 residency starts Wed) | 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

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Cheers!