News at the Top: What were the top Harrisburg news stories of 2021? Our editor is back with his annual list

December 29, 2021 | by Lawrance Binda

Is it January already?

Each year, I find myself surprised that, once again, it’s time for my annual review of the top 10 Harrisburg news stories. This year marks a decade for this self-imposed punishment—um, I mean, tradition—an exercise that I share with my long-suffering illustrator, who is the real hero here (sorry, Rich).

So, without further delay, here’s my totally subjective ranking of 10 Harrisburg news stories of 2021. You may agree; you may disagree; you may decide to move out of town. OK, I hope you don’t move out of town.

10. Mega Murals

Each year, I try to start this list out on a positive note—before I lower the boom. It’s a custom that I’m happy to continue this year. Back in May, Sprocket Mural Works launched its third Harrisburg Mural Festival with a planter-painting project on Allison Hill then just kept on painting the town. By fall, Sprocket had marked its 50th Harrisburg-area mural over the past seven years, including its largest project to date—a vibrant linear painting lining the Mulberry Street Bridge. Thanks to Sprocket, our little city on the Susquehanna is now so mural-rich that it’s tough to fling a hand-knotted pretzel without hitting a beautiful piece of public art.

9. Housing Is Hot

The residential market has been red-hot all year, both in the city and the suburbs. In recent months, our regular market updates have shown that sales have dipped, but prices continue to climb, indicating that supply may be constrained. As I wrote in a column last year, Harrisburg needs more housing at every price point. In May, City Council took action to help address this need, passing the city’s first-ever affordable housing statute. This legislation attempts to walk a fine line, urging builders to include affordable housing in their projects without making it a mandate. Since then, some developers have said they would comply while others seemed reluctant. The coming year may test the gentle balance between encouraging affordable housing while not discouraging new development.

8. 2nd Time Around

Back in the 1950s, cities around the country engaged in a bizarre form of self-destruction, undertaking major road projects that wrecked their own urban fabrics and quality of life to benefit the suburbs. Harrisburg was no exception. As the city emptied out, leaders soon realized that they had made a big mistake, and, by the 1970s, already began contemplating how to undo the damage, especially to the main thoroughfare of 2nd Street. Well, it took decades, but it finally is happening. In the spring, the city embarked on a project that will remake much of N. 2nd Street into a more pedestrian-friendly, two-way neighborhood road, as opposed to the high-speed hellscape it’s been for 60-plus years. In this writer’s opinion—one big Harrisburg street down, several more to go.

7. Bond Battle

Municipal bonds—boring, right? On the surface, sure, but Harrisburg, of course, managed to turn the mundane into the dramatic. This salvo in the years-long council v. mayor wars began in May with an administration plan to retire a chunk of debt and refinance the remaining bonds. Council members introduced the plan, but then quickly turned against it. Fair enough—disagreements happen. But the conflict soon spiraled into another he said/she said fight, like so many other feuds over the past eight years. The result ended up positive enough anyway. Council basically got its way, with the city accepting two-thirds of a deal that the administration had reached with its bond insurer. Mayor Eric Papenfuse didn’t get the refinancing he wanted, but Harrisburg shed a big hunk of debt and set itself up for possibly retiring its remaining bonds over the next few years.

6. Class Act

After last year’s virtual experiment, Harrisburg school district students returned to the classroom in August. Masks were mandatory, but there was no real organized opposition to the requirement. Thus, Harrisburg was spared the nasty “school board wars” that have engulfed so many districts nationwide. Otherwise, the district set itself up for casting aside three years of state oversight by appointing a new superintendent, Eric Turman, and a new chief recovery officer, Dr. Lori Suski. Unless the court renews the receivership, which seems unlikely, the Harrisburg district should be self-governing again by June.

5. Deaths Decline

In 2020, Harrisburg’s homicide rate surged, as it did all over the country, hitting a multi-decade high. Last year, the rate returned to near its historical average for the past decade or two, substantially lower than the pandemic-fueled spike. Within this data, of course, were many personal and family tragedies, including several unintended and innocent victims. These include the late-year shooting of Jamie Bey, who was a bystander to a bar fight, and of 14-year-old Malachi John, who police believe was shot accidentally.

4. Developmental Delay

On last year’s list, I mentioned how remarkable it was to have so many new building proposals in the midst of a pandemic. I may have been premature. A few smaller projects, such as the expansion of the McCormick Riverfront Library, did begin, but most of the big boys, like the large residential proposals along the Reily Street corridor, spent 2021 stuck in the planning and approval phases. For 2022, I expect another active year on the development front. Several large projects, including the new federal courthouse, will be completed or nearing completion, as will some historic renovations and residential conversions. However, it remains to be seen if dirt will get turned between 3rd and 6th streets or, if a year from now, the area will retain the same vast surface parking lots and weed-strewn fields that have marred the corridor for so many decades.

3. Delta Doom

Last year, one story faced no competition for first place on my annual list, as the coronavirus pandemic impacted nearly every aspect of our lives. This year, it fell to number three. So, that’s progress, right? After a deadly mid-winter spike, the case count dropped like a stone, especially as vaccinations ramped up in the spring. We ripped off our masks, breathed deep of the fresh air and prepped for a hot vax summer. Or so we thought. Something called the “delta variant” stopped our progress cold, making us unsure exactly what to do. Travel or don’t? Mask or not? Locally, perhaps the greatest impact was the on-again, off-again plan of the commonwealth to return its people to their offices. Many local businesses took yet another hit as state workers dribbled in, then dribbled back out again. We now enter pandemic year No. 3 with renewed hope that the current plan to repopulate the Capital Complex won’t be another head fake.

2. Semi Normal

Some news stories are complex beasts, and the COVID-19 pandemic may be the most layered and nuanced of my long career. So, while the delta variant prolonged our collective nightmare, life in 2021 returned to quasi-normal for many, and that could be seen locally. Most businesses dropped their mask mandates, people began to dine indoors again, folks attended concerts, and students returned to their classrooms. Over the course of the year, we made some sort of peace with the virus, but it was an uneasy peace. I personally know more people who got sick, often very sick, than the year before, and our hospitals’ COVID wards remained crowded. Yet on a beautiful day, strolling through Riverfront Park or dining al fresco, you could almost touch life from the before times, and, wow, did it feel good.

1. Who’s Your Mayor?

I’ve created this annual list for a decade and, some years, have struggled with what should be the number-one Harrisburg news story. Not this year. The Harrisburg mayor’s race wins going away. Five candidates sought the Democratic nomination in May, including strong campaigns from relatively new faces in city politics. The crowded field resulted in a split electorate, with four of the five finishing with more than 20% of the vote. In the end, City Council President Wanda Williams squeaked by incumbent Mayor Eric Papenfuse by 46 votes. With that settled, we could all relax and move on with our lives, right? Nope. Papenfuse disappeared from view for a few months only to re-emerge in mid-September to declare a long-shot write-in campaign for the general election. He ran vigorously, but this sudden burst of energy, which might have put him over the top in the primary, made no difference in the general, except to delay the transition. Williams trounced Papenfuse and, therefore, will be sworn in this month as Harrisburg’s new mayor.

So, Harrisburg begins 2022 with new leadership and, given all the recent high-level departures from city hall, with almost an entirely new team in place. I wish them the best and feel confident that a few issues they’ll deal with will wind up on this list a year from now.

I’d like to leave my annual top-10 list with a dose of unsolicited advice for future city politicians. Our recent election marked the third straight Harrisburg mayor’s race in which a leading Democratic candidate lost the primary but then refused to accept the result, running again in the general—and losing again.

These efforts served no productive purpose. They prolonged the city’s angst, exacerbated its divisions and heightened the turmoil inside city hall. In other words, they were harmful to the city, not helpful. Thus, my advice: If you lose in the primary, please graciously accept your defeat. There’s always next time.

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

Illustrations by Rich Hauck.

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Road Rage: Harrisburg begins to assess the impact of the I-83 widening project

December 29, 2021 | by M. Diane McCormick

Eggs over easy. Crispy bacon, as only Bill Katsifis, owner of the East Shore Diner, can make it. English muffin. Randy Baratucci takes the elements of his usual order and makes a bacon and egg sandwich.

“Their breakfasts are the best,” said Baratucci from his booth in the cozy diner where, judging by the signage and the jukebox, time stopped somewhere between the Eisenhower years and the Un-cola age.

“Whatever you need, they take care of it,” Baratucci said. “They’re very personable. They have things so nice for their customers. We’re like family.”

People around Harrisburg are raging about the possibility of tolls, lurking ogre-like at the ends of a widened South Bridge. But a separate Capital Beltway expansion project is poised to reshape the commercial corridor driving through the heart of Harrisburg.

The East Shore Diner on Cameron Street sits squarely in the path of the plans. Since Katsifis and his late father bought this classic chrome diner in 1985, generations have trooped in for camaraderie and good food.

“You follow the American dream,” said Katsifis’ wife and diner co-owner, Dorothy Katsifis. “You try to own your own business. You support your family and your kids.”

But the PA Department of Transportation, the couple says, can’t find a property that would allow them to continue their business uninterrupted.

The Project

PennDOT began its multi-phase expansion of the Capital Beltway several years ago. The recently widened I-83, around Union Deposit Road, is the tail end of the first phase of the $1 billion project to remake the east shore and river sections of the highway.

Several more phases are pending. A plan to add lanes and rework interchanges from the Susquehanna River to 29th Street right through the city of Harrisburg is in final design, with construction bidding anticipated in August 2023, according to PennDOT.

Construction of this stretch, labeled “Section 3,” is expected to begin in 2024, with the first contract completed within three years. All components—utilities, right of way and construction—are expected to be done in 10 years, according to PennDOT.

In fact, Section 3 is quietly underway already with land takings. Preliminary plans propose:

Widening I-83 from six to 10 lanes—three express lanes in each direction, plus two local lanes on each side.
Reconstruction of the 19th and 17th street interchanges and reworking of the 2nd Street interchange
A new interchange linking I-83 directly to Cameron Street, replacing the 13th Street interchange. Cameron Street will be widened for bicyclists and pedestrians.
Rebuilt 13th, 17th, 19th and 29th street bridges, including bicycle lanes.
Realignment of Paxton Street and, approaching 29th Street, I-83 itself.

Because engineering began, first, for Section 3, and then for the South Bridge, a “small portion” of Section 3 would require redesign to accommodate the South Bridge widening, said PennDOT spokesperson Dave Thompson.

Property acquisitions are “ongoing,” he said.

“The department does not rely on condemnation as its first choice, but rather as a last resort to acquire property,” Thompson said in a written response to questions from TheBurg. “Therefore, the department does not forecast which properties it will condemn as a part of a project.”

Takings

Attorney Anthony Corby, of Faherty Law Firm, is constantly surprised by the extent of Harrisburg’s businesses—an 80,000-square-foot warehouse here, a used car lot there.

The list of PennDOT’s planned takings in Section 3 reveals a business corridor approaching the logistically strategic junction of interstates 83 and 81: auction house, child care, equipment distribution, storage warehouses, vehicle sales and service, dry cleaner, IT services and more. Another 36 residential displacements were cited in preliminary plans.

Corby represents about 13 property owners “just in that section.” One has already won a ruling in Dauphin County Common Pleas Court that PennDOT’s unveiling of the project, in compliance with federal law, constituted a “de facto” taking of his property—not legally acquired through eminent domain but depriving the owner of fair market value after potential buyers bailed out.

“Obviously, this shows the property was unmarketable generally,” said Corby. “Its marketability was affected by eminent domain.” PennDOT is appealing the ruling.

At the East Shore Diner, surrounding properties are untouched or partially affected. The diner—and, more importantly, the lot it occupies—is directly in the path of construction. As real estate prices soar, finding a comparable lot, at a price that PennDOT is willing to pay while allowing business to continue and not forcing Katsifis to take out a mortgage, has become a stumbling block.

PennDOT has offered Katsifis $221,000 for the real estate value and $123,078 for “personal property,” including $48,000 for the portable diner.

The owners were promised “a key for a key,” said Dorothy Katsifis.

“We knew it was coming, but not like this,” she said. “We thought we were going to be taken care of and they would help us. What we have is what we want. That’s the main thing. We have a parking lot. We want a parking lot.”

Katsifis worries about losing her customer base, although the loyal patrons filling the booths on a crisp Tuesday morning swear they would follow the East Shore Diner wherever it goes. It’s the kind of place where the morning crowd has its “assigned” seats and gives grief when buddies take them, said Baratucci, of Paxtonia.

All the customers lament the uncertainty heaped on the owners and the possible loss of their “everybody knows your name” place.

“They’re just kind of hanging there,” Baratucci said of the Katsifises. “Every time you get a little news, it seems more negative. I just think it’s such a shame that PennDOT can’t work something out.”

Daily customer Richard Wright, of New Cumberland, calls the East Shore Diner “the best diner in central Pennsylvania, and I’ve eaten at every one of them.”

“I know things happen and life gives us changes, but I think they’re taking away from Bill and his family the opportunity to still earn money,” Wright said. “This man has to earn a livelihood. He’s not retirement age. If you buy him out, he should be paid potential earnings, or they should buy the business and move it like they said they would to another location.”

Eminent domain “always comes down to money,” said Corby. What’s called “just compensation,” as required by law, is often the difference between the government’s lowball estimate and the counteroffers developed by appraisers who take disruptions to livelihood and lifestyle into account for the property owners.

“Your estimated just compensation might not be adequate to get me moved into a comparable property in this market,” said Corby. “Even if it was, oftentimes, you can’t find a property that was exactly like the one you left.”

As cases drag through negotiations and possibly courtrooms, business owners can be pushed into limbo. A PennDOT policy to withhold the full amount of compensation due to liens, instead of holding just the lien amount in escrow, has ensnared Lamont Palmer. He left his used-car business on Paxton Street but hasn’t received any of his $210,000 compensation due to $12,000 in liens, including a $10,000 claim against a long-ago former owner.

While Palmer petitions the court to retrieve the non-encumbered remainder, he is sidelined while the market in used cars sizzles.

“I’m without a building,” Palmer said. “I’m without a business, and I’m suffering. That business was how I fed my family. Without the business and without the building, I’m stuck.”

On the Greenbelt

The I-83 expansion is expected to touch on two Capital Greenbelt junctures, including the stretch along City Park Drive, that wild, winding lane linking Paxton Street to Derry Street from, say, Faulkner Subaru to the Paxtang Grill.

There’s a pinch point there, at a perfect storm of I-83 overpass, railroad tracks and waterway.

“It’s one of the areas where, as a user, I’m always nervous for people because you’ve got to be careful,” said Capital Area Greenbelt Association President Mike Shaull. “There’s not a whole lot of room to navigate.”

PennDOT had the foresight to reach out to CAGA, said Shaull. Now, that pinch point could be improved with sidewalk enhancements and a walking bridge more substantial than the sturdy but aging crossway fashioned from railroad ties.

Shaull is especially excited by the prospect for a restroom and parking at the spot where I-83 meets the Greenbelt at Front Street, approaching the PennDOT building.

“Outside of private businesses opening their doors up, there are no public restroom areas on the Greenbelt,” said Shaull. “That’s something that’s often asked for. It would be really nice to see that come to fruition. We’ve got our fingers crossed.”

Harrisburg is “creeping up on lists of great places to live or retire,” and a safer, more easily accessible Greenbelt is one more asset in the city’s favor, said Shaull. As the pandemic showed, the Greenbelt is “a lifeline for people.”

“Some use it for commuting, some use it for recreation and exercise, communing with nature, or meditation from the chaos of the everyday world,” he said.

Local bicyclists see mixed blessings in the bridge plans that include shoulders for bicycles. Bicycling policy advocate Jim Buckheit said that PennDOT has been “receptive” to suggestions for bicycling infrastructure.

“It encourages and supports people using something other than a car to travel,” he said.

Buckheit and others remain concerned, however, that the capital region’s foot and pedal accommodations are behind the times and, when attempted, done in piecemeal fashion. Widening bridges only encourages motorists to drive faster, diminishing safety for people on foot or pedaling, said Ross Willard, founder and chief mechanical officer for the nonprofit, Recycle Bicycle.

“Why do we keep segregating the south side (of Harrisburg), making the highway wider and wider?” he said. “I-83 is a great wall of cars.”

Meanwhile . . .

Back at the East Shore Diner, longtime customer Barry Tolby says he bypasses restaurants on the way from his Newberry Township home because “you get your money’s worth.”

“There’s no other restaurant around that serves the type of sausage they have here,” he said. “It’s a foot long. I have to pig out. I get two of them. I’ll be needing some kind of transplant pretty soon.”

As for the circumstances surrounding eminent domain, “I think it sucks,” Tolby said. “I hope they don’t get screwed on the whole thing. It’s hard to find a place to actually move this diner to.”

Yes, the building can move, but a noncomparable relocation would diminish the viability of a historic property—circa 1950s, from the Jerry O’Mahony Diner Company—that houses a functioning business, said Historic Harrisburg Association Executive Director David Morrison.

Historic Harrisburg plans to place the diner on its list of preservation priorities, to be presented in January.

“Until it’s repositioned and back in business somewhere, its future is somewhat in question,” Morrison said. “It’s a wonderful, viable business, and its loss would be of equal concern to many of Historic Harrisburg’s other preservation priorities. I don’t think it would cease to be a priority until it’s at a place where it could continue to operate long-term.”

Dorothy Katsifis and her family remain hopeful but wary about the future and the possibility of finding a comparable property for their diner. Despite the protestations of loyalty from customers, she fears that a move would leave them behind.

“There is hope, if we find something,” she said. “I don’t know what we’re going to do. How do you know? We’re not going to have the same customers. How do you start again? It took 30-some years to do this.”

Learn more at I-83 Capital Beltway Project, www.i-83beltway.com.

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Tending to the Farm (Show): $21 million upgrades, during pandemic downtime, await PA Farm Show visitors

December 29, 2021 | by Karen Hendricks

The Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg

The buckets are long gone.

Longtime visitors to the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex can probably visualize strategically placed buckets that previously and notoriously cluttered the Cameron Street lobby, to capture raindrops dripping through the leaky roof.

But during the pandemic shutdown, a new roof went up. And those infamous leaks aren’t the only issues that got plugged. A long list of aging infrastructure projects are now checked off the state-owned facility’s wish list. Amid millions of dollars in lost revenue due to a slew of pandemic-cancelled expos and events, $21 million in capital improvements over two fiscal years were pumped into the iconic Harrisburg landmark.

For those who equate the Farm Show with farm-fresh scents, it may be difficult to hear the word “fresh” as a positive description. Nonetheless, a freshly face-lifted facility awaits visitors returning to the Pennsylvania Farm Show this month, along with a variety of events—even bridal shows—slated for 2022 and beyond.

“The building is a historical treasure,” said Shannon Powers, Department of Agriculture press secretary. “The improvements were basically intended to enhance public convenience and public safety, while making the facility more sustainable and energy-efficient—those were the three big categories.”

Farm Show Fixes

You may notice upgrades before you even step foot inside the million-square-foot, circa-1930 complex.

A roundabout off of Industrial Road “should reduce traffic speeds and create better traffic flow,” Powers said. The parking lot is reconfigured and landscaped—not only to improve rainfall absorption into the adjacent Paxton Creek, which eventually empties into the Chesapeake Bay—but to maximize capacity by adding 155 spaces to a new grand total of 8,957.

The animals will also benefit from site improvements. Outside exercise areas were upgraded and enclosed with new fencing.

Façade improvements include repointed bricks, new energy-efficient windows, and stonework on the Cameron Street and New Holland Arena entrances. Artwork, the crowning glory encircling the one-of-a-kind facility, was also restored.

“The frieze was originally done by Versus T. Ritter in 1937 as a tribute to Pennsylvania agriculture as the number one industry in Pennsylvania,” said Sharon Myers, complex executive director.

Horses, cattle, ducks, goats, even little bunnies, are etched into the concrete edifice.

“It was interesting to see the masons tasked with helping us repair the building—how much care and detail they put into the cows and other animals,” Myers said.

Inside, some historical details weren’t quite as quaint.

“A moat was installed in the larger arena at one time, so it could be used as an ice rink—but it was never used. It made it difficult to clean, so the moat was removed,” Powers said.

More upgrades are underfoot and within walls. Flooring was leveled and replaced, and asbestos removal—ongoing for years—is now complete. The sprinkler system’s water supply line was replaced, eco-friendly water bottle refilling stations were established, and electrical panels and a new sound system were installed. There are new loading docks, and “aging coal-burning furnaces were replaced,” Powers said.

Thanks to new LED lighting, “it’s noticeably brighter in the complex,” Powers said. Many of the upgrades, she noted, will have long-term impact on maximizing efficiency while reducing operating costs for “a dual benefit.”

History in the Spotlight

Although COVID-19 halted the complex’s public events, many behind-the-scenes operations supported pandemic relief efforts.

“The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank was located there—it was quite an emergency operation,” Powers said. “We were barred from talking about the location of our PPE stockpile—that was a federal requirement. And vaccine clinics began because it was a convenient location—it was on the bus line.”

Those were the latest in the complex’s string of historic roles.

“During World War II, the building was used as a training center for the New Cumberland Air Command,” Powers said. “There was a mechanics’ bay under the floor of the North Hall, and [during pandemic upgrades] we found a Rosie the Riveter outfit.”

And there’s another parallel between the pandemic and World War II eras.

“The building is an absolute treasure—not just as a venue for agricultural events, but in times of emergency—both during the pandemic and World War II, the only other time when the farm show hasn’t been held,” Powers said.

Plowing Ahead

The complex reopened to public events last summer, but January’s signature event may be the litmus test for Pennsylvanians’ readiness for large-scale events.

“We strongly recommend that people wear masks,” Powers said. “We made changes to the way the event is configured to diminish pinch points to keep crowds down. There are rigorous measures in place for animal health, and we’ve met international standards for public places like airports and concerts—those are in place in terms of cleaning protocols being ramped up.”

Build it, and they will come. Improve it, and will they come back?

Powers is cautiously optimistic, noting that food vendors, in particular, are playing a guessing game with food prep quantity.

“It’s kind of a blend of excitement and fear and trepidation for the amount of planning that’s involved,” she said.

Typically, the Pennsylvania Farm Show draws 450,000 attendees and generates $39 million in economic impact, according to Mary Smith, president of the destination marketing organization, Visit Hershey & Harrisburg.

“The Farm Show is so rich in tradition—it’s a great way to kick off the start of a brand new year, and it will be interesting to see how it rebounds after having a year off,” Smith said. “Being the largest agricultural expo that takes place under one roof across the nation, it’s pretty special for our region. The magnitude of [reno] projects completed is incredible … and those improvements will only help events like the Pennsylvania Farm Show come back.”

The 106th Pennsylvania Farm Show takes place Jan. 8 to 15. For more information and additional 2022 events, see farmshow.pa.gov.

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Arepa Return: A new eatery brings back the Venezuelan specialty to downtown Harrisburg

December 29, 2021 | by Norah Griffiths Johnson

It’s safe to say that Arepa House, the new Venezuelan spot in downtown Harrisburg, is a family affair.

Leandro Fabian Curvelo started the restaurant alongside his mother, Rafymar Curvelo Gonzalez, who originally hails from Venezuela, and father, Leonardo Fabian Mejias, who is from the Dominican Republic.

“My dad was driving around the area and noticed Venezuelan food was missing,” he said.

Thus, the inspiration for Arepa House was born.

Arms Open

When customers enter Arepa House, they find themselves enveloped by the fragrant aromas of long-simmering meats and a faint sweetness in the air.

The menu is written out in artistic lettering on a floor-to-ceiling blackboard, juxtaposed with the storefront’s windows, where, on a nice day, sunlight streams in to brighten the already welcoming space. The walls are painted throughout in a warm, saffron color and are decorated with vibrant photographs of Venezuela’s beautiful landscape and natural treasures.

It’s the kind of space that’s easy to feel at home in, whether you dine in or take out.

“Here, everyone is welcome,” Curvelo said, smiling. “We are here with our arms open.”

For those unfamiliar, arepas are made from a dough composed of ground corn and water, formed into a patty-like shape and then baked, boiled or fried. Though sometimes eaten warm, with a simple smear of butter, most often arepas are slit open width-wise in order to play host to a variety of fillings.

Arepa House offers 10 different types of arepa sandwiches to choose from, each featuring a varied combination of meat, cheeses, beans, plantains, avocados and/or veggies.

I’m always looking for insider tips on what to eat, so Curvelo recommended I try the pabellón. This delicious selection included tender plantains, seasoned black beans, slow-cooked, flavorful and tender beef and just enough cheese.

“The thing I love about the pabellón is that you get so much flavor in one bite,” Curvelo said. “That’s the thing about Venezuelan food. So much of it comes from sweet and salty pairings. With the pabellón, it’s a whole adventure, really.”

I also tried la paisa arepa, which included beef, pork, chicken, beans and avocado. For the many meat lovers among us, it is a menu offering not to be missed.

With both the pabellón and la paisa, the arepa itself created the perfect accompaniment, providing a mild, tender, savory element juxtaposed against the richer flavor profiles of the meat and assorted fillings.

Something Sweet

Arepa House also offers a number of appetizers and snacks, including cachapas, which are fresh corn cakes, empanadas and pepitos. At Curvelo’s recommendation, I tried the tequeños, which are like gourmet cheese sticks—crispy, savory and deliciously gooey.

“I used to eat tequeños for breakfast before school, when I was in Venezuela,” Curvelo said.

Arepa House offers two types—cheese, and cheese with guava syrup. I tried the latter. The melted cheese within played beautifully against the guava syrup, complete with a crispy, pastry exterior. The sweet and savory combination offered a delicious and filling example of the characteristic Venuzeulan food profile that Curvelo described.

Diners also have a selection of drinks to choose from, including guarapo, a sugarcane-based beverage, and chicha, which is corn-based and slightly resembles cider in its flavor profile.

Among several Venezuelan candy and dessert items, Arepa House offers the iconic tres leches, and crowd favorite, churros. I tried an order of the tres leches and had to fight my 7-year-old for more than a bite. Served chilled, the tres leches was silky in texture, with a subtle sweetness that proved just the right contrast to the richness of the arepas.

While sampling Arepa House’s offerings, I caught Peter Leonard, owner of Little Amps Coffee Roasters, also enjoying a quick bite. He has tried several of the arepas thus far, but he, too, considers the pabellón a go-to.

“We’re excited to welcome another small business to the block,” he said, smiling broadly. ”I’ve already been here twice, and it’s delicious.”

Arepa House is located at 404 N. 2nd St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.arepahouse.com or call 717-857-6656.

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Remembering Ré: Local artist left her mark on Harrisburg through creativity, generosity and passion

December 29, 2021 | by Maddie Gittens

Ré Désabres Plaut

In late September, Harrisburg-based Cordier Auctions & Appraisals held an online art auction featuring 280 paintings and sculptures.

Up for bid was the collection of the late Raymonde “Ré” Désabres Plaut, a French artist who lived in Harrisburg before passing away in 2020. It was an impressive grouping of her work, as well as pieces she owned by other artists.

Scrolling through the online page, I was overwhelmed by the amount of artwork. It was so much that Melanie Hartman, Cordier’s director of catalog and specialty auctions, thought it might dilute the market and depress the prices.

But within the four-hour auction, all but 12 of the 280 pieces had sold, raising $16,000. The highest bid was $750. Hartman was surprised, in a good way.

Keeping with Ré’s will, the money was split between the Art Association of Harrisburg and the Humane Society of Harrisburg Area—two organizations that she was passionate about.

“She would’ve been shocked to see how much it raised,” Ré’s granddaughter Dazzia Szczepaniak said. “She would’ve been proud.”

After talking to Ré’s friends and family, I saw clearly why the auction was so successful—Ré was a force. She was known for her in-home art gallery, her glamorous parties, her creativity, love and eccentricity.

She was electric, and her spark wouldn’t dim in Harrisburg with her passing.

I wish I had met Ré before she passed, had the chance to stroll through her gallery and hear some of the many stories she had to tell—like how, as a teenager, she was a member of the French Resistance and worked to identify and stop Nazi troops. Instead, I gathered stories from those who knew her. Like Ré and her paintings, they were quite the collection.

Absolute Dynamite

Kathy Dunbar met Ré around 30 years ago at the former Dōshi art gallery in Harrisburg, and the pair immediately connected.

Ré was a French immigrant, and Dunbar was from London. And while Dunbar isn’t an artist like Ré, she is an art lover, so the two began frequently attending art shows together. Dunbar would even help Ré with her exhibitions. They had a lot in common.

“We gravitated towards each other,” Dunbar said. “We were cohorts of sorts.”

Ré and her husband Martin Plaut would share meals with Dunbar and her husband Glen weekly. They’d travel to nearby cities like Philadelphia and New York together. Dunbar even spent time with Ré’s family members. Ré had two sons from a previous marriage—Richard and Robin. Ricky suffers from schizophrenia, but he and Dunbar “jelled,” she said. Over time, Ré and Dunbar became family.

Ré was known for the parties that she and Martin threw. She loved to dance and loved a good martini—or two. Ré and Dunbar “partied hearty,” she said.

“She was funny, opinionated and tiny but strong,” Dunbar said. “She was absolute dynamite.”

Her artwork reflected her personality, said Carrie Wissler-Thomas, executive director of the Art Association of Harrisburg.

“Her work is lyrical and expressionistic,” Wissler-Thomas said. “It’s romantic and has a dreamlike quality.”

Many of Ré’s paintings depict the human figure. She took classes at the Art Association and painted from live models. Her beloved pet dog would also model for her from time to time. She painted portraits, landscapes and crafted pieces of pottery. Conveniently, she had a potter’s wheel and kiln in her basement.

Ré and Martin regularly entered exhibits at the Art Association. Well into her 80s, Ré figured out how to digitally enter her work on online platforms, Wissler-Thomas said.

Ré even opened her own gallery on the second floor of her home on N. 2nd Street in Harrisburg. She called it “The Four Winds Gallery” and filled it with her and Martin’s work, along with others, including that of Harrisburg transplant Charles “Li” Hidley, one of her favorite artists. She participated in the Art Association’s Gallery Walk for years.

According to Szczepaniak, her granddaughter, there wasn’t an empty space on any of her walls. She would be in awe when she and her brother visited as children. Ré would teach them how to make pottery, take them to see indie films at Midtown Cinema and introduce them to her artist friends.

“It felt special to come to Harrisburg and know that she was so well thought of in her community,” Szczepaniak said. “Her artistry gave me an appreciation for art.”

Greatest Collection

Ré was stridently independent, but she also was deeply in love with her husband Martin, a former Navy captain and doctor. Like her, he was an artist and had his own galleries over the years.

Ré and Martin lived in separate houses in Harrisburg, which may or may not have been the secret to their long-lasting marriage. But according to Dunbar, they were together all of the time.

As the couple got older, however, their health declined.

The days of Dunbar cheerily drinking martinis with Ré were traded in for making sure Ré took the correct pills and that Martin was safe. It was painful and sad for Dunbar to watch.

Over time, Ré developed dementia, and then Martin passed away.

“I protected her like I would my own children,” Dunbar said. “We weren’t actually family, but we might as well have been.”

Ré eventually moved into an assisted living community before passing in 2020.

“I miss her,” Dunbar said. “They were such an integral part of our lives. How do you replace that?”

Before Ré died, she celebrated her 95th and final birthday. She always did love her parties and, at this one, she was glowing as family and friends surrounded her.

“She was the matriarch,” Szczepaniak said. “She held our family together. That might be my responsibility now.”

When her grandmother died, Szczepaniak worked to clean out her house. She gave family members a chance to choose pieces of Ré’s art to keep for themselves, although many of them already had artwork that she’d gifted them over the years.

Szczepaniak sees that as part of the legacy that Ré leaves behind.

“We all held anything that she gave us as really precious,” she said.

She also noted the personal impact she left.

“She was always sort of a rebel,” Szczepaniak said. “She was a very inspiring female presence, not just for me and my daughter, but her whole community.”

But the greatest way that Ré’s memory lives on is through those who hold her collection of stories.

Near the end of Ré’s life, Szczepaniak spent a lot of time in Harrisburg. She often stayed with Dunbar and became close with her grandmother’s friends. She talked to them about Ré.

“I got close to her Harrisburg community,” she said. “As far as I’m concerned, those connections are helping her to live on in my life. I’m still learning things about her.”

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Runner’s High: Clare Flannery finishes strong in Boston, in life

December 29, 2021 | by Diane White McNaughton

Clare Flannery at the Boston Marathon

Through a dense mental fog, Clare Flannery remembers hearing the emergency room doctor say, “We’re losing her.”

Those words from her days as a student at Penn State are among the memories that inspire Flannery to win as a 65-year-old runner who just completed her fifth marathon—the iconic Boston Marathon—in October.

It’s a tough marathon to qualify for, with ever-escalating standards, so her participation among the 15,000 runners showed that she has hit her stride.

Flannery’s feat, set against the backdrop of Boston’s historic architecture, steep hills and cheering masses during the 26.2-mile journey’s 125th year, was even more amazing considering that she started running in her mid-50s, in what she called “almost a lark.”

That brush with death in college, the result of an allergic reaction that catapulted her into anaphylactic shock, taught her an important lesson early in life.

“I learned to appreciate every day,” said the Susquehanna Township resident.

Love at First Sight

Flannery admits that, in the 1970s, she was far from the picture of health.

Her diet consisted of mostly Tastykakes, Carnation Instant shakes and canned soup. As an aspiring actress and self-ordained “theater geek,” she had once left the athleticism to her sister, Terry, who is now one her biggest fans.

Fast-forward through the decades, when high cholesterol and a high-pressure broadcasting career prompted Flannery to re-examine her diet, lifestyle and core values. She had been a health reporter in Michigan, covering the running boom of the ‘80s, but now confesses that she could’ve used her own advice.

A chance invitation from a co-worker to run a 5K on Armed Forces Day in Harrisburg in 2012 came at the perfect time, placing her at the starting block to healthy living and self-awareness.

She heard the National Anthem before the race and saw all the runners. The camaraderie was contagious, and she caught the running bug.

“It was love at first sight,” she said.

In that first 5K on City Island, Flannery performed surprisingly well, considering she had not trained. Her sister Terry told her, “Just think of what you could do if you actually tried.”

Today, Flannery loves not only the physicality of running, but the entire experience.

As she powers around the Capitol Complex, along the picturesque riverfront, and through peaceful suburban neighborhoods, she drinks in the scenery, the people and the wildlife. Her Facebook page is populated with inspiring thoughts and photographs of the deer, dogs, ducks, groundhogs, birds, trees and other glories of nature she encounters along her treks. She is competitive, but not against other runners—only herself.

Her photogenic face and exuberance for running have attracted the eyes of numerous photographers and media. She was featured in Boston Marathon’s publicity, with her photo seen by friends as far away as Ireland and New Zealand. Her joyful finish at the Broad Street Run in the City of Brotherly Love was captured on the front page of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Now in what she calls her “encore years” after retiring from the state Senate in April, her bucket list includes a run in Ireland, where her large, tight-knit family has deep roots, and to share her love of running with young girls in the local Girls on the Run organization.

She has many lessons to share. The New York City Marathon was one of her first, and she learned from her missteps, she recalls, which included a wrong subway, a late ferry and eating only half a bagel before the race, but she was determined to finish.

Sporting a trademark Adidas royal blue and bright yellow finishing jacket from the Boston Marathon, she also wears a bracelet from her sister: “You do hard things.”

Now a dedicated vegan, her body-mass index, resting heart rate, blood pressure and cholesterol are those of a 20-year-old, and she lost 30 pounds through daily exercise and a plant-based diet.

Since her Boston Marathon run, many people have texted and asked how they can follow in her footsteps.

Believe You Can

Flannery warns newbies against the “terrible too’s”—too fast, too soon, too much. Increase your mileage only 10% a week to avoid injuries and overdoing it, she recommends.

She also advises: “Decide why you want to run, then believe that you can.”

“I couldn’t run a mile 10 years ago,” she said. “I had to stop and gasp for breath.”

For beginners, she advises running half-a-mile, walking half, then the next week, going a little farther. And make sure to invest in great shoes.

She also recommends a training plan, which can easily be found on the internet. In addition, it helps to find a cause you believe in, whether it’s rescue animals, breast cancer or another inspiration.

“It isn’t about competition,” Flannery tells her Girls on the Run group. “It’s about self-esteem, and it’s about your body and encouraging everybody to do their best.”

“For me, running is a celebration of life,” she wrote at the close of 2020 on Facebook, after logging close to 1,850 miles in a single year. “I feel the air on my skin, the breath going in and out of my lungs, my heart beating in my chest. It is when I am most aware I am alive and healthy.”

She described running as prayer, therapy, cheerleading, nature, community.

“The ‘runner’s high’ really does exist, both after a daily run and in the long term from crossing a finish line in a marathon,” she said. “When you accomplish hard things, you realize that you have more strength than you ever realized.”

“Running is meditation through movement.”

And she labels it a “metaphor for life.”

Like that ER doctor decades ago, “It saved my life.”

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Clutter & Compassion: Professional organizer Carolina Harvey has become a star on “Hoarders,” though she’ll also help you clean out your closet

December 29, 2021 | by Phyllis Zimmerman

Carolina Harvey

As sole proprietor of Cure The Clutter, Carolina Harvey feels compassion for clients who need her household organization expertise.

Harvey founded her home-based business nearly 13 years ago, offering a scope of residential organization services that range from tidying unkempt closets to clearing cluttered homes overtaken by hoarding.

“I’ve always wanted to do something to help people and to find a way to communicate with them,” said Harvey of Susquehanna Township.

In 2021, Harvey became the first Latina to host the long-running A&E television network series, “Hoarders.” She was selected for the program after answering a casting call the previous year for professional organizers to work as support personnel. Her premiere episode as a rotating “Hoarders” host aired in November 2021, with more filmed episodes slated to run in 2022.

“There is so much pain that comes along with hoarders,” she explained. “One thing they all have in common is that they have trauma. Maybe they believe that they don’t deserve a beautiful home or have a problem with decision making.”

When not hosting, Harvey works off-camera as a cleanup/organization expert on the set, part of a rotating crew of 10 to 20 workers per episode, including an onsite psychologist.

“The one thing to remember is the mental health aspect behind hoarding,” she said. “Not every story is a success story, but our goal is success.”

There for Us

Harvey is no stranger to life’s hardships.

She and her brother, Bonafide, grew up in New York City in an impoverished household headed by their single mother, Martha, a first-generation Colombian American. Her father floated “in and out” of her life, she said.

“Our family struggled,” she said. “We fought for everything we had, but my mother was an absolute rock star. She’s always been there for us no matter what.”

Harvey’s fortunes turned in 1982, when she began attending Milton Hershey School in the second grade. She remained there until graduating from high school in 1993.

“I learned so many things at Milton Hershey,” she said. “I learned what a great family looked like. It gave me a number of parental figures and lots of brothers and sisters there. I’m still close to my house parents. They’re like grandparents to my kids.”

Today, Harvey and husband Lukeman are busy raising their own family, sons Jackson, 17, Gabriel, 14, and Elias, 11. Harvey currently serves as president of Central Dauphin East Junior Lacrosse League, for which her sons play.

If that weren’t enough, Harvey also finds time to coach her sons’ robotic teams at Covenant Christian Academy in Lower Paxton Township. Currently, she’s head coach for the high school team, Technological Intelligence, and assistant coach for a fifth-grade ensemble, Falcon Logic 10.

“I had coached middle school (robotics at Covenant) but moved up with the kids to the high school team,” she said. “In total, I’ve been coaching for seven years.”

Carolina and Lukeman also serve as a spokes-family for Donate Life Pennsylvania, a collaborative initiative between Gift of Life donor program, the Center for Organ Recovery and Education and the state’s departments of Health and Transportation.

In 2017, Lukeman received a life-saving kidney transplant from a Connecticut donor after undergoing dialysis for three years. Three years earlier, he was diagnosed with kidney and heart failure and was told he needed a new kidney to survive.

Although Harvey wasn’t a transplant match for her husband, she, in turn, donated a kidney to a North Carolina woman. These procedures took place eight days apart as Harvey’s mother stayed on to help around the house.

Before his transplant, Lukeman waited “in a fog” and couldn’t play with their boys.

“He woke up (after the procedure) and said, ‘I can see!’” Harvey said. “As soon as he got home from the hospital, our middle son said, ‘Can we wrestle now?’”

Keeping It Tidy

Not all of Harvey’s business revolves around hoarding and hoarders. Many Cure the Clutter clients are just ordinary people looking to reduce their belongings and streamline their lives.

Joanne Traub, for instance, hired Harvey to help her discard items and organize cluttered areas around the family’s suburban Harrisburg home. Since then, they continue to maintain a tidy household using her strategies

“(Carolina) said she never judges anyone,” Traub said. “She asks the personal questions. She wanted to know why I was keeping things, the psychological reasons. Why was I holding on to these things? It’s past, she told me. She tried to make me realize that I could use the space for something else.”

Megan and Steve Miller of East Pennsboro Township employed Cure the Clutter’s expertise in early 2021 for reorganizing the couple’s home office. Steve used the space for tasks related to his physical therapy practice, while Megan tended to the household’s finances there. After four sessions with Harvey, the Millers reclaimed order in their office and have kept it that way, according to Megan.

“It took a lot of time and mental effort,” she said. “Together, we went through everything that was in there, which was a lot. The greatest gift was the system Carolina put in place for us to keep the room organized.”

In her profession, Harvey draws on her personal, often difficult, life experiences. She credits compassion for a large part of her success, which has resulted in both a flourishing local business and a presence on a popular reality TV show.

“This is my gift, for someone to let me into their home to help,” she said. “I will not judge them.”

For more information, contact Cure the Clutter at 717-229-6890 or www.curetheclutter.net.

Donate Life Pennsylvania is a collaborative initiative between Gift of Life Donor Program (GOL), the Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE), and the Pennsylvania Departments of Health and Transportation.

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January News Digest

December 29, 2021 | by Lawrance Binda and Maddie Gittens

City Budget OK’d, May be Re-opened

Harrisburg City Council ended its 2021 session last month with a lengthy agenda, including the approval of a budget and substantial development projects.

Council took a step in the city’s budgeting process, passing a 2022 budget that will serve as a placeholder until Mayor-Elect Wanda Williams takes office and likely reopens the spending plan.

The $79.2 million general fund budget, which includes no property tax increase, essentially mirrors the 2021 budget.

The administration proposed the placeholder budget in anticipation of Williams reopening it in the new year. The final budget must be adopted by Feb. 15.

Additionally, council gave the go-ahead to two large development projects in Harrisburg.

Developers Chris and Erica Bryce, along with Matt Long of Harrisburg Commercial Interiors, can begin work on their mixed-use building on the 1600-block of N. 3rd and Logan streets. It includes a community center and 12 apartment units. They also plan to construct eight townhouses nearby. The project is one phase of many planned by the developers for the Midtown area.

A plan for the historic Hudson building on N. 6th Street in Camp Curtin was also brought before council. Developer Adam Maust plans to transform the long-empty building into The Atlas, which may include office and retail space for local, specifically Black-owned businesses, he said.

However, city Solicitor Neil Grover stated that the project technically already had received automatic approval. A vote by council on each land development plan is required within 120 days of an application being submitted. According to Grover, a series of delays on the city’s part led to the project not going to council for a vote until after that deadline, rendering it legally approved.

Many council members were not happy with that result.

“How did we let something with so much public comment slip through the cracks?” council member Ausha Green asked. “It’s completely ridiculous.”

Although the project was deemed approved, council still voted on it, passing the land development plan by a vote of 6-1, with council member Shamaine Daniels voting against it.

Dauphin County Passes Budget

Dauphin County will hold the line on property taxes again this year, as the commissioners last month finalized the 2022 budget.

In a unanimous vote, the three commissioners passed a $278.5 million budget, which is 2.5% less than the 2021 budget.

The county portion of the property tax will remain unchanged for a 17th consecutive year at 6.876 mills.

“This was truly a team effort,” commission Chair Mike Pries said, in a statement. “Our residents demand accountability. We go over line by line and make tough cuts where we have to.”

Despite the good news for county taxpayers, the commissioners warned of “looming challenges” ahead.

Commissioner George Hartwick said that human services departments are struggling to recruit and retain staff because salaries are not competitive.

Commissioner Chad Saylor mentioned unfunded mandates. As an example, he cited changes to the commonwealth’s voting processes that caused the county’s budget for its Voter Registration and Elections Office this year to double.

“We cannot continue to hold the line without some funding from the state,” Saylor said.

Water/Sewer Rates Rise

The average Harrisburg water and sewer customer will pay a few dollars more a month in 2022, as Capital Region Water approved new rates for the year.

In late November, CRW passed its 2022 budget, which includes a 3% increase for drinking water and a 4% hike for wastewater service.

Under the new rate structure, drinking water rates will rise from $10.04 to $10.34 per 1,000 gallons. Wastewater rates will increase from $8.23 to $8.56 per 1,000 gallons.

According to CRW, the average Harrisburg customer who consumes 45,000 gallons of water annually will pay about $2.60 more per month.

The stormwater fee, first imposed in 2020, will remain the same at $6.15 per month for most residential customers.

CRW also stated that it is targeting two sources of new federal funding to help pay for improvements to the city’s aged, combined sewer infrastructure.

First, it expects to pursue some of the $1.4 billion that Pennsylvania will receive for water projects under the recently passed federal infrastructure bill. It also hopes to receive some of Harrisburg’s $48 million allocation under the American Rescue Plan Act, approved by Congress in March.

“With water and sewer infrastructure projects as an eligible use of funds, investments to reduce pollution just make environmental and financial sense,” said CRW board Chair Marc Kurowski, in a statement.

CRW is under a preliminary agreement with the federal government to slash pollutants that flow into area waterways, including some 800 million gallons of raw sewage mixed with stormwater that enters the Susquehanna River each year. To do so, it plans to spend about $315 million for system improvements and for green infrastructure, which captures stormwater before it enters the sewer system.

Comprehensive Plan Passed

An outdated Harrisburg planning document has finally been updated and replaced following a seven-year-long process.

In late November, Harrisburg City Council approved a new comprehensive plan, capping years of effort to bring the plan into the 21st century.

The resolution passed 6-1, with council member Danielle Bowers voting against it.

“I appreciate all the work of everyone on this council, and I’m glad we are at least able to get something on the books so that we can start moving forward,” council member Westburn Majors said.

The previous comprehensive plan was created in 1974, serving more than double its intended lifespan of 20 years.

In 2014, Harrisburg began to discuss creating a new plan, but was faced with years of delay. A dispute between the city and a former consultant hired to draft the plan prolonged the process, as did extensions to the public comment period.

The 246-page document is meant to help guide growth and development in the city. It includes topics such as land use, housing, mobility, parks, energy and cultural resources.

Over the years, the city held numerous public hearings and meetings on the plan, generating comments from community members.

Bowers explained her vote against the plan, saying that it was not accessible enough and lacked sufficient up-to-date public commentary.

“I don’t understand how a document is supposed to accurately reflect a city today when a majority of the public engagement is already dated and occurred five or six years ago,” she said. “I do not believe this document works for the city of Harrisburg.”

Other council members agreed that the plan could use improvements, but stated that it is a “living document” and could be updated on a regular basis in the years to come.

“This isn’t the best, but it is way better than a 40-plus-year-old document,” Majors said.

School Board Members Sworn In

The Harrisburg School District has a few new faces in office.

At a virtual reorganization meeting last month, the district swore in six board members, four of whom took their seats for the first time.

Dauphin County Magisterial Judge Sonya McKnight led the swearing-in of the following board members, who were elected last month:

Brian Carter, 4-year term (re-elected)
Danielle Robinson, 4-year term (re-elected)
Roslyn Copeland, 4-year term
Jaime Johnsen, 4-year term
Terricia Radcliff, 2-year term
Ellis R. Roy, 2-year term

“This is an incredible time to work together to really support the students, families and staff members of the Harrisburg School District,” Receiver Janet Samuels said. “I’d like to encourage the board members to step out there and to make a difference.”

Board members voted for Brian Carter for president of the board and Steven Williams for vice president.

2 New Shops for Strawberry Square

Two new shops arrived last month in downtown Harrisburg, as Strawberry Square filled up its 3rd Street retail spaces.

The first, AMMA JO, features boutique handbags, accessories, clothing, jewelry and other items for women, as well as a men’s section. For several years, AMMA JO was located in retail space inside Strawberry Square, but that location has been closed for some time.

“We are returning to the downtown because we just loved our experience in Strawberry Square, and we feel that the energy is coming back to the downtown experience,” said owner Amma Johnson. “We want to be a part of that!”

Johnson is neighbors with Sarinity Beauty Bar, which opened next door at 5 N. 3rd St. Sarinity offers skincare, spa service and beauty treatments.

“I am ecstatic to provide affordable spa services to the downtown and surrounding areas,” said owner Arian Romaine.

With these new shops, Strawberry Square has leased all the retail spaces in its “Shops on 3rd at Strawberry Square,” said Brad Jones, president and CEO of Harristown Enterprises, which owns the mixed-used building.

“Shops on 3rd has really become a fantastic collection of unique fashion boutiques, restaurants and health and beauty services for this outstanding downtown corridor,” Jones said.

Home Sales Flat, Prices Up

Harrisburg area home sales were generally flat in November, though prices showed continued strength over the three-county region.

For the month, 724 previously owned houses sold, just eight fewer than in November 2020, while the median sales price shot up to $231,000 compared to $215,000 in the year-ago period, according to the Greater Harrisburg Association of Realtors (GHAR).

In Dauphin County, both sales and prices were up, as 371 homes sold versus 353 last year, while the median price rose to $208,500 compared to $185,750 the prior November, GHAR said.

Cumberland County had sales of 299 housing units, a decrease from 327, but the median price increased year-over-year to $245,000 from $238,000, according to GHAR.

In Perry County, sales totaled 46 homes, an increase of 10, while the median price rose to $204,950 versus $165,000 the previous November, GHAR said.

Houses were also selling relatively quickly, as the “days on the market” dropped to 20 days compared to 26 days in November 2020, according to GHAR.

So Noted

HACC will provide scholarships for some Black students seeking public safety careers, the college announced last month. Through a $112,500 grant from PNC, HACC will offer full-ride scholarships for low- to moderate-income Black students to attend their police academy or EMT program.

Harrisburg last month received two substantial state grants. A $500,000 “Violence Intervention and Prevention” grant will help expand the city Police Bureau’s community service aide program. A separate, $150,000 grant through the state’s Greenways, Trails and Recreation Fund will go towards creating a “tot lot playground” in Reservoir Park.

Harrisburg Zoning Hearing Board has several new members, approved last month by City Council. They are Matthew Pianka, Claude Phipps and Anna Bianco, with James Hobbs approved as an alternate.

Janice Mazzitti was sworn in last month as the newest member of Dauphin County Court Appointed Special Advocates. She joins a volunteer team that represents the interests of abused and neglected foster children in the court system.

Paxton Ministries last month announced David Zilka as its new executive director. He replaces Jodie Smiley in the post. Zilka had served as the nonprofit’s director of operations since July 2019.

Team Pennsylvania last month named Abby Smith as its new president and CEO. She previously served as the organization’s vice president of policy and programs. She succeeds Ryan Unger, who left the post in June to become CEO of the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC.

Changing Hands

Adrian St., 2234: J. Seidler to H. Lamb, $87,000

Adrian St., 2423: C. Warble to S. & A. Aziz, $94,900

Argyle St., 56: Wise Choice Property LLC to D. Boyle, $70,000

Berryhill St., 1421: J. Vogelsong to Integrity First Home Buyers LLC, $32,245

Berryhill St., 1425: J. Vogelsong to Integrity First Home Buyers LLC, $32,245

Berryhill St., 2122: G. Sipe to T. McFarland, $105,000

Berryhill St., 2324: J. Morrow to L. Ventura, $110,000

Berryhill St., 2430: A. Mohassab to L. Lora, $95,000

Boas St., 126: B. Love to PDI Properties LLC, $162,500

Boas St., 259: A. Batz to A. Nebbou, $97,500

Boas St., 1840: L. & M. Hinton to S. Maurer, $50,000

Briarcliff Rd., 135: A. & J. Gant to S. Vazquez & X. Echevarria, $289,900

Brookwood St., 2316: L. & W. Latty Trust to S. Good, $91,000

Chestnut St., 1203: J. Vogelsong to Integrity First Home Buyers LLC, $32,245

Chestnut St., 1848: Randazzo Group LLC to M. & N. Jacobs, $30,000

Conoy St., 106: J. & J. Lipman to M. & K. Neale, $175,000

Crescent St., 332: K. Stoute to Z. Alizada, $70,000

Crescent St., 332½: K. Stoute to Z. Artem, $70,500

Cumberland St., 211: B. Sholtis to L. Caruso, $165,000

Curtin St., 512: Vogelsong Investment Properties LLC to Integrity First Home Buyers LLC, $32,245

Derry St., 1148: K. Dieppa & F. Sanchez to D. Nguyen, $30,000

Derry St., 1153: J. Vogelsong to Integrity First Home Buyers LLC, $32,245

Derry St., 1203: J. Vogelsong to Integrity First Home Buyers LLC, $32,245

Derry St., 2018: M. Farner to Biyaki Enterprises LLC, $85,000

Evergreen St., 103: J. Vogelsong to WiseChoice USA LLC, $45,500

Evergreen St., 109: Vogelsong Investment Properties LLC to D. Boyle, $33,500

Evergreen St., 237: MLP LLC to D. Boyle, $145,000

Fulton St., 1629: A. Drake to G. & L. Chow, $162,100

Fulton St., 1704: W. Ferguson to E. Hummel & B. Higgins, $163,000

Girard St., 759: J. Alexopoulos to P. Diaz, $81,000

Green St., 1005: D. Steiner to SPG Capital LLC, $110,000

Green St., 1322: R. Buyers to W. & M. Hammerstein, $176,000

Green St., 1938 & 1940: D. Varno to C. & J. Copus, $265,000

Green St., 2438: I. Almabruk to H. Gebhardt, $178,400

Green St., 3212: E. Griffin to J. & S. Compton, $100,000

Hamilton St., 424: SRJ Realty LLC to Morbucks Enterprise LLC, $50,000

Hamilton St., 501: E. Mwangi to S. Lawing, $197,500

Harris St., 216: D. Zimmerman to K. Sharma & R. Agarwal, $221,000

Harris St., 346: M. Baltozer to J. Cruz, $50,000

Harris St., 431: T. & B. Rossner to R. Durant Jr., $210,000

Harris Terr., 2443: M. Hayes to J. Spearman, $105,000

Herr St., 407: J. Burns to Twelfth Root LLC, $90,000

Jefferson St., 2450: Integrity First Home Buyers LLC to D. Bedrosian, $139,995

Jefferson St., 2657: W. Bower c/o G. Neff to I. Djeordjic, $56,000

Kensington St., 1952: Tout USA LLC to M. Montes, $80,000

Kensington St., 2001: North American Property Investments Inc. to D. Boyle, $32,000

Kensington St., 2217: John W. Hoover Trust to Wylie & Wylie Enterprise LLC, $60,000

Kensington St., 2243: L. Vo to T. Ha, $79,000

Kensington St., 2411: M. Raup to Z. Nickens, $74,000

Kittatinny St., 1247: M. Maniari to S. Griffin, $140,000

Lewis St., 326: B. Mehring to A. Sackor, $188,900

Luce St., 2357: E. & S. Mitrovich to DTJ Associates LLC, $39,000

Luce St., 2365: M. Phan to L. Duong, $45,000

Maclay St., 235: Everence Foundation Unique Assets LLC to F. Contreras, $124,000

Moore St., 2138: A. Ali to S. Gomez & W. Monroig, $114,000

Naudain St., 1510: Jawfre Property Investments LLC to J. Camacho, $53,000

North St., 1831: P. & V. Green to D. Boyle, $35,000

North St., 1843: John W. Hoover Trust to J. Strouse, $35,000

North St., 1936: Neidlinger Enterprises LLC & Y. Smith to J. Johns, $114,900

N. 2nd St., 621: J. Golob to Downtown Harrisburg Properties LLC, $167,000

N. 2nd St., 929: R. Barbush, S. Bishop, M. Magaro & L. Vanswol to AON LLC, $341,250

N. 2nd St., 1925: Reddinger Estates LLC to T. Cullen, $170,000

N. 2nd St., 2215: T. & J. Whye to C. & R. Hall, $300,000

N. 2nd St., 2517: J. Swope to C. & S. Warfield, $234,900

N. 2nd St., 3127: Tillotson Properties LLC to R. Gillis & K. Baran, $217,500

N. 3rd St., 1722: A. Glickman to N. Owens, $169,900

N. 3rd St., 2000: G. Neff to Heinly Homes LLC, $150,000

N. 3rd St., 2225: D. & C. Howard to G. Fierro, $175,000

N. 3rd St., 2229: S. & J. Bowman to A. & N. Consoli, $149,900

N. 3rd St., 3309: D. Daub to C. Hostetter, $175,000

N. 4th St., 1320: D. Isern to Z. Paul, $113,000

N. 4th St., 1701: S. Biray to K. Randolph, $195,000

N. 4th St., 2332: A. Hartzler to D. Mann, $135,000

N. 4th St., 2400 & 2402: E&K Homes LLC to RJ IBA LLC, $135,000

N. 4th St., 2419: S. Diaz to S. Boyd, $125,000

N. 4th St., 2641: J. Santiago to S. Salleb & M. Aziz, $90,000

N. 5th St., 1719: Alkaline Properties LLC to K. Taylor, $149,900

N. 5th St., 1736: A. & K. Abraham to E. Moore, $182,500

N. 5th St., 2307: SAN PEF Inc. to C. & A. McCarthy, $170,000

N. 5th St., 2312: B. Conway to J. Rogers, $111,000

N. 4th St., 1321: T. Slothower to Historic Holdings LLC, $385,000

N. 6th St., 2557: C. Yunga to N. & M. Gauchun, $60,000

N. 6th St., 3010: D., D. & G. Deppen to H. Ritch, $130,000

N. 6th St., 3123: Rustik Touch LLC to Seven Stories LLC, $100,000

N. 13th St., 141: Integrity First Home Buyers LLC to D. Bedrosian, $199,995

N. 15th St., 1413: D., V. and J. Barber to Elgamwo LLC, $56,900

N. 17th St., 1011: H. Ibrahim to J. Mosley, $55,000

N. 18th St., 26: John W. Hoover Trust to J. Strouse, $55,000

N. 18th St., 38: J. Vogelsong to D. Boyle, $40,000

N. 18th St., 69: Wise Choice Property LLC to D. Boyle, $70,000

N. 19th St., 709: WiseChoice USA LLC to Saint Liberty Group LLC, $41,000

N. 20th St., 24: John W. Hoover Trust to J. Strouse, $40,000

N. Front St., 1829: Lone Tree LLC to Harrisburg Redevelopment Group LLC, $1,200,000

N. Front St., 2837, Unit 201: H. Witte to M. Freeman, $130,500

N. Summit St., 31: T. Griese to J. Scheib, $79,900

N. Summit St., 118: J. & T. Armstead to Archie Group LLC, $35,809

Park St., 1825: M. Randazzo to A&K Investment Partnership LLC, $34,000

Park St., 1855: C. McArthur to V. Paulino, $41,000

Parkside Lane, 2910: W. & B. Hoover to J. & T. Nixon, $500,000

Penn St., 1927: A. Griffith to B. Toel, $175,000

Penn St., 2114: J. Vogelsong to Integrity First Home Buyers LLC, $32,245

Penn St., 2229: S. & J. Easterling to V. Antos & T. Hudecek, $152,000

Penn St., 2240: D. Allen to J. McFarland, $137,000

Penn St., 2323: K. Douglas to Ramsey Rhoads Holdings LLC, $54,000

Regina St., 1721: Vogelsong Investment Properties LLC to Integrity First Home Buyers LLC, $32,245

Reel St., 2404: Great Row LLC to S&K Properties LLC, $47,900

Reel St., 2412: J. Vogelsong to Integrity First Home Buyers LLC, $32,245

Reel St., 2739: JOG Investments LLC to D. Boyle, $40,000

Regina St., 1849: J. Vogelsong to Integrity First Home Buyers LLC, $32,245

Reily St., 220: Dobson Family Partnership to SJL Rentals LLC, $155,000

Rumson Dr., 311: M. Chandler Jr. to First Choice Home Buyers LLC, $83,000

Rumson Dr., 2574: R. Reeves to E. Drum, $89,200

Schuylkill St., 542: Roz Diamond I Do LLC to O. Smith, $115,000

Schuylkill St., 655: RT Propertiez LLC to D&F Realty Holdings LP, $50,000

Seneca St., 502: House Cash LLC to SPG Capital LLC, $40,000

Showers St., 579: S. Staruch to C. & L. Scott, $134,900

S. 12th St., 1522: L. Sims to SPG Capital LLC, $48,500

S. 14th St., 234: J. Gritten to C. Quiroz, $40,000

S. 14th St., 236: J. Gritten to T. Versano & T. Carberry, $63,900

S. 17th St., 526: H., A. & I. Santiago to A. Santiago, $69,006

S. 17th St., 1111: V. Ceballos to M. Guzman, $137,000

S. 19th St., 405: M. Solomikin to L. Feliz, $75,000

S. 19th St., 1324: SPG Capital LLC to H. Perez & K. Soto, $54,000

S. 20th St., 24: C. & S. Warner to Rich Steele Realty LLC, $51,000

S. 25th St., 344: P. Brodwoski to L. Strickler, $86,900

S. 29th St., 560: CBSL Investment Corp. to CBR Investment Group Inc., $250,000

S. Cameron St., 1303 & 1305: E. Buikema to Panas Investments LLC, $70,000

Susquehanna St., 2008: M. Paese, A. Fetchko, T. Leo & B. Myers to PACC Homes & Development LLC, $65,000

Swatara St., 1610: Revive Our City LLC & E. Qureshi to T. Amador, $120,000

Swatara St., 2415: P. Mackie & M. Swanger to A. Lake, $195,000

Thompson St., 1436: K. & M. Estep to F. Maldonado & Z. Perez, $39,000

Valley Rd., 2305: J. Alpert to D. White & T. Speicher, $256,250

Verbeke St., 252: A. & T. Kennedy to H. Clark, $205,000

Verbeke St., 1424: E. Lester to SPG Capital LLC, $54,000

Vernon St., 1445: C. Texidor to Z. Ali, $40,000

Waldo St., 2626: W. Bower to I. Djeordjic & M. Debeljak, $52,000

Walnut St., 120 & 122 and 261, 263 & 265 Cumberland St.: A. Himalaya PA II LLC to N&R Properties LLC, $1,200,000

Wiconisco St., 618: J. & P. Vogelsong to Integrity First Home Buyers LLC, $32,245

Zarker St., 1443: GBSM Enterprises LLC to 2020 Real Estate Ventures LLC, $30,000

Zarker St., 1841: J. Santiago to R. Emeregildo, $55,000

Zarker St., 1940: D. McNair to L. Rodriguez, $35,500

Harrisburg property sales for November 2021, greater than $30,000. Source: Dauphin County. Data is assumed to be accurate.

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January Editor’s Note

December 29, 2021 | by Lawrance Binda

Each January, the calendar flips, and we gaze ahead to the next 12 months.

For me, it’s a cause for optimism.

I kick aside the past year, filled with so much old clutter, and re-discover the hope of the great, unknown future.

That’s a big part of the joy of the new year—imagining what lies ahead.

Having said that, there are a few things we already know about what to expect for 2022.

First of all, Harrisburg will have a new mayor and administration, the first in eight years. So, there will be a lot of new faces and ways of doing things around city hall, including some fresh priorities.

Secondly, we’ll still be wrestling with the pandemic, as the coronavirus curse enters year number three. I’m cautiously optimistic that this situation will improve as we plod through the year—though I may have said that last year, as well.

My third expectation is my most strongly held.

I’m confident that TheBurg will be here, robustly serving the greater Harrisburg community, throughout 2022, as we enter our 14th year of publication.

Two years ago, if someone had told me that the pandemic would last this long, I would have packed up my desk and handed in my keys. But not only are we still publishing, we’re stronger than ever.

We have the greater Harrisburg community to thank for this. The long thank-you list includes our advertisers, community publishers, sponsors, supporters and, of course, our incredible Friends of TheBurg. We appreciate you all so much!

We at TheBurg wish all of our readers and supporters a healthy and happy 2022. We’re delighted to offer you our news, magazine, events, podcast—and everything else we do—for another year. Here’s hoping that 2022 will be a great year for you, for your family and for Harrisburg.

Lawrance Binda
Co-Publisher/Editor-in-Chief

Click here to read the digital edition of our January issue.

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Dancing with the Locals: Swing, salsa your way to better health, happiness at Arthur Murray

December 29, 2021 | by Stephanie Kalina-Metzger

Lynn Reigle always dreamed of dancing, soaking up every step from her perch on the couch in front of the television at her parent’s house.

“We all loved to watch movies like ‘Dirty Dancing’ when we were younger, but my family didn’t have the income, so I didn’t pursue it back then,” said the Perry County resident.

As time passed, the dream lingered. So, when she came across an ad for a teacher at a dance studio in Lemoyne, it was like a dream come true.

“I was 19 at the time, and the ad was for Arthur Murray Dance Studios,” she said. “What was great was the fact that no prior experience was necessary.”

Reigle worked as an instructor there for five years, then as a manager before signing on as a partner at the Lemoyne location. She appreciated the opportunity to grow within the company and learn all aspects of the business before becoming the sole owner of the Lemoyne location and then assuming ownership of Arthur Murray studios in York and Lancaster.

“What’s great about Arthur Murray is that you have to go through the ranks before you can buy,” she said.

Reigle recently took another leap and expanded her Lemoyne location, moving into a high-visibility area on Market Street. She explained that she looked for a year-and-a-half before finding the perfect studio next to the Lemoyne Post Office.

“I had worked here all these years and knew that Lemoyne was central to so many students,” she said. “We now have about 100 active students at our Lemoyne location, so it’s been a good choice so far.”

Social Outlet

Those who remember all the Arthur Murray ads from the 1970s may consider the name a bit old-fashioned, but Reigle said that dancing among all ages is as popular as ever.

“It continues to change with the times,” she said. “The popularity of ‘Saturday Night Fever’ inspired people back then. Then in the ‘80s, it was line dancing. Now it’s people drawing inspiration from ‘Dancing with the Stars.’”

According to Reigle, the five most popular dances now are the foxtrot, waltz, rumba, cha-cha and swing. In addition, Latin music has witnessed a big resurgence with people wanting to learn to salsa and merengue, she said.

Students often sign up to learn to dance for weddings, on cruises and on vacation, she said. Reigle also sees quite a few empty-nesters who want to reconnect with each other.

“Going to a movie on date night is such a passive activity,” she said. “Dancing, on the other hand, is therapeutic, healthy and, most of all, fun.”

There’s also the social aspect of meeting up with others to dance.

“We have a student who took lessons with us for 30 years and, he said, ‘Sure, you’re teaching me to dance, but what keeps me coming here is the welcoming feeling and the students getting to know one another,’” she said. “It’s a social outlet for those who aren’t fond of going to bars or clubs.”

My Passion Now

Like many businesses, Reigle’s dance studios took a hit during the height of the pandemic and were closed for several months. She also lost a few instructors, but the core team returned, she said.

“We felt blessed compared to most studios because we have a great student base, and we stayed connected,” she said. “Some of our students are still taking virtual lessons, and that was a pivot for us.”

To facilitate this new way of learning, instructors made videos so that students could practice at home. In the warmer weather, they also taught lessons outside in the parking lot.

Kelson Cowart is one of Reigle’s instructors and said that he was in the same boat as Reigle—wanting to take lessons as a child, but unable to do so because of the cost. What inspired him to learn to dance was when he was ditched by a prom date, which he suspected was due to his lack of dancing skills.

“I felt this would help me learn, which it did, and now I love to share that with people,” he said. “When I see their excitement when they finally get it, it makes me happy. I enjoy helping others feel that sense of accomplishment.”

Oksana Kerod is a four-year student at Arthur Murray.

“I was a music professor in the Ukraine and was looking for something and found the studio,” said Kerod. “It’s my passion now, well, besides my family.”

With a chuckle, she said that dancing keeps her young at age 67.

“I see all kinds of people—tall, skinny, short, fat, old, young, professional, amateur,” she said. “Every time I leave my dance class, I feel kinder, better, lighter, all these beautiful things.”

This kind of testimonial warms Reigle’s heart.

“It’s a wonderful feeling when you can go to work and see people smiling and feeling good about themselves,” she said.

Arthur Murray Dance Studio of Lemoyne is located at 331 Market St., Lemoyne. For more information, visit www.arthurmurray.com/locations/lemoyne-studio or their Facebook page.

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