Keeping Company: As Pursuit Coworking celebrates 10 years, the founders find new opportunities in a quickly changing work culture

February 28, 2023 | by Maddie Gittens

Adam Brackbill & Adam Porter

It began as one of those “classic napkin moments,” Adam Porter explained.

He and friend Adam Brackbill were searching for a way to bring more community to the work environment. They had both experienced the quiet, sterile, cubicle-style offices and were left wanting.

Instead, they decided to create a place where professionals could gather to work, but also to interact and form friendships. Out of the napkin moment came a coworking space in Harrisburg called StartUp in 2013.

Ten years later and the business has changed locations and changed names, but has also grown significantly. After a decade, Porter feels that their company, now called Pursuit Coworking, is needed more than ever.

“We’ve realized, despite how connected we are, we are still really disconnected,” he said. “The biggest problem coworking, not just Pursuit, but any coworking space solves is loneliness.”

In a society forever altered by the pandemic, that need for connection is great, Porter believes.

People have started to realize that working from home isn’t as comfortable as it may have once seemed, despite the casual dress code. Additionally, more companies are selling offices as employees utilize a more hybrid or completely virtual work environment. Porter describes this emerging phenomenon as the “fractionalization of work.”

Pursuit’s business reflects that change, as the demand for memberships has significantly increased. And Porter doesn’t see the trend stopping anytime soon, but actually accelerating.

“Work is now not just a place you go, so how can we meet that demand?” he said.

Since 2016, the co-working company has operated in a grand, historic building at N. 3rd and Boas streets in Midtown Harrisburg. But recently it has also expanded into a building on N. Front Street and into space on the corner of N. 2nd and State streets.

As quickly as the Pursuit team can list office space, they’re renting it. In the early days of the company, they would have around 20 to 30 members, but now there are close to 200 professionals who use their office space.

Video Production company Cap Collective has been a member of Pursuit from the start. Owners Christian and Krista Imbesi remember the days of running their small, blossoming company out of the coworking venture’s previous office a few blocks up the street from the current location.

“We had just started, so everything was too big and too expensive,” Christian said. “They came with a built-in company culture. Having that, especially in a small business, was great.”

As Pursuit has grown, Cap Collective has also made strides. But rather than leave to find their own office, the production company has stuck around and now occupies one of Pursuit’s largest office spaces.

“We were excited to stay here,” Christian said. “We like the people here. It was important to us to have the extra networking, the extra events and also the location.”

That sense of community is one of the major reasons people choose coworking, according to Porter. At Pursuit, they attempt to foster that through the open layout of the building and through events. They regularly hold happy hours, potlucks, group walks and other get-togethers. But many members also plan social gatherings themselves. The owners of Cap Collective host a regular whiskey tasting event and often get lunch at the Broad Street Market with others on Fridays.

“The challenge we’ve solved for people isn’t Wi-Fi; it isn’t coffee,” Porter said. “But it’s meeting other people you wouldn’t otherwise have gotten to know.”

When the company switched names and refreshed its branding a year ago, the team was hoping to better reflect where they were headed. With the new name, Pursuit, Porter said that they wanted to make it known that their space wasn’t just for tech startups, which was a common misconception, but for any professional.

On any given day, there are professionals in finance, engineering, healthcare and nonprofit work, among other fields, in the office. Members continue to diversify even more, Porter said, as people realize their need for community in the current “fractionalized” world of work.

“You spend roughly half your waking hours working,” Porter said. “We think it’s important that you’re happy with what you do. And if we can help in that pursuit, all the better.”

Pursuit Coworking’s flagship location is at 922 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.pursuitcoworking.com.

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Way Above O.K.: Holmes-O.K. Lettershop is an institution in Lemoyne—and so is the owner

February 28, 2023 | by Stephanie Kalina-Metzger

Arlene Holmes

Some people, approaching retirement, look enthusiastically to the days when the trusty alarm clock can be decommissioned and life can begin to feel like one long holiday.

Arlene Holmes isn’t one of them.

“[Working] keeps me out of trouble,” said the nearly 90-year-old owner of Holmes-O.K. Lettershop.

Holmes has been at the helm of the Lemoyne design and print shop ever since her husband Bob died 57 years ago.

“Bob owned the business and worked at United Telephone, and I decided to help him, and we ended up getting married,” she said, with a smile.

And if you’re wondering how they landed on the name “Holmes-O.K. Lettershop,” it’s not that they do mediocre work. Instead, it’s a stipulation that was added to the sales contract to keep the shop’s legacy alive, as the original name was O.K. Lettershop.

Originally, the shop was located on Walnut Street in Harrisburg across from the former Dauphin County jail. One day, her husband saw the business go up for sale and decided to purchase it. The rest, as they say, is history.

Those who pass by the Lettershop might see the oversized mailbox on the porch out front, or may, in the summer, be pulled in by the striking and unusual flowers that Arlene grows called “Red Hot Pokers.” Upon first impression, it may appear that the house, which dates back to the 1920s, is diminutive, but it is actually deep on the inside, with several large rooms leading back to what was once a yard.

Holmes raised three children in the family house in New Cumberland. After her kids were out of college, she moved above the shop.

“It’s convenient just to head downstairs for work,” she said.

Willing to Learn

Over the years, the business changed with the times.

Equipment, once standard, became obsolete, such as mimeographs and graphotypes, which embossed metal plates. Later came offset printing, where the inked image is transferred to a plate. This soon gave way to a cut-and-paste method and eventually to computer design and laser printing.

One might wonder how Holmes kept up with the dizzying pace of changes in the printing industry. She credits her former years as a teacher.

“I taught school for six years, two years in Hamburg and four years at William Penn, and I now teach Sunday school at the United Methodist Church in Mechanicsburg,” she said. “These jobs taught me that you have to be willing to learn, change and try different things or you aren’t going to survive.”

Over the years, she’s also had to employ fewer people to get the same amount of work done. What was once a team of eight dwindled down to two, with Holmes being one of them, along with her loyal employee of 30 years, Andrea Leach.

Andrea, who lives in Lemoyne and studied commercial art at Northampton Community College in Bethlehem, said that she enjoys her job working on newsletters, letterheads and other projects.

“Arlene is fun to work with, and I like the variety,” she said. “You never know what challenges you’re going to have.”

Holmes’ clients read like a “Who’s Who” of area civic clubs, like the Kiwanis, the West Shore Lions and the Distinguished Daughters of PA, to name a few. The business also completes tasks that club secretaries or members don’t often have time to do, like collating newsletters, then folding them and stuffing them into envelopes and driving them to the post office.

Sheri Goff, who is a member of the Penn-Cumberland Garden Club, said that her club has been using Holmes-O.K. Lettershop for many years.

“They print our annual yearbook, which is a 70-page publication, and they also print our newsletter, advertising flyers for fundraisers, our tickets and our club brochures,” Goff said. “If we’re in a bind, they always accommodate us for last-minute things, and their prices are more than fair.”

Likewise, Holmes said that she enjoys working with the public and doesn’t intend to retire anytime soon.

“Why would I?” she asked.

And the question is left hanging there. Indeed, why should she?

“I’m surprised at so many people who don’t want to work,” she said as she climbed the steps to her apartment upstairs, satisfied at the end of her day with a job well done.

Holmes-O.K. Lettershop is located at 409 Market St., Lemoyne. For more information, call 717-761-0864 or visit their Facebook page.

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Have a Rice Day: Making risotto is easier than you may think

February 28, 2023 | by Rosemary Ruggieri Baer

I realized recently that, despite ordering risotto at many of our favorite restaurants, I hadn’t made it at home for a very long time. My family prefers pasta, I suppose, and I guess we all have this perception that risotto is time consuming or difficult to make.

Often, people think that risotto is a dish that is rich with cream when, in fact, risotto’s “creaminess” is the result of slow cooking short grain rice until its starch is released. The most frequently used rice for risotto is known as “arborio” and it is now widely available in most grocery stores.

When I was young, I remember my mother telling me (in a very wistful way) about a wonderful dish she had while traveling to Italy with my father. It was “Risotto Milanese” and was served with its traditional accompaniment, “osso bucco,” or braised veal shanks. She was describing what is likely the most well-known risotto preparation made with chicken broth, Parmesan cheese, the golden herb saffron, butter and a little bone marrow from the veal or beef shanks.

I’m seeing more and more risotto on restaurant menus. Beef, chicken and fish entrees are being paired with risotto rather than the ubiquitous baked potato or little roasted red-skinned potatoes. And what a vast number of risotto combinations there are—risotto with vegetables like peas and asparagus, risotto with crab and shrimp, and risotto that turns a brilliant, rosy hue with the addition of red wine. I recently found a recipe for a very “upscale” risotto made with champagne and truffles.

As noted above, many home cooks might think that risotto is difficult to make. It is not. But it does require patience because risotto needs to be watched and stirred for about 20 minutes. You must use “risotto rice” like arborio and will get the best results from using sweet cream butter and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Saffron threads, an expensive spice, take risotto to a new level. Little packets of it can be found in the spice section of most supermarkets. I use canned or packaged beef, chicken or vegetable broth all the time. Unlike my Sicilian mother, I don’t make homemade broth every week. But it works just fine, especially the reduced sodium versions.

The recipe I am sharing this month is from Biba Caggiano, cookbook author and restaurant owner from Sacramento, Calif. It is a simple risotto that is based on the traditional Milanese way of preparing it. Make it one time, and you will be an expert!

Milanese Risotto

Ingredients

7 cups lower sodium chicken or beef broth
½ teaspoon crumbled saffron threads
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
½ small onion, minced (½ cup)
2 cups Arborio rice (use dry measuring cup)
½ cup dry white wine
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese
Salt to taste

Directions

Heat the broth in a medium saucepan and keep warm over low heat.
Transfer 1 cup of the broth to a small bowl, stir in the saffron, and set aside.
Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large, deep, heavy skillet or a high-sided sauté pan. When the butter begins to foam, add the onion until pale yellow and soft (4-5 minutes).
Add the rice and stir until it is well coated with butter and onion, about 2 minutes.
Stir in the wine and, when it is almost evaporated, add 1 cup of the hot broth (I use a large ladle).
Cook and stir until most of that first cup of broth is absorbed.
Continue cooking and stirring the rice, adding the broth 1 cup at a time. This should take about 15 minutes.
Then add the broth with the saffron and continue cooking and stirring until most of the broth has been absorbed. The rice should be tender, but still firm to the bite (al dente, just like cooking pasta).
Swirl in the remaining tablespoon of butter and half of the Parmesan cheese. Stir briskly until the butter and cheese are melted and the rice is creamy and still moist.
Taste for more salt if needed. Serve the remaining cheese on the side.

This simple risotto dish can be served alone with a green salad or with any protein you might like. Once you are comfortable making this Italian classic, try some variations. Easy things to try are mixing in some baby peas (despite spouse protests), asparagus tips or some diced pancetta or bacon. For entertaining, top the finished risotto with beautiful sauteed scallops or a small crabcake.

A perfectly made risotto will transport you to Milan, thought by some to be the most elegant city in Italy. My mother, Rose, would likely agree.

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Worldly Mission: Trinity High School’s international students stand tall

February 28, 2023 | by Deborah Lynch

Adelphe Cisse & Mike Bednostin. Photos by Lisa Schlager.

All season long, opponents took notice of two towering Trinity High School boys basketball players. It was hard not to.

At 6-foot-11, Mike Bednostin is a head taller than much of his high school competition. The center, a frequent double-double threat, came to Trinity this season via Canada from Ukraine. His teammate, Adelphe Cisse, stands 6-foot-7 and came to Trinity in April 2022 when his school year ended in the Republic of Congo.

They are the first two international students to play for Trinity’s highly successful basketball program in coach Larry Kostelac’s 40-year tenure. His teams, which have made it to 12 final fours of the PIAA championships, have won two state titles and 18 District 3 championships.

They are also just two of 10 international students this year at Trinity High School, located just outside of Camp Hill. In the past, Trinity has had as many as 30 international students during a single year. Even before COVID, those numbers started to drop, but Trinity is again attracting a diverse group of students from around the globe.

Historically, many of Trinity’s international students came from Asian countries. While it welcomes students from all countries, the Catholic parochial school was particularly interested in helping a student from Ukraine this year.

“What was really powerful for us was to have the opportunity to have these students come from underrepresented nations,” said Principal John Cominsky. “We’ve never had a student from sub-Saharan Africa. We’ve had students from Ukraine before, but not in this context,” referring to the war.

To Cominsky, it’s a coincidence that both are basketball players.

“Trinity has had dozens and dozens of international students who have never played a sport,” he said. “You’re as likely to become an Ivy League student from here as to play a sport.”

Yet Bednostin and Cisse do play basketball—and quite well. While both hope to use the sport as their ticket to an American university education, both care even more about their academics.

“I just wanted to come because I know that here I’m going to have the opportunity to do both academics and my basketball skills,” Cisse said. “I knew it would be great for me for my English, my education, my language.”

Bednostin echoed a similar sentiment.

“I hoped to go to college in the U.S., to get a full scholarship to play basketball,” he said. “My parents always told me to study. Education is very important. If you get a USA education, it’s going to be appreciated in all the world. Basketball is a great opportunity to afford it.”

Since coming to Trinity, they’ve made good on their basketball and academic goals, as both are honors students.

“They’ve been embraced by the students here because of their example, their work ethic, and their desire to be in this community as full-fledged students,” Cominsky said. “The kids love them. They have very active social lives. They’ve really taken to what our school community has to offer in many ways.”

Kostelac agrees.

“Although Mike and Adelphe come from vastly different cultures, they are very similar in many ways,” he said. “Both are very intelligent and goal-oriented individuals. They have excelled in the classroom in their native countries as well as during their time at Trinity.”

Larger World

Bednostin and Cisse may stand out the most in public, but Trinity’s other international students also make an impact.

Guillemette and Marie Guiguet are sisters from France whose father’s position in the French army brought him to the Army War College in Carlisle. They will graduate from Trinity in June, but, until then, they are immersing themselves in typical American high school life like the school musical, “Cinderella,” which they just appeared in.

“It’s a good experience to be in Trinity—one year to learn a foreign language,” said Guillemette. “It’s really interesting. I love to be in the U.S. I love your culture, the way you live.”

That’s exactly what Vice Principal Eileen Poplaski likes to hear.

“We say that we want our children to be lifelong learners and to have an understanding of the larger world,” she said. “I think that the best way that we can do that is to give them those social and friendship experiences with children who are coming, whether for a year or two or three, with children from other parts of the world who’ve had different experiences growing up.”

Another international student is Mike Johnson from Windsor, Canada, whose brother plays football for Penn State. Canada’s extended online learning during the pandemic led him to seek a school in the United States near his brother where he could learn in person. He plays football for Trinity.

Lily Yeo from Seoul, South Korea, graduates this year after spending all of high school at Trinity. She also spent time in Canadian schools before going to middle school in Korea. She’s involved in several school clubs and said that she feels connected to Trinity and will always consider it a home.

Other international students include Sua Choi of Korea, Carmen Castro Angulo and Claudia Lafuente Pantoja of Spain, and Miroslav Skabrada of Czech Republic. Sometimes, as in Skabrada’s case, students from abroad live with relatives locally.

Others come via agencies. Trinity’s international students typically get F-1 visas, as Trinity is a Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP)-certified school. The Guiguets have visas through their father’s NATO status.

Public schools in the area generally welcome a handful of international exchange students each school year. Most come with J-1 visas, which means that they do not pay tuition to the schools, as they are part of a formally recognized cultural exchange program.

Hershey High School accepts as many as five international exchange students on J-1 visas each school year.

“We find this program valuable for all students,” said school Principal Lindsey Schmidt. “Students are provided experiences and opportunities that are vastly different from their experiences at home.”

On the other hand, as a private school that is allowed to charge tuition for students with F-1 visas, Trinity has the opportunity to welcome even more, which it embraces.

“When you walk our halls, there are kids of diverse backgrounds, upbringings and abilities, and they’re welcome here if they want to learn,” Cominsky said. “That’s the only caveat because it’s a challenging environment.”

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Picture Purrfect: Art show, sale to benefit cat rescues, encourage adoption

February 28, 2023 | by Barbara Trainin Blank

Talent and skill aren’t enough—an artist also needs ongoing motivation.

That’s what led Cheryl Kugler to the #100DayProject, an annual endeavor that promotes daily steps—even if small—toward creativity.

In 2020, the cat-loving, Carlisle-based artist and illustrator incorporated felines into her project. Then, in 2021, she decided to devote the entire #100DayProject to them.

Kugler has created drawings of 100 rescued Loving Care Cat Rescue cats and kittens still needing homes. It was from LCCR that the artist adopted two of her four cats.

In return, in recognition of International Cat Rescue Day—held this year on March 2—Loving Care Cat Rescue will sponsor an art show and sale featuring Cheryl Kugler’s #100DayProject drawings, taking place three days later.

Kugler is donating all proceeds from the show, entitled “Art Is in the Heart,” to LCCR and the Nobody’s Cat Foundation, another nonprofit that serves felines.

“Cheryl’s work has appeared on Loving Care’s social media pages to encourage adoption,” said Danielle Wadsworth, fundraising director at LCCR.

Lisa Snyder founded the Lemoyne-based Loving Care Cat Rescue in 2013, and it acquired nonprofit status three years later. LCCR’s mission is to provide loving care to every cat that comes through, regardless of its circumstances or medical condition, and to actively seek a permanent home for each rescued cat or kitten.

“Unless serious illness would warrant it, euthanasia is not an option for cats in the care of Loving Care Cat Rescue,” Wadsworth said. “The number of requests for us to take in kittens and cats grows every year.”

As of November 2022, the organization had saved 3,341 local cats and kittens, Wadsworth added.

An all-volunteer, foster-based organization without a brick-and-mortar facility, LCCR brings in an average of 900 kitties each year and places an average of 820. Foster parents are spread throughout the Harrisburg area.

The Nobody’s Cat Foundation promotes the use of “trap neuter return” as the preferred strategy for humanely stabilizing and reducing free-roaming feline populations in 15 southcentral Pennsylvania counties. This approach aims to reduce suffering among the cats and stress on wildlife, protect public health, and redirect desperately needed resources elsewhere.

Kugler took photos from Loving Care Cat Rescue as the basis of her drawings.

“Drawing was my way of creating 100 perfectly imperfect kitties,” explained Kugler. “I used the photos as a reference for the drawings and included brief stories provided by the organization to show how special each individual cat is.”

The artist varied each cat’s position and expression—also using different fur patterns, such as striped vs. calico—so the show would not be repetitive. Each drawing in the art show includes a little story provided by LCCR to demonstrate its temperament.

Kugler used mostly LYRA graphite, along with Prismacolor Art Stix, to create her drawings. Although she is actually a pastel artist and oil painter, these mediums would have been “too involved” for her to create so many pieces of art for the #100daysproject,” she pointed out.

In the end, Wadsworth hopes the show and sale will help encourage greater cat adoption, as the need is tremendous.

“The need for cat rescue is never-ending,” she said. “There will never be enough rescues to save them all.”

Creative Spark Arts is located at 335 Bridge St., New Cumberland. For more information, visit www.creativesparkarts.com. For more information on Loving Care Cat Rescue, visit www.alovingcarecatrescue.org or their Facebook page.

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One Man, Many Talents: Tory Gates recently published his latest novel, but that’s just part of the story

February 28, 2023 | by Phyllis Zimmerman

Tory Gates

So far in life, Tory Gates has proven himself something of a Renaissance man.

The publication of his newest young adult/contemporary fiction novel last fall is only his latest accomplishment of a multi-faceted career.

Besides publishing success in the science fiction genre, Gates, 57, of Harrisburg, also lists credits as a veteran broadcaster, journalist, producer and performing musician.

“Tory has a long career in radio and has worked for many stations in the area over the years,” said his publisher, Lawrence Knorr of Sunbury Press. “He also performed music for many years as a solo guitarist and played at my art gallery in Mechanicsburg when it was in operation.”

Back in 2013, Sunbury published “Searching for Roy Buchanan,” the first of Gates’ ongoing “Sweet Dreams” young adult fiction series. “Call It Love” followed 18 months later. Rounding out the series (so far) is “Shake Hands With The Devil,” published last September.

Gates described the ongoing series as “a trilogy of works that combine time travel, Japanese culture and the power of music.” His work, he said, takes readers to “exotic locales, everyday places, and brings to life characters that are relatable and real while addressing real-life issues.”

Other Sunbury Press titles penned by Gates include the award-winning “A Moment in the Sun” and “Live from The Café.” A premiere novel, “Parasite Girls,” was published by Amazon and Smashmouth.

Sunbury Press took Gates from a self-published author to a trade-published author some years ago, Knorr said.

“We have been publishing his books ever since, about one every 18 months,” he said.

Additionally, Gates assisted Knorr “for several years” in producing the publishing company’s podcasts.

“Tory is a multi-talented person who expresses his creativity in a variety of ways, cares deeply about his stories and his characters, and converts that empathy into engaging and thoughtful interviews of other authors on his podcasts,” Knorr noted.

Gates said that his “Sweet Dreams” series is commonly linked to his personal interests of Japanese culture and music. Aki, a Japanese teenager, is the series’ focal character, and music factors into many of her fictitious time-travel adventures, such as instruction with the late American blues musician, Roy Buchanan.

Make Them Think

A Vermont native, Gates recalled first “bouncing around radio stations in New England” before landing a broadcasting job in Boston. He then worked radio in Maine from 1990 to 2000.

“By 2000, I owed my wife a move,” he said. “She had family living in York, so I got work here.”

With that, he began reporting news in Harrisburg on Radio Pennsylvania Network, a position he maintains today and since has expanded to Maryland News Network. He also reports for “The Brown Posey Press Show,” an interview podcast for independent and self-published authors, and is further renown as “DJ Riff,” host of “The Music Club,” a blues program on the Radio-Airwaves Station based in London.

Gates later moved to Harrisburg “because I needed to be closer to work.”

“I stay here because the news here is old school, just the facts,” he said. “I have never lost the love of being in the studio.”

In the meantime, Gates played guitar with Ahltyrra, a “new age rock band,” performing locally for several years. Afterwards, he played intermittently with Dharma Fools, a local folk rock ensemble.

“Music has always been my inspiration and gives me a reason to go on,” Gates said. “I grew up in the late 1960s, early ‘70s. My two brothers exposed me to music of the day then. I was exposed to music as a DJ in the ‘80s when there was an incredible groundswell of musical styles, but I’ve always turned back to the blues.”

Although Gates said that he’s “been writing all my life” in news and songs, he didn’t try “full-length” storytelling until 2007. Today, he still has two more books in mind for the “Sweet Dreams” series, as well as other unpublished works.

“I hope people who read this find someone in the story that they would like to be friends with. That means they’re really invested in the story,” he said. “I hope my stories entertain people and make them think.”

For more information on Tory Gates, visit www.torygatesmedia.com.

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Celtic Skelter: Kilmaine Saints music isn’t only about drinking and fighting, but, yeah, there’s drinking and fighting

February 28, 2023 | by Dan Miller

Kilmaine Saints

In 2009, a Harrisburg-based Celtic punk band formed for the sole purpose of getting free beer. Now, they’re about to release their fourth studio album.

If all goes according to plan, the album will drop in mid to late spring, said Brendan Power, lead singer of the high-energy band, in an interview held, appropriately, downtown at McGrath’s Pub. But all might not go according to plan.

“Being an Irish band, we know what Murphy’s Law can do to you,” said Power, reciting the famous maxim that anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.

The group’s lineup has changed over the 14 years since bassist (and bagpipes and accordion player) Jon Heller teamed up with original drummer Mike McNaughton to form a new band to get free beer from Harrisburg bars on St. Patrick’s Day. The two founding members knew each other from being in the Harrisburg Pipe & Drum Band.

Turnover has fueled the band’s evolving sound.

“This is the best songwriting and the most diverse background of musicians we’ve had,” Power said.

It’s also Kilmaine Saints’ first full-length release without an outside producer. Band members are doing all the recording and producing at their own pace.

The band took the same approach on an earlier acoustic EP, which served as a dry run for this full album, said guitarist Erich Arndt.

“That’s just another reason why this particular album is so collaborative in nature,” said fiddle player Gary Eurice. “Not only did we all have such a heavy hand in the songwriting but then in the actual execution of getting the album done. We are all individually working on our own tasks.”

Formed on “good whiskey and bad intentions” as noted on the band’s website, Kilmaine Saints has seven members. Besides Arndt, Eurice, Heller and Power, there’s Bill Brown on bagpipes, bouzouki and whistle, Rich Lipski on banjo, mandolin and acoustic guitar, and Tommy Leanza on drums.

Only Power has true Irish roots. He was born in Ireland and moved to the United States at age four. His family still has a house and farm in the old country.

The band is named for a pub in Kilmaine, Ireland, close to Power’s boyhood home. A former band member whose family owned the pub suggested the name.

“We’re definitely not saints,” Power said. “So, it’s kind of an oxymoron to call ourselves that.”

Labor of Love

Much of Kilmaine Saints’ music fits into what Power jokingly calls the four categories of Irish music.

“I’m gonna fight somebody. I’m gonna drink and then fight somebody. I’m gonna sing a song about my family leaving and never coming home, and then we’re gonna sing a song about drinking and fighting somebody,” he said.

But there’s more to Celtic music than that. The songs tell stories of ordinary people and their struggles, sometimes funny and tongue-in-cheek, other times sad and poignant.

Celtic music, even the power punk that is Kilmaine Saints’ bread and butter, has a traditional base reflecting the land and culture from which it is derived, said Eurice, a fiddle player for 20 years.

“I think, instinctively, everybody at some base level loves Celtic music,” he said. “Anytime you are in a bar and a traditional Irish jig comes on, you see people look at each other and smile.”

The band isn’t full-time for any of the members, who have jobs ranging from computer nerd to product rep to painter to, yes, chemical engineer.

“It’s a labor of love,” Power said. “We hope to one day be rock stars by the time we’re 90.”

Several members came to Kilmaine Saints out of the central Pennsylvania punk band scene.

Tired of toiling in cover bands, Lipski responded to a craigslist ad the band posted seeking new members.

“I was drawn more to the harder edge coming from the punk side of it,” he said, citing Dropkick Murphys, a Celtic punk band that’s been around since the mid-‘90s. “These guys have kind of the same sound, so I thought it would be a cool fit.”

Arndt, of Hanover, joined Kilmaine Saints after filling in for a member who had taken leave due to a new baby.

“I’ve always been a pop punk guy,” he said. “This is just pop punk with all kinds of weird instruments.”

Between the new album and reopening of life post-COVID, Kilmaine Saints sounds like a band poised for bigger things.

“There are a lot of big Celtic festivals and Irish festivals around the country,” Eurice said. “We’re hoping the next album kind of breaks down those doors to get us a more national reputation.”

The band is planning a new video. A first-ever European tour—starting in Ireland, of course—could be in the offing. Plans for a trip to the old country fell through a few years ago due to the pandemic.

Kilmaine Saints also looks forward to plenty of live shows to plug the heck out of the new album.

“There is something to be said about the songwriting and how it sounds and the production on an album,” Power said. “But there is also a different experience to seeing it live and see the sweat that goes into it and the energy and the fun we have on stage, not only with the crowd but amongst ourselves.”

For more information on Kilmaine Saints, visit www.kilmainesaints.com.

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Retooled & Ready: Post-pandemic, Whitaker Center opened with a new look, new offerings

February 28, 2023 | by Gina Napoli

Purposeful Gaming Studio

The pandemic left dents on every person and business, and Whitaker Center was no exception.

Somewhat more delayed than others to fully reopen, the “crown jewel of Harrisburg” stayed in its jewelry box just a little longer. As it turns out, they were taking that time to be cleaned and polished.

We’re stoked that Whitaker Center has since swung their doors wide open to the public. With familiar mainstay offerings accompanying some exciting changes, Whitaker Center is showcasing a remodeled layout along with rejuvenated programming that’s enough to get your kids excited, even your sullen teens.

Picking Up STEAM

Where the ticketing center and the gift shop once stood is now PNC Innovation Zone, a Purposeful Gaming Studio. This new area (separate from Harrisburg University’s professional e-sports arena) provides a collaborative, experiential learning space to engage kids in STEAM through videogames.

Whitaker Center’s board and staff feel a responsibility to inspire kids and expose them to technology, providing access to those who don’t always have it. The gaming aspect of Whitaker Center is so cool that “people tend to forget we’re nonprofit,” said CEO Ted Black.

Innovation educator Steve Lockhart encourages parents to talk to their kids while they’re playing together “about possible future STEAM professions in videogames: coding, storytelling, 3-D modeling, designers, hardware, software, streamers, influencers, sound and music engineering—endless careers.” Kids in grades two through eight can learn STEAM concepts through structured class offerings.

And if you’d like to bond with your co-workers or friend groups through a videogame experience, Innovation Zone is a great hub for getting creative and building virtual bridges.

“We’re the first science center in the country with a space like this, and one of the first STEAM buildings that has everything intersecting all under one roof,” Black said.

Community Needs

During the pandemic, Whitaker Center’s doors weren’t bolted shut. Rather, they were propped open slightly ajar to meet needs within the community. In response to emergent virtual educational pivoting, Whitaker Center, along with help from Rep. Patty Kim and Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region, hosted the Community Classroom within the Innovation Zone space.

Community Classroom provided a place for students (and overwhelmed parents) to log on with Wi-Fi to complete classwork and homework. Black credits this program as “fulfilling, rewarding and sobering, because it met needs at a granular level within the community,” while helping Whitaker Center to grow in an unexpected, yet still mission-driven manner.

Whitaker Center also assisted the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra during the pandemic when the Forum building was under construction by providing virtual delivery.

“We have an obligation to be the cultural center of Harrisburg, and we lean into that where we can,” Black said.

Window Opens

During the pandemic, the sudden need for virtual programming drove the Whitaker Center team to create virtual delivery and remote outreach for some of their key programs.

Surgery Live! presents high school students with a unique opportunity to view routine surgeries telecasted live from Penn State Hershey Medical Center. Because Surgery Live! influences high-schoolers to think about multiple careers in the operating room (not just as a surgeon), it’s a program that Black did not want to pause.

Pre-pandemic, students filed in to the Digital Cinema to watch surgeries on the big screen, while a doctor visited the kids in-person to narrate the procedures and answer questions. Then the pandemic pushed Whitaker Center staff to offer the program completely virtually instead of the hybrid format. This expanded the audience for Surgery Live!, allowing virtual field trips for even more students, regardless of their geographic locations.

Other field trips became virtual and socially distanced, too. Whitaker Without Walls provides education from afar. And for the younger kids, WOW (Whitaker on Wheels) delivers interactive STEAM education to preschools, daycare centers and elementary schools.

“We didn’t have the need for virtual programs before COVID,” Black said. “Now, we’ve developed the delivery because of COVID, and we’re able to reach into more areas, even other states.”

The pandemic also pushed many outdoors to seek safer, socially distanced activities. New in October 2022 was Whitaker Center’s Wildwood Preserve partnership: “Weekends with Whitaker.” Weather permitting, kids can become immersed in woodsy topics such as birdwatching, dip netting, tree identification, citizen science and nature appreciation.

New at Harsco

Brand new at the Harsco Science Center through Memorial Day is the temporary exhibit “Questioneers,” originally from the DuPage Children’s Museum. Based on the children’s series of New York Times bestseller chapter books, the bilingual exhibit focuses on problem-solving, featuring its beloved early elementary characters who hold such jobs as engineer, architect, scientist, leader and artist. Whitaker Center’s director of education, Sarah Throckmorton, is planning public outreach community days to highlight the bilingual aspect.

Documentaries Aplenty

The Digital Cinema features a rotation of 10 nature- and space-themed educational films—eight in 3D. Especially for the 3D movies, there’s nothing like watching a movie on a giant screen that’s 40-feet high and eight stories wide, like aerial shots soaring above the Grand Canyon, deep-diving through a coral reef, or watching monarch butterflies migrate through North America. You can even watch a videogame tournament on the big screen.

Culture Change

Despite the lean workforce that has become part of the post-pandemic culture, Black sees the current Whitaker Center staff as “energized, bringing their passion to the job for their particular areas.” He’s looking to build a culture of collaboration and purposeful insubordination [no “yes” people], providing staff members with opportunities to pursue their passions.

This enthusiasm has already influenced creative programming with an emphasis on STEAM, continued growth and fulfilling community partnerships.

Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts is located at 222 Market St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.whitakercenter.org.

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Acts of Kindness, Consequence: Humanity, compassion take stage in first-ever Good at Heart Festival

February 28, 2023 | by Sammi Leigh Melville

As spring approaches, Open Stage prepares for its first annual “Good At Heart Festival” this month.

The festival will consist of Open Stage’s 23rd presentation of “The Diary of Anne Frank,” Sankofa African American Theatre Company’s presentation of “Anne and Emmett,” and several nights of conversation surrounding social justice, including Black NewsBeat with Dr. Kimeka Campbell, The Obstructed View and more.

What inspired the idea of the Good At Heart Festival? That is an honor that can only be attributed to Anne Frank.

“Anne Frank wrote, that, despite everything, she believes people are good at heart,” said Stuart Landon, artistic director of Open Stage. “And that is the driving force of her writing, in many ways, that we as an institution come back to again and again.”

This will be the 23rd year that Open Stages presents “The Diary of Anne Frank,” featuring four dates for morning matinees and one evening performance. As many as 4,000 students will be able to see Anne Frank’s story at the Scottish Rite Cathedral for the morning matinees (with limited available seating for the public), with a post-performance presentation by Holocaust expert, Lilian Rappaport. There also will be a Wednesday evening performance for the general public (with no post-performance discussion).

Landon thinks the content will hit a bit differently this year, as it’s the first time since the pandemic hit that “Diary” will be staged live.

“There’s something really special about it, because we went through an international trauma together, but not really together at all—we were isolated, living in a tumultuous time in our country,” he said. “Many countries are, when it comes to divisiveness politically, and there are so many echoes of our current world [in the play], and at the very least the emotions around what we’re dealing with.”

Another cornerstone of the Good At Heart Festival are some familiar characters.

“Anne and Emmett,” based on the book of the same name by Janet Langhart Cohen, and presented by Sankofa African American Theatre Company, is an exploration of what a conversation might be like between Anne Frank and Emmett Till from the beyond, or “in memory,” as Sharia Benn, artistic director of Sankofa, puts it.

The play joins these two young teenagers who experienced parallel hate and explores the topics of race, the times they lived in, and even gender perspective.

“There will be moments where the audience will be uncomfortable,” Benn said. “But we need to get into spaces where we go beyond just being uncomfortable—which leads us into silence and complacency—to where we can start to have healing, understanding and even acceptance that this happened… this is how it has impacted people, and that is real. Explore that.”

Benn described her process for choosing pieces for Sankofa as not only looking for content by and about the Black community, but also, “things that we can gather around—a diverse community, our diverse community, not just for a Black audience or a white audience, but to attract both, and different races and backgrounds, into one place so that we can have these meaningful and crucial conversations.”

And that is exactly what “Anna and Emmett” brings to the table—an invitation to delve into the shared experience that people across different races and religions have.

Hand in hand with the nights of conversation scheduled for that week, these two plays are sure to create a thoughtful, encouraging space for the type of discussion that the Good At Heart Festival was created to spark.

“Anne Frank wrote that she wanted her writing to live beyond her,” Landon said. “And has it! It is a great responsibility, and an honor, to take on this story every year and explore all the stories that need to be told.”

“The Good at Heart” Festival runs March 14 to 19 at Open Stage, 25 N. Court St., Harrisburg, and on March 15 at Scottish Rite Cathedral, 2701 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.openstagehbg.com.

UPCOMING EVENTS

At Open Stage
www.openstagehbg.com
717-232-6736

Stephen Sondheim & James Lapine’s
“Into the Woods”
Running through March 11

The Good at Heart Festival

Festival Kickoff
“Theatre for Good: Social Change & Performance”
Features performances from Reclaim Artist Collective & Narcisse Theatre Co.
Free to the Public
Tuesday, March 14 at 7:30 p.m.

Black NewsBeat
With Dr. Kimeka Campbell
Wednesday, March 15

“The Diary of Anne Frank”
At Scottish Rite Cathedral
March 14 to 17
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, 9:45 a.m.
Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.
Morning shows followed by short break and presentation from Holocaust educator Lillian Rappaport at 12:15 p.m.

“Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America”
Documentary Screening at Midtown Cinema
Thursday, March 16 at 7:30 p.m.

“Anne & Emmett”
A new play by Janet Langhart Cohen
Presented in partnership with Sankofa African American Theatre Co.
March 17 to 26 (various times)

The Obstructed View
Queer talk show taping
Saturday, March 18 at 6 p.m.

Lobby Talk
A discussion about “Anne & Emmett” with the cast
Led by Professor Ellen Stockstill
Free to the Public
Sunday, March 19 at 3 p.m.

An EDI Conversation
With Una Martone (Leadership Harrisburg)
And Joe Robinson (MLK Jr. Leadership Development Institute)
Sunday, March 19 at 7:30 p.m.
Free to the Public

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Melodic March: Something for every taste this month

February 28, 2023 | by Belle Frank

This is the month when my resolution to go to more live shows really kicks off. Harrisburg has a jam-packed March—from homegrown bands like Yam Yam to major artists like Third Eye Blind. I’m personally going to three concerts this month just because the Harrisburg area is being blessed with so many amazing artists. Some of them are new to the music scene, and some of them have made a name for themselves for decades. Either way, I’m pumped.

Certainly So, 3/3, XL Live, 8 p.m.

Certainly So is a semi-new band that formed in September 2019. Drawing inspiration from artists like The Beatles, The Beach Boys, John Mayer and many others, they have an eclectic singer-songwriter vibe. Two of the members, Tanner Gray and Colby Wilson, were childhood friends who parted ways for college. While in college, Gray met the rhythm section, Chase Porter and Zach Corder. However, the band didn’t form until a couple of years after they finished school. Certainly So has curated a unique sound with a range of music that can feel melodic and down-to-earth or speedy and upbeat. I’ve personally had their song, “Dizzy,” on repeat for weeks. It’s got an exciting start, which carries through till the end.

alt-J, 3/16, XL Live, 8 p.m.

Forming in 2007, alt-J has made a splash on the music scene. Originating from Leeds in the United Kingdom, their first few years were spent in college creating music, as well as their debut album, “An Awesome Wave,” which came out in 2012. Alt-J’s music has a full sound. If you listen to a single song enough times, you can pick apart the layers that make it up. Some have been featured on shows and movies, such as “Left Hand Free,” the theme song for the Netflix show, “Outer Banks.” Their debut album was the only one I had in my car when I was in high school. I could honestly listen to the whole thing on repeat for hours. It’s hard to compare alt-J to another band because their sound is so distinctive.

Yam Yam, 3/17, H*MAC, 7 p.m.

Yam Yam got their start in Harrisburg in 2015, but the band now performs around the country. This funky band has an interesting styling. They have the typical guitar, keys and drums setup, but the addition of a saxophone gives their music greater quality and depth. I would describe Yam Yam as having a “groovy” sound, as they pull in influences from 1970s-era soul music, often overlaid with a jazzy vibe. These Harrisburg boys also have a killer stage presence, and their music makes me want to get up and move. It’s upbeat and positive, which makes it hard to stay still while hearing it, especially when experiencing it live.

Mentionables

The Grateful Shred, March 1, H*MAC
Everclear, March 2, XL Live
Kings Of Thrash, March 5, H*MAC
Jxdn, March 15, XL Live
Cold, March 23, Lovedraft’s Brewing Co.
Third Eye Blind, March 23, Hershey Theatre

March Concerts:

3/3
Certainly So
XL Live
8 p.m.

3/5
Kings of Thrash
H*MAC
7 p.m.

3/16
alt-J
XL Live
8 p.m.

3/17
YAM YAM
H*MAC
7 p.m.

3/23
Third Eye Blind
Hershey Theatre
8 p.m.

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

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