Family Style: The cozy trattoria where the food is fabulous, homemade and always prepared by an Alvaro.

April 30, 2018 | by Rosemary Ruggieri Baer

On a quiet residential block in Harrisburg’s Olde Uptown neighborhood, there is a restored corner townhouse with a sign advertising Alvaro Bread & Pastry Shoppe.

What many savvy Harrisburgers have learned is that, on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, Alvaro’s is transformed into a tiny Italian trattoria. Their wonderful Italian bread is still there, along with cookies, cakes and gelato. But the emphasis is on pasta, especially filled pastas like ravioli with mushrooms, spinach or lobster. The atmosphere is lively with conversation and laughter. Bottles of “bring your own wine” abound on the dining tables. And, often, customers are lined up outside waiting for a table in the small space.

Alvaro’s is a family business in the truest sense of the word. Sal and Lena, the elder Alvaros from Calabria, Italy, began the business as a neighborhood bakery in 2005. They began serving lunch in 2009 and dinner in 2011. Sal was always the bread-maker and Lena the pasta, sauce and meatball chef. But, today, the Alvaro children are hands-on participants in this labor of love. Everyone cooks!

The Alvaro children, Vincent, Valentina and Domenico, are all skilled at making the wonderful food that makes this little restaurant unique. They say they have watched their parents over many years, knowing, almost with an extra sense, when a sauce or pasta is just right. Vincent has taken over a lot of the bread making, too, a task that requires being “on duty” very early in the morning.

On a cool and lovely early April day, the Alvaros were kind enough to welcome me and Megan Caruso, creative director for TheBurg, into their warm and inviting kitchen. We had requested a look into their pasta making and got something a little unexpected.

Alvaro’s is currently trying something different—rustic, whole-wheat pasta that is shaped by hand. With a number of people today tending to limit their intake of white flour and, in some cases, eggs (almost always found in “fresh” pastas), this pasta is made with an equal mix of high gluten pasta flour and whole-wheat flour. I was skeptical. How could there be no egg?

Lena showed us a large pasta bowl (from Italy, of course) with two cups each of white flour and whole-wheat flour. She added (very slowly) one cup of water, poured into a little well in the center of the flour. Using her hands, she created smooth, elastic dough that was definitely whole wheat in appearance. She advised us that “hands work best” and that “goes for meatballs, too!” We touched the smooth mound of dough that was perfect—just the right proportion of ingredients to keep it from being sticky.

Lena and daughter Valentina separated the dough into small pieces and then shaped each into a rope about 10 inches long. This was a rustic version of pasta known as bucatini. They cooked it for us in a pot of boiling, salted water until it was “al dente” (firm to the bite) and then covered it with their piping hot marinara sauce. It was delicious and unlike any pasta I had tasted before.

Lena gave us each a portion of dough to take home with us and showed us how to roll it and cut it into flat shapes and wide strips with a sharp pizza cutter.

The Alvaro family will still make fettucine, spaghetti, filled ravioli, pork and veal osso bucco, arugula salad and my favorite, stacked eggplant. They are testing the waters with their new, rustic, whole-wheat pasta and will see how it goes.

Our cozy afternoon in the Alvaro kitchen drifted into a lively discussion of how many eggs should go into meatballs, what is the best meat to cook with spaghetti sauce and whether olive oil should be added to the boiling pasta water. All we needed was a bottle of pinot grigio!

The rays of the late afternoon spring sun shone on the little bakery and restaurant. Sal, Lena, Vincent, Valentina and Domenico Alvaro stood on the small front stoop, their arms around each other, and posed for final pictures. The stacked tables outside promised al fresco dinners on warm summer nights. I hoped I would be there for my favorite ravioli and eggplant.

But, mostly, I was thinking about how special this family is, how very hard they work, what being Italian means, and how their endeavors are one of the many things that make our little city special.

Student Scribes: “Dusty Cake Memories”

April 30, 2018 | by Kristi Stokes

“…cakes are a window into our soul and a way to better understand ourselves.”
– Anne Byrn

My first cake was topped with a wax brown bear holding three balloons. It saw me snatch cake in great handfuls, shoving it in my mouth as fast as my 1-year-old hands could carry it. I bet it was chocolate. My mom still has the wax bear on a kitchen shelf. It collects dust and watches us ominously, wishing to be acknowledged and used just one more time.

I have used it only one other time, for my own son’s first birthday. I brushed off the dust and wondered why I was so intent on adding this silly little memory to his cake. A link between my past and his present is a link to both our pasts today. That bear watched him devour as much cake as his belly would hold, his cheeks—and the table—covered in chocolate.

After my son’s birthday, the bear returned to the shelf and the dust, here he has been watching new memories.

***

Growing up, my best friend, Laura, and I made cakes every weekend. We used a Disney cookbook to get our recipes and dreamed of making the carousel cake. We never did get the animal crackers required to top that cake. The book collects dust in my cabinet now, handed down from my mom as a great memory of my past. Laura and I laughed over it together just a month ago as we made chocolate cake from a recipe we found on Pinterest—it’s a monthly habit, not a weekend playdate, now that we both have lives and children of our own.

As kids, we had no clue what we were doing. Recipes were simple, and we still messed up. Too much cocoa makes a cake bitter. Leaving out the baking powder gives it no rise. And who knew adding hot water to a cold glass would shatter it? We’ll never forget now.

***

I wish that my husband and I had met over cake. How amazing would it be if we both reached for the same piece with a giant frosting rose or were members of two households both intent on our cakes, mortal enemies with the other cake-eaters? My family would be the chocolate people, and he would have to be the vanilla even though I don’t think he even likes vanilla. Maybe that’s why it was so easy to turn him. We would be the Romeo and Juliet of cakes. It would be a beautiful love story.

But we met at church as I desperately tried to like coffee because I was 19 and a mom and getting divorced. And those are all adult things—momming, divorce and coffee. It was practically a requirement. I had to love it. So, I mixed a tiny bit into my hot chocolate, called it coffee, and sat at my table where my future husband told me, “Your son has beautiful eyes.” Then he made him cry with a pop of his pacifier, and I vowed to always hate him, that jerk.

Except I love him.

***

We fought for marriage over angel food cake made by our pre-marriage mentors. They used to be Amish, which is a story all in itself. They left the practice behind, but brought the recipe with them. It is written out on old Post-It notes in my cabinet, collecting dust and awaiting the next birthday it’s requested. For a long time, it was the only thing I could make that was any good. My husband did all the cooking in the beginning, giving me “the most important jobs” like adding foil to the pan where he’d cook the chicken.

Angel food cake insists on its own way and is best served naked, devoid of all additions. It is fickle and moody. Room temperature ingredients. White sugar only. Sifted cake flour, not regular. It requires 12 egg whites. No yolks. Divorce of two halves of a whole. Ironic that we discussed our future marriage over this divorce-loving cake. Devil’s food is easier. But isn’t the wrong way always easier? Maybe not, since the wrong way ended in divorce for me, and divorce is never easy.

***

At my first wedding, we had grocery store cake topped with a curly “congratulations,” and we shoved it into each other’s faces. I pushed that cake into any open place I could reach. I didn’t care where it went, just that I won. He had more cake on him than I did, but we both had to leave to clean ourselves up. I took a friend with me, and we wiped it up together. There was cake in my nose, and I had to blow it free in a paper towel that left my nose raw and red. We spent the next year fighting, arguing, pushing each other away. It was the cake over and over again. But this time, there were no winners.

So, at my second wedding, everything had to be different. “Don’t push cake in my face,” I pleaded. Our moms both backed me up. “Keep it nice,” they said. When it came time for the cake, I gave him a look that said, “Go ahead and try. I will make you regret this decision forever if you don’t do things my way.” Because even though I was different, I wasn’t that different, apparently. I still had to have my own way. I still needed to die on every hill.

He didn’t do it. I still remember and smile when I look at our cake topper, the little bride and groom alongside the tiny ring bearer that is my son, collecting dust in the dining room cabinet.

***

I made cake when the rooster died. And again when my grandma died. Because “death cake” is a thing in my house now. Sometimes you just need cake to get through the hard things in life.

I remember when we found him lying cold and still on the edge of our backyard. I imagine he told his girls to go ahead into the coop without him, that he’d be along in a moment. And as the romantic music swelled, they turned their backs, and he lay down in the grass, too old to carry on with life. He looked perfectly perfect when we found him. He could have been sleeping. That cake needed extra frosting on top, because the loss of that rooster was extra in every way.

I won’t even talk about my grandma. Her cake was special, just like she was.

***

I was 36 before I found my favorite cake. It’s such a mom thing to do, I think, putting off my own needs and interests so I can focus on everyone else? But I’m not even that good at putting others first. The other day, a friend asked on Facebook what the keys to happiness were. She posted a list of options, and we were told to pick our top five. “Taking care of yourself first” was my number one. In the comments, someone said it was the most selfish one there. I didn’t change my answer. Because I didn’t want to be a liar. I took a bite of my chocolate cake topped with cookie dough frosting, secretly relishing the fact that I could eat it while the kids were at school. Maybe I could finish the pan. I would be like Gollum from “The Lord of the Rings,” calling the cake “my precious” and declaring it “mine.”

Cake brings out my most greedy and lustful self.

I wonder if the bear knew what it was getting me into all those years ago?

Kristi Stokes is a junior English major at Penn State Harrisburg.

Happenings: Our May calendar of events.

April 30, 2018 | by Missy Smith

Museum & Art Spaces

3rd Street Studio
1725 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-385-3315; Facebook: 3^rd Street Studio

“Emotional Connections,” a collaborative effort on cold wax by Nissa Greene and Amy Powell, May 12.

Works by Dreon Olivetti and Lesley Blandy, through May 13, at Café 1500.

“101 Faces: The Portrait Art of Kevyn Knox,” May 18-June 9; reception: May 18, 6-9 p.m.

AACA Museum
161 Museum Dr., Hershey
717-566-7100; aacamuseum.org

International Thunderbird Club Exhibit, May 18-Oct. 14.

“Mustangs: Six Generations of America’s Favorite Pony Car,” May 18-Oct. 14; reception: May 18, 5:30 p.m.

Art Association of Harrisburg
21 N. Front St., Harrisburg
717-236-1432; artassocofhbg.com

“Dimensions—Photo-Realism to Abstraction,” through May 10.

90^th Annual Juried Exhibition, May 18-June 21; reception: May 18, 5-8 p.m.

Brain Vessel
4704 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg
717-350-2306; brainvessel.com

The art of Denyse Klett, through May 11.

The Art of Casey Hall, May 18-19.

Carlisle Arts Learning Center
38 W. Pomfret St., Carlisle
717-249-6973; carlislearts.org

“Flow: Kim Banister and Wendy Edsall-Kerwin,” through June 2.

The Cornerstone Coffeehouse
2133 Market St., Camp Hill
717-737-5026; thecornerstonecoffeehouse.com

Artist of the Month: Camp Hill High School students

Gallery@Second
608 N. 2nd St., Harrisburg
galleryatsecond.com

Works by Steve Wetzel and Peter DeHart, May 3-June 9; reception: May 18, 6-9 p.m.

Gallery on the Square
Millersburg Area Art Association
226 Union St., Millersburg
Facebook: Gallery on the Square

Fiber Art Show, with decorative, functional and wearable fiber art, and hand-dyed fabric and hand-spun yarn by local fiber artists, through May 12.

Hershey Area Art Association (HAAA)
hersheyareaartassociation.com

“Local Inspiration” membership art show, celebrating local communities, through May 19.

Country Meadows Exhibit, May 3-17.

Landis House
Perry County Council of the Arts
67 N. 4th St., Newport
717-567-7023; perrycountyarts.org

“Downtown Details,” a photographic look at Newport’s historic buildings and architectural details, through the lens of Irene VanBuskirk, May 4-July 7; opening reception and book signing, May 4, 6-8:30 p.m.

Metropolis Collective
17 W. Main St., Mechanicsburg
717-458-8245; Facebook: Metropolis Collective

“Who’s Your Dada: A Group Tribute to an Art Movement,” May 4-Aug. 20; reception: May 1, 9 p.m.

The Millworks
340 Verbeke St., Harrisburg
717-695-4888; millworksharrisburg.com

New works by Tami Bitner, Jonathan Bean, Tara Chickey, Joan Maguire, John McNulty and Paul Vasiliades, through May 13.

New works by Joelle Arawjo, Meg Caruso, Kristin Fava, Andrew Guth, Marsha Souders and Richard Souders, May 15- June 10.

National Civil War Museum
One Lincoln Circle, Harrisburg
717-260-1861; nationalcivilwarmuseum.org

“Honored Veterans: Fraternal Organizations Borne of the Civil War,” through June 2.

Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art
176 Water Company Rd., Millersburg
717-692-3699; nedsmithcenter.org

“The Photo Ark” by Joel Sartore, National Geographic photographer and fellow, through September.

New Cumberland Public Library
1 Benjamin Plaza, New Cumberland
717-774-7820; newcumberlandlibrary.org

Works by Linda Buckwalter, through May.

PCCA Gallery
Perry County Council of the Arts
1 S. 2nd St., Newport
717-567-7023; perrycountyarts.org

“I Brought You Flowers,” an exhibition of all media to welcome spring and treat mom to locally created Mother’s Day gifts, through May 12.

“Man Cave,” a creative showing of his favorite room in the house, with locally made artwork and handcrafted items, May 25-June 30; reception: May 25, 6-8:30 p.m.

Pennsylvania National Fire Museum
1820 N. 4th St., Harrisburg
717-232-8915; pnfm.org

Exhibits dedicated to Pennsylvania firefighting history.

Rose Lehrman Art Gallery
One HACC Drive, Harrisburg
717-780-2435; hacc.edu

Student Honors Show, through May 10.

The State Museum of Pennsylvania
300 North St., Harrisburg
717-787-4980; statemuseumpa.org

“Every Thing of Interest Show: T.M. Fowler’s Pennsylvania Bird’s-Eye View, 1885-1905,” Thaddeus Mortimer Fowler’s bird’s eye lithographic prints of American towns and cities, through May 6.

2018 South Central Pennsylvania Scholastic Art Awards, showcasing students in Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Juniata, Lebanon, Perry and York counties, through May 6.

2017 National History Day in Pennsylvania, showing winning student entries from the 2017 National History Day, through May 13.

“Pennsylvania at War,” highlighting World War I posters from the Pennsylvania State Archives and The Saga of the US Pennsylvania, through Dec. 30.

Susquehanna Art Museum
1401 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-233-8668; sqart.org

“Portraits and Their Stories,” through May 20.

Suzanne H. Arnold Art Gallery
Lebanon Valley College
101 College Ave., Annville
717-233-8668; lvc.edu/gallery

Art & Visual Culture Senior Thesis Exhibition, through May 13.

Wildwood Park
100 Wildwood Way, Harrisburg
717-221-0292; wildwoodlake.org

“Art in the Wild,” Wildwood Park’s annual outdoor environmental art exhibit, through Oct. 31.

Winters Heritage House Museum
41-47 E. High St., Elizabethtown
717-367-4672; elizabethtownhistory.org

27th Annual Quilt Exhibit, featuring antique and modern quilts, May 2-June 1.

Yellow Bird Café
1320 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-635-8991; yellowbird-cafe.com

Works by Marti Hwang, through May 14.

Works by Ann Lawson, May 18-June 11.

Zeroday Brewing Co.
250 Reily St., Harrisburg
717-745-6218; zerodaybrewing.com

Abstract works by Doug Butari and Laura Cowden, May 18-June 15.

Read, Make, Learn

Carlisle Arts Learning Center
38 W. Pomfret St., Carlisle
717-249-6973; carlislearts.org

May 1-June 5: Play with Clay at the End of the Day, 4:30-6 p.m.
May 8, 15, 22: Intro to iPhone Photography, 12-3 p.m.
May 9, 16, 23: Advanced iPhone Photography, 6-9 p.m.
May 10: Multi Media Journal Making
May 10: Open Paint Studio, 6:30 p.m.
May 11: School’s Out, Art’s In!, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
May 14-June 15: Abstract Watercolor—Branching Out
May 18: Craft Beer & Clay, 7 p.m.
May 19: Fire it Up! Raku!, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
May 23, 30: Succulent Mania, 6-8 p.m.

The Cornerstone Coffeehouse
2133 Market St., Camp Hill
717-737-5026; thecornerstonecoffeehouse.com

May 4: Fantastic Fish and Sauces, 6:30-9:30 p.m.
May 11: Orient Express, 6:30-9:30 p.m.
May 31: Mediterranean Madness, 6-9 p.m.

East Shore Area Library
4501 Ethel St., Harrisburg
717-652-9380; dcls.org

May 9: Explore Your Computer II, 6:30-8 p.m.
May 16: Basic Email I, 6:30-8 p.m.
May 17: Device Club, 1-2:30 p.m.
May 18: Grantseeker Workshop—Intro to Fundraising Planning, 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m.
May 18: Grantseeker Workshop—Intro to Finding Grants, 1-2:30 p.m.
May 22: East Shore Area Library Friends Meeting, 9:30 a.m.
May 30: Basic Email, 6:30-8 p.m.
May 31: Summer Reading Club—Ice Cream Kick-off, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Fredricksen Library
100 N. 19th St., Camp Hill
717-761-3900; fredricksenlibrary.org

May 1: Curl Up with the Classics—“Heart of Darkness,” 10 a.m.
May 2, 4: Library for Lunch—May Day Celebration, 12 p.m.
May 4: Youth Chess Night, 6:30 p.m.
May 5: Traditional Chinese Calligraphy Class, 1:30 p.m.
May 6: Mindfulness Matters Workshop—Concentration, 1:30 p.m.
May 11: Foreign Film Friday, 2 and 7 p.m.
May 12: Star Wars Appreciation Day, 1-5 p.m.
May 14: Philosophers’ Roundtable, 2 p.m.
May 14: Twisted Stitchers, 6:30 p.m.
May 15: Fredricksen Reads—Killers of the Flower Moon
May 17: READ to Dogs, 6:30 p.m.
May 18: Family Movie Night, 6:30 p.m.
May 19: BYOB Trivia After Hours—Doctor Who, 7 p.m.
May 21: LEGO Club, 4:30 p.m.
May 22: Gardening with Nature, 7 p.m.
May 25: Indie Film Friday, 2 and 7 p.m.

Harrisburg Improv Theatre
1633 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-798-6973; hbgimprov.com

May 9-June 27: Improv Level 1, 7-10 p.m.

Hershey Public Library
701 Cocoa Ave., Hershey
717-533-6555; hersheylibrary.org

May 1: Wonderful Ones, 10:30 a.m.
May 1-31: Open Space (Teens), 3 p.m.
May 1, 8: Girls Who Code, 5:45 p.m.
May 2: LEGO Club, 4 p.m.
May 2: Nature Study Class, 6 p.m.
May 5: Herb Container Class, 10 a.m.
May 5, 12, 19: Chess Club, 1:30 p.m.
May 6: Beyond the Beat, 2 p.m.
May 7: Books & Babies, 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m.
May 7: Developing Your Story Class, 5:30 p.m.
May 10: What You Need to Know About Lyme Disease, 6 p.m.
May 11: Play Day for Families, 10 a.m.
May 14: Developing Your Story, 5:30 p.m.
May 16: In the Middle Book Club, 3 p.m.
May 19: Advanced Photoshop Post-processing, 9:30 a.m.

Joseph T. Simpson Public Library
16 N. Walnut St, Mechanicsburg
717-766-0171; simpsonlibrary.org

May 1, 8, 15: Tea & Stitches, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
May 1: Tabletop Games, 6-8 p.m.
May 2: Intro to Apple MacBook, 6-8 p.m.
May 3: Learn to Knit, 7-8 p.m.
May 4: Coloring for Adults, 12:30-2:30 p.m.
May 9: Mad About Mysteries, 7-8 p.m.
May 10, 24: Mah Jongg, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
May 14: iPad/iPhone Beginners, 1-3 p.m.
May 14: English Conversation Group, 6:30-8 p.m.
May 17: Thursday Morning Book Club, 10-11 a.m.
May 19: Simpson Library ComiCon, 10-5 p.m.
May 21: Monday Night Book Club, 7-8 p.m.
May 22: Tea & Stitches Extended, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
May 22: “Someone Must Wash the Dishes,” 1:30-2:30 p.m.
May 23: Apple Users Group, 1-3 p.m.
May 23: Yoga for Beginners, 7-8 p.m.

Kline Library
530 S. 29^th St., Harrisburg
717-234-3934; dcls.org

May 5: Catan Tournament, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
May 17: Friends of Kline Library Meeting, 6:30 p.m.
May 23: Knit 1, Crochet Too!, 6 p.m.
May 30: Summer Reading Club—Ice Cream Kick-off, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Landis House
Perry County Council of the Arts
67 N. 4th St., Newport
717-567-7023; perrycountyarts.org

May 1, 8, 22: Bucket Brigade, 7-8 p.m.
May 5: Drop-in Art, 1-4 p.m.
May 12: A Novel Idea, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

The LBGT Center of Central PA
1306 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-920-9534; centralpalgbtcenter.org

May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30: Common Roads Youth, 6 p.m.
May 5: Passage Ways—Trans & Non-Binary Group, 1:30 p.m.
May 6, 13, 20, 27: Common Roads Young Adults, 4 p.m.
May 8, 22: Queers and Quests, 6-8 p.m.
May 10: Aging with Pride Lunchtime, 12-2 p.m.
May 12: QTPOC Advisory Group, 6-8 p.m.
May 15: Selfcare Workshop, 6-8 p.m.

Madeline L. Olewine Memorial Library
2410 North 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-232-7286; dcls.org

May 2: After School Hangout, 4 p.m.
May 12: Spelling Bee, 11 a.m.
May 21: Cookbook Book Club, 6 p.m.
May 30: Summer Reading Club—Ice Cream Kick-off, 4-6 p.m.

McCormick Riverfront Library
101 Walnut St., Harrisburg
717-234-4976; dcls.org

May 1: Tea Cup Candles, 6 p.m.
May 1, 8, 15, 22, 29: Mid-day Getaway, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
May 31: Summer Reading Club—Ice Cream Kick-off, 12-2:30 p.m.

Midtown Scholar Bookstore-Café
1302 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-236-1680; midtownscholar.com

May 1: Sci Fi Writers Group, 7 p.m.
May 1, 8, 15, 22, 29: Coffee, Cake and True Islam, 5-7 p.m.
May 3, 10, 24, 31: Almost Uptown Poetry Cartel, 7-9 p.m.
May 4, 11, 25: Nathaniel Gadsden’s Spoken Word Café, 7-9 p.m.
May 10: Camp Curtin Toastmasters, 6:30 p.m.
May 12, 26: Story Time at the Scholar, 11 a.m.
May 17: An Evening with Maya Rao, 7-9 p.m.
May 18: Sci Fi & Fantasy Book Club, 7 p.m.
May 20: Midtown Writers Group, 1 p.m.
May 20: LGBT Book Club, 4:30 p.m.
May 23: An Evening with Madeline Miller, 7-9 p.m.
May 27: Democratic Socialists of America Reading Group, 2 p.m.
May 27: Harrisburg Young Professionals Book Club, 3 p.m.

The Millworks
340 Verbeke St., Harrisburg
717-695-4888; millworksharrisburg.com

May 2, 9, 16 23: Abstract Painting 4-week class, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
May 5: Macrame Lantern Class, 1-4 p.m.
May 12: Fluid Art Class, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.

The Movement Center
2134 N. 2^nd St., Harrisburg
717-238-0357; themovementcenter.net

May 13: Community Beginner Yoga, 10 a.m.

Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art
176 Water Company Rd., Millersburg
717-692-3699; nedsmithcenter.org

May 5: Spring Bird Walk, 7:30 a.m.-12 p.m.

New Cumberland Public Library
1 Benjamin Plaza, New Cumberland
717-774-7820; newcumberlandlibrary.org

May 1, 8, 15, 22: Book Babies Storytime, 11:15 a.m.
May 1, 8, 15, 22: Preschool Pals Storytime, 1 p.m.
May 3: Ruth’s Mystery Discussion Group, 10:15 a.m.-12 p.m.
May 4: May the Fourth, 1-5 p.m.
May 7 ,9, 21, 23: Great Books Discussion Group, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
May 7, 14, 21: Toddler Storytime, 11 a.m.
May 7, 14, 21, 28: Tuesday Night Book Discussion Group, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
May 8: Book Review Program—It Happened in PA, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
May 12: Write-On Writer’s Workshop, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
May 12: Mother’s Day Card Make & Take 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
May 17: Mini Paper Purse Gift Bag Craft, 6:30 p.m.
May 19: Couponing for Extreme Savings, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
May 19: Children’s Book Writers Critique Group, 2-4 p.m.
May 23: PennWriters Writing Group, 5:30-7:45 p.m.
May 25: Baby Open Play, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.

The State Museum of Pennsylvania
300 North St., Harrisburg
717-787-4980; statemuseumpa.org

May 4: Story Time, 10 a.m.
May 5-27: We Are Stars

Susquehanna Art Museum
1401 N. 3^rd St., Harrisburg
717-233-8668; sqart.org

May 5: Saturday Morning Art Club, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
May 23: Life Drawing, 6-9 p.m.

Wildwood Park
100 Wildwood Way, Harrisburg
717-221-0292; wildwoodlake.org

May 5: Twilight Frog Walk, 7-8:30 p.m.
May 9: Bird Walk—Peak Migration, 7:30-9:30 a.m.
May 12: Detweiler Park BioBlitz, 8 a.m.-3 p.m.
May 12: Stress Relief Walk, 10-11:30 a.m.
May 12: Volunteer Work Day, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
May 13: Flower Walk, 1:30-3 p.m.
May 17: Get in Shape Walk, 6-7:30 p.m.
May 18: Educator Workshop—Advanced PA Songbirds, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
May 19: Detweiler Park Hike, 10-11 a.m.
May 19: Tiger Boy Scouts Workshop, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
May 20: Painting @ The Park, 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. and 1:30-3:30 p.m.
May 27: Tree ID Walk, 10:30-11:30 a.m.

William H. & Marion C. Alexander Family Library
200 W. Second St., Hummelstown
717-566-0949; dcls.org

May 1: Novel Thoughts Book Club, 6:30 p.m.
May 3: After School Hangout, 3 p.m.
May 3: Teen Night, 6 p.m.
May 9: 2^nd Wednesday Cinema, 6 p.m.
May 12: Mary Sachs Series—Pamper Yourself, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
May 15: Novel Thoughts, Too! Book Club, 1 p.m.
May 29: Summer Reading Club—Ice Cream Kick-off, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Yoga at Simply Well
28 S. Pitt St., Carlisle
717-968-0167; yogaatsimplywell.com

May 4-8: Understanding the Hatha Yoga Pradipika

Live Music Around Harrisburg

American Music Theatre
2425 Lincoln Highway East, Lancaster
717-397-7700; amtshows.com

May 1-Oct. 5: “Songs of the Silver Screen”
May 4: The Lettermen
May 6: Abba
May 11: Chris Botti
May 12: Marty Stuart & Connie Smith
May 20, 21: Yanni
May 31: Johnny Mathis

Appalachian Brewing Co./Abbey Bar
50 N. Cameron St., Harrisburg
717-221-1083; abcbrew.com

May 4: Strung Like a Horse
May 5: Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band
May 12: Consider the Source
May 25: Andy Mowatt’s Steely Jam

Appell Center for the Performing Arts
50 N. George St., York
717-846-1111; appellcenter.org

May 1: Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox
May 4: Jazz in the City
May 5, 19: York Symphony Orchestra

Carley’s Ristorante and Piano Bar
204 Locust St., Harrisburg
717-909-9191; carleysristorante.com

May 1, 8, 11, 15, 18, 22, 26, 31: Noel Gevers
May 2, 5, 10, 24: Roy Lefevre
May 3, 12, 19, 25: Ted Ansel
May 4, 17, 29: Corinna Joy
May 9: Deb Anderson
May 16, 23: Chris Purcell
May 27, 30: Anthony Haubert

Central Pennsylvania Womyn’s Chorus
cpwchorus.org

May 19-20: “Animated Women” spring concerts

Chameleon Club
223 N. Water St., Lancaster
717-299-9684; chameleonclub.net

May 3: Mac Lethal
May 4: Craig Campbell
May 5: Born Of Osiris
May 6: Sevendust
May 10: Luke Pell, Spanish Love Songs
May 11: Mad Caddies, The Stonewall Vessels
May 12: The Bouncing Souls
May 14: Blaze Ya Dead Homie
May 16: Them Evils
May 18: Keifer Sutherland
May 19: Myles Kennedy
May 23: Basement Citizen
May 26: Galactic Empire

Club XL
801 S. 10th St., Harrisburg
717-409-8975; xlhbg.com

May 5: In Gratitude—A Tribute to Earth, Wind & Fire
May 12: Back to Black—ACDC Experience, Time Bomb, Bark at the Moon
May 19: The Machine—Pink Floyd Tribute
May 24: Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown
May 25: Jerrod Niemann

The Cornerstone Coffeehouse
2133 Market St., Camp Hill
717-737-5026; thecornerstonecoffeehouse.com

May 4: Antonio Andrade
May 5: Michael Arthur
May 6: Jessica Graae
May 11: Kevin Kline
May 12: Janie Womack and Jody Echterling
May 13: Sinclair Soul
May 18: Dan Zukowski
May 19: Doug Morris
May 20: Colette Eckert
May 25: Joe Cooney
May 26: Jim Steele
May 27: Dominick Cicco

Fort Hunter
5300 N. Front St., Harrisburg
717-599-5751; forthunter.org

May 13: Susquehanna Folk Music Jam

Harrisburg Gay Men’s Chorus
harrisburggaymenschorus.org

May 11, 12, 18: “Girls, Girls, Girls!”

Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra
The Forum at 5th and Walnut St., Harrisburg
717-545-5527; harrisburgsymphony.org

May 19-20: Masterworks

Hollywood Casino
777 Hollywood Blvd., Grantville
717-469-2211; hollywoodpnrc.com

May 4: Funktion
May 5: DJ Ray Rossi, The Famous
May 11: Smooth Like Clyde
May 12: DJ Magic, No Bad JUJU
May 18: Uptown Band
May 19: DJ Ray Rossi, Honeypump
May 25: Sapphire
May 26: DJ Dave Styles, The Luv Gods
May 27: Kevin Miller Band Smashed

House of Music, Arts & Culture (H*MAC)
1110 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-441-7506; harrisburgarts.com

May 3: The Living Deads, The OOgies
May 5: Cuff, Happy Sally
May 11: The Flat Wheels, Vulcans
May 12: Texas Hippie Coalition, Kobra and the Lotus, Brand of Julez, Granny 4 Barrel, Secret Face
May 17: The Wailers Band, Nolatet
May 18: Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals, King Parrot
May 19: Indigenous
May 26: Kofo the Wonderman, The Daylight Star Band
May 27: The Menzingers

Keystone Capital Chorus
717-350-5712; kccsing.com

May 5: 70th Annual Spring Show—60s & 70s

Lebanon Valley College
101 College Ave., Annville
717-233-8668; lvc.edu/gallery

May 1: LVC Student Recital, Chamber Choir
May 2: Coffeehouse Series—Sam Machin
May 6: Shelly Moorman-Stahlman
May 20: Caring Voices Concert

Little Amps Coffee Roasters, Downtown
133 State St., Harrisburg
717-635-9870; littleampscoffee.com

May 10: The Foxsmiths, Starcoast
May 12: Good in the Dark, Came Back Haunted, Beginning
May 16: Messthetics, Deletions, Concrete Beach
May 25: Shrimp Ryan’s Jig Band, Seasons

Little Amps Coffee Roasters, Uptown
1836 Green St., Harrisburg littleampscoffee.com
717-695-4882; littleampscoffee.com

May 1: Pderrigerreo; Yeah, Baby
May 9: The Petals, Search Party
May 19: Ages
May 22: SSS, Caesar’s Pleasures, Hoastt

The Lodge at Liberty Forge
3804 Lisburn Rd., Mechanicsburg
717-691-5335; lodgeatlibertyforge.com

May 16: Open Mic night w/Roy and Janelle
May 17: Shea and Len
May 24: North Mountain Ramblers
May 31: LeBlanc and Messano

Luhrs Performing Arts Center
1871 Old Main Dr., Shippensburg
717-477-7469; luhrscenter.com

May 3: The Piano Guys

Messiah College School of Arts
One College Ave., Mechanicsburg
717-766-2511; messiah.edu

May 4: Messiah College Symphony Orchestra
May 5: Guitar Ensemble
May 7: Messiah College Handbell Choir
May 12: Susquehanna Chorale

Midtown Scholar Bookstore-Café
1302 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-236-1680; midtownscholar.com

May 18: Pentley Holmes

The Mill in Hershey
810 Old W. Chocolate Ave., Hershey
717-256-9965; themillinhershey.com

May 5: Hank Imhof
May 12: Roy Lefever
May 19: Lucille
May 26: Corinna Joy
May 29: Jason Carst

Pride of the Susquehanna
City Island, Harrisburg
717-234-6500; harrisburgriverboat.com

May 13: Mother’s Day Dinner Cruise w/Bob Barry
May 23: Soundwaves Acoustic Music Series

River City Blues Club & Dart Room
819 S. Cameron St., Harrisburg
rivercityhbg.com

May 5: Hold Fast, Van Goose, JT & the Mild Heat

Rusty Rail Brewing Company
5 N. 8th North St., Mifflinburg
570-966-7878; rustyrailbrewing.com

May 4: Steve Forbert
May 25: Victor Wainwright & The Train

St. Thomas Roasters
5951 Linglestown Rd., Harrisburg
717-526-4171; stthomasroasters.com

May 5: Joe Cooney
May 12: Craig Bonner & Steve Geib
May 18: Cotolo
May 19: Just Dave
May 24: Amber Nadine
May 25: Rhoads & Putt Trio

Stock’s on 2nd
211 N. 2nd St., Harrisburg
717-233-6699; stocksonsecond.com

May 4: DJ Ray Rossi

May 5: TBA

May 11: Cruise Control Trio

May 12: Natalie Ness

May 18: Shea Quinn and Friends

May 19: Music thru Science Lite

May 25: Noel Gevers

May 26: Visitors Duo

Susquehanna Art Museum
1401 N. 3^rd St., Harrisburg
717-233-8668; sqart.org

May 2: Ralph Diekemper

Susquehanna Chorale
One College Ave., Mechanicsburg
717-533-7859; susquehannachorale.org

May 11: Spring Concert at Derry Presbyterian Church
May 12: Spring Concert at Messiah College

The Susquehanna Folk Music Society
717-745-6577; sfmsfolk.org

May 12: FARA
May 13: Jam Session

Whitaker Center
222 Market St., Harrisburg
717-214-ARTS; whitakercenter.org

May 18: Mt. Joy
May 20: A Taste of Jazz 2018

The Stage Door

American Music Theatre
2425 Lincoln Highway East, Lancaster
717-397-7700; amtshows.com

May 5: Bill Engvall

Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre
510 Centerville Rd., Lancaster
717-898-1900; DutchApple.com

May 3-June 17: “Grease”

Gamut Theatre Group
15 N. 4th St., Harrisburg
717-238-4111; gamuttheatre.org

May 2-19: “The Little Mermaid” w/Popcorn Hat Players
May 26-28: Kidsfest at Artsfest

Harrisburg Christian Performing Arts Center
1000 S. Eisenhower Blvd, Middletown
717-939-9333; hbg-cpac.org

May 18-20: “Madagascar”

Harrisburg Comedy Zone
110 Limekiln Rd., New Cumberland
717-920-5653; harrisburgcomedyzone.com

May 3, 10, 17, 24, 31: Open Mic
May 4, 5: Kevin Lee and Roger Keiss
May 8, 9: D.L. Hughley
May 11, 12: Sid Davis and Will Jacobs
May 18, 19: Matt Holt and Joe Bates
May 25, 26: Jody Kerns and Tommy Torres

Harrisburg Improv Theatre
1633 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-798-6973; hbgimprov.com

May 4: Harold Jam
May 11, 12: Level 3 Class show, sections 1 & 2
May 18, 20: Level 2 Class show
May 20, 25: Level 1 Class show
May 27: Magic Fairy Pirate Monkeys

House of Music, Arts & Culture (H*MAC)
1110 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-441-7506; harrisburgarts.com

May 24-26: “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”

Lancaster Marionette Theatre
126 N. Water St., Lancaster
717-394-8389; lancastermarionette.org

May 12: “Little Lord Fauntleroy”

Little Theatre of Mechanicsburg
915 S. York St., Mechanicsburg
717-766-0535; ltmpa.com

May 4-20: “Shenandoah”

Luhrs Performing Arts Center
1871 Old Main Dr., Shippensburg
717-477-7469; luhrscenter.com

May 12: Peppa Pig Live
May 13: John Crist

Messiah College School of Arts
One College Ave., Mechanicsburg
717-766-2511; messiah.edu

May 4-5: GiViM Dance Performance

Open Stage of Harrisburg
223 Walnut St., Harrisburg
717-232-OPEN; openstagehbg.com

Through May 6: “Collective Rage: A Play in Five Betties”
May 11-12: “Court Street Cabaret: Miscast Edition”
May 17-20: “Alice in Wonderland”

Oyster Mill Playhouse
1001 Oyster Mill Rd., Camp Hill
717-737-6768; oystermill.com

Through May 6: “Curtains”

The Playhouse at Allenberry
1559 Boiling Springs Rd., Boiling Springs
717-258-3211; allenberry.com

May 11-16: “Gypsy”

Rose Lehrman Theatre
One HACC Drive, Harrisburg
717-780-2435; hacc.edu

May 18-19: “Colored Mommas, Black Baby Boys”

The Susquehanna Folk Music Society
717-745-6577; sfmsfolk.org

May 1: “Curtains, The Musical”

Theatre Harrisburg
513 Hurlock St., Harrisburg
717-232-5501; theatreharrisburg.com

Through May 6: “Hairspray”

The Ware Center
42 N. Prince St., Lancaster
717-871-2308; millersville.edu/muarts

May 4: “We the People” First Friday program

The Whitaker Center
222 Market St., Harrisburg
717-214-ARTS; whitakercenter.org

May 2: Story Slam
Through May 6: “Hairspray”

Hundred Years Young: Kiwanis Club of Harrisburg may be 100, but its mission remains youthful.

April 30, 2018 | by Phyllis Zimmerman

Historic photo of Kiwanis Club of Harrisburg.

Although the Kiwanis Club of Harrisburg celebrates its 100th birthday this year, members don’t really think of it as being old.

Partially, that’s because the community service club is so youth-oriented.

“Our mission is to help children and families of the world and local communities,” said club President Jessica Mercy. “Our focus has always been helping children, although the ways we do it may have changed because of society’s changes over the past 100 years.”

Kiwanis volunteers are dedicated to improving the world “one child and one community at a time,” noted Erika Kelly, Harrisburg club president-elect and current treasurer.

For example, the Kiwanis Harrisburg Youth Foundation Scholarship Program provides more than $26,000 in scholarships each year to 20 graduating seniors from 10 high schools in the greater Harrisburg area, an effort spearheaded by Harrisburg attorney Richard Placey.

“We choose students based on things like their service to the community, future plans and grades,” Mercy said. “There’s really no hard-and-fast criteria for the scholarships, but we have a feeling in the back of our mind about service to the community or how a student’s future profession relates to service.”

Harrisburg Kiwanis also mentors youth through coordinated service leadership programs in conjunction with Key Club International, Key Leaders and Atkion Club. In addition, Kiwanis members complete roundtable service projects benefiting local, youth-focused organizations, such as Boys and Girls Club events.

The Kiwanis Harrisburg Youth Foundation Program, led by Harrisburg attorney Eugene Pepinsky, Jr., awards grants to youth organizations.

“It’s nice to do things for children who don’t have the same opportunities as other children,” Mercy said. “This allows them to do things other children get to do. We like to support organizations that help the community. These are all organizations in our area that seek to help children. We’re all working together to the extent that we can.”

Supported organizations include The Salvation Army Harrisburg Capital Region, Dauphin County 4-H, American Red Cross of Central PA, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region, Boy Scouts New Birth of Freedom Council and many others.

“In this area, there are a lot of children who have basic, fundamental needs like food, clothing, shelter,” Mercy said. “Sometimes, it’s something that’s just temporary, sometimes it’s not.”

The Harrisburg club is part of Kiwanis International, which charters more than 7,000 clubs with around 600,000 members worldwide. Pennsylvania is home to 174 Kiwanis clubs with more than 4,000 members.

Notably, in 2010, Kiwanis International and UNICEF joined forces through the “Eliminate Project” to eradicate maternal and neonatal tetanus, which claims the lives of 34,000 babies and many women each year. Locals clubs like Kiwanis of Harrisburg continue to raise funds for the cause.

“We will raise funds until the disease is eliminated,” Mercy stated “Sometimes, our biggest challenge is making sure that we serve all the children we can, that our funds go far enough, that our service goes far enough.”

To mark its centenary, Harrisburg Kiwanis held a huge gala in February. Kelly noted that the event raised $10,000 for the Kiwanis Youth Foundation.

The group also is working to increase its membership. Many social service groups, Kelly noted, have membership challenges today due to overbooked lifestyles and the numerous alternatives for people’s attention.

Nonetheless, she appeared optimistic about the club’s future, especially given the partnerships it has created with many area organizations and companies, which offer support. Kiwanis of Harrisburg is even on Twitter now, using technology to get the word out.

“I’m making a difference even if it’s a very small way while being part of a large organization that’s making an impact on the whole world,” Kelly said. “I like the fellowship, and it’s fun.”

Kiwanis Club of Harrisburg meets Thursdays at noon at the Harrisburg Hilton, 1 N. 2nd St., Harrisburg For more information, visit their Facebook page, contact [email protected] or call 717-364-5609.

Fort Fest: Take a visit into the past at Fort Halifax.

April 30, 2018 | by Don Helin

The greater Harrisburg area has no shortage of “forts.”

That’s because central Pennsylvania long served as a crossroads for settlers and as a battlefield in long-ago wars.

Just up the Susquehanna River, Fort Halifax is one such place.

“During the French and Indian War, in the mid-1700s, Fort Halifax played a significant role in the forming of a provincial army, and the building and garrisoning of forts along what was then the Pennsylvania frontier,” said Norma Shearer, president of the Friends of Fort Halifax Park.

And, like many of its fellow “forts,” one day is set aside each year to celebrate Fort Halifax and its history, with this year’s event taking place on May 5.

The 15th Annual Colonial Fort Halifax Festival will feature activities for both adults and children, including living history encampments, arts and craft vendors, food, children’s activities, hay rides, archaeological site education and live British, French and Native American battle reenactments.

“One of the most popular events is the tomahawk throw,” said Friends of Fort Halifax Park member Frank Wilmarth. “It’s more difficult than you may think as you must spin the tomahawk so it hits the target with the blade forward. Otherwise, you get a thud as the handle hits target, with many groans from the audience.”

In the 18th century, the tomahawk was not only one of the frontiersman’s primary tools, but it was his most reliable weapon. Flintlocks of that day were good for only a single shot. So, you needed to have a dependable option for confronting an enemy.

“Interestingly, it has been making a resurgence—most notably in local bars where it has been introduced to supplement the more refined activity of dart throwing,” Wilmarth said.

Chief Post
Fort Halifax got its start in June 1756, when Col. William Clapham marched out of Fort Hunter with five companies of men to proceed north along the Susquehanna River, with orders to establish a fort between Fort Hunter and the two forks of the Susquehanna.

“I find this area the most convenient place on the river between Fort Hunter and Shamokin for a magazine (a place to store supplies) on account of its good natural situation,” Clapham wrote to Gov. Robert Morris a few days later, following his arrival at the confluence of Armstrong Creek and the Susquehanna.

During the next 16 months, Fort Halifax served as the chief post on the line of communications between the settlements near Fort Hunter and Sunbury, where Fort Augusta would be established later that same year.

On July 1, 1756, Clapham left Fort Halifax, leaving it garrisoned with about 30 men. He ordered all supplies to be stored there until needed for the construction of Fort Augusta. Without this established post at Halifax, the supplies and line of communication could not have been maintained for use in building and sustaining the larger fort at what was considered the more strategic location.

After Fort Augusta was built, pressures mounted from citizens around Fort Hunter to return the garrison there to protect settlers south of Peters Mountain. So, Fort Halifax was vacated then decommissioned in 1763 at the end of the French and Indian War.

The area stayed important as the Wiconisco Canal was built on the grounds of the fort in the early 1830s to provide transportation between Harrisburg and Millersburg. The stately sycamore trees along the road were placed on the National Registry of Historic Places in the 1920s and the highway, now Route 147, was the important Legislative Route One between Pennsylvania and New York.

Much of the land where Fort Halifax had been built later became farmland. In 2006, the Yeager family sold their farm to Halifax Township with the proviso the tract be designated a park.

A Chill

Today, at the park, Ty Zimmerman is a blacksmith and historical interpreter with 18 years of experience. He provides educational narrative while demonstrating various blacksmithing techniques on his 18^th-century forge, which is fueled by a set of handmade bellows.

“My planned items for this event will be creating a tasting ladle, a cooking trammel and nails,” Zimmerman said.

The day before the festival is education day for fifth-grade students of Halifax Elementary School. A dozen or so living historians demonstrate various skills, examples of the life during that period of time, stressing the years of the French and Indian War, which is part of the Halifax Area Elementary School curriculum.

“For me, the best part of the festival is the arrival of the Fife and Drum Corps composed of middle-school students from Central York school,” Shearer said. “It always gives me a chill when they march onto the fort grounds playing their music and performing.”

It’s not all fun for Shearer, as the biggest challenge for the Friends of Fort Halifax Park is the daily maintenance of the property. Upkeep of gardens, trails, mowing and fixing storm damage, trash pickup along the highway and the Susquehanna River, along with fundraising and community outreach, keep the members busy.

“But all the challenges pale as I watch people enjoy the day and the students learn from our education programs,” Shearer said. “I love it.”

The Colonial Fort Halifax Festival takes place May 5, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Fort Halifax Park, north of the borough of Halifax on Route 147, about 30 minutes north of Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.forthalifaxpark.org.

Chew on a Cause: Food Fundraisers make, then rake in, the dough.

April 30, 2018 | by Gina Napoli

Kings Who Cook

Raising money is tough, even for a good cause.

So, organizations try everything from giving out awards to running 5Ks to get people to support their groups and good deeds. Over the years, some have built fundraisers entirely around food—not as an add-on, but as the main event.

So, we set out to get the skinny on a few of the most popular food fundraisers around Harrisburg.

Central PA Superchef
If you attend the annual Central PA Superchef event at the Hershey Lodge, you can expect larger portions than the traditional sample size. Samples are demi-sized—about the size of a traditional appetizer.

The majority of sponsoring restaurants are standalone establishments, with only a few franchises.

“Superchef gives guests the ability to sample fine dining restaurants at an affordable price,” said event planner Abeer Srouji Allen, co-owner of Events by Eye Candy. “Some of the chefs have appeared on cable TV cooking and restaurant makeover shows.”

Superchef, which just took place last month, creates awareness and raises funds for various local nonprofits.

“A committee chooses different recipient charities each year—those that will have the greatest impact in the local community,” Allen said.

For 2018, the Alzheimer’s Association benefits, with special emphasis on early onset awareness. Past recipients have included Salvation Army, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Mission Central and Project CURE.

In 2017, 660 people attended the event, dramatically increasing its turnout since its inception in 2010. From the beginning, Superchef has raised $182,000 for those non-profits, with 100 percent of proceeds donated after expenses.

In conjunction with HACC, Eye Candy is spinning off an amateur version called Homemade Superchef on June 3, in which 12 home cooks will compete for bragging rights and promote farm products. A percentage of proceeds will be split between New Hope Ministries and The Peyton Walker Foundation.

Taste of Central PA
There may be no more natural pairing than the Taste of Central PA and its beneficiary, the Central PA Food Bank.

Jennifer Powell, the food bank’s director of development and communications, described this synergy.

Restaurants, she said, “provide premiere fare to the community while promoting their restaurants, and the food bank receives revenue from ticket sales and sponsorships.”

For the annual October event, local chefs and bakers spread throughout Strawberry Square with their food samples. Ticket-holders help themselves to as much as they like. Powell said that people enjoy the opportunity to sample signature fare and interact with the chefs.

“The community has welcomed, supported and promoted these events,” she said.

Over the Taste’s 30 years, participating restaurants read like a history of Harrisburg dining. In fact, Passage to India, the stalwart Indian restaurant on the river in Shipoke, has been with the event since its inception.

Funds raised from the Taste of Central PA tie directly back to the organization’s mission, its many programs, and are distributed to more than 1,000 program partners. Funds have gone to providing full backpacks for children, to meals for food-insecure children and to an elder share program.

There is also a fairly new program to provide food for veterans and active-duty military. Central PA Food Bank partners with VFWs, the Veteran’s Administration, American Legions and other military organizations.

“We work through our network to provide food discreetly, preserving their dignity,” Powell said.

Kings Who Cook
Kings Who Cook is another food sampling fundraiser held in Strawberry Square.

Instead of professional chefs, though, male amateur cooks—called “kings”—gather each April to make the food. Members of Harrisburg Alumnae Chapter, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, use their extended networks to find and recruit their kings.

“For the most part, our kings cook their food,” said event co-chair Dorothy Guy. “They don’t just serve something their wives made.”

Some notable kings have participated over the event’s 20-year tenure, including Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse, who has served up his signature chicken salad.

“We get politicians, legislators, secretaries within state government,” Guy said. “One was even a chef for the White House.”

This is an event that annually packs them in, with hundreds of guests.

“This event has become so popular, it has outgrown five venues already,” Guy said. “But we’re pleased with our current venue, and so are our guests.”

She is also pleased with the help her sorority has provided to area students through its competitive scholarship program.

“This allows us to assist students in achieving their career goals,” Guy said. “We’ve awarded over $250,000 to students for college or technical school. We’re very proud of that.”

The community interest and involvement also is important, as Kings Who Cook aligns with the sorority’s goals of community outreach, sisterhood and service.

“Years later, we get to see ladies we’ve awarded scholarships to, and they’re coming back as [sorority] sisters,” Guy said.

Time for a Taste
Food fundraisers occur around central Pennsylvania all year long. So, mark your calendars for these annual events, which is just a sampling.

ChocolateFest
When: January
Beneficiary: Keystone Human Services
www.keystonehumanservices.org/events/chocolatefest

Central PA Soup Cook-Off
When: March or April
Beneficiary: Schleroderma Foundation
www.centralpasoupcookoff.com.

Kings Who Cook
When: April
Beneficiary: Student Scholarships
Facebook: Harrisburg Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Central PA Superchef
When: April
Beneficiary: Various nonprofits
www.centralpasuperchef.com

PA Flavor
When: April
Beneficiary: Scholarships for hospitality students
www.paflavor.com.

Harrisburg Beer Week
When: April
Beneficiary: Harrisburg River Rescue
www.harrisburgbeerweek.com.

A Taste of Jazz
When: May
Beneficiary: Ministries of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

Harrisburg Cupcake Cup
When: October
Beneficiary: Central PA Food Bank
www.cupcakecup.org.

Taste of Central PA
When: October
Beneficiary: Central PA Food Bank
www.centralpafoodbank.org

Needle Me This: Fort Hunter to showcase the best in local embroidery.

April 30, 2018 | by Gina Napoli

If one thing pairs well with Fort Hunter, it’s history.

The mansion often hosts exhibits with an historical bent, and this month is no exception as the second annual “Needle Art Exhibit” opens in the mansion, which fittingly was once the home of Helen Reily, former president of the Harrisburg Needlework Guild.

Reily lived there from her marriage in 1886 until her death in 1932.

“I don’t know for how many years she served as president, but we have diary entries that mention the work of the guild,” said Julia Hair, Fort Hunter Park manager.

The exhibit, which begins May 6, will feature the work of current members of several local embroidery guild chapters: the Apple Needlepoint Chapter of the American Needlepoint Guild and the Molly Pitcher Stitchers, Susquehanna, Nittany Valley, York White Rose and Lancaster Red Rose chapters of the Embroiderers Guild of America.

Today, members are mostly women, though there used to be some men, said Janet Bex, a member of the Susquehanna Chapter of the Embroiderers’ Guild of America.

“This may be because, historically, women were the ones who embroidered,” she said. “Learning how to stitch was part of ‘women’s work.’”

The historical element first drew Bex to needlework.

“This is just a supposition, but embroidering goes back further in history than before we wrote it down,” she said. “Imagine the conversations between the early hominids: ‘Do you have the right shells sewn to your hide?’ Keeping up with the Joneses was probably woven into our humanity, even back then.”

The art of needlework evolved as many arts do, based on the availability of materials and talent. Then they were passed down through cultural tradition. Embroidery can even reflect societal norms.

“When people used to send their clothes to the public laundry, embroidery was how they marked them,” Bex said.

In this part of Pennsylvania, cross-stitch samplers may be the best-known manifestation of the art.

“Embroidery came to central PA via the Quakers,” Bex said.

Today, the embroidery arts continue to evolve. The 20th century saw the introduction of synthetic fibers like polyester, nylon and rayon.

“They didn’t have polyester in the 12th century or anything synthetic,” she said. “Now we do, and we’re doing amazing things with it.”

Active needle guilds in the English-speaking world keep embroidery alive and moving forward. For instance, the Embroiderers’ Guild of America is a national, not-for-profit organization dedicated to the study and preservation of the art. At EGA’s national seminar, members collaborate, socialize and take classes.

“People from all over the country attend,” Bex said. “It can be an expensive hobby. Belonging to ESA makes supplies affordable, because members get a bulk rate on kits. Some kits are even free with membership.”

Reflecting the times, members of needle art guilds are starting to go online, as social media makes it easier to connect. They also use events such as EGA’s official “Stitch in Public Day” as recruiting opportunities. Locally, AC Moore holds a monthly Stitch-In, and the Simpson Public Library has a “Tea & Stitches” meet-up every Tuesday morning.

“I can lose myself in it,” Bex said of her embroidery hobby. “I can do it with other people, listen to jazz and be in my own head all at the same time. And when I’m done with a project, I can hang it on the wall and see the accomplishment.”

The second annual Needle Art Exhibit runs May 6 to June 17 at Fort Hunter Mansion and Park, 5300 N. Front St., Harrisburg. A Needle Art Tea is slated for May 20. For more information, visit www.forthunter.org.

Obituary: Sloan Auchincloss

April 29, 2018 | by TheBurg Editor

It is with tremendous sorrow that we share the news of the passing of Sloan Auchincloss.

For many years, Sloan and his wife Susan have been great friends of TheBurg, as well as supporters of many other organizations and causes in the Harrisburg area. Sloan will be greatly missed by us and by countless others in our community. TheBurg would like to express our deepest sympathies to Susan, their children, their extended family and their many friends.

Following is Sloan’s obituary:

Samuel Sloan Auchincloss of Harrisburg passed away on April 27, 2018. Born in New York City on April 2, 1942, Sloan, was the youngest son of Samuel and Lydia (Garrison) Auchincloss. He was a graduate of Boston University, B. S. Public Relations, in 1965, and in 1966 earned a master’s degree in Public Relations from American University. Sloan served three years in the U. S. Army as a commissioned officer, rising to the rank of Captain, including one year in Vietnam, where he earned a Combat Medical Badge, Bronze Star and Army Commendation Medal. In 1969, he joined the Harrisburg branch of Xerox Corp. as a sales representative, and, in 1973, became an account executive for local ad agency, Edward C. Michener Associates.

In 1975, he married Susan Johnson of Bay Head, N.J. The couple started their own marketing communications company in 1984, Auchincloss & Auchincloss, Inc., from which they retired in 2005.

Active in professional societies, and community service organizations at various times, Sloan was either a member of or held a board position in Harrisburg Lions Club, Harrisburg Rotary, Historic Harrisburg Association, Harrisburg Chapter American Marketing Association, Harrisburg Chapter Public Relations Society of America, Marketing & Communications Agency Network, Kidney Foundation of Central Pennsylvania, St. Stephen’s Episcopal School, WMSP-FM, Capital Region Economic Development Corporation, Project Forward Leap, Susquehanna Art Museum, PA Downtown Center, Capital Area Transit, Rockhill Trolley Museum and Harrisburg Chapter National Railway Historical Society.

Surviving Sloan are Susan his wife of 43 years and their children and spouses: Lloyd Brian Auchincloss (Sue) of San Jose, Calif., and Elizabeth Auchincloss Strickler (Rob) of Elizabethtown, as well as his stepdaughter Leah Peak (Barry) of Valrico, Fla. Grandchildren are Josie Peak and Cora and Samuel Strickler.

Memorial service will take place at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Cathedral, 221 N. Front St., Harrisburg, on May 1 at 11 a.m. Burial will be private and at the convenience of the family. Arrangements are being handled by Myers-Harner Funeral Home, Camp Hill.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are welcome at either of the following:

St. Stephen’s Episcopal School
215 N. Front St.
Harrisburg, PA 17101

Rockhill Trolley Museum
P. O. Box 1601
Allentown, PA 18105

Six Harrisburg tracts nominated for federal tax incentive program

April 27, 2018 | by Lizzy Hardison

The census tracts nominated for Harrisburg’s Qualified Opportunity Zones

Six census tracts in Harrisburg have been nominated as potential investment sites under a new federal program aimed at spurring development in low-income communities.

Gov. Tom Wolf announced this week that he nominated 300 low-income census tracts across the state as Qualified Opportunity Zones, a status created under the 2017 federal tax reform bill. The U.S. Department of Treasury is expected to approve all QOZ designations by May, according to a statement from the governor’s office.

Six of Harrisburg’s 14 census tracts were included in Wolf’s submission. The potential investment zones encompass the city’s downtown area south of Forster Street, South Harrisburg, South and Central Allison Hill and the neighborhoods along the city’s Cameron Street industrial corridor.

The QOZ program aims to stimulate investment in low-income communities by providing tax breaks to private investors.

The program, which is still under development by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service, will defer or reduce capital gains taxes to anyone who invests in funds supporting businesses, real estate and other ventures in Opportunity Zones.

Mayor Eric Papenfuse was cautiously optimistic about the incentive program on Tuesday, when he announced to City Council that Harrisburg tracts had been included in the governor’s submission.

“It’s an interesting concept,” Papenfuse said. “We don’t quite know what it will mean yet. The [federal government] needs to determine benefits, but it’s exciting.”

Papenfuse said that the recommended zones aligned with the city’s current development efforts, including the MulDer Square revitalization project and the Paxton Creek reclamation in the industrial corridor.

To qualify for QOZ status, a census tract must either have at least a 20-percent poverty rate or a median family income less than 80 percent of the statewide or regional median income. Papenfuse said that all of Harrisburg’s eligible tracts made Wolf’s list.

In total, almost 1,200 tracts across the state qualified for the program.

“We are hopeful this new incentive will bring much-needed investment to many distressed areas across the commonwealth,” Wolf said in a statement.

Recovery Zone? Daystar briefs neighborhood, prepares for zoning battle, with plan to move downtown.

April 26, 2018 | by Lawrance Binda

Daystar Center for Spiritual Recovery hopes to move into this building at 123 Forster St., Harrisburg.

An Allison Hill-based halfway house is hoping to locate to downtown Harrisburg, proposing to convert an historic mansion to a 40-bed facility for recovering substance abusers.

Daystar Center for Spiritual Recovery held a community meeting on Wednesday night to outline its plans for 123 Forster St., a facility that would house as many as 40 men taking part in its residential treatment program.

Executive Director Fern Wilcox addressed about 30 neighbors, attempting to ease anxiety over issues such as safety, trash and loitering.

“We do what we need to do to always be a positive force in the community,” she told the room of concerned residents.

Daystar, a faith-based recovery program of the United Methodist Church, currently runs a 25-bed residential treatment facility from three attached townhouses on the 100-block of N. 18^th Street. However, growing demand for its publicly funded services exceeds it ability to provide them from its current location, according to the organization.

“There’s enough of a need that there needs to be more beds, and Daystar is there to fit that need,” said Jeffrey McCombie, Daystar’s attorney.

The circa-1930 building was built as a private residence on Front Street, gaining some notoriety in the 1950s, when it was moved about 100 feet to its current location as Forster Street was widened. It now backs up to the parking lot of the East Shore YMCA.

Most recently, it housed Justice Works Youth Care, as well as offices for the Harrisburg-area YMCA, with an apartment on the top floor. The current owner, Pittsburgh-based HEIT Holdings, bought it in 2014 and now has it on the market for $675,000.

Daystar wishes to buy the 11,690-square-foot building and undertake a six-month renovation to turn it into a residential treatment center. However, the sale is contingent on zoning approval from the city.

To that point, Daystar and the city’s Planning Bureau currently disagree over the zoning status of the Forster Street building. Daystar believes it should be able to operate its facility there by right, with no additional zoning approval needed. Therefore, it’s appealing the bureau’s decision that requires it to obtain a variance in order to open.

At Wednesday’s meeting, residents did not question the need for Daystar’s services, given the opioid epidemic. But many expressed worry about the facility’s possible impact on the neighborhood. These concerns ranged from potential increases in crime to men congregating and smoking outside, especially since the building is fully exposed on three sides and has no yard space.

Daystar representatives attempted to ease these worries, saying that their clients are fully screened, closely supervised and choose to be in the program. Clients also must hold down jobs and demonstrate a desire to improve their lives, Daystar said.

“Our clients work in the community,” said Ronald Sloane, the program director for spiritual recovery. “We help clients integrate back into society after treatment.”

Nonetheless, several residents raised questions after Wilcox mentioned that the Allison Hill facility has had problems with drug dealers targeting clients.

“We are inundated on Allison Hill,” she said. “They cannot walk one block without being asked for drugs.”

Wilcox said that she hoped that the new facility would prove to be a safer environment, but some residents feared that the drug dealers might follow Daystar, exacerbating an existing problem downtown.

“I’m not supportive,” Jeremiah Chamberlin, who owns an apartment building and lives nearby, said following the meeting. “I don’t that believe that the neighborhood has the resources to deal with it.”

Wilcox told residents that there have been very few problems at the Allison Hill facility, and a check of police records seemed to bear that out. According to a city police source, there have been just a few calls to the facility over the past two years, “none serious.”

For many years, Marsha Banks has run her nonprofit, Amiracle4sure, directly across the street from Daystar’s Allison Hill facility. She said that she has experienced no major problems with Daystar, with the possible exception of men, including staff members, frequently gathering outside to smoke.

“Back in the day, they used to have better supervision,” she said. “But, for the most part, I feel they’ve had a good impression on the neighborhood.”

That said—she believes Daystar residents could be more active, and once were, in offering to help around the neighborhood.

“The old administration used to run a tighter ship,” she said.

In addition to a safer environment, Daystar wants to move downtown because of better proximity to public transportation, as residents don’t have cars, and, especially, to jobs, said staff members.

“They’re here because they want to change their lives,” Sloane said. “Our level of care offers them a chance to come here and develop life skills so they cannot be a burden on society.”

Daystar is scheduled to appear before the Harrisburg Planning Commission on May 2 and the Zoning Hearing Board on May 9, in city hall. Learn more about Daystar at www.daystarrecovery.com.

Disclosure: Lawrance Binda, TheBurg’s editor-in-chief and article author, lives near the proposed facility.

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