The Cat Saver: A Lebanon sanctuary has attracted a global following.

June 28, 2019 | by Hanna Martin

Kelly Shutter with Mariah

Kelly Shutter shares her Lebanon home with her husband, her son and her 122 cats.

Shutter’s home, dubbed the 809th Armpurred Cattalion, is a sanctuary for cats that otherwise would have been euthanized, such as special needs cats and those on death row in shelters.

Shutter never intended to care for so many cats. People started bringing the animals to her once word got out that she would take in otherwise unwanted felines.

“Next thing I know, every day I’m getting calls,” Shutter recalled. “If I say yes, they live; if I say no, they die. So, I just kept saying yes, and next thing I know, we were up to 220 cats. I was just completely overwhelmed.”

That’s because Shutter does not rely on donations or volunteers to run her sanctuary. Instead, she cares for the cats herself, including seven with special needs and around 30 that are feral.

She doesn’t blame the shelters, though.

“I understand if you have 20 cats come in one day and you have five cages, you can’t pick a cat [with a disability] like this,” Shutter said. “You have to pick and choose. I would never ever want to be in that position where you have to choose who lives and who dies.”

One Big Family

Shutter has always loved cats. She grew up playing outside with about 40 cats on her childhood farm, so it became normal for her to have a multitude of cats around.

“People just don’t realize, saying, ‘There’s just no way you can take care of them all,’” Shutter said. “But they don’t know me. Every moment is spent taking care of them. You just have to use your time wisely.”

Despite rescuing so many cats, Shutter remembers every cat’s name, condition and where they are from. She receives cats from all over the United States, including from New York, North Carolina and Florida.

“You see a big pile of cats but there’s no fighting [here],” Shutter said. “It’s just one big colony, one big family. They’re family.”

The cats arrive to Shutter’s home through a nationwide volunteer pet transportation system. Volunteers drive for a short time with a rescued animal before passing the pet off to another person, who will pass it off again until it arrives at its new home.

Shutter has made many sacrifices to care for her furry family. Her living room no longer has a couch nor items on the shelves. Instead, there is only a TV playing soft music for the cats.

Finances can also be tough. She spends about $400 every two weeks for food, as the cats eat about 32 pounds of food and drink about 10 gallons of water a day. She also has 20 litter boxes. Still, Shutter is sometimes criticized for caring for so many cats.

“It makes me sad because people don’t know how hard I work and what I sacrifice,” Shutter said. “We can’t just go away for a weekend. Nobody could take care of them. That’s our sacrifice. And it’s $1,000 a month just for food and litter. But we made a commitment, and they’re alive because of us.”

Worth It

Beyond rescuing cats in need, Shutter has a greater mission to educate the public on pets with disabilities. She does this by taking some of her special needs cats to local events. One such cat, internet-sensation Freddy, had cerebellar hypoplasia, the feline form of cerebral palsy.

Freddy rode around in a stroller, donned in outfits fit for the occasion. When Shutter started her Facebook page for the cats, Freddy quickly became an online celebrity. However, he started simply as Shutter’s emotional support pet.

The two became inseparable. Before, Shutter would not leave the house for two weeks at a time, but Freddy wanted to go outside and explore.

When he suddenly passed away from feline infectious peritonitis in January, a disease that causes a high fever and sometimes fluid in the chest and abdomen, Shutter was flooded with words of support and donations from strangers all over the world.

“I had no idea the impact he had on people. I mean, a little black cat in clothes, and he brought the world to its knees when he got sick.”

Now, Mariah takes Freddy’s place in educating the public on special needs cats. Mariah, sent to Shutter from Florida, cannot walk, so she rides around in Freddy’s old stroller. Although the neurologists are not sure why she is paralyzed, Mariah is a spunky, healthy cat, often wearing baby clothes when she goes out with Shutter. Like Freddy, she is known worldwide. She even had a fan in Singapore pay for some of her medical expenses.

Shutter says that she will continue Freddy’s mission through Mariah.

“People aren’t aware that cats can get cerebral palsy,” Shutter said. “A lot of times these cats are just kept away. We just want to bring them out and show people that cats have disorders. They deserve the right to live just as humans with disorders do. They’re just as special and just as loving.”

Shutter said that, although it can be challenging to have so many cats, it’s worth it.

“I always had a dream to open a cat sanctuary, and then it just happened,” Shutter said. “How often do your dreams come true without even trying?”

See the cats on Shutter’s Facebook Page @809th Armpurred Cattalion.

Gimme Shelter: What’s the best way for Harrisburg to address its housing shortage?

June 28, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Illustration by Rich Hauck.

If you want to get a beat on Harrisburg’s problematic housing situation, listening to Ahmad Ibrahim would be a good place to start.

The South Allison Hill resident not only owns his own house, but he leases out several others, all in his neighborhood, where renting, not owning, is the general rule.

To add to his bona fides: Ibrahim’s graduate class at Penn State Harrisburg recently authored a paper called “An Exploratory Study of U.S. Capital Cities’ Affordable Housing Policies”—and presented their results, twice, to City Council.

That’s why I paid special attention when Ibrahim leapt up from his chair during a special council meeting back in May dedicated to a single topic—affordable housing in Harrisburg. The issue that so motivated Ibrahim was inclusionary zoning, and he had something to say about it.

Ibrahim stated that he isn’t necessarily opposed to inclusionary zoning—the requirement that developers set aside a certain number of new units for low- and moderate-income people. He just thinks that Harrisburg’s policy-makers are mistaken if they believe that inclusionary zoning will do much to solve the city’s affordable housing problem.

“Inclusionary zoning is a very good idea to fix a problem that Harrisburg doesn’t have,” he said.

Why might this be?

Harrisburg’s problem isn’t really that developers refuse to build lower-income housing. It’s that there’s hardly any development at all, at any price point. So, there are nearly no apartments to “set aside.” In short, the city suffers from a severe supply problem that isn’t being remedied.

Drop in the Bucket

Currently, the only substantial projects in Harrisburg are two office-to-apartment conversions next door to one another downtown on Pine Street, which together will add 72 rental units when they’re done early next year.

In American cities, inclusionary zoning set-aside requirements vary, but typically mandate that 10 to 15 percent of total units be “affordable,” assuming the project exceeds a certain number of units in total (for instance, at least 20 units).

Therefore, if it were subject to set-asides, the Pine Street project would have yielded seven to 10 affordable units, apartments priced maybe a couple of hundred dollars lower than the going market rate. (This assume that, following a feasibility study, the project would be subject to any set-asides at all.)

Unfortunately, that’s a drop in the bucket compared to the city’s need. According to last year’s Harrisburg housing study, hundreds of new units are needed right now, with the shortage expected to get much worse over the coming years.

Now, those seven to 10 units might mean something if Harrisburg were littered with cranes, with builders throwing up apartments to meet the city’s shortage. But that’s not the case.

Right now, Harristown—the developer of those Pine Street properties—is the only builder in the entire city doing new, market-rate projects on any scale. And it’s only here because its stated mission, since the 1970s, is the redevelopment of downtown Harrisburg. That’s why it was formed, and that’s why it’s willing to take risks that other developers can’t or won’t take.

There is, literally, no other developer with a substantial, market-rate residential project actively in progress. I’m not exactly certain why that is. Maybe builders have not yet “discovered” Harrisburg or perhaps they don’t see a reasonable return on investment or maybe their prospects are better elsewhere.

Whatever the reason, market-rate developers continue to avoid the city.

More Supply

Harrisburg, though, does have another, and, I believe, more promising path forward, which also came up during that City Council meeting. According to last year’s housing study, the city has some 4,000 vacant buildings located in every part of the city.

In addition, many other buildings are blighted and barely habitable, and there are countless empty lots that could be developed.

To cite just one example, S&A Custom Built Homes owns, by my count, 58 empty lots in its so-called MarketPlace development, a profoundly well-located townhome neighborhood just north of the Broad Street Market.

In 2005, the Harrisburg Redevelopment Authority sold those lots to S&A for $1 apiece. That’s right: a buck. In exchange, S&A promised to develop those units over the course of a decade—and that was 14 years ago. It started the project then stopped and hasn’t built a new house there in years, which actually may jeopardize its agreement with the authority.

In my view, Harrisburg would be better served putting its time and effort doing everything possible to increase supply—convincing developers that already own vacant land to build on it, putting blighted and abandoned buildings back into productive use and encouraging homeownership, which, in Harrisburg, can be substantially cheaper than renting and, all in all, is better for the city.

“We need to help people own the houses, more homeowners versus rentals,” Ibrahim said. “That’s what I’m trying to say.”

Coincidentally, at that same meeting, council members heard from officials of the Lancaster Housing Opportunity Partnership, which offers loans to both builders and homeowners for fair and affordable housing. It would like to do more business in Harrisburg.

The city needs more housing “at every price point,” stated COO Shelby Nauman.

“We’re hoping, if we get more housing, things will come back into balance,” she said.

I agree.

Inclusionary zoning might, at some point, serve Harrisburg well, but that time has not come and is not near.

Sure, the city could pass an inclusionary zoning ordinance and sit and wait for development to occur. But, as they say in economics, hope is not a strategy.

Meanwhile, the city is littered with abandoned buildings, blighted properties, empty lots and rundown rentals that could be improved and owned. Focusing powerfully on these prospects would be a far more promising path to more housing in Harrisburg, which, in turn, would create a more livable, stable city.

Lawrance Binda is editor-in-chief of TheBurg.

Back to Business: From donuts to tequila, Harrisburg businesses continue to grow, change.

June 28, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

So much has been happening business-wise around Harrisburg recently that it’s been hard to keep up. Therefore, we decided to stop by a few places around town to find out what they’ve been up to.

The Vegetable Hunter
614 N. 2nd St., Harrisburg
717-695-6229
www.thevegetablehunter.com

The Vegetable Hunter (former Crave & Co.) has been around for several years now, serving some of the tastiest vegetarian fare around, then adding a small-batch brewery. Now, owners Kristen Messner-Baker and John Baker have renovated and opened their second floor, which they call “Upstairs at the Vegetable Hunter” (pictured). In this new space, they feature a small plate vegan menu, in addition to their selection of craft beer and cocktails.

Tiki T’s Mini Donuts & More
221 N. 2nd St., Harrisburg
717-340-0025
www.tikitsminidonuts.com

You could call Tiki T’s a hole in the wall—and you’d be spot on. After starting as a vendor in Saturday’s Market in Middletown, owner Will Horn recently opened his first brick-and-mortar store on the ground floor of the recently renovated downtown apartment building, the Bogg on Cranberry. At Tiki T’s, customers order through a take-out window (the aforementioned hole in the wall) and stroll away with a bag or bucket of tiny donuts, in a variety of flavors. Horn said that the line can get long when the downtown bars close up and disgorge their late-night, weekend crowds, which really isn’t surprising at all.

Taste Agave Tequila & Taco Bar
31 N. 2nd St., Harrisburg
717-681-3000
www.tasteagave.com

Club and restaurant owner Ron Kamionka likes to shake things up. At his numerous downtown Harrisburg venues, he’s always weighing new concepts, tearing down and building back up again. So, just in time for Cinco de Mayo this year, it was out with 205 Speakeasy nightclub and in with Taste Agave restaurant, capitalizing on the current tequila craze. But don’t wait too long to visit. Kamionka plans to change restaurant concepts in the building several times a year, which might be the perfect approach for a guy who thrives on trying new things and giving customers novel experiences.

Sweet 717
Broad Street Market
1233 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
www.sweet717.com

Four years ago, Jessica Kost opened fudge-o-lutely, offering a line of rich confections based on her family’s tried-and-true fudge recipes. She’s now expanded and rebranded, adding items like vegan gummies, organic edible cookie dough and “stuff cups,” a taste experience far beyond your traditional peanut-butter cup. Kost said that customer tastes drove the expansion and, since she now offers a variety of sweets, the name had to change. Chocolate-lovers, though, shouldn’t fear, as Kost still offers a full line of her popular homemade fudge and other items, like fluffs, which she’s added over the years.

Mostly Toasted
Broad Street Market
1233 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
Facebook: Mostly Toasted

Mother/daughter duo Sally and Jewel Shanahan last month opened Mostly Toasted, the latest addition to the Broad Street Market’s large and growing number of food vendors. From the back of the brick building, they cook up a wide variety of gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches with such names as the “Bold and Beautiful” (cheddar, steak, onions, asparagus) and the “Johnny Appleseed” (Havarti, bacon, Granny Smith apples). According to Sally, all of their ingredients are locally sourced, with the cheese originating from grass-fed PA cows. Yup, the grilled cheese sandwich has moved far out of the grammar school cafeteria—it’s all grown up and ready for a taste.

Musical Notes: Fests & Folkies

June 28, 2019 | by Kait Gibboney

Summer’s in full swing, and we’re slinging some sizzling shows. It’s the time of year for outdoor events of all kinds, and Harrisburg’s got a ton to choose from this month.

Check out the Lower Paxton Summer Movie & Concert Series going on all summer, featuring two shows this month by The Jellybricks Beatles Tribute and Razing Kane and Howard & the Islanders.

For some festive fun on July 4, don’t miss Harrisburg’s Independence Day celebration, featuring fireworks by Tripwire Pyrotechnics launching from City Island beach. Dauphin County’s 8th Annual Brewfest kicks off at Fort Hunter on July 20 for a day of socializing and sampling over 50 craft beers. Back in the city, SoMa hosts its block party on July 25 featuring local beer, food, and live music in one of Harrisburg’s hottest downtown destinations. Near the end of the month, on July 27, get ready to proudly wave your rainbow flags and don your most colorful outfits for Pride Fest of Central PA at the Soldier’s Grove Park in the Capitol Complex.

With concerts going on at Reservoir Park and Italian Lake, there’s music everywhere you turn in Harrisburg. Always here with your entertainment hookup, here are some more shows I think y’all might enjoy.

CITIZEN COPE, 7/12, 7PM, XL LIVE, $31
Harrisburg’s building a reputation for memorable and prolific shows, and the music scene continues to grow every month. This month, XL Live keeps rolling out the big name artists, and Citizen Cope is no exception. With the help of WXPN, Clarence Greenwood brings his unique American songwriting sensibilities for an evening of bluesy folksy rock. Starting off his musical career as the DJ for the DC Hip Hop group Basehead, he was signed with DreamWorks under the name Citizen Cope in 2002. This past March, he released his first album in six years, titled “Heroin and Helicopters” on his own label, RainWater. Billboard magazine even got a chance to listen to the album, and called it “personal and poignant.” This is shaping up to be yet another hot show you don’t want to miss at XL.

STEVE FORBERT, 7/16, 7PM, NOTE BISTRO & WINEBAR, $25
Note is known around here for their relaxing atmosphere and amazing food, but did you know they also feature some sweet music? Their concert series now welcomes one of the biggest names in troubadour folk to their neighborhood stage: Steve Forbert. Bringing his pop-rock style to audiences since 1978, Forbert has built a strong career for himself that continues to this day. He’s had several singles like “Romeo’s Tune,” his album “Jack Rabbit Slim” hit certified gold status, and his 2003 album, “Any Old Time,” was Grammy-nominated for Best Traditional Folk. If that’s not enough to get you into his audience, he recently released his memoir, “Big City Cat: My Life In Folk Rock,” to accompany his 19th studio album release, “The Magic Tree.” Experience some of his 40-year career and see for yourself what the folk fuss is all about.

SUSQUEHANNA FOLK FESTIVAL, 7/26-28, ROUNDTOP MOUNTAIN RESORT, LEWISBERRY, TICKETS ONLINE
I’ve saved the best for last, as the second annual Susquehanna Folk Festival makes it way through our area to captivate audiences once more. Hosted at Roundtop Mountain Resort, it’s only a short drive from HBG to Lewisberry for some of the best folk you’ll experience all year. Heavy hitters are gracing the stages this year, with Grammy-award winning Cajun band BeauSoleil, Irish American group Cherish the Ladies, and award-winning fiddler Jeremy Kittel and his band, Kittel and Co., to name just a taste of the offerings. If you want more of a festival experience, check out their dance hall to try some swing and other steps, plenty of workshops for instrumentalists, an artisan marketplace, family friendly activities, and so much more. This event is sponsored by the Susquehanna Folk Music Society and will be emceed by WXPN’s own Ian Zolitor. Check out their website for full information and ticket pricing for an unforgettable weekend of folk.

Mentionables:

Hellzapoppin Circus Sideshow, July 2, H*MAC;

Brandon Reece, July 7, Spring Gate Vineyard;

Switch Fu, July 7, Italian Lake;

The Jellybricks Beatles Tribute, July 12, Heroes Grove Ampitheatre;

Ron Holloway Band, July 12, The Abbey Bar;

IATT, July 13, J.B. Lovedraft’s;

Jantsen, July 13, H*MAC;

Razing Kane and Howard & the Islanders, July 19, Heroes Grove Amphitheatre;

Halloween in July, July 27, River City;

Robert Randolph & the Family Band, July 28, Whitaker Center

We Have Liftoff: Valley Youth House helps launch foster children into adulthood.

June 28, 2019 | by Susan Ryder

Marsha Washington described why, at the age of 18, she decided to close her case with Dauphin County Children and Youth.

“I was just done looking for families to love me and care about me like I wanted a regular family to,” she said.

As she sat across a conference table, two neat braids framing her bright face, she explained that people can remain in the foster care system until 21, but have the option of leaving at 18.

Washington made that decision, in part, because she had the support of Valley Youth House (VYH), where she started in its “Adolescents Achieving Independence” and “Aftercare” programs at age 16.

“They raised me, teaching us stuff we wanted to know,” she said.

What kind of stuff?

Well, the organization teaches a crash course in life, according to VYH Central PA Associate Director Melanie Hill.

VYH works with young people on life skills such as cooking, budgeting, getting a driver’s license, learning about taxes, understanding job benefits, etc.—basically anything a parent would guide a teenager through.

Hill pointed out that children miss out on much when they move foster homes frequently.

“They miss the life skills they need to become an adult,” she said. “VYH bridges the gap between foster care and adulthood.”

Most importantly, VYH helps youth figure out their life plan, said Hill. Part of that plan is finding out what they want to do, especially because, in the foster care system, children and teens’ decisions are continually directed for them.

Washington’s life plan involves becoming a physical therapy assistant. A recent high school graduate, Washington credits VYH with teaching her “humbleness and patience,” without which she would never have been able to graduate.

“When you feel loved, stable and cared for, it boosts your motivation,” she said.

Tools & Support

While VYH supplies developmental help, partner Scholars Inc. offers affordable housing through its Thrive Housing Services Program.

Scholars Inc. owns 17 properties throughout Harrisburg, helping people of all ages living on a shoestring. It additionally helps youth by providing some case management, according to Dee Allen, founder and executive director.

“It was very difficult before Valley Youth House came [3½ years ago] for us to juggle all the balls, to provide appropriate and accurate services to kids,” said Allen.

VYH’s objective is to continue that connection in the community. Youth in foster care often feel disconnected from their community because they can be placed with families far from where they began. Washington, at one point, was living with a family in State College.

VYH recognizes that its services to the youth will end, so they need to help build a support system for them.

“It takes a community, churches… businesses, and other organizations to help them settle,” Hill said. “These youth are capable of being successful in spite of life’s challenges, if given the right tools and support.”

VYH has recently added two new programs in support of homeless youth.

The Synergy Project, a street outreach, seeks to find and assist youth on the streets. The project takes a vanload of supplies and searches for young people living in cars, under bridges or couch surfing with friends, among other places.

“The hope is that they can develop relationships—and find alternative housing,” said Hill.

A line of bikes in the VYH office offers alternative ways to reaching youth, as do kayaks—some can only be reached via a waterway.

In February, VYH began a Transitional Living Program, offering adolescents 16 to 21 who are homeless or in foster care options for housing in the community, along with case management.

Hill pointed out the need for such services.

“If you don’t know where you are going to sleep, you’re not worried about life skills,” she said.

Offering affordable housing and providing speakers for its life skills classes are ways that people can assist VHY. Financial donations are an obvious option, but not-so-obvious items like tents and camping equipment are needed, as well. Letting VHY know about local homeless youth is another important way to help its mission.

Washington recognizes what she’s missed and what she needs. She’s keenly aware and enormously grateful for the help she’s received and the relationships she’s built at VHY. She got “chill bumps” when talking about the organization.

“I was afraid, lonely, and felt kind of lost,” she said, of life before VHY. “But now I don’t feel alone.”

Her confidence and determination bubbled up when she talked of the future.

“This isn’t the life I chose to live, but I have to work with it,” she said.

Valley Youth House is located at 1625 N. Front St., Harrisburg. To learn more, visit

www.valleyyouthhouse.org.

The Glass Sailing: “Maiden” recounts the first all-female crew for the legendary World Yacht Race.

June 28, 2019 | by Sammi Leigh Melville

It was 33,000 miles. It was a great source of patriotic pride and a chance to prove your weight in the sailing world.

Back then, it was called the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race. Now, it is simply the Ocean Race, and it took its competitors on a journey very reflective of its title, submitting them to arduous, dangerous conditions.

In 1989, 23 crews set out from Southampton, England, for the nine-month haul. One of those teams was Tracy Edwards’ crew, sailing Maiden (or, with a wink and a nudge, “Maiden Great Britain”), the titular focus of director Alex Holmes’ new documentary.

Edwards, enamored by life at sea since she worked as a stewardess on a yacht, submitted the first all-female challenge. She was laughed at when she first proposed the idea in 1986—sailing was seen as a “men’s sport.” The film catches us up to speed, quickly relaying the three years it took for Edwards to build her crew, raise funding for the challenge, and, at age 27, bring that dream to fruition.

Holmes recreates Maiden’s journey, combining found footage from Tracy’s childhood, TV footage from the event itself, and interviews from each of the crew members years later, reflecting on the race.

Apart from the ocean itself, there were plenty of obstacles throughout their journey. No one believed that they could even pull off such a feat. They were, after all, women, and it was a men’s competition. Edwards had to convince the women she gathered to crew the ship that it was a battle worth fighting, herself taking the role of skipper—though by the end of the trip, she had picked up more responsibilities.

Not only does the film pull the nostalgia card, capturing the emotions of the crewmembers as they look back on that legendary trip, but the TV footage places you right in the midst of the action. We get to see Edwards hunched over the nautical map, drafting the route. We get to see the intensity of the waves, the crewmembers hoisting the sails and scaling the ropes to do their jobs. It is an incredible combination of mid- and post-experiential reflection.

Also included in the film’s narrative is the retrospect of Maiden’s competition, and various media outlets, such as Bob Fisher from The Guardian. It is fascinating to see the men discussing the sexist predispositions they’d had in 1989 and perhaps glimpse the lasting effects of those ruffled feathers. Despite Edwards stating in old footage that she hated the word “feminist,” we see Maiden’s valiant attempt to shake the societal structures set in place—to remind the world that, “Anything you can do, we can do.”

“Maiden” will play in July at Midtown Cinema, 250 Reily St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.midtowncinema.com.

JULY EVENTS
at Midtown Cinema

Central PA Open Screen
Thursday, July 11, 7 p.m.

National Theatre Live
“Julie”
Monday, July 15, 7 p.m.

3^rd in the Burg $3 Movie
“Wrath of Khan”
Friday, July 19, 9:30 p.m.

Moviate presents
“The Juniper Tree” (4K restoration)
Sunday, July 21, 7 p.m.

Down in Front! presents
“Ben & Arthur” (Pride edition)
Sunday, July 28, 7 p.m.

Outdoor Films
“Labyrinth,” July 12
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (1990), July 26
“Coco,” Aug. 9
“Paddington 2,” Aug. 30

All outdoor films begin at dusk.

To Brahms–and Beyond: Market Square Concerts strings together a season of world-class performances.

June 28, 2019 | by Lori M. Myers

Midori

Rarely has there been a composer who knows no bounds—literally.

Johannes Brahms is that composer, and Market Square Concerts will turn up the temperature this summer when it shows how Brahms impacted, touched and inspired music outside of his native Germany.

Need proof? Then MSC’s Summermusic 2019, titled “Brahms Beyond Borders” on July 13, 21 and 24 at Market Square Presbyterian Church, is sure to offer plenty of evidence. Audiences will discover the stylistic similarities between Brahms’ work and those of Hungarian, Czech, Danish and other German composers.

“The idea behind ‘Brahms Beyond Borders’ is to show the influence of Brahms on composers in several different countries, some of whom were his contemporaries and some who lived well into the second half of the 20th century,” said Peter Sirotin, MSC director. “Through juxtaposition of particular pieces, listeners can recognize how these composers adapted such features of Brahms’s style as use of a particular timbre or combination of instruments to communicate a mood, use of subtle rhythmical changes in an accompanying part to transform the atmosphere of the melodic line, as well as his use of Central European folk elements.”

According to Sirotin, Brahms was a perfectionist whose own high demands resulted in his musical masterpieces being an integral part of the classical playbook.

“He burned anything that was remotely questionable to him,” Sirotin said. “Just like Beethoven before him, Brahms elevated every musical form he touched to new heights, expanding both its scope and emotional content.”

Brahms, Beethoven and other great composers of their day welcomed musical summer retreats, Sirotin said, yearning to escape the hustle and bustle of cities to the peace and beauty of nature, where their creativity thrived.

“I believe, today, enjoying live performances of chamber music is still a wonderful addition to our summer retreat, especially if it is also a retreat from ever-present technology,” Sirotin said.

That retreat is a special treat for Sirotin, who gets to share the stage with his wife, pianist Ya-Ting Chang, on July 13. With Sirotin on violin, the duo, along with Fiona Thompson, principal cellist of the Harrisburg Symphony, and violist Michael Stepniak, dean of Shenandoah Conservatory, will perform Piano Quartet Op. 25 by Brahms. Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra Maestro Stuart Malina then will join Sirotin for the A Major Piano Quartet Op. 26.

On July 21, Sirotin, Stepniak and Thompson will join up with cellist Cheung Chau, violist Blanka Bednarz and violinist Leonid Ferents to perform String Quintets by Hungarian Carl Goldmark, one of Brahms’s closest friends, and by Antonin Dvorak, a Czech composer and Brahms’s protégé. The same group of musicians will perform String Sextets by Niels Gade on July 24.

Looking Ahead

By September, summer may be winding down, but the Market Square Concerts 2019-20 series will just be beginning. Market Square Presbyterian Church will provide the backdrop for the opening recital by acclaimed violinist Midori, who will perform music by Brahms and Faure.

“Midori, one of the world’s best classical violinists, has been thrilling audiences around the world for over three decades,” Sirotin said. “She has been recognized with many awards and, in 2007, was named a ‘United Nations Messenger of Peace.’”

On Nov. 9, the Schumann Quartet will perform music by Mozart, Alban Berg and Grieg, a day after performing it at Lincoln Center.

Come January, the performance site switches to Whitaker Center, where the Grammy-winning Third Coast Percussion ensemble will bring a program of music by contemporary American composers, including one percussion work by Phillip Glass. Included with this visit by the musical group will be two educational events—one for school-aged children and a masterclass for Messiah College students.

Come February, Temple Ohev Shalom will be the performance site featuring Romanian cellist, Andrei Ionita, a gold medal winner of the 2015 Tchaikovsky International Competition.

“He will be performing a wonderfully eclectic program ranging from Bach’s soulful Suite No. 1 for Cello Solo to Zoltan Kodaly’s Sonata for Solo Cello, a pinnacle of virtuosity in the cello repertoire,” Sirotin said.

The final two concerts of the series return to Market Square Presbyterian Church with clarinetist David Shifrin, cellist Peter Wiley and pianist Anna Polonsky performing Nino Rota, Alexander Zemlinsky and others on March 21, and a celebration of Stuart Malina’s 20th anniversary as the artistic director of the Harrisburg Symphony on April 26.

Sirotin puts much thought and care into what will go into his season’s repertoire, but for him, first and foremost, it’s about which great pieces will thrill central PA audiences.

“I do a lot of research in order to bring the best established and emerging artists to our community,” Sirotin said. “The process always starts with the music. Then I try to find musicians who would offer truly extraordinary performances of these works.”

For more about Market Square Concerts, including schedule and ticket information, visit www.marketsquareconcerts.org, email [email protected] or call 717-221-9599.

Off Track: Greyhound adoptions buffeted by politics, changing tastes.

June 28, 2019 | by Karen Hendricks

Bella and Tree are retired, livin’ the good life.

The 7-year-old greyhounds, bright-eyed and curious, greeted me at the door during a recent visit, like most dogs would. Except, graceful and tall, they don’t look or act like most dogs.

For one thing, they rarely bark. After some brief excitement and pats on their velvety heads and ears (at waist level), the pair soon resumed lounging in their living room, one stretched out, the other curled up. They are retired, after all.

“It’s an honor having retired athletes living in our home,” said Rita Spitler of Mechanicsburg, who, along with husband Larry, volunteers with Camp Hill-based Personalized Greyhounds. “We call them retired and re-homed, but not rescued.”

The nonprofit, all-volunteer group, founded in 1995, has matched hundreds of greyhounds, retired from racing, with adoptive owners in the Harrisburg area. Similar organizations exist throughout the country because greyhounds are typically 3 to 5 years old when they slow down and are retired, but their life expectancy is 10 to 12 years.

“They still have a lot of life in them,” said Rita.

She said that the word “rescue” brings misconceptions because it implies that the racing industry is mistreating the quick canines.

“People often think they require a ton of exercise, are abused, drugged, vicious or forced to run at greyhound tracks,” she said. “People are shocked when they see 25 to 30 greyhounds together, and there’s no growling or barking. People are surprised that they’re actually very laid back.”

Indeed, the American Kennel Club (AKC) describes the breed as “gentle, sweet-tempered and noble.”

Originating in Egypt, the greyhound is an ancient breed—the only specific dog mentioned in the Bible. It’s their incredible speed (up to 46 mph) and quick acceleration (similar to the fastest land animal, the cheetah) that spurred the American dog racing industry.

Today, fewer than 20 tracks remain, with half located in Florida—long considered the hub of American greyhound racing. Tracks have been losing money for years, as changing tastes and technology have impacted the entertainment and gambling industries. The closest track to Harrisburg is located in Wheeling, W.Va.

Greyhound racing is actually banned in 40 states. In fact, the long-time hub, Florida, approved a constitutional amendment to end greyhound racing by Dec. 31, 2020. Three Florida tracks, including Sarasota—founded in 1929—have closed since November.

To say Amendment 13, which banned greyhound racing, is controversial is an understatement.

“The biggest problem with the amendment was the verbiage,” Rita said. “A lot of people thought they were voting to keep racing. When you read it, it is not clear what you’re voting for. So, one judge in Florida called it trickery. By voting ‘yes,’ a lot of people thought they were voting to keep racing.”

Many organizations issued pro-racing (anti-amendment) statements including the AKC and National Greyhound Association (NGA). About 100 adoption groups did the same.

In addition to PG, another local nonprofit, Nittany Greyhounds based in State College, is listed on the NGA website as “pro-racing.”

Nittany’s president, Bob Koch, is a resident of Midtown Harrisburg who’s often seen walking Sully and Hiway, both 11-year-old retired racers. He said that Nittany’s inclusion on the list is a “mistake.”

“We are strictly neutral,” he said. “Our philosophy is all about the dogs and finding homes for the retired racers, not speaking out for or against or about the issue. We don’t want to take a stance. Greyhounds are bred to run—that is their nature—but when it comes to racing, we state that we’re neutral.”

Meantime, both organizations are closely watching events unfolding in Florida and gearing up for a possible influx of dogs in need of homes.

“Right now, we want to get families involved and willing to step up when the need arises for foster families,” Rita said.

Typically, foster families help transition former race dogs into their adoptive homes.

Amid the swirling issues, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that there are thousands of greyhounds, with more to offer than speed, whose fate hangs in the balance. And it might go beyond that.

“If racing is completely abolished, we’re going to lose this breed of dog,” said Rita.

Koch disagrees.

“I don’t think it’ll be the end of the breed—there are other tracks out there,” he said. “Racing won’t go away. What’s going to change is the number of dogs up for adoption.”

For more information on Personalized Greyhounds and Nittany Greyhounds, see www.pgreys.org and www.nittanygreys.org.

Artist in Focus: Elaine Brady Smith

June 28, 2019 | by Admin

Elaine Brady Smith says that painting is essential to her life—that she needs to paint in order to feel alive and full of purpose.

In fact, if you visit Elaine in her Millworks studio in Harrisburg, you may find her a little lost her in her work as she puts the finishing touches on a new oil.

Elaine derives the most pleasure from painting in still life, particularly of plants, sometimes fruit, and sometimes even cars. If you do stop by her studio, ask to see her series of paintings of roses, each a tribute to the exquisite flower.

We’re delighted to share a sample of Elaine’s work on this page. To see more, visit her website.

June News Digest

June 28, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

June 2019 News Digest

Receiver Named for Harrisburg Schools

A Dauphin County judge last month appointed Dr. Janet Samuels as receiver for the Harrisburg school district, giving her broad authority to run the district for the next three years.

Judge William Tully issued an order that Samuels serve as receiver, a three-year appointment requested by the state Department of Education. Samuels has served as the district’s state-appointed chief recovery officer since last year.

In his “Memorandum Opinion,” Judge Tully outlined how the district has failed to meet the academic objectives outlined in the 2013 recovery plan and the 2016 amended plan, thus necessitating the receivership. The district fell far short on a number of measures, including graduation rates and standardized test scores, the opinion states.

The opinion further faulted the school board for “failing to comply with the directives issued by the CRO.”

With her appointment, Samuels now is widely empowered to run the district, assuming the roles of both the CRO and the school board. The one power she explicitly lacks is the ability to levy and raise taxes, which remains with the elected school board.

The order came on the same day that the Harrisburg school district dropped its opposition to receivership. In a court hearing, district Solicitor James Ellison told Tully that the district would not fight receivership, even though he had issued a point-by-point refutation of the state’s case only days before.

Furthermore, Ellison said that the district administration would fully cooperate with the receiver, who is assuming much of the authority of Superintendent Sybil Knight-Burney and the elected school board.

I-83 Study Approved

A split Harrisburg City Council last month approved hiring an outside consultant to study the proposed expansion of I-83, with an eye towards possibly slimming down the project.

Council voted 5-2 to spend $72,500 to hire Harrisburg-based Kittelson & Associates to conduct a traffic and community impact study of the current state proposal to double the number of lanes running through the city.

The study would review PennDOT’s widening plan, which envisions as many as 12 lanes and new interchanges, and determine whether alternatives exist to reduce the project’s footprint and the impact on the community.

Before the vote, Councilman Westburn Majors said that the city had received a letter from PennDOT stating that it would take into consideration Kittelson’s findings.

“It looks like they’re open to further analysis,” Majors said following the meeting. “They trust Kittelson to be a straight shooter with them.”

At a prior work session, several council members requested such a letter prior to the vote today.

The letter wasn’t enough to sway council President Wanda Williams, who maintained her opposition from a prior meeting. Before voting no, she reiterated that she believed that the expenditure was a waste—that it ultimately wouldn’t change PennDOT’s plans and that the money would be better used elsewhere.

“I don’t think that the city of Harrisburg should be committing $72,000 when I have potholes all up and down my streets and my pools haven’t opened yet,” she said.

The city plans to pay for the study from its large fund balance, Mayor Eric Papenfuse said previously.

Harrisburg, Steelton Enter Trash Agreement

Harrisburg will begin providing sanitation services to Steelton this month, as the city has agreed to begin trash collection in the neighboring borough.

Harrisburg City Council unanimously voted to enter into an intergovernmental agreement so that the city will begin picking up Steelton’s residential trash and recyclables starting the week of July 1.

Steelton’s council approved the same agreement last month.

“This is a really exciting and positive development for the city of Harrisburg and the borough of Steelton,” said Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse.

Borough Manager Doug Brown said that Steelton wanted to make the change because of residents’ dissatisfaction with the service provided by long-time hauler Republic Services, as well as a proposed price increase by the company.

“It was significantly more money,” Brown said. “That, plus the problematic service we were getting.”

Therefore, Steelton had the idea of approaching Harrisburg to see if the city had the interest and ability to take on its trash removal.

Harrisburg Public Works Director Aaron Johnson described the arrangement as “all positive.” Steelton trash is picked up on Wednesdays, the one day when Harrisburg has enough spare capacity to handle the borough’s 2,500 residential customers, Johnson said.

The agreement calls only for residential, not commercial, trash pickup, which is handled privately in Steelton.

Papenfuse said that Harrisburg does not expect to have to add any personnel or equipment to handle Steelton’s trash because Wednesday has been a slow day for the city’s sanitation workforce.

Under the agreement, Steelton households will pay Harrisburg $25 a month for pickup, or $300 per year. Residents now pay Republic $24.45 a month, but that price would have increased by $13 to $15 a month under the company’s renewal proposal, Brown said.

Papenfuse also emphasized the turnabout from several years ago, when, under the “Harrisburg Strong” financial recovery plan, the city almost privatized its trash pickup to Republic Services. City Council pushed back on the deal brokered by then-Mayor Linda Thompson, and sanitation remained a city-provided service.

Notably, the sanitation charge for Steelton residents will be less than that for Harrisburg residents, who receive a monthly sanitation bill of $32.34. The difference, Papenfuse told council, is due to the vastly different amounts that the two municipalities pay for refuse disposal at the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority (LCSWMA) facility in south Harrisburg.

Steelton pays a “tipping fee” of $85 per ton, while Harrisburg, due to the terms of its agreement with LCSWMA that helped resolve its financial crisis, pays $195 per ton.

The agreement reached between Harrisburg and Steelton is only a temporary measure that runs through Dec. 31. Both municipalities will need to hammer out a longer-term deal in the fall.

Council members said they were pleased with the agreement, both because it represented an efficient use of the city’s resources and because it offered a rare example of cooperation and shared services between local governments.

“It seems like a no brainer,” said Councilwoman Danielle Bowers. “I hope this is the first of many cooperation agreements between us and neighboring municipalities.”

Monument Podium Unveiled

A nonprofit group last month unveiled the first part of a monument slated to be erected near the state Capitol’s Irvis office building in June 2020.

The monument, titled “A Gathering at the Crossroads,” depicts four 19th-century figures from Harrisburg history gathered around a speaker’s podium—the part of the monument that has been completed.

Organizer Lenwood Sloan said that the monument is meant to serve a dual purpose: honor both the city’s long-lost “Old 8th Ward” behind the state Capitol and honor the 15th and 19th amendments to the U.S. Constitution, which guaranteed voting rights for African Americans and for women, respectively.

Sloan and others are now raising money to complete the monument, which will feature life-sized figures of civil rights activist William Howard Day, Harrisburg native, journalist and lawyer Thomas Morris Chester, musician and restaurateur Jacob T. Compton and abolitionist and suffragist Francis Ellen Walker Harper.

The podium is on display in Strawberry Square until Labor Day weekend.

Home Prices Continue Rise

Housing prices continued their long rise in the Harrisburg area in May, as sales slipped a bit from last year.

For the month, the median sales price in the three-county area jumped by 12.4 percent to $195,000, while the number of homes sold dipped by 3 percent to 644 units compared to May 2018, according to the Greater Harrisburg Association of Realtors (GHAR).

Dauphin County experienced strong price growth, with the median sales price jumping to $180,000 from $151,000 in the year-ago period, while units sold dropped slightly to 305 from 316, said GHAR.

In Cumberland County, the median price increased to $215,000 from $200,000, and the number of housing units sold dropped slightly to 303 from 313, stated GHAR. Perry County saw a drop in the median sales price, to $151,900 from $170,000 in May 2018, while sales increased by one to 36 units.

So Noted

Harrisburg City Council last month approved the appointment of David Baker as the city’s new director of Parks, Recreation and Facilities by a 5-2 vote. It also voted against the appointment of Franchon Beeks as the city’s new director of Housing and Development by a 4-3 vote.

Harrisburg University received the final city approval last month to build a 17-story, mixed-used building downtown at S. 3rd and Chestnut streets. Harrisburg City Council voted unanimously for the project, which includes an academic tower, a hotel and a restaurant. HU expects to break ground on the project in August, according to university President Eric Darr.

Momin Bhatti was named last month as the communications manager for Harrisburg. Bhatti was promoted after serving as director of WHBG 20, the city’s cable news station.

In Memoriam

Morton Spector, a long-time community leader in Harrisburg, died in late May at Homeland Center. Originally from Williamsport, Spector was a long an executive with D&H Distributing Co. before co-founding Design House Kitchens & Appliances. Spector was active in many area organizations, including Boys & Girls Club of Harrisburg, Dauphin County Library System, Harrisburg Council of the National Jewish Fund, Harrisburg Public Schools Foundation, the Jewish Community Center and the Homeland Center, among others. He received numerous awards and accolades throughout his life. Memorial contributions may be made to any of the following: The Alyce and Morton Spector Scholarship Fund, c/o Don Raiger, Director of Advancement Services, Lebanon Valley College, 101 N. College Ave., Annville, Pa., 17003; The Jewish Home, c/o Marianne Hobart, Comptroller, The Campus of the Jewish Home of Greater Harrisburg, 4000 Linglestown Rd., Harrisburg, Pa., 17112; and The Silver Academy c/o Samara Sofian, Director of Development, The Silver Academy, 3301 N. Front Street Harrisburg, Pa., 17110.

Changing Hands

Antoine St., 528: A. Williams to K. Loobey & M. Canoy, $86,000

Berryhill St., 2208: Deutsche Bank National Trust Company Trustee Specialized Loan Servicing LLC to W & J Associates LLC, $32,500

Bigelow Dr., 33: V. Rodall & K. Smith to M. Murphy & G. Neff, $40,100

Boas St., 228: R. Shokes Jr. to E. Miller, $218,000

Boas St., 429: R. King to B. & A. Malia, $185,000

Boas St., 1939: LSF9 Master Participation Trust to I. Hewston, $78,900

Chestnut St., 1928: N. Doan to TPH Asset Management LLC, $39,000

Chestnut St., 1936: N. Doan to State West LLC, $45,000

Chestnut St., 2025: Cama Sidra FBO Edward Mitrovich IRA to L. Profitt, $67,900

Croyden Rd., 2778: D. Blumenthal to G. & M. Romero, $64,000

Derry St., 1439: D & F Holdings LP to K & F Property Investments LLC, $30,000

Derry St., 1934 & 1936: T. & S. Miller to Newport Petroleum Inc., $425,000

Derry St., 2027: P. Taughinbaugh to E. Echevarria, $68,500

Derry St., 2424: J. & S. Boyle to H. Marca & F. Alvarez, $67,000

Derry St., 2528: D. Metellus & R. Costume to D. Logan, $86,000

Dunkle St., 554 & 556: Crist Holdings to D. Brooks, $48,000

Elder St., 780: Bartush Signs to D& F Hummel LP, $185,500

Girard St., 759: J. Robles & R. Cruz to J. Alexopoulos, $97,600

Green St., 1405: D. McLaughlin to A. Stouffer, $146,000

Green St., 1625: K. Biggi & M. Wall to BCRA Realty LLC, $120,000

Green St., 3113: B. Baker to M. Jarvis, $180,000

Green St., 3218: Paramount Home Solutions LLC to S. Roblyer, $150,000

Hillside Rd., 111: J. Hetzel to D. Dissingeer & J. Brown Jr., $86,100

Kensington St., 2315: PA Deals LLC to D. & K. Borelli, $69,900

Market St., 1510 & 1513: Unitarian Church of Harrisburg to Shalom Properties, $275,000

Market St., 2000: J. Goodfellow James LLC to D. Garcia, $124,000

Nagle St., 123: L. & C. Jerome to F. Rubinic, $163,900

North St., 255: Red Top Properties LLC to Trip Aces 255 LLC, $420,000

N. 2nd St., 215, 217 & 219: W. & G. Nichols to Drinq LLC, $1,033,050

N. 2nd St., 1435: A. Ciervo to AON LLC, $400,000

N. 2nd St., 1715: PA Deals LLC to 1715 N. 2nd Street LLC, $100,000

N. 3rd St., 1110: Bartlett, Traynor & London to 1110 HBG LLC, $5,000,000

N. 3rd St., 1713: C. Smith & K. Overly to J. Nuila, $155,000

N. 3rd St., 1834: A. Peart to T. Miller & L. Wood, $95,000

N. 3rd St., 1919 & 1929: R. & G. Bulatovic to North Third LLC, $260,000

N. 3rd St., 3132: D. Blumenthal to M. Dunbar, $67,000

N. 3rd St., 3134: G. & J. Trump to M. Cruz, $75,000

N. 4th St., 1717: G. & J. Hellmann to A. Craver, $165,000

N. 6th St., 1000: N&R Group LLC to Vice Capital LLC, $62,000

N. 6th St., 2126: J. & J. Kang to Nana S Food Service LLC, $101,556

N. 6th St., 2200: J. Frais to D & F Realty Holdings LP, $150,000

N. 7th St., 2964: J. Getman to D & F Holdings LP, $87,500

N. 15th St., 1304: M. & M. Walker to B. Shephard & N. Cook, $47,000

N. 15th St., 1307: I. Lahlou to B. Shephard & N. Cook, $45,000

N. 16th St., 1318: Federal National Mortgage Association to J. Alvarado, $35,000

N. 17th St., 27: Myers Homes LLC to R. Dunkle, R. Staff & D. Ward, $35,000

N. 17th St., 1120: T. Mundy to J. Baltimore, $30,500

N. 17th St., 1218: T. Backer to Z. Amador, $79,900

N. Front St., 1125: RMK Management Group LLC to D. Pedroza, $384,000

N. Front St., 1525, Unit 508: D. Markowitz to A. Breneman, $165,000

N. Front St., 2837, Unit 402: F. Clark to L. Fenton, $120,000

Penn St., 1315: J. & M. McAnulty to K. Cowden, $85,000

Penn St., 1608: D. Hooker & B. Lister to W. Gelgot & E. Schuchardt, $172,000

Penn St., 2220: B. Butler to Limitless Possibilities Inc., $30,000

Race St., 602: D. & S. White to C. Logue, $160,000

Reel St., 2722: Bigfoot Properties LLC to A. Britton, $37,000

Regina St., 1712: Dan A. Loos Trust & Carol Loos Trust to Ice Properties LLC, $41,500

Rolleston St., 1138: H. Cabrera to A. Hassan, $83,250

Rudy Rd., 2302: G. Brown to J. Chen, $167,000

South St., 225: T. & E. Eachus to C. & C. Clemans, $110,000

S. 12th St., 1407 & 1409: D. Seymore to Islamic Center Masjid Al Sabereen, $44,500

S. 12th St., 1523: N. Garwood to R. Rabuck & A. Mema, $48,000

S. 13th St., 340: Round Rock Investments LLC to McClellan Development Group LLC, $110,000

S. 13th St., 1488: S. Rose to J. Torres, $60,000

S. 20th St., 207: T. Poole to M. Drennon, $109,900

S. 21st St., 709: Seneca Leandro View LLC to J. Martin, $77,000

S. 21st St., 968: E. & E. Rose to Edwin L. Heim Co., $365,000

S. 25th St., 645: U S Bank NA Trustee to S W M Properties LLC, $58,500

S. 26th St., 615: 2013 Central PA Real Estate Fund LLC to K. & M. Blomerus, $112,900

S. River St., 304: Pear Tree Liv Revocable Trust & D. Ogden to M. Della & I. Smith, $52,500

Schuylkill St., 331: L. Diaz to Scarn LLC, $85,000

State St., 130: L. Milspaw Jr. & M. Beshore to 130 State St. LLC, $185,000

Susquehanna St., 1626: R. & S. Stark to H. Belmont III, $133,950

Susquehanna St., 2006: C. Frater to PD Estate Properties LLC, $30,000

Swatara St., 1516: J. Finney to G. Brown, $54,900

Verbeke St., 315: S. McDermott to S. Goel, $150,000

Washington St., 109: NP 1 Ventures LLC to M. Della & I. Smith, $90,000

Whitehall St., 1815: D. Trexler to 37 Estate LLC, $65,000

Zarker St., 1415: Centric Bank to TPH Asset Management LLC, $30,000

Harrisburg property sales for May 2019, greater than $30,000. Source: Dauphin County. Data is assumed to be accurate.

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