🌹 The Lancaster Ledger

Planning for retirement raises many questions. Have you considered how much it will cost, and how you’ll generate the income you’ll need to pay for it? For many, these questions can feel overwhelming, but answering them is a crucial step forward for a comfortable future.

Start by understanding your goals, estimating your expenses and identifying potential income streams. The Definitive Guide to Retirement Income can help you navigate these essential questions. If you have $1,000,000 or more saved for retirement, download your free guide today to learn how to build a clear and effective retirement income plan. Discover ways to align your portfolio with your long-term goals, so you can reach the future you deserve.

Get The Guide

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

Good morning, Lancaster. If you drove through West Earl last week and thought "at least they fixed the sinkhole," I have some news that's going to ruin your Monday.

In today's Lancaster Ledger:

Let's do it.

— Collin

The Philly favorite is heading west. Federal Donuts & Chicken — founded in 2011 by James Beard Award-winning restaurateurs Michael Solomonov and Steve Cook — is opening a location this spring at 621 Harrisburg Ave., inside the College Row development at F&M. The space previously housed La Petite Patisserie.

Lancaster franchise owner Scott Eden, who also founded Holy Hound Taproom, will run the operation with hours from 7 AM to 6 PM daily and plans to hire 8–12 employees. If you haven't had their hot donuts or crispy Korean-fried chicken, you're about to understand what all the fuss is about.

Just when you thought it was safe to drive through West Earl again. A new sinkhole opened Friday on Route 772 between Locust Street and Peace Road, closing the westbound lane. This comes less than two weeks after the massive 80-by-65-foot sinkhole at Route 772 and Locust Street — the one that triggered a disaster emergency declaration, shut down the road for nine days, and disrupted 12,000 vehicles a day.

That first sinkhole was repaired by S.A. Way & Son and the road reopened Feb. 12. Now there's a fresh one nearby. West Earl Township Manager Jenna Reigle and PennDOT are assessing the situation. If you use Route 772, plan an alternate route — again…

The PA Fish & Boat Commission kicks off stocking the week of Feb. 22, and Lancaster County is getting its share: 24 streams and 1 lake will receive roughly 40,000 trout. First up on Feb. 27: Little Cocalico Creek, Bowery Run, and Muddy Creek. Statewide, 3.2 million trout are headed for 684 streams and 130 lakes — 2.3 million rainbow, 698,000 brown, and 128,000 brook trout.

Mark your calendars: Mentored Youth Trout Day is March 28 and the regular season opener is April 5. The Conestoga River was just named PA's 2026 River of the Year. Not a bad time to live near moving water.

A new cocktail bar and restaurant opens Wednesday at 333 N. State St. in Ephrata — inside the landmark Doneckers building, which has sat largely empty since closing in 2008. Hillside Spirits Co. is a collaboration between Andrew Gerofsky (known locally as the "Martini Czar") and Steve Funk, who founded the original Hillside Spirits in Paradise in 2018.

The menu features specialty cocktails made with local spirits, PA beer and wine, and food including kabobs, pork chops, wings, quesadillas, tacos, and steak tips. Hours are 4–11 PM, Wednesday through Saturday. It's a big deal for downtown Ephrata — and a sign of life for a building a lot of people in the county have been watching for years.

Philip "Slide" Witmer is a roofer from Lancaster city. He's also one of a handful of people on Earth to complete the Border-to-Border Calendar-Year Triple Crown — hiking the Appalachian Trail, Continental Divide Trail, and Pacific Crest Trail in a single calendar year. That's more than 10,000 miles on foot in 2025.

Witmer built up to it methodically: the AT in 2021, CDT in 2022, PCT in 2023. Then he did all three back-to-back. He finished alongside Madison "Peg Leg" Blagden, who became the first woman to complete the B2B Calendar-Year Triple Crown. Backpacker magazine featured him in their December issue. I’m Impressed!

You! Well, it could be powered by your business. The Lancaster Ledger reaches hundreds of Lancaster County readers three mornings a week — people who actually open, read, and share local news. If you're a local business and want to get in front of this audience, we'd love to chat about sponsorship. Just reply to this email or reach out at [email protected].

Nothing in this section is sponsored. These are community events we think you'd enjoy. I'll always let you know when something's sponsored.

Tuesday
Trivia Night | Test your knowledge, grab $1 off beer and wine, and compete for gift cards to Southern Market vendors | 7:00–9:00 PM | Southern Market, 100 S. Queen St. | Free

Wednesday
Hillside Spirits Co. Grand Opening | New cocktail bar and restaurant inside the historic Doneckers building — specialty drinks, PA beer and wine, full food menu | 4:00 PM | 333 N. State St., Ephrata

Thursday
And Then There Were None | Agatha Christie's classic whodunit — ten strangers, one remote island, and a body count that keeps climbing | 2:00 & 7:30 PM | Fulton Theatre, 12 N. Prince St. | $20–$74

Friday
The Shark is Broken (Opens) | A comedy about the behind-the-scenes chaos of filming Jaws — three feuding actors, a broken shark prop, and a lot of drinking | 7:30 PM | Fulton Theatre, 12 N. Prince St.

Saturday
Tree & Shrub Pruning Techniques | Tanger Arboretum Nature Series — learn proper pruning with an outdoor demo (weather permitting) | 10:00–11:30 AM | LancasterHistory Carriage House, 230 N. President Ave. | $10 adults, free for kids
MCDA Cheer & Dance Championships | Regional cheer and dance competition | All Day | Lancaster County Convention Center

Now Playing:
And Then There Were None | Agatha Christie mystery thriller — through March 8 | Fulton Theatre, 12 N. Prince St.

Monday High 37°F, low 24°F.
Tuesday High 33°F, low 20°F.

Tuesday
Proof Lancaster | Jerry Lee Watkins | 6:00–9:00 PM | Free

Thursday
American Music Theatre | Skillet w/ The Protest | 7:30 PM | $59–$89

Friday
Southern Market | Vivace Live | 8:00–10:00 PM | Free

Friday – Sunday
Downtown Lancaster (Multiple Venues) | Lancaster Roots & Blues Festival — 10th anniversary, 50+ concerts, 40+ artists across 10 stages within three blocks | Festival Pass ($60 single day, $120 three-day, $175 VIP)

Saturday
American Music Theatre | Gregorian | 7:30 PM | $29–$59

Thanks for reading The Lancaster Ledger today. If you found something useful, please share it with someone who's still white-knuckling their Route 772 commute.

Cheers!