There are events you attend out of obligation, and then there are events that pull you in because something real is happening. The 2nd Annual Lititz Vet Fest, held on May 16, 2026 at the Lititz Springs VFW Post 1463, was the latter. What started as a modest fundraiser last year has grown into something the borough of Lititz can genuinely be proud of.
Jeremy Strathmeyer knows that better than most. A retired Command Sergeant Major from the Pennsylvania National Guard and a Lititz native, Strathmeyer helped bring this event to life and watched it double in size in just one year. Nearly 500 people showed up to taste local beers, wines, and spirits, grab food from the trucks parked on the grounds, catch live music, and take a draw from the mobile cigar bar rolling through the crowd.
That is not a small thing. That is a community showing up.
The air smelled like smoked meat and fresh-poured lager. People stood in circles, cups in hand, laughing louder than they probably planned to. Vendors lined the space with local goods worth lingering over. The music kept things moving without ever getting in the way of a good conversation. It had the feel of a summer afternoon that nobody wanted to end.
But underneath all of it was a purpose that gave the whole day its weight.
The Lititz VFW Post 1463 uses events like Vet Fest to raise money for the post itself, for other veterans organizations across the region, and for community initiatives that often go underfunded. These are not abstract causes. They are programs that put resources directly into the hands of veterans and the people who support them, right here in Lancaster County.
Strathmeyer put it simply. This is about twice as big as it was last year, he said, and probably about twice as many people as well. So it has been a very, very successful event.
That kind of growth does not happen by accident. It happens because people trust what they are walking into. It happens because the men and women running the event have credibility that no marketing budget can manufacture. When a retired Command Sergeant Major tells you something is worth your time, you show up. And when you show up and have a genuinely good afternoon surrounded by your neighbors, you come back next year and you bring someone with you.
That is how you build a community event that lasts.
There is a version of veteran-focused fundraising that keeps veterans at arm’s length from the very community they served. It treats them as recipients of charity rather than leaders within the fabric of local life. Lititz Vet Fest is not that. This is veterans creating something, organizing it, growing it, and inviting everyone in. The VFW post is not asking for sympathy. They are pouring a cold one and saying come stand with us.
For Strathmeyer, a man who spent years leading soldiers through the demanding structure of the National Guard, this kind of community work is a natural extension of that service. The mission just looks different now. Instead of formations and field exercises, it is permit applications, vendor coordination, and making sure nearly 500 people have a good reason to stay until the last song.
He and the post pulled it off. Again.
The 2nd Annual Lititz Vet Fest was proof that when veterans lead, communities follow. The Lititz Springs VFW Post 1463 has built something worth coming back to, and if the trajectory from year one to year two is any indication, year three is going to be something to see.
If you missed it this year, mark your calendar now. Next May, make the drive to Lititz. Find the VFW. Get yourself a drink, find a spot near the music, and spend an afternoon with people who know exactly why community is worth fighting for.
