2020 HBG Book Festival goes virtual, but snags Grisham

October 9, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

Midtown Scholar Bookstore in Harrisburg

Book-lovers not only love to read books; they also love the sight, the touch and even the smell of books.

In recent years, area bibliophiles have gotten all of that—and more—from the annual Harrisburg Book Festival, organized each October by Midtown Scholar Bookstore.

This year, the book festival, like so much in our lives, will be virtual, so some of that sensory experience may be lost. But where there’s something lost, there’s also something gained.

Partly due to the format, the festival will feature bigger literary names than ever, starting with one of the bestselling authors of all time—John Grisham.

“The virtual format has allowed us to reach authors we may not have been able to get before, both for the festival and our continuing author series,” said Alex Brubaker, Midtown Scholar’s manager.

The festival is slated to start on Friday, Oct. 16, and wrap up on Monday, Oct. 19 with Grisham’s live-stream conversation, which will focus on his new novel, “A Time for Mercy.”

Other notable author conversations will include NPR personality Diane Rehm and New York Times bestselling author, Mychael Denzel Smith. The festival will feature numerous other well-known and local authors, some making a return engagement, including Ibram Kendi, Stephen Chbosky, R.O. Kwon, Imani Perry and Liz Moore.

Most events are free, but the Grisham appearance is ticketed, with the $30 ticket price including a first edition, signed copy of the book.

The festival’s opening event is notable locally. On Friday, Midtown Scholar will host the authors of the recently published book, “One Hundred Voices: Harrisburg’s Historic African American Community, 1850-1920.” This book accompanies the newly dedicated Commonwealth Monument, which honors, in part, the city’s Old 8th Ward.

The virtual events will take place via the Zoom and Facebook Live platforms.

There also will be an in-person portion of the festival. From Friday through Sunday, Midtown Scholar will hold an outdoors book sale in front of the store featuring new releases, discount books, used books, CDs, DVDs, audiobooks, etc.

“Even with the surreal backdrop of 2020, we thought it was more important than ever to bring the festival back, with some socially-distanced modifications,” Brubaker said. “Our goal remains the same — to amplify and celebrate literature for all ages, and to build a community of readers, writers, and life-long learners.”

For more information, visit www.hbgbookfest.com. Midtown Scholar Bookstore is located at 1302 N. 3^rd St., Harrisburg.

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Harrisburg organizations seek state grants for large-scale development projects

October 9, 2020 | by Maddie Conley

The Hudson Building on N. 6th and Maclay Streets.

Several Harrisburg companies and organizations soon will find out if they will receive state grant money for their large-scale redevelopment projects in the city.

On Friday’s edition of Community Conversations with Mayor Papenfuse, the city’s weekly Facebook Live event, the mayor spoke with several Harrisburg-based applicants who are seeking funds under the state’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP).

“Some of these aging, larger structures in Harrisburg have tremendous fixed costs,” Papenfuse said. “Those costs can really overwhelm an organization which is trying to maintain them.”

The City of Harrisburg is requesting the most money of the nine local applicants. It is asking for $8 million to renovate the MLK City Government Center.

The RACP funding would push forward a plan to increase accessibility and community use of the building, explained Marc Woolley, the city’s business administrator.

Starting at the first floor, the city plans to soften the current cold, brutalist architecture with an overhang on the exterior of the building and a more welcoming lobby space with tables inside. Woolley said the city would add a small business incubator space, as well. Improvements to the other three floors would follow.

“We want to take hold of the namesake of the building—the Martin Luther King Jr. Government Center,” Woolley said. “It’s really about community fairness and accessibility.”

Many types of organizations, both public and private, are eligible for RACP funding. The annual program is for regional economic, cultural, civic, recreational and historical improvement projects, according to the PA Office of Budget.

Leaders of The Bridge Ecovillage hope to secure a significant amount of funding for their renovation of the former Bishop McDevitt school building in Allison Hill. Chief Executive Officer Gary Gilliam said the requested $2 million would go towards beginning construction, installing HVAC and sprinkler systems, roofing and electrical work, among other items.

“Getting that initial funding is paramount to getting the project to succeed,” Gilliam said.

The historic improvement aspect is emphasized in applicant Mighty Group Holdings LLC’s Hudson Building project. Owner Adam Maust is asking for $3 million to renovate the 45,000-square-foot building at N. 6^th and Maclay streets.

“For projects of this scale, the cost grows quickly,” Maust said. “This would allow us to get started soon.”

Maust said that he is still considering ideas for what the building will hold, but he is leaning towards an educational aspect and a grocery store.

Marc Kurowski, president of city-based K&W Engineers, also spoke of how the grant money would help fund plans to update and upgrade the historic King Mansion on the 2200-block of N. Front Street. The building serves as K&W’s headquarters, but includes event space, which is used for weddings and large events.

In Harrisburg, other projects that have applied for RACP funds include:

Judicial Office Center at Midtown, $3.7 million, to partially fund a five-story, 75,000-square-foot office and retail building, with a separate five-story parking structure, on a 1.5-acre site between Reily, Boyd and Fulton streets, by KevGar HoldCo LLC
Harrisburg Scottish Rite Cathedral, $1.38 million, for extensive building renovations and upgrades
Presbyterian Apartments, $2.5 million, for rehabilitation to the senior citizen high-rise downtown
Whitaker Center, $1.45 million, for building upgrades and renovations and to construct a new STEAM education and innovation studio
Olde Uptown Neighborhood Revitalization, $5 million, to continue acquisition and renovation of blighted properties, by WCI Partners LP

Typically, about one-third of applicants statewide receive RACP funds each year and often in lesser amounts than requested.

“We really have a wide array of really interesting projects being proposed for Harrisburg,” Papenfuse said. “For large-scale building projects, there is a need and role for this program.”

Local representatives including Sen. John DiSanto, Rep. Patty Kim (D-Dauphin) and Gov. Tom Wolf’s office will have the say in who is selected for the grant, Papenfuse said. A decision is expected by the end of the month, he added.

“From the city’s perspective, we hope we can fund all the projects,” Papenfuse said.

To view past Community Conversations, visit the city’s YouTube channel. For more information, visit www.budget.pa.gov/Programs/RACP.

Disclosure: Alex Hartzler, co-publisher of TheBurg, is a principal with WCI Partners.

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New COVID-19 cases on the rise around PA, weekly update shows

October 9, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

COVID-19 cases and tests, over time. Source: PA Department of Health

New COVID-19 cases reached their highest weekly rate in several months this past week, increasing to a daily average of more than 1,100 new cases.

Since last Friday, the commonwealth recorded an average of 1,146 newly diagnosed cases per day, according to the state Department of Health.

This compares to an average of 1,011 new daily cases last week, and 788 and 828 new daily cases per day for the prior two weeks, respectively. The department also reports that testing has generally increased over this time (see chart).

The health department reported that much of the increase originated from outside of south-central PA. Locally, diagnosed cases over the past week are as follows:

Adams County: 916 cases (prior Friday, 864)
Cumberland County: 2,049 cases (prior Friday, 1,945)
Dauphin County: 4,093 cases (prior Friday, 3,897)
Franklin County: 1,875 cases (prior Friday, 1,807)
Lancaster County: 8,421 cases (prior Friday, 8,102)
Lebanon County: 2,265 cases (prior Friday, 2,112)
Perry County: 260 cases (prior Friday, 239)
York County: 5,333 cases (prior Friday, 5,008)

Recently, counties that host major college campuses have seen their case numbers rise.

“We know that congregation, especially in college and university settings, yields increased case counts,” health Secretary Rachel Levine said. “The mitigation efforts in place now are essential to flattening the curve and saving lives.”

Today, the department reported 1,380 newly positive cases throughout Pennsylvania for the past 24 hours ending at midnight.

With today’s update, 169,308 Pennsylvanians have now been diagnosed with the coronavirus, an increase of 8,024 over the past week, according to the state Department of Health.

The department also reported an additional 129 deaths since last Friday, meaning that 8,308 Pennsylvanians have died from the disease since March.

Around central PA, COVID-19 fatalities now stand as follows:

Adams County: 26 deaths (prior Friday, 26)
Cumberland County: 77 deaths (prior Friday, 77)
Dauphin County: 183 deaths (prior Friday, 182)
Franklin County: 52 deaths (prior Friday, 51)
Lancaster County: 462 deaths (prior Friday, 459)
Lebanon County: 63 deaths (prior Friday, 60)
Perry County: 6 deaths (prior Friday, 6)
York County: 176 deaths (prior Friday, 161)

Statewide, Philadelphia County continues to have the most confirmed cases with 33,784 cases. Allegheny County ranks second with 13,102 cases, and Montgomery County is third statewide with 12,703 cases.

PA nursing homes and personal care facilities have been particularly hard hit by the virus. Of total deaths, 5,548, or 66.8 percent, have occurred in residents from nursing or personal care facilities, according to the health department.

In nursing and personal care homes, there are 23,717 resident cases of COVID-19, and 5,252 cases among employees, for a total of 28,969 at 1,002 distinct facilities in 61 counties, according to the health department.

In addition, about 11,220 of total cases in PA are in health care workers.

Statewide, 2,169,073 individuals have had coronavirus tests, with 1,999,765 people testing negative, according to the state health department. Last Friday, the state reported that 2,066,255 people had been tested for the virus.

The state reports a total of 3,276,114 PCR tests, which includes many people, such as health care workers, who have been tested more than once.

Of the patients who have tested positive to date, the age breakdown is as follows, according to the health department:

About 1 percent are aged 0-4
Nearly 2 percent are aged 5-12
Nearly 5 percent are aged 13-18
Nearly 14 percent are aged 19-24
Nearly 36 percent are aged 25-49
About 21 percent are aged 50-64
About 21 percent are aged 65 or older.

Most of the patients hospitalized are 65 or older, as are most of the reported deaths, according to the state. However, the health department has emphasized that, increasingly, more younger people are being diagnosed with COVID-19.

Levine continued to emphasize that Pennsylvanians should do the following:

Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
Cover any coughs or sneezes with your elbow, not your hands.
Clean surfaces frequently.
Stay home to avoid spreading COVID-19, especially if you are unwell.
Wear a mask whenever out of your house.

“Wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, and following the requirements set forth in the orders for bars and restaurants, gatherings, and telework will help keep our case counts low,” Levine said. “Together, as Pennsylvanians, all of our efforts are designed to support our communities to ensure that cases of COVID-19 remain low.”

For more information, visit the PA Department of Health’s COVID-19 website.

Currently, we are providing a COVID-19 update weekly, each Friday, or as breaking news warrants.

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Reservoir Park Greenhouse Project members offer update, encourage community involvement

October 9, 2020 | by Maddie Conley

The Reservoir Park Greenhouse

The Reservoir Park Greenhouse Project continues to blossom in Harrisburg, as the working group steering the restoration seeks community input and participation.

On Thursday night, members of the project held a town hall to discuss plans for the greenhouse and to update the public.

“We want to make sure we are doing things that people in the city agree with,” said Christopher Nafe, the city’s sustainability manager.

The project includes the restoration of a 1,500-square-foot greenhouse built in 1929 and about a half-acre of garden space surrounding it. This area on the south side of Reservoir Park sits just off Whitehall Street. The Reservoir Park Greenhouse Project is an initiative of the Harrisburg Parks Foundation, a project of The Foundation for Enhancing Communities. They are working to make it function again, after it sat idle for 20 years.

“A lot of people are excited to see something being done,” said Rafiyqa Muhammad, a member of the City’s Environmental Advisory Council and the owner of Sustainable Human Environment, who has been a member of the greenhouse renovation working group since its inception. “It’s an educational site, and we will always learn something when we come up there.”

Muhammad said the gardens and greenhouse will provide access to healthy fruits and vegetables for residents in the surrounding Allison Hill community, as well as teach them how to grow their own food.

“The Black community really deserves a state-of-the-art greenhouse,” she said.

The project will focus on landscaping, preparing garden beds and planting seeds first, with work on the greenhouse to follow, Muhammad explained. Eventually, the group hopes to renovate the Brownstone Building near the greenhouse for use as a food demonstration kitchen, Nafe said.

Homegrown Harrisburg Community Gardens Network, Tri-County Community Action, Messiah University Center for Sustainability, Harrisburg Young Professionals of Color, Sustainable Human Environment, LLC, and Harrisburg Urban Growers are some of the organizations in the Greenhouse Working Group.

Funds for the project are already coming in through private donors like the Whitt Family Foundation, which has given $50,000 and the Rotary Club of Harrisburg, which donated $5,000.

Nafe said they are looking into applying for grants, as well. They have already received a $25,000 “Better Food, Better Access, Better Together” grant from the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank.

While planting won’t begin until spring, Muhammad and Nafe said they will be hosting community workshops on topics like composting.

“People seem excited about the idea of growing food in the community,” one Harrisburg resident said.

To watch the Reservoir Park Greenhouse Project town hall, visit the city’s YouTube channel. For more information, visit harrisburgpa.gov/greenhouse.

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Burg Review: Live theater returns to Harrisburg with Gamut’s distanced, unsettling “The Zoo Story”

October 9, 2020 | by Gina Napoli

Gamut’s “The Zoo Story” debuts this weekend.

I once took a college communications class in which our incredibly unhinged professor assigned us social experiments to perform off campus.

In most of my team’s experiment designs, you could find me panhandling at the mall on Saturdays, adjusting variables for styles of dress, words I used, eye contact, etc. My coward of a study partner observed and giggled from 10 feet away. Only one bad sport ever called the mall cops on us.

The social experiments in “The Zoo Story” remind me a lot of those misspent Saturdays, except the one-act play’s humor is dark and incidental. Its author, Edward Albee, is the same writer who penned the drama, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.” Any laughs from the audience spring more from discomfort, or even from the gallows where you will find me inelegantly holding back a snort—a.k.a. my goofy laugh.

The play opens with Peter [Jeff Luttermoser] reading on a bench in Central Park. Soft jazz is piping in over the speakers, with the setting portraying the leisure of an idyllic Sunday afternoon. We watch him read a book for all of 20 seconds before Jerry [David Ramon Zayas] initiates an uninvited conversation about going to the zoo. It doesn’t take long for the conversation to become uncomfortable for Peter, with Jerry delving into inappropriately personal questions and judgments about Peter.

Then Jerry opens his own book of life, socially manipulating Peter into listening to his cringe-y stories. Among the many things we learn about Jerry: he has a gin-soaked landlady who physically corners him and makes him listen to her ramblings, he brags about a years-old fling, he tried to poison his landlady’s dog, and he has empty picture frames in his small room that is divided from another small room with beaver-board.

Zayas’ delivery of multiple monologues and his use of space impressively captures the spirit of a lunatic in the park out to assert his animal dominance, to make himself superior in the world by making someone else inferior. His performance made my inner monologue mentally dial up the mall cop—it was that disturbing.

So what makes Peter sit and listen when he should grab his book off the bench and run? His body language clearly has him looking for a socially acceptable exit, but he doesn’t act on it. Does he stay seated on the bench because he, like most of us, was raised to be polite? Is it because he thought maybe Jerry was lonely? Is it because one of the social obligations that accompany a civilized society calls for sometimes listening to unsettling tangents? (Did you know using the word “because” is a subtle form of manipulation? Now you know.)

Whatever Peter’s initial reasons are for staying, his motivations shift when mental manipulation turns into a spatial power play. Luttermoser expertly pushes and pulls his character’s own quest for physical and territorial dominance back and forth between fight and flight.

With the play being set in 1959, Gamut Theatre’s Director Clark Nicholson made sure to play up the fact that “Jerry was an extremely closeted man, which drives him to act out violently.”

Nicholson cautioned against bringing your children to see this play.

“The title of ‘The Zoo Story’ might sound like it’s in line with our children’s plays,” he said. “But it’s not.”

But the show is like family in a different sort of way. As part of the troupe’s pledge to safety, the two-man cast is a couple—undoubtedly the source of their marvelous chemistry. Their dog even came to watch the dress rehearsal, although I hope someone covered the pup’s ears during Jerry’s dog-poisoning story.

“The Zoo Story” runs through Oct. 25 at Gamut Theatre. Tickets are available for purchase through Gamut Theatre’s website at https://www.gamuttheatre.org/tickets. Tickets must be reserved online in advance, and will not be available at the door.

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Surviving Election Season: TheBurg Podcast, October 2020

October 8, 2020 | by Karen Hendricks

Have opinions about reds and blues? Do you even attempt to talk politics? Whether you answered these questions with a sigh or snark, this podcast is for you.

It’s your survival guide to election season, with tools and tips for holding civil conversations, maintaining relationships and navigating social media.

Three guests, all members of the nonprofit organization Braver Angels, offer their advice and wisdom for bridging the political divide:

Linda Beck of Harrisburg, Dauphin County’s first moderator for Braver Angels

Karen Cotter, Braver Angels’ blue state coordinator, eastern Penn.

Karen Ward, Braver Angels’ red state coordinator, western Penn.

This episode is an expansion of “On the Side of the Angels,” from the Oct. 2020 pages of TheBurg.

And “The Most Harrisburg Thing” for October is a colorful counterpoint to pandemic life, according to TheBurg Editor Lawrance Binda.

TheBurg Podcast is hosted by Karen Hendricks, a lifelong journalist who also dabbles in PR/Marketing. Visit her website here.

TheBurg is a monthly community magazine based in Harrisburg, Pa.; Lawrance Binda, co-publisher/editor.

Interested in sponsoring TheBurg Podcast? Contact Lauren ([email protected])

Meet some of the Harrisburg area’s most fascinating people, and hear their own authentic stories, expanded from every month’s magazine, on TheBurg Podcast—because there’s always “more to the story.”

A few more show notes:

Linda Beck can be contacted at [email protected].

The With Malice Toward None pledge can be found at this link.

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Weekend Roundup with Sara Bozich

October 8, 2020 | by Sara Bozich

Things on my agenda: hair cut (thank god), photo shoot, housework, football. Also, I meal plan now, I guess.

For your weekend planning:

Our official Fall Bucket List → Check it out.
Create your own beer flight. Read our Fall Brew Review.
Passionate about Pennsylvania? Become a Friend of PA Eats.
See what else you missed on the blog.

Below are ample options for your weekend, whether you’re laying low (there is no shame in the stay home game!) or venturing out.

Oh hey, are you on the email list? In addition to getting this weekly update loaded with things to do each weekend around Harrisburg directly in your inbox, I load it with a bunch of other fresh, original content. Sign-up here. I also recommend following me on IG.

Top Weekend Recs

RG Hummer opens a second location at West Shore Farmers Market
Celebrate Oktoberfest with Appalachian Brewing Co.
Sample fall meads with Haymaker Meadery
Tattered Flag is now shipping beer and spirits direct to your door!
Watch Poured in PA: The Series
Build your holiday wishlist at Meeka Fine Jewelry.

COVID-19 Disclaimer: As always, please click through the links or call ahead to get the most up-to-date information about venues and/or events below. It should also go without saying, but I’ll say it — Mask up, follow the rules, and be nice. And tip extra!

Resources for to-go/delivery around Harrisburg PA

Need wine? Click here.
Need booze? Click here.
Need beer? Click here.
Need cocktails? Kits + premade options here.
Brunch? Click here.
Wait, what about coffee, kombucha, tea, juice? Got you!
Find Carry-Out options here

Harrisburg City Council proposes more changes to police advisory board, adds compliance enforcement

October 6, 2020 | by Maddie Conley

A screenshot from Tuesday’s virtual City Council meeting.

Harrisburg City Council discussed more potential changes to a proposed police advisory board, this time to encourage the Police Bureau’s compliance with requests for information.

At a virtual work session on Tuesday, council member Ausha Green put forth an amendment to the proposed Bill 8 with a focus on compliance.

Under Green’s proposal, any request for information from the board would need to be sent to Mayor Eric Papenfuse, as well as to the police bureau. If the requested information is not provided within 14 days or is deemed unsatisfactory, the board can submit a recommendation to city council and to Papenfuse to freeze funding for hiring new officers, Green said.

Council would then accept or deny the recommendation. If accepted, the bureau would have five days to provide the requested information before the hiring freeze would take effect.

“The thought behind it was to ensure, when the request is made, that the information is actually provided,” Green said. “It doesn’t just give the board complete power, but it brings it back to council.”

At a work session on Sept. 16, Green proposed a series of additional amendments including granting the advisory board with administrative subpoena power. This power was something that some residents repeatedly asked for during council meetings and town hall meetings held in August.

Green also proposed removing the police commissioner and the council’s public safety chair as non-voting members of the board, as was originally proposed, and, instead, inviting them to quarterly meetings. They would be replaced by two members from the city at large, she said.

At the Sept. 16 work session, Papenfuse mentioned that he did not have an issue with those drafted amendments.

“It is my strong desire that the final draft of the bill incorporates the feedback gathered from the town halls and public comments submitted to city council,” one resident’s public comments for Tuesday read.

All proposed amendments will be voted on at the next legislative session on Oct. 13. The bill will then be discussed again at a work session on Oct. 20. Green said that it’s possible that council could vote on the final bill on Oct. 27.

To view past Harrisburg City Council meetings, visit the city’s YouTube channel.

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Voter registration event “by young people, for young people” to be held in Reservoir Park

October 6, 2020 | by Maddie Conley

Members of The Black Burg group. From left standing, Shaun Harris, Trinitee Segar-Barr, Marjia Allen, Adeola Adeniyi. Front, Na’ilah Burston

Election Day is coming up, and one group plans to get young adults in Harrisburg ready to vote.

On Oct. 10 in Reservoir Park, The Black Burg, a community organization run by college students, will host a voter engagement day called “Ballots for the Burg.”

“At this time where our voice matters the most, we wanted to do our part,” said Tyshaun Pollard, a member of the group.

In partnership with the local chapter of the nonprofit, Blacks in Government, The Black Burg will provide voter registration assistance and education.

In addition to voting resources, local young artists will perform a concert on the bandshell stage in the park. There will also be free food from the Manna Café in Harrisburg.

“We wanted to cater to what the community likes,” said Adeola Adeniyi, president of The Black Burg. “I think it’s going to be really fun.”

The Black Burg started in June around the time of the nationwide Black Lives Matter protests. A group of college students native to Harrisburg, they wanted to give young people in the city a way to make their voices heard.

“I think we can really do something for the Black youth in the community,” Adeniyi said. “We want to provide spaces for those who don’t fit anywhere else. We are created by young people and for young people.”

They have held a Black Youth Speak Out, a community town-hall event focused on racial justice, a Juneteenth celebration and a vigil for Elijah McClain, who died at the hands of police in Colorado. On their social media accounts, they share educational resources and showcase local Black-owned businesses.

Adeniyi expects “Ballots for the Burg” to be their biggest event yet.

She said that they hope to provide guidance on mail-in ballots and help clear up any misconceptions people have about voting.

“This election is so important, and we cannot take any chances with not getting everyone to vote,” Adeniyi said. “If they want to see change, they need to exercise their vote.”

“Ballots for the Burg” takes place on Oct. 10, 1 to 4:30 p.m., in Reservoir Park, 100 Concert Dr., Harrisburg. For more information, visit The Black Burg’s Facebook page or Instagram (@the.blackburg).

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Bob’s Art Blog: “Art of the State”

October 6, 2020 | by Bob MacGinnes

It’s been nearly a month since “Art of the State” award winners were announced. Awards were given in the categories of painting, photography, craft, sculpture and work on paper.

One hundred and nine works are represented from 108 artists across 29 counties. Over 1,900 entries from 680 artists started the field back in February. It is an honor to be selected as a finalist in the 2020 edition of “Art of the State.” Here are 10 local “honorees” in no particular order with the following “snapshots.”

Theodore Prescott’s “Traveler” is a mixed media sculpture formed from mementos one may accumulate at various points on a “dig” found at a 22nd-century outpost. Collectively, they create meaning based on the viewer’s experience.

Andrew Guth’s “Orion” is a triptych painting of male figures in varied states of dress and personas formed around the theme of mutual attraction. Orion, Greek mythology informs, is the most handsome of men and a hunter by trade. Yet there is a poignant sense of loss in that the work’s subtitle, “Tales I Wish He Had Told Me,” conveys a deeper meaning of longing for what was left unsaid in the relationship.

Andrew Guth’s “Orion”

Ryan Spahr’s black and white photo, “Treats,” seems taken from an era of the past undisclosed for interpretation. Yet it evokes an image perhaps from the days of punk rock or of a character from a Lynchian film. The choice is yours to make.

Ryan Spahr’s “Treats”

Marjaneh Talebi’s black and white photograph, entitled “Memory,” is a perfect example of pattern-on-pattern play amplifying the medium to new heights. Subtle yet dramatic, the depth achieved is multi-layered for rumination and reflection.

Marjaneh Talebi’s “Memory”

Marc VanDyke’s color photograph, “Surface-005,” takes the viewer on a journey to a faraway galaxy where the denseness of stars is so thick that one gasps at the enormity of the universe. Putting life in perspective, we are but a speck, and yet that speck makes a world of difference.

Marc VanDyke’s “Surface-005”

Hannah Steele’s “Cavern” turns spelunking on its head. She explores textures in wood by inverting a table in such a manner that the stalactites’ drippings form art of peerless proportion.

Hannah Steele’s “Cavern”

Autumn Wright’s work on paper, “Flight Pattern,” has an old world feel, reminiscent of rare ancient maps and the beginning of cartography. Viewers will see a wide range of images. As for me, I saw specter-like markings, creating a flight of fancy.

Autumn Wright’s “Flight Pattern”

Sanh Tran’s color photograph, “Pretty in Pink, 2,” depicts a model in pink and black dressed to the nines with hat and gloves and, the coup-de-grace, a white plastic grocery bag as the finishing accessory. It represents the perfect marriage of high and low fashion.

The color photograph by Shelby Wormley, “Reflections, Assemblage Series,” is of a young boy astride his father’s shoulders, providing an uplifting moment shared by both. The little boy cradles his father’s face while the elder holds onto his son’s legs with a smile that lights up the frame.

Shelby Wormley’s “Reflections, Assemblage Series”

“La Prenza-Resistencia Ciudadana” from Eddy Lopez is a work on paper announcing a call to arms. A color bleed one sheet from an international newspaper highlights the message, “citing the press, citizen resistance,” albeit the power of the people.

Odd Ones Update: What was an annual event over the Thanksgiving weekend has been moved up a month to take advantage of the beautiful fall weather. Tara Chickey, art director of the Millworks, has moved the date of the Odd Ones Bazaar to Saturday, Oct. 17, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a rain date (just in case) scheduled for the following Saturday, Oct. 24. With vendors a plenty, Millworks beer will be flowing and chef Pat will be cooking up treats for purchase. The bazaar will be held outside on the grass on the lots at 3rd and Verbeke streets. This is an annual event that the art-going public anticipates with relish—whether you are odd or even. It’s a great gala gathering for friends and neighbors of Midtown and the central PA area, so mark your calendar. Be sure to mask up, after all, Halloween is just two weeks away. Social distance and feel free to be as odd as you can be. I promise you won’t be alone in that. For more information, visit the Millwork’s website.

A special word of thanks to Howard Pollman of the Pennsylvania State Historical Museum Commission for his assistance with “Art of the State.” For more photos, please visit October’s Artist in Focus, “Art of the State,” or the “Art of the State” landing page.

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Resources for to-go/delivery around Harrisburg PA

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