At the Table: Thanksgiving feast to highlight chefs from Church World Service-Harrisburg’s program for refugee, women entrepreneurs

October 30, 2025 | by Maddie Gittens

Alaa, a chef, at a CWS Marketplace event. Photo courtesy of CWS.

Church World Service had to scale back its offerings to refugee clients significantly this year, as federal funding cuts hit their bank account.

Yet, CWS’s Harrisburg office has worked to continue serving those most in need, even managing to keep one very special program for local women.

The CWS Marketplace allows refugee women the opportunity to use their skills and talents to build economic independence and a future—a program that staff members view as essential.

“We still care about this program very much because it’s not just a way to support the refugees, but it’s also a way to put the light on the refugee issues right now and what the refugees are going through,” said Sally Taha, CWS community engagement supervisor.

However, even this initiative faces an uncertain future as CWS works to come up with funds to fill its giant budget holes.

The organization’s most significant annual fundraiser will give the community a chance to support CWS’s mission and programs, while letting people experience the fruits of the marketplace program firsthand.

On Nov. 22, CWS will host “International Friendsgiving,” a to-go feast that features cuisine from around the world, made by marketplace program grads.

“International Friendsgiving is the way to have unrestricted funds to be used for the essential programs that we have,” Taha said. “Despite the challenges that our office has been facing, every day we have clients coming to us that have lots of things that they need help with.”

Piece of Home

Participants in the dinner are sure to have full plates, with a smattering of diverse dishes.

Friendsgiving plates will include “chana pilau,” chickpeas and rice, from Afghanistan; “doolsho,” cardamom sponge cake from Sudan; “ensalada rallada,” coleslaw, from Venezuela; “kibbeh,” a spiced ground meat dish, from Syria; and “zigni,” stew, from Eritrea.

Rukaya Alabbas, from Syria, is one of the chefs, cooking the “kibbeh” for Friendsgiving this year.

“Sharing my food feels like sharing a piece of my home,” she said. “And I love that this event helps raise money so other families can get the same support I once received.”

Alabbas previously participated in the CWS Marketplace, which currently assists about 10 women. Through the program, she was able to start her catering business and learn things like pricing, food safety, presentation and how to sell her dishes at events, she said.

The Marketplace aims to equip women to start their own businesses, which is exactly what Alabbas has accomplished.

“I wanted to start a business so I could support my family and share a part of my culture with my new community,” she said. “It has made me feel independent and proud. My children see me working hard and building something of my own, and that gives them motivation too. The extra income also helps us cover expenses and feel more stable as we are building a life here in the U.S.”

Through the program, CWS leads workshops, teaching women skills like advertising and budgeting and even helping them secure needed supplies such as sewing machines or cooking equipment. Women who graduate from the program have even been hired to return as mentors to new students.

Refugee women from a variety of cultures have made businesses out of creating soap, crafting home items and accessories and cooking, among other talents.

Alabbas learned to cook from her grandmother, something that, in her culture, is used to show love and comfort, she said.

“The Marketplace program taught me how to turn my passion for cooking into a business,” she said. “Starting over in a new country is not easy, but I’m now learning a new language, met many kind people, and built something from nothing. That makes me very happy.”

CWS purchases the women’s products and sells them at festivals, such as Kipona in Harrisburg, and pop-up events, as well as on their website. At events, Taha said that women are able to practice interacting with the public and marketing their products.

But the experiences selling their wares aren’t just impactful to the women themselves. Taha believes the program can have an important effect on the community as well.

“It opens doors for very rich conversations and that is priceless,” Taha said. “We use that program to show the community in Harrisburg how talented the refugee community is and what they bring with them from their home.”

Still Here

The Friendsgiving is just one way that CWS hopes to raise money to keep the Marketplace running, as well as highlighting the challenges of refugees right now.

“It really gives the opportunity to the community to support, and to show the support that they have always showed us,” Taha said. “It gives the opportunity for people to sit together and have a conversation about the refugees, the talent they bring in, the countries they come from, the challenges they’re facing.”

Individuals and groups can place meal orders. Each meal also comes with a brochure with discussion questions related to refugees for families or groups to consider.

Funds raised will not only help keep the Marketplace initiative alive but will aid CWS as a whole and the assistance they provide to recently resettled refugees. This year, that money is especially important, as the organization faced detrimental funding cuts and was forced to lay off a majority of its office staff.

“Yes, we are short staffed, but our role in the community is still there and clients are still there, and we are serving more than 500 people regularly,” Taha said.

CWS’s goal for the international dinner is to serve at least 1,000 meals—a big, but necessary lift for the organization and the chefs.

“We hope this year is going to be the biggest year,” Taha said.

For more information about Church World Service Harrisburg, visit www.cwsharrisburg.org.

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Shops Up the Block: Harrisburg’s small business owners hope the community will step up for a successful holiday season

October 30, 2025 | by Colin McGuire

Paper Moon Flowers & Events

Community. Talk to almost any local business owner, and that’s the word that continuously pops up.

“When you make an effort to shop local, you’re immediately involved in the community,” said Kenzie Brinkman, owner of The Meadow, located at 1126 N. 3rd St. “You don’t just support local businesses, but you end up having conversations with people you don’t know, and you make new friends. There are so many benefits to it.”

“When I walk into JCPenney, it just has less soul than the local independently owned clothing store,” added Paul Sorrels, owner of several local businesses, including Full Circle Record Shop at 20 N. Cameron St. “The people working there don’t feel as committed and the energy isn’t there. There’s no community.”

It’s true. As the holiday season approaches, local brick-and-mortar businesses are gearing up for what they hope will be a good turnout from the local community as shoppers look for an authentic shopping experience, not one rooted in online clicks and delivery trucks.

Whereas the season used to be a surefire way for small businesses to round out the calendar year with a surge in sales, these days there is no guarantee that customers will show up. The reasons for that may vary—the online shopping boom and an uncertain economy are just two factors—but small business owners are hoping that, this year, a sense of community will help inspire local shoppers to visit their stores.

“I care about the returning customer,” said Shawn Durborow-Bowersox, owner of Paper Moon Flowers & Events, 916 N. 3rd St. “So, I’m not run by the dollar. I know if I keep my prices low, there is a reasonable chance I’ll get returning customers.”

An important day for these businesses is Small Business Saturday, which this year is slated for Nov. 29. A day dedicated to lifting up small local businesses, the event was created in 2010 and has since been the driving force behind consumers spending more than $200 billion at small businesses across the country.

Yet while the day has grown in popularity over the years, Brinkman admitted that she had to learn to not rely on it as a slam dunk for sales.

“The first year we were open, it was beyond our wildest dreams,” she said about the day. “But last year, there was a noticeably large dip in sales. We and other small businesses around us did about 20% less in sales year over year. It was really disheartening.”

Chantal Nga Eloundou, owner of Nyianga Store at 1423 N. 3rd St., echoed Brinkman’s stories of lackluster numbers.

“We have a sustainable number of customers, but it could be better,” she said. “I usually don’t see any business increase during the holiday season, but this year, we’re going to try some deals and discounts, so hopefully that will help.”

One of Eloundou’s issues, she said, is that she doesn’t have a website that could help her sell her products—mostly authentic African clothing—to a wider audience. Sorrels, the record shop owner, has a website for Full Circle, and he explained that it’s part of his business model as most of his inventory is available online.

Whereas the biggest challenges small businesses used to face came from big box stores like Best Buy, Walmart and the like, the bigger competitors now, he said, are online retailers. Between the ease with which someone can buy a product and the convenience of not having to venture out into a crowded shopping space, more and more consumers are turning to online shopping to meet their holiday gift needs.

“Amazon has only gotten better at what they do,” he said. “There’s only so much a small business can do to compete with that space. They make it so easy to get that thing you need.”

Still, he, along with Brinkman, Eloundou and Durborow-Bowersox, all stressed how they try and support their fellow local businesses as much as they can. In uncertain times like these, it’s not lost on any of them how important it is to band together and not only be part of the community but support it, as well.

“Our goal is to lift Harrisburg and Midtown up,” Brinkman said. “We can only do that if we’re here, and we can only be here if people make the effort to come out and see us. I know it can be hard, but we do it, too. If people make the effort, I think they would really enjoy it.”

And, to paraphrase an old Joni Mitchell song, you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone

“If we all close down … well, you can’t care when it’s too late,” Brinkman said. “We really, really, really try to stay optimistic, but only time will tell.”

“Actually,” she paused, “this holiday season will tell.”

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Creative Shopping: Artist-owned galleries offer unique wares, personal experiences

October 30, 2025 | by M. Diane McCormick

Carlee Seele

Two blocks from the Susquehanna River, on a street whose Dutch translation is “dweller by the waters,” the potter whose name means “lively waters” realized that the letters of her gallery name—Vivi on Verbeke—fit perfectly in her storefront window’s 13 leaded-glass panes.

“And here we are, and we’re like everybody’s grandparents,” said Vivi Sterste. “And it’s great, because I meet people.”

In an age of mass-produced décor and e-commerce, artists can’t just dream up art. They must also get it into the world.

Three Harrisburg-area artists—Sterste, visual artist and poet Julia Mallory, and jewelry artisan Carlee Seele—pour their creative sparks into their work and into the galleries they fashioned for reflection, gathering, learning, shopping, and passing on knowledge to new generations of makers.

Galleries Born

Sterste founded Vivi on Verbeke in 2013 because it all came together—motoring with her partner, a Verbeke Street storefront for sale, a book on her favorite potter falling off the shelf around the corner at Midtown Scholar Bookstore.

In her boho, brick-walled gallery, the daughter of Latvian refugees from Soviet brutality picked up a mug. It depicts a scowling, orange-faced man on the front and a single word, “Ick,” on the back.

“Who does that remind you of?” she said. “We can’t get too political.” She then added, “I make what I feel like making at the time.”

In other pieces, the great beauty she finds around her—river currents and sunsets—shimmers through a lustrous glaze. Photos by her partner, Jeb Boyd, revel in the loveliness of the unexpected.

Boyd used to tell Sterste, “People don’t understand. There’s so much beauty in Harrisburg.”

A few Midtown blocks away from Vivi, Julia Mallory opened Ten Oh! Six in 2024. Born and raised in Harrisburg, Mallory is a poet who, around 2020, dove into collage and painting.

“I needed another way to say the things that I needed to say,” she said. “I feel like visual art has allowed me that range to do so.”

She’s happy to explain her poetry, but art patrons are welcome to “make whatever you want of it as a viewer.” Ten Oh! Six displays collages inspired by a second reading of Toni Morrison’s “Song of Solomon,” and an exhibit titled “Generational Possibilities” of her acrylics, black swirls on bright backgrounds sliced by ribbons of color.

“I honestly think it is capturing something that defies our traditional use of language,” she said. “You can’t reduce it to a single understanding.”

Across the river, in revitalizing New Cumberland, Carlee Seele owns Moss Creek Art. Around 2008, she was a practicing dental hygienist who took a jewelry class when she couldn’t find a medallion she had in mind. Her dental instruments? Handy for carving details.

“I still use all my dental instruments,” she said, pointing to her small worktable behind the Moss Creek Art counter. “Of course, they are nonhygienic now, but I still use all of those things to do the precision work.”

As jewelry making and glass art consumed her home, her husband kindly suggested that she accept a friend’s offer of a building for rent. Moss Creek Art opened its doors in 2019.

Custom work kept the gallery open through COVID.

“We will scrap,” Seele said. “We will redesign. We will repair.”

Seele’s primary business line emerged from a customer’s request that her late husband’s ashes be incorporated into custom jewelry. A gallery corner displays wine glasses, walking sticks, beads and jewelry—all the ways that glass can be fused or kiln-fired to cradle the cremated ashes of pets or family members.

Working with the ashes of children “eats me up the most,” but Seele is “providing a service, a connection for people with their passed-on loved ones so they can carry them around, and it creates an emotional bond.”

Business of Artistry

Seele complements her work with curated pieces from skilled local artisans, for appeal to a wide variety of tastes. One woodworker infuses wood with flowing streams of color, while a woodturner creates meticulous segmented vases and pens.

A former patient of Seele’s started by making intricate boxes before adding hats adorned with hand-burned designs.

“I sell her hats all day long,” Seele said. “She’s one of our local artists. She’ll be here forever, hopefully.”

In the online retail age, local galleries win on their own turf, Seele said—at the spot where customers want pieces from the artists they meet.

“My tagline is, ‘A piece of me becomes you,’” she said. “You can go to any artist to get whatever, but you gravitate toward that person because of what they represent.”

Mallory established Ten Oh! Six for the display and teaching of art but maximized it as an open-concept space devoted to the needs of the community, “using creativity as a means of transformation.”

Workshops have immersed participants in collage, poetry and dealing with grief. Soul Salons exhibit the works and letters of two Black icons who share birthdays, such as poet Sonia Sanchez and Otis Redding (Sept. 9).

Art displays warm the former storefront into more than a multi-purpose room.

“People comment on the energy of the space,” she said. “They love the way that it looks in here. They love the so-called good vibes. It is very inviting.”

Creating visual art, writing poetry, managing a business, and earning a livelihood “is a lot,” Mallory admits. “Even balance requires movement. You just keep at it.”

A consumer who spends $50 on a box-store print could put the same money toward a local artist’s print, but artists also bear a responsibility for making their work accessible.

“We have to be engaging so people recognize the availability of the work,” Mallory said.

Sterste often gets the question, “How’s business?”

The answer: “I’m an artist. I do what I do. We create this space to share with people, to engage with people, to inspire people.”

Teach the Future

In 2022, Mallory held a program exposing teens to art-making and careers, “just to introduce them to the possibilities that exist in the creative trades,” she said. “I remember shipping my first originals to people and thinking, ‘Oh, my gosh, this is a whole thing. There’s a whole process.’”

Seele’s gallery blends high-caliber artists with “a little hub for helping out new artists,” from high school students to retirees getting out of their comfort zones. Knowledge of the business of art, such as buying supplies wholesale, must be passed on.

“AI is not going to make this stuff,” Seele said. “We have to push the craft and teach it to someone else. We have to teach the future.”

Sterste, a former teacher, tells young artists who visit her gallery, “You can do this. You can start saving your money.”

“Most of the stuff we create or they say now ‘repurposing’ or ‘recycling,’ we’ve been doing forever,” she said. “You can do collaboratives. You can get together. Share the rent.”

Creating Community

Asked how she juggles art, family and business, Seele laughed.

Her daughter helps around the house. Her husband, Phil Seele, is Mr. Fix-it for things like the kiln. Her mother, floral designer Sandy Osterlund, creates the gallery’s elegantly natural décor.

“We’re creating a little creative hub for people to come and experience small-town shopping and bringing the community together through events,” she said.

Mallory plans Kwanzaa celebrations and writing workshops as the year ends. She draws her energy from people who “have a different curiosity” and pop into Ten Oh! Six for book clubs, films, art, healing and “building the things you want to see in the world.”

“People are looking for outlets for things of a little different flavor than they might not get otherwise,” she said.

Sterste is accustomed to switching her brain from business to art. She quotes author Joseph Campbell: “Where you stumble, there lies your beauty.”

And she finds joy in her chosen location, there amid Midtown Harrisburg’s “dynamic, suffering, misfit group of really interesting people.”

“Wherever we go, whoever we meet,” she said, “there’s something if you keep open to it.”

Moss Creek Art, 315 Bridge St., New Cumberland. www.mosscreekart.com.

Ten Oh! Six, 1006 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg, www.tenohsixstudio.com. See Facebook for events.

Vivi on Verbeke, 258 Verbeke St., Harrisburg, Facebook.

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Fabric of Another Era: A son reflects on his mother’s legacy as a long-time Harrisburg shop owner

October 30, 2025 | by Ron Gottlieb

Lil Gottlieb & Ron Gottlieb

If you had the chance to step into Lil’s Dress Shop, you were stepping into a community built by my mother, Lil Gottlieb.

From the early 1960s to the 2000s, she ran one of the only women-owned businesses in the male-dominated Broad Street Market area of Harrisburg. This November, she would have turned 100.

Her children’s clothing store wasn’t just a place to buy a dress; it was a place of connection. Lil didn’t just sell clothes—she offered an extra pair of socks, a hair ribbon, a small gift (a tchotchke) and a warm hug. The selling space was small, no more than 700 square feet, and her business motto was simple and effective: “Stack it high and let it fly.”

In an era defined by a male-dominated business community, Lil thrived alongside neighbors like Greenberg’s, Irving’s Shoes, Bill’s 5&10 Furniture, the Army Navy Store, A.J. Lehrman and Sons, Joe the Motorist, Penn Photo and Alsedeks. These men, the owners of all the businesses beside Lil’s, were kind and generous to her, respecting her as a fellow business owner. You knew who you did business with, in those years.

When our father passed away far too early, my mother became a single parent, but her hard work never wavered. She built our future, putting my brother, Alan, and me through college without the need for a single student loan.

A master of connection, my mother was a human LinkedIn and Facebook who never touched a computer. I watched firsthand as she treated people from all backgrounds and socioeconomic statuses with equal respect. She was extraordinarily open-minded for the time period. These lessons have inspired my own life. which is why I have been drawn to service in nonprofit organizations for so many years.

I learned the meaning of hard work by helping her “schlepping” bolts of material as a young boy. When big box stores came along, they drove many small Midtown businesses into the suburbs. They, like e-commerce today, offered conveniences like parking or delivery, and promises of lower prices. However, they could never replace the value of community, hard work, and the personal touch that can only be built face-to-face in your own neighborhood.

That was the foundation of my mother’s business. I saw how she created a business based on trust and relationships—something big box stores and e-commerce could never replicate.

Her legacy is a reminder of all this.

Ron Gottlieb is a native of Uptown Harrisburg and a 1972 graduate of Susquehanna Township High School. He now lives in the Phoenix area.

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Blended Family: In Mechanicsburg, herbs and teas span generations

October 30, 2025 | by Alex J. Hayes

The Rosemary House

Herbs and teas bring people together in a post-Civil War-era building located in downtown Mechanicsburg.

Bertha Reppert opened The Rosemary House in 1968. She was a fifth-generation herbalist, dating back to a German herb doctor who worked in Poland. More than half a century later, her daughter continues the family tradition.

“My mother was pretty revolutionary or cutting edge,” Susanna Reppert Brill said. “Back then, people did not understand all of the different uses of herbs.”

At the time, Brill explained, Colonial-era crafts or potpourris were becoming popular as the bicentennial of America’s founding approached. Her mother chose a building on Market Street in Mechanicsburg for her business because it was close to the schools her children attended. Every day, after the last bell rang, Brill would sit at a small desk and absorb her mother’s knowledge.

She initially pursued a public policy degree at Penn State Capital Campus (now Penn State Harrisburg), but her love for plants returned her to the family business. She became the store’s manager in 1985 and owner in 1999.

“I enjoy the work and being entrenched in the town,” she said.

The Rosemary House hasn’t changed much in 57 years, Brill said. Teas and herbs line the walls, some in large buckets, others in tiny drawers. Brill keeps her stock focused on her core purpose and only expands to what she calls “herb-adjacent” items such as teapots, incense, mortars and pestles.

Anyone curious about the benefits of various teas and herbs, but completely clueless, doesn’t need to be nervous about walking into The Rosemary House. To help her customers understand medicinal benefits, Brill attended an herbal medicine course at David Winston’s Herbal Therapeutics School of Botanical Medicine. She also regularly reads related journals and attends conferences to learn from her peers.

The store’s name is a tribute to one of the oldest recorded herbs. Brill said it is also one of the most useful. Rosemary is used for cooking and medicine as well as added to cosmetics, insecticides and fragrances. In the language of flowers, rosemary is the symbol of remembrance and sacred to friendship—both cornerstones of The Rosemary House. The community atmosphere is one of Brill’s favorite aspects of the business.

“Some people remember coming in here with their mother and, now that mom has passed, they return for the memories,” she said.

The store hosts several events each year, including afternoon teas, herb classes and an annual “Fairy Festival” in September.

“Fairies are magical—they are something to believe in,” Brill said. “They are the little people who live at the bottom of the garden.”

The Fairy Festival is held in The Rosemary House’s gardens, a community gathering space. Anyone can visit the garden from dawn to dusk, even if the shop is closed. It serves as an oasis on a busy Mechanicsburg street where friends can enjoy conversation or people can quietly sit and ponder their thoughts or read a book. And if you forgot your book, there are plenty to choose from in The Rosemary House’s lending library.

The Rosemary House also has a website, but Brill is proud that most of her sales still come from customers visiting her shop. The website’s core purpose is to serve customers who have moved away, especially those who still want to purchase the store’s signature product, “Roastmary”—a blend of rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper. The combination can be used in a variety of dishes to, as Brill says, “dazzle your tongue and impress your friends.”

Brill’s longstanding family history in the herbal sphere continues to grow like the plants themselves. The seventh generation of the family, her son Cedar and daughter Angelica, are her official “herbalists in training.”

The Rosemary House is located at 120 S. Market St., Mechanicsburg. For more information, visit www.therosemaryhouse.com.

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Second Chance Strut: Peacock Alley Boutique offers quality consignment, crafts

October 30, 2025 | by Ashley Andyshak Hayes

Annette Heffelfinger-Bly and Robin Dooley

Annette Heffelfinger-Bly and Robin Dooley have been friends for more than 45 years.

The two women grew up together in New Cumberland and graduated from St. Theresa School, and while they both live outside the borough now, their ties to their hometown remain strong.

So, when they decided to open their consignment shop and boutique, they knew they wanted to do it in New Cumberland.

Peacock Alley Boutique and Collective, located on Bridge Street, is part of the ongoing revitalization of downtown New Cumberland. The name comes from Annette’s love of peacock—she even had a peacock-themed wedding—and the vibrant blue, green and purple hues found in a peacock’s plumage can be found throughout the shop’s decor.

While both women have full-time jobs outside of the boutique, their passion for their small business venture is evident. They describe the boutique as “a reflection of our friendship, our love for sustainable fashion, and our belief that every piece deserves a second chance to shine.”

“We love consignment,” Annette said. “It’s affordable, and I love looking in every nook and cranny and finding the surprise buy.”

Robin said opening the boutique with her best friend was a “no-brainer.”

“We love our hometown, we have so many memories here, and we hope to make more with all our customers whom we adore and are so thankful for,” she said.

Peacock Alley initially opened in May 2024 in a small suite near Wild Rabbit Pies & Pints, offering a handpicked selection of pre-loved clothing, shoes, handbags and accessories.

“We knew it would be hard for people to see us,” Annette said, so they relied on social media, word of mouth, and the support of other small businesses in town to help drive customers to their boutique.

When their current storefront at 303 and 305A Bridge St. became available, the timing was perfect for them to expand, Annette said.

Since moving into their current space, the boutique has become more than a consignment store. Along with their regular inventory, the shop offers space for a variety of local crafters to showcase their work. Shoppers can find everything from locally made fragrances and cosmetics to jewelry, floral arrangements, candles and much more. Peacock Alley is open to featuring any kind of local craft vendor as long as shelf space is available, Annette said.

“We’re doing all we can to be a one-stop shop for the community and anyone else who happens to come through town,” she said. “We’re always changing, always pivoting.”

Annette and Robin are both business owners and patrons. They often support the consigners and craft vendors featured in the store when buying for themselves or others.

“We shop our shop,” Annette said. “We call this our happy place.”

The boutique is currently open on weekends, but the owners hope that will change as downtown New Cumberland continues to grow.

“We would love for all of the shops down here to be open six or seven days a week,” Annette said. “We hope that it gets to that point for all of us.”

Peacock Alley Boutique and Collective is located at 303 and 305A Bridge St., New Cumberland. The boutique is open Fridays from 2 to 6 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m., as well as during New Cumberland’s Second Thursday events. For more information, visit www.thepeacockalleyboutique.com or “Peacock Alley Boutique” on Facebook.

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Music Capital: A new venue, a major renovation bring live music back in a big way to downtown Harrisburg

October 30, 2025 | by Skye Cadzow

The Emo Night Tour

When I arrived at Capital City Music Hall in late September, owner Justin Browning was drilling into the equipment stand in the center of the first floor, helping about 20 crew members with renovation work.

The room was covered in sawdust and machinery, and it was obvious to see that the folks inside had been busy making huge changes to the look and feel of the landmark downtown Harrisburg building.

For folks familiar with the building’s former life as the Federal Taphouse restaurant, the exterior hasn’t changed much, but visitors will immediately observe a wildly different look inside, which Browning cited as the biggest renovation job his company has ever done. Head of Operations Michael McPhillips said the team emptied more than 30,000 tons of debris into about 20 dumpsters over the last six months to prepare for the overhaul of the music venue.

To one’s right, the bar area largely looks the same. Then, when you enter the center of what’s being called the “Main Room” to seek out a good vantage point for a show, the expanse of the space is impossible to ignore, especially since the second floor has been opened up to create a wraparound mezzanine view for shows. The building’s height and old-fashioned windows on either side of the bar give the room a sanctuary vibe and draw attention to the massive stage.

The stage matches the room in magnitude, boasting one of the largest tech and lighting systems in the area, with a giant screen behind it.

“It’s the most updated tech in a venue in Harrisburg,” said McPhillips, who gives much of the credit for the stage and sound system to Hershey AV Solutions. “Just to see it in action is going to be really cool.”

This venue will have a much broader range of acts than Lovedrafts Brewing Co. did at its former location in Mechanicsburg, Browning said.

“This is drastically different,” he said. “We’re going to have all genres available, and some comedy nights, and vendor events.”

The former, west shore space was known for its punk, metal and hardcore acts, and those bands will still be featured, but the types of music will be expanded, “so we can have a fuller calendar,” Browning said.

He added that staff members from the brewery have remained within the company’s other bars and restaurants, which include JB Lovedraft’s MicroPub, Sawyer’s, Nocturnal and now, Capital City Music Hall, all located on the same block in downtown Harrisburg.

Blood, Sweat & Tears

The venue is meant to be an all-ages space, said Vice President Joshua Stambaugh, though that remains dependent on the show.

“It’s been exciting to see the calendar filling up with bands who we’re excited to see live,” he said.

In addition to the main stage, the renovation includes a more intimate listening room on the lower level, outfitted with the stage and equipment that used to be at Lovedraft’s Brewing Company.

“We’d like to use the space for smaller shows and showcase local artists there,” Browning said.

There are also new bathrooms and upgraded elevators. Behind the scenes, bands and crew will find a production office, a talent kitchenette and three green rooms.

Browning pointed out that, while many features in the building are new, the team tried to reuse whatever they could responsibly repurpose, such as some furniture pieces from the building’s past, when it housed SpyClub, and later, Dragonfly, before evolving into Federal Taphouse.

Browning, along with business partner Craig Dunkle, has spent the past few years championing the revitalization of Restaurant Row along 2nd Street, with an emphasis on breathing fresh life into beloved spaces along the 200-block.

“We’ve had a lot of support,” Browning said of the other downtown business owners, many of whom wrote letters endorsing the venture for city approvals.

There are advantages to the operational side of running a concert venue as opposed to the other restaurants and spaces the team has run previously, as the space is only open for scheduled events.

“It’s so much easier booking music outside of brewing, distilling and operating a restaurant,” Browning said.

However, light fare will be offered. Browning said the kitchen has pizza, hot dogs, nachos, popcorn and soft pretzels for folks who need a bite, though he hopes most attendees will choose to dine at other downtown eateries while in town.

The new venue faces its fair share of challenges, of course. For one, the entertainment landscape—and ticketing habits—have dramatically changed since JB Lovedraft’s MicroPub first started booking music nearly a decade ago.

“With a new venue, people are super hesitant to buy tickets, so we’re really seeing a lack of pre-sale. We’re getting a lot more walk-up sales,” McPhillips said. “That said, this is less confusing for customers since the focus is on one singular thing, which helps us, and everyone else.”

When I headed back to Capital City Music Hall a week later, there weren’t any signs of drills and sawdust. Instead, the Emo Night Tour headlined a DJ set at the venue’s opening night, where some 400 people danced to emo and pop-punk hits, filling the room with voices singing along to Fall Out Boy, The Killers and My Chemical Romance.

Opening night was declared a success.

“There’s been a lot of blood, sweat and tears going into this, and I’m super happy to see it come to fruition,” McPhillips said.

Capital City Music Hall is located at 234 N. 2nd St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.capcitymusichall.com.

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Italian Style: The Scotto family owns several popular restaurants, with more in store

October 30, 2025 | by Stephanie Kalina-Metzger

Photo courtesy of Luna Italian Cuisine

The Scotto family’s roots run deep in Harrisburg’s restaurant scene.

The patriarch, Giovanni, has owned several area Italian restaurants, including Tuscano in Swatara Township, Two Brothers Pizza in Strawberry Square and Papa Joe’s on Tecport Drive, according to his daughter, Rossella.

Then, in 2023, the family, which hails from Naples, Italy, opened Luna Italian Cuisine in Mechanicsburg’s Legacy Park. They figured a restaurant in a high-traffic area was almost a no-brainer.

“We saw the apartments going up and little shops opening and decided that it was a great location for people to walk to,” Rossella said.

Earlier this year, those roots dug even deeper. The family took over Visaggio’s Ristorante, a west shore favorite that had been in business on Wertzville Road for over four decades.

When the long-time owners retired, the Scotto family decided it was time to expand their business and wrap Visaggio’s into their portfolio of restaurants.

“We kept the name out of respect for the family,” Rossella said.

The new restaurant not only offered another location, but much more room for catering and events.

“We had to turn down the larger parties due to lack of space, so when we heard that Visaggio’s was available, we purchased it and opened it up under Luna Management,” Rossella said. “There’s a big ballroom in the rear, and it is currently fully booked for Christmas parties.”

On the Menu

Head Chef Antonio Coppola, also from Naples, heads up the kitchen, executing the creations customers enjoy today, such as the “Amalfi Coast,” a dish comprised of shrimp, scallops and broccoli served over linguini with a limoncello sauce.

The reunion between the Scottos and Chef Tony was a serendipitous one.

“Chef Tony created some of his dishes in Italy, before coming to the United States and working in kitchens in North Carolina and Florida,” Rossella said. “They were close friends as teenagers back in Italy, and they found each other years later in Pennsylvania.”

The house signature dish, “Ragu Napolitano,” is a guest favorite, crafted with veal, sausage, ground beef and filet mignon slow simmered in a rich red sauce, served on pappardelle pasta and topped with fresh mozzarella.

Dollie Neuhart and her husband Ed are regulars at Luna and said that there’s little on the menu that they don’t enjoy.

“We live close by and have tried a variety of dishes,” Dollie said. “Their meat sauce is wonderful and so are the limoncello martinis.”

Rossella added that people love the limoncello, a Neapolitan specialty, created in house and the cocktail options, which rotate seasonally.

The Neuharts approve wholeheartedly of the expansion.

“We thought that taking over Visaggio’s was a great idea,” Dollie said. “Sunday brunch is lovely, with a wide variety of dishes.”

Those dishes include “Eggs in Purgatory,” a rustic Italian comfort dish comprised of eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce, which is her husband’s favorite.

Chris Moulton of Mechanicsburg recently brought his business group, “Around the Wagon Wheel,” to Luna. He said the entire party had an enjoyable time and praised the service and his choice of “Pappardelle alla Bolognese.”

The Scotto family is already looking ahead to their next expansion. They plan to open at Susquehanna Union Green, a mixed-use development in Susquehanna Township at the corner of Progress Avenue and Linglestown Road.

“We’re slated to open the beginning of the new year, if all goes well,” Rossella said.

They’ll be filling a niche in that market, she added.

“The Linglestown area lacks an Italian fine-dining restaurant and, this way, we’ll be on both shores,” she said. “So, we’re really looking forward to that.”

Luna Italian Cuisine is located at 100 Legacy Park Dr., #102, Mechanicsburg. For more information, visit www.lunaitalian.com.

Visaggio’s Ristorante is located at 6990 Wertzville Rd., Enola. For more information, visit www.visaggiosristorante.com.
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Navigating Together: Local groups bring the village to single parents in search of support, but more are needed

October 30, 2025 | by Gina Napoli

For the past six years, Rachel Young* has been a single parent to her 11-year-old daughter Astrid.*

Becoming a single parent wasn’t on her bingo card. But now that she finds herself here, parenting Astrid has been a rewarding experience, motivating her to “grow better, do better.”

“There is no parenting manual,” Rachel said. “It can be hard to feel confident that I’m making the right decisions on things like rules and consequences, teaching the long-term lessons vs. short term complaints or frustrations.”

When you’re flying solo, you can make unilateral decisions. But without another parent to bounce ideas off, how do you know you’re making the right ones?

Rachel is fortunate to have family support, especially from her mother, her mentor and sounding board. Because Rachel started her parenting journey later than most, she not only had time to enjoy her younger years and build her finances, but she also developed seasoning that cultivates emotional intelligence. And she sports that bootstrap resiliency that characterizes DIY Gen-Xers.

The Youngs are somewhat of a success story. With a solid upbringing, omnipresent community surrounding them, and a well-adjusted philosophy when marriage and fatherhood didn’t follow Plan A, the Youngs are living their best lives.

Other single parents in Harrisburg aren’t as supported. With overwhelming responsibilities and fewer social ties, single parents are statistically more vulnerable to issues with finances, mental health, homelessness, education and domestic abuse. If single parents have no family backing, they must find chosen family and build community.

Full Potential

If you tend to live more in the virtual world, online support groups exist for those with a closet full of sweatpants. National programs, while offering financial and emotional assistance, can feel removed and impersonal. But if quarantining has taught us anything, there’s no substitute for meeting in person. Potlucks, hugs, even just being in the same room raises endorphins.

The Harrisburg area is somewhat wanting for in-person resources that focus on assisting single parents. So build community, we must.

Specifically, two startup organizations focused on single parents have been rooting themselves in the area.

For young men, the fathering.me organization provides mentorship and parenting support to young men involved with unplanned pregnancies.

“This service is designed to help new fathers reach their full potential,” said Grant Elledge, CEO of fathering.me.

Statistically, the bigger picture of father absence shows that young fathers tend to leave a child during the toddler years, leaving 25% of children without a father figure. Tapping into a clear need for community parental support, fathering.me intends to bridge that gap to keep fathers connected.

Using lessons learned, best practices, core stakeholders and a training program, fathering.me pairs young men with mentors, with both men investing at least 90 minutes per week for a year. Elledge describes the relationships as intense, focused and formal.

“It takes time for any relationship to gel, and as trust builds, I’ve seen many friendships extending beyond the year commitment,” Elledge said.

The needs are highly individualized, providing practical support for employment, money management, locating pro bono legal help, navigating relationship issues, or just listening.

“Both men receive so much from their relationship,” Elledge said. “Dads have been generous in their gratitude, and mentors develop empathy and sympathy.”

Support System

Much like fathering.me, Second Grace functions as a mentorship relationship model, pairing young women aged 18 to 25 with more seasoned women with similar backgrounds and experiences.

Callie Tomblin, Second Grace’s program coordinator, looks for versatile mentors to serve as Jills-of-all-trades. Practical support ranges from resume writing, chauffeuring, childcare or just listening.

Requiring 6 to 10 hours per month, the pairs meet one-on-one, then also monthly to leverage larger community support. Second Grace packs those meetings with learning opportunities, with speakers on critical topics like budgeting, pregnancy and sex trafficking.

Second Grace and fathering.me each had a single founder who saw a gap in community services. Both programs fill a need within the community, picking up when young people age out of foster care and other children’s services.

“If I became homeless tomorrow, I could stay with 10 different people,” Tomblin said. “These women don’t have that type of support system. Second Grace helps to meet that need.”

Elledge and Tomblin both echo the need for single parent support services in Harrisburg, citing “a vacuum of services,” Elledge said. “Resources for parents are nearly non-existent. Add to that, it’s challenging for young parents to find time to commit to a mentoring relationship.”

Studies cited by fathering.me show that spending just 90 minutes a week with other single parents can help improve quality of life. It’s especially helpful if the group is free, provides relevant education, and offers child care. If you can’t find a group, consider starting your own. Find other single parents through your church, library, hospital, YMCA/YWCA or on meetup.com.

“Stepping away from parenting responsibilities is difficult, whether you’re solo or partnered,” Rachel said.

Much like her own childhood, she’s enjoying random, fun moments with Astrid, even putting parts of herself on the backburner for now.

“I just assume I’ll have me-time again as [Astrid] naturally has more activities with school and friends rather than with me,” she said.

Rachel’s best advice on single parenting? “Life is long, but childhood is short. Don’t forget to have fun with your kids, too.”

*Name changed for privacy

Parental Resources

Looking for single parenting resources? Find a few online sources, below.

Fathering.me: www.fathering.me

Second Grace: www.secondgrace.org

SingleMom.com: www.singlemom.com/pennsylvania-assistance

Single Mom Assistance: www.singlemomassistance.org

Anna Grace Foundation: www.annagrace.foundation

Compassion Can’t Wait: www.compassioncantwait.org

PA Child Support Program: www.humanservices.dhs.pa.gov/CSWS

Emergency Assistance: 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453)

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Adventure Together: Take a trip to Indian Echo Caverns for educational fun—and help your winged neighbors

October 30, 2025 | by Natalie diSanto

Indian Echo Caverns

Have you ever heard of the “Pennsylvania Hermit?” I hadn’t either until visiting the cave system tucked away in Hummelstown. Though the hermit’s story has a sad start, I can’t say that living in a beautiful, glistening, climate-controlled underground wonderland seems like such a bad idea. With holidays coming up, we all may be looking for somewhere to hide, but maybe seek a place with comfier furnishings.

Explore, Play

A geological wonder, Indian Echo Caverns are cut from limestone estimated to be 440 million years old. The tours combine education and storytelling in a reasonable timeframe for all ages, just 45 minutes. To access the cavern, you must descend 71 stairs and be prepared to ascend them on the way back. Heads up—accessibility is lacking at the facility, so keep that in mind when planning a trip. Indian Echo Caverns offers video recordings of the cave tour upon request.

If you’d rather not hang out a mile below ground, there’s a slew of fun and free family activities topside. Entering the grounds gives off autumn wonderland vibes with a winding driveway lined by a corridor of massive trees. What caught my 7-year-old’s eye is the playground that was swarming with children on a crisp Saturday afternoon. There’s a giant upcycled metal spider with a body made from a propane tank and eight angled legs for climbing. Ask your kid(s) what type of metal objects you have at home that could be turned into animals. We brainstormed the possibility of a heron with clothes hangers for wings and a patio table turtle.

The Indian Echo Caverns park has swings of various lengths to accommodate different ages and heights. There’s also a rock-climbing wall and some open space to play tag amongst the trees. Right next to the playground is a covered picnic area that is available for reservation. During our trip, a family hosted a birthday party and even had Jojo’s Pizza delivered. If you don’t know, Jojo’s is a Hummelstown staple, with their shop located right on the square.

Once you’re done with the playground, check out the free petting zoo. The grounds are home to pet-able llamas and goats, with a vending machine where you can pay 50 cents to feed them. There is also a peacock, an albino peacock and chickens, but they are behind a fence.

Going Batty

While at Indian Echo Caverns, take time to learn about the resurgence of the Northeastern Little Brown Bat. Nationwide, bat colonies were nearly eradicated by white nose syndrome, a bacteria that spread quickly and was deadly to the flying mammals. Bats are critical to our ecosystems for many reasons, but my favorite is that they can eat thousands of mosquitos per night.

You can help bats by building roosting boxes and hanging them on trees or in woods near your home. The National Wildlife Federation has a wonderful tutorial page on their website. You can also choose to use a kit or create a batty masterpiece yourself. A typical bat house is 24 inches tall by 16 inches wide. You’ll need a hammer and nails, so check out the Habitat for Humanity Restore on Paxton Street for affordable building supplies. The Restore accepts volunteers as young as 16, providing a hands-on way for older kids to gain skills and make an impact.

Once your bat house is complete, decorate it with paint to welcome the bats home. Hang your bat house away from nighttime lights, at least 10 feet above the ground, in a location that faces either east or south. Bats love to fly near forests and water, so if you install your bat house near either of these things, you may find your flying, furry friends more quickly.

Around Town

Post-tour and after the afternoon excitement, we were ready for lunch. Rubber Soul Brewing is only a half mile from the cave grounds, and I personally love anywhere that serves both adult beverages and has a kid’s menu. They also have a splendid outdoor seating area that offers much needed Vitamin D after being underground.

On a beautiful fall day, a visit to Hummelstown may be just the thing your family needs. In addition to everything covered here, they have a fantastic public library, an epic toy store and tons of parks, like the Herbert A Schaffner Park located just across the street from Rubber Soul Brewing.

This month is one of gratitude and gifts can come in all shapes and sizes, like sitting in sunlight after darkness, finding small ways to help our fragile ecosystems, or having a bustling community to call home. May you and your family have full hands and hearts.

To learn more about Indian Echo Caverns, visit www.indianechocaverns.com.

To explore the National Wildlife Federation’s bat house tutorial, visit www.nwf.org/Native-Plant-Habitats/Plant-Native/Habitat-Essentials/Build-a-Bat-House.

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