Dauphin County, local officials oppose South Bridge tolling proposal

March 16, 2022 | by Maddie Gittens

Rep. Patty Kim (D-103) speaks at Wednesday’s Dauphin County commissioners meeting, along with other local representatives.

Local officials did not mince their words when it came to discussing how a proposed I-83 South Bridge tolling plan would negatively impact the Harrisburg area.

At a Dauphin County commissioners meeting on Wednesday, city, county and other local representatives supported a resolution opposing PennDOT’s proposal to toll the bridge.

“To still continue to push for a bridge tolling of residents and those who transport for a living might be the most tone-deaf move of all time,” Commission Chair Mike Pries said. “Either they simply don’t have their finger on the pulse of the people or they simply don’t care.”

The proposal to toll the John Harris Memorial (South) Bridge is part of PennDOT’s plan to improve and widen the 62-year-old bridge spanning the Susquehanna River to meet traffic flow and safety needs. The upwards of $500 million project is slated to begin construction in 2024. To assist in paying for the construction and maintenance of the project, PennDOT has proposed tolling the bridge.

While officials present at the meeting agreed with the need for bridge improvements, they disagreed that tolling residents and commuters is the best way to fund the project.

“They need to reconsider another bridge, not a commuter bridge like ours,” said Rep. Patty Kim (D-103). “A toll would bring an economic and quality of life disaster to our communities in Dauphin and Cumberland counties.”

Several other local representatives echoed Kim’s statements, noting the economic hardship that the tolls would bring to residents who frequently use the roadway, some, multiple times a day.

Harrisburg City Council member Dave Madsen also saw it as a threat to Harrisburg businesses and the city’s economy at large, as workers may opt to avoid driving into the city and paying the fee by teleworking, he said.

“Communities like Harrisburg rely on commuters,” Madsen said. “This additional cost will have less of them coming through and will have an economic impact.”

Additionally, officials expressed concern with the potential traffic that could significantly increase in Harrisburg if drivers decide to avert the tolls by taking an alternate route.

“It will cause this community around us, in Dauphin and Cumberland county, a huge problem in traffic flow,” said Tom Mehaffie (R-106).

Others brought up ideas for alternate funding sources, also noting that the state is receiving billions of dollars under the federal government’s infrastructure bill. Rep. Greg Rothman (R-87) proposed using that money to help fund the project, rather than tolling.

The Dauphin County commissioners, with the support of all of the local officials present at the meeting, approved the resolution strongly opposing the tolling of the bridge. The commissioners also noted that they are requesting a meeting with Gov. Tom Wolf to discuss the plan.

“I think we are all on one accord as it relates to standing against this particular proposal, if that means anything, there are no weak links in this chain,” Commissioner George Hartwick said.

For more information on the I-83 South Bridge Project, visit PennDOT’s website.

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Snag & Bag: Make your city sparkle at annual Great Harrisburg Litter Cleanup

March 15, 2022 | by Lawrance Binda

A past Great Harrisburg Litter Cleanup

Grab your work gloves, as the Great Harrisburg Litter Cleanup returns next month for an annual day of city beautification.

The volunteer day will take place Saturday, April 23, marking a decade for the cleanup event, which usually coincides each year around Earth Day.

“We know litter and debris have a negative impact on our city and health,” said Jennifer Wintermyer, chief executive officer of Tri County Community Action. “The Great Harrisburg Litter Cleanup is a great way to get involved in your community, to give back, and to help us all build communities of opportunity together.”

The event is a collaboration of Tri County Community Action, Clean & Green Harrisburg and Keep Harrisburg/Dauphin County Beautiful.

Sponsors include UPMC, Capital Region Water, the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority, Waste Management, Harrisburg city and the city Department of Public Works.

Volunteers and groups are encouraged to register early. Pre-registration runs until the day of the event, but those registered by March 24 will receive an event T-shirt.
Volunteer roles include litter pickers, truck drivers, site coordinators and dumpster monitors.

Since the event’s start 10 years ago, volunteers have removed over 380 tons of litter off of city streets, according to Tri County.

“Just a few hours on a Saturday morning can make a huge impact that benefits us all,” Wintermyer said.

The 10^th annual Great Harrisburg Litter Cleanup takes place April 23, 8 a.m. to noon. For more information and to register, visit www.cactricounty.org/ghlc or contact Tri County Community Action at [email protected].

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Group of local creatives to open Harrisburg studio with focus on accessibility, representation for marginalized artists

March 15, 2022 | by Maddie Gittens

The Garden Collective artists. From left: Dre Ceja, Gabe Darling, Hanni Sindelar, Lou Kirkland

According to a group of local artists, accessibility is key to a great creative community.

This weekend, The Garden Collective will open an art studio with that value at the forefront—that art is for everyone.

Located on the third floor of Grace Church’s building on State Street in Harrisburg, the studio will provide workspace for the four founding artists: Lou Kirkland, Hanni Sindelar, Gabe Darling and Dre Ceja. More than that, they envision it as a space where other artists like them have a place to create.

“Art is this really beautiful way to bring people together,” Ceja said. “It can be really powerful for the community.”

The group explained that the idea for The Garden Collective came out of a desire to have a space in Harrisburg that is accessible for artists who are often underrepresented in other studios. They’ve seen how things like income, race, sexuality, gender and culture have made it harder for people to access certain spaces. Specifically, they want to highlight Black and brown artists and artists from the LGBTQ community—identities that are represented within the group of founders.

“It’s very important for us to be able to center people within marginalized populations,” Kirkland said. “There really just aren’t that many opportunities for people who look like us and identify like we do.”

Among the four artists are photographers, painters, costume designers, jewelry makers and mixed media artists. With her photography business, You by Lou, Kirkland creates portraits of Black and brown individuals. Ceja specializes in multimedia art through their brand, Studio Con Chile. Darling focuses on photography and zine creation with their brand, Mx. Darling Creations, and Sindelar’s business, Treats Worldwide, specializes in custom clothing designs.

The group plans to offer workshops, gallery shows, vending events and other opportunities for collaboration at their studio. Eventually, they hope to have a permanent gallery and craft corner with materials for artists to use for projects.

According to Darling, the group chose the name, The Garden Collective, as a representation of what they hope to do—plant seeds in the community.

“I want to cultivate community through art,” Darling said. “I feel like we are really able to do that in this space.”

The Garden Collective will hold a grand opening celebration on March 19 at 3 p.m. There will be a ribbon-cutting, followed by a reception with authentic Mexican food, music by DJ She Wolf and local artist vendors. Face masks and vaccination cards or proof of a negative COVID test are required for entry.

Grace Church is located at 216 State St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit The Garden Collective on Instagram or email them at [email protected].

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State grants to fund major projects on Capital Area Greenbelt

March 15, 2022 | by Lawrance Binda

Photo courtesy of Capital Area Greenbelt Association

Two big projects soon will begin on the Capital Area Greenbelt, funded by recent grants from the commonwealth.

On Tuesday, the Capital Area Greenbelt Association (CAGA) announced that it has received more than $280,000 for environmental infrastructure projects centered on two creeks that run through the 24-mile park and trail system.

“We’re extremely grateful to have been selected to receive this grant funding and look forward to the important and long-lasting benefits it will bring to our community through the completion of two key environmental projects,” said CAGA Board President Mike Shaull.

A $230,150 Environmental Stewardship and Watershed Protection (Growing Greener) grant from the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will be used to restore 500 feet of stream bank on Lower Spring Creek near the Ivey Lane Apartment complex. Additional funding from CAGA and Skelly & Loy, Inc. complement the grant, bringing the total project spend to $300,000, according to CAGA.

CAGA shared that it received the competitive grant over more than 200 other eligible applications.

“We were very pleased to see such an interest in watershed restoration and protection. Selecting among the many excellent project proposals was very difficult,” stated the DEP award letter, according to CAGA.

A second grant of $54,600 from the Community Conservation Partnership Program, administered by the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), was also awarded.

The funding, coupled with an annual maintenance grant from Harrisburg city and CAGA contributions, will be used to restore the riparian buffer on Lower Spring Creek from 19^th to 28^th streets, CAGA said. The project, which will include the removal of invasive species and the planting of 1,800 trees and shrubs, will have a total cost of $150,000.

In other Greenbelt news, CAGA stated that the Phoenix Park loop will be closed through April 15 due to construction work related to the “Tiny Home Veterans Village.”

Veterans Outreach of Pennsylvania plans to construct a small village of 15 “tiny homes,” plus a community center, to provide housing and support services for homeless veterans.

A rendering of the “tiny home” village planned for the Phoenix Park area

According to CAGA, trail users still will be able to access the Greenbelt to cross the bridge over the railroad tracks coming and going in both directions.

Phoenix Park is an extension of the Greenbelt just beyond the PennDOT building in south Harrisburg along the Susquehanna River.

For more information about the Capital Area Greenbelt Association, visit their website.

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MulDer Square home sold to low-income Harrisburg family, with more on the way

March 14, 2022 | by Maddie Gittens

Executive Director Gary Lenker, of Tri-County HDC, speaks about the organization’s recently renovated and sold affordable home.

A newly renovated home in Allison Hill soon will provide affordable housing to a local low-income family.

On Monday, officials from Tri-County HDC showcased their recently completed redevelopment project—a single-family townhome at 247 Hummel St.

The three-story building is the fifth rehabbed home by the organization as part of its revitalization efforts in the MulDer Square neighborhood of Allison Hill.

“I am very proud of this project and the fact that all five homes we sold were to low- to moderate-income buyers who are women,” said Gary Lenker, executive director of the organization. “The demand greatly exceeds the supply right now, so we are so happy to be able to add to the supply of affordable housing in a busy market.”

The Hummel Street home was recently sold to a family for $109,900, according to Lenker. The family will pay a mortgage of around $500 per month and will not be required to pay property taxes for at least 10 years, thanks to Harrisburg’s LERTA tax abatement program.

The four-bedroom home required a total rehab, Lenker said. In total, including purchasing and renovating the building, it cost the organization around $200,000.

Tri-County HDC first began the MulDer Square project in 2016, as a partnership with the city, state, Harrisburg Housing Authority and Brethren Housing Association. They have since completed five single-family home renovations, all of which have been sold.

Lenker also pointed out the several empty lots across Hummel Street—the sight of Tri-County’s next phase of the project. Where many blighted buildings once stood before being demolished, the organization will construct five new single-family townhomes and one single-family home. These new residences, which will have addresses from 238 to 246 Hummel St., with the single-family home on Kittatinny Street, will all be designed for homeownership.

To be eligible for homeownership, residents must make no more than 80% of the city’s medium family income.

According to Dennise Hill, the director of the Department of Building and Housing Development for Harrisburg, projects like these are needed in the city.

“Organizations like Tri-County HDC and others in the community are crucial to stabilizing neighborhoods,” Hill said. “They are good partners in the community to really invest in the community and work with the city as we are working on blighted areas.”

For more information, visit Tri-County HDC’s website.

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Central PA’s field day is back, as Harrisburg Hoopla returns

March 14, 2022 | by Lawrance Binda

city island in the middle of the river on

Harrisburg Hoopla will take place June 4 on City Island.

This summer, you can count on another annual Harrisburg event returning after a pandemic-induced hiatus.

Harrisburg Hoopla, a daylong series of fun, amateur competitions, will take place on City Island on June 4, according to the organizer, the Foundation for Enhancing Communities (TFEC).

This year, events will include both physical games and “puzzle-like” games, according to TFEC.

“The team at TFEC looks forward to Harrisburg Hoopla every year,” said Janice Black, president and CEO of TFEC. “It is a great way to get young people involved in philanthropy and support local organizations in our community.”

Harrisburg Hoopla first took to the field five years ago, offering participants a day of friendly contests, along with refreshments. The greater purpose of Harrisburg Hoopla is to introduce young people to philanthropy, according to TFEC.

People can register to participate either as free agents or as a team of six. Each team will represent a local nonprofit organization of their choice, and the team that finishes in first, second and third place will receive a portion of the event’s proceeds to donate to the charity they competed for. A portion of the event’s proceeds will also benefit the Emerging Philanthropist Fund at TFEC.

“We’re so excited to be back on City Island,” says Jenna Reitz, chair of the Harrisburg Hoopla Planning Committee. “The committee has been working really hard on planning this event, and we hope everyone will come out and join us on June 4.”

Harrisburg Hoopla also will host local food trucks and alcohol vendors. Participants must be 21 years old to compete, and registration for Harrisburg Hoopla is $50 per person. Teams and individuals that register before May 23 will receive a free T-shirt with their registration.

To learn more and register to participate in the fourth annual Harrisburg Hoopla, visit https://www.tfec.org/harrisburg-hoopla-registration-page/.

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Harrisburg officials address recent shootings, ask for the community’s help in solving them

March 14, 2022 | by Maddie Gittens

Harrisburg Police Commissioner Thomas Carter speaks at a press conference on Monday, along with Mayor Wanda Williams and Capt. Terry Wealand.

Harrisburg officials are urging residents to work with the police to prevent and solve shootings, following several incidents over the weekend.

At a press conference on Monday, Harrisburg Police Bureau and city officials shared information on several shootings, including a double homicide, that took place over the past few days.

“Incidents like these happen way too often,” said Mayor Wanda Williams. “Two people insensibly lost their lives this weekend, and why? For what?

Most recently, on Sunday evening, Shawn Hairston, 35, and Ana Scott, 42, were shot and killed at 28 S. 16^th St, according to police Capt. Terry Wealand.

The investigation is still ongoing, and a suspect has not yet been identified, he said. However, the police believe that this was a targeted incident.

“I want to assure the public and the people of this great city that you are not in danger,” Williams said at the press conference. “However, the person who did this, we will find you, and you will be held accountable for this brutal act of violence.”

Wealand also shared information about several other shootings that took place over the weekend.

On Saturday morning at 3:25 a.m., police were dispatched to N. 2^nd and State streets where they found an adult male with a gunshot wound. He was taken to the hospital and is now in stable condition, Wealand said.

While police investigated the shooting, another adult male with a gunshot wound entered the hospital. According to Wealand, the victim was involved in the incident at N. 2^nd and State streets, as well as an incident at N. 16^th and Schuylkill streets. He is now in stable condition.

Upon arriving at N. 16^th and Schuylkill streets to investigate, police were approached by another adult male gunshot victim who was taken to the hospital. He is also in stable condition, Wealand said.

According to the police, there was not much cooperation by victims. However, Wealand said that significant progress in the investigation has been made.

Police Commissioner Thomas Carter expressed frustration with the lack of cooperation.

“The violence will not stop until everybody in this city takes an active role,” Carter said. “We cannot do it by ourselves.”

Also on Saturday at 7:30 p.m., a 17-year-old male walked into a local hospital with a gunshot wound. Wealand said that he was also uncooperative and wouldn’t tell police the location of where he was shot. He is in stable condition.

Finally, on Friday, March 11, at about 5 p.m. police were called to the 900-block N. 19^th St. for shots fired. According to the resident who called, a man identified as Fredys Pimentel, 74, opened fired at the man’s residence after he had been parked outside for a long period of time. Shortly after, police found Pimentel in his car a few blocks away, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Wealand said. Police are not aware of any connection between Pimentel and the victim of the shooting on his home.

“I could have a police officer on every corner, and we would still have shootings,” Carter said. “Because we cannot predict when a shooting’s going to happen. We need the help of the citizens to stop this violence.”

To address gun violence in the city, Carter said that the bureau has removed hundreds of illegal guns from the streets, but said that there is more they can do.

“We are out there doing things every day,” he said. “We are not going to give up. We are not going to quit.”

Anyone with information relevant to any of these crimes is asked to contact the police at 717-558-6900. Tips can also be submitted through the CRIMEWATCH website.

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Bob’s Art Blog: It’s Elementary and 3rd in the Burg highlights

March 14, 2022 | by Bob MacGinnes

“The best laid plans of mice and men oft go awry,” wrote Scottish poet, Robert Burns, centuries ago.

And such was the case for the “case” ahead. This blog or some variation like it was to run exactly two years ago to the day. It has been changed, updated and is now even more to the point since the pandemic sidelined the original blog on March 13, 2020.

Andrea Grove, owner of Elementary Coffee Co., in her North Street cafe

Elementary Coffee Co. had opened its doors a mere six months before to standing-room-only crowds, and, for 3rd in The Burg Fridays, patrons spilled out onto the city blocks surrounding it. We could not even get close to the “scene.” My trusted friend and constant companion, Dr. Watson (actually my photographer and wife, Jana) and I wanted to track down the mystery and allure of Elementary. All we had to do was follow our noses to 256 and its North Street headquarters. It’s a café that beckons early morning “need my caffeine-ers” until it closes at 3 p.m., all seven days of the week. And that is just one of many reasons why Elementary stands apart from the pack.

When life handed owner Andrea Grove lemons, she felt it was time to expand every aspect of what goes in to brewing a superlative cup of Joe. Having to close its physical building for some time proved to be a challenge. Andrea shared from the heart, “The team was headed home to their own corners of the city, and the key was how to keep that Elementary spirit going.”

Elementary videos provided tutorials on a wide array of coffee-related topics, from home-brewed methods to stove kettle brewing to the variations in grinders. Using those videos as a jumping off point led to options beyond beverages. A new series encompassed interviews with city personalities represented from every field. Even City Council candidates were part of the process. This blog is as much about the human spirit as it is about anything else. It is defined by the perseverance and resilience that one person holds within, demonstrating the wherewithal that Andrea embodies in overcoming obstacles. In other words, there would be no art without the heart at Elementary.

Back in November 2019, when Elementary Coffee opened, art was one of the many components offered, highlighting local artists and their creations. With guest artists changing the scenery within on a regular basis, the art makes for great conversation and is much more than just a pretty face. The art has resurfaced now that the café is back in full swing.

Painting by Michael Julian D’Ambrosio

Recently, Luis Cuevas brought his recycled materials fantasy masks to its walls. Currently, Michael Julian D’Ambrosio, abstract expressionist painter, offers explosions of ideas, ink blots of colors left for exploration, explanation and interpretation. Describing his art, Ambrosio states “working in layers of paint, time and space…in acrylic and ink and water color and ink that speak to nature and the human form. The paintings reflect chaos as well as an organized sense of space with a residue of mark making, serving as a time line and a visual map of memory.”

Looking back to that March two years ago, Andrea learned the importance of taking service to the next level through product innovation and commitment to her customers. Delivery to the customers’ doors may be her best marketing plan yet. It’s a service that is hard to beat. Andrea spoke to its coffee continuum.

“Talking to people over coffee is truly what makes the world go round which gets smaller by the moment,” she said.

As for us, Watson was hankering for a cup of their Teapigs Chi tea, while I recalled a quote from Sherlock Holmes: “It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important.”

Just ask Andrea Grove about the little things; they all add up to success. And she is the first to acknowledge the operation is percolated to perfection due to the team at North Street and The Broad Street Market outpost, brewing on all four burners. After all, it’s Elementary.

Art March Events of Note

Photography by Beth Hager

Arts on the Square at Market Square Presbyterian Church features the work of Beth Hager as one of its 3^rd in the Burg highlights this Friday, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., and again on Sunday, March 20, from noon to 1:30 p.m. Beth is an accomplished photographer as well as the museum director for the State Museum of Pennsylvania. Works on paper, canvas and glass speak to her diversity-capturing images that “tell a story which allow for an appreciation of the commonplace.” In addition, Kari Hultman, craftswoman extraordinaire, will showcase exquisite examples of woodworking, leather making and miniature houses with her wares. The church provides parking in the Market Square garage by entering the church at 20 S. 2^nd St. from the garage’s first level.

Miniature Grist Mill by Kari Hultman

March Madness at the Art Association of Harrisburg runs through March 31. No basketball but an incredible art show, and you would be mad if you missed it. Probably as mad as a March hare. Artists Pamela J. Black and Jessie Waite bookend their amazing paintings around the potent and powerful photography of Ashley Moog Bowlsbey. Black and Waite manipulate proportion and color in their own stylized manners. Bowlsbey creates a genre by photographing models and friends swathed in used makeup remover pads. The sensation is heightened to a hypnotic state in her visual presentation as the resultant photographs are two-dimensional in scope and scintillation. Bowlsbey’s works prove that true beauty goes well beyond skin deep as the audience peels away the layers in its mind.

Wearin’ O’ the Green through March 26 at 126 East King Street in York. No need to be green with envy, there is still time to catch the HIVE artspace latest exhibit for the month, aptly named “Shades of Green.” Owner Susan Scofield waxed enthusiastically about the pot o’ gold artists represented that include Jen Simon, Mark Broomell, Andrew Smith, Michael Hower, Charlie Hubbard and Kelly Nevin.

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Burg Review: Identities, complexities span centuries at Gamut’s deeply layered “Orlando”

March 12, 2022 | by Gina Napoli

Who’s afraid of (interpreting) Virginia Woolf? Turns out, many people.

Her works are not easy reads, so her plays are often complex viewing experiences. As an audience, we want to leave the theater with tidily presented answers, wrapped in pretty paper and topped with ribbons. We want to snap all 1000 pieces of the double-sided jigsaw puzzle into place, to feel that satisfying ending.

Although you will long for that gratification, no conclusion is promised with Gamut Theatre’s rendition of “Orlando,” adapted by Sarah Ruhl, directed by Francesca Amendolia, and presented in partnership with the PA Coalition for Trans Youth. “Orlando” tackles layered themes, with an imagery-filled format that is simultaneously encrypted, yet illuminated through narration of inner dialogue by the characters.

We meet Orlando (Abby Carroll) trying to write a poem as a 16-year-old boy during the 17^th-century Elizabethan era. Throughout the play, we find this same character pecking at this same piece over the timespan of 500 years (not a typo), each time struggling to find the words. Each time Orlando sits down to write, the approach is different. Because now Orlando is different.

Returning to that poem over time becomes an allegory for Orlando’s life. Just when he thinks he can define it with words, it shifts out of bounds into something unexpected, like a sleepy dream sequence in a stream of consciousness, with any sense of chronology it may have had off in a basement somewhere chewing magic mushrooms. To really appreciate Orlando’s hero’s journey is to be comfortable with ambiguity, with the perpetual motion, and with the eventuality that you will feel even more shifts to come. Parameters – if you find any – will move, morph and even vanish.

Highlights of Orlando’s life: serving with the Queen’s (Jeff Luttermoser) court, falling in love while ice-skating on the Thames River with Sasha the Russian princess (Grace Hoover), seeking adventure in Constantinople, being persistently and cringingly wooed by an Archduke/Archduchess (Terri Mastrobuono), getting married to a man (Ross Carmichael) who wonders aloud if Orlando is a man because it only takes her 10 minutes to get ready.

So much about Orlando’s character changes throughout his long life, including his gender. He awakens after a seven-day cocoon and finds that he is now a woman. With the gift of having a basis for comparison, we see an interpretation of male and female gender definitions through Orlando’s eyes. She notices how the world treats women differently over the centuries. Fashion changes from high-collared dresses and corsets to pants. Hankies drop. Hormones now make her cry. Her coarse language is looked on as uncharacteristic of how a female should behave. It’s all very puzzling to her. When Orlando finally comes back home again, she has become too different for home to feel the same.

So, does Orlando figure out who Orlando is at the end? The ending isn’t the point. The introspective journey is. Orlando is only able to finish her poem because, according to Amendolia, “not because she knows who she is, but because she accepts the search will never end in certainty.”

To truly appreciate “Orlando,” bring your mind open wide, but leave any urges for literal interpretations or boundaries at home. They will only hinder the fluidity and the continuous examination the author casually suggests, like buoys in tempestuous seas. Were you to exchange opinions about this piece with nine other readers in a reading circle, you would likely come away with 20 different opinions. The waters are deep and opaque here.

Bravo/brava to cast and crew for tackling this complicated piece. Although the jigsaw puzzle likely has pieces missing and the ribbons lay frayed at the ends, Orlando still satisfies like deep, meandering conversation with someone who asks the right questions.

“Orlando” runs March 12 to 20 at Gamut Theatre, 15 N. 4^th Street, Harrisburg. Find more information at www.gamuttheatre.org/orlando.

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Have a Ball: Art Association of Harrisburg brings back gala, featuring costumes, music, food

March 11, 2022 | by Maddie Gittens

Art Association of Harrisburg

The Art Association of Harrisburg is bringing back its signature event featuring music, food and extravagant costumes.

The 2022 Blue-Green Gala to support the local arts organization will take place on April 2 at the Country Club of Harrisburg.

“It’s always a big event,” said President Carrie Wissler-Thomas. “Everybody needs a chance to get dressed up and get wild and crazy and have a good time.”

This is the association’s first year holding the event since the beginning of the pandemic. Last year’s gala was held virtually.

Wissler-Thomas said that the annual gala, which began in 1941, has always been a grand social event. However, it also plays a big role in raising funds to support the association.

“We do depend on this,” Wissler-Thomas said. “It’s very supportive for us.”

Historically, the event has incorporated themed costumes. Previously called the bal masqué, the gala brought in artists dressed to themes such as “Hollywood,” “Las Vegas” and “time machine,” among others. This year’s theme is “blue-green,” and attendees are encouraged to dress in those colors. That could include anything from a blue gown to a green Grinch-inspired outfit, Wissler-Thomas said.

Harrisburg Mayor Wanda Williams and philanthropist Peggy Grove, chair of the event, will judge the costume contest.

During the cocktail hour, the band, The Two Beat Dames, will play music from the 1920s, and DJ Jonathan Frazier will provide music for the rest of the evening.

The Country Club will serve a plated dinner, as well as hors d’oeuvres and dessert.

There will also be a silent auction featuring art pieces to bid on and a wine pull.

Over the years, the gala has been held at locations around the city, some formal, others casual. Event organizers were constantly reimagining the event to fit with the changing times.

When the gala first started, hundreds of people would attend wearing elaborate costumes. Funds raised at the galas even allowed the Art Association to purchase its current building on Front Street.

“It was really the big social event of Harrisburg,” Wissler-Thomas said.

She doesn’t know yet what to expect of attendance this year, but hopes the event will be a success.

Tickets are available for purchase and required for the event. The association prefers that attendees register by March 15.

“It’s going to be fun,” Wissler-Thomas said. “We all need that right now.”

The Country Club of Harrisburg is located at 401 Fishing Creek Valley Rd., Harrisburg. For more information or to purchase tickets to the Art Association’s Blue-Green Gala, visit their website.

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