Free backpacks, school supplies to be distributed at Harrisburg’s final summer movie night

August 18, 2022 | by Maddie Gittens

The bandshell at Reservoir Park is home to Harrisburg’s outdoor movie nights.

As the academic year rolls back around, Harrisburg and local officials will help out students in need of school supplies.

The first 100 children to attend the city’s free movie night at Reservoir Park on Friday will receive a backpack with books and supplies.

The giveaway comes in partnership with state Rep. Patty Kim (D-103) who annually hosts the event. This is the first year it will happen in conjunction with a city event.

“The city, my office and the local American Legion are coming together to give one last hurrah for the students here in Harrisburg,” Kim said. “We want to make sure that they feel loved, that they feel supported, and give them a good time with food and a movie night, to make sure that they have a great start for the school year.”

The city will hand out the 100 backpacks at 7 p.m., followed by a showing of “Space Jam: A New Legacy” at 8 p.m. Free popcorn will also be available.

The city encourages attendees to bring their own seating and blankets. Portable toilets are located on site. No alcohol is allowed.

This is the last movie of Harrisburg’s summer movie night series.

The movie nights have been a hit this summer, according to Antoine Eubanks of the city’s parks and recreation department. Starting on June 24, six family-friendly films were shown at the Reservoir Park bandshell. Two were canceled due to inclement weather.

“It’s been overly a great success this summer, and any time we can partner with [Rep.] Kim’s office to get more people out here, it’s great,” Eubanks said. “We’re hoping that [Friday] will be just as good as the whole summer turned out, so that next year it’ll be even bigger.”

For more information, visit the city’s website.

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Artists, community paint mural on Harrisburg restaurant’s boarded-up window after gunfire damage

August 18, 2022 | by Maddie Gittens

Artist Vivian Sterste (in background) and community members paint a canvas to cover Pastorante’s boarded-up window.

The community is getting creative to help a Harrisburg restaurant look a bit brighter.

On Thursday, local artists and community members gathered at Pastorante, a restaurant in Midtown, to hang and paint a canvas on the front of the building. The artwork covers a boarded-up window that was shattered during gunfire last week.

“It’s great,” said owner Sri Kumarasingam of the mural. “The community always comes through.”

Early in the morning on Aug. 12, the restaurant’s window on the 1000-block of N. 3^rd St. was hit during a shooting incident. Pastorante was closed at the time, and no one was injured.

However, Kumarasingam now must replace his window, which will likely take two to three weeks, he said. He does not know yet what his insurance will cover. In the meantime, he launched a GoFundMe page to raise money. By Thursday afternoon, the page had raised nearly $5,000.

Harrisburg Artist Vivian Sterste, owner of Midtown gallery Vivi on Verbeke, decided to help in the best way she knew how—through art. On Thursday, Sterste organized a community mural project to cover the boarded-up window.

According to Kumarasingam, business was slow over the weekend, which he believes was due to the building’s appearance. The mural, which is in progress, will help with that, he said.

“This will definitely help business,” he said. “It will be a talking point, and it will look pretty outside.”

Sterste said that over a dozen people stopped by to leave their mark on the mural by Thursday afternoon. She expects to continue painting for the next day or two, or whenever the mural is complete. The inspiration for the painting came from Kumarasingam’s request for an image of a field of flowers.

“This is an effort to support the community and get people involved,” Sterste said. “It’ll be colorful and hopefully encourage business and bring some joy.”

Midtown resident Tonya Andrews dined at Pastorante before and loved their black squid ink pasta. On Thursday, she came to help paint after seeing Sterste’s post about the project on Facebook.

“I have the time and I want to help,” she said. “It’s always good to help out. And I like this restaurant.”

Pastorante is located at 1012 N. 3^rd St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit their website or Facebook page.

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Weekend Roundup with Sara Bozich

August 18, 2022 | by Sara Bozich

Plan your weekend with my weekly list of things to do around Harrisburg and central PA! Scroll down or use the menu links to find ideas for your weekend.

What you’ll find:

For your weekend planning
Top Weekend Recs
- Thursday
- Friday
- Saturday
- Sunday
Like this content?

For something new: Check out Chatty Monks Brewing and/or KLYR Rum tonight and Friday in SoMa Harrisburg. Stuffed at Broad Street Market on Friday! The “Anyone Can Cook” competition at Greystone Brew House Saturday looks super fun. And on Sunday, the Inaugural Harrisburg River Rescue Float.

Worth noting: BIG changes are coming in this space! Check out my private Facebook community, Cheers Harrisburg to get the first peeks.

Things on my agenda this weekend: Sip in SoMa. To market, to market. A pool visit, perhaps.

Don’t forget to support your local brewery! Click here to find one near you.

For your weekend planning

SoMa Sips Aug. 18-19 | Pop-Up Tasting Rooms
3rd in the Burg in SoMa Harrisburg
Add to calendar: SoMa Block Party Aug. 25
Get tickets now! Plants + Pints Aug. 27
View my local Restaurant Directory or Local Brewery, Winery, & Cidery Directory
See what else you missed on the blog

Below are options for your weekend.

Things to Do in Harrisburg + Central PA | Weekend Roundup | Sara Bozich

Top Weekend Recs

WIN tickets to Plants + Pints on Aug. 27
WIN tickets to see The National on Sept. 24
Check out what’s next in HU’s Summer Concert Series
Make travel plans (with a discount + perks)
Submit your events for the Weekend Roundup

What are you doing this weekend around Harrisburg? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Like this content?

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Broad Street Market featured in new PA-focused TV series, hosted by HGTV personality Steve Ford

August 16, 2022 | by Maddie Gittens

The Broad Street Market

Harrisburg’s Broad Street Market soon will be ready for its close-up.

On Friday, the Pennsylvania Tourism Office will host a showing of its new Apple TV series “Stuffed with Steve Ford,” which features the market and its vendors. The free event will take place in the market courtyard at 8 p.m., during 3rd in the Burg.

“We are so excited to finally be bringing this special program to the public,” said Carrie Fischer Lepore, deputy secretary for marketing, tourism and film.

Within the four episodes of the show, eight businesses from the commonwealth are spotlighted. HGTV’s Steve Ford hosts the show, talking with business owners, touring their facilities and tasting their products.

Featured businesses include:

Talking Breads (Mechanicsburg)
Broad Street Market (Harrisburg)
Urban Village Brewing (Philadelphia)
Isgro’s Bakery (Philadelphia)
Hollabaugh Brothers (Biglerville)
Ploughman Taproom (Gettysburg)
Thirsty Farmer (Biglerville)
Round Barn & Market (Biglerville)

“The Broad Street market speaks to so much of what makes PA an interesting destination,” Fischer Lepore said. “It has great history, many different cultures are represented and it helps tell the story of Pa. through taste and smell.”

In the show, co-owner Timishia Goodson of Raising the Bar bakery, a market vendor, shows Ford around both the brick and stone market buildings. In the episode, they stop to talk to owners and employees of Fisher’s Deli and Bakery and Lil’s Pretzels, before tasting treats from Raising the Bar.

“It was a good chance to show the history of the market,” Goodson said. “It was a fun experience.”

For the screening event on Friday, the market will stay open late, until 9:15 p.m. Raising the Bar plans to make some special desserts for the showing, Goodson said. The Midtown Cinema is also a partner in the event.

Pittsburgh-native Ford, of HGTV’s “Restored by the Fords” and “Home Again with the Fords,” will attend Friday’s event at the market.

According to Fischer Lepore, the series can be found on the new “Pennsylvania TV” Apple TV channel, which will include other shows featuring businesses and entrepreneurs around the state. The channel launches Aug. 19.

“Stuffed with Steve Ford” goes hand-in-hand with the tourism office’s “Culinary Trails” that launched last fall, Fischer Lepore explained. All of the businesses shown in the episodes are stops on their “Baked: A Bread Trail” and “Picked: An Apple Trail.” The Broad Street market is featured in an episode within the bread trail.

Ultimately, Fischer Lepore hopes the show encourages people to visit the state’s many small businesses.

“Our greatest hope is to help drive traffic to all of the small businesses along our many trails in PA,” she said.

For more information on Pennsylvania’s Culinary Trails, visit their website.

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Burg View: Stuck Trucks, Run Amok

August 16, 2022 | by Lawrance Binda

This sign was installed two weeks ago at Front and Chestnut streets.

Two weeks ago, Harrisburg touted a new solution to a very old problem.

It announced that, along with PennDOT, it had erected two new signs warning high-profile vehicles away from the low-clearance rail bridge on Front Street.

The city hoped the signs would help solve what TheBurg has called “The Big Crunch,” trucks getting stuck beneath the bridge at the dip in Shipoke.

So, what happened next?

Crunch, crunch and crunch.

To maybe no one’s surprise (certainly not to our readers), the signs–and the associated threat of a fine–have not worked. Since then, several semis have gotten wedged beneath the bridge, which, in turn, has snarled traffic and caused the city to waste valuable police and fire resources unsticking the stuck trucks.

To me, this “solution” was right on-brand for PennDOT. Faced with big traffic and safety problems on its state-owned roads in Harrisburg, the state agency typically punts, drags its feet or does as little as possible.

The stuck truck problem is not unique to Harrisburg. Many older cities, in particular, are faced with this issue and some have implemented robust responses to it.

Flashing lights, rumble strips, infrared sensors and lasers have all been tried with some success. Some of our readers have suggested hanging plastic strips above the road before the bridge at clearance level, an effective, if not particularly elegant, solution.

Well, PennDOT is staffed with transportation professionals—they should know better than I, right?

I’m certain that they do, but, unfortunately, in Harrisburg, action usually comes little and late. A few years ago, I suggested numerous ways to slow down traffic flying off the Harvey Taylor Bridge to reduce the ridiculous rate of serious crashes at the light at Front Street. So far—nada.

Less than two weeks in, the sign experiment has failed already. This meek response hasn’t stopped the problem of trucks crashing into or getting lodged beneath the Shipoke rail bridge. So, I ask, PennDOT, what comes next?

Lawrance Binda is co-publisher and editor-in-chief of TheBurg.

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In Harmony: Two local barbershop choruses unite to celebrate 75 years of singing

August 15, 2022 | by Maddie Gittens

The York White Rose and Harrisburg Keystone Capital choruses

For two local barbershop choruses, an upcoming anniversary performance is more than just a celebration of legacy, but of newfound unity.

Harrisburg’s Keystone Capital Chorus and York’s White Rose Chorus will come together for a “Back to Barbershop! 75^th Anniversary Celebration” at the Scottish Rite Cathedral on Sept. 10 at 3 p.m.

“It’s going to be a big show,” said Scott Zumbrum, the show’s chairperson and member of both choruses. “It’s really the first collaboration between two local chapters. That’s a big deal.”

Zumbrum has sung for both choruses throughout his 43 years as part of the Barbershop Harmony Society. However, the two local chapters have been hesitant to partner over the years, he admitted.

But as the society’s membership has slimmed down as singers age and fewer people join, the choruses realized the strength that comes in numbers.

“Neither of these chapters are going to survive if we don’t start playing together,” Zumbrum said.

For their 75^th anniversary performance, which both chapters are celebrating this year, the choruses will perform as one. Other award-winning Barbershop Harmony Society choruses and quartets will perform, as well. Additionally, the Cedar Cliff High School choir will perform, as part of the organization’s youth outreach program.

“You’re going to be exposed to a whole lot of different types of singing,” Zumbrum said. “There will be something for everybody.”

Combined, the White Rose and Keystone Capital choruses have about 30 members, ranging in age from 16 to 82 years old. It’s a far cry from their days of having nearly 100 members in the early 2000s, but the groups are fighting to keep the art form alive. For these choruses, that includes welcoming anyone who wants to join regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation or race, Zumbrum explained.

“To us, it’s important that we encourage people to continue to join,” he said. “It’s something that’s been around for 150 years as an art form. It’s a unique art form.”

Those who attend the anniversary performance will hear a wide range of acapella barbershop music, from “way back when” songs to more current tunes.

“You’ll hear good music,” Zumbrum said. “You’re not going to be disappointed.”

The Scottish Rite Cathedral is located at 2701 N. 3^rd St., Harrisburg. For more information about the 75^th anniversary celebration show or to purchase tickets, click here.

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New mural caps off renovation of Harrisburg’s “Carpets & Draperies” building

August 15, 2022 | by Karen Hendricks

A new mural from Sprocket Mural Works adorns the renovated “Carpets & Draperies” building.

A soaring, three-story mural in Midtown Harrisburg is complete and ready for public viewing, the latest creation by the nonprofit Sprocket Mural Works.

Painted by Harrisburg artist Tara Chickey, the mural caps off the renovation of the historic “Carpets & Draperies” building, located at 1507 N. 3rd St.

“Using her signature color palette, which is bright and cheery, Tara Chickey’s mural is all about color and shapes, and the way they interplay with each other,” said Meg Caruso, Sprocket’s president and co-founder. “I think it’s important to appreciate art that’s more loose and colorful, which makes this mural stand out from the entire 3rd Street mural corridor.”

The mural, titled “We Are Connected by Rope Bridges,” marks the 15th mural located directly along a mural-dense, mile-long stretch of N. 3rd St. in Midtown Harrisburg, forming the backbone of the Harrisburg Mural Trail, which extends into the Capitol district and Allison Hill neighborhood in Harrisburg, as well as into the neighboring boroughs of Steelton and Penbrook.

“What Sprocket has done on 3rd Street has had a major influence on the streetscape—it’s made a big impact on how Harrisburg feels—and right away, I knew I wanted this building to be part of that,” said building owner Nathaniel Foote, who will soon move into the fully renovated building’s top floor. He’s also leasing four additional apartments, as well as retail space to Broad Street Market bakery vendor, Raising the Bar.

According to Foote, the “Carpets & Draperies” building—known by the remaining portion of its original signage—is the former Gerber’s Department Store, which opened its doors exactly a century ago, in October of 1922.

“This building used to be a showpiece,” said Foote, whose legal firm, Andreozzi & Foote, sponsored the mural’s creation. “It symbolizes what Midtown used to be, 100 years ago, and the potential it still has 100 years later—and the mural is a big part of that.”

The three-story mural, in progress last month

Although the building was vacant for at least 15 years, Chickey added murals to its front windows during Sprocket’s first full-length summer festival in 2017. Those murals were removed during renovations, so Caruso said it only made sense to invite Chickey back to create new artwork, in a full-circle moment.

Additionally, the building has special meaning for Chickey, who had one of her first art exhibits there, in the early 2000s—during which she met her now-husband. Their daughter’s artwork inspired Chickey’s mural design.

“I think murals make a city—make it more welcoming and inspiring,” Chickey said. “So, I’m happy to be part of that legacy by bringing some joyful color to the city.”

This is Chickey’s largest mural to date, and she admits the size and scope of the project was intimidating at first.

“My paintings are always very intuitive and atmospheric, so it was a bit of a challenge to see if I could translate that into a bigger scale,” Chickey said.

She described the process of becoming OSHA lift-certified in order to paint from the ground level, up to the top of the third floor, as “pretty wild at first.”

“We Are Connected by Rope Bridges” is Chickey’s second full-scale Sprocket mural. She previously painted a mural depicting birds in flight, behind 333 Market St., at 28 S. Dewberry St., during the fall of 2020. Chickey serves as art director at Harrisburg gallery, restaurant and brewery destination The Millworks and is a former Central Dauphin High School art teacher.

Sprocket organizes a biennial mural festival (occurring every other summer). The 2021 Harrisburg Mural Festival added 10 mural projects to the city landscape. The Carpets & Draperies mural was to have been part of that celebration, but construction delays factored into the timing.

This fall, Sprocket is coordinating with the nonprofit Parliament Arts Organization to produce two murals in the city of York.

See For Yourself

The public can enjoy Sprocket’s murals in several ways:

A downloadable PDF map, plus an interactive Google map, are available on the organization’s website, sprocketmuralworks.com.
Visit Hershey & Harrisburg created an interactive mobile passport, “The Murals & More Trail,” available on their website, visithersheyharrisburg.org/trails/murals.
Sprocket will be offering guided mural tours during the Art Association of Harrisburg’s 34th Gallery Walk, Sept. 11.

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Harrisburg City Council re-opens Youth Commission application, includes younger students

August 15, 2022 | by Maddie Gittens

Harrisburg’s MLK City Government Center

In an effort to include city youth in government affairs, Harrisburg City Council has re-opened the application process for its Youth Commission.

Council and the city reinstated the program in June, after a pandemic hiatus. Although the application was open earlier this summer, the board was put on hold while the city made changes to the qualification requirements.

The application process is now open again, but this time to residents between the ages of 11 and 18. Previously, only 14- to 18-year-olds could apply.

“This is an opportunity to be proactive and allow youth to showcase their talents,” said Karl Singleton, the city’s equity and compliance officer. “These are our future leaders.”

Any student who previously applied for the commission is asked to reapply through an online submission form.

Council, the city and the Harrisburg School District will jointly select 11 students to serve. Four students will be selected from the district’s schools, four will come from Harrisburg career academies, and four will be chosen from city charter and private schools. Council member Jocelyn Rawls will oversee the commission.

Students interested in applying must complete an application, write a short essay and submit two letters of recommendation. The deadline for submission is on Sept. 15 at 5 p.m. Once selections are made, the commission will hold its first meeting in mid-October.

For more information, contact the City Clerk’s office at 717-255-3060.

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The Week that Was: News and features around Harrisburg

August 12, 2022 | by Lawrance Binda and Maddie Gittens

Harrisburg School District employees, represented by the local union, AFSCME Council 13, protested their wages at a board meeting on Tuesday.

With beautiful weather headed our way, this weekend may be the perfect time to explore Harrisburg and support local businesses. While you’re out, grab a copy of our August magazine and also catch up on this week’s news, linked below.

Australian musician Courtney Barnett is the focus of director Danny Cohen’s film, “The Anonymous Club.” Read what our movie reviewer has to say about the film, here.

“Bigs in Blue” is a national initiative designed by Big Brothers Big Sisters to pair youth with law enforcement officer mentors. In our magazine story, read about one pair’s experience in the program.

TheBurg Podcast this month is chock-full of conversations about time. Tune in to hear news from the Harrisburg Area YMCA, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region and Harristown.

The Harrisburg Coin Club will host its 60th annual coin show at the Scottish Rite Cathedral in Harrisburg on Sept. 16 to 17, our online story reported. The group was founded in 1950 as a way for coin collectors to trade, auction and buy old coins and medals.

Harrisburg has had its ups and downs since TheBurg was founded 14 years ago. In his column, our editor reflects on what has changed, for the better and worse, over the years.

At a Harrisburg School Board meeting on Tuesday, district employees represented by the local labor union AFCME Council 13, silently protested their wages, our reporting found. The district has not yet come to a collective bargaining agreement with the union for the upcoming year’s contract.

Laela Hooper, a rising sixth-grader at Marshall Math and Science Academy in Harrisburg, published her book, “The Tale of Alysa,” this past March, our online story reported. This past school year, Ben Franklin Elementary bought 300 copies of the book to hand out to third- and fourth-graders.

Reign and Taij Saunders aren’t your average 12- and 14-year-olds. In our magazine story, read about how the Harrisburg sisters started their own homemade lemonade business.

Rosemary cooked up baked stuffed peaches for August. Find her sweet recipe, here.

Sara Bozich has lots of ways to spend your weekend while enjoying the nice weather. Find them, here.

The Susquehanna Folk Festival will return fully live this month, now setting up camp at the York Expo Center, our magazine story reported. All of the festival’s old traditions will be back, with some new experiences added to the mix.

Tri-County OIC helps local adults continue their education, our magazine story reported. The OIC offers GED and English language courses, with help from volunteer tutors and teachers.

Victoria McCallum is not only the founder of Na’toria Marketing and Design Solutions in Harrisburg, she is also a staff sergeant in the Army National Guard and an athlete, our magazine story reported.

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Midtown restaurant Pastorante damaged from early-morning gunfire

August 12, 2022 | by Maddie Gittens

Sri Kumarasingam outside his restaurant, Pastorante, where a gunshot shattered his front window on Friday.

Sri Kumarasingam was in “disbelief” when he was called by police to his Midtown restaurant, Pastorante, early Friday morning.

The large front window of his Italian restaurant on the 1000-block of N. 3^rd St. was shattered, leaving a gaping hole in the front of the business.

And to Kumarasingam, the timing was especially bad.

“We are trying to get back to normal after COVID; this is the last thing we need,” he said. “It’s a struggle just to keep the doors open.”

According to the Harrisburg Police Bureau, shots were fired at 1 a.m. at N. 3^rd and Herr streets. No one was injured. In addition to the restaurant, one vehicle was damaged.

Kumarasingam said that no employees were present at the time of the incident.

Pastorante posted a photo of the shattered window to their Facebook page on Friday morning.

Pastorante has boarded up the window for the time being, with hopes that a new one will be installed in a few weeks. Kumarasingam estimated that a replacement would cost around $5,000. He’s not sure what insurance will cover yet.

While Pastorante is closed for lunch on Friday, Kumarasingam expects to open for dinner Friday night. He plans to post an update on their Facebook page.

Since the restaurant’s opening in 2013, Kumarasingam said that there have been no incidents as serious as this one.

He hopes that customers will continue to support the business, he said, and looks forward to offering special menu items during Harrisburg Restaurant Week, which takes place Sept. 12 to 16 and Sept. 19 to 23.

Kumarasingam also created a GoFundMe page to support Pastorante as business has decreased due to the appearance of the shop, he said.

Pastorante is located at 1012 N. 3^rd St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit their website or Facebook page for updates.

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Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

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