Sight & Sound Theatres, one of the countyâs biggest tourist attractions, will resume operating at full capacity on Saturday, June 12, the company has announced.
The decision is great news for Lancaster County s tourism industry, as many Sight & Sound customers also patronize restaurants, hotels and other attractions here. News of the change comes just as the industry is on the brink of beginning its peak summer season.
âWe are hopeful that we can walk towards full theaters this summer and look forward to the new season ahead,â said CEO Matt Neff in a prepared statement.
Sight & Sound now is presenting its original musical, âQueen Esther,â in its 2,047-seat theater, with 11 shows per week. The number of shows will not change, just the number of available tickets at each show.
Phil Weaver shut the doors to Lancaster Countyâs biggest restaurant on March 16, 2020, complying with an order issued by Gov. Tom Wolf to close all indoor dining establishments and bars in the hopes of curtailing a dangerous virus.
That day, Weaver said, was one of the first times he realized COVID-19 posed a serious threat. And while the governorâs initial order presented a significant hit to his business, it was only supposed to last two weeks all it would take to âflatten the curveâ of virus infections.
Two weeks turned into two more weeks. Then it was a color-coded guideline for when counties could begin to reopen. All the while, Weaverâs buffet-style restaurant, Shady Maple Smorgasbord in East Earl, remained closed for indoor dining and offered limited takeout options.
January 26th, 2021, 9:41AM / BY Ashley Goetz
Reptile keepers are warming up to a new monitor lizard this winter, a young Komodo dragon named Onyx.
The Smithsonian s National Zoo is warming up to a new monitor lizard this winter. The young Komodo dragon, named Onyx, moved into his new habitat at Reptile Discovery Center Dec. 10, 2020. The team is just getting to know Onyx, but animal keeper Matt Neff has already nicknamed him “Junior” because he resembles the Zoo’s 22-year-old Komodo dragon, Murphy, in both looks and temperament.
Onyx is a little over a year old, and keepers estimate he weighs just 2-3 pounds. He is tiny compared to Murphy who usually tips the scales at 146-152 pounds. That’s about average for Komodo dragons. They are the world’s largest lizards and can reach lengths of about 10 feet.
Brandon Martin describes the past 10 months for himself, his employer and his industry in a single word â bleak.
Martin, director of operations for American Music Theatre, has seen the formerly thriving business battered by crushing punches from COVID-19, the same as many similar venues have suffered.
With the theater temporarily closed to help fight the spread of the virus, nearly all of AMTâs 40 full-time employees have been laid off, except a handful in the box office who are working part time to answer inquiries from customers.
Not only is no revenue coming in, $1.2 million in ticket refunds have gone out so far. Meanwhile, the costs associated with its 1,600-seat facility on Lincoln Highway East â insurance, real estate taxes, maintenance â continue unabated.
Go on a virtual tour of the museum’s live insect zoo on Jan. 6. (Smithsonian)
Join Insect Zoo Lead Chris Mooney as he takes you behind-the-scenes at the National Museum of Natural History’s O. Orkin Insect Zoo. See real insects, including beetles, leaf cutter ants and walking sticks; learn about the unique features that help them survive and find out what it takes to be an animal keeper and scientist.
This webinar is designed for students in grades 3-5. It will be archived and available on the museum’s website after it airs on Jan. 6.
Jan. 9, 11 a.m. ET