Musical Mind: A new film explores the character, the work of musician Courtney Barnett

July 29, 2022 | by Sammi Leigh Melville

Courtney Barnett. Image Courtesy of Oscilloscope.

It’s hard to put a finger on what exactly makes Australian musician Courtney Barnett so compelling.

She has effortlessly stormed the alternative rock scene with powerful lyrics and tunes, but there’s also a quiet kind of power stemming from her personal life and her incredible willingness to reach into the depths of emotion and human connection.

In director Danny Cohen’s “The Anonymous Club,” following Barnett’s “Tell Me How You Really Feel” tour and beyond, we begin to see this side of Barnett.

Her music dives deep into such topics as depression and anxiety, and even the tone of her music relays a certain amount of candid reality. Shot on 16mm, the film takes you into the corners of Barnett’s mind, not only drifting into why she writes music, but also the nature of connection and how an artist wants to interact with her audience. Cohen followed Barnett for three years, on and off tour, catching a level of emotional intimacy that is hard to find in rockumentaries.

Cohen took some really cool measures to make the film vibrantly real and vulnerable. For one thing, he set Barnett up with an audio diary, so she could open up on her own terms and not just when Cohen was pointing a camera at her.

“She’d use it as often as she wanted, whether it was in a hotel room, backstage, etc.—just wherever/whenever she felt comfortable,” Cohen told TheBurg.

The result is breathtaking. We get the chance to hear incredibly vulnerable snippets of Barnett’s thought process, such as how she views performance in vastly different ways day to day, depending on her mood.

“Liberating, electric, alive and another day it can feel rigid, full of fear, so far away,” she says.

On her anxiety about interviews, after a fan wrote to her saying her interviews were horrendous, she says, “I get angry at myself. It’s like, why can’t you just be a strong, powerful communicator?”

Cohen also became more than just an observer in the film. Cue one brilliantly gorgeous moment, in which Barnett worries about going out on stage and not being what the audience wanted—and from off-screen, we hear Cohen arguing against her, bringing logic to the table and telling her to just have fun and be herself.

Both Barnett and Cohen profess a hope that audiences will relate to this journey.

“I hope it can provide audiences with comfort, knowing that mental health is universal,” Cohen said. “It’s important to not just look after yourself but to look out for others, too.”

Don’t miss this beautiful film when it plays at Midtown Cinema in August. “The Anonymous Club” will carry on with you past the theater.

Midtown Cinema is located at 250 Reily St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.midtowncinema.com.

August Events At Midtown Cinema

National Theatre Live
“Henry V”
Sunday, Aug. 7 at 5 p.m.

Sing Along
“Monty Python and the Holy Grail”
Sunday, Aug. 7 at 7 p.m.

Down in Front! Presents
“Attack of the Crab Monsters!”
Friday, Aug. 12 at 9:30 p.m.

Free Summer Outdoor Film
“Avengers Endgame”
Saturday, Aug.13 at dusk

National Theatre Live
“Prima Facie”
Sunday, Aug. 14 at 5 p.m.

3rd in the Burg Movie Night
“Drop Dead Gorgeous”
Friday, Aug. 19 at 9:30 p.m.

Free Summer Outdoor Film
“Up”
Saturday, Aug. 27 at dusk

Live Music on the Patio
Thursdays at 6 p.m.

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A Summer Savor: Take your peaches and stuff them

July 29, 2022 | by Rosemary Ruggieri Baer

Most Italians, I believe, have a love affair with fruit. That was certainly true in my house growing up.

After a big nightly meal, my mother would put a plate of whole fruit with a little paring knife at my father’s place. I always wondered how he could eat all that. In the winter, it was apples, oranges and pears. But summer was special. We celebrated the beautiful berries and stone fruits of the season. I still do.

I love the sweet aroma of strawberries cooking on the stove for strawberry glace pie or strawberry preserves. For me, there is always room for strawberry shortcake, which I make with biscuits, sweetened berries, powdered sugar and half and half (no whipped cream for us!).

And then there are blueberries. I make a simple blueberry cobbler—more biscuits and berries cooked with sugar, butter and cinnamon, served warm from the oven. And it is not the Fourth of July without homemade blueberry pie. This year, we celebrated two late June birthdays with a rich blueberry poundcake. No icing needed!

It’s hard for me to pick a favorite summer fruit. Some days, I can’t stop eating fresh bing cherries or sweet, ripe watermelon. But I think my heart might lie with fresh peaches. I was so carried away one summer that I picked a bushel, still warm from the sun, and wondered what I was going to do with all of them. They made their way into peach Marsala pies and peach chutney saved for Thanksgiving dinner. The leftovers were peeled, sliced, tossed with a little sugar and cinnamon and served as a simple weeknight dessert.

In Italy, peaches, or pesche in Italian, are found in many wonderful desserts, cocktails and even savory dishes. You will find peach granita and peach semi-freddo, chilled desserts for the hot summer months. Peaches-and-cream cookies and peach fruit tarts are loved, as well.

Perhaps the most classic of Italian peach desserts is known as pesche ripiene or baked stuffed peaches. They are very easy to prepare and can be served plain or with a little vanilla ice cream or gelato. There are several variations in Italian cookbooks for this recipe. Some call for lemon juice, others white wine for the cooking liquid. The recipe included here adds a little cocoa to the stuffing, but the peaches are good without it. What is most important is that you use only “freestone” peaches. This means that the peach pit pulls easily away from the peach flesh. Otherwise, it is very difficult to get a clean peach half.

Pesche Ripiene (Baked Stuffed Peaches)

Ingredients

4 ripe peaches, peeled, halved and pitted
2 teaspoons finely ground almonds
8 almond macaroons or Italian amaretti cookies, crushed
1/3 cup sugar
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (optional)
7 tablespoons dry white wine
3 tablespoons butter

Directions

Scoop out a little flesh from the hollows of the peaches and reserve.
Mix together the ground almonds, crushed cookies, half the sugar, the cocoa if using, 1 tablespoon wine and the reserved peach flesh.
Fill the peach halves with this mixture and top each one with a small cube of butter.
Arrange the peach halves in a buttered baking dish, pour over the remaining wine, and sprinkle with the remaining sugar.
Bake in a pre-heated, 350-degree oven about 25 to 30 minutes until the peaches are soft and tender. Serve warm plain, or with a little vanilla ice cream or gelato.

Additional Notes

Marsala wine can be substituted for the dry white wine. It will add additional sweetness.
Amaretti cookies can be found in the grocery store. But if you can’t find any, vanilla wafers can be used and mixed with some almond extract to taste.

Enjoy the peaches of August. Perhaps next year, we will talk about how we can create a wonderful Italian cocktail with white peaches and prosecco—the famous Bellini. You will love it.

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Welcome to the Workday: Junior Achievement’s BizTown gives kids a taste of their future lives

July 29, 2022 | by Gina Napoli

BizTown students

Hidden inside a repurposed warehouse in downtown York, BizTown feels like a miniaturized shopping mall.

There are storefronts with a grassy town square, complete with street signs, traffic signals, benches and a mural. Inside each storefront, inspirational posters and job title placards lend to the authenticity.

Junior Achievement’s BizTown experience combines in-class learning on work readiness, financial literacy and entrepreneurship with a field trip to a simulated town where students test-drive a real workday.

“It’s amazing at meeting goals for the kids,” said Tammy DeSanto, a fifth-grade teacher at Eisenhower Elementary School in Camp Hill. “It teaches real-life skills in how the economy works, how commerce works.”

Junior Achievement of South Central PA serves over 100,000 K-12 students in 14 counties. The organization provides all materials and programs for BizTown, and area companies sponsor many of the exhibits.

Inside of BizTown, a loud hum of student “citizens” bustle about making work-type sounds: clicking pens against clipboards, waiting on customers, building saleable goods with their hands, attending meetings, and even waiting in line at the bank.

These “adulting” activities sound mostly joyless to me, too. But if you think back to the years when you had just reached double-digit ages, playing “pretend restaurant” was fun, and writing checks made you feel excited and grown up.

BizTown isn’t just a one-day elementary school field trip.

Allison Kierce, Junior Achievement of South Central PA’s chief operating officer, described the 20-year-old program as the capstone exercise of a longer running series of lessons.

“So much prep goes into this one day,” she said. “Kids prepare for this field trip starting in kindergarten.”

Junior Achievement’s volunteers visit participating K-5 schools at different intervals to teach 16 classroom lessons over the years, with all lessons building on each other.

Part of the BizTown preparation for fifth-graders is reviewing classified ads, drafting resumes and then actually interviewing for jobs. The mayor and district attorney jobs are elected positions.

“BizTown is a rite of passage for elementary students,” Kierce said. “Kids take this seriously.”

Connect the Dots

In their BizTown welcome packets, “citizens” receive on-the-job training instructions, lanyards, debit cards and detailed information about payroll, business loans and rental agreements. Depending on the jobs they land, they may receive iPads to make financial transactions or uniforms and PPE.

Some workers have kid-relatable jobs with noticeable results. Then there are the transactional service or government jobs with less tangible outcomes. Complex industries scale their missions for the elementary-level students.

For example, the chemists at “Lab Works” produce and sell hand sanitizer. The robotics lab, “Biz-botics,” makes pressed souvenir pennies, using a robot to create them. The workers at the “Wellness Center” produce stress balls with balloons and sand. Construction workers build a bench in the town square.

Citizens make decisions on how to spend their wages on their lunch breaks. They can purchase trinkets, graphics or a limited edition T-shirt freshly pressed in the T-shirt shop. Snacks and beverages are for sale at the farm-to-table garden café. For the right price, the local radio station plays requests or lets citizens guest DJ.

Other media jobs are plentiful in BizTown, with a newspaper and TV station. Citizens can even work at “Game Town” designing video games.

Some jobs cross over to different storefronts, like account managers selling ads, the photographer snapping pictures throughout BizTown to supply media outlets (and the commemorative slideshow), or anyone needing more envelopes and rubber bands from the distribution and delivery center, which is a wholesale business-to-business storefront.

Government City Hall is tucked away in a remote corner of BizTown, working seamlessly in the background. Citizens vote on important issues, like quality awards and which charity to collectively donate their nonprofit jar collections. Citizens attend the mayor’s inauguration and town meetings, where some try out their public speaking skills.

The adult volunteers of BizTown are ever-present in helping citizens with those problems that leave many flapping out in the real world: a printer paper jam, handling unsold merchandise or broken tools.

Then there are those harder grownup problems—feelings about team experiences and emotional moments when they realized they didn’t have enough money to buy everything they wanted.

With BizTown’s intricate inner workings, the immersion of being a BizTown citizen helps students connect the dots between what they learn in school and the world that awaits them once they graduate.

The fifth-graders at Eisenhower Elementary School in Camp Hill, in teacher Karen Anthony’s class, worked together to wordsmith a quote for this story.

“We thought Junior Achievement’s BizTown was an 11 out of 10 experience!” they wrote. “Even though we knew it was only a simulation, it was awesome working together in our businesses and feeling as if we had actual jobs. We wish we could do it all over again.”

Anthony loved BizTown so much that she “can see past retirement and still being part of this program.”

“It teaches kids how to be producers and consumers, the whole economic ecosystem,” she said.

Eileen Denlinger, a fifth-grade teacher at the same school, said that her class thought that BizTown “was one of the best days ever.”

“It was just like a real town, and we loved feeling like a grown-up working an actual job,” she said.

One of Denlinger’s students said, “Wow! I never knew how many bills adults had to pay!”

And that was perhaps the most important lesson of the day.

For more information on Junior Achievement of South Central PA and BizTown, visit www.jascpa.org.

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Community Corner: Notable August Events

July 29, 2022 | by Missy Smith

National Night Out
Aug. 2: Join your neighbors for National Night Out, with celebrations throughout the area. In Harrisburg, the Police Bureau will host the city-sponsored event at Camp Curtin Academy, 2900 N. 6th St., with food, live music, entertainment, games and kids’ activities, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Scoop Challenge
Aug. 4: Head to Riverfront Park, Front and Walnut streets, Harrisburg, for free Hershey’s Moose Tracks ice cream to help raise funds for the Salvation Army of Harrisburg, 3 to 7 p.m. For each scoop served, $1 will be donated, with the hopes of raising $10,000 for community programs. www.pa.salvationarmy.org/harrisburg-pa

Book Sale
Aug. 5-8: Hershey Public Library will hold its Friends Annual Summer Book Sale at 701 Cocoa Ave., Hershey. www.hersheylibrary.org

Outdoor Movies
Aug. 5, 19: Dauphin County Parks and Recreation presents Sunset Series Movie Night at Fort Hunter Park, 5300 N. Front St., Harrisburg, with screenings of “Encanto” on Aug. 5 and “The Lorax” on Aug. 19. The movies begin at 8:30 p.m. Bring a picnic or grab refreshments from the Friends of Fort Hunter concession stand. www.forthunter.org

Kindergarten Program
Aug. 6: WITF, 4801 Lindle Rd., Harrisburg, hosts “Ready Set Go… Kindergarten,” a fun morning out for families with children entering kindergarten and for recent kindergarten graduates, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. www.witf.org

Home Tour
Aug. 6: Enjoy the architecture and style of Mt. Gretna’s iconic homes at the annual Mt. Gretna Tour of Homes and Gardens, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Take a self-guided walking tour to see how people have transformed cottages to accommodate modern life while keeping the Mt. Gretna charm. www.gretnamusic.org

Summer Flea
Aug. 6: Shop the HBG Flea for local art, vintage treasures, curated curios and unique gifts, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Midtown Cinema, 250 Reily St., Harrisburg. The mission of the HBG Flea is to create a platform for community growth by bringing artists, small businesses and patrons together. www.hbgflea.com

Cleanup Days
Aug. 6, 7: Wildheart Ministries hosts Love the Hill Cleanup events, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Volunteers work outside picking up trash, doing basic landscaping, helping with dumpsite removal or planting flowers. Bring a pair of gloves, a water bottle, sunscreen, bug spray and any tools you may have. www.lovethehillpa.com

Bike Trifecta
Aug. 6-Sept. 18: The Central PA Bicycling Trifecta brings together the Chocolate Tour in Manheim on Aug. 6, the Lancaster Bicycle Club’s Covered Bridge Classic in Lancaster on Aug. 21, and the Harrisburg Bicycle Club’s Three Creek Century in Newville on Sept. 18. Each of these events offers scenic rides of varying distances. www.threecreekcentury.com

Sousa Concert
Aug. 7: The Carlisle Town Band will host a Sousa Concert at the Carlisle Theatre, 40 W. High St. Enjoy an evening of music in the style of the iconic “March King,” John Philip Sousa, under the direction of guest conductor Dr. Jerry Rife, professor of music emeritus, Rider University. www.carlisleband.org

Evening Mixer
Aug. 10: Join West Shore Chamber of Commerce for an evening mixer at Pyramid Construction Services Inc., 840 N. Front St., Wormleysburg, 4 to 6 p.m. This free event is open to chamber members. Potential members are welcome to attend two free chamber events. www.wschamber.org

Food Rally
Aug. 11: 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

Curiosity Kids
Aug. 11, 25: Kids ages 3 to 6 are invited to Curiosity Kids to learn about memory and logic on Aug. 11 and ice cream on Aug. 25, at the State Museum of PA, 300 North St., Harrisburg, 11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. This event is included with general admission to the museum, but space is limited. www.statemuseumpa.org

Golf Open
Aug. 12: The Education Foundation of Central Penn College hosts the 51st annual Golf Open, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Rich Valley Golf, 227 Rich Valley Rd., Mechanicsburg. All proceeds benefit student scholarship funds. www.centralpenn.edu

Folk Festival
Aug. 12-14: The Susquehanna Folk Festival will be held at the York Expo Center, 334 Carlisle Ave., York, with a full weekend of folk music, dance and art featuring blues legend Rory Block and bluegrass masters Watkins Family Hour. www.sfmsfolk.org

Volunteer Day
Aug. 13: Enjoy the outdoors and help with park and habitat enhancement projects at Wildwood Park, 100 Wildwood Way, Harrisburg, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tools and work gloves will be provided, and refreshments will be available. www.explorewildwoodpark.org

Odd Ones
Aug. 13: Join the Millworks for its summer outdoor Odd Ones Bizarre with makers and artists set up in the grass and stone lots on the corner of 3rd and Verbeke streets, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event will include a DJ, beer tent and Harrisburg’s Fringe Festival. www.millworksharrisburg.com

Art Soiree
Aug. 13: Art Association of Harrisburg hosts the “Manor on Front Soiree” at the home of Mark and Sheri Bennington, 2917 N. Front St., Harrisburg, 5 to 8 p.m., with featured artists Beth Hager, Linda Benton-McCloskey and Ann Benton Yeager. Cost is $45 in advance, $50 at the door. www.artassocofhbg.org

Outdoor Movies
Aug. 13, 27: Friends of Midtown and Midtown Cinema, 250 Reily St., Harrisburg, present a free showing of “Avengers Endgame” on Aug. 13 and “Up” on Aug. 27. Live music starts at 7:30 p.m., and the films begin at dusk. Bring your own lawn chair, get some Zeroday beer and concessions from Midtown Cinema. www.friendsofmidtown.org

Butterfly Service
Aug. 14: Salem United Church of Christ, 231 Chestnut St., Harrisburg, will host its annual butterfly service and release in its prayer garden at 10:30 a.m. All are welcome. A potluck follows the service in the fellowship hall. www.salemuccharrisburg.org

Flower Walk
Aug. 14: Take a walk at Wildwood Park, 100 Wildwood Way, Harrisburg, 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., to see wetland plants, such as American lotus and the rose mallows, along the North Boardwalk. Learn how to identify common ragweed, a common allergen. www.explorewildwoodpark.org

Opera in the Park
Aug. 14: Enjoy Harrisburg Opera Association’s “Opera in the Park—Songs of Freedom” at Italian Lake, Harrisburg, 4 p.m. Wear your aloha or casual attire and bring a picnic blanket. www.harrisburg-opera.org

Farm to River
Aug. 14: Fort Hunter will host its farm-to-river fundraiser at the mansion, 5300 N. Front St., Harrisburg, 4:30 to 8 p.m., with locally sourced, homemade dinner offerings, local brews and wines and live acoustic music and more. Attendees enjoy hors d’oeuvres and signature drinks beginning at 4:30 p.m. www.forthunter.org

Finding Freedom
Aug. 17: Take in a day of music at the Finding Freedom Festival, 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. on City Island. Numerous bands will play, with proceeds benefitting Just for Today Recovery & Veterans Support Services. www.milb.com/harrisburg/fans/festival

Homecoming
Aug. 17-20: The Rockhill Trolley Museum will host Homecoming 2022, along with the adjoining East Broad Top Railroad. The event takes place at the museum, 430 Meadow St., Rockhill Furnace. www.rockhilltrolley.org

3rd in the Burg
Aug. 19: Explore the best of Harrisburg during 3rd in the Burg, the monthly arts and culture event, where you can visit and enjoy galleries, restaurants and art spaces throughout downtown and Midtown, 6 to 9 p.m. www.thirdintheburg.org

Back to School
Aug. 20: The Journey, 750 S. 29th St., Harrisburg, hosts its annual back-to-school block party with food trucks, music, backpack and school supply giveaways, clothing giveaways and more, 12 to 5 p.m. Enjoy a celebration of food and fun. www.thejourneyhbg.org

Concert Series
Aug. 21: Harrisburg Young Professionals hosts a free Italian Lake Concert series concert with Justin Murphy at Italian Lake, N. 3rd and Division streets, Harrisburg, 6 to 8 p.m. Bring a lawn chair, picnic blankets and snacks. www.hyp.org

Golf Tournament
Aug. 22: Bethesda Mission will host its annual Mission Open Golf Tournament at Colonial Golf and Tennis Club, 4901 Linglestown Rd., Harrisburg, to raise funds for its long-term recovery program, starting at 8 a.m. www.bethesdamission.org

Golf Scramble
Aug. 26: The 11th annual Harrisburg Young Professionals Golf Scramble will be held at Dauphin Highlands Golf Course, 650 S. Harrisburg St., 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Teams of four golfers are invited to register online. Shotgun start begins at 1 p.m. Scramble includes a round of golf, a golf cart, lunch, dinner and an opportunity to win prizes. www.hyp.org

Film Friday
Aug. 26: Fredricksen Library, 100 N. 19th St., Camp Hill, will show “Bread & Tulips” from Italy at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Rosalba, a middle-aged woman on a bus trip to Venice with her husband and sons, is left behind at a rest stop off the highway. This library will also host a film discussion at 4 p.m. www.fredricksenlibrary.org

Yard Sale
Aug. 27: Urturn Café, 7710 Allentown Blvd., Harrisburg, will host a community yard sale, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. The cafe will have a selection of board games for sale inside and a special menu of coffee, beverages and breakfast sweets. www.urturncafe.com

Run Wild
Aug. 27: Join Wildwood Park, 100 Wildwood Way, Harrisburg, for the 3rd annual Run Wild for Wildwood 5K & 10K, 8 to 11 a.m. This scenic run/walk will take you on the Wildwood Way Trail around the lake and the Towpath Trail along the Pennsylvania Canal. www.explorewildwoodpark.org

Art Soiree
Aug. 27: Art Association of Harrisburg hosts the “Mountaindale Soiree” at the home of Amy Taylor-Avery and Steve Landersman, 4709 Laurel Dr., Harrisburg, 5 to 8 p.m., with featured artists Susan Benigni-Landis, Mary Hochendoner and Lisa Moore. Cost is $45 in advance, $50 at the door. www.artassocofhbg.org

Concert Series
Aug. 28: Harrisburg Young Professionals hosts a free Italian Lake Concert series concert with Shine Delphi at Italian Lake, N. 3rd and Division streets, Harrisburg, 6 to 8 p.m. Bring a lawn chair, picnic blankets and snacks. www.hyp.org

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Sweet Scoops: Hall’s Ice Cream keeps on churning, into 75th anniversary year

July 29, 2022 | by Karen Hendricks

Matthew Hall & Peggy Raub

It was 1947 when John Allen Hall made his first batch of cherry vanilla ice cream.

His concoction married the perfect blend of flavors, but his primary goal was to create ice cream worthy of a wedding, to his bride Sally.

Even though that was 75 years ago, ice cream lovers still enjoy his recipe. That first flavor, cherry vanilla, launched what would become—and still is—Hall’s Ice Cream, based in Millerstown in Perry County.

“Two things make it unique. First, it’s creamy, with 14% butterfat, which puts it up there with Ben & Jerry’s or Edy’s Ice Cream. And our ingredients have stayed the same,” said Peggy Raub, 74, current owner of Hall’s Ice Cream—and John Allen and Sally Hall’s daughter.

Raub literally grew up in her father’s ice cream business, her own birth following one year after Hall’s Ice Cream was born.

“I started working here at the age of 9 in 1957,” said Raub, “and I made 25 cents an hour.”

It was during that timeframe—the ‘50s—when Friskie, a kitschy calf, pranced onto Hall’s logo. And like a step back in time, Friskie’s friendly face—on the ice cream parlor’s signage—still greets today’s visitors.

Sweet Destination

As Raub likes to say, “Once people have a taste, they tend to come back,” whether they’re from the immediate Perry County community, the greater Harrisburg area, or they’re travelers who discovered Hall’s location just two miles off U.S. Route 322. Cyclists regularly brake for an ice cream break, too.

The pastoral fields framing the ice cream shop were once filled with the Hall family’s own dairy herd. Raub’s great-grandfather was Millerstown’s first milkman back in 1905.

Today, ice cream flavors from butterscotch to tin roof rely on PA Preferred milk deliveries from other central PA dairy farmers. Visitors can choose from 40 rotating flavors, including regional favorite teaberry, based upon the same recipes John Allen Hall established—utilizing techniques he learned from a Penn State ice cream course.

“He was always pioneering,” Raub said. “Our milk business was the first in the area to homogenize, the first to bottle in glass bottles, and when I was young, we even offered home delivery of ice cream.”

But this family-based business and its long lineage of dairy innovators nearly stopped cold.

Hall Gets a Call

Matthew Hall was studying geographical information science (GIS) out in Montana early last year when he got a call. It was his cousin, Peggy Raub, wondering if he’d be interested in changing career paths and giving the family ice cream business a whirl.

So, in 2021, he recalculated his GIS career goals by changing his own geography—moving across the country—to become manager of Hall’s Ice Cream.

“It’s definitely different than what I thought I’d be doing at the age of 28,” said Hall, who has fond childhood memories of visiting family—and the ice cream parlor.

“Matt is the future of the business,” Raub said. “Truthfully, if he didn’t come, we’d no longer be in business.”

One year under his belt, Hall has mastered all the cherished family recipes, in order to churn out between 200 and 300 gallons of ice cream a week.

All Hall’s Ice Cream flavors are still made in small batches, with ingredients added by hand, because “small keeps the quality good,” Raub said.

And small business partnerships are a key ingredient to their 75 years of success—as well as some of Hall’s most popular flavors.

Hometown Flavor

Local golden honey sweetens Hall’s Honey Ice Cream, a flavor that first created a buzz several years ago when the Pennsylvania State Beekeepers Association requested it for the Pennsylvania Farm Show and Ag Progress Days.

Ice cream sundaes are topped with peanuts supplied by Zimmerman’s Nuts and Candy in Penbrook. Hall’s ABC Root Beer and ABC White Birch Beer Ice Cream tap into a partnership with Harrisburg-based Appalachian Brewing Co.

Hall’s whipped up Fort Hunter Black Cherry Walnut Ice Cream for a festival at the Dauphin County park years ago, and the name stuck. Love 99 Malted Munchie pays homage to the longtime radio station. Hall’s has also created specialty flavors for Ronald McDonald House Charities’ fundraisers, and Forever Clover Crunch (mint ice cream with mint cookies) was concocted for the Perry County 4H Club.

In addition to their flagship ice cream parlor, Hall’s Ice Cream is available at Karns grocery stores, distributed to restaurants from Lititz to Gettysburg, and served at local fairs, festivals and weddings.

“Right now, we’re working with a gentleman from India to make traditional Indian ice cream—saffron pistachio and cashew raisin—getting the flavors right,” Hall said, “He’s talking to stores that carry Indian food products on the West Shore, and Karns has agreed to carry it in their Mechanicsburg store.”

Those community connections and family ties have created sweet success.

“There’s a lot more personality to a business when it’s family-owned,” Hall said. “To most people, it indicates a better connection to the community, and that’s something that sometimes gets lost when you’re a big business or corporation.”

The family’s dairy heritage has now spanned five generations. Raub notes that three additional family members are vital to Hall’s current success: her daughter and son-in-law, Marel and Jason King, along with Jason’s father Ernie King.

So how tempting is it, being around ice cream 24/7?

“I can easily eat ice cream every day,” Raub said with a smile, naming her personal favorites—coffee, coconut custard, vanilla and raspberry.

“Like all good things, I try to eat it in moderation,” Hall said, but he’s quick to add, “When we’re making—of course, we sample to make sure it’s good.”

Hall’s Ice Cream is located at 861 Raccoon Valley Rd., Millerstown. For more information, see hallsicecream.com.

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Strum Fun: Susquehanna Folk Festival tunes up for a return to live music

July 29, 2022 | by Ellen Frantz

HeatherMae & Crys Matthews

This summer, music festivals are back in central PA. To the great relief of traditional and acoustic music fans, this includes the return of the Susquehanna Folk Festival.

For the first time since 2019, the festival will return fully live this month, now setting up camp at the York Expo Center. All of the festival’s old traditions will be back, with some new experiences added to the mix.

The Susquehanna Folk Festival will take place both inside and outside with six different stages showcasing a variety of acts from across the country and region. There will also be workshops for fans to test their folk performance skills, as well as contests for storytellers and a host of family-friendly activities.

Since its founding in 1985, the Susquehanna Folk Music Society’s mission has been to support folk music, art and dance in the area, whether by local or nationally known artists, said Executive Director Peter Winter Lee. The festival started many years ago, but was then replaced by a recurring concert series. It was brought back in 2018 and held at Ski Roundtop.

During 2020 and 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival was held over the course of the summer in a hybrid style, with half of the performances online and the others in-person.

Lee said that the area’s folk fans are excited that the live festival is back.

“We are a 100% grassroots, volunteer-driven organization,” Lee said. “It’s been really, really cool to see everyone who loves this music, from our newest members in their 20s and 30s, to our veteran members who have been around since the founding, bring this back and put so much time into it. Susquehanna Folk only works if the people in it want it to happen. Watching everyone volunteer these hours has been really inspiring.”

This year’s festival features musical acts from across the globe, and about 4,000 people are expected to attend.

Artists like Rory Block and Grammy Award-winners, the Watkins Family Hour, will perform, as well as local groups like Cas Ceol.

Food trucks have been added this year, and many festival-goers are excited by the large camping area, Lee said. Spaces must be reserved in advance with prices ranging from $76 for one car to $106 for an RV. Since it moved to the York Expo Center, the festival has more space both inside and outside for activities like swing dancing.

New this year will be the “Archive Challenge,” in which three festival musicians will have access to the online archives of the Library of Congress’ decades-old music catalog. They then can choose to make one of those songs their own and perform it. A talkback will follow each performance, with the performer and a Library of Congress representative offering history on the piece.

Local trio Cumberland Honey is among the groups performing at the festival. Made up of members Steph Landis, Grace Mahar and Virginia Masland, the female group specializes in folk and singer-songwriter music, with a touch of Appalachian bluegrass—a genre Landis refers to as “folkgrasscana.”

The band started in 2017 as a duo between Landis and Masland, adding Mahar a few months ago.

“We definitely have a good musical connection,” Landis said.

Mahar added that she is “honored” to be included in the band.

“This is what I wanted from the start, 10 years ago when I started making music, an all-girl folk band,” said Mahar. “It was like a dream come true.”

The group was initially set to perform at the 2021 Susquehanna Folk Festival, but plans fell through. However, they’re grateful for the timing since they now can perform at the festival with a third member.

“I’m really excited that it’s finally happening,” Landis said. “Now, we’re a three-piece, so we can do three-part harmony. Timing is everything and works out whenever it’s supposed to, whether we think it’s going to or not.”

For Lee, the event is an opportunity, once again, to provide a stage to performers and a great event to attendees.

“We want to honor our mission by giving a platform to the amazing local performers we have, while also bringing in titanic, top-tier talent to the local area,” he said.

The Susquehanna Folk Festival takes place Aug. 12 to 14 at the York Expo Center, 334 Carlisle Ave., York. For more information and tickets, visit www.sfmsfolk.org/festival.

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Elm Emergency: Giant tree in Harrisburg neighborhood poses safety hazard, set to get chopped

July 28, 2022 | by Maddie Gittens

An 80-year-old elm tree located in Midtown Harrisburg poses a safety threat to residents and will be removed starting Monday.

One Harrisburg tree has created a trunk load of issues for a block of Midtown.

The city and PPL Electric Utilities plan soon to remove a large elm tree that has become entwined with power lines and overtaken several backyards. The massive tree is located on properties between Green, Harris, Penn and Clinton streets.

“This is going to be very complicated,” said Maggie Sheely, regional affairs director for PPL. “Rarely, if ever, have we encountered a tree of this complexity.”

PPL discovered the 80-year-old tree after residents called with concerns over tree branches colliding with power lines. According to Sheely, if the company didn’t remove it, the deteriorating tree would be a fire hazard, could possibly fall and would present a dangerous situation to residents.

“We are trying to get in here before anything else happens,” she said.

Typically, trees on private property fall under the responsibility of the property owners. However, in this situation, Harrisburg and PPL stepped in for safety reasons, explained Matt Maisel, communications director for the city. PPL will cover removal expenses.

A large elm tree in Midtown will be removed. Photo courtesy of PPL Electric Utilities.

Starting Monday, PPL will begin removing the tree piece-by-piece. They will use a 100-ton tree removal truck to dismantle the tree, located in a tight, backyard area between several houses, with fences, balconies and other obstacles.

During the process, parking and traffic will be affected on several roads. Parking and through-traffic on Green Street, between Harris and Clinton streets, will be restricted through Aug. 5. Sections of Penn Street, from Harris to Clinton, Harris Street, from Penn to Green, and Clinton Street, from Penn to Green, will also remain closed during this time.

Additionally, the Maclay and Green street intersection will be closed from 6 to 11 a.m. on Monday to allow the tree removal truck to maneuver onto the road.

The work will affect about 56 customers and 25 residences. One of those residents is Laura Olenowski, who has lived on Penn Street for five years.

“I can’t wait for it to go down,” she said. “I’m glad it’ll be gone, and I won’t have to pay for it.”

On Thursday, wires came loose, hanging down in Olenowski’s backyard. Another draped down just beyond her fence. She hasn’t been letting her dog out back, afraid he may touch the wires.

A view of the tree from Olenowski’s backyard on Penn Street. Loose wires hang over her property.

Her next-door neighbor, Lisette D., said she called PPL in May when her lights were flickering, and they saw the huge tree, part of which has destroyed a balcony in the apartment building where she rents.

Sheely said that PPL plans to conduct outreach to neighbors on Thursday night to let them know what will happen. Likely, many of the neighbors on the block will lose electricity for most of Monday and part of Tuesday. PPL will have some generators running to help with power outages, Sheely said. The city will not force anyone to leave their homes during the tree removal.

According to Maisel, the city has partnered with HACC Midtown, who offered their building at 1523 N. 4th St. as a day shelter for impacted residents on Monday and Tuesday when their power is out. There will be a place to park their cars, cool off from the heat and work, if they work remotely. The Red Cross of Central Pennsylvania will also provide water and snacks during this time.

Sheely said that residents did the right thing by calling PPL to let them know about the tree and urges other residents to do the same if they have concerns.

“We rely on customers to let us know if they notice something,” she said.

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Weekend Roundup with Sara Bozich

July 28, 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: The July SoMa Block Party is TONIGHT! A must-visit in downtown Harrisburg. Check us out. Central PA Pride Festival is Saturday. Then, go see The Dirty Sweet at The Englewood.

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: I’m OOO ’til August.

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

For your weekend planning

FAQs about the SoMa Block Party Series
Debunking 4 Myths about a Hersheypark Season Pass
There’s still time to book a getaway – without the hassle
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

Enter to WIN tickets to see Lord Huron Aug. 20 in Riverfront Park
Don’t miss what’s next in HU’s Summer Concert Series
Make travel plans (with a discount + perks)
Submit your events for the Weekend Roundup

Thursday

July SoMa Block Party – Get the details here.
Thursday Night Live with Natalie Darkes with Pride Festival of Central PA at Lovedraft’s Brewing Co.
Saint Eldred at The Sturges Speakeasy
Anastasia at Hershey Theatre
The SpongeBob Musical at The Ephrata Performing Arts Center
Curiosity Kids: General Store at The State Museum of Pennsylvania
Friends of Midtown presents The Adventures of Pricilla, Queen of the Desert | FREE Outdoor Film at Midtown Cinema
Zoology Zone Interactive Cart at Hershey Gardens
Sunset Relaxation Float with Susquehanna Outfitters
HIIT @ Burn30

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

Like this content?

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

McCormick Riverfront Library to close for a week in August as construction, renovation continues

July 27, 2022 | by Maddie Gittens

McCormick Riverfront Library

The McCormick Riverfront Library will turn another page on its expansion project.

On Wednesday, the library announced that it would close from Aug. 8 to 13 as it starts the next phase of renovation.

The library will begin work in its upstairs area, as part of its $3.5 million “Your Place to Belong” project to connect the building to the neighboring Haldeman Haly House and renovate both properties. The project is expected to be completed by early fall.

Additionally, the library’s elevator, which provides access to the main floor will be unavailable until further notice. Members who cannot use the stairs can call library staff at 717-234-4976 to arrange curbside pick-up for their borrowed materials.

The community at-large is also able to use the library’s curbside pickup services during the closure. The Dauphin County Library System’s seven other libraries will remain open for access as well.

Items returned to the outside book drop boxes may not be checked in right away, but late fees are not currently being assessed due to COVID constraints.

The McCormick Riverfront Library is located at 101 Walnut St., Harrisburg. For more information on the library closing, call 717-234-4961. To learn more about the “Your Place to Belong” project, visit their website.

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Blanket Statement: Harrisburg students design social justice quilt, display in city hall

July 26, 2022 | by Maddie Gittens

St. Stephen’s Episcopal School teacher JoAnn Baldwin, students Sanai Galloway and Elijah Daniel, and Mayor Wanda Williams in front of the social justice quilt in city hall.

Each year, JoAnn Baldwin, a third-grade teacher at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Harrisburg, gives her class a name.

At the beginning of this past year, she dubbed them the “change makers,” which was fitting for a project her students would soon undertake—creating a social justice quilt.

On Tuesday, Baldwin and students showed off the work of art, which Harrisburg will display in its MLK City Government Center for the coming weeks.

“I’m so proud of them,” Baldwin said. “These are 9-year-olds learning about what it means to be fair and what equality means.”

According to Baldwin, the school was approached by members of Shippensburg University’s Department of Multicultural Student Affairs in September 2021, which invited the class to participate in the project. Students each designed a fabric square depicting themes around identity and social justice. Shippensburg assembled the quilt and displayed it on campus in October.

Social justice quilt, designed by St. Stephen’s students

Elijah Daniel, 9, drew a peace sign surrounded with words like “be yourself” and “good grades” on his square. Another student, Sanai Galloway, said that “it feels amazing” to see her artwork hung in city hall. Others included phrases like “Black Lives Matter,” “don’t give up,” and “diversity.”

“I think this is a great opportunity for people to see in the city of Harrisburg that these kids are passionate about doing something right,” Mayor Wanda Williams said. “They are residents of the city of Harrisburg, and why not let the residents show what our city can do?”

Baldwin said that, during the process of creating the quilt, the class had discussions about social justice, something that’s already built into the regular St. Stephen’s curriculum, she said.

“I feel like I’m doing what I need to be doing as an educator,” she said. “This is our future. I’m showing them how they can make a change.”

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What you’ll find:

For your weekend planning

Top Weekend Recs

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Like this content?

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