John Legend Coming To County For Lancaster Chamber’s Annual Dinner

International singing and songwriting star John Legend will be the keynote speaker at The Lancaster Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s 143rd annual dinner, the chamber said Friday.

The event will be held Wednesday, May 27 at the Lancaster County Convention Center from 5 to 9 p.m.

Legend will talk about the importance of giving back to the community, including his own effort to support quality education, the Show Me Campaign, which focuses on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Read more:

http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/john-legend-coming-to-county-for-lancaster-chamber-s-annual/article_597dd510-c970-11e4-b34f-bf4cb1108a76.html

Authority: Lancaster Will Need More Parking In Several Years

The Lancaster Parking Authority is about maxed-out on parking offerings, according to its executive director.

And the authority will need to add parking in several years to meet higher anticipated demand, according to Larry Cohen. So now’s the time to start planning.

The demand will come — in part — from a 96-room hotel planned next to the Lancaster County Convention Center, more and larger conventions that are anticipated at the center and other economic development, according to a report Cohen put together.

Cohen said he thinks there’s a misperception that there’s an abundance of parking because of the number of parking garages in the city.

Read more:

http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/authority-lancaster-will-need-more-parking-in-several-years/article_12cfee22-c1b0-11e4-861e-f757a23a870a.html

Lancaster Roots & Blues Drew More Than 6,000 Downtown; Organizers Call It A ‘Success’

Rich Ruoff’s Sunday afternoon was a simple one.

He took a hot bath and lay down.

“I’m exhausted,” the director of the 2nd Annual Lancaster Roots & Blues Festival said around 5 p.m.

Not surprising, since he’d been running around like a madman well before the event started Friday evening, and for hours after it ended early Sunday morning.

Same goes for his director of operations, Sam Campbell.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/lancaster-roots-blues-drew-more-than-downtown-organizers-call-it/article_195dc19e-b015-11e4-bfe5-7741f240a9f4.html

Downtown Lancaster Marriott’s Owner Proposes 96-Room, $23M Expansion

The math is simple.

If the Lancaster County Convention Center wants to attract bigger numbers of large conventions, it needs bigger numbers of nearby, convention-quality hotel rooms.

And right now, despite 299 rooms in the adjoining Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square, plus 134 more at The Hotel Lancaster two blocks away, research studies show that downtown is coming up short.

But a new proposal by the Marriott’s owner would make the convention center more appealing to the organizers of these big events.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/downtown-marriott-s-owner-proposes–room-m-expansion/article_b1b39a1e-a8da-11e4-b47b-3bbb05f76f38.html

Lancaster City Alliance Moves Toward New Phase Of Revitalization

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lancaster County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Stadium: Check.

Arts district: Check.

Convention Center: Check.

Tourism: Check.

Sixteen years after business leaders tried to revive Lancaster city with an economic development plan, many of the plan’s major components have come to pass.

Lancaster is a very different city than it was in 1998.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/lancaster-city-alliance-moves-toward-new-phase-of-revitalization/article_0c4d62e2-ecee-11e3-a77e-001a4bcf6878.html

Lancaster County Tourism: Report Shows Economic Impact

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lancaster County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The tourism industry contributed $2.5 billion to the Lancaster County economy in 2013, supporting nearly 23,700 jobs here, according to a report released Friday by the Pennsylvania Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Without tourism, and the revenue it generates, Lancaster County residents would have to pay an additional $924 in taxes per household to maintain current levels of government services, the bureau said.

The report, prepared by international firm Tourism Economics, was released Friday (with an accompanying video) at a legislative breakfast the bureau hosted at Eden Resort.

It paints a picture of a vital local industry — and one that depends on a coordinated ongoing marketing effort to thrive.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/business/local_business/lancaster-county-tourism-report-shows-economic-impact/article_add789f0-e80a-11e3-a040-001a4bcf6878.html

No Sad Notes At First Lancaster Roots & Blues Fest

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lancaster County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It’s doubtful there have ever been as many sad guitars and harmonicas in Lancaster as there were Friday during the initial night of the first, hopefully annual, Lancaster Roots & Blues music festival.

It was hard to keep up with all the music being unleashed since as many as six groups performed at once within walking distance of each other downtown.

“Woo, I hope Lancaster does this every year. This is a wonderful thing,” said a revved-up Karen Good, 54, of Conestoga, between searing guitar licks by Clarence Spady, which drew about 200 people to a one-hour set at the Lancaster County Convention Center.

All 28 acts showed up and performed to enthusiastic, sometimes intimate, sometimes large, vocal audiences.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/no-sad-notes-at-first-lancaster-roots-blues-fest/article_4d6763c4-9b70-11e3-8505-001a4bcf6878.html

Companies Honored At Best Places To Work In PA Event

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lancaster County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

LANCASTER, PA – An investment company and an insurance brokerage firm were named the top two “Best Places to Work in Pennsylvania” for 2013 at the awards ceremony held here this evening.

Edward Jones of Lemoyne, Cumberland County, and the Philadelphia-based insurance brokerage firm, The Graham Company, topped the list for the large- and small/medium-sized categories, respectively.

Team Pennsylvania Foundation joined the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) and the Central Penn Business Journal in announcing Pennsylvania’s 100 Best Places to Work at the Lancaster County Convention Center.

Governor Tom Corbett attended the event, offering brief comments that celebrated the companies and their employees who made the Best Places to Work list. The governor also personally congratulated each winning company as they came forward to receive their award.

To see the entire list and read the rest of the article, click here: http://teampa.com/2013/12/2013-best-places-to-work-in-pa-winners-announced/

County Commissioner: Deal Will Put Lancaster County Convention Center On Solid Financial Footing

Lancaster County Commissioner Scott Martin announced an agreement Wednesday that promises to put the Lancaster County Convention Center on solid financial footing.

But it requires significant concessions from six parties, and that work is not yet complete.

One of those parties, Penn Square Partners, was noticeably absent from the press conference in the commissioners’ meeting room.

Penn Square Partners Vice President Mark Fitzgerald said later Wednesday the private-sector partners participated in crafting the agreement and agreed with its provisions in principal.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/891056_County-commissioner–Deal-will-put-Lancaster-County-Convention-Center-on-solid-financial-footing.html#ixzz2e2FlSsK3

Refinancing Deadline Extended Third Time For Lancaster County Convention Center

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lancaster County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

For the third time, the deadline for the refinancing of the Lancaster County Convention Center’s debt has loomed and for the third time the deadline has been extended.

On Thursday, board members of the Lancaster County Convention Center Authority approved a 120-day extension of the terms of the $64 million debt agreement. The September 3 deadline was extended to January 2.

County Commissioner Scott Martin has been negotiating on the authority’s behalf with Wells Fargo, the sole bond holder, on the terms of a subsequent agreement.

“We’re going to need some additional time to dot the i’s and cross the t’s,” authority board chairman Kevin Fry said in announcing the extension.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/886288_Refinancing-deadline-extended-third-time-for-Lancaster-County-Convention-Center.html#ixzz2coPiuDDR

James Street Improvement District, Lancaster Alliance Join Forces

James Pirrung 03:48, 12 April 2007 . . JaMikePA . . 2,304×1,728 (5.97 MB) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Good organizations evolve to meet changing times.

Three years ago, the Lancaster Alliance scaled back the broad reach that had established the city’s security camera network and helped find a home for the Lancaster Barnstormers.

In an era of diminishing resources, it would not duplicate efforts being done by other groups.  The alliance board chose to work behind the scenes with a focus on city public safety, finances and forging partnerships with other organizations.

Six years ago, it was the James Street Improvement District that changed.  The northwest city group expanded its reach to take in the duties of the Downtown Investment District under a contractual arrangement.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/864115_James-Street-Improvement-District–Lancaster-Alliance-join-forces.html#ixzz2X4k57mp4

Lancaster Convention Center Sews Up Quilt Show For 3 More Years

Quilting is a tradition in Lancaster County and organizers of the annual downtown Lancaster quilt show hope to sew up that link between quilting and Lancaster.

The Paducah, Ky.-based American Quilters Society on Wednesday announced it would continue the show at the Lancaster County Convention Center for another three years.

The deal was inked a month ago when some 16,500 quilters attended AQS QuiltWeek in Lancaster.

The national organization called the fourth annual show and convention a success.  That attendance figure represents an 11 percent increase over 2012.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/837065_Convention-Center-sews-up-quilt-show-for-3-more-years.html#ixzz2QH8D8T4b

Lancaster County Convention Center Gets Deadline Extension On Debt

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lancaster County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Lancaster County Convention Center is living on borrowed time.

With less than three weeks to go before the center’s $64 million in construction debt was due to be restructured — pushing interest rates higher — officials on Friday extended the financing for three more months.

The move buys time for negotiation with lender Wells Fargo to come to terms the center can live with.

A consultant sounded the alarm a year ago that the nearly 4-year-old center could be forced to close if revenues were not significantly increased or financing fees cut.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/813342_Convention-center-gets-deadline-extension-on-debt.html#ixzz2KX1XXIeh

Lancaster County Convention Center Has Good Month, But Future Cloudy

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lancaster County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Lancaster County Convention Center finances had a good month in November.

Reserve funds topped $5.6 million for the public meeting center.  And center officials believe this month will also end well.

That means the 20 percent stake of the Lancaster County hotel room tax which has been diverted to the Lancaster County Convention Center Authority will once again be paid to the Pennsylvania Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau.

That money, which totals about $900,000 annually, has been going to the center authority since spring when the reserves required under the center’s bond indenture fell below $5.25 million.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/795319_Lancaster-County-Convention-Center-has-good-month–but-future-cloudy.html#ixzz2FhIxkHdZ

Senator Smucker Drafts Redevelopment Plan For Lancaster City

Whenever he holds a meeting in his office on the seventh floor of Lancaster County‘s administration building, at 150 N. Queen St., Commissioner Scott Martin said people always look out the windows and remark on the sweeping view of the city.

“Then, they look down,” Martin said, referring to Lancaster Square, the vacant Bulova Technologies building and the Hotel Brunswick, part of which has been condemned.

The public square and the surrounding buildings are an island in the city. The area has steadfastly resisted redevelopment even as much of the rest of Lancaster city has flowered with restaurants and art galleries in recent years.

On Thursday, state Sen. Lloyd Smucker announced a proposal to help Lancaster city and four other similar-sized cities in Pennsylvania to redevelop problem areas.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/735135_Smucker-drafts-redevelopment-plan-for-Lancaster-city.html#ixzz26SJampk0

Lancaster County Convention Center, Local Tourism Looks Stronger

In recent weeks, the Lancaster County Convention Center has played host to gun enthusiasts, fly fishermen and winemakers for the first time.

For the third straight year, it hosted thousands of quilters.

And, this spring, the downtown Lancaster center will be the backdrop for conservative commentator Glenn Beck, Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair in three separate events.

Life is good at the convention center right now, Marketing Director Josh Nowak told Lancaster Convention Center Authority board members Thursday.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/615174_Convention-center–local-tourism-looks-stronger.html#ixzz1qqQe74o3

Lancaster County Baby & Toddler Expo – October 29th & 30th

Check out this awesome event at the Lancaster County Convention Center!  The website has all the information on this fun-filled two-day extravaganza. 

The new convention center in Lancaster is getting great reviews from groups using the venue.  It is located just off historic Penn Square in Lancaster City. 

Information on the Expo:

http://www.lancasterbabyexpo.com/

Information on the convention center:

http://www.lancasterconventionhotel.com/