Community Corner: Notable October Events

September 28, 2023 | by Missy Smith

Climate Convergence
Oct. 1-2: PA Climate Convergence will be held in Riverfront Park, Harrisburg, with speakers, a festival of art, music and theater. Event will include a rally and march on the state Capitol and the installation of a 6-foot Climate Countdown Clock in the East Wing. www.pennsylvaniaclimateconvergence.org

Scavenger Hunt
Oct. 1-31: Through October, hit the trails and explore fall at the Ned Smith Center, 176 Water Company Rd., Millersburg, with a self-guided activity. Pick up a passport at the trailhead and follow the map to find all the exploration stations. www.nedsmithcenter.org

Fall Meet Week
Oct. 2-6: Explore high-performance cars during the Eastern Regional Fall Meet, Hershey’s annual antique car show and festival. View period automobiles, see demonstrations and visit a flea market. On Oct. 3, attend the “Night at the Museum” dinner and reception at AACA Museum, 161 Museum Dr., Hershey. www.hershey.aaca.com

Recovery Program
Oct. 3-Nov. 21: Tri County Community Action offers “Families in Recovery,” a free program that provides support and education to families who have been touched by addiction and are living in recovery. Registration required. www.cactricounty.org/recovery

Business Day
Oct. 6: Wildheart Ministries hosts a Business Day Out at 333 S. 13th St., Harrisburg, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Bring your business and come help with cleanup projects within the community of South Allison Hill. www.lovethehillpa.com

Harvestfest
Oct. 6-7: Enjoy the fall season at Big Valley Harvestfest at Mifflin County Youth Park, 110 W. Logan St., Reedsville. Event features artisans and vendors that sell crafts, natural products, seasonal items, apples and cider, flowers and food. www.visitbigvalley.com

Rummage Sale
Oct 6-7: Christ Church, 200 S. White Oak St., Annville, hosts a rummage clothing sale, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 6 and 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Oct. 7. Gently used clothing, small household items and used jewelry for sale. www.ccucc.org

Bird House
Oct. 7: Join Wildwood Park, 100 Wildwood Way, Harrisburg, for birdhouse construction and design, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Bring your creativity to construct a bluebird box, paint a natural birdhouse gourd, and design your own songbird ornament. www.explorewildwoodpark.org

Book Fest
Oct. 7: Chocolate Town Book Festival will be held at Hershey Public Library, 701 Cocoa Ave., Hershey, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., to connect readers and local writers. Maria V. Snyder, April Hunt, Patricia Jackson and 50 PA authors will sign and sell books. www.hersheylibrary.org

Craft Sale
Oct. 7: Menkis Works Pottery hosts its annual Pottery Fall Craft Sale and Open Studio at 2401 Arcona Rd., Mechanicsburg, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with demonstrations, kids activities, refreshments and more. Check out the studio where pots are made and find handmade holiday gifts. www.menkisworks.com

HBG Flea
Oct. 7: Shop the HBG Flea for local art, vintage treasures, curated curios and unique gifts, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Midtown Cinema, 250 Reily St., Harrisburg. The mission of the HBG Flea is to create a platform for community growth by bringing artists, small businesses and patrons together. www.hbgflea.com

Fundraiser
Oct. 7: Veterans Outreach of PA hosts the annual SPC David “Mikey” Crawford Memorial Fundraiser to combat veteran suicide at Steelton American Legion Post 420, 1860 S. 19th St., Harrisburg, 1 to 6 p.m. Enjoy food, music, raffles and more. www.veteransoutreachofpa.org

FAB Night
Oct. 7: Help celebrate LGBT Center of Central PA’s work and honor leaders at FAB 2023 to mark 30 years of Common Roads. Event is at Hershey Lodge, 325 University Dr, Hershey, 6 to 9 p.m. www.centralpalgbtcenter.org/FAB

Pumpkin Fest
Oct. 7-8: Pennsboro Pumpkin Fest marks its 20th year, bringing thousands to Adams-Ricci Park in Enola. This year, the festival will feature around 180 vendors, including community groups, businesses and craft vendors. www.eastpennsboro.net

Food Rally
Oct. 12: Enjoy fresh, savory foods at the New Cumberland Food Truck & Restaurant Rally every second Thursday of the month, 5 to 8 p.m. Grab dinner from food trucks or New Cumberland restaurants and enjoy shopping and special promotions. www.newcumberlandpa.org

Over the Edge
Oct. 13: Rappel from the rooftop of 200 N. 3rd St. in downtown Harrisburg, 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Raise funds and awareness for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region’s one-to-one youth mentoring programs. www.capbigs.org

Curiosity Kids
Oct. 13, 27: Kids ages 3 to 6 are invited to learn about dinosaurs on Oct. 13 and about portraits on Oct. 27 at the State Museum of PA, 300 North St., Harrisburg, 11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Curiosity Kids events included with museum general admission. www.statemuseumpa.org

Stargazing
Oct. 13: Join a naturalist for an evening exploring the night sky at Detweiler Park, 1451 Peters Mountain Rd., Dauphin, 8 to 10 p.m. Learn the myths of constellations and discover the basics of astrophotography. www.explorewildwoodpark.org

Cornhole Tournament
Oct. 14: Veterans Outreach of PA invites the community to its Cornhole Tournament to benefit veterans experiencing homelessness. Event will be held at Scottish Rite Cathedral, 2701 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. It includes a raffle, silent auction and 50/50. www.veteransoutreachofpa.org

Volunteer Day
Oct. 14: Enjoy the outdoors and help with park and habitat enhancement projects at Wildwood Park, 100 Wildwood Way, Harrisburg, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tools and work gloves provided and refreshments available. www.explorewildwoodpark.org

Bus Tour
Oct. 14: Historic Harrisburg Resource Center, 1230 N. 3rd St., hosts its annual “Bus Tour of Local Landmarks,” featuring Dauphin County historical sites, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. www.historicharrisburg.org

Riverboat Fundraiser
Oct. 14: Boatoberfest, the fall fundraiser for the Pride of the Susquehanna riverboat, sets sail from City Island, 4 to 8 p.m. Enjoy a traditional Bavarian Oktoberfest celebration, complete with drinking, dancing, live music and dining. www.hbgriverboat.org

Spaghetti Dinner
Oct. 14: Central PA Womyn’s Chorus hosts its annual spaghetti dinner at Colonial Park United Church of Christ, 5000 Devonshire Rd., Harrisburg, 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Enjoy all-you-can-eat pasta, salad, beverages and dessert. www.cpwchorus.org

Choctoberfest
Oct. 14: Choctoberfest returns to ChocolateTown Square Park, Hershey, with food, live music, beer and chocolate, with activities for all ages. The day includes the Chocolate Cake Baking Competition, which also allows chocolate-lovers to taste-test for a fee. www.downtownhershey.com.

Dinner & Concert
Oct. 14: Susquehanna Folk Music Society hosts its Harvest Dinner & Concert with Kevin Neidig, Henry Koretzky and Aaron Blouin at Beshore Hill Farm, New Cumberland Collective, 5 to 9 p.m. www.sfmsfolk.org

Army Expo
Oct. 14-15: U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center, 950 Soldiers Dr., Carlisle, hosts Army Expo ’23, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Event features a Black Hawk helicopter, soldiers and equipment displays, historic reenactors, drone demonstration, live music, food trucks and more. https://ahec.armywarcollege.edu

Art Tour
Oct. 14-15: Fifth annual Hershey Hummelstown Art Studio Tour features 10 Hershey/Hummelstown artists who open their spaces to the public. Visitors can tour studios, watch demonstrations and purchase art on Oct. 14, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Oct. 15, 12 to 5 p.m. www.hersheyhummelstownartstudiotour.com

Pumpkin Fest
Oct. 14-29: Rockhill Trolley Museum and East Broad Top Railroad, 421 Meadow St., Rockhill, hosts the Great Pumpkin Patch Express. Enjoy Peanuts-themed activities on a vintage trolley, pick out a pumpkin, shop with vendors and more. www.eastbroadtop.com

PBCC Conference
Oct. 17: PA Breast Cancer Coalition celebrates its 30th anniversary at the 2023 PA Breast Cancer Coalition Conference at Hilton Harrisburg, 1 N. 2nd St., 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. PBCC will turn the State Capitol East Wing fountain pink and offer milkshakes at 11 a.m. www.pbcc.me/conference-2023

Memorial Vigil
Oct. 17: Save the date for PA Coalition Against Domestic Violence’s Memorial Vigil, 6 to 8 p.m., at the state Capitol in Harrisburg. Remember the lives lost to domestic violence over the past year, honor resiliency of survivors, and recognize domestic violence advocates. www.pcadv.org

Garden Celebration
Oct. 18: Harrisburg Peace Garden Association celebrates the life of James E. Jones, MD, who co-founded the Peace Garden in 1990. Reception will be held at West Shore Country Club, Camp Hill, 5 to 7 p.m. Proceeds support garden maintenance. [email protected]

3rd in The Burg
Oct. 20: Explore the best of Harrisburg during 3rd in the Burg, the monthly arts and culture event, where you can visit and enjoy galleries, restaurants and art spaces throughout downtown and Midtown, 6 to 9 p.m. www.thirdintheburg.org

Cold Cases
Oct. 20: Historic Harrisburg Association, 1230 N. 3rd St., rings in the spooky season with a bone-chilling exhibit, “Harrisburg’s Historic Cold Cases,” 6 to 9 p.m. Grab a free refreshment and chat with exhibit curators as you make your way through cold cases in Harrisburg’s true crime history. www.historicharrisburg.org

Organ Spooktacular
Oct. 20: Market Square Presbyterian Church, 20 S. 2nd St., presents its Organ Spooktacular, with two organs, singing and dancing, starting at 7:30 p.m. Hear Bach’s famous “Toccata in D minor.” Dress in your masquerade ball finest or just wear an eye mask. www.marketsquarechurch.org

Art Show
Oct. 20-22: Paxtang Art Association hosts its annual art show and sale at Paxtang Firehouse, 3423 Derry St., 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. Explore more than 500 pieces of original art in many mediums. Meet the artists on Oct. 20, 6 to 8 p.m. www.paxtangartassociation.godaddysites.com

Harvest Fest
Oct. 21: Central Penn College, 600 Valley Rd., Summerdale, celebrates fall with food trucks, live music, face painting, children’s games, vendor booths and more at its annual Fall Harvest, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is free, with many activities offered at no cost. www.centralpenn.edu

Block Party
Oct. 21: Enjoy Wildheart Ministries’ Fall Block Party at The Hill Farm, 213 S. 18th St., Harrisburg, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Come out and help at the farm, while having fun with neighbors in Allison Hill. www.lovethehillpa.com

Nature at Night
Oct. 21: Take an after-hours walk through the Olewine Nature Center at Wildwood Park, 100 Wildwood Way, Harrisburg, to watch exhibit hall critters come to life, 5:30 to 8 p.m. Make s’mores and sip apple cider and enjoy a Halloween story. Dress in costume and bring a trick-or-treat bag. www.explorewildwoodpark.org

Murder Mystery
Oct. 22: Scottish Rite Theatre presents a Murder Mystery dinner for guests 18 and older at Harrisburg Consistory, 2701 N. 3rd St., 4:30 to 9 p.m. Dress for the night is 1950s theme. www.valleyofharrisburg.org

Art Show & Sale
Oct. 27 & 28: Hershey Area Art Association presents “Under the Colors” art show, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Hershey Public Library, 701 Cocoa Ave., Hershey. Fine art and 3D art for sale. hersheyart.org

Rock & Roll Halloween Party & Fundraiser
Oct. 29: Pine Street Presbyterian Church & Downtown Daily Bread present Rock & Roll Halloween Party and Fundraiser at The Englewood from 5-9 p.m. Live Music by Tom Slick. For more information and to purchase tickets Click here.

Treat Trek
Oct. 29: Ghosts and ghouls ages 12 and younger are invited to Fort Hunter Mansion and Park, 100 Fort Hunter Rd., Harrisburg, in costume for the Trick or Treat Trek, 2 to 5 p.m. Come dressed in costume, then follow clues to keep your search on track and get goodies at stops along the way. www.forthunter.org

Spooky Storytime
Oct. 31: Have family-friendly Halloween storytime fun at the New Cumberland Public Library, 1 Benjamin Plaza, 10:30 a.m. Kids ages 2 to 6 are invited to celebrate the spookiest holiday with stories, rhymes and song. www.newcumberlandlibrary

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Bricks & Grit: The Broad Street Market rebuild will take equal parts construction and community

September 28, 2023 | by M. Diane McCormick

Temporary structure for market vendors.

David Morrison recently asked an engineer about the chances of preserving all the fire-scarred walls of the Broad Street Market’s brick building. The engineer responded with a question and answer of his own.

What is brick used for? Fireplaces, actually.

“There’s really no substitute for 150-year-old material that basically has been very well preserved,” said Morrison, executive director of Historic Harrisburg Association.

ICYMI, Broad Street Market’s brick building suffered severe damage in a July 10 fire. While city and market officials have been working to house displaced vendors in a temporary market building, they are also looking ahead.

There will be codes, historic considerations and the desires of vendors and shoppers to navigate, but hopes remain that, in about two years, the brick building will be restored and open for business.

How to Rebuild

A building that represents “one of the last vestiges of the old school where you can see your neighbor and chat”—that’s City Business Administrator Daniel Hartman speaking—has had its guts ripped out. How does a rebuild recapture that old feeling?

“It’s pretty much going to have to be returned to the way it was, but modernized,” said Hartman. “When you think ‘modernized,’ think of the things that didn’t exist in the 1870s but that exist now, like the Americans with Disabilities Act and fire sprinklers and other safety improvements.”

Here, a reminder that the physical Broad Street Market is owned by the city of Harrisburg. That makes reconstruction the city’s responsibility. The market’s board of directors, like a condo board, oversees business matters inside and outside the market’s two buildings, the shuttered brick building and the undamaged, operating stone building.

“If you pick the building up, turn it upside down, and see everything that falls out—that’s not what we are overseeing,” said City Director of Housing and Economic Development Dennise Hill, a former market manager. “We are making sure that the messaging has to be clear that we’re all working together, but everybody is a subject-matter expert on one thing or another, and really giving everyone the lane and the license to do what they have to do.”

The market’s placement on the National Register of Historic Places, since 1974, places few restrictions on rebuilding and doesn’t preclude interior modernizations. The state Historic Preservation Office has offered to help the city’s planning department, said Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission spokesperson Howard Pollman.

“The market’s National Register status doesn’t mean that the owners are required to work with our office on rebuilding the section damaged by the fire, but we are available to offer advice and assistance to the city and the market’s board about preservation issues related to the destroyed and surviving sections of the market,” he said.

Contractors will be procured through competitive bidding, but historic status means that some contractors will need certifications and specific skill sets “because we can’t just put up a regular flat roof with a rubber finish on it and say we’re done,” said Hartman. “It’s got to be true to form.”

Local building trade unions “are committed to do this and do this right,” he added.

Today’s building materials can deliver modern advantages without sacrificing the historic look, Morrison said. He sees an opportunity to swap some of the “old, rickety windows” with energy-efficient but historically sensitive replacements. The roof, with its distinctive clerestory, could be rebuilt “using historically appropriate new materials and maintain the silhouette.”

“That silhouette is so iconic that it’s part of the Broad Street Market’s logo,” Morrison said. “The roof, the ceiling, the beams, the lighting system, the air handling system—all of that isn’t a question of historic preservation. That’s a question of the best possible reconstruction.”

In the rebuild, architects and engineers will rethink how utilities are run and how ADA access is assured, but in a way that respects the past.

“We can’t build a beer garden on the roof,” Hartman said.

Historic Cooperation

Market leaders expect to continue their partnership with the city along two tracks—operating the temporary market and rebuilding the fire-damaged one, said Executive Director Tanis Monroy.

“The city has said they want our input, especially when it comes to vendor relations and their needs, like the layout and equipment,” he said. “The vendors are looking forward to improvements and upgrades of the building, but they want to see the historic nature stay.”

The temporary structure will include co-op food prep and refrigeration spaces, “with the trust that you won’t take my cheese, and I won’t take your meat,” Monroy said. If they succeed, the rebuilt building could replicate such collaborative efficiencies for cooking, refrigerating and storage. The fire, he noted, offered “a great start for a lot of new relationships and strengthening old ones at the same time.”

The market fire shook up more than vendors and their customers. Harrisburg firefighters are accustomed to putting out blazes, dealing with the immediate needs of the victims, and moving on, said Harrisburg Fire Chief Brian Enterline. Now, he said, “we’re part of the rest of the story.”

“It has been an eye-opener, working directly with the insurance companies and those that are insured,” he said.

The department is considering developing a customer-service approach to help residents post-fire, especially the uninsured or underinsured, and to educate business owners about the importance of adequate fire coverage.

“We really need to look at this holistically and how we can make better use of resources, personnel-wise, to maybe help people navigate some of these issues,” he said.

The building is adequately insured and included in a policy that covers all city buildings, Hartman said, although as of press time, a payment figure wasn’t ready. Whatever the amount, a fundraiser such as a capital campaign is probably ahead because, in part, the market’s stone building needs the same love that the brick building is likely to receive, such as HVAC upgrades.

As for that greatly-to-be-desired air conditioning, it’s wrapped up in a key distinction. The city’s insurance plan covers reconstruction of what was there, plus upgrades needed to bring damaged buildings up to code. Under those considerations, insurance will cover a sprinkler system and full ADA accessibility in the brick building.

But HVAC is not a code requirement. It’s part of what city officials call the “above and beyond,” so funding would have to come from capital campaigns, grants and other non-insurance sources.

The brick building comprises conjoined structures built in 1874 and 1878. On July 10, the wall separating them served as a firebreak. In the rear, destruction was profound from flames and 180,000 gallons of water. In contrast, in the front, menus can still be read on the walls.

The lesser-damaged side could be open for business earlier than the full building, “depending on how the construction team does it,” Hartman said.

To Hill, with her economic development duties, rebuilding focuses on the business owners trying to sustain their livelihoods and the community that depends on them.

“A lot of people don’t have regular access to supermarkets,” she said. “This might be their only place they can regularly go to be able to get a head of lettuce or tomatoes or fresh fruit or meat.”

Hill recalled her time as market manager, when vendors kept an eye on her young daughter, who thought she was a vendor herself.

“The market is ingrained in your family, from vendors to staff to the board and everybody who goes there,” she said.

Based on more than 100 years of success stories coming from the market, the city is confident of future success, said Hartman.

“It’s going to be back, and it’s going to be better than ever,” he said. “It’s going to be something that will surprise people with how modernized it’s going to be, but it’s also going to let them feel like an old friend is back in town.”

This is the second part of our two-part feature on the Broad Street Market fire and its aftermath. See our September issue for part one, which focused on the market’s vendors.

For more information on the Broad Street Market and to donate, visit www.broadstreetmarket.org.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

Happenings: Our October Calendar of Events

September 28, 2023 | by Missy Smith

Museums & Art Spaces

AACA Museum
161 Museum Dr., Hershey
717-566-7100; aacamuseum.org

BMW Motorcycles Centennial, through Oct. 21

Early Cadillacs, through Oct. 21

“A Celebration of 20 Years—Going Back in Time,” through fall 2023

Art Association of Harrisburg
21 N. Front St., Harrisburg
717-236-1432; artassocofhbg.com

Fall Membership Show—“Art Is,” through Nov. 2

Arts on the Square
20 S. 2nd St., Harrisburg
717-257-1270; marketsquarechurch.org

Fiber artist Gloria McPherson, Oct. 15-Dec. 17; reception: Oct. 15

Carlisle Arts Learning Center (CALC)
38 W. Pomfret St., Carlisle
717-249-6973; carlislearts.org

“Ordinary Grandeur,” featuring the paintings of Karen Ferrick and sculptural works of John Guarnera, through Oct 28

“Botanicals in Bloom,” paintings by Roberta Iula and sculptural quilts Andrea Finch inspired by nature and plant life, through Oct. 28

The Cornerstone Coffeehouse
2133 Market St., Camp Hill
thecornerstonecoffeehouse.com

October artist of the month

Gallery on the Square
Millersburg Area Art Association
226 Union St., Millersburg
Facebook: Gallery on the Square

“All Fired Up—The Art of Clay and Ceramic,” through Oct. 7

Fiber Art Show featuring Rebekah and Karen Perkins, Oct. 11-Nov. 11; opening reception: Oct. 15, 3 p.m.

Hershey Area Art Association (HAAA)
hersheyart.org

Hershey Public Library Exhibit Galleries, Oct. 14-Dec. 9

Backstage Café at the Allen Theater, Oct. 1-Nov. 30

Lebanon Picture Frame & Fine Art Gallery
847 Cumberland St., Lebanon
LebanonPictureFrame.com

“The Splendor of the Natural World: Plein Air Paintings by Steve Wetzel,” Oct. 6-Nov. 25; reception: Oct. 13, 5 to 8 p.m.

Messiah University
One University Ave., Mechanicsburg
717-766-2511; messiah.edu

“Body, Beauty and Brokenness,” figurative paintings by Bruce Herman that explore image and abstraction, through Oct. 8

Metropolis Collective
17 W. Main St., Mechanicsburg
717-458-8245; metropoliscollective.com

“Things That Go Bump in the Night III,” solo exhibition of original drawings by Rob Sheley, Oct. 7-Nov. 25; Oct. 7, 6-9 p.m.

The Millworks
340 Verbeke St.; Harrisburg
717-695-4888; millworksharrisburg.com

New works by Pamela Black, Ann Benton Yeager, and Tami Bitner, through Oct. 15

New works by Tara Chickey, Caleb Smith, Angela Lapioli and Yachiyo Beck, Oct. 17-Nov. 12

New Cumberland Public Library
1 Benjamin Plaza, New Cumberland
717-774-7820; newcumberlandlibrary.org

“Art in the Stacks” featuring Craig Bomberger, Oct. 1-31

Pennsylvania National Fire Museum
1820 N. 4th St., Harrisburg
717-232-8915; pnfm.org

Exhibits dedicated to Pennsylvania firefighting history

Perry County Council of the Arts
PCCA Gallery, 1 S. 2nd St., Newport
717-567-7023; perrycountyarts.org

“Mugstravanganza!” with more than 100 mugs created by local artists, through Dec. 31

“Artisan Marketplace of Perry County,” local handmade gifts by local artists, through Jan. 12

Perry County Council of the Arts
Landis House, 67 N. 4th St., Newport
717-567-7023; perrycountyarts.org

9th Annual Juried Exhibition, featuring outstanding local and regional artwork, through Oct. 26

Rose Lehrman Art Gallery
One HACC Drive, Harrisburg
717-780-2435; hacc.edu

“3-Dimensional Drawings, a Semi-Retrospective Exhibition,” works by Hsin-Hsi Chen, Oct. 9-Nov. 7

The State Museum of Pennsylvania
300 North St., Harrisburg
717-787-4980; statemuseumpa.org

“Art of the State,” an annual juried exhibition open to Pennsylvania artists and craftspeople, through Jan. 7

“A Flair for Public Service—Genevieve Blatt and C. DeLores Tucker”

“Game Changers: Pennsylvania Women Who Made History,” celebrating women from across the state in diverse fields and detailing the contributions they made and challenges they faced

“HORSE2AUTO—A Transportation Revolution,” through 2023

Susquehanna Art Museum
1401 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-233-8668; susquehannaartmuseum.org

“8th Annual Juried Exhibition—Transformative Craft,” through Oct. 15

“Transforming the Commonplace,” works by Catherine Drabkin, Martha Hayden and Karen Antonelli that highlight the experimentation, tactility and play that is characteristic of collagraph printmaking, through Nov. 12

“The Hidden Museum, 2018,” installation in which viewers are challenged to locate “hidden” works of art, through Dec. 31

“Diane Arbus: 10 Years,” featuring key images from this famous period of the artist’s work

“Shifting Forms: 5 Decades of Abstraction,” traces radical shifts made by abstract artists over the last 50 years, through Jan. 21

“The Shop Presents: Essentials,” Shelby Wormley explores barbershops and beauty salons in Black and brown communities during the global pandemic, through a series of photographs, Oct. 18-Feb. 25

Suzanne H. Arnold Art Gallery
Lebanon Valley College
101 College Ave., Annville
717-233-8668; lvc.edu/gallery

“Gscharre und Leichdüche (Tools and Shrouds),” featuring the work of sculptor-photographer Stephen Althouse, through Oct. 22

The Trout Gallery
Dickinson College
240 W. High St., Carlisle
717-254-8159; troutgallery.org

“Perspectives,” a 40th anniversary showcase of art from The Trout Gallery’s permanent collection selected by gallery audiences, through Oct. 16

“Power and Politics—Recent Acquisitions in Photography,” presenting an array of recently acquired contemporary photographs with subjects from sports to hairstyles and tanks to bicycles, through Oct. 28

The Ware Center
42 N. Prince St., Lancaster
717-871-2308; artsmu.com

Oct. 6-27: “My Obsession with Fabric,” images in fabric by Carol Piersol; “We the People” performance with Liz Fulmer: Oct. 6

Wheel of Light Studio
3738 Peters Mountain Rd Halifax
wheeloflightstudio.com

Fundraising through Art for Penbrook United Church of Christ, Oct. 3-17

Wheel of Light Membership Show, Oct. 17-Nov. 18

Read, Make, Learn

Appell Center for the Performing Arts
50 N. George St., York
717-846-1111; appellcenter.org

Oct. 4. Leo Smith Masterclass—Getting the Gig, 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 21: Third Saturday Workshop—Stories that Rhyme, 11 a.m.
Oct. 21: Third Saturday Workshop—Spoken Word Poetry, Writing and Performing, 1 p.m.

Arts on the Square
20 S. 2nd St., Harrisburg
717-257-1270; marketsquarechurch.org

Oct. 28: Organ Spooktacular—The Masquerade Ball

Carlisle Arts Learning Center (CALC)
38 W. Pomfret St., Carlisle
717-249-6973; carlislearts.org

Oct. 4, 11, 18, 25: Start Up Watercolor (ages 17-adult), Wednesdays, 6-8 p.m.
Oct. 7: I Love Unicorns (ages 9-14), 12-2 p.m.
Oct. 9: A Pigment of My Imagination (ages 5-12), 9 a.m.-3 p.m.s
Oct. 11-25: Watercolor Basics, Wednesdays (ages 11-14), 3:30-5:30 p.m.
Oct. 14: Copper Enameling, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Oct. 14, 21, 28: Mermaids, Monsters & Myths, Saturdays, 12-2 p.m.
Oct. 18-Nov. 29: Practicing the Fundamentals of Photography (ages 18 and older), 6:30-8 p.m.
Oct. 20-Nov. 17: Friday Art Club Oct. 20: Craft Beer & Clay, 7-9 p.m.
Oct. 21: Haloween Fun! (ages 5-12), 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m.
Oct. 21: Foxtail Weave Chain Maille Bracelet (ages 16-adult), 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Oct. 23-Dec. 4: Monday Art Club (grades K-2), 3:45-5 p.m.
Oct. 25-Dec. 6: Hand Building (ages 16-adult), 6-8 p.m.
Oct. 26-Nov. 16: Lightroom Classic (ages 18 and older), 6:30-8 p.m.
Oct. 28: Plein Air Painting at Allenberry, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Oct. 31: Abstract Painting (ages 18 and older), 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Dauphin County Library System
dcls.org

Oct. 5: Dungeons and Dragons on Zoom, 7 p.m.
Oct. 6, 13, 20, 27: Virtual Teen Dungeons and Dragons, 4-6 p.m.
Oct. 17: Dungeons and Dragons on Zoom, 7 p.m.

East Pennsboro Library
98 S. Enola Dr., Enola
717-732-4274; eastpennsborobranch.org

Oct. 3: Air Dry Clay Snakes Part 1 (ages 8 and older), 6:15-7:15 p.m.
Oct. 5: Holiday Witches Hat Wreath (ages 10 and older), 6:15-7:15 p.m.
Oct. 6, 13, 20, 27: Rhythm & Rhyme Story Time (ages 3-6), 11-11:30 a.m.
Oct. 9-14: National Apple Month Challenge
Oct. 10: Air Dry Clay Snakes Part 2 (ages 8 and older), 6:15-7:15 p.m.
Oct. 11: Yarn Pipe Cleaner Reptiles (ages 8 and older), 6:15-7:15 p.m.
Oct. 14: Air Dry Clay Ghost Tea Lights (ages 8 and older), 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
Oct. 21: Pony Bead Indian Corn and Pumpkins, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
Oct. 23-28: Find Frankenstein
Oct. 28: Bingo for Books, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
Oct. 21: Halloween Bingo for Books, 6:15-7:15 p.m.

East Shore Area Library
4501 Ethel St., Harrisburg
717-652-9380; dcls.org

Oct. 2, 9, 16, 23: All Ages Storytime, 10 a.m.
Oct. 3, 10, 17, 24: Born to Read, 9:30 a.m.
Oct. 3, 10, 17, 24: Born to Read, 10:30 a.m.
Oct. 4, 11, 18, 25: Toddler Storytime, 9:30 a.m.
Oct. 4, 11, 18, 25: Toddler Storytime, 11 a.m.
Oct. 5, 12: Anime Club, 4 p.m.
Oct. 5, 12, 19: Speech Links, 9:30 a.m.
Oct. 6, 13, 20, 27: Preschool Storytime, 9:30 a.m.
Oct. 6, 13, 20, 27: Preschool Storytime, 11 a.m.
Oct. 7: A Tabletop for the Season, 1 p.m.
Oct. 9, 23: Paws 2 Read, 6 p.m.
Oct. 12: Robot Round-Up!, 6 p.m.

Elizabethtown Public Library
10 S. Market St., Elizabethtown
717-367-7467; etownpubliclibrary.org

Oct. 5, 12, 19, 26: Fiber Artists, 3-5 p.m.
Oct. 7: Knitter’s Group, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Oct. 14: Lego Club, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
Oct. 14: Fiber Artists, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Oct. 17: Baby Musik Time, 9:50-10:30 a.m.
Oct. 17: Preschool Musik Time, 10:30-11 a.m.
Oct. 21: K-Pets Therapy Reading Sessions, 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Fort Hunter
5300 N. Front St., Harrisburg
717-599-5751; forthunter.org

Oct. 11: Fall Prevention and Balance Workshop, 1-2 p.m.
Oct. 11: PawPaw Walk, 1-2 p.m.
Oct. 11: Virtual Illustrated Lecture—Hair through Time, 7-8 p.m.
Oct. 14: Children’s Mansion Tour, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Oct. 19: Succulent Fairy Garden Workshop, 6-7:30 p.m.
Oct. 21: Macabre Tour, 6-7:30 p.m.
Oct. 22: Fort Hunter Mansion and McAllister Cemetery Combo Tour, 1-3 p.m.

Fredricksen Library
100 N. 19th St., Camp Hill
717-761-3900; fredricksenlibrary.org

Oct. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30: Book Explorers (ages 3-6), 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Oct. 3: Curl up with the Classics—“The Stranger,” 10-11 a.m.
Oct. 3: Word Basics, 10-11 a.m.
Oct. 3: READ to Dogs, 6:30-8 p.m.
Oct. 4: Moving Forward Book Group, 1-2 p.m.
Oct. 4, 9, 11, 16, 18, 23, 25, 30: Autumn Baby & Toddler Storytime, 10-10:30 a.m.
Oct. 4, 9, 11, 16, 18, 23, 25, 30: Autumn Children’s Storytime, 11-11:30 a.m.
Oct. 4, 11, 25: Device Advice, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Oct. 5: Tween STEAM Meetup, 6-7:30 p.m.
Oct. 5, 12, 19, 26: Language at the Library—Spanish, 10-11 a.m.
Oct. 5, 12, 19, 26: Meditation to Calm the Mind, 12-12:30 p.m.
Oct. 10: Excel Basics, 10-11 a.m.
Oct. 10: Genealogy Club, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
Oct. 12, 19: Meet and Greet Library Pups, 10-11 a.m.
Oct. 13: Film Friday, 2-4 p.m.
Oct. 17: PowerPoint Basics, 10-11 a.m.
Oct. 18: Ask a Dietician, 9:30-11:30 a.m.
Oct. 16: Frederickson Writes on Zoom, 6:45-8:45 p.m.
Oct. 17: Plot Twisters Teen Writers Group, 6-7 p.m.
Oct. 17-Nov. 28: Intro to Digital Photography, Tuesdays, 6-7 p.m.
Oct. 20: Peaceful Poses Adult Yoga, 9-10 a.m.
Oct. 20: Peaceful Poses Children’s Yoga Story Time, 10-10:45 a.m.
Oct. 24: Tween LEGO Club, 6-8 p.m.
Oct. 26: Tween Epic Comic Club, 6-7 p.m.

Gallery on the Square
Millersburg Area Art Association
226 Union St., Millersburg
Facebook: Gallery on the Square

Oct. 7: Scarecrow Gourd, 2 p.m.
Oct. 9-12: Watercolor Workshop with Lynne Yancha, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Oct. 12: Stained Glass Feather Workshop, 6 p.m.
Oct. 14: Needle Felted Pumpkin, 1 p.m.
Oct. 21: Wire Bonsai Tree, 11 a.m.
Oct. 22: Watercolor for Kids, 2 p.m.
Oct. 26: Barn Star Workshop, 6 p.m.
Oct. 28: Market Basket with Handle, 10 a.m.

Harrisburg Improv Theatre
1633 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
hbgimprov.com

Oct. 1: Comedy Writing Intensive, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Hershey Horticulture Society
www.hersheyhorticulture.com

Oct. 2: Food as Medicine, 1 p.m.

Hershey Public Library
701 Cocoa Ave., Hershey
717-533-6555; hersheylibrary.org

Oct. 2, 9, 16: Storytime for Everyone, 11 a.m.
Oct. 3: Hershey Area Pokémon Club, 5:30-7 p.m.
Oct. 3, 10, 17, 24, 31: Girls Who Code, 6 p.m.
Oct. 3, 5, 10, 12, 17, 19, 24, 26, 31: Penn State Hershey—Mothers & Babies, 10:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Oct. 4, 11, 18, 25: Walking Hershey, 9:30-10:30 a.m.
Oct. 4, 11, 18, 25: Community Crochet Night, 6 p.m.
Oct. 5, 12, 19: Storytime for Everyone, 10:15 a.m.
Oct. 5, 19: Teen Zine, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
Oct. 10, 17, 24: 1, 2, Whee!, 10:15 a.m.
Oct. 14, 21, 28: Chess Club, 1 p.m.
Oct. 14, 21, 28: Creative Non-Fiction, 3:30 p.m.
Oct. 17: Silent Book Group, 10 a.m.
Oct. 19: Hershey Quilters, 12:30 p.m.
Oct. 21: Cocoa Area Fiber Enthusiasts, 10 a.m.
Oct. 23: Play Day for Families, 10 a.m.
Oct. 31: Trick or Treat Storytime, 10:15 a.m. and 1:15 p.m.

Historic Harrisburg Resource Center
1230 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
historicharrisburg.org

Oct. 14: Landmark Bus Tour—Upper Dauphin, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Oct. 23: Fourth Monday Program—“Restoring Ourselves: How HHA is Restoring the Historic Harrisburg Resource Center,” 6-7:30 p.m.

Joseph T. Simpson Public Library
16 N. Walnut St., Mechanicsburg
717-766-0171; simpsonlibrary.org

Oct. 3, 10, 17, 24, 31: Tea & Stitches, 10 a.m.
Oct. 3, 10, 17, 24, 31: Storybook STEAM, 6 p.m.
Oct. 5, 12, 19, 26: Beginning Mah Jongg, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Oct. 5, 12, 19, 26: Mah Jongg, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Oct. 5, 12, 19, 26: Story Time, 10:15-11 a.m.
Oct. 5, 12, 19, 26: Toddler Time, 11:15-11:35 a.m.
Oct. 5, 12, 19, 26: Rhyme Time, 11:45 a.m.-12:05 p.m.
Oct. 6, 13, 20, 27: LEGO Time, 10:15 a.m.
Oct. 11: Mad About Mysteries, 7-8 p.m.
Oct. 13, 27: Dungeons & Dragons, 6-8 p.m.
Oct. 16: Monday Night Book Club, 7 p.m.
Oct. 19: Thursday Morning Book Club, 12 p.m.
Oct. 19: Teen Third Thursday, 6 p.m.
Oct. 21-22: October Book Sale
Oct. 24: Tea & Stitches Extended Edition, 12-3 p.m.
Oct. 24: Tabletop Game Night, 6-8 p.m.
Oct. 28: Trivia at Home—90s Sitcoms, 6-8 p.m.

Kline Library
530 S. 29th St., Harrisburg
717-234-3934; dcls.org

Oct. 3, 10, 17, 24, 31: Coloring for Adults, 3:30 p.m.
Oct. 4, 11, 18, 25: Teen Gaming Club, 3 p.m.
Oct. 5: Book Bingo at Kline Library, 5:30 p.m.
Oct. 5, 12, 19, 26: All Ages Storytime, 10:15 a.m.
Oct. 10: Celebrate Hispanic Heritage, 5:30 p.m.
Oct. 21: Knit One, Crochet Too!, 10:30 a.m.
Oct. 27: Silent Book Club, 3:30 p.m.
Oct. 28: Creature Creator Robotics With Snapology, 10:30-11:30 a.m.

The LGBT Center of Central PA
717-409-5781; centralpalgbtcenter.org

Oct. 4, 11, 18, 25: Common Roads (ages 12-17), 6-8 p.m.
Oct. 7, 14, 21, 28: Passageways, 2 p.m.
Oct. 8, 15, 22, 29: Young Adult Group, 4 p.m.
Oct. 14: QTPOC Advisory Group, 6-8 p.m.

Luhrs Performing Arts Center
1871 Old Main Dr., Shippensburg
717-477-7469; luhrscenter.com

Oct. 16: Ballroom Dance Lessons, 5:30 p.m.

Madeline L. Olewine Memorial Library
2410 North 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-232-7286; dcls.org

Oct. 6, 13, 20, 27: Speech Links, 10:30 a.m.
Oct. 7: Robot Round-Up!, 10:30 a.m.
Oct. 25: Coloring for Adults, 3:30 p.m.
Oct. 25: Microsoft Word Basics, 5:30 p.m.

McCormick Riverfront Library
101 Walnut St., Harrisburg
717-234-4976; dcls.org

Oct. 2, 9, 16, 23: Sewing Club, 3:30 p.m.
Oct. 3, 10, 17, 24: All Ages Storytime, 11 a.m.
Oct. 3, 10, 17, 24: Calling All Coders, 5 p.m.
Oct. 5, 12, 19, 26: Exploring zSpaces, 5 p.m.
Oct. 14: Solar Eclipse Exploration, 12 p.m.

Middletown Public Library
20 N. Catherine St., Middletown
717-944-6412; middletownpubliclib.org

Oct. 3, 10, 17, 24, 31: Tales with T.A.I.L.S., 6-7 p.m.

Midtown Scholar Bookstore-Cafe
1302 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-236-1680; midtownscholar.com

Oct. 3: An Evening with Elizabeth Winkler and Peter Frengel, 7-8 p.m.
Oct. 5: An Evening with C. Pam Zhang and Sheela Jane Menon, 7-8 p.m.

The Millworks
340 Verbeke St., Harrisburg
717-695-4888; millworksharrisburg.com

Oct. 6-8: 3-Day Cold Wax Workshop
Oct. 7: First Saturday open studios and artist demos, 2-5 p.m.
Oct. 8: Intro to Natural Dyes, 1-3:30 p.m.
Oct. 14: Magickal Raven Workshop, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Oct. 15: Fluid Art, 12-3 p.m.

National Civil War Museum
One Lincoln Circle, Harrisburg
717-260-1861; nationalcivilwarmuseum.org

Oct. 26: Civil War Book Talk with Dr. Ronald White, 7-8:30 p.m.

New Cumberland Public Library
1 Benjamin Plaza, New Cumberland
717-774-7820; newcumberlandlibrary.org

Oct. 1-31: Beanstack Reading Challenge—Hallow-Read (ages 0-18)
Oct. 1-31: October Scavenger Hunt—Popular Book Characters (ages 0-12)
Oct. 2, 16: Monday Great Books Discussion Group, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Oct. 4: Kid Builders (ages 3 and older), 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Oct. 5: Ruth’s Mystery Discussion Group, 10:15 a.m.-12 p.m.
Oct. 5: Block Party (ages 0-3), 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Oct. 6, 20: Dungeons & Dragons (ages 13-17), 4-6 p.m.
Oct. 6-Nov. 3: 1,2,3 Play With Me (ages 0-3), Fridays, 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
Oct. 7, 21: New Cumberland Public Library Book Sales, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Oct. 10: Tales for Tails (ages 6-12), 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Oct. 11, 25: Wednesday Great Books Discussion Group, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Oct. 12, 26: Movers & Groovers (ages 2-5), 10:30-11 a.m.
Oct. 14: Teen Craft Kits (ages 13-17), 10 a.m.
Oct. 17: A Night at Hogwarts (ages 5 and older), 6-7 p.m.
Oct. 19: Musical Mornings (ages 2-5), 10:30-11 a.m.
Oct. 21: Couponing for Extreme Savings, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
Oct. 21: Children’s Book Writers Critique Group, 2-4 p.m.
Oct. 22: Friends Cultural Series—The History of Pennsylvania’s Covered Bridges, 3 p.m.
Oct. 25: Kids Paint Party (ages 6 and older), 6-7 p.m.
Oct. 25: PennWriters Writing Group, 6-9 p.m.
Oct. 28: Crafty Crafters Club, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Oct. 28: Trick-or-Treat at the Library, 12-3 p.m.
Oct. 30: PlayDoh Palooza (ages 2-5), 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Oct. 31: Spooky Halloween Storytime (ages 2-5), 10:30 a.m.

Palmyra Public Library
50 Landings Dr., Annville
717-838-1347; palmyra.lclibs.org

Oct. 2: Genealogy Group, 10-11 a.m.
Oct. 2, 4, 5, 9, 11, 12, 16, 18, 19, 23, 25, 26, 30: Little Explorers, 10:30-11 a.m.
Oct. 4, 11, 18, 25: Smart Start Storytime, 12:15-12:45 p.m.
Oct. 5, 12, 19, 26: Little Explorers, 1:30-2 p.m.
Oct. 9: Palmyra Public Library Book Club, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
Oct. 23: BYO Craft Nights Adults 18+, 4:30-6:45 p.m.

The State Museum of Pennsylvania
300 North St., Harrisburg
717-787-4980; statemuseumpa.org

Oct. 1-31: Not Your Average Star
Oct. 1-31: Solar Superstorms
Oct. 4: Homeschool Program, 10 a.m.
Oct. 6: Storytime, 10:30 a.m.
Oct. 6: Benjamin Franklin’s Inventions, 1:30 p.m.
Oct. 7: Benjamin Franklin’s Inventions, 10 a.m., 1 p.m.
Oct. 11: PA State Fossil, 11:30 a.m.
Oct. 13: Curiosity Kids—Dinosaurs, 11:30 a.m.
Oct. 14: Mapping Mammal Hall, 1 p.m.
Oct. 18: Stargazing—Tonight’s Sky Live Chat, 2 p.m.
Oct. 19: Historical Archaeology, 11:30 a.m.
Oct. 21: Storytime, 10:30 a.m.
Oct. 18: Stargazing—Tonight’s Sky Live Chat, 3 p.m.
Oct. 27: Curiosity Kids—Portraits and What They Tell Us, 11:30 a.m.
Oct. 27: Virtual Program—Archaeological Collections, 12: 15 p.m.
Oct. 28: Workshops in Archaeology, 9 a.m.
Oct. 28: That’s Gross! Explore Bodily Functions, 11:30 a.m.

Susquehanna Art Museum
1401 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-233-8668; susquehannaartmuseum.org

Oct. 7: Kids Art Club—Collage (ages 6-9), 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Oct. 21: Kids Art Club—Abstract Art (ages 8-12), 6-8 p.m.

The Ware Center
42 N. Prince St., Lancaster
717-871-2308; artsmu.com

Oct. 5: Flamenco de Cámara
Oct. 12: Ali Stroker
Oct. 27: Jazz Tribute to Disney

West Shore Theatre
317 Bridge St, New Cumberland
717-759-5464; www.westshoretheatre.org

Oct. 5: Ashton Shepherd, Little Rock
Oct. 10: Harrisburg Jazz Collective
Oct. 13: Get Petty—Celebrating the Music of Tom Petty
Oct. 14: Shea Quinn & The Finnz with Electric Love
Oct. 15: Sempre Dolce
Oct. 18: The Furious Bongos Frank Zappa Tribute
Oct. 22: Sintra—That’s Life Concert with Tony Sands
Oct. 23: Radiator Hospital

Wheel of Light Studio
3738 Peters Mountain Rd Halifax
wheeloflightstudio.com

Oct. 7: Clay Leaf Dishes, 11 a.m.
Oct. 7: Autumn Luminaries, 1 p.m.
Oct. 14: Fall/Halloween Resin Pendant, 11 a.m.
Oct. 14: Celtic Vortex Chain Maille Pendant, 1 p.m.
Oct. 21: Intro to Hand Building, 11 a.m.
Oct. 18: Macramé Wall Hangings, 6 p.m.
Oct. 28: Scale Maille Earrings, 11 a.m.
Oct. 28: Sweet Pea Chain Maille, 1 p.m.

Wildwood Park
100 Wildwood Way, Harrisburg
717-221-0292; www.explorewildwoodpark.org

Oct. 5: Bird Walk—Fall Migration at Wildwood, 7:30-9:30 a.m.
Oct. 7: Bird House Workshop, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Oct. 13: Walk and Talk with a Mater Gardener, 9:30-10:30 a.m.
Oct. 13: A Night Under the Stars at Detweiler Park, 8-10 p.m.
Oct. 14: Wild Edibles Program, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Oct. 14: Volunteer Work, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Oct. 15, 22: Friends of Wildwood Sycamore Tree Sale, 1-3 p.m.
Oct. 15: Boy Scouts Wolves—Paws on the Path, 1-3:30 p.m.
Oct. 15: Tree Identification Walk, 1:30-3 p.m.
Oct. 21: Pumsucculent Workshop, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Oct. 21: Night at the Nature Center, 5:30-8 p.m.
Oct. 22: Fort Hunter Conservancy Fall Foliage Hike, 1-3 p.m.
Oct. 24: Fall Tree Walk at Detweiler Park, 4:30-6 p.m.
Oct. 28: Wooden Wall Hangings, 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Oct. 28: Penn State Extension Gardeners’ Home Gardening Series—Fall in Love with Fabulous Ferns, 9:30-11 a.m.
Oct. 28: Kids Discover—Spooky Species (ages 5-10), 1-2:30 p.m.

William H. & Marion C. Alexander Family Library
200 W. Second St., Hummelstown
717-566-0949; dcls.org

Oct. 3, 10, 17, 24: Toddler Storytime, 10:15 a.m.
Oct. 3, 10, 17, 24: Tween Dungeons and Dragons, 4:30 p.m.
Oct. 4, 11, 18, 25: Born to Read, 10:15 a.m.
Oct. 5, 12, 19, 26: Preschool Storytime, 10:15 a.m.
Oct. 11: Spanish Language, 6 p.m.
Oct. 18: Robot Round-Up!, 5 p.m.
Oct. 21: Crafternoon, 11 a.m.
Oct. 25: “Hay” Fever, 5 p.m.

Live Music

American Music Theatre
2425 Lincoln Highway East, Lancaster
717-397-7700; amtshows.com

Oct. 5: “Blippi—The Wonderful World Tour”

Appell Center for the Performing Arts
50 N. George St., York
717-846-1111; appellcenter.org

Oct. 1: The Everly Brothers Experience w/the Zmed Brothers
Oct. 5: Pam Tillis
Oct. 6: Jazz in the City
Oct. 7: York Symphony
Oct. 12: Andy Summers of The Police
Oct. 21: York Symphony’s Original “Phantom of the Opera” film with orchestra
Oct. 24: Mary Chapin Carpenter & Shawn Colvin
Oct. 28: Tot Rock

Boneshire Brew Works
7462 Derry St., Harrisburg
717-469-5007; boneshire.com

Oct. 12: Matt Jameson

Carley’s Ristorante and Piano Bar
204 Locust St., Harrisburg
717-909-9191; carleysristorante.com

Oct. 4, 12, 25: Doctor Nyce
Oct. 5, 19, 21: Chris Emkey
Oct. 6, 7, 20: Roy Lefever
Oct. 11, 26: Mathias Cabbell
Oct. 13, 27: Ted Ansel
Oct. 14, 28: Anthony Haubert
Oct. 18: Chris Purcell

Carlisle Theatre
44 West High St., Carlisle
717-258-0666; carlisletheatre.org

Oct. 27: Caligula Blushed—Tribute to The Smiths & Morrissey

Central PA Friends of Jazz
www.friendsofjazz.org

Oct. 15: Benny Benack, III

The Englewood
1219 Research Blvd. Hummelstown
717-256-9480; englewoodhershey.com

Oct. 6: Satisfaction Rolling Stones Tribute Show
Oct. 7: The Linda Ronstadt Experience with Tristan Mcintosh
Oct. 13: Enter the Haggis
Oct. 20: Box of Rain Grateful Dead Tribute
Oct. 22: Alejandro Escovedo
Oct. 24: Julie Fowlis
Oct. 27: Della Mae

Greystone Brew House
303 Golf Club Ave., Dillsburg
717.347.0632; greystonebrewhouse.com

Oct. 3, 10, 17, 24, 31: Kirk Weiss

H*MAC
1110 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-441-7506; harrisburgarts.com

Oct. 5: FEAR with Negative Approach, Mourning Noise
Oct. 6: Mark Farina
Oct. 6: The Taylor Party: Taylor Swift Night
Oct. 7; Smoakland, sfam, Auracle
Oct. 16: Vended
Oct. 20: Cradle Of Filth, DevilDriver, Ill Nino, Black Satellite
Oct. 21: Armor For Sleep
Oct. 25: We Came As Romans, Emmure, Bodysnatcher, Archetypes Collide
Oct. 26: Big Gigantic
Oct. 28: Spilly Cave
Oct. 28: Emo Night—Hallowemo Party

Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra
The Forum at 5th and Walnut St., Harrisburg
717-545-5527; harrisburgsymphony.org

Oct. 7-8: Eldredge Plays Elgar
Oct. 28-29: Louis Armstrong Tribute

Harrisburg University Presents
concertseries.harrisburgu.edu

Oct. 7: JAWNY at XL Live
Oct. 19: Gus Dapperton at XL Live
Oct. 28: Paul Cauthen at XL Live

Hershey Theatre
15 E. Caracas Ave., Hershey
717-534-3405; hersheytheatre.com

Oct. 8: Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse Live in Concert
Oct. 28: “Encanto” Singalong

Hollywood Casino
777 Hollywood Blvd., Grantville
717-469-2211; www.hollywoodpnrc.com

Oct. 6: Cazhmiere
Oct. 7: 7 Bridges The Ultimate Eagles Tribute
Oct. 13: Funktion
Oct 14: Sapphire
Oct. 20: Emily’s ToyBox
Oct. 21: Chorduroy
Oct. 27: Until Sunrise
Oct. 28: JJ Rupp Band

Keystone Concert Band
145 E. Main St., First Floor, Mechanicsburg
717-329-7541; keystoneconcertband.com

Oct. 14: Concert at Linglestown Life UM

Luhrs Performing Arts Center
1871 Old Main Dr., Shippensburg
717-477-7469; luhrscenter.com

Oct. 6: The Concert—A Tribute to ABBA
Oct. 21: The Sixties Show
Oct. 29: Shippensburg University Brass Ensemble

Messiah University
One University Ave., Mechanicsburg
717-766-2511; messiah.edu

Oct. 7: Homecoming Messiah University Concert Choir and Chamber Singers
Oct. 7: Homecoming Messiah University Symphony Orchestra Family Concert and Instrument Petting Zoo
Oct. 7: Homecoming Jazz Ensembles
Oct. 25: Messiah University Symphony Orchestra

Metropolis Collective
17 W. Main St., Mechanicsburg
717-458-8245; metropoliscollective.com

Oct. 7: Bo Deadlys

The Susquehanna Folk Music Society
717-745-6577; sfmsfolk.org

Oct. 24: Julie Fowlis (The Englewood)

West Shore Theatre
317 Bridge St, New Cumberland
717-759-5464; www.westshoretheatre.org

Oct. 5: Ashton Shepherd w/Little Rock
Oct. 10: Harrisburg Jazz Collective
Oct. 13: Get Petty: Celebrating the Music of Tom Petty
Oct. 14: Shea Quinn & the Finnz w/Electric Love
Oct. 15: Sempre Dolce
Oct. 22: “Sinatra: That’s Life” w/Tony Sands

Whitaker Center
222 Market St., Harrisburg
717-214-ARTS; whitakercenter.org

Oct. 15 Steve Hackett Genesis Revisted
Oct. 17: Live

XL Live
801 S. 10th St., Harrisburg
717-409-8975; xlhbg.com

Oct. 2: White Reaper
Oct. 7: Harrisburg University presents JAWNY
Oct. 13: Badfish, The Quasi Kings
Oct. 14: Romeo Delight—A Celebration of the Mighty Van Halen, Leadfoot, Gun Metal Gray
Oct. 19: Harrisburg University presents Gus Dapperton
Oct. 20: Here Come the Mummies, Perpetual Groove
Oct. 27: Bob 94.9 Boo Bash
Oct. 28: Harrisburg University presents Paul Cauthen

The Stage Door

American Music Theatre
2425 Lincoln Highway East, Lancaster
717-397-7700; amtshows.com

Oct. 5: “Blippi—The Wonderful World Tour”

Appell Center for the Performing Arts
50 N. George St., York
717-846-1111; appellcenter.org

Oct. 3 Henry Rollins
Oct. 12: Colin Mochrie & Brad Sherwood
Oct. 13: Chris Harvey, Learnmore Jonasi, GD Fenderson

The Belmont Theatre
27 S. Belmont St., York
717-854-3894; thebelmont.org

Oct. 20-29: “Bloody Jack”

Carlisle Theatre
44 West High St., Carlisle
717-258-0666; carlisletheatre.org

Oct. 13-22: “The Crucible”

Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre
510 Centerville Rd., Lancaster
717-898-1900; DutchApple.com

Oct. 1-Nov. 11: “Escape to Margaritaville”

Gamut Theatre Group
15 N. 4th St., Harrisburg
717-238-4111; gamuttheatre.org

Oct. 7: Popcorn Hat Players presents “The Little Mermaid”
Oct. 7-22: “I Don’t Speak Spanish”
Oct. 21-28: Popcorn Hat Players presents “The Halloween Show”
Oct. 27: TMI Improv

Harrisburg Christian Performing Arts Center
1000 S. Eisenhower Blvd, Middletown
717-939-9333; thehcpac.org

Oct. 13-15: “Rapunzel”

Harrisburg Comedy Zone
110 Limekiln Rd., New Cumberland
717-920-5653; harrisburgcomedyzone.com

Oct. 6, 7: J Bliss
Oct. 13, 14: Mike O’Donnell and Manny Santiago
Oct. 20, 21: Steve Sabo
Oct. 27, 28: Paul Lyons and Vince Valentine

Harrisburg Improv Theatre
1633 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
hbgimprov.com

Oct. 6: Free Improv Jam, Bandito, Rites of Passage, Elderprov, Gingersnaps, REAL Fast Coast Wives of Central PA
Oct. 7: Kid Friendly Mixer, Solo Sleepover, Clown Car, Love Triangle, Euphoria
Oct. 13: Free Improv Jam, 4th Cousins, Naïve Scammers, Is That Beef?, Leg of Lamp
Oct. 14: Free Mixer, This Show Will Self Destruct, Ham Juice, Barbra, Tiny French Cigarettes
Oct. 20: Bondfire Society, TBD, Team Z, Same Each, Original 6, Holy Moly
Oct. 21: Free Mixer, Next Level, Uncomfortable, Rockstar Goes Supernova, Blackest Thing You’ve Done
Oct. 27: Free Improv Jam, 4th Cousins, Naïve Scammers, Is That Beef?, Offbeats
Oct. 28: Free Mixer, Phil’s Arcade, Cosmic Trash, Elderprov

Harrisburg Scottish Rite Theatre
2701 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-238-8868; valleyofharrisburg.org

Oct. 22: “Murder Mystery”

Hershey Theatre
15 E. Caracas Ave., Hershey
717-534-3405; hersheytheatre.com

Oct. 6: Mark Normand
Oct. 7: Game Grumps Live—Tournament of Gamers
Oct. 10-15: “Mean Girls”

Keystone Theatrics
The Playhouse at Allenberry
1559 Boiling Springs Rd., Boiling Springs
717-258-3211; www.keystonetheatrics.com

Oct. 13-29: “Young Frankenstein”

Little Theatre of Mechanicsburg
915 S. York St., Mechanicsburg
717-766-0535; ltmpa.com

Oct. 13-29: “Forever Plaid”

Luhrs Performing Arts Center
1871 Old Main Dr., Shippensburg
717-477-7469; luhrscenter.com

Oct. 26: One Man Star Wars Trilogy

Majestic Theater
25 Carlisle St., Gettysburg
717-337-8200; gettysburgmajestic.org

Oct. 6: Mom Foolery

Messiah University
One University Ave., Mechanicsburg
717-766-2511; messiah.edu

Oct. 5-8: “Who Will Carry the Word?”
Oct. 28-29: “Shoeless Joe”

Open Stage of Harrisburg
223 Walnut St., Harrisburg
717-232-OPEN; openstagehbg.com

Oct. 7-31: “The Exorcist”
Oct. 19-22: “The Masque of the Red Death”
Oct. 26: Court Street Cabaret Halloween Edition

West Shore Theatre
317 Bridge St, New Cumberland
717-759-5464; www.westshoretheatre.org

Oct. 8: Oxymorons improv comedy

Whitaker Center
222 Market St., Harrisburg
717-214-ARTS; whitakercenter.org

Oct. 4-6: “Menopause the Musical 2”

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

The 5th Annual HYP 20 In Their 20’s

September 28, 2023 | by Harrisburg Young Professionals

HYP will host its 5th Annual 20 in their 20s awards ceremony, sponsored by Members 1st Federal Credit Union, on November 8, 2023 at the Hilton Harrisburg. Together we celebrate 20 rising young professionals who are making a significant impact in their communities and workplaces. HYP believes in giving back to your community and supports active minded professionals who contribute to making Central PA a better place to live, work and play.
Tickets are on sale now at HYP.org

Sarah McDanolds is a Senior Marketing Specialist at Deloitte, supporting initiatives in health equity, innovation within health care, and working to design the Future of Health. Originally from Central PA, Sarah stays in the region because she believes it is a wonderful blend of extensive opportunities, strong connections, and a powerful sense of community. Through this award, Sarah hopes to continue to encourage young professionals to grow where they are planted, appreciate the people & communities around them, and to create their own version of what personal and professional fulfillment means to them.

Sara Smith is a Program Office Supervisor at Families United Network where she helps youth navigate the foster care system and find permanent homes. Starting as an undergraduate intern at Families United, Sara pursued her masters degree and returned to Families United because it is where she developed her love of working in foster care. Growing up in nearby Lebanon County, Sara and her husband plan to continue living in Central Pennsylvania, as it offers many opportunities for growth, development, and diversity.

Michael Burgwin is a Financial Planner at UFinancial where he helps change lives through financial preparedness. Michael said, “It is important for me to create change within my community of Harrisburg and the minority community to create equal opportunities and playing field for all ethnicities.” He spends his spare time volunteering for organizations like Young Professionals of Color, Ambassadors Kingdom International Ministries, and through a financial literacy mentorship for at-risk youth.

Abby Traxler interned at The Hershey Company in college and accepted a Customer Finance Analyst position after graduation. She most loves that her work helps support the mission of The Milton Hershey School. Abby is the current Miss Pennsylvania Volunteer, and spends her time volunteering at many nonprofits, her favorite of which is The Jared Box Project.

Molly Thate is a Research Project Manager at Penn State College of Medicine where she works to support critical research endeavors. Molly said that “being part of an institution that drives groundbreaking discoveries and advances in healthcare is incredibly rewarding”. She spends her time volunteering for nonprofit organizations like Girls on the Run, Junior Achievement, and Habitat for Humanity because they all share a common goal of creating a safe and welcoming space for individuals while helping them build a strong foundation.

Austin Cheers is a Senior Accountant at Miller Dixon Drake, PC. As an accountant who works mainly with nonprofits, Austin enjoys helping his clients succeed by understanding their financial story and how to align it to best fulfill their mission. Austin serves as the volunteer Treasurer for Friends of Midtown, a nonprofit focused on economic and cultural development in the Midtown neighborhood, and Gather the Spirit for Justice, a community empowerment center in Allison Hill, helping to make him an informed citizen and better understand our city as a whole.

William Dean Carver is an Associate and Finance Analyst at 2R Consulting Group. He also founded a nonprofit Christian clothing brand, Grace Alliance, to bring awareness to Mental Health issues. Originally from North Carolina, Dean planted roots in PA because of the close-knit community and strong friendships he made while attending college in the Harrisburg Region.

Allison Dobstetter is a Sr. Associate Brand Manager at The Hershey Company where she gets to work on iconic brands that we know and love. Originally from New Jersey, Allison decided to plant roots in Central PA after attending York College and became a homeowner in 2022! She volunteers her time on the marketing committee for the Central PA chapter of the American Marketing Association and is a part of the alumni board for York College of Pennsylvania.

Christopher A. Zyroll is the Assistant Executive Director at Historic Harrisburg Association where he is able to help showcase and preserve Harrisburg’s historic neighborhoods and landmarks for future generations to have and enjoy. Born and raised in Harrisburg, Christopher loves that Harrisburg is centrally located to anywhere you want to visit, but couldn’t imagine calling anywhere else home! He serves on the Board of the Downtown Mechanicsburg Partnership and Alder Health Services.

Kim Klima is a Senior Strategic Planning Analyst at Penn State Health where she helps determine the healthcare needs of the Harrisburg region and ensure Penn State Health is equipped to meet those needs in the long term. Originally from State College, Kim has grown to love Harrisburg because of the community and friendships she’s made here. She is motivated by long-distance runner Eliud Kipchoge whose moto motto is, “No Human is Limited”, a phrase she frequently reminds herself of.

Anthony Tellez is an Investment Assistant at The Pennsylvania Treasury Bureau of Cash Management & Investment where he recently received a 5-year milestone recognition from State Treasurer, Stacy Garrity. Tony’s time volunteering as one of HYP’s Economic Development Co-Chairs has helped him connect with other service-minded peers. He is inspired by his parents who have taught him about dedication, kindness, and the importance of working hard.

Samuel Freeburn is a Branch Manager at Members 1st Federal Credit Union where he has the opportunity to partner with businesses, nonprofits, and individuals within the community. He is a recent graduate of Members 1st Leadership Development Program and The Foundation for Enhancing Community’s Emerging Philanthropists Program. He continues to be involved with TFEC by volunteering for Hoopla Harrisburg. Sam also volunteers at The United Way and as a Coach through Team Pennsylvania AAU Basketball.

Precious Martin is a Harrisburg native and has a passion for giving back to her community. She volunteers for Experience Camps for Grieving Children, PA Dream House, and MLK Day 365. As a former professional athlete, Precious began volunteering on her off seasons, and when the time came to hang up her jersey, she knew she wanted to be involved in the Harrisburg community and sought out roles that would give me those opportunities to learn and grow.

Christina Muchmore is a Solution Analyst at Deloitte Consulting. She moved to Harrisburg after graduating college and chose to stay for the strong community she’s created and the fun local food finds. As the youngest of her family, Christina loves being a mentor in the Big Brothers Big Sisters Beyond School Walls program where she can help high school students with their interview skills, applications, and college readiness just like her older sister helped her.

Lance S Parthemore is the Co-Founder and Business Development Lead of Triton Sensors, the industry leader in vape detection helping make schools a healthier, safer place by empowering administrators to restrict vaping – which he and his brother founded in high school! Lance loves that he gets to see the impact his work and products have on young lives every day. Born and raised in New Cumberland, Lance is currently a student at Gettysburg College.

Matthew David Turner is an Emergency Medicine Resident at The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Earlier this year Matthew received the Army Commendation Medal for his work as a Class Representative and researcher at Madigan Army Medical Center in Washington State, where he also earned the rank of Captain in the US Army. He is inspired by his parents, who both served in military medicine. Michael volunteers with the American Red Cross, Best Buddies International, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and the Downtown Hershey Association.

Vishnu Patel is a Commercial Loan Officer at Pennian Bank. This year, Vishnu graduated from PA Bankers School of Commercial Lending as well as Leadership Harrisburg Area where he received the class seat on the Board of Directors and was selected as Class Speaker. He also volunteers for the United Way as a Steering Committee Member for the Bridges Society Affinity Group. When asked what his nomination means to him, Vishnu shared “This nomination means a ton to me as it comes during my final year in my 20s. It is an accolade that makes me feel pride as it feels like all of the work and hardship I’ve gone through the past decade has been acknowledged and codified in a single award”.

Brianna Campbell is the owner of Brianna Campbell Coaching & Consulting. She also sits on the board of two nonprofits, YWCA and EncounteredHeart Ministries International, and serves on the leadership team of Life Center Young Adults. Whether it’s through meeting basic needs, providing spaces to explore the arts, or fostering opportunities for deeper relationships and spiritual formation – these nonprofits touch on areas that Brianna holds near and dear to her heart. A graduate of Cornell University, Brianna is happy to be planting roots in her hometown of Harrisburg.

Piri Pantoja Jr. is a Correspondence Specialist for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. His favorite thing about the work he does is getting to hear from Pennsylvanians daily about how to make government work for the people. Piri is not originally from the Harrisburg region but began planting roots in Central PA earlier this year when he accepted a position working in the Shapiro administration. Piri says “it is easy to tire out when navigating a career in politics but knowing that I am helping to create a better place for young people like my two goddaughters motivates me to carry on every day.”

Elizabeth Russoli is an Associate at GSL Public Affairs and Communications where she is able to help advocate for various organizations and make sure their voice and concerns are heard. Born and raised in Central PA, Liz has no plans of leaving. She volunteers her time at LPGA- USGA Girls Golf and as a Harrisburg Young Professionals’ City Living Committee Co-Chair.

THANK YOU TO OUR COMMUNITY SPONSORS!
UPMC
Deloitte
Hilton Harrisburg
Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC
Pursuit Coworking
Miller Dixon Drake, PC

Photos by Source Creative House

Teachers’ Aides: CISPA wraps schools, students in blanket of support

September 28, 2023 | by Deborah Lynch

A kaleidoscope of butterflies cascaded across the wall of the Susquehanna Township Middle School, alighting to form the word “HOPE.” The paper butterflies shared experiences of grief as well as messages of hope.

Children in each classroom penned a message on their butterflies in a campaign organized by the Communities in Schools site director, who used the Highmark Caring Place symbol to address children’s grief following the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was so touching,” Central PA Program Director Angelica DeSantiago said. “It was for anybody to see, saying, ‘Hey, I’m here for you.’ ”

This is just one of many schoolwide projects that Communities in Schools conducts in its member schools. Others include art and history projects, teacher appreciation activities, open gym events, movies, bingo, escape boxes, ice cream Fridays, anti-bullying Unity Day and many more.

Site coordinators organize most of these events, but some are suggested by and even run by students.

Charles Stevens, the site coordinator at Central Dauphin East Middle School, specifically noted a soccer game suggested by a student who struggled socially.

“We had 70 kids sign up, and he became the superstar of the game,” Stevens said. “He became the team captain, and scored a goal at the end.”

Gap Filler

The most difficult thing for any project, organization or group can be identifying the final piece of a puzzle that makes it complete.

When it comes to education, Communities in Schools, a nationwide organization, exists to complete a framework of care for school students. It is the gap-filler. The nonprofit has affiliates in 26 states, including Pennsylvania, with the statewide and central PA office located in Harrisburg.

Locally, CISPA has assisted in Susquehanna Township’s elementary and middle schools for the past few years and recently expanded into the high school. In the Central Dauphin School District, CISPA works at Swatara Middle School, CD East Middle School and CD East High School.

CISPA site coordinators have offices in the schools they serve, but they are not school staff, counselors or social workers. Instead, they are the bridge between teachers and other school staff. This might include hosting lunches for displaced students, holding schoolwide anti-bullying events, providing much-needed school supplies or hygiene products or creating safe spaces.

Each CISPA site coordinator also takes on a one-on-one caseload of about 10% of the school’s population, meeting regularly to help with everything from attendance issues to fitting in to issues at home. They may provide help to parents, as well.

Susquehanna Township Superintendent Dr. Tamara Willis had worked with CIS in her previous schools in York and Steelton. So, it was an easy decision to invite them into Susquehanna Township, where she noted that the population is diverse not only by ethnicity, but also by socioeconomic status.

“Our families have a variety of needs,” she said.

Support Network

CISPA supports students through a three-tiered framework.

Tier 1 offers schoolwide support through community-building events. Tier 2 provides support to smaller groups of students who share a common need. Tier 3 offers individual attention for students who require one-on-one help.

Full-time site coordinators are available year-round throughout the school day and often before and after.

“Our purpose is to integrate into the school building and remove non-academic barriers— the things that prevent students from showing up to school ready to learn,” said Jessica Knapp, president and state director for CIS of Pennsylvania.

These barriers might include physical health, mental health, behavior, attendance, homelessness, hunger and other issues.

At Susquehanna Township Middle School, a Nepali student with limited English was connected with the CISPA coordinator in what became a Tier 2 program. Over time, other Nepali students joined the conversation, asking if they also could have lunch with the site coordinator, DeSantiago.

As a result, a “lunch bunch” was born to offer a safe space for students who were not only new to the school but new to the country. Students shared food, catching the interest of other students who passed by and asked to join, too.

“They could connect, and they formed their own little network in the middle school that they wouldn’t have had without that coordinator,” Willis noted. “Having that dedicated person who’s there to say, ‘Hey, how are you doing?’ and to check in with students. It really allowed them to connect and create friendships that they otherwise would not have had.”

That boost, Willis noted, gave the girls the confidence to become leaders for other building-wide events, turning the girls who needed support into those offering the support.

Partnerships

School districts pay CISPA to have site coordinators. At Susquehanna Township, the Hanna Foundation funded the first coordinator by soliciting private grants and donations and by working with CISPA to find and apply for other grants. Over time, the district has absorbed the cost.

“We work with school districts to figure out how to cover the costs,” Knapp said.

Money comes from many sources, including COVID relief dollars, state Title 1 and Title 4 funds, 21st Century Community Learning grants, and fundraising with the help of CIS staff. CIS, for instance, received a four-year grant to support rural work in Cambria County. It also partners with United Way affiliates, such as the United Way of Lebanon County, which funded the program in Lebanon schools for the first three years.

Locally, CISPA has secured funding from many businesses and organizations, including UPMC Pinnacle Foundation, McCormick Foundation, Big Lots Foundation, Hershey Company, Walmart, Kunkel Foundation, P&C Foundation, Stabler Foundation, AT&T, PP&L and others.

CISPA also supports teachers.

For instance, Rebeca Chlebnikow, then site director at Sarah Lindemuth Elementary School in Susquehanna Township (she’s now central PA program manager), organized a monthlong teacher appreciation that included going into classrooms to give teachers breaks and student reflections on their relationships with teachers.

“In today’s society, we expect so much of the teachers,” DeSantiago said. “Class sizes are doubled, behaviors are going up. We can be that neutral party and still bring everybody together.”

Jenn Braun, site coordinator at Thomas Holtzman Elementary School in Susquehanna Township, agrees.

“I just think it’s the coolest organization because we’re just touching so many kids,” she said. “I have kids I call my adopted kids because they aren’t on my caseload. They come and tell me what’s going on. It speaks volumes of the work I’m able to do. I can reach not just a select group of kids, but the whole school.”

Communities in Schools PA is located at 234 State St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.cisofpa.org.

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2 Years, “Thriving Together”: Congregations complete racial justice program; assess lessons, paths forward

September 28, 2023 | by Susan Ryder

Rev. Kristopher Sledge, Dr. Rodney Smalls, Kara Patrick, Brian Smith and Dr. Drew Hart.

“No one wanted it to end,” said Drew Hart, Messiah University professor, author and program co-director.

The “it” was Messiah University’s “Thriving Together,” a two-year journey of racial justice education and learning, embarked upon by 12 local churches.

Each congregation brought three participants, one of whom had to be a ministry staff member or pastor.

“What we wanted to see were churches who at least had some backing from the leadership,” said Brian Smith, program co-director and chair of Biblical and religious studies at Messiah University. “A pastor or associate pastor who believes that this is important enough work to invest in, and bring some lay folks along who are committed to it.”

And they were committed.

They read books by noted theologian Jemar Tisby, professor and historian Henry Louis Gates Jr., and Hart. They traveled locally to sites that hold restricted deeds and covenants, documents that restricted the sale of the property to whites only. They watched documentaries about iconic events within the civil rights movement and climbed onto a tour bus and visited these places, often talking to those directly affected by these events. These included a woman beaten as a teenager on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., and the sister of one of the young girls killed at the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Ala.

“The violence that took place was eye-opening because the news clips only showed what happened on the bridge,” said Dr. Rodney Smalls, pastor of Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church in Harrisburg. “The beatings continued all night long, into even the churches.”

One woman explained how her sister had blocked out the beating until years later when she saw herself on the news, causing all the memories to flood back.

The civil rights tour galvanized the group, as they traveled and ate together for six days.

“There were some really deep bonds,” said Rev. Kris Sledge, lead pastor of the Journey Church in Harrisburg. “I could just sense that people were really eager to learn. And so there was this trust that was built.”

And trust did have to be built. Bringing people from diverse denominations, ages, races and life experiences doesn’t immediately lend itself to gut-level discussion. Smalls described that some participants weren’t convinced at first that folks were “going to go as in depth as we needed to go.” Initially, the conversations did stay at surface level, but built over time.

This required some significant personal reflection.

“It was very much an opportunity for each person and congregation to deeply reflect upon their own bias or their own privilege, the way in which they participate either actively or even casually in a racialized world we live in,” Sledge said.

Honest Dialogue

The group first learned what a racialized society looks like and how it impacts everyone. Black, brown and white people are all affected by this environment.

“Whether you’re Black or white, all of us participated in the racial divide itself,” Smalls said. “So, all of us have a hand in it. Whether it was because of oppression but also how we react as a result of oppression.”

Learning these hard facts wasn’t easy, but through this intentional, trusting environment people were able to humble themselves, be uncomfortable, and show grace.

A few interviewees described an older man in the group who acknowledged, “I just didn’t know” (about the systemic racism of redlining, restricted deeds, etc.). At first, some Black participants responded with, “How could you not know?”

“But then you can understand that—when you’re so insulated and what you know has always been,” Smalls said. “How are you going to know unless there’s an honest dialogue? And that’s why I love what happened here, and honest dialogue was able to happen.”

Embracing other people’s perspectives poses a challenge for folks who are accustomed to having their perspective at center stage, with no real need to understand coexisting realities.

“Folks in the majority—white folks in this situation—typically have a harder time listening to the experiences of others and then accepting them as reality without moving first defensively,” Smith said. “So, it is a challenge to hear some things that don’t sit with your experience of reality.”

Leaders now feel empowered to take these difficult discussions back to their congregations.

“The biggest thing I think I learned was how to even lead this conversation,” Sledge said. “This is a helpful framing for even how to talk about race.”

These conversations aren’t comfortable, but that’s all the more reason to have them.

“I need to keep doing things that are uncomfortable, because if I stop doing things that are uncomfortable, then I’m not doing anything,” said Kara McKinney, a member of Grantham Brethren in Christ Church.

This experience was not meant to be exclusively academic. Participants were offered grants to create programs in their churches that work toward justice. Congregations are creating racial justice initiatives and commissions within their churches. Others have begun studies around racial justice to bring members along on the journey they’ve been on.

“I do think that the more we learn, and the more we’re educated, the deeper we get, and it becomes more real, and we want to do more action,” McKinney said.

Smalls’ church, Macedonia Missionary Baptist, held a 2023 Good Friday service including seven of the churches involved in the cohort.

“The church was packed,” Smalls said. “And the choir was incredible.”

Hart hopes that congregational action will include active participation in anti-systemic racism work even as it appears to take sides, or be political.

“Jesus took sides with the vulnerable, the least and the last,” Hart said. “They also really should get out into the public square and take sides, and it doesn’t matter what political party.”

A new cohort of Thriving Together began in September. Likely this group will have the same educational, life-changing experience that the last cohort had.

“It can’t stop there,” Smalls said.

For more information on Thriving Together, visit www.messiah.edu/thrivingtogether.

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October News Digest

September 28, 2023 | by Lawrance Binda and Maddie Gittens

Youth Curfew Enforced

The Harrisburg Police Bureau has pledged to strengthen enforcement of a longstanding curfew for youth in the city.

Last month, the city announced that it would reinforce a 2007 ordinance that mandates a curfew for people until 18 years of age.

“We need to do a better job by our kids. This ordinance is to benefit them,” said Mayor Wanda Williams. “There is no reason why children should be out at night, disrupting neighborhoods and getting involved in fights.”

Over the years, enforcement of the curfew has fluctuated considerably.

The “after hours” curfew states that youth under the age of 18 may not be in a public place between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. from Sunday through Thursday nights, and 12 a.m. midnight and 6 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Curfew regulations will not apply to youth attending an event, like a concert, school or religious function, or game, according to the city. It will also not affect people coming home from work or traveling through the city.

Harrisburg Police officers will pick up any youth caught violating the ordinance and return them to their home or place of residence, at which point they will only be released to a parent, guardian or responsible adult, the city stated.

If someone is picked up who does not live in Harrisburg, they will be held at the Public Safety Building, located at 123 Walnut St., until a parent, guardian or responsible adult arrives to pick them up, according to the city.

“We plan on having additional enforcement details downtown during these times,” said police Commissioner Thomas Carter. “The goal is not to be the bad guy here. We just want our kids to be safe.”

Development Projects to Proceed

A plan to construct an apartment building on N. Front Street in Harrisburg is permitted to move forward.

A land development plan for the 2700-block of N. Front St. was automatically approved by Harrisburg City Council, after the deadline to vote on the apartment project expired in mid-September.

The project, proposed by New Jersey-based EI Realty, includes demolishing two office buildings on the property and constructing a 21-unit, modern-style apartment building.

In May, council voted 5-2 against the proposal, with several members voicing concern with the project’s lack of affordable housing. However, a week later, council approved a motion to reconsider the proposal, which essentially erased the previous vote.

Council members then took no further action on the plan, so the project was deemed approved.

The building plan consists of two-bedroom and one-bedroom units located at 2709 and 2717 N. Front St., according to Adam Kerr, vice president of the Harrisburg-based architect EI Associates, an entity affiliated with the developer. The units will rent at market rate.

Also last month, council has approved a land use plan for a new gas station and convenience store near the city line, allowing that project to proceed.

Council voted unanimously to approve the land development plan for the project, located on the 1900-block of Herr Street.

Nirmal Singh Gill and Mohinder Kaur Gill with Mechanicsburg-based M&N, Inc., plan to build a 2,400-square-foot convenience store, with four gas pumps, on the site that housed a diner and a smaller convenience store.

Council members discussed the project during a previous work session, asking specifically about security and safety improvements in the area.

Nirmal’s daughter and partner on the project, Aman Gill, has said that the new convenience store would also offer hot food and beer, with indoor seating. They are considering keeping it open 24 hours, as well.

Aman previously told TheBurg that someone had purchased the diner, which last operated as Harry’s Bistro and, before that, the American Dream Diner.

Homes Sales Slower, Prices Up

The Harrisburg area’s housing market cooled a bit in August, but prices remained robust, according to the most recent report on previously owned homes.

For the three-county region, 604 houses sold compared to 734 houses in August 2022, as the median sales price jumped to $284,298 versus $260,000 a year ago, according to the Greater Harrisburg Association of Realtors (GHAR).

In Dauphin County, 299 homes sold in August versus 341 in the year-ago period, as the median price rose to $255,000 from $230,000 last year, said GHAR.

Cumberland County had 279 home sales compared to 358 the prior August, while the median sales price increased slightly to $308,000 from $300,000, GHAR stated.

In Perry County, sales totaled 25 homes, a drop from 38 the previous August, as the median price rose to $242,000 from $202,450 a year ago, according to GHAR.

In August, sales were somewhat slower than the prior year, as “average days on market” increased to 19 days, an increase of five days, over August 2022, said GHAR.

So Noted

Amanda Arbour plans to step down after a six-year tenure as executive director of the LGBT Center of Central PA, the center announced last month. Arbour expects to stay until year-end while the center undertakes a search for a new director.

Burke Noel has been named president of the PA Media Group, succeeding Cate Barron, who retired in June. Noel joined PennLive in 2015 as sports manager and most recently served as vice president of content.

Col. Tim Brooks was hired last month as the new regional security officer for the Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg and the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley. In this role, he will work to increase safety and security for all who participate in synagogues, day schools, camps, service organizations and other centers of Jewish life across these regions.

Dr. Cameron J. McCoy last month was named as the next provost of Harrisburg University of Science and Technology. In this position, he will play a lead role in shaping academic programs, fostering interdisciplinary initiatives, and promoting research endeavors, according to HU.

Harrisburg last month was named one of the “15 happiest places to live” in the United States, according to the national publication, Outside Magazine. The city ranked highly for affordability, diversity, walkability and easy access to parks and outdoors amenities.

Harrisburg University last month officially opened its new academic building at S. 3rd and Chestnut streets in downtown Harrisburg. The 11-story, $100 million building, officially called the UPMC Health Sciences Tower at Harrisburg University, houses healthcare programs, advanced manufacturing programs and the UPMC Shadyside School of Nursing.

Heather Woodbridge last month was named vice president of operations for Whitaker Center in downtown Harrisburg. Woodbridge has previously served for about 20 years in teaching and leadership positions in public and private education, according to Whitaker Center.

Kim St. Clair last month was appointed program supervisor for Dauphin County Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program. St. Clair, of Harrisburg, has served for two years as a volunteer for CASA, which represents the best interests of a foster child or sibling group in court.

Martin Communications last month announced its national certification as a Women’s Business Enterprise. This designation by the Women’s Business Enterprise Council entails thorough business evaluations and site assessments, validating the women-led foundation of a business. Barb Martin is president of the Shiremanstown, Pa.-based marketing and advertising agency.

Nonna Ilva Authentic Italian is opening this month inside H*MAC, the sprawling music and arts venue at 1110 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg. Nonna Ilva, which had operated inside the Broad Street Market until the July fire in the brick building, offers authentic Italian pizza, appetizers and desserts.

Real Elite Buffet cut the ribbon last month on their location at 15 N. 3rd St. in downtown Harrisburg, part of Strawberry Square. Owner Talond Luckette specializes in slow-cooked meats, offering both lunch and dinner, Sunday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The Foundation for Enhancing Communities (TFEC) has received reaccreditation with the Community Foundations National Standards, which establishes legal, ethical and effective practices for community foundations. The program requires foundations to document their policies for donor services, investments, grant-making and administration and is designed to provide quality assurance to donors and their legal and financial advisors, according to TFEC.

Voting locations for three Dauphin County wards are changing. According to the county, Harrisburg’s 11th ward now will vote at Tri-County OIC at 500 Maclay St.; Harrisburg’s 13th ward will vote at the Salvation Army, 506 S. 29th St.; and Susquehanna Township’s 3rd Ward will vote at the Solid Rock Missionary Baptist Church at 2400 Locust Lane.

Changing Hands

Boas St., 108: N. Wambach to J. Hoffer, $188,000

Benton St., 700: SPG Capital LLC to C. Woods, $91,250

Benton St., 711: M. Lugo to M. Espinoza, $55,000

Berryhill St., 2030: T. Awan to Two Three Two Investments LLC, $65,000

Berryhill St., 2350: A. & A. Adelanwa to H. Alcantara, $90,000

Camp St., 563: Elite Property Rentals LLC to R. Lane, $90,000

Catherine St., 1505: D. & L. Baylor to S. Samuel, $98,000

Crescent St., 247: Truist Bank to Saintelia Properties II LLC, $55,000

Crescent St., 304: Lancaster Real Estate Fund LLC to J. & D. Negron, $45,000

Derry St., 1536: J. Shaulis to J. Diaz, $49,000

Derry St., 1538: P. Watson to Integrity First Home Buyers LLC, $68,117

Elm St., 1724: S. Pichardo to L. Garcia, $60,000

Forster St., 1926: S. & J. Hirota to T. Chan, $125,000

Emerald St., 405: P. Dobson to M. Pena, $62,000

Fulton St., 1715: R. Mills to N. Patel, $176,000

Fulton St., 1718: D. Ruscito to M. Russo, $154,900

Fulton St., 1729: M. Gleason to J. Seibert, $222,000

Greenwood St., 2010 & 633, 635 & 639 S. 20th St.: W. Grace to 2010 Greenwood LLC, $950,000

Harris Terr., 2443: J. Spearman to C. Khuc & N. Truong, $125,000

Herr St., 222: R. Batley & S. Bradley to S. Evans & M. Rife, $158,000

Holly St., 1850: W. Hunter to CAS Management LLC, $42,500

Hummel St., 337: Z. Gonzalez to A. Santos, $90,000

Jefferson St., 2211: H. & T. Wilson to VRAM Homes LLC, $58,000

Jefferson St., 2306: Stevenson’s Properties LLC to Bloom Home Care LLC, $47,000

Jefferson St., 2310: Stevenson’s Properties LLC to Newkirk Brothers Corp., $40,000

Jefferson St., 2333: D&F Realty Holdings LP to W. Jimenez, $54,000

Jefferson St., 2643: Faraone Properties LLC to H. Toohey, $129,000

Kensington St., 2262: Faraone Properties LLC to V. Hardman, $127,000

Kensington St., 2439: A. Dellmuth to T. Burrell, $110,000

Lexington St., 2638: H. Patton to A. Mehta, $79,000

Lexington St., 2622: SPG Capital to M. Motley, $165,000

Liberty St., 1412: D. Boyle to J. Espaillat, $55,225

Liberty St., 1422: B. Orellana to G. Paredes, $134,000

Logan St., 1933½: Lorfax 1 LLC & MAP T LLC to Figueroa Enterprises LLC, $81,000

Logan St., 2151: T. Liang & M. Morales to G&W Rentals LLC, $66,000

Logan St., 2212: A. Stevens & M. Pippins to Central Maryland Home Ventures LLC, $80,000

Luce St., 2326: C. & S. Paul to PACC Homes & Development LLC, $75,000

Market St., 1624: TRYB Investments LLC to K. & Y. Sanchez, $181,990

Mulberry St., 2004: Z. Roudi & M. Maniari to R. & S. Buxton, $210,000

N. 2nd St., 1313: 1313 Real Estate Holdings LLC to Huff NC Homes LLC, $275,000

N. 2nd St., 1517: N. Shamatutu & K. Kelly to M. Holliday, $290,000

N. 2nd St., 2711: N. Corado to A. & B. Marino, $308,000

N. 2nd St., 2842: T. Cook to Grentals LLC, $90,000

N. 2nd St., 3027: J. Weir to D. Vreeland, $159,000

N. 2nd St., 3201: J. Crossett & M. Hochstetler to V. Espeland, $155,000

N. 3rd St., 3026: R. Daniels to A. Schwoyer, $207,500

N. 5th St., 3015: E. Stoute to A. Orellana, $308,000

N. 5th St., 3202: C. Anaya & M. Cardona to A. Benny, $200,000

N. 6th St., 1716, 1718 & 1720: F. & W. Jordan to 3N Consulting Services LLC, $170,000

N. 6th St., 2722: S. Morton & R. Bushner to E. Paulino & Y. Castro, $125,000

N. 16th St., 617: H. & C. Le to V. Robinson, $184,000

N. 16th St., 921: PA Deals LLC to R. Martinez, $190,000

N. 17th St., 119: Trust Circle LLC to Penn Properties Associates LLC, $55,000

N. 17th St., 700: Bethany African Methodist Episcopal Church to J. Andia, $110,000

N. 17th St., 709: JAF Group LLC to Rosaruth Properties LLC, $72,000

N. 19th St., 1001: K. Somasundaram to Ray Keystone LLC, $149,500

Park St., 1627: N. Santiago to RC Realty & Investments LLC, $47,500

Paxton St., 1500: Paxton Street Properties LLC, Property Management Inc. & D. Schankweiler to 1500 Paxton LP, $2,225,000

Penn St., 1911: Pennsylvania State Employees Credit Union to D. & M. Witwer, $110,000

Penn St., 1931: Z. Ashley & A. Garman to J. Kavel, $193,000

Penn St., 2221: J. & S. Compton to G&W Rentals LLC, $110,000

Penn St., 2318: R. Stamm to NA Capital Group LLC, $59,494

Pine St., 224: PSREU LLC to Rowenachamkin LLC, $295,000

Prince St., 711: M. & N. Epler to TD Dwellings LLC, $102,500

Randolph St., 1511: T. Hardison to Culcay Remodeling & Guagua Remodeling LLC, $68,000

Rudy Rd., 2213: P. & D. Michaels to M. Bowman, $290,000

Rumson Dr., 381: PA Deals LLC to B. Harris, $140,000

South St., 113: M. & N. Hylind to T. Chandler & D. Jackson $135,000

S. 13th St., 1265: M. Herasme to M. Wells & A. Kester, $120,000

S. 13th St., 1435: D. & C. Butler to J. Charles, $95,000

S. 14th St., 345: E. Ruiz to E. de Ruiz, $120,000

S. 26th St., 803: D. McGinley to Mountain Climb Partners LLC, $365,000

S. Cameron Terr., 1505: X. Santiago to A. Abreham, $83,000

S. Summit St., 161: HLI Properties PA LLC to F. Salcedo, $77,000

State St., 133: WCI Partners LP to A. Hartzler, $260,000

State St., 1512: R&K Realty Group LP to E. Rivera, $45,000

State St., 1827: D. & S. Kinder to D. Boyle, $65,000

Susquehanna St., 2024: Pennsylvania State Employees Credit Union to R&J Property & Home Investors LLC, $61,000

Swatara St., 2319: C. McDannell to BDS Property Group LLC, $130,000

Sylvan Terr., 121: A. Jaiyesimi to MAT Holdings LLC, $95,012

Thompson St., 1619: J. Montgomery to Family Work Inc., $58,700

Verbeke St., 126: Wright Restoration Properties LLC to R. Oshea, $230,150

Vernon St., 1409: Greenbrook Enterprise LLC to Vernon St. Apartments LLC, $201,000

Vernon St., 1417: Greenbrook Enterprises LLC to Vernon St. Apartments LLC, $154,000

Vernon St., 1419: Greenbrook Enterprises LLC to Vernon St. Apartments LLC, $137,000

Vine St., 121: P. & J. Klemunes to I. Butt, $148,000

Walnut St., 1215: J. & M. Johnson to M. Lester, $150,000

Wiconisco St., 611 & 2641 Agate St.: Thanos Ventures Limited to Sangria Property Development LLC, $300,000

Woodbine St., 342: H. Wilson to Balaci Properties LLC, $90,500

Woodbine St., 638: YMCA Harrisburg Cornerstone Initiative LLC to J. Parker, $150,000

Woodbine St., 640: YMCA Harrisburg Cornerstone Initiative LLC to T. Roland, $157,000

Harrisburg property sales, August 2023, greater than $40,000. Source: Dauphin County. Data is assumed to be accurate.

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Generations of Libations: Family-run Westy’s celebrates 75 years selling suds

September 28, 2023 | by Dan Miller

James Yaple Jr.

June Yaple was a pioneer, a woman and mother who gave up her career to fulfill her husband’s dream.

In October 1948, June left behind managing her own beautician’s shop so that James Yaple Sr. could open a beer distributorship—today, Westy’s Beer Distributor on St. Johns Church Road in Hampden Township.

James had worked in the beer business since 1933, driving for an east shore distributor after graduating from William Penn High School.

He wanted to open his own distributor on the west shore, a market that Yaple saw as underserved. But in the heavily regulated alcohol business in Pennsylvania, he couldn’t work for one distributor and open his own.

The license application to the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board would have to be in June’s name.

Just a few months before, President Harry S. Truman had signed an order mandating the end of bias against African Americans in the military and in federal jobs. But a woman entering the beer business? That was practically unheard of.

Yet that’s what June did. She and James closed the beauty shop to dedicate themselves to their new venture. A few years later, James quit the other distributorship, launching a partnership with June lasting 41 years.

At first, they named their business West Shore Home Distributor, run out of a garage. However, there was another distributor in New Cumberland called West Shore Beverage.

Customers would call and get them mixed up. So, the guy who lettered James Sr.’s beer truck came up with a grinning cowboy wearing a 10-gallon hat and holding a rope as a logo. Thus was born Westy’s Beer Distributor.

A Legacy

The Yaples had one child, James Yaple Jr., who was 7 when his parents opened Westy’s. He grew up in the family business.

“[Dad] would come home from work, I would come home from school, and I would load the truck for him to go out on delivery after 6 o’clock at night,” said James Jr., now 82. “He’d be done by 8, 9, 10 o’clock at night, and I’d come home from school the next day, and I’d load the truck for him to go out and deliver again.”

James Jr. had other jobs after graduating from Cumberland Valley High School in 1960, including serving in the Air Force and in the Pennsylvania Air National Guard from 1963 to 1969. He became a Westy’s partner in 1978.

James Yaple Sr. died in 1991, but June kept coming in every day, as she had since 1948.

“I drove trucks. I unloaded trucks. I took care of the office. I took care of practically everything,” June told a reporter in 1988.

“She worked here every day until she was 101,” said James Jr., who has been running Westy’s as president since 1984.

When June could no longer drive, her son picked her up between 6 and 6:30 a.m. every day to take her to work.

As the company marks 75 years in October, James Jr. continues a legacy of generations of family customers coming to Westy’s for their beer. Many have fond memories of June, including Nancy Lay, a Westy’s customer since the early 1990s.

“She was the sweetest lady in the world,” said Lay, who recalls trading recipes with June.

June died in 2021 at age 103, but Lay still drives in from Susquehanna Township to get her beer at Westy’s. The large selection and the staff’s product knowledge keep her coming back, she said.

Ups & Downs

Harry Fetrow has been shopping at Westy’s since the 1960s, when the distributor was still in Shiremanstown.

In December 1967, James Jr. moved Westy’s into its present, 7,200-square-foot location on St. Johns Church Road. Yaple has added two warehouses, bringing the total to just over 15,000 square feet.

Fetrow knows what it’s like to run a small local business. He owned a hardware store in Shiremanstown.

“Family-run businesses are dropping like flies,” he said. “With Jim’s competition and with beer being sold everywhere, it’s a great achievement for him to still be in business and still prospering.”

The beer business in Pennsylvania has undergone dramatic changes in recent years due to new laws and regulations opening up the alcohol market.

Among the biggest was Act 39 approved in 2016, allowing beer sales at grocery and convenience stores.

The law limits how much beer grocery and convenience stores can sell in a single sale. But distributors like Westy’s can sell anything from a single through 100 cases, Yaple said.

If you buy beer at a grocery or convenience store, chances are you’re still supporting Westy’s. The company supplies beer to grocery and convenience stores and other licensees like hotels and restaurants from Maryland through State College and from Fulton County through Lebanon and Lancaster.

Westy’s has grown from about 55 beer brands in 1948 to nearly 1,200 now, buoyed by the explosion in craft beer and microbreweries.

Yaple will stay on as long as his health holds up. When it’s time to turn Westy’s over, he’s confident the business will thrive.

“We’ve been in business 75 years,” he said. “We’ve seen the ups and downs. You might stay down two or three years, but the ups always come back.”

Westy’s Beer Distributor is located at 420 St. Johns Church Rd., Camp Hill (Hampden Township). For more information, visit their Facebook and Instagram pages.

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Get Your Fall On: Pick pumpkins, drink beer, get lost in a maze in central PA this autumn

September 28, 2023 | by Maddie Gittens

Mt. Airy Orchard

With October comes all things fall, at least for me it does.

As the weather cools, I hang up my “Boo Ya’ll” ghost-shaped door sign, light a pumpkin-scented candle and pull my cozy sweaters out of storage. I’m sad to see summer go and hate to see winter coming, but, boy, do I love what’s in between.

The time has come to break out that flannel shirt and prepare for full mugs of apple cider and pumpkin spice lattes. Hayrides, corn mazes, apple picking, beer drinking, the Harrisburg area has it all, and I’ve personally participated in many of the area’s autumn offerings.

For a one-stop fall shop, drive the winding road down to Mt. Airy Orchards in Dillsburg, a 25-minute drive from Harrisburg. Once you see the apple trees, you’ll know you’re in the right place.

And while cell service may be spotty when you get there, Karen Paulus, who owns the orchard with her husband Dan, thinks it’s probably for the best that people unplug and enjoy nature.

“People come because they want to make memories with their families,” Paulus said.

There are plenty of ways to do just that at the orchard.

There’s something about picking apples in the crisp air that feels like fall. Mt. Airy has rows and rows of trees for perusing, with favorites like Pink Lady and Granny Smith apples ready for the plucking. The farm also offers pick-your-own pumpkins. Additionally, peaches, berries and other produce is grown seasonally and sold in their market store.

And while the farm started as simply that, a farm, when the Paulus family purchased it in 1999, Mt. Airy, formerly called Paulus Orchards, has grown to include so much more.

Today, the farm features family and kids’ activities like a corn maze, giant jumping pillow and a mega slide. There are also tube slides, pedal carts, rubber duck races, rat rollers and human foosball, among other activities in their fall fun admission area.

According to Paulus, each year, they try to add a new feature to the farm to attract visitors and keep families coming back.

If you’re a fall foodie, the concession stands sell hot chicken corn soup, spiced apple chili, apple pie milkshakes, apple dumplings and apple cider donuts and slushies. Everything is homemade, and many of the menu items use produce from the farm.

While a fall day at Mt. Airy includes lots of fun and food, Paulus hopes that it’s also an educational experience for young visitors.

“It’s good for kids to come out and see where their food comes from,” she said. “I really do love teaching people about agriculture.”

Harvest Hops

Maybe the perfect fall day for you looks a little more low-key, but still spent outside.

Back in Harrisburg, the Senators are inviting the community to FNB Field on City Island on Oct. 14 for an afternoon of sampling craft beer.

The team is hosting its second annual Senstoberfest, featuring around 40 local breweries and over 100 different beers to sample.

“We saw a need for an event like this in the central PA area,” said Nathan Rovenolt, director of business development for the Senators. “There are a lot of great breweries in the area, and we have the venue.”

Last year, the event drew over 1,000 attendees and, for this year, Rovenolt expects that number to double.

Breweries will offer fall flavors like Oktoberfestbiers, stouts, pumpkin beers and porters, as well as plenty of non-fall-themed brews. Vendors will be pouring around the stadium, and beer sampling is included with admission. In addition to beer, a few wineries and distilleries will participate. Food will also be on site with options like chicken sandwiches, pulled pork and hot dogs, among other bites. A DJ will “keep the vibes going throughout the event,” Rovenolt said.

Adding to those good “vibes,” proceeds from Senstoberfest will benefit the Harrisburg River Rescue.

For those who’d like to purchase VIP tickets to the fest, Rovenolt recommends doing that ahead of time. For general admission, attendees can buy tickets in advance or at the gate. The event takes place from 2 to 5 p.m.

“It’s going to be a fun atmosphere,” he said. “People will get exposure to new breweries, and having the breweries come and get their name out helps them grow as well.”

Also on Oct. 14 is the Downtown Hershey Association’s Choctoberfest, featuring food, live music, beer and chocolate, with activities for all ages. The day will include the 3rd annual Chocolate Cake Baking Competition, which also allows chocolate-lovers to taste-test for a fee.

Other Choctoberfest activities include paired chocolate and beer as well as distilleries, meaderies and wineries on site. Additional family-friendly events include face painting, inflatable hatchet throwing, miniature horses, make-and-take art and more.

Visit ChocolateTown Square Park between 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. for the fall fun.

“Bring your lederhosen and dirndl and join us for a day in downtown Hershey, Pa.,” said Michelle Emerick, executive director of Downtown Hershey Association.

Maybe even make it a full day of fests and visit Choctoberfest from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and then head to Senstoberfest at 2 p.m. What’s better than enjoying a fall day while supporting local?

Pumpkins, Please

At the Pennsboro Pumpkin Fest, visitors of all ages can get in on the fall vibes.

For over 20 years, East Pennsboro Township has held the festival, which brings thousands of attendees to Adams-Ricci Park in Enola. This year, on Oct. 7 and 8, the festival will feature around 180 vendors, including community groups, businesses and craft vendors. The entry fee is just right—free.

For 2023, the township estimates that about 43,000 people will attend. According to Caroline Grove, recreation coordinator for the township, the festival has continually grown over the years.

“It’s a good community event that brings everyone together,” Grove said. “It’s a family friendly, wholesome environment.”

In addition to the rows and rows of vendor tents to browse, there will be live music and dance performances and plenty of activities for kids. The pony rides, petting zoo, pumpkin painting and inflatables are always popular among young visitors, Grove said.

Food trucks and vendors will offer snacks, meals and sweet treats, like pumpkin funnel cakes.

For fall fun that lasts all season long, take a trip to Lancaster County to visit Cherry Crest Adventure Farm, a little over an hour drive from Harrisburg.

Cherry Crest is known for its huge corn maze, which has been voted among the top 10 in the country over the last several years. But the farm also has tons of other kids’ activities, pick-your-own pumpkins, flowers, popcorn and live music and entertainment.

To close out the fall season, they’ll host their Pumpkin Madness Festival on Nov. 4, where attendees can smash, drop and throw pumpkins with activities like pumpkin bowling, putt-putt and chucking.

If you’re as much of a fall fanatic as I am, start filling up your calendar with events like these for the month because the season always seems to come and go too quickly. Although a pumpkin spice candle burning into the winter months never hurt anyone.

Fall Frolic

Throw on a sweater and visit these places and events, mentioned in the story.

Mt. Airy Orchards, 522 E. Mt. Airy Rd., Dillsburg, www.mtairyorchards.com

Senstoberfest, FNB Field, City Island, Harrisburg, www.milb.com/harrisburg

Choctoberfest, ChocolateTown Square Park, Chocolate and Cocoa avenues, www.downtownhershey.com. To enter the 3rd annual Chocolate Cake Baking Competition, visit https://forms.gle/HBPouv3QKDbCeP9B8.

Pennsboro Pumpkinfest, Adams-Ricci Park, 100 E. Penn Dr., Enola, www.eastpennsboro.net

Cherry Crest Adventure Farm, 150 Cherry Hill Rd., Ronks, www.cherrycrestfarm.com

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October Publisher’s Note

September 28, 2023 | by Lawrance Binda

How do you read TheBurg?

Perhaps you loyally pick up our award-winning print magazine every month, like tens of thousands of your fellow midstaters.

Or maybe you read it mostly online, as we break important community news nearly every day.

Some people read TheBurg via our email service, TheBurg Daily.

Personally, I hope you do all of the above, so that you get the best of all worlds: daily news, monthly features, blog posts, reviews, events and so much more.

On the other hand, there is one method that I hope you avoid—social media.

Like most news organizations, TheBurg is active on several social media platforms. Social media, however, has never been a reliable way to consume news and, in recent months, it’s become worse—much worse.

Several social media behemoths have begun de-emphasizing news on their platforms. Maybe you’ve noticed this yourself? I sure have.

My personal Facebook feed, for instance, was once filled with local news posts, both from professional reporters and active community members. Today, that’s largely gone, and in its place—ads, ads and more ads.

Some ads seem creepily targeted to me, while others are more random, stating they’re “suggested” for me. Why am I being fed posts of someone selling fine art prints of Irish train bridges? I have no idea.

Over the years, TheBurg has built a large fan base on Facebook—over 20,000 followers. However, you sure wouldn’t know that from your newsfeed. For a price, they’ll “boost” our posts, but we refuse to further enrich a multi-billion-dollar company based 3,000 miles away.

But, like I say, our readers have other, much better options.

You and I don’t need these faraway, unpredictable social media companies to stand between us. We easily can have a direct relationship.

Visit our website regularly. Bookmark it. Subscribe to TheBurg Daily. And, of course, pick up our monthly magazine. If you’d like, we’ll even mail the issue directly to your door for a subscription fee—check our website for details.

This month, I hope you’re in a locally owned café reading our October issue, filled with local news, local features, and local ads (that aren’t stalking you). In my book, each read is one small victory over big tech.

Lawrance Binda is publisher/editor of TheBurg.

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