You Gotta Have Art: Sidelined by the pandemic, Harrisburg area artists wait, worry, wonder.

April 30, 2020 | by M. Diane McCormick

A scene from Open Stage’s “Angels in America Online. Photo by Dan McGregor

Help wanted for pandemic endurance. Must be resourceful, creative, resilient and thrifty. Artists, actors and musicians encouraged to apply.

Since a shutdown descended on the midstate, artsy people have unleashed their unique skills sets to deliver hope while, not insignificantly, shifting themselves into survival mode.

“When your business model is built around bringing people together, how does the organization survive in a world where people can’t be together?” said Stuart Landon, a force behind two of Harrisburg’s cultural cornerstones, Open Stage and Midtown Cinema.

In this climate, Harrisburg-area artists are putting performances online, soliciting donations and ticket sales, and generating new initiatives. It’s all meant to keep audiences connected until regathering time.

Makes Us Tick

Reina “76 Artist” Wooden waited 10 years to see her works hanging on the walls of the Art Association of Harrisburg. And maybe she still can see it—if she stands on tiptoe and peers through a window. Her joint exhibition with partner Charlie “Bootleg” Feathers, “Bootleg Meets R76,” opened not long before the gallery went dark.

“We achieved our goal,” sculptor Feathers said with a laugh.

The pair can no longer show and sell their work through galleries, but after all, most artists “are accustomed to working on shoestring budgets,” said Reina. “In times of trauma, the artists are the new army. We have the emotionality to heal.”

Still, artists gotta art. Reina and Feathers are making how-to videos on turning things at hand—dried-out clay, stacks of egg cartons—into art, posted under #togetherathome.

“I’m hoping this will slow us down and help us recognize the things we have and be grateful for that,” Reina said. The connection among humans “is art in itself.”

“The world is sowing its beauty,” she said. “It’s our calling to inspire people right now.”

Open Stage is also going virtual, having received approval from licensing house Broadway Play Publishing to revamp its planned “Angels in America” production into “Angels in America Online.” The Zoom broadcasts began in April and continue this month, with actors reading their lines from separate locations. Donors get a link to view the live or archived presentations of Tony Kushner’s epic of the AIDS crisis.

The play about a past “medical, spiritual and political crisis” remains pertinent, said Landon. “It’s very strange and very sobering—or haunting, rather—to hear how a lot of these words are just so relevant.”

In March, Gamut Theatre Group had to halt its presentation of “Enemy of the People,” Henrik Ibsen’s classic about the scorn heaped on a man warning townspeople about infection at a local spa.

Artistic Director Clark Nicholson said that he seeks inspiration in the age of the “Restoration,” when the British theater recreated itself after three decades of banishment. In those times “more dire” than ours, people were “being smart and being tenacious.” For 2020 and beyond, that means figuring out how to remain interesting and relevant without overloading the internet.

“What’s the sweet spot of a very imperfect product right now?” he said. “Because theater is not theater unless people are together in a room.”

Executive Director Melissa Nicholson added that artists are “a little bit better positioned to be openminded.” (Gamut, she noted, has offered state and county government officials use of its building if needed.)

Musicians are adapting, too. The Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra offered online master classes for its youth orchestra musicians. HSO is also streaming a previously taped Masterworks concert to its database. Its “Music in the Key of We” community celebration and Beethoven birthday bash, scrubbed from its original April date, has been rescheduled to Nov. 14.

“The orchestra’s strong,” said Executive Director Jeffrey Woodruff. “It’s been around for 90 years. It has its rightful place in the community and has been through many crises and will come out of this one just fine, sooner or later.”

Veteran jazz pianist Steve Rudolph’s busy 2020 itinerary used to include a fully booked JazZenJourney, the annual trip to Italy he leads with his wife, Andrea Minick Rudolph, and a recording session at the studio of filmmaker George Lucas.

“This was looking like one of the best years I’d have had,” he said. “Sometimes, you just have to laugh.”

For the duration, Rudolph is composing and, like the rest of us, reorganizing his office. He is Skyping with his ensemble, hoping to announce an online matinee or happy hour to “have some fun for a half hour and give some people a little relief.” He hopes to solicit donations to charities supporting musicians until, he joked, “in about a month and a half, I’ll be having people donate to me.”

On the pop scene, artists and audiences are missing out on the touring that has become their financial lifeblood. Country music artist Ben Gallaher, a Camp Hill native now based in Nashville, postponed a midstate stop and a tour to Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Indianapolis, as the opener for country legend Joe Diffie, now lost to COVID-19.

“All my friends just came to a halt,” said Gallaher. “For the music industry, it’s not just artists that are affected. It’s band and crew members, business managers, agents, labels, venues, venue promoters, merchandise companies. There’s quite a trail there.”

Amid the Facebook Live and Instagram performances, hometown support is helping to sustain Gallaher. A show planned for early April at the Ned Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Millersburg was originally an indoor acoustic performance. The rescheduled June 20 show will move to the center’s amphitheater.

“So it’ll be full-band,” he said. “We’ll be rocking in June.”

Woodruff calls the arts “an essential part of life.”

“It gives sustenance,” he said. “We’re all so preoccupied with money, but it gives things other than money. It can be inspirational. It can give us solace. It can enlighten us. All these art forms give us a glimpse into our humanity and what makes us tick.”

Squeezing Dimes

At Gamut’s theater in downtown Harrisburg, the ghost lights are on. The heat is not.

“If you walked into Gamut right now, it is freezing,” said Melissa Nicholson.

As business manager, she is cutting expenses, talking to the bank, and—for the first time—exploring the world of Small Business Administration loans.

“Our number-one priority is keeping our people working,” she said.

Clark Nicholson agreed.

“I can talk a lot about artistic motivations,” he said. “But the fact of the matter is, we’ve got a lovely theater that’s got a big old mortgage.”

Months of no ticket sales, gallery exposures or school classes are eroding one-third to one-half of artistic budgets. Artists are putting their faith in their loyal patrons, issuing emergency appeals and selling unconventional products, such as Open Stage’s discounted “Rainy Day” tickets.

“It’s important for us to say out loud that we need help getting to the other side so we can tell the stories that you need to hear,” said Landon.

The Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra is urging patrons to buy 2020-21 season tickets, “because the lifeblood of any organization is their subscriber base,” said Woodruff.

With a decent endowment and the net from a recent capital campaign, the orchestra had the wherewithal to pay its musicians.

“The board has the ultimate fiduciary responsibility to do what is best for the organization,” Woodruff said. “We had enough resources on hand to at least pay the players who were hired through the end of the season. We felt it was a very, very important thing to do.”

A Rebirth

So, what comes next?

In the fall of 2019, before the world turned upside down, Reina 76 Artist and Charlie Feathers invited friends to an open house, a sort of pop-up gallery from their art-filled home. When this is over, they swear, there will be another.

Rudolph worries about outcomes. Will jazz-friendly venues survive? Will an older-skewing audience fear coming out?

“I’m going to keep doing it whether it gets out there or not,” he said. “Jazz in itself is an introverted art. You’re playing for the music, but when there’s a great audience, it makes a difference in how you play.”

Arts organizations are planning upcoming seasons through a new lens. What can they afford? Is the topic timely? In Woodruff’s words, groups are honestly scrutinizing “what is possible, what is practical.”

Costs will probably loom larger than ever in selecting seasons, said Melissa Nicholson. As life returns to normal, maybe Gamut will sell fewer tickets and space the seats farther apart, she said. (Open Stage, too, is rethinking arrangement of newly ordered seating). In the meantime, artistic minds keep churning.

“When this is over and organizations have survived, the amount of stuff you’re going to see will be incredible,” said Clark Nicholson. “It’s like thoroughbred racehorses being held in the starting gate.”

Artistic types “have a particular skills set we can offer to the universe,” said Landon. “I feel very blessed to have this position and to be surrounded by such wonderful artists, able to create such beautiful pieces. This is a job at the end of the day, and it’s my job to lead this organization, to make sure this organization is going to be around for your children and your children’s children.”

Or as HSO’s Woodruff put it, “It’s springtime. Let’s be optimistic that we’re going to have a rebirth.”

Numerous arts groups were mentioned in this story. If you’re able, please donate generously to them.

Wishing Well: Thoughts from an empty city.

April 30, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

Illustration by Rich Hauck.

Some 35 years ago, a Don Henley song called “Boys of Summer” was an inescapable earworm on top-40 radio. Part of the song goes:

“Empty lake
Empty streets,
The sun goes down alone”

Walking around eerily quiet Harrisburg over the past month-plus, those lyrics have become fixed in my brain. I’ve thought of them maybe a hundred times jogging around Italian Lake, strolling through the downtown.

I sometimes wonder what I’ll remember most from this bizarre period in our shared history. More than anything, I may recall a feeling of isolation mixed with a sense of helplessness.

It’s like that with memories—you often feel them more than truly remember them.

As I run around the empty lake and stroll the empty streets, I wonder what Harrisburg will look like at the end of this.

Will my sick, elderly friend survive the pandemic? Will the local diner still be around? Will my neighbors be able to keep their restaurant going? Will TheBurg make it? Right now, I can’t guarantee any of these.

A few years ago, I wrote a column that I called, “FutureBurg,” in which I imagined a prosperous future for this little city on the river. That vision now seems as distant to me as what we once called “normal” life—the one in which we didn’t wonder about the health of the person who just passed us on the street or about what lays, unseen, on the countertop or currency we touched.

It’s certainly possible that, six months from now, we’ll return to our routines. The streets will get crowded again, the bars busy with customers, folks out of their houses, enjoying each other’s company. But it seems equally likely that this won’t happen at all. Even after the contagion eases and the “stay-at-home” orders are lifted, I fear that people will be slow to engage publicly again.

Will we become a nation of glove- and mask-wearers? Will we see danger on every door handle and drinking glass? And, if we do, you can be certain that the usual collection of crass capitalists and amoral politicians will be right there to exploit our fears, further dividing us for power and profit.

Recently, someone asked me if I thought society would change at all from this experience—and, by that, I think she meant change for the better. Clearly, I have my doubts about this. But to cheer myself up (because I obviously need cheering), I made a wish list.

So, here’s what I wish for, collectively, for the Harrisburg area. I don’t actually expect these things to happen, but, hey, I’ve had a lot of alone time to ponder the meaning of life.

I wish we could heal the east/west, city/suburb rift. Believe it or not, there are plenty of wonderful, well-intentioned people on both sides of the great, fake divide.

I wish that the zero-sum, us vs. them mentality would end. I believe this mindset holds us back from imagining and realizing a better, more prosperous future.

I wish the commonwealth would take greater responsibility for its overwhelming presence here, becoming an active partner with the city for the benefit of all.

I wish we would become less reliant on cars. Slimming down Forster and State streets and putting in bike lanes and bump-outs would be a great start.

I wish that people with means—money, time, whatever resource you have in abundance—would make a greater commitment to helping their community.

I also wish for such things as less poverty, crime and racism, but that applies throughout our entire society, challenges certainly not unique to the Harrisburg area.

I suppose that all of these fall under the umbrella of being nicer to one another—kinder, more patient, more understanding, more giving, less willing to jump to conclusions, expect ill intent or demonize one another.

I do have one solid idea that goes beyond just a wish.

Last month, I wrote a blog post in which I implored people—those who can—to dedicate half of their federal stimulus checks to local businesses and organizations. So, I would like to repeat that suggestion here.

Of course, I realize that many people need every cent to pay their rent or purchase food and other essentials. But, if you’re fortunate enough to have resources to spare, please don’t lock them all away—spread them around to others.

Do you have a favorite restaurant, shop, sandwich joint, nonprofit or arts group? Spend it there: donate, buy a gift card, tip generously, make a purchase. These pillars of our community need our help now, and we desperately need them to remain here with and for us.

One day, this crisis will be over. Countering Henley’s lyrics, the streets won’t be empty, nor will the lake. People will gather again to watch the sun go down over the Susquehanna. And then someone will say, “Hey, let’s meet up for a burger and a beer,” and perhaps we’ll think for a moment about how lucky we are to be doing something so simple.

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

Editor’s Note: Muddling into May

April 30, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg, you made it.

Take a deep bow. You successfully muddled through April 2020, and, I hope, in reasonably good condition.

In this column, I usually strike an optimistic tone. But there’s simply no denying the gravity, anxiety and even dread of the past couple of months. So here’s to a much better May ahead. Things have to begin to improve, right?

Since the crisis struck, many people have asked me about TheBurg. They want to know how we’re faring. First of all, thank you so much for all the kind words and wishes from the community. Your support is greatly appreciated.

In general, we’re doing well. But, like all small businesses, we’re concerned about the future and, as a news publication, even more so. This industry, as you may know, is in dire shape, now made only more critical by the general economic collapse.

To help get us through this time, we decided to launch—a little earlier than we had expected—our new membership program, Friends of TheBurg.

We started this program for several reasons: to integrate further into the community, to offer a framework for more events, to meet our biggest fans.

We also hoped for a new source of revenue, as, over the years, many people have asked how they could help support us, since all of our products and services are free to readers.

We never expected to make much money from the program, but we thought, best case, it might pay part of the salary of a new reporter. Then, we could serve this community even better.

That financial component has now become more critical. Starting in mid-March, as businesses closed and events cancelled, our ad revenue cratered, which is why we launched the program early.

So, if you can, I hope you’ll consider becoming a “Friend of TheBurg.” There are some nice benefits, as well, including a tote bag, free and discounted tickets and your name listed as a supporter in every issue of TheBurg magazine.

Please visit our website today and sign up. It’s very affordable!

Lastly, I make you this promise. When this crisis is finally over, when we successfully come out the other end, we plan to throw one fantastic party for our members and supporters. It will be a celebration of perseverance, endurance and community. We will all deserve it!

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

Quarantine Cuisine: A simple meal, until we meet again.

April 30, 2020 | by Rosemary Ruggieri Baer

This is a strange and dark time for all of us. I suspect we all have our own ways of coping with anxiety and fear during the long hours at home.

I once read a quote from someone who said that she “inherited worry along with the family silver.” Well, that is me. But I have found solace in my kitchen, the place I retreat to for most of my waking hours. I putter around, read favorite cookbooks over and over, and recall happy times with family and friends.

We have gotten some “takeout” from our favorite Harrisburg restaurants, hoping that it helps them just a little bit. We will continue to do so. But mostly I have been cooking, often with a combination of what I have stashed in the freezer and what I snatched off the shelves at the grocery store. We have also made brief trips to the farmers market late on Friday afternoons. But my obsessive-compulsive meal planning has gone out the window.

I have been looking for recipes that call for simple ingredients, fewer ingredients and those that result in leftovers for lunch. I found a pasta recipe from chef and cookbook author, Lidia Bastianich, that seemed perfect. It is called “farfalle della bisnonna” or bowties with cabbage and meat sauce.

I had most of the ingredients on hand but liked it because so many substitutions are possible. Any type of sausage or ground meat will work, as will dried thyme instead of fresh, and regular cabbage instead of Savoy cabbage, which the recipe calls for. It was delicious for dinner and for several lunches, as well.

Bowties with Cabbage and Meat Sauce

Ingredients

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
8 ounces sweet Italian sausage, removed from the casing
1 small onion, cut into chunks
1 medium carrot, cut into chunks
1 celery stalk, cut into chunks
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
½ cup dry white wine
½ head Savoy (or any) cabbage, cored and shredded
3 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 pound bowtie pasta (farfalle)
½ cup grated Parmesan or grana Padano cheese

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.
Add 4 tablespoons of the olive oil to a large deep skillet and heat gently over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the sausage. Cook, crumbling with a wooden spoon until browned, about 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the onion, carrot, celery and thyme in a food processor and pulse to make a chunky paste. (You could use a blender or an immersion blender with the chopping attachment. Or you could even chop the vegetables finely by hand.)
Once the sausage is browned, add the vegetable paste to the skillet and cook until all the liquid has evaporated. Sprinkle with the dried pepper flakes. (Add a lot if you like it hot and spicy.)
Make an empty spot in the pan with a spoon and add the tomato paste. Let it “toast” for a minute or two and then stir it into the vegetables.
Pour in the white wine and let it simmer until almost reduced, about 3 minutes.
Add the shredded cabbage and the broth and cook, covered, until the cabbage is wilted, about 20 minutes.
Uncover to thicken the sauce until the cabbage is wilted, about 10 more minutes. Taste and add more salt if needed.
When the bowtie noodles are cooked, remove them with a slotted spoon or “spider” and add them directly to the sausage mixture.
Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and toss to coat the pasta with the sauce, adding a little extra broth if necessary.
Remove the pan from the heat, sprinkle with the cheese, and serve.

This is a healthy and comforting dish. You can use it as a “template” of sorts to change it, using cubed chicken or pork instead of sausage. If there is no cabbage stashed in the fridge, maybe you have some broccoli. The “process” will be the same.

I will continue to cook in these sad times. But many days I dream of our “date nights” in Harrisburg: dinner at Note Bistro and Wine Bar with Daniel making the most beautiful martinis in town; eating Qui Qui Musarra’s wonderful fish soup at Mangia Qui; and chatting with Tyler at Café Fresco’s crowded bar. I miss afternoon coffee at Little Amp’s outdoor tables at 2nd and State streets on warm days. These, and many others, are the places that make Harrisburg so special. I am praying for all of them that we see them “on the other side.”

The Online Life: Social distancing has created virtual communities, opportunities.

April 30, 2020 | by Maddie Conley

Social distancing. It is a term we have become all too familiar with. Stay six feet apart, wash your hands, wear a mask if you go out, but don’t go out unless necessary.

While we are physically more isolated now than any of us probably have been before, what I’ve found is that we are hardly socially distant. Being told to stay away from people has made us crave human interaction so much more, and, the fact is, we need it. We can stay physically distant, but not socially.

As our virtual world swells during this crisis, growing to accommodate our communication needs, local organizations are figuring out how they fit.

Businesses are taking services like yoga and exercise classes online, and schools and churches are teaching through a screen. This is how some local organizations are doing it.

Well-Positioned

Downward-facing dog. Warrior II. Tree pose.

A Zoom screen full of about 20 people shift and move with each instruction. They aren’t physically together, but they are in sync—at least until the occasional dog or toddler photo-bombs in the background.

“It’s a sense of community,” said Brittany Holtz, owner of Studio B Power Yoga. “You can see everyone. It’s all the people you would see if you were coming into the studio. That’s been the bright light in all of this.”

All three of the studio’s locations—Hershey, Lebanon and Mechanicsburg—have merged into one online program in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis.

Seven days a week, Studio B offers classes such as “Vinyasa Flow” and “Mindful Flow,” taught by a range of instructors.

Holtz explained the importance of yoga, especially in a time like this when stress and anxiety can be crippling. Through this experience, she said that she sees the studio continuing to offer online classes even when the crisis is over.

“Yoga teaches us to be in each moment as it comes,” she said. “That is such a tough lesson right now, but it has really helped strengthen that lesson.”

Hope, Community

“The church is not a building; it’s people,” said Executive Pastor Scott Ball of Christian Life Assembly. “Just because we can’t meet doesn’t mean we stop being the church.”

With around 2,500 people attending the Camp Hill campus each Sunday and about double as many calling CLA their home church, the leadership team needed to find creative ways to stay connected.

Despite not being able to meet physically, CLA has continued many of its regular services and programs. Sunday services are live-streamed, daily devotionals are posted, and Zoom has become a meeting place for Bible study groups.

“There is nothing that beats being face-to-face with people, but I feel like we are doing the next best thing,” Ball said.

In addition to resources for the congregation, CLA has volunteers distributing food to people in need in the community through a partnership with Cumberland County Food Bank.

“People need hope, people need community,” Ball said. “We have the greatest opportunity to share that.”

Outdoors Indoors

As a science- and technology-based school, Harrisburg University may have had a leg up when moving learning online. But for programs that require a lot of hands-on work, faculty members needed to find creative ways to adapt classroom material.

How do you hold a field trip when you can’t leave home? Professors in the environmental science and geospatial technology programs have found a way.

“The students don’t have to completely give up the experience of going out,” said Christine Proctor, assistant professor of biology and ecology.

Proctor’s “Ecosystem Restoration” class usually spends half of the semester conducting fieldwork, observing and exploring nature. When the university switched to all online courses, she decided not to cancel the fieldwork, but offer it virtually.

Michael Meyer, assistant professor of earth systems science, and Albert Sarvis, director of HU’s Geospatial Technology Center, had been working to find a way to use a 360-degree camera and an online virtual reality tool to bring outdoor scenes indoors to students. Now was the perfect time to test it out on a class.

The three professors travelled to Michaux State Forest to capture video and still images of a restored stream. Students now can view the content and get a glimpse of what the area looks like.

“Instead of me just describing it, they can be looking at it,” Proctor said. “It allows us to recreate the field trip.”

Safe Spaces

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, it wasn’t a matter of if the YMCA would help, it was how.

The Harrisburg Area YMCA was used to serving community members in need, but, with the crisis hitting, they became among the most vulnerable. The Y needed to continue its programming, now more than ever.

“Our focus has been—how do we treat our employees fairly and ensure our members are treated fairly, as well,” said Rosie Turner, director of marketing and communications.

Many of the Y’s classes moved online, including the “Livestrong” class for cancer survivors, “Healthy Weight and Your Child,” and tobacco cessation and diabetes prevention programs. Turner explained how important this was to reduce feelings of isolation and continue promoting healthy lifestyles.

To make sure youth in the community stay connected, they moved their Camp Curtin mentoring programs online.

“A lot of kids would come every day, and it’s their safe space,” Turner said. “We are trying to bring that safe space to their home.”

Knowing that, for many, the Y is their community gym, they also started offering workout tutorial videos online for people of all ages.

“Letting people know we are here and we are thinking of them is important to us,” Turner said.

For more information on the organizations mentioned in this story, visit www.studiobpoweryoga.com, www.clacamphill.com, www.harrisburgu.edu, and www.ymcaharrisburg.org.

Silent City: A Photostory

April 30, 2020 | by Dani Fresh

This story feels like a melancholy flaneur.

I found myself photographing a lot of what’s not there—no people in the restaurants or coffee shops or churches. There are no politicians, staffers, state workers or tours at the Capitol building, no children on the playgrounds. There are no folks gathered at the market. The city is eerily quiet.

But we’re still here. We’re just tucked into our respective homes, trying to stay safe.

The rest of these images are portraits. They’re snippets of how our lives have changed over the last few weeks during the COVID-19 pandemic. They display our resilience, our worries and anxiety, the ways in which we’re filling our time, trying to stay afloat, and the ways we’re attempting to check on and care for our neighbors and families in unprecedented times.

I hope you are being gentle with yourself. I hope you and your family are safe and healthy. And I hope to see you on the other side of these COVID-19 times, whenever that may be.

www.danifresh.com

——–

Qui Qui Musarra, chef and an owner at Rubicon, Mangia Qui, & Suba, was taking a quick break. It was almost a completely familiar scene, seeing Qui out in front of the restaurant with her chef coat and apron on, but today she is wearing a mask to prepare Easter dinner for about 200 take out covers.

The Broad Street Market on a Saturday afternoon is usually busy and filled with folks socializing with friends and neighbors, but today it’s silent.

Hair salons and barbershops are closed so Hanniel Sindelar gave their partner, Lindsay Kirkwood, a haircut on the back porch of their house in Midtown. “It’s been a long time since you’ve had to cut my hair. Makes me think of our first apartment together,” Lindsay says to them.

Amine “Mo” Amamli has been laid off from his position at Habitat for Humanity so he’s been spending his time doing a ton of yard work and helping out with deliveries at Rubicon where his partner, Ashlyn, works.

Lauren Duff & Lissa Richards make sure to sit at least six feet apart on Lissa’s front porch. They’re catching up and checking in with each other. It’s Lauren’s first time out of the house in a few weeks.

Signs in the windows of this Penn Street house read, “WE WILL GET THROUGH” with brightly colored hearts.

Bri Rhoad works at PHEAA and does some freelance marketing work for the Governor but she’s more worried about her mom who has asthma. Bri goes to the store for her so she doesn’t have to leave the house.

Playgrounds all over the city are vacant and quiet.

A rainbow displayed in the window of a house in Midtown is part of a scavenger hunt that has spread throughout multiple towns and cities. It’s an activity for parents and children that they can do outside while still maintaining social distancing guidelines. There’s also a sign that reads, “Be gentle with yourself. This is new to all of us. Smile.”

Pat & Alan Edwards are playing rummy and having beers outside their house in Midtown. “What else are we going to do?” Pat laughs. They’re doing fine but they’re especially worried about friends who work in the service industry. Pat works from home. Alan has had a busy couple of weeks traveling to take care of a family member and goes to work during the week. He has a manufacturing job that is considered essential.

Carey Campbell and Diane Farrell Walker are out walking their dogs along the riverfront. They just walked to a friend’s house to wave at them from the sidewalk for their birthday since they can’t spend time together.

Shatara Parsons and Madison Hatcher were out for a bike ride down at the riverfront. Madison works at Foose Elementary and Shatara is a teacher at the Nativity School in Harrisburg. She says she misses the kids, they’re usually the liveliest part of her days.

Leah Mull sips wine on her front stoop while her husband, Steve, draws decorative eggs on the sidewalk for a social distancing friendly kids’ Easter egg hunt the next day. He says a lot of folks decided to put them in their windows, but this seems like more fun.

Loretta Barbee-Dare already works from home, so the stay at home order hasn’t affected her work. She’s worried about her neighbors though, most of whom are older folks at higher risk. She took boxes of food to some of them a little over a week ago and tries to check in often. And she’s irritated that the liquor stores are closed.

The sign in the window of Christ Lutheran Church on 13th street says, “All church services & meetings canceled until further notice. May God bless you,” and “We’re sorry. No dental services until further notice. Lo sentimos. No hay servicios dentales.”

Rikkie Shellhamer came out on her balcony. It feels a little safer talking with folks down in the courtyard behind her apartment from up there. She is laid off, but says she’s doing okay–some good days and some bad. She’s doing a lot of reading and recording music with her partner, Andy.

Self portrait in the window by Harrisburg University. It was my first day out of the house in eleven days. I have one mask and two bandanas for the days I go out to shoot, taking care to wash them after each use and I have strange new rituals for when I get home from shooting. I keep tripping over my feet.

The only somewhat busy spot on Second Street is Hornungs True Value. They have shelves of spring flowers and hanging baskets lining the street along with the usual sidewalk wares. A man loads his vehicle with a box of purchases from the store.

Lewis Walker is getting fresh air outside where he lives at the Presbyterian Apartments on Second Street. His building is all older folks in closely adjacent apartments. They’re worried that if one person gets sick, it will spread easily to other residents in the building.

We, Together: Local children’s author tells story of friendship amidst hard times.

April 30, 2020 | by Maddie Conley

Lauren Castillo. Photos courtesy of Justin Douglas.

Lauren Castillo always loved her home in New York City.

Her apartment in Brooklyn was small, but all her friends were nearby. It was where she had attended art school and her career as an illustrator and author had taken off.

But eventually the big city life began to wear her out more than it inspired her.

“I was burnt out from living in that city,” Castillo said. “It was hard because I had to leave friends behind.”

She headed west with her brother in search of a new start, but relocated soon after, when artist friend Jonathan Bean told her about an open apartment in Midtown Harrisburg.

With a new studio space, Castillo was ready to pick up her brushes and pencils to start a book that had already been swirling in her mind.

“Shortly after I moved to Harrisburg is when the story started unfolding,” she said.

Usually, when Castillo writes a book, she begins with a story idea and the rest unfolds from there. That’s what happened with her previous books like “Nana in the City,” which won her a Caldecott honor in 2015.

This time was different though.

Throughout her journey from New York to California to Harrisburg, a little hedgehog kept appearing in her doodles on napkins and corners of paper. She felt a connection with this character that journeyed with her through seasons of losing and making friends and feelings of isolation and uncertainty.

It was only fitting her next book, with the cute but prickly hero at the center, would follow a similar narrative.

“It paralleled losing my community of friends and having to find new community,” Castillo said.

The author’s new book, “Our Friend Hedgehog: The Story of Us,” tells of Hedgehog’s journey to find her best friend, Mutty, the stuffed dog who was carried away by a storm. While looking for her friend, Hedgehog meets an array of friendly woodland creatures and a young girl, Annika May, who help her along the way.

“The story is about friendship, bravery and making our way,” Castillo said. “I hope [readers] can relate to what it’s like to really find those people that hold you up and sustain you.”

The story of Hedgehog is formatted in a chapter book style while still heavily incorporating Castillo’s playful illustrations, giving the story life.

She said this was her first time writing a chapter book, but hopes it serves at a gateway for children growing out of picture books and moving into chapter books.

“That was a piece of the book market that was missing,” Castillo said. “Illustration and picture books taught me how to read—picture books were really precious to me.”

With a story that anyone can relate to, Castillo hopes readers of all ages will find a way to identify with Hedgehog and his lesson in the value of friendships.

Although the COVID-19 crisis has forced the author to cancel book tours and rethink the book launch, she’s just happy to be putting out another story for children to enjoy.

“The themes in this book are really fitting for the situation right now,” she said.

Midtown Scholar Bookstore is hosting Lauren Castillo for a virtual reading on May 3. Visit https://www.midtownscholar.com/events for more information. To learn more about Castillo and her work, visit www.laurencastillo.com.

Town & Truck: Tuck into New Cumberland’s monthly food, art event.

April 30, 2020 | by Gina Napoli

If you’re a fan of 3rd in the Burg, you’ll soon be able to warm up on the west shore for Harrisburg’s big night.

Starting this month, New Cumberland will hold a food and arts-focused event in their downtown every second Thursday of the month, going through September.

The New Cumberland Food Truck and Restaurant Rally’s main attraction is a collection of food trucks in the parking lot of Baughman Church. Attendees then ripple through downtown to visit several surrounding restaurants and small businesses that feature their own special events.

Under the right weather conditions, the average food truck rally brings several hundred people to New Cumberland.

“Food trucks are a really big draw, very trendy,” said Carlee Seele, owner of the Moss Creek Art gallery. “The trucks that make a name for themselves get a really big following, especially with the younger crowd—Gen Xers and millennials.”

Plus, food trucks give people the chance to try new or unusual foods. With six to eight trucks at each rally, cuisines range from American fare and desserts to more exotic choices. Regular trucks include (but are certainly not limited to) Marsico’s Italian Food Cart, It’s All Greek to You, The Lucky Penny Burger Co., Mad Dash Grilled Cheese, FireBox Street Grill, Get Smoke’d BBQ and The Sweet Patch.

“Food trucks add variety and creativity to our downtown and help us get more feet on the street,” said Cindy Washburn, co-owner of Oxford Hall and a marketing committee member for the New Cumberland Business & Professional Group. “We don’t have a Cuban restaurant, but people will come downtown to try Cuban food out of the truck.”

Many shops stay open until 7 p.m. to offer visitors more reasons to drop in, such as free music, giveaways, happy hours, hors d’oeuvres and wine.

“Did you know that New Cumberland has an open container law?” Seele said. “Guests can treat New Cumberland like Mardi Gras, bringing your wine glass from place to place.”

Fortunately, a distillery is another popular stop on the self-guided walking tour.

The New Cumberland Business & Professional Group strives to position New Cumberland as a destination, to create an atmosphere that is “more artsy, eclectic and interesting,” said Washburn. In addition, artists will demonstrate how they create their wares, and there will be live music in the parking lot of Baughman Church.

The artsy event is enmeshed with a down-home spin, complete with picnic tables in the parking lot. It’s the kind of townie event where you bring your own lawn chair.

New Cumberland really is that kind of friendly place. According to event marketing Chair Gennifer Richie, the group timed the monthly event on second Thursdays so they wouldn’t detract from nearby towns that already hold their walkabouts on Fridays.

Their community’s bond and spirit of cooperation extends among local competitors.

“The food truck event plays right in with the efforts our community is working toward,” Richie said. “We’ve got businesses in town all working together, community members creating and doing more activities together. We’re promoting safe, healthy living activities, economic development and town revitalization.”

Washburn moved to New Cumberland from Carlisle 30 years ago to create her destination business, much in the same way she sees the food truck events as a destination.

“As small business owners, we’re always competing with the big guys,” she said. “We want people to discover our businesses. The food trucks were part of a strategic maneuver to bring attractive inventory downtown.”

In addition to presenting a compact, walkable downtown, New Cumberland is uniquely positioned due to its location and proximity to major highways, an airport and the train station, she said.

“This has done something to the dynamic of the diversity of the community,” Washburn said. “New Cumberland is accessible, like a cool truck stop on the way to bigger cities.”

At the same time, New Cumberland has head-turning historical buildings that are currently in the midst of being inventoried.

“The neighborhoods and homes here are beautiful, and they get snapped up quickly when they go on the market,” Washburn said. “It’s not unusual to talk to someone to find their families have been rooted here for 100 years or more.”

With the turnover of downtown business owners and some landmark business closures, Seele sees New Cumberland as an underdog of sorts.

“New Cumberland’s pent-up energy will hopefully get released, bringing some revitalization back into the town,” she said.

This will apply even more with the end of the quarantine.

“We want to bring the community back, revive the social part of New Cumberland, and bring back people hanging outside,” she said. “As people get more comfortable, we want to bring people back together again in a healthy way.”

For more information on the New Cumberland Food Truck and Restaurant Rally, visit NewCumberlandPA.org.

Artistic Vision: Emily Shifflet translates eye movements into paintings.

April 30, 2020 | by Susan Ryder

One of Emily’s paintings.

Emily Shifflet creates art with her eyes—literally.

She has Rett Syndrome, which prevents her from any useful movement of her body, except for her eye muscles.

According to the website Reverserett.org, “Rett Syndrome is like autism, cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s, epilepsy and anxiety disorder…all in one little girl.” (Girls are most often afflicted.)

“Add chronic lung disease and major digestive disorders, and you have a body that doesn’t allow her to live her life in this world,” added Jenny Murphy Shifflet, Emily’s mom.

Emily has, however, found a way to live, communicate and contribute greatly through the technology called Tobii Dynavox, which facilitates communication through eye movement. According to Emily’s behavioral consultant, Laura Myers, Dynavox is “like an iPad and computer combined.”

A black bar across the bottom of the device directs beams into Emily’s eyes and reads where they’re moving. With that action, she can choose from options programmed specifically for her—about how she’s feeling, what she wants to do, or activities she wants to interact with.

“The Tobii eye gaze has opened up lots of new opportunities to engage in different ways,” said mother Jenny.

That’s how Emily has emerged as an artist. Myers said that the art program was downloaded to give her a different outlet.

“It went from just something to do, to this is what I like to do, and [then] get the word out about Tobii and Rett Syndrome,” said Myers.

Sitting in her chair, with a blonde braid down her shoulder and sporting hoop earrings, Emily said, through her Tobii, “I like to do art.”

Specifically, she likes to paint, her works then transformed into cards. Jenny decided, in October, to form Eye Gaze Designs by Emily and offer her daughter’s art to the public. She said she created the business for three reasons.

“One, for an opportunity for Emily to create her art,” she said. “Two, for the public to see her ability and not just her disability, and, three, to raise money for research for Rett Syndrome.”

The idea arose when Jenny’s friends began saying of Emily’s art, “Put that on a note card, and I’ll buy them.”

The software allows Emily to choose background, color and a variety of brushes.

Jenny described her daughter’s art as abstract, feeling-based. Emily leans towards bright colors, and she mixes and layers hues. Since her mood influences her art, some pieces are darker, coinciding with less happy spirits. On occasion, the temperamental artist will show up, and she will erase pieces that her family finds exceptional.

Jenny said that art has “helped her self-esteem, given her a purpose.” Emily enjoys being called an artist, which was clear when speaking to her. A subtle, but distinct smile crossed her face when addressed by the label.

“Art has provided a chance to get out and socialize with people who don’t know that this kind of tech is out there, for people who are differently abled,” Myers said.

Emily loves giving cards to people. She smiles and moves her body in excitement. So far, Eye Gaze Designs by Emily has sold about 2,000 cards and offered calendars at Christmastime. Jenny said, with a laugh, that they are calling her present project the “Pandemic Painting Series.”

Kidding aside, the family has been in isolation since the end of February due to COVID-19, which poses a serious threat to Emily’s fragile health. Emily doesn’t like being stuck in the house. What 24-year-old would? Typically she would be at yoga, ice skating, seeing a movie, or attending an event to speak about Rett Syndrome.

For now, she has more time to paint—though using eye muscles in this way proves very tiring, and she can paint for no more than an hour at a time.

Emily’s artistic bent wasn’t evident before she began using the art program, though the spunkiness that shows up in her art has always been a part of her personality. Jenny described her as a “huge flirt and fighter,” a free spirit.

Emily chimed in, “Let’s go four-wheeling.”

Her dad at times carries her on the family’s four-wheel vehicle for rides in their backyard. Apparently, she’s also a joker, and Myers said that Emily likes to take selfies, catching people eating in the background unaware.

Emily had an art exhibit scheduled at the Cocoa Beanery in Hershey for April, but that was cancelled when the café had to close. This is not the first setback for the budding artist, and it certainly won’t be her last challenge. But Jenny said that her daughter is “helping people understand that there is ability within people with a disability.”

She’s using her eyes to help people see it.

To view Emily Shifflet’s art, visit www.eyegazedesignsbyemily.com.

Rebounding Your Business: After COVID-19, how will you get back up and running?

April 30, 2020 | by Jaime Novinger-Toigo and Siera Sambrosky

As numbers of those testing positive appear to be stabilizing, business owners are asking themselves, where do I start to make preparations to rebound from this pandemic?

While no one has a sure-fire answer to get everyone back on their projected paths for 2020, there are five things you can begin to do in order to steer your business in the right direction.

1. First and foremost, keep yourself healthy. Take the necessary precautions that have continually been stressed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and protect yourself by wearing a mask and gloves and washing your hands consistently. We all play a part to help keep each other safe—set the example and wear protective attire until the pandemic is under control. It is easy to take these suggested measures seriously when we are aware of how often we are in contact with surfaces that could have been affected by someone who has been exposed to COVID-19. Most importantly, try and stay mentally and physically strong. Stress increases your chance of illness, so avoid items that will add stress to your current situation.

2. Stay informed. Knowledge is power, and in an atmosphere where we are largely powerless over our circumstances and results, it’s imperative to continue to educate yourself on what is happening in your specific region, as well as the regions of your customers. As things continue to change daily, staying on top of the newest releases can be overwhelming, but, as a leader, it is necessary. Your team and clients may look to you for information on how they or their business can be supported. Reliable sources such as the CDC, the PA Department of Health, and the U.S. Small Business Administration are worth bookmarking.

3. Consider the safety of your environment that your team or clients will be returning to. Everyone, rightfully so, is going to want assurance that they will be working in a sterile environment. Consider how you will incorporate disinfecting measures prior to your team’s return and on a regular basis. All surfaces throughout your facility should be thoroughly disinfected to confirm COVID-19 does not exist. Incorporate continual risk mitigation techniques that will reduce exposure, including daily disinfecting throughout the day by all members of your team or designated personnel and having a contract to perform thorough disinfecting applications, in the event your space has become cross-contaminated. It could be as simple as someone coughing or sneezing that warrants your response to address the cleaning with a professional company.

The thorough disinfecting application should be completed by experienced professionals that perform bio-hazard treatment services. These professionals will approach the situation prepared to protect all personnel and are experienced with disinfecting infectious diseases. Unlike risk mitigation that you can incorporate during the workday, these treatments will cover all surfaces, of all material types, and be circulated through the air systems, typically through a fogging application.

This type of treatment needs to be thorough and beyond a regular janitorial cleaning. Inquire if the company performs regular bio-hazard cleanup services, also about the EPA listing of the product being used, the effectiveness rating, the type of product, and the dwell time. Confirm the disinfectant is safe for the contents within your space and that there will not be a residue left behind or harsh fumes that could cause respiratory issues.

Confirm the company will take ownership for the service they are providing. In times of widespread disaster and crisis, unfortunately, many opportunistic individuals and business owners see a chance to make a rapid shift or diversify their business services. Particularly in a time where health and safety are critical, it is important to use providers that have experience and training dealing with bio-hazard situations and infectious/communicable diseases.

4. Make sure you are maintaining communication with your employees and customers. Although we are not certain when normal operations will continue, your commitment to communicate is as important now as it was before. Continue to develop the relationships you have invested time building, prior to this pandemic. During these times, how we relate to each other and stay connected is fundamental. Everyone wants to know that they are not alone—offer support and be willing to share that they are being thought of. Regular communication doesn’t need to be anything specific but should be authentic.

5. Be mindful of how your business may be transformed or may need to transform. Uncertainty is an opportunity for you to be creative. Allow yourself to think outside of the box, or better yet, get rid of the box. Create a shift focusing on untraditional ways to operate and serve your clients. Maybe this is a great time to make changes? What processes and procedures do you currently have in place that may be outdated or that cannot co-exist with your new ideas?

Most importantly, take this time to really think about the end result you are working towards. Create a map that identifies your target. This doesn’t have to be a detailed plan. Obviously, we are not in complete control of everything, so focus on the direction you are going rather than the specific details. Seize this time to get clear on the results you will focus on. Your mindset matters—take care of yourself and don’t allow yourself to fall into a negative trap. We are made to thrive, not survive! Let’s commit to being a community that supports each other and helps one another. As community supporters of TheBurg, we have great hope that this state of affairs will help us build stronger connections, allowing us to grow personally and in business together.

Service1st Restoration is located at 330 East Park Dr., Harrisburg. For more information, call 717-232-5444 or contact President Jaime Novinger-Toigo at [email protected] or Siera Sambrosky, marketing director, at [email protected].

Service1st Restoration is a property disaster company serving the business community 24/7/365 with emergency services including: fire restoration, smoke and odor removal, water mitigation and remediation, commercial structural drying, structure and content cleaning, mold remediation, IAQ testing, bio-hazard cleanup services, virus decontamination and disinfecting services, including COVID-19.

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