For Savannah “Sav” Thorpe Capizzi, there’s no such thing as too late to try something new.
Sav is the organizer behind the Stuff To Do Fairs, an ongoing effort to connect Lancastrians with hobbies, clubs, advocacy groups, and community they might not otherwise stumble across. The fairs have been running since 2025, and Sav has no plans to stop — but this summer, she’s trying something a little different with a run of four themed “mini fairs,” each zeroing in on a specific slice of local life:
- Saturday 6/27 — Arts & Crafts
- Saturday 7/25 — Culture & Community
- Saturday 8/29 — Dance & Fitness
- Saturday 9/26 — Nature & Gardening
This Saturday marks the second of the four. With a different theme each month, Sav’s hope is that everyone in Lancaster can find at least one mini fair that speaks to them — and maybe a few that surprise them.
The idea, Sav says, grew out of a simple but familiar feeling.
“As we get older, sometimes it’s hard to find the bravery to try new things, make new friends, dust off things we used to love, or do anything besides doom scroll until bedtime,” she said. “I have found so much joy and fulfillment out of being a total beginner with woodworking classes, salsa dancing, Octavia Butler book clubs, mending circles, compost collectives, and so many other amazing local communities that are so happy to welcome new friends to their collection.”
That sense of welcome is really the whole point. It’s easy, once you’re out of school, to lose the built-in structures that used to introduce you to new interests and new people. Sav wanted to bring a version of that structure back — and she found her model in an unlikely place: her college activity fairs.
“I remember when I was a college student at IUP, the first weekend of every semester had an activity fair where kids could browse all the extracurricular activities available, and I wondered, what if I did that for adults?” she said.
That question turned into the Stuff To Do Fairs — a chance for grown-ups to do the very thing that felt so normal at eighteen and so much harder at thirty, or forty, or sixty: to walk down a row of tables, ask a few questions, and sign up for something just because it looks interesting.
This Saturday’s fair leans into that spirit directly, with a focus on connection and civic life.
“This mini-fair is focused on helping people get involved and make a difference,” Sav said. “There will be volunteer opportunities, advocacy organizations, language classes, cultural groups, and social clubs for parents, women, and artists. Attendees can browse 20 tables that will all offer a way to find community, either by giving back or connecting with people on similar journeys to you.”
Twenty tables makes for a lot of ground to cover, but that’s by design. Whether someone is looking to pick up a new language, join a local advocacy effort, meet other parents, or simply find people who share their interests, the Culture & Community fair is built to have an entry point for nearly anyone who walks through the door.
And if this Saturday’s theme isn’t quite your speed, there’s no need to worry — two more mini fairs are still ahead this summer, covering dance and fitness in August and nature and gardening in September, with the regular Stuff To Do Fairs continuing beyond that. Sav’s approach isn’t about getting everyone to the same table; it’s about making sure there’s a table for everyone, eventually.
For Sav, the fairs are less about any single hobby and more about lowering the barrier to entry. It takes some bravery to walk up to a table you know nothing about and start a conversation, but that’s exactly the kind of small, low-stakes bravery she’s hoping to make easier — one Saturday, one fair, and one new friend at a time.
If you’ve been telling yourself you’ll get back into something you used to love, or that you’ll finally look into that volunteer group down the street, this Saturday might be the nudge you needed. Sav will be there, tables will be set up, and all you have to do is show up.
Website: stufftodofair.com
Instagram: @stufftodofair
