Through It All: In springtime, the thru-hikers take to the A.T.

March 30, 2018 | by Karen Hendricks

Each spring, about 3,000 people set off on the journey of a lifetime.

That’s how many attempt to “thru-hike” the entire 2,190 miles of the Appalachian Trail (A.T.). According to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, about 750 people—one in four—succeed.

But what drives someone to attempt this feat, and what does it take to accomplish it? We asked three central PA hikers just before they headed south to begin their treks.

Slow Down

Connor Phiel, 24, of Gettysburg, is what many describe as a typical A.T. thru-hiker. A recent college graduate, he’s worked as an architect for about two years, with the goal of saving enough money to take a “gap year” in 2018.

“I look at it as a good transition year, a chance to slow down,” he said. “You’re crammed through school into a job—it streamlines you and you get caught up in it. For me, hiking the trail is a conscious decision to slow things down.”

The groundwork for his trip was laid in childhood. Growing up, Phiel was a Boy Scout, attaining the rank of Eagle Scout. His father was a park ranger at Gettysburg National Military Park for more than 30 years, and the family regularly traveled to national parks.

Despite this pedigree, Phiel worked hard to prepare. He’s been running, biking and weightlifting to build strength and endurance. He tested his gear during two- and three-night backpacking trips locally. He said that carrying everything on his back forced him to think about what he truly needed to survive. For him, that included hot meals when possible. So, he’s packing a small stove resembling a Bunsen burner. The average A.T. hiker burns 6,000 calories daily.

“My food will probably be my biggest luxury item—I want to enjoy a hot cup of coffee or tea,” he said. “I’m also bringing my phone, a charger, a sketchbook and journal, which will add weight and are really luxury items, too.”

He launches his journey this month.

“I’d say I’m most excited to see the Smokies and the South, plus the White Mountains in New Hampshire,” he said. “But, beyond that, it’s really about challenging yourself, self-fulfillment and personal growth.”

Mental Marathon

Like Phiel, Andrew Burd, 22, of Newville, is a recent college graduate whose parents worked in forestry—first for the Allegheny National Forest in western PA, followed by the Green Mountain National Forest in Vermont. He grew up in both locations. He also earned the rank of Eagle Scout.

“I’ve been hiking my entire life, but I got serious about backpacking in college,” Burd said.

Through the Department of Experiential Education at Gettysburg College, Burd embarked upon hiking and kayaking trips. After hiking the A.T, he plans to launch his career in tourism management on the West Coast.

According to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, most thru-hikers begin at Springer Mountain, Ga., between February and April, then spend six months hiking northward through 14 states, eight national forests, six national parks and numerous state parks and forests—including several in central PA—to arrive at Katahdin, Maine, in the late summer or fall.

Burd’s plan fits this timeframe. He set out in late February and hopes to arrive in Maine by late July.

What will it feel like to finish up?

“I imagine it’s going to be a mix of utter exhaustion and elation,” Burd said. “It’s going to be the most physically and mentally demanding journey of my life. At first, the physical challenge drew me in, but now the mental challenge intrigues me.”

According to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, hikers like Burd and Phiel are the ones who stand a good chance of making it all the way.

“Hikers who have some degree of preparedness are generally the ones who succeed,” said Jordan Bowman, public relations and social media manager.

Testing out equipment and being financially prepared are one thing, but the keys to a successful thru-hike include physical and mental preparation, he said.

“Physically, it’s tough, but it’s all about persistence, which is where the mental aspect comes in,” Bowman said. “You’re going to be hiking through rain, also hiking when it’s hot, you’re going to be sweating, exhausted. There’s a lot of discomfort, and it becomes a mental marathon.”

Brad Duffan, 35, of Dover, also began hiking the A.T. in February, with the goal of finishing in time for his brother’s wedding in September. By registering with the ATC, he could tell that 10 other hikers were starting on the same day.

Duffan left his full-time job as a heavy equipment operator in order to hit the trail.

“It’s been a goal of mine for a long time,” he said. “I kept thinking, ‘I’ll do it later,’ and pushing it off. Well, if I keep pushing it off, I’ll be 60 before you know it. I decided I needed to do it now, because I’m not getting any younger.”

For more information about the Appalachian Trail, visit appalachiantrail.org. You also can visit the Appalachian Trail Museum at 1120 Pine Grove Rd., Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Gardners, Pa. Visit atmuseum.org.

Weekend Roundup with Sara Bozich

March 29, 2018 | by Sara Bozich

Happy Weekend!

How many of you have a long weekend? We’ll spend Friday shooting some b-roll for Poured, getting lunch at Tröegs (Bo’s first Tröegs trip!) and picking up at the Market. I signed up for my first veggie CSA with Village Acres spring share. Do you guys CSA? I have a garden but typically only have success with peppers and tomatoes (helps I buy a bajillion each of them), but that’s what summer shares have a lot of, too.

Saturday will be more pick-ups (I got a flourless chocolate cake from Raising the Bar and a carrot cake from Dalicia Bakery for Easter), plus seeing additional family. It’s also the first day of fishing season, so Andy will be hitting the streams.

Of course, Sunday is Easter, and I’m hosting. Good thing Ryan talked me into the big ham from R.G. Hummer Meats and Cheese (more Market love), because we’re expecting nine adults, 1 toddler, and 1 baby. This is a lot for my small house. If hosting isn’t for you, be sure to scroll down because there are ample local Easter brunch options.

What are you doing this weekend?

(more…)

Bringing It Back: Long-blighted buildings marked for renovation in downtown Harrisburg.

March 28, 2018 | by Lawrance Binda

The blighted exteriors of 254 and 256 North St., Harrisburg.

There’s an old saying in real estate that one should try to buy the worst property in the best neighborhood.

By that measure, Matt Krupp would seem like a savvy buyer, as he recently purchased two terribly blighted, yet well-located and widely recognized buildings in downtown Harrisburg.

On March 14, Krupp, the Dauphin County prothonotary, closed on the purchase of 254 and 256 North St., and, this week, began the long process of clearing out and stabilizing the Civil War-era, brick-and-clapboard buildings.

Krupp lives just across the street from them and, decided that, since no one else seemed interested in taking on the costly rehabilitation, he would do it. So, he purchased the two buildings from the Harrisburg Redevelopment Authority, which owned them for nearly 11 years, for $34,300.

“If you go up and down North Street, these are the only remaining, boarded-up buildings on the block,” he said. “It got to me living next to them for four years.”

The buildings sit on an otherwise-charming, tree-lined block, home to such restaurants as Mangia Qui, Rubicon and Home 231, and just down the street from the state Capitol complex. Nonetheless, they’ve been vacant for decades, marred by graffiti, holes, shattered glass, peeling paint and boarded-up windows.

The two, two-story buildings, which together total about 3,000 square feet of interior space, have first-floor commercial areas with apartments on the second floor and parking in the rear. The corner building at 256 North St. once housed an upscale, reservation-only French restaurant called The Coventry, which closed around 1990. The Redevelopment Authority took possession of the buildings in 2007.

“Because of where they sit, I was surprised that nobody had bought them after all this time,” Krupp said.

Amid piles of trash, one of the buildings still shows signs of when it was a French restaurant, more than 25 years ago.

Krupp expects a two-year turnaround for the project. The first year, he said, will be devoted to shoring up the structures to ensure they’re safe and dry. Much of the renovation work will take place the second year, he said.

He said that he doesn’t expect any changes to the buildings’ historic uses, with expectations that a small business, such as a law firm or lobbying firm, will take the first-floor commercial space.

David Morrison, executive director of Historic Harrisburg Association, applauded the purchase, saying that HHA was about to place the buildings on its annual “Preservation Priority” list, as they were considered endangered.

“This is great to finally see,” Morrison said. “They’re high-profile buildings on a street that gets a lot of visitation.”

Burg Review: “The Flick”–Connections through small gestures.

March 28, 2018 | by Erin Shellenberger

A scene from “The Flick”

Annie Baker’s Pulitzer Prize winning play, “The Flick,” is being produced right here in Harrisburg, but not in the place you may expect. Instead of being performed at Open Stage, Baker’s tragicomedy—set in a movie house—takes place at Midtown Cinema, bringing with it an exciting new dimension of realism.

Stuart Landon’s production of “The Flick” focuses on how our shared need for human connection plays out among movie theater ushers. This three-person show follows Sam (Brennen Dickerson), a 30-something who continues to be passed over for promotions, Rose (Maddie McCann), the cinema’s dominating projectionist, and Avery (Andre Tucker), the bashful film pundit who’s new on the job.

As I collected bits of character information, I delighted in watching almost nothing happen. It’s the conversations you have with your coworkers in the hallway, before meetings, and on breaks. The seemingly insignificant conversations to distract from the monotony of work that serve as subtle life lines against the mundane.

Landon himself is quite fond of the understated nature of the play.

“I think we’re just bumping around, searching for connection in this big world,” he said. “With ‘The Flick,’ Annie Baker allows us the great privilege of being able to watch three fellow humans trying, and perhaps failing, to figure it out, to connect, in the small, repetitive world of a rundown movie theater. It’s a slow-brew journey and great fun.”

All three actors handle the text of Baker’s uber-realism, which reads similarly to that of Carol Churchill, with great ease, something that is particularly noticeable in Tucker’s flawless delivery of the one-sided phone conversation monologue.

Dickerson brings an incredible comedic timing to his portrayal of Sam that cannot be missed. His brilliant, fast-paced quips to Sam are heartbreakingly offset by his jerky moments of vulnerability.

McCann takes the wilder aspects of Rose as a character and gives us a more accessible version of the sexually aggressive party girl with issues.

One of the many perks of mounting “The Flick” at Midtown Cinema is that there is an actual screen in front of the audience. Landon uses this to his advantage, showing credits, movie trailers and scenes from well-known films to fill, for lack of a better term, scene changes.

This production certainly embraces the non-urgency of real life at times. But it’s really the sincere look into the creation and deconstruction of human relationships and connections that should not be missed.

Open Stage presents “The Flick” at Midtown Cinema, 250 Reily St., Harrisburg. This previously sold-out run has added one final performance on April 29. Tickets are $20 and may be purchased on Open Stage’s website at openstagehbg.com, by calling 717-232-6736, or e-mailing [email protected]. Student discounts are available. The production is sponsored by Abby and John Tierney.

Cheese It: Midtown Speakeasy to benefit HHA (but you didn’t hear it from me)

March 27, 2018 | by Lawrance Binda

A bunch of mugs and dolls from last year’s Midtown Pop-Up Speakeasy, which returns next week.

Hey, all you flappers and four-flushers, you goons and grifters.

We got your chews, your giggle juice, even your rats and mice.

For the second straight year, the historic Central Trust Co. building in Midtown Harrisburg will roll back in time, transforming itself into a Prohibition-era speakeasy, complete with period cocktails, jazz music and games of chance.

The Midtown Pop-Up Speakeasy is a natural fit for the bank building, now the home of the Historic Harrisburg Association, the beneficiary of the fundraiser, said event co-chair Ralph Vartan. Indeed, it takes little to imagine the 1920s heyday of the brownstone at N. 3rd and Verbeke streets, with lines of people waiting at teller windows as the industrial city boomed around them.

“It was a huge success last year, even drawing a new demographic to HHA,” Vartan said. “It’s meant to be a fun event where people can let their hair down.”

Vartan said he was impressed with how attendees got into the spirit of the event, dressing up in slinky dresses, pinstriped suits and hats, hats and more hats. The HHA board of directors considered the sold-out event such a success that they upped the maximum attendance this year.

“It’s meant to really bring the community together to benefit a great cause,” Vartan said.

Café 1500 will provide heavy hors d’oeuvres, bartenders will make old-fashioned drinks (including Old Fashions), a Roaring ‘20s band will give you the crazy legs and Hollywood Casino will bring in gaming tables (thus, the rats and mice, which is Jazz Age slang for a type of gambling).

In the spirit of the speakeasy, bartenders will dress up as phony bank tellers and take drink orders using coded messages.

So, don your glad rags and ankle on over, but leave your gats outside. Don’t snitch, and it’ll all be jake.

The Midtown Pop-Up Speakeasy takes place April 6, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., at the Historic Harrisburg Resource Center, 1230 N. 3^rd St., Harrisburg. Tickets are $35. For more information, visit www.historicharrisburg.com or HHA’s Facebook page.

“Staying at Home:” Bethesda Mission on track to raze, rebuild women’s shelter in 2019.

March 27, 2018 | by Lizzy Hardison

Director Shelley Brooks outside the Bethesda Women’s Mission on S. 20th Street.

For 33 years, Shelley Brooks has reported to work in a converted school building on S. 20th Street in Harrisburg, which houses the Bethesda Women and Children’s Mission.

The two-building facility has offered long-term shelter and recovery to women and children since 1983. Next year, it will undergo renovations that will double its bed capacity and increase space for programming.

Even though she’s spent much of her career in the same historic building, Brooks is ready for a new workspace.

“We did the best we could with a 100-year-old school building,” she said. “We’ve had to make many renovations to try to make it fit and safe for women and children. So, we’re excited about having new buildings that could provide much nicer living space for those that come through our doors.”

Bethesda Mission received its current, 10,000-square-foot facility as a gift from a local family, according to Scott Dunwoody, executive director of Bethesda Mission. The circa-1890 building formerly served as a barber school and a facility for foster children. Today, it needs so many repairs that it’s not economically feasible to rehabilitate it, he said.

“We’re running out of duct tape to keep the building going,” Dunwoody said. “It’s falling apart, plain and simple.”

The renovation plans call for razing the two existing structures on the site and replacing them with a new, 18,400-square-foot facility. The demolition and construction work will be done in two phases to avoid interrupting programs.

Demolition and construction are expected to begin in 2019, Dunwoody said. Harrisburg’s Zoning Hearing Board and Planning Commission have already approved the project, and Dunwoody does not expect any roadblocks from City Council.

Bethesda Mission can currently accommodate 20 women in its long-term recovery program. That number should increase to 50 when the new building is complete, Brooks said.

“Demand has always been an issue for us at the women’s shelter,” Brooks said. “Being a long-term program, we don’t have a lot of turnover.”

Brooks and Dunwoody said that the shelter’s waiting list runs between 10 and 20 names at a given time. They hope that the expansion will help them meet some of that demand, but both expect they’ll still have to turn women away. Brooks said that most shelters for women and children constantly operate at full capacity.

“Unfortunately, there’s always a need for our services,” Brooks said.

Dunwoody said that the expansion has made the shelter’s location public for the first time in its history. To increase security, the new shelter will have stronger doors, a high fence and significant landscaping, he said. There will also be new outdoor space with plants and vegetable gardens.

The expected cost of the project is $3.2 million, Dunwoody said. Bethesda Mission has already been approved for a $1.5 million loan from the Federal Loan Bank and received $875,000 in an estate gift.

Starting this summer, the Mission will begin seeking donations from private foundations to raise the remaining $1 million. The private, faith-based nonprofit does not take government loans or grants.

Given the extensive work ahead, Dunwoody said that Bethesda Mission did consider relocating the shelter entirely. After a search for property came up dry, directors decided to raze and rebuild at the current location.

“We say that we’re staying at home,” Dunwoody said. “”We’re staying at the site where we’ve been for 35 years and we believe we’ll do a wonderful job.”

Harrisburg Freezes Over: Free downtown parking to begin next week.

March 27, 2018 | by Lizzy Hardison

Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse this morning announced the imminent arrival of free “happy hour” parking in much of downtown.

Spring is in the air, and free parking is on the horizon for much of Harrisburg’s downtown.

Parking within the boundaries of the Harrisburg Downtown Improvement District (HDID) will be free after 5 p.m. starting next Monday, April 2, Mayor Eric Papenfuse announced this morning. The free rate will be in effect for a one-year trial period.

Papenfuse stressed this morning that the deal would only apply to metered spots between State and Mulberry streets. Rates will still be enforced at city garages and metered parking spots outside of that zone.

A map of downtown Harrisburg’s coming free parking zone after 5 p.m.

Papenfuse hopes that the targeted elimination of evening parking enforcement will bring more patrons to downtown businesses. Harrisburg City Council approved the deal this month after restaurant owners complained that the current $2 per hour evening parking rate hurt their business revenues.

The policy change comes after Harrisburg entered a “Memorandum of Understanding” with the Dauphin County Commissioners and HDID to offset meter costs from 5 to 7 p.m. for meters within the business zone. Harrisburg and Dauphin County will contribute $110,000 each and HDID will kick in $50,000, bringing the total cost of the subsidy to $270,000.

That money will be paid to SP+ and Standard Parking, the entities that took control of Harrisburg’s municipal parking system as part of a debt restructuring plan in 2014. The $270,000 sum represents the total revenue SP+ has collected from meters and enforcement fines between 5 and 7 p.m. in the HDID zone.

Papenfuse said that Monday, April 2, also marks the start of the second business quarter, which will allow SP+, HDID and the local government entities to track the effectiveness of free parking on business revenues. Members of City Council have said that they will only renew the deal next year if it carries a clear economic development incentive.

Ante Up? Harrisburg debates chipping in for new revolving loan fund.

March 26, 2018 | by Lizzy Hardison

Harrisburg City Council at tonight’s work session meeting.

The Harrisburg Business Opportunity Fund hasn’t doled out its first loans yet, but its leaders already have their eyes on growth.

Last week, Impact Harrisburg, the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Authority and the Community First Fund announced the launch of a new $1 million loan fund for small businesses in the city of Harrisburg. The Harrisburg Business Opportunity Fund will grant loans ranging from $1,000 to $100,000 to working and aspiring entrepreneurs who might be overlooked by traditional lending institutions.

HBOF partners hope that Harrisburg will eventually contribute money to the initiative, but local leaders say they’re hesitant to get back into the loan business.

Harrisburg launched its own revolving loan fund in 1984 under former Mayor Steve Reed, which disbursed millions of dollars of high-risk loans to local businesses over the course of two decades. Many recipients went delinquent on payments. Current Mayor Eric Papenfuse said tonight that more than $1.5 million in city money was lost through the venture, though the city is still receiving payments from some loan recipients.

Today, $1 million from the moribund revolving loan fund sits untouched in a city account. Impact Harrisburg Executive Director Sheila Dow Ford suggested at a City Council work session tonight that some of that money could go into the Harrisburg Business Opportunity Fund.

Unlike the city’s revolving loan fund, the Harrisburg Business Opportunity Fund will be administered by an experienced loan panel and underwritten by the Community First Fund, which Dow Ford said will mitigate risk and bolster return on investment.

Papenfuse, however, said he’s wary of lending out public dollars.

“The city has a very poor history with these types of loan funds,” he said. “They’re prone to corruption and have cost us millions of dollars. I don’t know if the city’s role is taking risk with taxpayer dollars.”

What’s more, it’s not clear if the money in the revolving loan fund could be designated for any other use. Papenfuse said that there are few records from the loan fund’s inception, and some of the money may be legally bound to its original purpose with the city.

Papenfuse and Jackie Parker, the city’s director of community and economic development who also sits on the board of Impact Harrisburg, agreed that the city should wait to invest in the fund until it sees how its early loans are disbursed and if they are reaching a target population of entrepreneurs. Parker stressed that the purpose of the fund is to empower people who want to start businesses, not just entrepreneurs looking to scale up an existing venture.

“The right approach here is making sure the fund is successful in getting money in the hands of folks who really need it,” Parker said. “We would consider a potential future transfer of money, but I think it’s premature.”

Council President Wanda Williams, on the other hand, called on the city to chip in to the new fund. She argued that if Harrisburg allows developers to build high-rent apartments and office space in the city’s downtown business district, it should find a way to empower small business owners.

“We have developers coming in and renovating buildings into high-rent places people cannot afford – why not look at small businesses?” Williams said. “We need to release some of that money.”

Papenfuse said that Impact Harrisburg has not formally invited the city to contribute to the fund, but he would consider a partnership after seeing how the first round of loans are distributed.

But he’s also in favor of pursuing other options, such as neighborhood-based business incubators, as a way to help entrepreneurs.

“There are potentially lots of ways to invest in small businesses,” Papenfuse said. “This [loan fund] is just one option on the table.”

Harrisburg police search for suspect in bar shooting.

March 26, 2018 | by Lizzy Hardison

Capt. Gabe Olivera at tonight’s press conference.

A suspect in a weekend bar shooting remains at large after allegedly killing one person on early Saturday morning, Harrisburg police announced tonight.

Charles Williams, 39, is being charged with homicide following a shooting at Double D’s Bar on S. 19^th Street on Saturday, according to Capt. Gabe Olivera, chief information officer for the Harrisburg Police Bureau. Williams remained at large as of Monday evening.

Harrisburg police previously named two persons of interest in the case. Olivera reported tonight that police have questioned both people and decided not to bring charges against them.

Olivera said that security camera footage from Double D’s bar was instrumental in identifying a suspect and will be used in prosecution.

According to Olivera, Harrisburg Police received reports of shots fired at Double D’s bar at 1:51 a.m. on Saturday morning. Upon arrival, they found Jawan Washington, 20, shot outside the bar. He was pronounced dead at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.

Olivera asked anyone with information regarding Williams’ whereabouts to report them to the Harrisburg Police Bureau through its crime portal.

FutureBurg: HYP releases master plan for redesign of Market Square.

March 26, 2018 | by Lawrance Binda

An artist’s rendering (aerial view) of a redesigned Market Square in Harrisburg.

A place for people, not just vehicles.

That’s the guiding principle behind the Market Square Master Plan, which Harrisburg Young Professionals (HYP) shared today in a presentation at the Hilton Harrisburg.

The preliminary plan envisions a redesigned Market Square in which green spaces and public areas replace buses, parked cars and acres of hardscape.

“This is about taking what’s there now and transforming it,” said Fred Merrill, a principal at Sasaki, an urban design and architecture firm based in Watertown, Mass. “We want to make it the social and cultural hub of central Pennsylvania.”

Last year, HYP hired Sasaki and Harrisburg-based K&W Engineers to reimagine Market Square as a public space. In October, they held discussions with more than 200 area stakeholders to gain input.

The result is a substantially altered Market Square with a lawn area, a public performance space, small plazas, better lighting and additional trees and seating. Cars still would wind through the area along 2nd Street, but the road itself would not be curbed, integrating more seamlessly with the square.

Importantly, the current bus transfer area would be moved to space near the Harrisburg Transportation Center, a relocation recently endorsed by the state Department of Transportation.

“People want a more active, street-level, family-friendly place to go,” Merrill said. “They want it to be an outdoor living room, if you will. It would be a real mixing bowl for the city.”

Market Square was part of the original, circa-1785 plan for Harrisburg and was the site of the city’s first market area, dismantled in 1889. It currently is dominated by several large structures, including the Hilton, the Penn National Insurance Building and the Dauphin County Administration Building. One corner also serves as a hub for CAT buses.

In his presentation, Merrill showed a photograph of Market Square from around 1900, remarking on the integration of commerce, housing, pedestrians and transportation, a mix of uses he sees as the future for the area. He also would like Market Square to be better integrated with both the river and greater downtown area.

“The common denominator is people interacting with each other in a warm and friendly way,” he said.

Meeting organizers today said that the project would now move from the planning phase to the implementation phase, which presents a new set of challenges.

First, the project would need to be handed over to another entity, possibly the Harrisburg Downtown Improvement District, which could shepherd it to completion. That entity would take over from HYP, which raised money for and spearheaded the initial, $150,000 study phase.

“We need to get someone to champion this,” said Marc Kurowski, a principal at K&W Engineers.

Secondly, funds would have to be raised for the implementation. The plan’s price tag has not been finalized, though K&W expects to release a cost estimate shortly, Kurowski said.

Meron Yemane, former HYP president, said he expects the money to come from state and federal funds, not from city tax dollars, adding that the city has been briefed on the proposed plan and has voiced preliminary support.

Third, the bus transfer station would need to be moved. In its “Transit Oriented Development Master Plan,” PennDOT ranks relocating the station to the other side of the Market Street underpass as its sixth of seven priorities, meaning that it likely is at least five to 10 years away.

“The relocation of the intercity bus terminal is an important component of the overall development strategy, but will take time to acquire land, design a structure and complete construction,” according to the Transit Oriented Development Master Plan executive summary.

The Market Square project, however, could begin before the station moves, Merrill said. Initial work likely would focus on improvements to other corners, such as the areas outside the Hilton Harrisburg and the county building, he said.

“We now have Phase 1—what could be,” he said. “We now have to go to Phase 2—how can this happen?”

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