The Time Is Now: One word for better health–exercise.

January 31, 2019 | by Andrew Zang

If you have heard it once, you have heard it a million times—exercise is good for you.

Exercise is good for your heart, lungs, muscles, brain and much more. So why then do people not take action? Why do we have so many cases of preventable chronic health conditions in this country?

Unfortunately, we (generally speaking) are great at coming up with reasons or excuses not to do something—even if it is for our own benefit. Let’s start counting the excuses: time, work, family, fatigue, an ache, pain or injury. Shall I go on? Which one of these do you use?

Many view exercise as too time consuming or too hard. People are not willing to work through that initial muscle soreness phase when starting a new program. And we do not put in enough time to actually make it a healthy habit (that takes about six weeks to happen, by the way).

But shouldn’t our health be the most important thing? Without good health, what good can we be to others who depend upon us?

The right answer obviously is that nothing is more important than our health. Without it, we would be unable to take care of our kids, our elderly parents or significant others. We would become less effective at completing simple daily tasks and work. What would happen if you could no longer fulfill all your roles and someone had to take care of you?

This is scary to think about, but it often gets people to take the necessary steps to become healthier. They finally decide to address those nagging aches or pains, to start taking a Pilates or yoga class, to work with a personal trainer for guidance and support, or to treat themselves to a massage.

For chronic health conditions, we know, without a doubt, that exercise can help reduce the likelihood of getting and reduce the impact of conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and even dementia. Who wouldn’t want to prevent things like these or even lessen the burdens and complications that often come with them?

If you are ready for a change, then let’s get to it. Plan for success, enlist a friend to provide the necessary accountability, seek the help you need to achieve your goals. Do not let another year pass saying, “I will get in better shape and do something good for my health.” The time is now.

Dr. Andrew Zang is board certified in orthopedics and a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Physical Therapists. For more information, call 717-440-6197 or visit www.zangpt.com.

You Dig? Mineral enthusiasts find nuggets of knowledge, rock-solid support.

January 31, 2019 | by Stephanie Kalina-Metzger

We’ve heard the saying, “All that glitters is not gold.”

Well, if it’s not gold, what else might it be?

“It could be pyrite, or what they call ‘fool’s gold,’” said Terry Wolfe, discussing some of the more common specimens unearthed by the Central Pennsylvania Rock and Mineral Club. The nonprofit group, which was created in 1958, is on a mission to educate the public on the appreciation of rocks, minerals, gems and fossils.

Wolfe joined five years ago and now serves as secretary. He described the organization as friendly and welcoming, which is one of the reasons he continues to renew his membership each year.

“During my first dig, two younger members went out of their way to show me what to find,” said the East Hanover resident.

Betsy Oberheim lit up when Wolfe recounted the story.

“They are an item now,” she said of the young couple.

Oberheim is a self-professed “obsessed” enthusiast who has been with the group since the 1990s, serving as president and vice president. The Piketown resident became involved after returning from a trip out West.

“I found some really neat rocks out there and wanted them identified,” she said.

The retired schoolteacher, who transforms some of her finds into jewelry, took a shine to the group and stayed on to serve in various capacities.

The club meets the third Thursday of every month at the St. Thomas United Church of Christ in Linglestown to swap information on finds, watch documentaries and listen to experts describe life in the field.

“One of our recent speakers was a diamond miner from Africa, and another mined opal in Australia,” said Oberheim.

Once a year, the group gets together to display what they’ve found and maybe engage in a few trades.

“We have a rock swap, and you pay $5 for a table to show off your stuff,” said Wolfe.

Out in the Field

Little nuggets of knowledge are often gleaned on field trips, or what the group calls “digs.”

“There are two field trip coordinators—one for fossils and one for specimens—and they show you what to look for,” Wolfe said.

The coordinators also assume the responsibility for getting the group into areas that aren’t generally open to the public, such as quarries.

“We all sign a waiver and are required to bring along our safety gear,” Wolfe said. “Many of the quarries are between 150- to 180-feet deep.”

Once there, they’ve found things like calcite, fluorite, crystals and pyrite, he said.

“Members have been known to fill up 5-gallon buckets,” he said.

Other notable finds include amethyst (found in an Amish farmer’s field), an untold number of fossils, a type of quartz called chalcedony (in Boiling Springs) and wavellite, which is only found in two places in the world.

“It looks like an umbrella opened up,” Wolfe said. “They dug it out of a quarry and threw it in a pile on the side of the road, and we spotted it. We all gathered around to look at it.”

Sometimes, “finds” don’t reveal themselves until after a dig.

“We hunted for shark teeth at Brownie’s Beach on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, and I was disappointed that I didn’t find anything,” Wolfe said. “When I came home and dumped sand out of my shoes, there it was—a fossilized shark tooth.”

Each year, the group hosts a Rocks4Kids Jr. Education Day. The educational event provides information on such topics as fossils, earth movement, volcanos, crystals, mini mines, petrification and more.

Last year, 200 children attended. Each was given a passport, which was stamped at the learning stations. This year, the event will follow a similar format. Students will not only be given free grab bags, but will have the opportunity to spin a wheel to win a fossil. Refreshments will be provided.

Participation is limited to a first-come, first-served basis. So, Oberheim suggests signing up early.

As a former teacher, Oberheim especially enjoys the opportunity to interact with children, some of whom are being home-schooled and others who attend cyber-schools.

“We help fulfill the science requirement,” she said.

To learn more about the Central Pennsylvania Rock and Mineral Club, including upcoming events, digs, dues and information on joining, visit www.rockandmineral.org.

The annual Rocks4Kids Jr. Education Day will take place on March 9, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Linglestown Life United Methodist Church, 1430 N. Mountain Rd., Linglestown.

Small Grapes, Big Wines: Don’t let the “petit” name throw you.

January 31, 2019 | by Steve Juliana

In the world of wine, seven “noble” grapes top all others for quality and desirability.

However, the list of “secondary” grapes seems to grow all the time as more local fruit is used to produce wonderful quaffs that are gaining the attention of oenophiles. There are grapes that historically have been given the name “petit” because of the physical size of the fruit on the vine. Modern winemaking has changed many opinions about the use of such small berries, emphasizing the fact that we live in a golden age of wine.

Petit verdot is one of the blending grapes allowed in the Bordeaux region where cabernet sauvignon and merlot are the reigning “noble grapes.” Petit verdot means “the little green one” in France, where it did not always ripen fully and, in some vintages, does not develop its dark purple color. It often would be added by Bordeaux wine makers to increase tannin, body and spice to a vintage lacking in character, keeping the personality of the chateau consistent.

But verdot has found a home in hotter climates around the world, as well, where the fruit develops jammy, spicy flavors and a long finish. If you think such an obscure grape can become a sensation, carmenere has become the darling of Chile and malbec is an international star in Argentina—both are Bordeaux blending fruit.

Petit manseng is a white grape found in southwestern France and is a well-kept secret that needs to be shared more widely. A remarkable fruit that can be fermented for a dry quaff or a dessert wine, it has wonderful personality in each version. The berries are so small in the bunches that late harvesting of shrunken grapes, with rich sweetness, is possible. The best wines are from the Jurançon region of France, where it is often blended with sauvignon blanc or its big brother, gros manseng. The big surprise is that this Gallic grape has taken the vineyards of Virginia by storm. The wine starts with the fruit and racy acidity of chenin blanc and finishes with the palette-scrubbing ability of sauvignon blanc. Well worth the trip.

Petite sirah was discovered in France by Francois Durif in 1880, when pollen from a syrah vine fertilized the flower of a peloursin noir plant. The cross was soon found to have a high resistance to downy mildew. Today, 90 percent of all petite sirah is grown in California, where it is blended with successfully with zinfandel, as well as bottled individually. Some blends are of the “kitchen sink” variety, mixing together five or more grapes, and are best avoided. Petite sirah, however, is a popular and widely grown varietal, yielding a wide range of taste profiles based on vineyard, age and blend.

Keep sipping,
Steve

Made with Love: How about pot roast for late winter?

January 31, 2019 | by Rosemary Ruggieri Baer

I know it’s not glamorous. Pot roast for dinner in the Baer house usually elicits cries of “mystery meat” and, “You’re not making it in the crockpot, are you?”

Well, I love my pot roast and have been making it for more than 40 years. February is the perfect time for warm comforting foods: soups and stews bubbling on the stove, hearty casseroles and lasagna, and yes, pot roast.

My long-time recipe adapts easily to variations, and I have tried them all. You can braise the beef in red wine, dark beer, beef broth or tomato juice. Beer and wine are my favorites! I always add potatoes, carrots and, often, turnips, but butternut squash cubes work well and, if you love green pepper, throw in some large cubes or strips for a slightly different pot roast flavor.

But it is the slow browning of sliced onions that gives this roast such a rich flavor and dark color. The end result is a warming, one-dish meal that makes you forget the cold and snow outside. And it promises great sandwiches with lettuce and mayonnaise the next day.

Rosemary’s Pot Roast

Ingredients:

4-5 pounds beef rump roast (cut from the sirloin end of the round, but you can also use a nice chuck roast)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 large sweet onion, sliced (I like Vidalia or Kandy onions.)
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon each dried thyme and marjoram
1 bay leaf, crumbled
8 whole black peppercorns
1 teaspoon salt (decrease if you are using broth)
12 ounces beef broth (try to find unsalted), dark beer or red wine
12 small red or yellow gold potatoes
8 carrots, peeled and cut in half
Several parsley sprigs
3 tablespoons flour, cornstarch or arrowroot for thickening the gravy
Additional vegetables if you prefer: cubed turnips or butternut squash

Directions

Wipe roast dry with paper towels
In hot oil and butter, brown the roast along with the sliced onions in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pan. (A Le Creuset pot works very well.)
Brown the onions and roast, slowly and gently! Slow browning (about 25 minutes) is essential.
When the roast and onions are brown, add the garlic, thyme, marjoram, bay leaf, peppercorns and salt (if using) to the drippings in the pan. Stir for a ½ minute with a wooden spoon to release the aroma of the herbs.
Add whatever liquid you are using and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to a slow simmer, cover the pot, and cook gently for about 2½ hours. Turn the meat occasionally.
Add the vegetables and cook for about 30 minutes with the pan covered until they are tender.
When all are cooked, remove the toast and vegetables to a warm oven and cover the platter loosely with foil.
Add the flour (or other thickening agent) to about ¼ cup water in a measuring cup and add to the drippings in the Dutch oven, whisking until smooth. (I don’t strain the gravy because I like the little bits of onion and even the peppercorns in it.)
When ready to serve, slice the roast into thin slices and arrange the vegetables nicely around it. Drizzle the gravy over and garnish with additional sprigs of fresh parsley.

This is comfort food at its best. Now, maybe you are planning some lovely steak, veal or crab cakes for Valentine’s Day. That’s OK. But try my pot roast on a cold, blustery Sunday accompanied by some applesauce and crisp cold beer. I think you will like it.

My husband thought it important to add one final thought: This dish is fine as long as you don’t forget the horseradish!

Always Giving Back: Kristal Turner-Childs–a force in the community.

January 31, 2019 | by Phyllis Zimmerman

Burg in Focus: Trooper Kristal Turner-Childs from GK Visual on Vimeo.

Kristal Turner-Childs’ dedication to serving others was sparked by an incident that happened when she was just 10 years old.

It happened the day a young man in her Allison Hill neighborhood fell and struck his head on asphalt during a street fight. As the victim’s blood streamed across the pavement, it was young Kristal who broke through a circle of dazed bystanders and dashed inside. Instinctively, she grabbed a phone and dialed 911 for help.

Her actions were said to have saved the man’s life.

That day, Turner-Childs felt “10 feet tall,” she recently recalled. She felt powerful knowing that it was her own quick actions that prevented the incident from ending in tragedy. She later heard that the injured young man made a full recovery.

With that, Turner-Childs decided to become a police officer, a goal she later was to achieve with great passion and much success. In fact, last October, she became just the second African American woman in the history of the Pennsylvania State Police to achieve the rank of major.

Before that, she was the commanding officer of Troop L in Reading, making her the first African American women in state police history to serve as a troop commander.

Then there’s the row of gleaming awards that line her office bookshelf at the state police headquarters in Susquehanna Township. Her most recent honor was the Catalyst Award from the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC, which she received at a ceremony at Whitaker Center in December.

That award honors “those making a difference in our communities, creating more opportunities for businesses, and building a brighter future for our region,” according to the chamber. Turner-Childs said she was “shocked” when told she’d won it.

“I was like, ‘What?’” she recalled with a laugh. “I was speechless. What a great honor!”

Other notable recognitions include the Citizen of the Year Award and the Women of Influence Award.

Turner-Childs also is founder and CEO of Eyes Wide Open, LLC, Harrisburg, where she serves as a fitness guru and motivational speaker for women. The venue’s website lists its mission as “attempting to empower women to take charge of not only their physical health, but their mental and spiritual health.”

Eyes Wide Open achieves this goal by offering workshops on self-esteem, goal-setting, healthy relationships, professional networking and more.

“I try to get to the heart of people in a way that speaks to them,” she explained. “What people need is someone who’s there for them. I don’t want you just to tell me you that you’re fine and to keep going. I want to know your soul. I want to know people from the inside out.”

Friends don’t appear surprised by her far-reaching success. In fact, they probably would have been surprised if it didn’t happen.

“Major Turner-Childs is truly an amazingly empathic, selfless woman,” said Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Kelly E. Lentz, who works across the hall from her. “Whether she is on duty in uniform or off duty within the community where she lives, she is always there to lend a hand and put others’ needs before her own.”

Carmen Henry-Harris has known Turner-Childs for 22 years.

They met as members of the Harrisburg Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority, one of the largest African American sororities in the United States. The sorority is involved with other nonprofit groups and focuses on professional development, mentoring and helping local students by providing scholarships.

Turner-Childs, she said, is very involved with the community and, especially, with young people.

“She’s always available to speak to young people, people in need, or anyone, really,” Henry-Harris said. “Kristal always gives back.”

Every Man a King? Gamut cast sound out on the meaning, the relevance of “All the King’s Men.”

January 31, 2019 | by Tara Herweg-Mann

Gamut Theatre Group is busy preparing their next mainstage effort, “All the King’s Men” (adapted by Robert Penn Warren, who also wrote the 1946 novel). It is a tonal shift from what has come before in their season, preceded by the windswept fancy of Shakespeare’s “Pericles” and the belly laughs of “Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some).”

Penn Warren’s tale of Willie Stark, a naive, self-described “hick” who transforms into a powerful political dynamo, a transformation with long-reaching consequences for his constituents and his loved ones, has long been held up as a paradigm of political storytelling.

When given the opportunity to reflect on what makes this story a classic, worthy of producing in 2019, and necessary to the American dialogue, Director Clark Nicholson and the cast of “All the King’s Men” had plenty to say.

Clark Nicholson (Director): “I want Gamut to offer this to the public as a tool, not to provide answers, but to provide relevant questions that were posed in another time, but are extremely germane now. Taken allegorically, there might be something here that doesn’t necessarily add to the chaos and the noise, but contextualizes it and may help to make our current situation more understandable and, hopefully, more manageable. I want us to move people and to consider problems from multiple points of view.”

Brennen Dickerson (Dr. Adam Stanton): “Just because this is a play with a setting of politics doesn’t mean it has to be a play about politics. You can come into this play and get a wildly different takeaway than someone else. One person might come in and see it as a political drama, but someone else might come in and see it as a deeply personal, deeply human story.”

Jeff Wasileski (Judge Irwin): “One of the aspects of this play that I find fascinating is the very realistic portrayal of how politics work. There’s no real ideology underlying it. It’s all about egos and personality conflicts, and that’s very much what has driven politics throughout history.”

Aneesa Neibauer (Anne Stanton): “I think one of the biggest things this play demonstrates is that, within the political machine, in order to accomplish good things, bad things must be done. The question that raises is, ‘Is that okay?’ That’s the question that the audience will have to ask themselves when they see this show.”

Philip Wheeler (The Professor): “The politics, the impeachment [referring to a motivating plot point for Willie Stark]—it’s all still one person talking to another person. The idealism of—why can’t the machine behave better?—is always challenged by the fact that the machine is comprised of individual people, who are by their nature fallible.”

What about Willie Stark, our fictional figurehead, and the characters who surround him?

Brennen Dickerson: “The way the characters have been written, there are no demons, and there are no saints. Audiences will be able to relate to everyone on stage at some level, politics notwithstanding.”

Jeff Wasileski: “The question that I have about a lot of the characters is whether power has corrupted them, or were they corrupt, and that’s why they sought power?”

Nick Wasileski (Willie Stark): “One of the things that helps me engage with this story—so often in politics, we see these people who are making these decisions as bigger-than-life—this is a very personal story. It takes this figure who, in any other context, is bigger-than-life, and is spoken of as such by people, and you only ever see this man in a personal light. He’s never out of reach of the audience, and, if there is ever a moment where he presents that way, it is either preceded or followed by moments that make it very clear that he is just a person.”

Ross Carmichael (Jack Burden): “Willie embodies a lot of the characteristics that we admire in heroes or villains from other current entertainment. He has a greater goal. He’s doing what he must to meet those ends. He’s working outside the rules of the system he’s in. Whether you’re on his side or not, he’s a hero to a lot of people in his state, the same way that our current leaders are heroes to some people and villains to others.”

Nicholson summed up Gamut’s objectives regarding this production.

“Because of our current political situation, but also because we are seeing these sorts of things arise all over the world, I remembered the book, and I wanted to see if we, as a company, might be able to offer a tool of perspective to our audience,” he said. “To show that existence in our world is often, as Mark Twain said, ‘History doesn’t repeat, but it often rhymes.’”

“All the King’s Men” runs Feb. 16 to March 3 at Gamut Theatre, 15 N. 4th St., Harrisburg. Friday and Saturday performances start at 7:30 p.m., with the box office, Capital BlueCross reception lobby and Peggy’s Pub open to the public starting at 6:30 p.m. Sunday matinées start at 2:30 p.m., with box office, lobby and bar open at 1:30 p.m. Tickets are available at www.gamuttheatre.org/tickets.

Upcoming Theater Events

At Gamut Theatre
www.gamuttheatre.org
717-238-4111

“All The Kings Men”
By Robert Penn Warren
Feb. 16 to March 3
Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.
Sundays at 2:30 p.m.

TMI Improv
February Show
Feb. 21
7:30 p.m.

A Dark History Ends: A hundred years ago, the doors closed on the Carlisle Indian Industrial School.

January 31, 2019 | by Ashleigh Pollart

Kessetta Roosevelt and Jack Mather, Lipans, students at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. Photo by John N. Choate, c. 1885.

It lasted only 39 years.

But the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, a century gone, made a significant impact both on local history and the history of Native American peoples and culture.

In 1879, Richard Pratt, a U.S. Army officer, founded the school based on his belief in forced assimilation, stripping students of their language, culture and religion, all under strict militaristic rule.

Located at what is now the U.S. Army War College, the school was “home” to an estimated 8,800 students representing more than 375 nations over the course of its history. These nations did not include any tribes local to central PA, which already had all but disappeared.

“By 1879, there were no communities in Pennsylvania with any kind of identity or sovereignty as a nation,” said Barbara Landis of the Cumberland County Historical Society. “That’s one reason why Pratt chose this area. It was far away from the influence of communities, and it was close to New York City, Philadelphia, D.C., and Pittsburgh—white cultural centers that he could take advantage of.”

Pratt’s approach was assimilation at almost any cost, removing all sense of native culture and forcing conversion to Christianity.

“We give the rising Indian something nobler and higher to think about and do, and he comes out a young man with the ambitions and aspirations of his more favored white brother,” Pratt wrote in an 1898 issue of the school newspaper. “We do not like to keep alive the stories of his past, hence deal more with his present and his future.”

Landis explained that the dark side of the school’s history was left out of the written record, but that one can read between the lines of documents on the Carlisle Indian School Digital Resource Center.

“Pratt set up this justice—adjudication—structure,” Landis said. “There was a ranking system, and every person was assigned to a rank. There were boys that were giving out punishments for boys that were misbehaving or for infractions.”

A series of letters from 1910 and 1911 between the school staff, the Department of Indian Affairs and a concerned Carlisle citizen, Arthur Rupley, detailed the use of solitary confinement and corporal punishment for transgressions such as swearing, insubordination or fighting.

“I desire to call your attention to the fact that at the present time there are confined three or four Indian boys in the Guard House and three Indian Boys in the dungeon of said Guard House at the Carlisle Indian School,” Rupley wrote on Nov. 3, 1910. “The Guard House and Dungeon constructed during the Revolutionary War is almost an airtight compartment with no light and inadequate ventilation and is in a most unsanitary condition. The conditions under which the Indian boys are confined are worse than our County Prison.”

According to the letters, an investigation and a series of requests for a new guard house for confinement followed (the preferred disciplinary method after corporal punishment was done away with in 1907).

“I think what’s particularly interesting are the silences, the ways in which it is known in certain communities and passed on in terms of the trauma that was experienced here,” said Susan Rose, professor in sociology and director of the community studies center and mosaics at Dickinson College in Carlisle. “Not that everyone has negative experiences. There’s some that talk about the positive experiences that their ancestors had.”

Some students eventually returned home. Others made a permanent home in and around Pennsylvania. Pratt facilitated this transition through the school’s “Outing Program,” in which students were assigned to a Catholic, Protestant or Quaker home to learn a trade and be immersed in the white way of life. Male students often toiled as farmhands or clerks, and females worked in homes as domestic servants.

Records indicate that students were assigned to communities including Bainbridge, Carlisle and Harrisburg.

“It’s like these kids were invisible, and no one really has any stories about them even though it was only two generations ago,” Landis said. “There were 15 families in Harrisburg who had Indian kids in their homes.”

Kesetta & Jack
An early student of the school was Kesetta, a young Lipan Apache girl, whose tribe was reportedly massacred by the U.S. cavalry. Orphaned, Kesetta and her brother, Jack, were delivered to Carlisle in 1880. School staff discovered scars on Kesetta’s head and back, physical evidence of her mother’s attempts to end her life with a rock instead of allowing her to be taken away.

Kesetta and Jack had two distinct, but not uncommon, experiences at the school. Jack died of tuberculosis in 1888. It’s estimated that 192 children died at the school from disease or suicide.

Eventually, Kesetta was assigned “outings” in Carlisle and Schuylkill Haven. She moved to Baltimore, where, according to a letter, she got into “some trouble” and was sent to Philadelphia, where she gave birth to a son. Kesetta died of tuberculosis in 1906. Her son, Richard Kesetta, was brought to the school in 1907.

Despite gaps in the historical record, Rose believes that Richard grew close to a Carlisle family from whom he eventually inherited land.

“He didn’t know where he came from,” she said. “People would refer to him as ‘the Indian.’”

It wasn’t until 2009 that the Texas-based Lipan Apache tribe found out that their people had been sent to the Carlisle school.

“Until then, we had no idea that two of our children, Kesetta and Jack, had been sent to Carlisle,” said Hermelinda Walking Woman, the tribe’s director of education. “They were considered prisoners even at Carlisle. Our tribe was never contacted throughout the 100-plus years that followed after their imprisonment as students at the school.”

The Lipan Apache, she said, were never captured as a tribe, despite an attempt to exterminate them.

“Much is unknown about who their [Kesetta and Jack’s] parents actually were or even if they were truly sister and brother,” she said. “They were Lipan Apache, and that was all the information that these children were allowed to keep concerning their cultural past.”

Walking Woman contrasted that with her own experience.

“I grew up not only knowing that I was Lipan, but also that we had a rich culture and sacred traditions that were part of our very existence,” she said. “Kesetta and Jack, however, were stripped of this Apache-ness. This is horrific. It truly saddens me that our people were never informed that these children were in Carlisle. It saddens me that they never knew that their people and relatives were still alive. That was just cruel.”

While Walking Woman knows of the history of her ancestors, others are missing their own historical context as their ancestors were forced to extirpate themselves of their identity, leaving no native history of which to speak.

When Walking Woman was asked how she educates today’s children about the Carlisle school, she answered succinctly.

“I explain it as cultural genocide,” she said.

For more information, visit the Carlisle Indian School Digital Resource Center at www.carlisleindian.dickinson.edu.

If you have any information or stories about the students assigned to homes, please contact Barbara Landis at [email protected].

Teen Spirit: “The Wolves” offers a unique look at the lives of today’s youth.

January 31, 2019 | by Laura Dugan

With shows like “Mean Girls,” “Dear Evan Hansen” and “Clueless,” stories about the lives of teenagers have become recent hits on Broadway.

“The Wolves,” a play by Sarah DeLappe, follows in that spirit, uniquely sharing the stories of today’s youth. A finalist for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize, the play had a sold-out run in New York and is set to return to off-Broadway for a limited run at Lincoln Center Theatre.

This month, “The Wolves” also will be making its regional debut—at Open Stage of Harrisburg.

“I think that it’s important to bring new works to our community,” said Director Rachel Landon. “Not every theater gets the opportunity to do that. I’m excited to bring this to central Pennsylvania.”

Told entirely through conversations with an all-female cast, “The Wolves” follows nine teenagers who are on the same soccer team in a suburban town. The story follows team members as they chat prior to games and practices and includes fast-paced dialogue and soccer drills.

Landon said that she has never read a play like “The Wolves” before, written naturally and truthfully. Benny Benemati, who portrays player #25, the team captain, agrees that the play is full of true-to-life conversation.

“In rehearsal, we find ourselves talking to each other and finding we’re having similar conversations to what was written in the play,” said Benemati. “It’s amazing to read a script and feel so much emotion behind it even before putting it up on a stage.”

While it may seem as though there is a sudden focus on teenagers, every generation has put forth studies on the youth of that time. The plays of Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller, as well as musicals like “Hair,” “Fame” and “Hairspray,” all tell stories of how teenagers are emotionally and socially reacting to what is happening in their lives.

“Every generation has a play like this, and ‘The Wolves’ is one of the best, if not the best, I have read in the last 20 years,” said Landon.

In part, “The Wolves” is different from shows with a similar theme because the story does not focus on one specific character and what they are going through. The play follows all of the girls as they live their lives day to day, encountering struggles large and small.

“It’s also not a musical, so the focus is on the words themselves rather than building up emotion and releasing it in a showstopping number,” said Benemati. “Our emotional releases happen in pregnant pauses, when the lights go out. It doesn’t happen with, ‘Let’s sing a song about how we’re feeling.’ We have to convey these emotions directly to the audience, which, in some ways, makes it more raw.”

Erin Shellenberger, who portrays #46 or the “new girl” on the team, appreciates that the play is written with authentic and fresh portrayals of teenage girls, deviating from expected stereotypes. With the invention of the internet, cell phones and social media, teens have had to grow up a lot faster and in a different way than previous generations. “The Wolves” captures these nuances.

“It’s not that kids in previous generations didn’t deal with alcohol or sex or mass shootings,” said Shellenberger. “It just wasn’t blasted on social media the way it is. Everything is publicized on social media constantly. I never saw anything like this when I was younger, and I wish I had. Seeing people talk through the issues in real time and live their lives on stage is so intimate and real.”

Landon feels that a generation gap can result in writing off stories such as “The Wolves” about young people coming of age, especially as negative stereotypes surround generations like the millennials.

“We don’t really realize how rich their lives are, how intelligent they are, how sharp they are, and how they perceive the world,” said Landon. “We say, ‘Oh, they’re 17, they don’t understand the world.’ They absolutely do and appreciate it in a different way.”

The realism of the play is one of its greatest draws, whether the audience member is a teenager, parent, grandparent or just someone interested in innovative theater.

“It’s in the slight extremes of life you see in these characters that make them even more realistic to the play as a whole,” added Benemati. “All walks of life come together in this one show, and it’s very easy to watch it and go, ‘Oh, that’s me’ or, ‘I know that person.’ It can even be difficult to find the line between where the play starts and life begins.”

The cast of “The Wolves” also includes Katherine Campbell, Lisa Haywood, Vanessa Marie Hofer, Kalina Jenkins, Carly Lafferty, Hailey Lockner, Maura McErlean and Lidi Nyambi.

“The Wolves” runs Feb. 16 to March 3 at Open Stage of Harrisburg, 25 N. Court St., Harrisburg. For more information and to buy tickets, visit www.openstagehbg.com or call 717-232-6736.

Upcoming Theater Events

At Open Stage of Harrisburg
www.openstagehbg.com
717-232-6736

“The Wolves”
Modern, award-winning comedy-drama about a teenage girl’s soccer team
Feb. 16 to March 3

Cabaret Brunch and Season 34 Announcement
Saturday, March 2
12 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Artist in Focus: William Hicks

January 31, 2019 | by TheBurg Editor

You may already be familiar with his work.

Over the past few years, photographer William Hicks has made a name for himself for his atmospheric night shots of Harrisburg. His photos of everything from Three Mile Island to the Broad Street Market have been shared widely across social media. We’ve been so impressed that two of his photos graced our front covers during 2018.

But he isn’t only about Harrisburg at night. He’s a versatile artist who also specializes in portraits, events and travel photography.

We’re now delighted to share more of William’s work with our readers. Perhaps this will whet your appetite for his exhibit, “Wanderlust,” which opens this month at the Art Association of Harrisburg, with a reception on Feb. 22, 5 to 8 p.m.

Also, be sure to check out his website, www.billigan.com, where even more of his work can be enjoyed.

Community Corner: Notable February Events

January 31, 2019 | by Missy Smith

February Community Corner

Ice Festival
Feb. 1-3: Marvel at more than 80 large ice sculptures and watch live carvings of sculptures at the 17th Annual Chambersburg IceFest. There will be a variety of activities for all to enjoy. www.icefestpa.com

Orchid Show
Feb. 1-3: Visit Hershey Gardens, 170 Hotel Rd., Hershey, for the Susquehanna Orchid Society’s 35th Annual Orchid Show and Sale in the Milton & Catherine Hershey Conservatory. More than 1,000 orchids will be on display, including rare species and unique hybrids. Included in admission, free for members. www.HersheyGardens.org

Winter Story Times
Feb. 1-22: Join Fredricksen Library, 100 N. 19th St., Camp Hill, for a young children’s program that promotes literacy and provides a fun library experience. A variety of days, times and age sessions are available. www.fredricksenlibrary.org

Family Fun
Feb. 2: Head to Harrisburg Mall, 3501 Paxton St., Harrisburg, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., for the 16th annual Family Fun Fair with free family-friendly activities in the center court, first floor. www.shopharrisburgmall.com

Story Times
Feb. 3-8: Dauphin County commissioners and Dauphin County Library System celebrate “Me and My Home!” week with preschool story times. Children will learn how to appreciate their home through books, songs, crafts and more. www.dcls.org

Blood Pressure Screenings
Feb. 4: Stop by the food court pavilion at Harrisburg Mall, 3501 Paxton St., 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., for free blood pressure screenings offered by UPMC Pinnacle. www.shopharrisburgmall.com

Decisions 2019
Feb. 4, 19: The World Affairs Council of Harrisburg hosts “Great Decisions,” a program on world affairs organized by the Foreign Policy Association. Sessions are held every other Monday at 1 p.m. at the Fredricksen Library, 100 N. 19th St., Camp Hill, through May 13. Cost is $10 per session, $50 for all eight. www.fredricksenlibrary.org

Farm Finances
Feb. 4-March 4: Learn how to assemble and understand key farm business financial statements in Penn State Extension’s FarmSense financial management course, 310 Allen Rd., Carlisle, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. All agricultural businesses are welcome. Registration fee is $350, $35 for each additional guest of the same farm. www.extension.psu.edu

Strength Training
Feb. 4-April 10: Penn State Extension offers StrongWomen strength training classes for middle-aged women, men and seniors at First United Methodist Church, Mechanicsburg, in 10-week sessions on Mondays and Wednesdays, 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. www.extension.psu.edu

Documentary Talk
Feb. 5: Tracy Heather Strain, director of the “Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart” documentary, will discuss the life of the late Lorraine Hansberry, playwright, journalist, activist and author of “A Raisin in the Sun” at East Shore Area Library, 4501 Ethel St., Harrisburg, 6 pm. www.dcls.org

Cardiologist Cooking
Feb. 6: Join UMPC PinnacleHealth interventional cardiologist Michael Bosak in the kitchen at Giant Food Store, 3301 Trindle Rd., Camp Hill, 6 p.m., for UPMC Health’s “Cooking with a Cardiologist,” a fun, interactive event featuring heart-healthy dishes. Cost is $10 per person. www.pinnaclehealth.org

Mid-Day Getaway
Feb. 6, 13, 20, 27: Unwind over lunch at McCormick Riverfront Library, 101 Walnut St., Harrisburg. Bring your lunch to the library, 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., for coloring, card games, board games and low-stress activities. www.dcls.org

KIDZ Wednesday
Feb. 6, 20: Toddlers and young children who are not in school and their families are invited to fun learning with educational hands-on activities at free KIDZ Wednesdays, Harrisburg Mall, 3501 Paxton St., Harrisburg. www.shopharrisburgmall.com

Foreign Film Friday
Feb. 8: Join Fredricksen Library, 100. N. 19th St., Camp Hill, for “The Wedding Plan,” a film from Israel, in two showings, 2 and 7 p.m. When her fiancé abruptly calls off their wedding, 32-year-old Michal puts her trust in fate and continues with her wedding plans, believing Mr. Right will appear. www.fredricksenlibrary.org

Book Sale
Feb. 8-10: Friends of Simpson Public Library, 16 N. Walnut St, Mechanicsburg, will host a book sale to benefit the library, beginning with a friends-only preview sale on Feb. 8. The sale is open to everyone on Feb. 9, and the “bag sale” will be on Feb. 10. Book sale includes books, DVDs, CDs, puzzles and games. www.simpsonlibrary.org

Ice Art Fest
Feb. 8-10: Spend a weekend amid snowflake lights and ice sculptures at Downtown Carlisle Association’s Ice Art Fest, with a variety of events and activities including cook-offs and free movies. The event also features food vendors and extended merchant hours. www.lovecarlisle.com

Truffles for Couples
Feb. 8-16: Take your valentine to the Hershey Story’s Chocolate Lab, 63 W. Chocolate Ave., for an evening of truffle making for Valentine’s Day, 6 to 7 p.m. Guests can enjoy drinking chocolates from around the world and making hand-rolled and decorated dark chocolate ganache. Tickets are $20 per person. www.hersheystory.org

Trivia After Hours
Feb. 9: Join Fredricksen Library, 100. N. 19th St., Camp Hill, at trivia night—“Spirits and Libations”—7 to 9 p.m. Popcorn, corkscrews, bottle openers and prizes are provided. Ages 21 & up, BYOB. www.fredricksenlibrary.org

Cabaret Fundraiser
Feb 10: Join the Harrisburg Gay Men’s Chorus at their annual Valentine’s Day fundraising event to enjoy a fun cabaret performance at Lounge704, 704 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg, 4 to 7 p.m. Admission is $10 per person. www.harrisburggaymenschorus.org

Soup & a Bowl
Feb. 11: The 26th annual Soup & a Bowl fundraiser will be held at the Radisson Hotel Harrisburg, with seatings at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Enjoy soup, bread, dessert, live music, pottery throwing and a raffle. Locally crafted commemorative Central PA Food Bank bowls can be ordered in advance. Tickets are $30. www.centralpafoodbank.org

Tracking Animals
Feb. 12: Kids ages 5 to 10 and their families are invited to “Kids Discover—Animals and Their Tracks” at Wildwood Park, 100 Wildwood Way, Harrisburg, 10 to 11:30 a.m. Learn the art of tracking, track identification and walking patterns and explore park trails in search of tracks. Dress for the weather. Fee is $5 per person. www.wildwoodlake.org

Art Crawl
Feb. 13: Grab some friends or a partner and head to The Millworks, 340 Verbeke St., Harrisburg, for a creative evening out, 6 to 8 p.m. Sample Millworks beers, create art with artists in their studios and enjoy food while wandering around the art studios. Admission is $40 per person. www.millworksharrisburg.com

Nature Lab
Feb. 14: Join museum educators in the nature lab at 11:30 a.m. at the State Museum of Pennsylvania, 300 North St., to learn about ducks. This presentation is designed for general audiences, ages 7 and up, and is included with general admission to the museum. www.statemuseumpa.org

Dressed for Service
Feb. 15: Join history curator Katie McGowan for “Dressed for Service: The American Red Cross Knits for Uncle Sam” at The State Museum of Pennsylvania, 300 North St., Harrisburg, 12:15 p.m. She will discuss how the American Red Cross led efforts to provide knitted goods to soldiers during World War I. www.statemuseumpa.org

3rd in The Burg
Feb. 15: Enjoy the best of Harrisburg during 3rd in the Burg, the monthly arts and culture event at galleries, restaurants and art spaces throughout downtown and Midtown, 6 to 9 p.m. www.thirdintheburg.org

Family Fun
Feb. 15-17: Hundreds of sports cards and collectibles will be available for purchase throughout the lower level of Harrisburg Mall, 3501 Paxton St., Harrisburg. The Harrisburg Mall Sports Card Show will be held during mall hours: Feb. 15-16, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Feb. 17, 12 to 6 p.m. www.shopharrisburgmall.com

Community Free Day
Feb. 16: Join the National Civil War Museum, 1 Lincoln Circle at Reservoir Park, for its free admission day, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., in honor of Black History Month. www.nationalcivilwarmuseum.org

Education Mixer
Feb. 20: Socialize with local business professionals at the Central Penn College/Education Foundation Mixer, 5 to 7 p.m., at the Conference Center at Central Penn College, 600 Valley St., Summerdale. The event is free and open to chamber members. www.wschamber.org

Legislators’ Forum
Feb. 21: Join the Harrisburg Regional Chamber and the West Shore Chamber of Commerce for the 2019 Legislators’ Forum II, with area members of the PA Senate—serving Cumberland, Dauphin and Perry counties—at the Hilton Harrisburg, 1 N. 2nd St., 8 to 10 a.m. Cost is $70 or $45 for members. www.harrisburgregionalchamber.org

Curiosity Kids
Feb. 21: Kids ages 3 to 6 and their families can have fun with magnets at the State Museum of Pennsylvania, 300 North St., Harrisburg, 11:30 a.m., during its monthly “Curiosity Kids” program. Experiment with various types of magnets and explore how they work. www.statemuseumpa.org

Music Conference
Feb. 21-23: The Millennium Music Conference returns to the Park Inn by Radisson Harrisburg West, 5401 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg, for music business keynotes, seminars, panels and workshops and day stage performances, one-on-one mentoring, demo listening sessions and trade show networking, with concerts at local venues. www.MusicConference.net

Oscar Nominated Shorts
Feb. 22-23: Head to Fredricksen Library, 100 N. 19th St., Camp Hill, to view this year’s Oscar-nominated short films before the awards are given. Nominees will be shown in documentary short film, live action short film and animated short film categories. Not suggested for children under 17 without parental permission. www.fredricksenlibrary.org

Sports Fundraiser
Feb. 23: The 7th Annual Carlisle Cork & Brew will be held at the Carlisle Expo Center, 7 to 10 p.m. The beer and wine tasting event will benefit youth lacrosse teams. Local beer and wine vendors will provide samples, and a silent auction of sports items will be held. Tickets are $35. www.claxyouth.com

Tasting Event
Feb. 23: Get cozy at Appalachian Brewing Co., 50 N. Cameron Street, Harrisburg, at Winter Warmer Fest, 2 to 5 p.m. This tasting event will feature more than 30 local brewers, appetizers, prizes and more. Admission is $30 in advance and $35 at the door. VIP and designated driver admission rates available. www.abcbrew.com

Russia vs. the West
Feb 27: Muhlenberg College Professor S. Mohsin Hashim presents “Russia’s War on Western Democracies” at the Foreign Policy Association’s monthly meeting, West Shore Country Club, Camp Hill, 7:30 p.m. The talk is free and open to the public. A dinner precedes the presentation. www.fpa-harrisburg.org

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