Lititz Fire & Ice Festival 2024 - and Some of my Fav Spots in Lititz, PA
February 16, 2024 |
| At the Zum Anker Alley Shoppes Lititz, PA |
Good evening beautiful people,
If you read my 'It Happened in Key West' post, you know that my plan for tonight was to attend the opening night for a new play at The Fulton Theatre. I, however, decided to attend the official kick-off of the Lititz Fire and Ice Festival 2024 instead.
 |
| My first stop at the Lititz Fire & Ice Festival is usually the 'ice bar' for a hot drink |
This annual festival usually kicks off the Friday between Valentines and Presidents Day, and it sees organizations in the region sponsoring ice sculptures, which are curved along Main and Broad Streets in Downtown Lititz.
 |
| This was one of my best ice sculptures at Lititz Fire & Ice Festival 2024 |
The Thursday before the official kick-off is usually a preview night, and the following evening marks the beginning of a 10-day affair made up of fire shows, ice sculptures, food trucks, music, and discounts from all the shops that remain open till late.
 |
| Another piece I loved from the Lititz Fire & Ice Festival 2024 |
Before I talk about some of my fav shops in Lititz, I would
like to help you place this town on the US map. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
(aka the State of Pennsylvania) has 60 or so counties…Key of which are;
- Philadelphia County/Philadelphia City are the celebrity county/city of the State.
- Allegheny County/Pittsburg City (thanks to all the steel, over 400 bridges, sporting teams – and of course home to our hood and shorts loving Senator John Fetterman – love that he spoke openly about his mental health struggles + his wife Giselle is a THRIFT STORE QUEEN!!!).
- Dauphin County/Harrisburg City (which is the State Capital).
 |
| Learn a little history about Lancaster County from this marker outside the Courthouse on North Duke Street - Downtown Lancaster, February 2024 |
As mentioned in previous posts, I am based in Lancaster
County/Lancaster City (which is a train ride to New York, Washington DC and
Philadelphia). Beside the city of Lancaster, there are a couple of other boroughs
(townships) in Lancaster County, one of which is Lititz (where I was this
evening).
Lititz is a 25-minute bus ride from Downtown Lancaster, and it shares
that museum/straight out of the History Channel vibe that Downtown Lancaster has
but ‘falls short’ in the vibrancy department.
 |
| There were tens of ice sculptures at Lititz Fire & Ice Festival 2024 - here is a slideshow of most of the pieces. |
To give props where they are due, the Fire and Ice Festival
is one of its redeeming qualities – alongside other factors like Obama stopping
there during his 2008 campaign, and Muhammad Ali visiting a couple of times.
Both Obama and Ali stopped at the Wilbur Chocolate Factory which was ONE OF THE
CHOCOLATE FACTORIES back in the day.
 |
| Loved this print at the Zum Anker Alley Shoppes Lititz, PA - it is of Mohammed Ali's 'chocolate launch' at the Wilbur Chocolate Company |
It was such a big deal, it made Mohammed
Ali’s brand of chocolates in the late 70s (he called the town a one horse city)…and
I love these photos of Barack Obama with the factory workers.
Though traces of its existence can be seen in the small museum like shop in my slideshow below, the factory has since been absorbed by another company, and the side Obama visited has been converted into condos.
 |
| The Wilbur Chocolate in Lititz, PA - Love how they use old equipment as part of their display stands (Read history here) |
Other historical spots in Lititz that are worth mentioning include the Linden Hall which is apparently the oldest girls boarding school in the US, and across from it is Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery, which is the oldest Pretzel making company in the US.
The bakery, like everything else in Lititz, closes early, so if you want a tour (they are like $5) or would like a taste of their freshly made soft pretzels, plan to be here early.
 |
| Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery - Lititz, PA (Learn more here) |
Though there are tens of antique and vintage stores along Main and Broad Street, not all things in Lititz are old. One of my fav, not so old spots is Aaron’s Books – an independent bookstore on East Main Street. I always pop in to ‘see’ what books they have, and always end up leaving with a book.
 |
| Aaron Books Lititz PA - Second row, what's up with the floral classics? Have Sylvia Plath's Bell Jar on my Kindle but it is good to have a hard copy - think I mentioned suicide is one of my academic curiosities |
Speaking of bookstores, I just learnt that Harrisburg, the State capital, has a similar event - Harrisburg Ice & Fire Festival – on March 2.
I have been meaning to go to Harrisburg so that I can pop by Midtown Scholar Bookstore (mentioned it here and here)…guess I finally have a reason to get on that 30-minute train ride. I will do a blog post if I make it…and I promise whatever books I end up coming home with will be the last books I buy for a while…so help me God.
 |
| Yet another fav at the Lititz Fire & Ice Festival 2024 |
There are a couple of thrift stores and vintage/antique spots on East Main Street. My fav is on 48 E.Main Street - every time I go in 'to see what they have', I always leave with a full bag thanks to the lovely finds and pocket friendly rates.
I got three books - One is a coloring book for my downtime, the other is James Frey's A Million Little Pieces. I have a copy of this book in my Nairobi collection but since I am studying addiction,I thought it would be a nice refresher (and yes I am aware of the fiasco/scandal that arose after the author was featured on Oprah).
 |
| 48 E.Main Street had President’s Day sale today so I got two pairs of Vintage Earrings, 3 books for $0.50 each, two lovely sweaters and a ring. |
Lastly, I got Tuesdays with Morrie because it is one of the plays on Fulton's Theatre current season. I hope to finish it before the play officially opens on March 29th. Other than set books in high school, I think this is the first time I will be going to watch a play after reading a book about it. Cannot wait to see how Fulton Theatre interprets and presents it.
I have been attending the Lititz Fire & Ice Festival for the past couple of years, and as usual I enjoyed my time tonight. I look forward to checking out the Harrisburg version in two weeks.
Until the next post,
Sending love and light,
Sitawa
0 Comments