Dauphin County Commissioner George Hartwick to run for re-election

February 1, 2023 | by Maddie Gittens

George Hartwick

Dauphin County’s Democratic commissioner has announced that he will run for re-election.

On Wednesday, Commissioner George Hartwick said that he would seek another four-year term in office.

Hartwick, of Swatara Township, has served as a county commissioner since 2003. In a statement, he touted his success in supporting local businesses, assisting families in crisis and improving resources for seniors, veterans and those with mental health issues, among other achievements.

He also noted how he, along with the other two commissioners, have avoided property tax raises for years.

“Working as part of a team, in a spirit of civility rarely seen on a divided board, and acting creatively during an unprecedented pandemic, Dauphin County has been able to keep taxes level for a remarkable 18 years,” Hartwick said. “That achievement means money in the pockets of our families and reflects thousands of complex decisions involving budgeting, staffing, investing and more.”

The board of commissioners consists of Democrat Hartwick and Republicans Mike Pries and Chad Saylor, who announced their bids for re-election in early January.

If elected for another term, Hartwick said his goals include sustaining fiscal stability, building further relationships with the city of Harrisburg, continuing to spend opioid settlement dollars to provide life-changing help, removing the stigma of mental health issues and expanding cultural competency through the county.

“In protecting the health, safety, finances and well-being of our county’s citizens, I’ve never been busier, and also have never been more challenged and productive,” Hartwick said. “This job is not only what I do, but who I am, and I would be honored by the ongoing support of the county I have been honored to serve for almost 20 years.”

Pennsylvania’s primary election is slated for May 16.

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Commonwealth buys Susquehanna River islands to conserve, keep public

February 1, 2023 | by Maddie Gittens

Bailey’s and Independence islands, just north of the Harvey Taylor Bridge, cast reflections on the Susquehanna River (file photo).

This summer, two unique pieces of real estate splashed onto the sales market in Harrisburg—they now have a new owner.

In January, the commonwealth purchased Independence and Bailey’s islands, both located in the middle of the Susquehanna River near the Harvey Taylor Bridge, with the intention of conserving the land.

The islands were listed in August by owners Robert and John Ensminger, whose family had owned them for generations. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the larger of the two, Independence Island, operated as a bathing and entertainment resort for visitors. Today, the islands have no permanent structures and are mostly visited by boaters.

Now, the state, led by its Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), has purchased the pair of islands for $160,000. According to Seth Cassell, the Bureau of Forestry’s director of planning and administration, DCNR bought the islands to conserve the land and keep it public.

“We saw it as an opportunity to bring state forest land closer to our Capitol and to conserve the islands for future generations,” Cassell said.

An aerial view of Independence and Bailey islands (photo credit: Michael Yatsko)

As the state takes ownership, Cassell doesn’t predict that much will change with the use of the islands. They’ll likely remain a place for boaters and kayakers to stop for a picnic or a rest, he said.

DCNR owns many river islands across the state and several in the Susquehanna region already.

“They’re great ecological resources and scenic places to preserve,” Cassell said.

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Unsung Heroes of Harrisburg: A yearlong project reveals true community kindness in our midst

January 31, 2023 | by Karen Hendricks

Gene and Kathy Odato with “Ruger” from the Humane Society Horse Stable.

If you could identify anyone in the Harrisburg area as an unsung hero, who would it be and why?

For an entire year, I’ve been asking every single one of “TheBurg Podcast” guests that question. They’ve revealed ordinary people in our midst showing extraordinary kindness—and not seeking recognition—through personal, sometimes poignant, anecdotes and stories.

Except, instead of airing all these insightful audio answers, I’ve been saving them—until now. On Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day, tune into a special edition of “TheBurg Podcast” to meet all of these unsung heroes of Harrisburg—28 in total, perhaps even a few whose names you’ll recognize. It’s like an audio Valentine, as we share a little love for the Harrisburg community.

As a tie-in to the podcast, it was my honor to track down and call up several of these unsung heroes (what fun calls to make!), for this very special article that expands their stories.

What a World It Would Be

Imagine waking up on Monday morning. Chances are, the thoughts running through your head are very different from Kathy Odato’s.

“I wake up thinking, ‘Today is horse day—my day to do something fun,’” said Kathy, of Landisburg, Perry County. “For years, I’ve spent Monday mornings from 9 to noon cleaning out the horse stables, getting to know the horses so they learn to trust people. It’s basically hands-on care.”

That’s right—mucking out horse stalls is what propels her out of bed every Monday morning. But these aren’t just any horses, of course—Kathy volunteers at the Humane Society of Harrisburg Area’s stables for rescued horses.

“I’ve been around horses since I was 8 or 9, so it’s a win-win because these are animals I love,” she said. “My favorite thing is being in with the horses, brushing them and putting on their blankets.”

Kathy, 65, is a former elementary art teacher with the West Perry School District, while husband, Gene, 69, is a retired district forester with the state’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

“They do more in their retirement than I think most people have done in a lifetime,” said Amy Kaunas, the Humane Society’s executive director. “Kathy is my best-kept secret.”

The list of organizations the Odatos touch is quite long. They both volunteer with Friends of Spring Township, in support of Lynn Sheaffer Dum Memorial Park, Elliottsburg. Additionally, Gene serves as vice president for the Jason Frye Memorial Center, a project underway within the park, to honor the memory of a local Marine killed in action.

Kathy serves on an American Red Cross disaster action team and is a blood donor ambassador. She previously volunteered for a number of animal therapy programs involving horses and dogs—including Canine Corps. It’s an organization that cares for dogs belonging to deployed military personnel.

“It was especially rewarding—I used to help in the kennel,” Kathy said. “When military personnel would come home after not seeing their dogs for months, then seeing those dogs look up and see their owners—it was like a scene out of a movie, watching those dogs run to their owners, especially knowing the owners were deployed and could have lost their lives.”

Animals of a much different kind factor into Gene’s retirement plans—he’s a volunteer for Waggoner’s Gap Hawk Watch and chairman of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation’s Harrisburg Chapter.

You might wonder why or how Harrisburg supports an organization based in Missoula, Mont., dedicated to elk. But as Gene explains, there’s a lot of local support, thanks to Pennsylvania’s herd centered in Elk County.

“It’s our mission is to ensure the future of elk and other wildlife, habitat and hunting—and the Harrisburg Chapter was the first chapter east of the Mississippi, founded in 1986,” Gene said. “There are hundreds of members in the central Pennsylvania area. We have a fundraising banquet in February with generally more than 200 people, and all the funds go to the national organization, but then come back to Pennsylvania as grants centered around wildlife, conservation and hunting.”

One of the highlights of Gene’s volunteerism? Being involved in the grand opening of the Elk Country Visitor Center located in Benezette, which now attracts nearly half a million visitors annually.

What inspires them to volunteer?

“These are just the things we love to do,” Gene said, to which Kathy added, “I think it was Colin Powell who said, ‘If everyone would volunteer one day a year, what a world it would be.’”

Erin Rosensteel

Prom and Purpose

Prom plans were perfectly in place, but Mother Nature had other ideas.

“It happened to be the worst weather weekend of the year,” said Erin Rosensteel.

The Derry Township High School teacher faced a heart-wrenching decision last spring—go forward with prom plans amid “torrential downpours,” or cancel? This was no ordinary prom, and she couldn’t bear the thought of crushing her students’ joy.

“Everything was in motion, so we went ahead with the original plan,” Rosensteel said. “We had a tent scheduled, and we quickly ordered sides. We had kids coming in wheelchairs, so we had to figure out how to put wood down on grassy areas.”

It was the first-ever prom for Trojan Buddies, an inclusive club that brings together special and regular education students.

“The kids showed up in their best formal wear—but with rain boots, hats and gloves—and they just danced the whole night. They got muddy, but mostly, the pictures capture their joy,” said Rosensteel, a life skills support teacher of 11 years.

Her students include those diagnosed with autism, cerebral palsy, Down’s syndrome and intellectual disabilities.

“Just seeing them out on the dance floor the entire night—my heart was so full. That’s the reason I do what I do,” Rosensteel said.

Rosensteel, 40, has a new title this year—transition coordinator, which means she matches life skills students with post-secondary job opportunities.

“I think that she is doing the good work, and not for any benefit of her own, but because her heart is with [her students],” said Nathan Reigner, Pennsylvania’s director of outdoor recreation, who identified Rosensteel as an unsung hero.

What was Rosensteel’s reaction?

“I was like, I don’t deserve that—seriously—I’m so honored, but it’s just what I do,” she said. “My career path is something I’m very passionate about, because it supports people with significant needs to help them live the most meaningful lives possible. I simply fell in love with this population of students.”

Aisha Mobley

Going Past the 5

Aisha Mobley wears many hats in the Harrisburg community.

“Yes, I do wear a lot of hats, but you know what’s funny? I actually do have quite a hat collection,” she said, with a laugh.

Her full-time job title—her main hat—is community mobilization and outreach coordinator for Christian Churches United of the Tri-County Area and HELP Ministries.

“I prayed for this job,” Mobley said. “Lord, I want a job where I can serve you and serve your people.”

Through her eyes, she sees the city’s homeless, or unhoused population, as God’s people.

“First of all, I see me in everyone. I’m going to treat everyone like their last name is Mobley, nonjudgmental, ready to help them right where they are, with compassion but also a bit of accountability,” said Mobley, who matches the city’s unhoused population with services, housing and employment opportunities.

“I’m considered a resource broker in the community,” said Mobley, 50, a lifelong Harrisburg area resident. “I love to fill in those gaps—I love to follow through with folks. Most people call my type of service non-traditional because I work all types of hours, because that’s when crisis happens. I’m that type of person who goes past the 5, in 9 to 5.”

That’s because she understands trauma, firsthand, as a survivor of domestic violence. She survived a kidnapping and rape at the age of 17.

Mobley is tough—a veteran who served as a medical specialist in the U.S. Army. Today, she’s especially proud to help homeless veterans.

“I graduated Harrisburg High School, where I was in ROTC,” she said. “In fact, I went to Rosa Parks’ birthday party in Detroit, can you believe that? My favorite teacher who recommended me is now one of my volunteers—I leverage all my connections.”

She also serves the Harrisburg Community Black Think Tank, the Compassion Action Network, and is community engagement leader for Breadcoin in Harrisburg—an innovative program that circulates tokens for recipients to redeem at participating restaurant locations in exchange for food. As lead captain and lead canvasser for One Vote Counts, she personally helped more than 1,600 people register to vote last year, with a focus on BIPOC residents. She runs the food pantry and clothing pantry for her church, Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church on 6th Street, where she’s been a member since age 4.

Thomas Sweet, retired pastor of Market Square Presbyterian Church, described her as “indefatigable in championing [homeless] causes and decisions that have to be made in their lives… I would say anyone working on our streets in Harrisburg are unsung heroes.”

Cheryl Hornung

Sharing Smiles

The ability to turn tragedy into triumph. That’s one way that Josiah Peay, owner of the Central PA Kings basketball team, defines an unsung hero.

“I came across an organization that drew me in immediately, as soon as I heard the story,” said Peay.

He’s talking about Cheryl Hornung, founder of the nonprofit Caitlin’s Smiles, named in memory of her daughter.

“Caitlin was my first-born, a girly-girl who loved dress-up, Disney pink, and arts and crafts,” Hornung said. “She started getting sick when she was 3, and we weren’t sure what was going on. She was diagnosed with a brain tumor just before her 4th birthday.”

From that point forward, Caitlin spent three-and-a-half years in four different children’s hospitals in four different states.

“We thought we had it beat several times, but the cancer kept coming back,” Hornung said. “But one thing that helped her was doing arts and crafts. Give her a new pack of crayons or a bag of beads to make necklaces, and she was a pretty happy kid,” despite having cancer.

Creating art gave Caitlin joy, but she also discovered the joy of giving those handmade projects away. Cheryl describes doctors and nurses wearing brightly colored, beaded necklaces, nurse stations plastered with coloring pages.

“She passed away when she was 7, and, at the time, I had no clue about anything, most of all how to survive,” Hornung said.

At some point, she realized she had to work through her grief.

“It was like trying to find yourself again. And I thought maybe other folks in the hospital were going through what I did, and maybe they would like our art supplies,” said Hornung, who still had backpacks filled with crayons and other supplies.

She called several local hospitals, including Harrisburg Hospital’s pediatric unit, asking if she could donate the colorful collection.

“It really exploded in a wonderful way, and I just kept reaching out,” said Hornung, who, 19 years later, is still reaching out, propelled by a volunteer force over 800 strong.

In 2022, the nonprofit Caitlin’s Smiles provided 12,000 arts and crafts bags to about 200 different children’s hospitals. The organization also provides “coping kits” for children spending time in hospital emergency rooms. An annual budget of $220,000 is powered by numerous annual fundraisers.

“What is so neat is seeing all the giving, caring people who want to help. Every day, we are just blessed by people coming or calling wanting to help,” said Hornung, from the organization’s 6th Street, Harrisburg, office.

Take one look at the organization’s social media channels and you’ll see plenty of smiles sparked by Caitlin’s Smiles.

“Studies have shown that art can be very healing and therapeutic,” Hornung said. “I think Caitlin would be proud this went so far.”

To meet more “Unsung Heroes of Harrisburg,” tune into the special Valentine’s Day edition of “TheBurg Podcast,” dropping on Feb. 14, available on all podcast apps (Apple, Spotify, etc.) as well as TheBurg website.

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Breaking the Ice: Hockey helps special needs participants find new freedom

January 31, 2023 | by Deborah Lynch

Volunteers and participants with the Hershey Therapeutic, Adaptive and Wheels on Ice group

A daughter’s Christmas gift to her father turned out to be the best present her brother ever received. At the time, none of them would have guessed it.

Don Maclaren of Bainbridge laughed as he told about the tickets his daughter, Shaina, gave him to a Hershey Bears hockey game, saying it was his son, Joel, who fell in love with the game.

“When can we do this again? When can we do this again?” Joel begged, according to Don. “He had such a good time at the game.”

That led to many Bears games a year. While Joel loved it, his sister was sometimes bored. A few years in, she took a walk around the concourse, where a stand for Hershey Heroes caught her eye. She looked more closely. Hershey Heroes is a hockey team for special needs participants.

She came back to her dad and her brother and said, “I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but …” She made the right choice to tell them. It launched a passion.

Joel, 19, is on the autism spectrum. A senior in high school, Joel soon joined not only the Hershey Heroes, but also the “Therapeutic, Adaptive and Wheels on Ice” group, so he could get even more time to perfect his skating.

He arrives on the ice for therapeutic skating fully decked out in hockey gear, pads and a stick. Volunteers keep him engaged with chatter, which his dad says diverts his fears so that Joel can skate around the rink over and over throughout the hour.

Such Confidence

The therapeutic skating group started about five years ago.

Cindy Thomasson, a former board member for the Hershey Figure Skating Club, founded the group and modeled it after one started by former Olympic champ Dorothy Hamill at the Krieger Institute in Baltimore. Thomasson and current Hershey Figure Skating Club director Melissa Spittler, who helps coach the therapeutic skaters, said that their program is the only one they know of in central Pennsylvania.

It runs on volunteerism. Thomasson, a physician’s assistant in cardiology at Penn State Lancaster, formerly worked in orthopedics at Penn State Hershey, where she recruited volunteers, many who are medical and physician assistant students. Other volunteers include hockey players, clubs and community members.

The therapeutic group skates every Thursday afternoon on six-week cycles at either the Hersheypark Arena or the Giant Center. Participants pay $79 for each six-week session, and the Hershey Figure Skating Club subsidizes ice-time costs.

On a recent Thursday, the ice was filled with participants and volunteers, some navigating the slippery surface with walkers, others pushing hockey sticks, some flying forward and backward with finesse. One young woman was being pushed in her wheelchair around the rink.

Emily Shifflet, 27, of Hummelstown, who suffers from Rett syndrome—a rare genetic neurological disorder—cannot speak or move. She is known as the “Eye Gaze Artist,” for the paintings she creates through eye movements.

She cocked her head to the side as volunteers wheeled her around the rink in her wheelchair. Her father Robert noted that she “loves to spin.” She made her debut at a Hershey Bears game recently, and since she is now older than most of the players, her father jokingly calls her a “cougar.”

It’s participants like Emily, Joel and 9-year-old Parker Gilbert of Hershey who make each Thursday so rewarding for Thomasson and Spittler.

“What I see it helping these kids with is balance, following directions and making friends,” Thomasson said.

“We took it on because we believe that ice skating can be for everybody,” Spittler said. “I think sometimes there is a stigma around ice skating that, ‘oh, it’s really hard and the ice is really slippery.’ It increases [core] muscles and their stamina, and, overall, it gives participants such a confidence level of them doing things on their own.”

Parker, who has autism, has been part of the program since it started.

“I think it’s giving Parker confidence,” his mother Patsy said. “Before, when he first started, he was so scared of falling, so rigid. When he had a goal of what he wanted to accomplish, it gave him something to work for.”

He has a big goal—to play hockey, maybe as a goaltender—and he gave himself five sessions to become a goalie. Lately, though, he’s reconsidering, thinking that playing offense might be a better fit.

“Think about it,” he said. “Why would I even sign up for ice skating if I don’t even want to do it?”

Among the grad student volunteers helping participants around the ice—the group strives to have two volunteers per participant—are some volunteers who came up through the Learn-To-Skate and therapeutic programs.

Katarina Dovat of Hummelstown learned to skate in 2009 when she moved to the area. She went up through the Hershey Figure Skating Club and has been volunteering with Learn-To-Skate since 2016. Now a college student, she decided to volunteer with the therapeutic group as well.

“I feel accomplished when I see skaters who are able to skate without a walker or they are able to do more advanced moves,” she said.

Owen Zeager of Hershey, who started by using a walker on the ice with the therapeutic group, advanced first to the Hershey Heroes and now plays for the Hershey Junior Bears in-house hockey team. A former Children’s Miracle Network baby who was born with health issues, Owen comes back most weeks to help and encourage others in the therapeutic program.

On a recent night, Owen mugged for the camera, pushed the wheelchair, sped back and forth expertly, and cheered on everyone on the ice.

Something Special

For special needs participants like Joel, Parker and Owen who love hockey, Hershey Heroes offers even more opportunity to learn and practice the game.

It’s the seventh year for this special hockey club for people with any type of special needs—physical or mental. Fifteen to 20 participants learn skills and play in a couple of games a year, practicing Saturday afternoons at Hersheypark Arena from October through March for $100 a season. The next-closest team is located in York, with others in the Philadelphia area and State College.

Coach Michael Miller, who manages sales training for a medical device company, started the team about seven years ago for his now 20-year-old son Nate, who has Down’s syndrome. Nate loved hockey, but the closest team was in Baltimore. For three years, Nate and his dad were up by 5:30 a.m. on Saturdays to make the drive to Baltimore.

“In the end, certainly that was the genesis of this—seeing their program, learning from them, taking that and building our own program here,” Miller said.

Like the therapeutic skating group, Hershey Heroes relies on volunteers who are on-ice buddies.

“We have them help with the players’ skill development, but it’s so much more than that—you’re developing relationships,” Miller said. “The amount of give-back is really pretty extensive. The feeling that you get for helping someone—it really is something special.”

Hershey Heroes is part of the ASHA, the American Special Hockey Association. The therapeutic skating group is under the adaptive skating arm of the USFSA, the U.S. Figure Skating Association. Both groups have seen participants who came to them not only learn to skate, but to flourish at it.

“Three-quarters of these kids never thought about ice skating let alone playing hockey,” Miller said. “They never had it as a dream. Now, it’s not just an option—we’re making it a reality. Then comes the confidence, the discipline, the physical fitness, the relationships and everything else. That’s what makes it so special. If I could do this for a living, I would.”

For more information on the Therapeutic Skating and Wheelchairs on Ice group, visit www.hersheyfigureskating.org/therapeutic.

For more information on Hershey Heroes, contact Michael Miller at [email protected] or at www.Hersheyheroesspecialhockey.com.

For more information on Emily Shifflet’s art, visit www.eyegazedesignsbyemily.com.

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Heart for Harrisburg: Downtown Daily Bread names new executive director

January 31, 2023 | by Maddie Gittens

Corrie Lingenfelter

A well-known Harrisburg shelter has a new official to lead the nonprofit’s mission of helping those in need.

On Tuesday, Downtown Daily Bread announced that it has named Corrie Lingenfelter as its new executive director.

“I am truly humbled and honored to be appointed as the executive director of DDB,” she said in a statement. “I am very grateful to lead our amazing team and continue ahead with the mission of feeding and sheltering the hungry and homeless of Harrisburg.”

Lingenfelter, a Carlisle resident, served in the director position in an interim capacity after former long-time director Anne Guenin retired in November. Lingenfelter also previously served as the food service operations director at the organization for four years.

Before coming to Downtown Daily Bread in 2018, she worked at the Hotel Hershey as sous chef for more than five years. She holds degrees in culinary management, from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, and communications, from Shippensburg University.

She is also a member of Harrisburg Young Professionals and the Harrisburg Chapter of the American Culinary Federation and received the Hunger Hero Award from the Central PA Food Bank.

“Corrie is a compassionate leader and tireless advocate in assisting DDB clients with many, basic needs,” said Jay Himes, board president, in a statement. “She has been extremely successful in leading our staff, engaging with our donors, and expanding services. We are very fortunate to have her leadership.”

In her role as director, Lingenfelter plans to continue initiatives like providing healthy food options for clients during their free breakfasts and lunches and conducting additional street outreach, she told TheBurg. She will also continue to organize the nonprofit’s health services, in partnership with UPMC and hopes to increase mental health services, she said.

“I have a heart for those who are overlooked,” Lingenfelter said. “I know the clients by name. They are like family to me. I’m going to keep making sure the homeless of Harrisburg have somewhere to go.”

Downtown Daily Bread is located at 234 South St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit their website.

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Just Fur You: Pet groomer to unleash new shop in downtown Harrisburg

January 31, 2023 | by Lawrance Binda

The future location of Unleashed Grooming Company.

This year is looking pretty “ruff” for downtown Harrisburg.

In February, Unleashed Grooming Company plans to open in a storefront near N. 3^rd and Market streets.

“I’m so excited to have the opportunity to bring dog and cat grooming services to the residents and employees of the downtown Harrisburg area,” said owner Alexandra Lauch, who has 11 years of experience as a groomer.

Specifically, the new business will open by the end of the month at 3 N. 3^rd St., in the Shops at Strawberry Square.

“Adding a pet groomer to the services that are already offered in the downtown makes this area even more attractive to the residents in this and surrounding neighborhoods,” said Brad Jones, president and CEO of Harristown Enterprises, which owns Strawberry Square. “Many of the residential tenants in our pet-friendly rental units have dogs and cats, so this makes living downtown even more appealing.”

In addition to grooming services, Lauch will offer related pet care items for sale.

“With a more social environment, dogs will be excited to come to Unleashed Grooming Company, and owners will be happy knowing they are receiving quality care and services,” Lauch said. “I can’t wait to meet all the pets of downtown!”

Recently, several other businesses have opened or soon will open in the neighborhood, including Tamara Boutique and a new H&R Block tax preparation office. Meanwhile, Harrisburg University is finishing construction of its new academic building a block away.

For more information on Unleashed Grooming Company or to make an appointment, call 717-440-8597 and email [email protected].

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Happenings: Our February Calendar of Events

January 31, 2023 | by Missy Smith

Museums & Art Spaces

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

“Racing to the Finish Line,” through April 22

“Corvettes Celebrate 70!” through April 22

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

“Figuratively Speaking” annual member show celebrating the human form, through Feb. 17

“Reinterpretations” artist invitational includes mixed media and sculptures by Jeffrey Equality Brooks, James Gallagher, John Guarnera and Joseph Mayernik, Feb. 24-April 20

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

Paintings by Carol Mayer and photography by Jim Whetstone, through March 12

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

“Beautifully Broken,” a juried exhibit expressing the creative community’s experiences with their observations of imperfection, through Feb. 4

“Together,” a retrospective exhibit exploring 10 years of Artworks!, CONNECT and collective expression at CALC, through Feb. 4

“Green Energy—Annual Member’s Exhibit,” Feb. 10-March 11

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

February artist of the month

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

“Winterfest,” through Feb. 28

Hershey Area Art Association (HAAA)
hersheyareaartassociation.com

“For the Love of Art” by HAAA members at Hershey Gardens, Feb. 17-19

HAAA Member Show at the Cocoa Beanery, through March 6

Backstage Café at the Allen Theater, Feb. 1-March 31

HAAA Rotation Exhibit Galleries, Feb. 11-April 8

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

“Dreams and Fears,” largescale collagraphs and etchings exhibition by Evan Summer, Feb. 3-26

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

New works by Reina 76 Artist, Elaine Eledge, John Davis, Susan Bailey and Tina Berrier, through Feb. 12

New works by Caleb Smith, Ann Benton Yeager, Tami Bitner, Kelly Curran and Mary Gelenser, Feb. 14-March 12

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

“Art in the Stacks” with Julia Mallory’s abstract watercolor collages, Feb. 1-25

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)
PCCA Gallery, 1 S. 2nd St., Newport
717-567-7023; perrycountyarts.org

“Suspended Beauty,” a solo exhibition by Michele Randall, Feb. 1-April 22

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

“Painted Compositions and Forms,” works by Claes Gabriel, through Feb. 10; public lecture and reception, Feb. 9, 6 p.m.

“Perceiving Emptiness,” works by Jayoung Yoon, Feb. 20-March 17

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

“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 in their lifetimes.

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

“Event Horizon,” featuring the work of artist and educator Leah Limpert Walt, through Feb. 12

“Explore—Classroom Ephemera” by artist and educator Paul Nagle, illustrating the variety of demonstrations art teachers utilize to help guide young artists, through April 2

“Souls Shot Portrait Project” brings attention to and memorializes the lives lost and altered due to gun violence, through April 16

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

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

“Under the Mexican Sky,” vintage photographs by Edward Weston, Tina Modotti, and Colleagues, Feb. 3 to April 2

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

“Bronze—Highlights From the Permanent Collection,” through Feb. 25

“Noise,” drawings, paintings, prints and photographs by Dickinson Professor Emeritus of Art Ward Davenny, through April 15

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

“ART—Of Light and Legacy,” featuring local artists of different mediums in celebration of African American History Month, Feb. 3-24; reception: Feb. 3, 6-8 p.m.

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

The art of Mariano Russo, through Feb. 18

The art of Linda Shuey, Feb. 21-April 1; Feb. 25, 2-4 p.m.

Read, Make, Learn

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

Feb. 4: Circus Arts Workshop—Flow Arts (ages 8-13), 2 p.m.
Feb. 8: An Evening with Dread Scott, 7:30 p.m.

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

Feb. 4: Make a Valentine (ages 6-12), 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m.
Feb. 4, 11, 18, 25: Cartoon Drawing (ages 9-14), 12-2 p.m.
Feb. 7, 14, 21, 28: Beginning Oil Painting—Winter Solace, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Feb. 7, 14, 21, 28: Intermediate/Advanced Painting, 1-3:30 p.m.
Feb. 13, 20, 27: Meditations in Charcoal and Conté, 2:30-5 p.m.
Feb. 14-March 14: Closeup and Macro Photography, Tuesdays (skip Feb. 21), 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m.
Feb. 16, 17: Cozy Creations, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Feb. 18: Copper Enameling, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Feb. 27: Monday Art Club, 3:45-5 p.m.

The Cornerstone Coffeehouse
2133 Market St., Camp Hill
717-737-5026; thecornerstonecoffeehouse.com

Feb. 14: Valentine’s Day, 6-9 p.m.
Feb. 18: Functional Food Cooking Demonstration, 6-8:30 p.m.
Feb. 20: Presidential Favorites, 6-9 p.m.
Feb. 26: Nutrients for Brain Health, 2 p.m.

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

Feb. 1, 8, 22: Toddler Storytime, 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.
Feb. 2, 9, 23: Anime Club, 4 p.m.
Feb. 3, 10, 24: Preschool Storytime, 9:30 a.m.
Feb. 6, 27: All Ages Storytime, 10 a.m.
Feb. 7: A Tabletop for the Season, 5 p.m.
Feb. 7, 21, 28: Born to Read, 9:30 a.m.
Feb. 11, 25: Jump Into Graphic Novels, 2 p.m.
Feb. 16: Medical Play Storytime, 10:30 a.m.
Feb. 16: Sip & Speak, 3 p.m.
Feb. 18: History Through Food, 2 p.m.
Feb. 25: Author Visit with Leetress M. Burris, 11 a.m.

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

Feb. 1, 8, 15, 22: Toddler Time Winter, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Feb. 6, 13, 20, 27: Baby Time, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Feb. 11: Fiber Artists, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Feb. 23: Knitter’s Group, 5-7 p.m.

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

Feb. 1: Moving Forward Book Group w/ Hospice of Central PA, 1-2 p.m.
Feb. 1: Teen STEAM Meetup, 5-6 p.m.
Feb. 1, 8, 15, 22: Winter Children’s Story Time, 11-11:30 a.m.
Feb. 2, 9, 16, 23: Language at the Library—Spanish, 10-11 a.m.
Feb. 2, 9, 16, 23: Meditation to Calm the Mind, 12-12:30 p.m.
Feb. 3: Chess Club, 6:30 p.m.
Feb. 6, 13, 20, 27: Winter Baby & Toddler Story Time, 10-10:30 a.m.
Feb. 6, 20: Frederickson Writes on Zoom, 6:45-8:45 p.m.
Feb. 7: Curl up with the Classics—“The Color Purple” 10-11 a.m.
Feb. 7, 21: READ to Dogs, 6:30-8 p.m.
Feb. 9, 16: Meet and Greet Library Pups, 10-11 a.m.
Feb. 11: Young Explorers (ages 6-8), 1:30-2:30 p.m.
Feb. 11: Tween LEGO Club, 6-7:30 p.m.
Feb. 14: Teen Writers’ Meetup, 6-8 p.m.
Feb. 15: Tween STEAM Meetup, 5:15-6 p.m.
Feb. 17: Family Paint & Pix, 6-8 p.m.
Feb. 24: Peaceful Poses Adult Yoga, 9-9:45 a.m.
Feb. 24: Peaceful Poses Yoga Storytime, 10-10:45 a.m.
Feb. 25, 26: Paint with Us, 1-3 p.m.

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

Feb. 4: Mixed-Media Resin Pour, 4-6 p.m.
Feb. 11: Loved One Memory Tray and Glass Set, 1-4 p.m.
Feb. 12: Create a Jewelry Organizer, 2-4 p.m.
Feb. 18: Wire Bonsai Tree Workshop, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Feb. 19: Needle Felted Snowman, 1-3 p.m.
Feb. 25: Ocean Sunset Painting, 2-5 pm

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

Feb. 11-April 1: Level 1 Intro to Improv, 12-3 p.m.

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

Feb. 1 LEGO Club, 4 p.m.
Feb. 2, 7, 9, 14, 16, 21, 23, 28: Penn State Hershey—Mothers & Babies, 10:15 a.m.
Feb. 2, 16: Hershey Quilters, 12:30 p.m.
Feb. 4, 11, 25: Chess Club, 1 p.m.
Feb. 6, 13, 20, 27: Storytime for Everyone, 11 a.m.
Feb. 7, 14, 21, 28: 1, 2, Whee!, 10:15 a.m.
Feb. 7, 14, 28: Girls Who Code, 6 p.m.
Feb. 8, 22: Artisan Wednesday, 3 p.m.
Feb. 13: MOMS Club of Derry Township, 10 a.m.
Feb. 13, 27: Movie Monday, 3 p.m.
Feb. 27: Books and Babies, 10:15 a.m.
Feb. 28: Silent Book Group, 10-11:30 a.m.

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

Feb. 27: “Celebrating 50 Years of Historic Preservation, Urban Revitalization, and Smart Growth,” 6 p.m.

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

Feb. 1, 6, 8, 13, 15, 20, 22, 27: Rhyme Time (18 months and older), 10:15-10:35 a.m.
Feb. 1, 8, 15, 22: Crazy 8s Math Club, Grades 1-2, 4:30-5:15 p.m.
Feb. 1, 8, 15, 22: Crazy 8s Math Club, Grades 3-5, 4:30-5:15 p.m.
Feb. 2, 9, 16, 23: Mah Jongg, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Feb. 3, 10, 17, 24: LEGO Time, 10:15-11:15 a.m.
Feb. 6, 13, 20, 27: Toddler Time (18 months-3 years), 10:45-11:05 a.m.
Feb. 6, 13, 20, 27: Storybook STEAM, 6-7 p.m.
Feb. 7, 14, 21, 28: Parent & Toddler Together, 8:30-9:30 a.m.
Feb. 7, 14, 21, 28: Tea & Stitches, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Feb. 8: Mad About Mysteries on Zoom, 7-8 p.m.
Feb. 11-12: February Book Sale
Feb. 13: English Conversation Club, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Feb. 14: Tween Scene, 6-7 p.m.
Feb. 16: Thursday Morning Book Club, 10-11 a.m.
Feb. 17: Apple Users Group, 1-2 p.m.
Feb. 18: Discovery Club, 10:30-11:15 a.m.
Feb. 18: Adventure Club, 11:30 am.-12:15 p.m.
Feb. 20: Monday Night Book Club, 7 p.m.
Feb. 23: STEAM Club (grades 1-2), 6 p.m.
Feb. 23: STEAM Club (grades 3-5), 6 p.m.
Feb. 25: Trivia at Home—Star Wars, 6-8 p.m.
Feb. 28: Tea & Stitches Extended Edition, 12-3 p.m.
Feb. 28: Tabletop Game Night, 6-8 p.m.

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

Feb. 2, 9, 23: All Ages Storytime, 10:15 a.m.
Feb. 2: Book Bingo, 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 9, 23: Jump Into Graphic Novels, 5 p.m.
Feb. 11: Knit One, Crochet Too!, 10:30 a.m.
Feb. 22: A Celebration of Friendship and Family, 5:30 p.m.

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

Feb. 1, 8, 15, 22: Common Roads (ages 12-17), 6-8 p.m.
Feb. 4, 11, 18, 25 Passageways, 2 p.m.
Feb. 5, 12, 19, 26 Young Adult Group, 4 p.m.

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

Feb. 3, 10, 17, 23 Speech Links to Literacy, 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m.
Feb. 18: Novel Reels—”Hidden Figures” Moving Screening, 11 a.m.
Feb. 28: Resume Writing Workshop, 12 p.m.

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

Feb. 4: Flurries ‘n FUN!, 10:30 a.m.
Feb. 6: Upcycled Clothing, 4 p.m.
Feb. 6, 13, 27: Calling Coders (grades 6-12), 2 p.m.
Feb. 7, 9: Beans to Boats—Exploring Biofuels, 5 p.m.
Feb. 7, 21, 28: All Ages Storytime, 10:15 a.m.
Feb. 16: Live and Learn—Animating Democracy, 5 p.m.
Feb. 17: TimeSlips Card Drive, 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 27, 28: Calling Coders (grades 6-12), 5 p.m.

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

Feb. 2: Book Club, 6-7 p.m.
Feb. 2, 9, 16, 23: LEGO Club, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Feb. 3, 10, 17, 24: Online Science Fiction Book Club
Feb. 3, 10, 17, 24: Star Trek Rewatch online group
Feb. 6, 13, 20, 27: STEM Club, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Feb. 7, 14, 21, 28: Storytime and Craft, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Feb. 7, 14, 21, 28:: 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

Feb. 27: A Virtual Evening with Rebecca Makkai, 7-8 p.m.

Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art
176 Water Company Rd., Millersburg
717-692-3699; nedsmithcenter.org

Feb. 11: Winter Hike, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

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

Feb. 1-25: Art in the Stacks
Feb. 1-28: Beanstack Challenge—For the Love of Reading (ages 0-18)
Feb. 1-28: Love Your Library Scavenger Hunt (ages 0-12)
Feb. 1: Musical Mornings (ages 2-5), 10:30-11 a.m.
Feb. 2: Ruth’s Mystery Discussion Group, 10:15 a.m.-12 p.m.
Feb. 3, 17: Movers & Groovers (ages 2-5), 10:30-11 a.m.
Feb. 4, 18: Library Book Sales, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Feb. 6: Monday Great Books Discussion Group, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Feb. 6, 13, 20, 27: Storytime & More (ages 2-5), Mondays, 10:30 a.m.
Feb. 7, 14, 21, 28: Book Babies (ages 0-2), 11:15 a.m.
Feb. 8, 22: Wednesday Great Books Discussion Group, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Feb. 9, 23: Block Party! (ages 0-3), 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Feb. 10: Valentine’s Day Storytime (ages 2-5), 10:30 a.m.
Feb. 11: Teen Take & Make (ages 13-17), 10 a.m.
Feb. 11: Valentine Card Making (ages 3 and older), 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m.
Feb. 13: CareerLink Community Access Point @ the Library, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Feb. 14: Tales for Tails (ages 6-12), 6:30-7:30 p.m
Feb. 18: Couponing for Extreme Savings, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
Feb. 18: Children’s Book Writers Critique Group, 2-4 p.m.
Feb. 22: Kid Builders (ages 3 and older), 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Feb. 24: PlayDoh Palooza (ages 2-5), 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Feb. 25: Crafty Crafters Club, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

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

Feb. 4, 11, 18, 25: Strength & Stretching for Ages 50+, 10-11 a.m.
Feb. 9: Palmyra Public Library Book Club, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
Feb. 10, 24: Tech Help, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Feb. 11, 18, 25: Smart Start Storytime, 12:15-12:45 p.m.
Feb. 23, 26, 30: Little Explorers Downtown Early Learning Classes, 10:30-11 a.m.
Feb. 25: Little Explorers Downtown Early Learning Classes, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Feb. 26: Little Explorers Downtown Early Learning Classes, 1:30-2 p.m.

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

Feb. 4: Drop-In Art, 1-4 p.m.
Feb. 26: Art Talk—Make a Statement, 1-4 p.m.

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

Feb. 1-26: “Animals of the Night”
Feb. 1-26: SEASONS
Feb. 3, 18: Storytime, 10:30 a.m.
Feb. 4: PA Geography with the Giant Map, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Feb. 4-26: Highlights Tour, 1:30-2:30 p.m. (Wednesdays-Sundays)
Feb. 8: Homeschool Program—PA’s Land and People, 10 a.m.
Feb. 16: Curiosity Kids—Swishing through the Snow, 11:30 a.m.
Feb. 17: Virtual Program—Middle Creek’s Spring Waterfowl Migration,
Feb. 18: Mapping Mammal Hall with the Giant PA Map, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Feb. 22: Explore—Yuck! What are Germs?, 11:30 a.m.
Feb. 22: Tonight’s Sky Live Chat, 2 p.m.
Feb. 25: Chatting Through Time, 10:30 a.m.
Feb. 25: Rocks, 1-1:45 p.m.

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

Feb. 4: Kids’ Art Club—Paper Weaving (ages 6-10), 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Feb. 8: Figure Drawing (ages 18 and older), 7-9 p.m.
Feb. 11: Kids’ Art Club—Object Portraits (ages 8-12), 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Feb. 22: Open Figure Drawing (ages 18 and older), 7-9 p.m.
Feb. 25: Kid’s Art Club—3D Pictures (ages 7-11), 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

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

Feb. 9: Certified Folk Art One Stroke Painting, 6 to 8 p.m.
Feb. 10: Valentine Paint Party, 6 to 8 p.m.
Feb. 11: Silk Painting, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Feb. 11: Second Saturday Clay Workshops—Heart Trinket Dishes or Candle Sconces
Feb. 18: Macramé Plant Hangers, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Feb. 22-March 15: Beginner Oil Painting, Wednesdays, 6 to 8 p.m.
Feb. 25: Intro to Hand Building with Clay, 1 to 4 p.m.

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

Feb. 1: Preschool Storytime—Winter at Wildwood, 10-10:45 a.m.
Feb. 4: Kids Discover—Groundhogs (ages 5-10), 1-2:30 p.m.
Feb. 7, 21: Winter Lecture Series—Planting Trees for Tomorrow, 7-8:30 p.m.
Feb. 11: Penn State Extension Spring Symposium, 9:30-11 a.m.
Feb. 11: Birds & Coffee with Appalachian Audubon Society, 10-11 a.m.
Feb. 11: Kids Discover—Owls (ages 4-6), 10-11:30 a.m.
Feb. 11: Kids Discover—Owls (ages 7-10), 1:30-3 p.m.
Feb. 20: Intermediate Fly-tying with Trout Unlimited, 7-8:30 p.m.
Feb. 23: Japanese Kokedama Workshop, 6-8 p.m.
Feb. 25: Penn State Extension Spring Symposium, 9:30-11 a.m.
Feb. 25: Kids Discover—All About Mammals (ages 5-10), 1:30-3 p.m.
Feb. 28: Wild Recipes—Winter Foraging in Your Backyard, 6-7:30 p.m.

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

Feb. 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 21, 22, 23, 28: Toddler Storytime, 10:15 a.m.
Feb. 25: Crafternoon, 11 a.m.

Live Music

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

Feb. 10: Trace Adkins

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

Feb. 3: Jazz in the City
Feb. 15: DRUMLine Live
Feb. 18: York Symphony
Feb. 25: Public Disco Porch

Arts on the Square
Market Square Presbyterian Church
20 S. 2nd St., Harrisburg
www.marketsquarechurch.org/concerts

Feb. 18: An Evening with Beethoven w/Shelly Moorman-Stahlman and chamber orchestra and choir

Greystone Public House
2120 Colonial Rd., Harrisburg
717-829-9952; www.greystonepa.com

Feb. 3: Lisa Ann Zeigler
Feb. 10: Tim Colgan
Feb. 17: Zach Nyce
Feb. 24: Dave McCullough

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

Feb. 4: Bear Grillz
Feb. 11: flipturn

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

Feb. 6: Harrisburg Symphony Youth Orchestra Winter Concert
Feb. 11, 12: Masterworks—Tchaikovsky’s Sixth
Feb. 25, 26: POPS 4— Broadway’s Bad Boys

Harrisburg University Presents
concertseries.harrisburgu.edu

Feb. 25: Elle King at XL Live

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

Feb. 3: Grant Bryan Band
Feb. 4: The Stranger—Bill Joel Tribute
Feb. 10: Renegade Radio Rocks
Feb. 11: Midnite Riot
Feb. 17: Vertigo Vultures
Feb. 18: Sapphire
Feb. 24: Velveeta
Feb. 25: Stampede

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

Feb. 2: The Doo Wop Projects
Feb. 23: The World Famous Harlem Gospel Choir

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

Feb. 19: Wind Symphony Family Pops Concert
Feb. 24: Symphony Orchestra Concert

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

Feb. 11: VOCES8
Feb. 17: Messiah University Wind Ensemble & Symphonic Winds
Feb. 24: Messiah University Symphony Orchestra
Feb. 24-25: Messiah University Humanities Symposium Dance Concert
Feb. 26: Messiah University Kuhlman Competition

Rusty Rail Brewing Company
5 N. 8th North St., Mifflinburg
570-966-7878; rustyrailbrewing.com

Feb. 2: The Substitutes
Feb. 6: Monday Night Jam
Feb. 9: Ann Kerstetter Band
Feb. 13: James Taylor Tribute by Pat Maue
Feb. 16: ADG
Feb. 20: Monday Night Jam
Feb. 23: The Heartstrings
Feb. 27: Kevin Regan

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

Feb. 4: Winter Coffee House
Feb. 5: February Open Mic Night
Feb. 11: Alash Ensemble
Feb. 12: February Jam & Song Swap

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

Feb. 11: Club 42 T.H.E.M. the Collective—A Celebration of the Evolution of Black Music
Feb. 23: Jazz at Lincoln Center presents “Songs We Love”
Feb. 25: Xun Pan & Gabriel Chamber Ensemble

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

Feb. 3: Observe the 93rd, If Not For Me, Maguas, University Drive, Void Hidden
Feb. 4: The Lizards
Feb. 10: KIX, Leadfoot, Roadcase
Feb. 11: The Four Horsemen—The Ultimate Tribute to Metallica
Feb. 16: Highly Suspect, Dead Poet Society
Feb. 17: Big Head Todd and the Monsters
Feb. 18: Yonder Mountain String Band
Feb. 24: Luv Gods and Friends
Feb. 25: HU Presents Elle King

The Stage Door

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

Feb. 10: Kevin McCaffrey and Kate Brindle w/Ron Caine
Feb. 24: The Rich Guzzi Comedy Hypnosis Show

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

Feb 17-26: “Spamalot”

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

Feb. 5, 26: “Dying for a Drink”

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

Feb. 1-18: “Murder on the Orient Express”
Feb. 24-April 1: “Sister Act”

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

Feb. 11: “Black History’s Groundbreaking Geniuses” with Bright Star Touring Theatre

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

Feb. 25: Zane Lamprey

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

Feb. 3-12: “Voices of the Eighth Chronicles II—Stories from Harrisburg’s old Eighth Ward”
Feb. 17: TMI Improv

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

Feb. 17-19: “Murder on the 518”

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

Feb. 3: The Divas Down Under—Valentine’s Day “Love It or Leave It” Drag Show
Feb. 3, 4: Rob Ward and Brian Tidwell
Feb. 10, 11: Ben Moore and Mike O’Donnell
Feb. 17, 18: Burpie Bob Lauver
Feb. 24, 25: Ron Feingold

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

Feb. 26: Kidprov Class Show, 3:30 p.m.

Hershey Area Playhouse
830 Cherry Dr., Hershey
717-533-8525; hersheyareaplayhouse.com

Feb. 10-12: “The Property Known as Garland”

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

Feb. 4: “Menopause the Musical”

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

Feb. 17-26: “The Drowsy Chaperone”

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

Feb. 2-12: “Leading Ladies”

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

Feb. 8: “Anastasia”
Feb. 19: “Mutts Gone Nuts”

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

Feb. 18: “The Complete History of Comedy”

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

Feb. 16-19: “Crimes of the Heart”

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

Feb. 3, 5: “The Masque of the Red Death”
Feb. 18-March 11: “Into the Woods”

Theatre Harrisburg
513 Hurlock St., Harrisburg
717-232-5501; theatreharrisburg.com

Feb. 10-19: “Pieces” at Whitaker Center

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

Feb. 3: We The People First Fridays Presents “Celebrating African American History Month” with Birds Flyin’ High

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

Feb. 10-19: “Pieces” by Theatre Harrisburg

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Community Corner: Notable February Events

January 31, 2023 | by Missy Smith

Winter Storytime
Feb. 1: Families are invited to join the Dauphin County Library System and Wildwood Park at 100 Wildwood Way, Harrisburg, for a fun story time for kids ages 2 to 5, from 10 to 10:45 a.m. Children will be introduced to Wildwood critters and the joy of books and language with stories, songs, rhymes, play and a craft. www.explorewildwoodpark.org

Calm the Mind
Feb. 2, 9, 16, 23: Learn short, easy 15-minute calming meditations on Thursdays, 12 to 12:30 p.m., at Fredricksen Library, 100 N. 19th St., Camp Hill. Led by Buddhist nun Kelsang Chonzdin, a teacher and practitioner of almost 20 years, the meditations are suitable for people of any religion. www.fredricksenlibrary.org

HBG Flea
Feb. 4: Shop the HBG Flea for local art, vintage treasures, curated curios and unique gifts, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Strawberry Square, 320 Market 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

Drop-In Art
Feb. 4: Drop-In Art brings families together the first Saturday of each month, 1 to 4 p.m., at Landis House Creative Commons, 67 N. 4th St., Newport. Create up to three craft projects, best suited for ages 3 to 12. www.perrycountyarts.org

Book Sale
Feb. 4, 18: Friends of New Cumberland Public Library, 1 Benjamin Plaza, hosts pre-owned book sales on the first and third Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., in Foundation House, across the shared parking lot from the library. Find books, vintage items, jewelry, music, puzzles, kids’ books, vinyl records and more. www.cumberlandcountylibraries.org

Member Appreciation
Feb. 6: Join Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg, 3301 N. Front St., Harrisburg, for a presentation on healthy nutrition, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. A registered dietician will be available to answer questions and provide tips on eating healthy. Light refreshments, coffee and tea provided. www.jewishharrisburg.org

Roots & Shoots
Feb. 6: Children ages 5 to 8 can participate in “Roots & Shoots,” a youth service program developed by Jane Goodall, at Fredricksen Library, 100 N. 19th St., Camp Hill, 6 to 7 p.m. Kids will learn how to foster respect and compassion for all living things, promote understanding of all cultures and beliefs, and take action to make the world a better place. www.fredricksenlibrary.org

Girls who Code
Feb. 7, 14, 28: Hershey Public Library, 701 Cocoa Ave., Hershey, hosts Girls Who Code, a program for girls in grades 6 to 12 to use computer science to impact their community, 6 to 7:30 p.m. Girls will build skills in teamwork, confidence, time management, communication and more. www.hersheylibrary.org

Parent Cafes
Feb. 7, 21: Tri County Community Action’s free, virtual Parent Café Series allows parents and caregivers to share their stories, experiences, worries, fears and wisdom and find community and strength, 6 to 8 p.m. Register for individual sessions on Feb. 7 and Feb. 21, or choose just those you are able to attend. www.cactricounty.org

Networking Mixer
Feb. 9: Socialize with local business professionals at Central Penn College/Education Foundation evening mixer, 4 to 6 p.m., at the Conference Center at Healthy You Café, 4500 Marketplace Way, Enola. The event is free and open to West Shore Chamber members. www.wschamber.org

Food Rally
Feb. 9: 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 area food trucks or New Cumberland restaurants and enjoy shopping and special promotions at local businesses. www.newcumberlandpa.org

Library Pups
Feb. 9, 16: Meet library pups Calvin and Hobbes with their registered therapy team, at Frederickson Library, 100 N. 19th St., Camp Hill, 10 to 11 a.m. Children have the opportunity to interact with dogs and build self-esteem. All ages are welcome. www.fredricksenlibrary.org

Birds & Coffee
Feb. 10: Stop by the Nature Center at Wildwood Park, 100 Wildwood Way, Harrisburg, for a cup of coffee, tea or hot cocoa, 10 to 11 a.m. Join a naturalist and Appalachian Audubon to observe and count common feeder birds as part of Project FeederWatch. www.explorewildwoodpark.org

WWI Film
Feb. 10: Central Penn College, 600 Valley Rd., Summerdale, invites the community to a free screening of the movie “1917” at the Capital Blue Cross Theatre on campus. The movie is inspired by a true tale of World War I drama and intrigue. Doors open at 6 p.m., a film discussion starts at 6:30 p.m., and the movie begins at 7 p.m. www.centralpenn.edu

Kids Discover
Feb. 11: Head to Wildwood Park, 100 Wildwood Way, Harrisburg, to learn all about owls. Kids Discover will be held from 10 to 11:30 a.m. for children ages 4 to 6 and 1:30 to 3 p.m. for children ages 7 to 10. www.explorewildwoodpark.org

Black Geniuses
Feb. 11: Join East Shore Public Library, 4501 Ethel St., Harrisburg, for Bright Star Touring Theatre’s “Black History’s Groundbreaking Geniuses,” full of inventors, artists and thinkers who changed the world, beginning at 3 p.m. Meet historic figures like Daniel Hale Williams, Dorothy Vaughan, Ralph Ellison and many more. www.dcls.org

Truffles for Couples
Feb. 11: Take your Valentine to the Hershey Story’s Chocolate Lab, 63 W. Chocolate Ave., for an evening of truffle-making for Valentine’s Day, 5:45 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. Guests can enjoy drinking chocolates from around the world and making hand-rolled ganache. Tickets are $25 per person. www.hersheystory.org

Game Day
Feb. 12: Frederickson Library, 100 N. 19th St., Camp Hill, hosts a board game day for people of all ages and skill levels, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. The library will have games available to play, but feel free to bring your own. All ages welcome; ages 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult. www.fredricksenlibrary.org

Curious Kids
Feb. 16: State Museum of PA, 300 North St., Harrisburg, invites kids ages 3 to 6 and their families to “Curiosity Kids” for “Swishing through the Snow,” at 11:30 a.m. www.statemuseumpa.org

China and Taiwan
Feb. 16: Zenel Garcia, who teaches security studies at the U.S. Army War College, will discuss China and Taiwan in a Foreign Policy Association of Central Pennsylvania free talk at the Susquehanna Club, New Cumberland, 7:30 p.m. Garcia is the author of several books and articles on China. www.fpaharrisburg.org

Love of Art
Feb. 17-19: Hershey Art Association presents “For the Love of Art” exhibit of paintings, prints, photographs, 3D art, handmade jewelry and more at the Hershey Gardens Education Building, 170 Hotel Rd. The show is Included with admission and free for members. www.hersheyareaartassociation.com

Free Museum Day
Feb. 18: National Civil War Museum welcomes the public to its Community Free Day, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Join NCWM staff and volunteers to celebrate Black History Month and Presidents’ Day, with historians, speakers and the newest exhibit, “Greatness Thrust Upon Them.” www.nationalcivilwarmuseum.org

Hidden Figures
Feb. 18: Head to Madeline L. Olewine Memorial Library, 2410 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg, for a free showing of “Hidden Figures” and to pick up a copy of the book that inspired the movie, “Hidden Figures—The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race” by Margot Lee Shetterly, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. www.dcls.org

Evening Concert
Feb. 18: Hear Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto, Overture in F minor and the “Hallelujah Chorus” with pianist Shelly Moorman-Stahlman and the Market Square Presbyterian Church Chamber orchestra and the Sanctuary Choir, at 20 S. 2nd St., Harrisburg, 7 p.m. www.marketsquarechurch.org

Library Talk
Feb. 19: Friends of the New Cumberland Public Library will host Barbara Barksdale in a talk about “The Journey of Reclaiming Historic Midland Cemetery,” 3 to 4:30 p.m. at Foundation House, 1 Benjamin Plaza, New Cumberland. www.cumberlandcountylibraries.org

Fly-Tying Lessons
Feb. 20: Join Trout Unlimited at Wildwood Park, 100 Wildwood Way, Harrisburg, for a five-week course on intermediate fly-tying, on Monday evenings, Feb. 20 to March 20. Students should provide their own tools. Materials for all flies will be provided. www.explorewildwoodpark.org

Lecture Series
Feb. 21: Join Wildwood Park, 110 Wildwood Way, Harrisburg, for “Winter Lecture Series, Planting Trees for Tomorrow—How Do I Preserve My Land for the Future?” from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Learn more about certified “animal friendly” habitats and what you can do to ensure the conservation of your land in perpetuity. www.explorewildwoodpark.org

Anniversary Event
Feb. 22: Join the Historic Harrisburg Association, 1230 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg, 12 to 1 p.m., for a news media event to mark the organization’s 50th anniversary of advocating for the restoration, preservation and proper stewardship of historic neighborhoods and landmarks throughout the capital region. www.historicharrisburg.org

Tonight’s Sky
Feb. 22: Families are invited to join the planetarium director at the State Museum of Pennsylvania, 300 North St, Harrisburg, at 2 p.m. to explore what you can see in the night sky. Learn about the basic motions of the sky, visible constellations and planets and special celestial events. www.statemuseumpa.org

Kokedama Workshop
Feb. 23: Learn the art and history of Japanese Kokedama, a method of wrapping the root ball of small plants in moss, with D. McGee Design Studio, at Wildwood Park, 100 Wildwood Way, Harrisburg, 6 to 8 p.m. Cost is $65 per person and pre-registration is required. www.explorewildwoodpark.org

Peaceful Poses
Feb. 24: Fredricksen Library, 100 N. 19th St., Camp Hill, hosts Peaceful Poses Yoga with Ann Fields for adults, 9 to 9:45 a.m., to explore yoga poses, breathing techniques and ways to deal with stress and anxiety. From 10 to 10:45 a.m., kids ages 2 to 5 can participate in mindful movement and deep breaths. www.fredricksenlibrary.org

3rd in The Burg
Feb. 24: 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, from 6 to 9 p.m. www.thirdintheburg.org

Spring Symposium
Feb. 25: Sherrie Moyer, owner of Hungry Hook Farm Native Plant Nursery, and Wildwood Park, 100 Wildwood Way, Harrisburg, hosts “Propagation of Native Plants by Seed,” 9:30 to 11 a.m. Learn propagation steps to go from seed to mature plant, sourcing seed, ethical seed collection, seed storage, acceptable soil and more. Cost is $5 per person. www.explorewildwoodpark.org

Art Talk
Feb: 26: Join Perry County Council of the Arts for a social and educational learning event for developing better professional artist practices, such as writing artist statements and biographies, 1 to 4 p.m., at Landis House Creative Commons, 67 N. 4th St., Newport. www.perrycountyarts.org

Wild Cooking
Feb. 28: Join naturalists at Wildwood Park, 100 Wildwood Way, Harrisburg, to learn about backyard winter foraging and how to use edible plants in your winter recipes, 6 to 7:30 p.m. Learn how to make shagbark hickory syrup and a variety of winter teas. The cost of this workshop is $10 per person. www.explorewildwoodpark.org

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Streets of Success: Last year, Harrisburg chose a unique way to honor two community leaders: Judith Hill and Rev. Billy Gray

January 31, 2023 | by M. Diane McCormick

Judith C. Hill. Illustration by Bryan Hickman.

What did your mom do when you were growing up?

Made hot dogs for you and your friends, probably. Or delivered petitions to the White House. Answered middle-of-the-night calls from suicidal teens. Stood in court with children who had no parental support. Was one of President George H.W. Bush’s 1,000 Points of Light.

“You talk about a queen and a warrior,” said Judith Michelle Hill, daughter of Judith Hill. “That was Mommy.”

In October, Harrisburg City Council gave secondary names to two sections of N. 6th Street, honoring civil rights activists and youth advocates who quietly achieved the monumental. The intersection of 6th and Harris streets is now Judith C. Hill Way, dedicated in December. The block from Forrest to Woodbine streets became Rev. Billy Gray Way, near the Camp Curtin YMCA, where Gray made only a portion of his outsized impact.

Judith C. Hill

Judith C. Hill Way commemorates the woman who grew up nearby, left the city, and returned to make an indelible impression in education, politics, civil rights, faith and civic life.

“Several members of Harrisburg City Council are literally standing on the foundation that Ms. Hill has set for us as the first Black woman to serve as a member of the legislative body for the City of Harrisburg,” said City Council President Danielle Bowers, who helped lead the commemoration.

Judith Hill was born in Harrisburg in 1928, the daughter of a Bethlehem Steel worker. She graduated from Virginia Union University, an HBCU. For a time, she lived in Montreal but returned to Harrisburg in 1966, teaching in the Harrisburg School District.

Just a few of her leadership roles: Camp Curtin YMCA. Camp Curtin Memorial-Mitchell UMC trustee. Central Pennsylvania Council of Churches. OIC counselor and lead instructor. Proud member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority.

“She wasn’t afraid to lead,” said her son, Jeffrey Hill of Harrisburg. “She was the president of just about every group she got involved in.”

Hill understood and leveraged the intersection of activism and politics. She was a Republican, forging deep ties and friendships with Pennsylvania power, including U.S. Rep. George Gekas and Gov. Dick Thornburgh. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Drew Lewis appointed her as staff assistant to the director of civil rights.

“We saw them really focus on making things happen in the community and following through on it, and making sure they were leveraging for the benefit of the youth,” said Judith Michelle Hill of New York, of her mother and her colleagues.

Linda Cammack served with Hill on the Harrisburg School Board when the mayor took control of the district. Hill “spoke what was on her mind,” and Cammack, a fellow teacher, followed her “no-nonsense” example.

“She was a staunch, strong African American woman,” said Cammack. “How family is supposed to be. What you say and don’t say. What you do and you don’t do. How you carry yourself professionally. She made an impression on a lot of people.”

When the district appointed Hill as dean of students, she advocated for the students’ requests for more Black history classes, more relevance, more Black teachers.

Politically, Hill preferred working behind the scenes, but after helping Wesley Plummer’s successful campaign to become City Council’s second Black member, he urged her to run.

Jeffrey Hill remembers her campaign, when students handing out fliers trailed her “like she’s the Pied Piper.” Judith Michelle Hill called it an easy win “because she was already so well integrated into the community and a teacher and in the church.”

Even after suffering multiple strokes, Judith Hill—the woman whose raucous laugh made everyone else laugh—retaught herself to write and speak. She died in 2014.

“She was very independent all the way to the end,” said Judith Michelle Hill. “She was a fighter. That’s probably the best tribute I could say to her.”

“What my mother left for us,” added Jeffrey Hill, “was a wonderful person to model ourselves after.”

Rev. Billy Gray

Forty tuxedos. Billy Gray changed the trajectories of countless young lives, but everyone also remembers the snappiest dresser in town, from his pocket handkerchief to the shoes matching every suit. After his death, 40 perfectly matched tuxedo sets were hanging in his custom-built closet.

And when City Council named part of N. 6th Street in his honor, his grandson was wearing the last pair of shoes he bought but never wore.

“He was big on people growing,” said his daughter, Marla Estriplet, of Susquehanna Township. “To progress, to live better and do better, and to look in a mirror and feel better about themselves.”

Rev. Dr. William M. Gray Sr. grew up as the son of an Army nurse—unprecedented for a Black woman at the time, but she was “a driven person” who insisted that her children get an education, said Estriplet.

World War II interrupted Gray’s education. He joined the Army at age 16. As an MP, he guarded liberated concentration camps, a witness to the interment of victims’ bodies.

Coming home to Harrisburg, he returned to William Penn High School. Like other GIs, he could have left the classroom behind and gotten his GED, but he always preached finishing what you started. He wanted a degree in honor of the cheerful sister who died at 18 from pneumonia, Estriplet said.

In Europe, Gray received respect from Europeans as a soldier and an American. He didn’t get that love in the United States, he would tell his daughter.

“It opened his eyes to the different opportunities you don’t even imagine you could have,” she said.

Gray’s list of firsts includes the first Black Red Cross lifeguard and first Black swimming instructor at the YMCA. With the military, he boxed in England, France and Germany. In the states, he was a Golden Gloves champion, boxing at flyweight.

“He didn’t do minor things,” says Estriplet. “In most instances, he was always the first Black to do something because he wanted everyone to say you can come above what people say about you, you can come above the expectations others have of you.”

Reading at least 10 daily newspapers from around the country, Gray replicated the civil rights protests he read about. Some people remember him leading bus trips to desegregate Hersheypark. When the Ku Klux Klan burned crosses at homes being bought by Black families on Herr Street, Gray led marches there that opened the neighborhood.

Gray marched with Martin Luther King Jr., but Estriplet also laughed at the story of her dad “failing” a crucial test of that era, when aspirants to join sit-ins had to show they could endure, stoically, the kind of brutality and vitriol they would encounter. At Gray’s mock sit-in, a white actor spit at a Black woman, and—well, he was a fighter. Enraged, he jumped up, ready to duke it out, and had to be restrained.

“It didn’t matter that the guy was an actor and was helping,” Estriplet said. “In that instant, my dad forgot what he was doing, and he lost it.”

It’s hard to encapsulate Gray’s efforts. Associate pastor and deacon for the Second Baptist Church of Harrisburg and president of the Interdenominational Ministers Conference. Scoutmaster. Free SAT tutoring and job-search help, including for ex-prisoners, through a YMCA youth program. Teaching kids to fish and swim in the Susquehanna River. Taking local youth to New York City and a show at the Apollo Theatre. Organizing college nights and HBCU bus tours, which Judith Hill helped chaperone.

The underlying message: Opportunities beckoned.

“They were the bright star behind me choosing North Carolina Central University,” said Cammack.

Gray died in 2013 and is buried in Indiantown Gap National Cemetery. Estriplet believes her dad’s message today would be, “You can still become greater.”

“You have an opportunity clear up until the time you breathe your last breath to do great things,” she said. “And it’s not about doing great things for fame or for money. It’s about doing great things for one another, so that someone else can see your achievements and know that it can be done and never give up.”

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New to the House: Inside PA’s most diverse Assembly, newly elected Harrisburg area legislators Justin Fleming and Dave Madsen bring experience, passion, representation

January 31, 2023 | by Maddie Gittens

Dave Madsen. Photo by Dani Fresh.

Dave Madsen had just moved into his new district office in Steelton.

The phones still weren’t completely set up, the sign out front still displayed his predecessor’s name, and he didn’t have any bottles of water to offer visitors yet. Everything was moving at high speed.

Madsen hadn’t even officially taken office yet, and people were already dropping in and calling.

Still, he felt prepared.

He thought of the men who mentored him growing up—Black men in the community who inspired him to get to where he is now.

“I don’t want to let them down, but I also feel confident in the sense that they instilled a lot of knowledge in me,” Madsen said.

The former Harrisburg City Council member has high hopes for the 104th district, which he now serves as a Democratic member of Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives. He wants to make strides in areas like public safety, climate change and education. But maybe even more importantly, he sees his role as helping residents with the less flashy, regular day-to-day issues like finding tax forms or applying for home energy assistance.

“It’s not the most exciting stuff in the world, but it’s really important to their quality of life,” he said.

Madsen is one of two new state legislators, both Black men, from the immediate Harrisburg area who were sworn in last month after a state redistricting process caused significant changes to district boundaries. Madsen’s redrawn 104th House district now includes the east portion of Harrisburg and several neighboring towns, including Steelton, where his office is located.

Just outside Harrisburg is the newly redrawn 105th House district, which Democrat Justin Fleming, a former Susquehanna Township commissioner, represents. His district includes all of Susquehanna Township, Penbrook and parts of Lower Paxton Township.

Not only are Madsen and Fleming new in the House, but they also represent a significant change in their districts.

“We will both be the first Black men elected to represent Dauphin County in the legislature,” Madsen said. “You do feel a bit of pressure, at least I do, knowing that you carry that responsibility.”

Justin Fleming. Illustration by Dani Fresh.

Well Represented

The Harrisburg area’s two newest legislators are part of what has been called Pennsylvania’s most diverse class of freshman lawmakers. According to a recent Associated Press article, the redistricting process in the commonwealth “may have had a greater impact than anywhere else on diversifying the racial and ethnic makeup of the legislature.”

In addition to having a more diverse Assembly, the lawmakers bring representation to their culturally and ethnically diverse 104th and 105th districts.

Fleming remembered a story told to him by a volunteer at a polling place on Election Day. A mother with her young son, who is Black, had just finished voting.

“The mother tells our volunteer that he was so happy because it was the first time that they could vote for someone who looked like him,” Fleming said.

Fleming is a lifelong resident of Dauphin County and a long-time resident of Susquehanna Township. In the early years of his childhood, he was raised by a single dad in a low-income household. He remembers the days of using food vouchers and living in affordable housing and the stigma that came with both. However, his circumstances never defined his outlook on life. Fleming was studious, while also a bit of a class clown, he admitted.

After college at Millersville University, he worked a short stint in T.V. broadcasting and then served for several years as press secretary for various state agencies. For the majority of his career, he worked as government affairs/relations director for state organizations such as the National Association of Social Workers-PA Chapter and, most recently, Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children.

According to Fleming, his background shaped his passion for working in government.

“When I look at my history, it was really government that helped me become the person I am today,” he said. “I’ve always been interested in service in some form or fashion.”

For the last eight years, Fleming sat on the Susquehanna Township board of commissioners, making strides in issues like walkability, responsible development and support for first responders in the community, he explained.

He hadn’t given much thought to running for state representative until he saw the preliminary redistricting map.

“Maybe subconsciously, I was preparing myself for an opportunity like this, but quite honestly, I never thought it would come,” he said. “I did not envision that redistricting would provide an opportunity for a Democrat to serve here, but here we are.”

See it, Be It

Nathaniel Gadsden, a Harrisburg poet and pastor, has worked with students for years, teaching them through his Writer’s Wordshop program. He has also served as a mentor for the Greater Harrisburg Area NAACP ACT-SO Achievement Program for youth.

Madsen still remembers the mentorship that Gadsden gave him as a participant in both programs when he was younger.

When working with students, Gadsden always tries to present them with role models who look like them. These days, he said that he has one more local figure to add to his list of examples.

“If you don’t see it, how can you be it?” he asked. “Dave is someone I can point to. He’s here in the community and still giving back.”

Madsen was born and raised in Middletown and returned to Harrisburg after attending college in Denmark, where he has dual citizenship, and later Mansfield University of Pennsylvania. He began his political career interning for state representative, congressional and gubernatorial campaigns and becoming the president of the local Pennsylvania Young Democrats chapter. Along the way, he got involved in the organized labor movement, becoming the community services and education director for the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO in 2020.

Madsen also became known in the city for his role on Harrisburg City Council from 2017 to 2022. That position changed the way he viewed local government and shaped how he views his new role as state representative, he explained.

“It was a pleasure to serve along those folks that were so selfless and that made me want to be a better public servant,” he said.

In his new position, Madsen knows he has big shoes to fill, left behind by Rep. Patty Kim, who previously represented much of his district. He still has a lot of ground to cover with meeting residents, but he’s feeling positive about the community’s response thus far.

“I want to be out there educating and answering questions and just letting people get to know me,” he said. “So, expect to see me.”

Like Madsen, Fleming has hit the ground running, with hopes to “help as many people as possible,” he said. His top priorities include addressing income inequality, securing more funding for local school districts and improving healthcare, an issue that hits close to home for him, as his daughter has Type 1 diabetes.

But both of the new state representatives hope their presence in the House not only helps their constituents, but also generations to come.

“I hope that seeing me in this position can inspire people,” Fleming said. “People need to see that their government is representative of them.”

Madsen also sees this as an opportunity to introduce young people of color to a career path in local government.

“I’m able to say, I was where you are, and this is a space for people of color to succeed in, and, matter of fact, we need more people of color in these spaces to be a voice for our community,” he said. “Hopefully I can be that inspiration for the next generation.”

For more information or to contact Rep. Dave Madsen, visit www.pahouse.com/madsen.

For more information or to contact Rep. Justin Fleming, visit www.pahouse.com/fleming.

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