Tagged for Removal: Paint, snot and a less blighted Harrisburg.

September 29, 2017 | by Ashleigh Pollart

City resident Justin Heinly dons a heavy smock and smears on “Elephant Snot” to remove graffiti on a building in Midtown Harrisburg.

There’s a killer substance that goes by the less-than-elegant name of Elephant Snot.

And kill it does. It destroys, exterminates, eradicates and generally massacres unwanted graffiti (stress the unwanted). And it may be coming soon to a wall near you.

Three Midtown groups—Friends of Midtown, Midtown Square Action Council and Historic Harrisburg Association—have combined forces to fight the scourge of undesired graffiti and tags that mar brick and stone walls all over Harrisburg.

And, to accomplish this work, they’re employing a goopy substance that gets its name from the nasal discharge of the pachyderm.

“It’s truly a wonder substance,” said HHA Executive Director David Morrison. “It’s amazing how well it works.”

The groups settled on Elephant Snot (not actual elephant snot) after studying the best practices of Philadelphia’s anti-graffiti task force. The fast-acting product penetrates porous surfaces to remove paint without harming the building or environment.

A $1,000 grant from the Auchincloss Family Fund paid for the equipment and the initial dose of the substance, said Morrison.

The first target was the graffiti-pocked wall outside HHA on the driveway side. Other successes to date include the Salvation Army building and Kunkel Plaza. These removals also have served as educational events for Harrisburg residents with a goal of home and property owners taking graffiti removal into their own hands.

“We want to train as many people as we can to be removers,” Morrison said.

The process requires donning a chemical resistant smock before the product is glommed onto the wall, and, after five to 30 minutes, sprayed off with a pressure washer. All of these items are available for checkout through Friends of Midtown and HHA. Elephant Snot does not discriminate against paint types, so all painted materials, including painted brick, will need to be repainted.

In Harrisburg, graffiti removal can be a touchy subject, something acknowledged by Friends of Midtown’s Cate Rowe, who stressed that the target is unwanted graffiti as determined by property owners.

“The reason why we’re having property owners contact us is because we believe it’s up to the property owner to decide whether something is a tag or art,” said Rowe, Friends of Midtown’s beautification committee chair. “If you are a graffiti artist, and you put your mark on somebody’s home, and that person decides that it is not art, then they have the right to remove it.”

Rowe warned that property owners may need to remove graffiti multiple times as the tag might show up on the property again after initial removal. In cities like Philadelphia, murals have proven to be a strong deterrent, she said. In fact, it’s hoped that last month’s Harrisburg Mural Fest will deter grafitti on some of Harrisburg’s largest, most exposed and frequently tagged exterior walls.

“A graffiti-free city is missing the point,” Rowe explained. “You get into this decision of are you removing graffiti or are you removing art? As a property owner, you own it. You have the right to make it look beautiful and the way you want it.”

In some cases, there’s a fine line between art and graffiti, Rowe acknowledged, especially as some renegade artists have used city-owned surfaces as their canvasses, including utility boxes and street poles. What to do about that is up to the city.

“There are some really beautiful ones, and that’s the hard part,” Rowe said.

Morrison concurred that what is art and what is unwanted graffiti is in the eye of the property-owning beholder. To that end, he said he has been contacted by several building owners who would like tags removed. Removal efforts will include abandoned buildings if the property owner is open to it.

“We have a request to go to another site in Midtown next week,” he said.

Rowe hopes to work with residents to designate a wall where artists can express themselves without illegally defacing property. The idea, brought to them by a graffiti artist, also would remove the risk of graffiti art being removed by a property owner.

“Our goal is beautification of the whole city,” Rowe said.

For more information on graffiti removal, email [email protected].

Penalty Phase: Some Harrisburg residents have been assessed a late fee for a yearly school tax. They’re calling foul.

September 29, 2017 | by Paul Barker

Annie Hughes

This past March, Annie Hughes received an unexpected tax notice at her N. 2nd Street apartment in Midtown.

It was from Keystone Collections Group, and it told Hughes that she was delinquent in paying the occupational assessment tax, a flat annual tax assessed by the Harrisburg School District, for 2016. In addition to the $120 base rate, the notice said she would have to pay an additional $50.20 in fees and penalties.

“I didn’t even know that such a tax existed,” Hughes recalled recently, adding that the delinquent notice was the first time she learned she even owed it. “If I had gotten the first bill, I would have immediately paid it.”

Hughes called the company. A representative told her that they had sent the original bill in July 2016, but Hughes was certain she had never received it. She had moved to her apartment in October 2015 and had paid local income tax, also collected by Keystone, the following February. For that reason, she believed Keystone would have had her correct address by the time of the July mailing.

Around this time, Hughes saw that a neighbor, Timi Lesperance, had posted in a Midtown Facebook group about the same issue—she, too, had received a delinquent notice but no initial bill. In the comments, residents quickly began chiming in with complaints of their own. Soon, they learned of more than 30 neighbors who said they had never received their original tax bills.

Both Hughes and Lesperance eventually sent Keystone a check for the base tax, along with a note saying they were contesting the late fees. They also filed consumer complaints with the state attorney general. Then, in April, they went to a school board meeting and requested that the district investigate the situation.

In May, after the attorney general’s office had forwarded their complaints, a lawyer at Keystone named Michael Mazzella sent formal letters of explanation to Lesperance and Hughes. The letter claimed that original bills had been mailed the previous summer (Keystone enclosed a “reprint” dated July 2016) and that nothing had been returned to the company as undeliverable.

The letter also claimed the company had performed an “internal audit” of “accounts that were mailed from various trays of mail.” The audit showed that some residents had paid their bills in a timely fashion, Mazzella wrote, which “further proves that letters were sent in July.” The letter concluded by asserting that the fees and penalties were valid and demanding payment within 30 days.

Frustrated, Hughes and Lesperance both decided to pay the full amount, while still holding out hope for further action from the attorney general or the school district.

“I ended up, in the interest of a constable not showing up at my house, paying that $50,” Lesperance said.

Problematic
While going through this process, Hughes and Lesperance wondered: Where does that $50 late fee end up anyway? According to the district’s contract with Keystone, it seems that the two entities share it.

A $12 “statutory penalty” goes to the district, and a $13.20 “cost of collection” appears to go to Keystone (the contract language is somewhat vague). It’s unclear from the contact who gets the biggest piece of the pie—a $25 “late filing fee.”

All told, the school occupancy tax brought in $588,000 for the district for 2016 through Jan. 15, 2017, according to the district, responding to a right-to-know request.

Matt Krupp, the chair of the school board’s budget and finance committee, described the missing notices as a real concern for residents. He said it was “problematic” that the administration had not provided an answer to his committee since residents brought it to the board’s attention last April.

“We’ve repeatedly asked that the administration look into it and make sure it’s just an isolated incident,” Krupp said. “It’s unfortunate that it’s five months later and we’ve gotten no clear answer as to what, if anything, the district has learned from Keystone on this issue.”

In the meantime, the missing notices remain unexplained. Karen Mazurkiewicz, a spokesperson for the postal service, said that neither the consumer affairs nor business mail entry units reported any concerns about a mailing from Keystone in July 2016.

And according to Joe Grace, director of communications for the state attorney general, the office has not taken any action against Keystone. However, Grace directed any consumers who feel they have been victimized to contact the consumer protection bureau.

About Fairness
According to its website, Keystone Collections Group has been collecting local taxes in Pennsylvania for 30 years, bringing “integrated state of the art technology and unparalleled industry knowledge” to the field of municipal and school tax collection. The company has collected local income taxes in Dauphin County municipalities since 2012, including in Harrisburg.

In late 2015, the school district approved a contract to switch from its prior collector of the occupational assessment tax to Keystone, citing an initiative in the school’s fiscal recovery plan to improve collections. The contract provided that Keystone would be paid at the rate of $1 per bill issued, plus postage.

According to school board meeting minutes, the district believed that Keystone’s access to employment information from income tax collection would help it locate taxpayers.

Keystone declined to make a representative available to be interviewed for this story. In response to emailed questions, the company provided a one-page statement explaining that it had developed a “comprehensive” mailing list in 2016 that formed the basis of its initial mailing that July.

The company then sent delinquent notices after cross-checking payment data with the original list. “Every taxpayer name on the delinquent list came directly from the original mailing,” the statement said.

Keystone also said that the district had hired it to “bring efficiency and compliance to its occupation tax administration” and that, before 2016, “occupation tax compliance was not strictly enforced in the District.” The company also noted that its penalties and fees are authorized under state law.

Hughes doesn’t dispute Keystone’s legal authority, but just wants to make sure the company is assessing penalties fairly. To that end, she has one critical piece of advice for Harrisburg residents—make sure that you’ve received your 2017 occupational assessment tax bills, which the company says were mailed in July. If you haven’t, call Keystone Collections to pay it.

Keystone does encourage payment online. However, paying the school occupational tax online requires an invoice number, which presents its own confusion. After all, if residents have not received an invoice, they will not have an invoice number to input, so will not be able to pay the bill through the company’s website.

Hughes added that she did receive her 2017 bill on time, but knows several people who say they have not. The penalty period for the tax begins in November. The penalty starts at $12 through December and escalates to $50 next year.

Ultimately, for Hughes, the issue has less to do with the legality of the penalties and more to do with fairness.

“Penalties can be fair, but they need to be based in reality,” she said. “This wasn’t the residents’ fault, and they shouldn’t be charged a penalty.”

To make a payment, call Keystone Collections at 717-978-0300. If you have an invoice number, you can pay online at www.keystonecollects.com.

Home Safely: Local police sergeant creates registry for Alzheimer’s, dementia patients

September 29, 2017 | by Karen Hendricks

Sgt. Stambaugh

Stephanie Weimer thought she had all the bases covered.

As primary caregiver for her father—diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease—she always knew his whereabouts thanks to a tracking device on his cell phone. About two years ago, he drove himself to a routine doctor’s appointment and became disoriented while driving home.

“He was lost, and the tracking device didn’t work because his cell phone had gone dead,” Weimer said. “I called the police right away, and I was trying to figure out his mindset—where he would go, while my sister was running around looking for him.”

Luckily, George C. Weimer Jr. stopped for gas. The station attendant sensed something was wrong, and he asked George to call his family. Stephanie says her phone rang while police officers were sitting around her kitchen table, piecing together a search plan. Thankfully, father and daughter were quickly reunited, but the situation served as a wake-up call for additional protective measures to be put into place.

The Weimers, residents of Silver Spring Township, now have George listed on the township police department’s Alzheimer’s/dementia registry.

“It most definitely gives me peace of mind,” Stephanie said. “Now, the police have everything they need—his picture, his information and my contact information.”

Coincidentally, George spent 44 years as a volunteer with Silver Spring EMS. Now, it’s his turn to let the community take care of him.

According to statistics compiled by the Alzheimer’s Association, six in 10 people with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia are prone to wandering.

“It may be that they don’t remember their name, their address, or they may become disoriented,” said Jan Reisinger of the association’s Greater Pennsylvania Chapter. “It can happen at any time during the stages of the disease. And a more startling statistic—if wandering residents are not found within 24 hours, 61 percent are found deceased.”

More Cases
Alzheimer’s is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior.

About 5.5 million Americans currently live with the disease, and, by 2050, as many as 16 million Americans could be affected. Pennsylvania ranks fifth in terms of the number of Alzheimer’s cases. Reisinger said the disease most commonly affects those 65 and older. However, others display symptoms of early-onset Alzheimer’s in their 40s or 50s.

Due to Alzheimer’s prevalence and the nature of the disease, police departments are seeing an increase in cases involving missing and/or found patients. Identifying and safely returning those found can be a frustrating task, according to Sgt. Keith Stambaugh of Silver Spring Township’s police department. That’s why he created the township’s registry, with an easy-to-use online submission form.

“When someone goes missing, family members are scrambling to assemble information for us—it’s difficult to do under stress, and it takes much longer,” Stambaugh said. “The time that the registry could save could make a difference, if we can find them before they get too far away or in a bad situation.”

Stambaugh said it took hours for his department to track down an Alzheimer’s patient from Silver Spring Township recently. Finally, from a cell phone ping, they located the man, already hundreds of miles away, driving south on I-95 in Virginia.

“The family didn’t think this would happen, and he was not on the registry,” said Stambaugh.

In another case, Mechanicsburg police found a man on foot, wandering on a cold night. Stambaugh heard the county dispatch, including the man’s name.

“He was on our registry, we were able to provide an emergency contact to Mechanicsburg police, and they were able to return him quickly and safely,” Stambaugh said. “That’s exactly the reason it was created.”

Stambaugh said he welcomes families throughout the greater Harrisburg area to use Silver Spring’s registry, regardless of where they live. The township also maintains a registry for those affected by autism.

He said he feels compelled to make a difference in the lives of families affected by Alzheimer’s and dementia. His location, he said, gives him a unique vantage point. Silver Spring is the fastest-growing township in Cumberland County, and Cumberland is the fastest-growing county in the state. Meanwhile, numerous 55-and-over communities are in and around his jurisdiction.

“I’d like to make it a county-level registry that could be accessed by all police departments, with county dispatchers having access to registry information,” he said. “Going a step further, if we got PennDOT on board and were able to put a flag for Alzheimer’s on drivers’ licenses, if they [Alzheimer’s patients] end up in another state, that would show up when we run the license.”

Now, Stambaugh said, he just needs more people to join him in the effort.

“The bottom line is, these ideas, put into practice, would mean a lot less work for everybody, to get them home safely,” he said.

For more information about the Greater Pennsylvania Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, call 717-651-5020 or visit www.alz.org/pa.

Hut, Hut, Drink: Screwtops, boxes for the wine-loving tailgater.

September 29, 2017 | by Steve Juliana

October is a beautiful time in Pennsylvania.

The mountains are ablaze with the changing colors of the forests. Skies are clear and deep blue. It’s a time for comfy flannel, crackling fires and football.

And with everyone’s favorite sport comes the tradition of the tailgate party.

This warm-up to the game has become an elaborate affair of ever-more sumptuous offerings as grill-masters and chefs of all stripes work to impress the fans. What will it take to match and complement such a movable feast? For today’s wine drinker, the choices are better than ever.

The screw cap or Stelvin is one of the latest ways to open and reseal a bottle of wine in a way that does not require a special tool. The downside is that people think the only quaffs wearing these caps are on the bottom rung of the quality ladder. This is not true. Although there are plenty of bottles on the shelves with cute animal labels, more and more serious producers are turning to this modern device. Invented in the mid-1960s, the Stelvin gained popularity in Australia when the cork oak crop failed about two decades later. For the tailgater, it provides access to good wine with the ability to re-close the bottle until more is needed.

What I find amazing is the variety and quality of the wine available. While perusing the aisles at my local FW&GS store, I was pleasantly surprised. From Spain, I found garnacha rosé, red tempranillo and blends of syrah and monastrell, all a match for grilled meats of every type. South Africa showed sauvignon blanc for shrimp and seafood, as well as shiraz and cabernet sauvignon for heavier fair. For those looking for more of a pedigree, there is German riesling and Oregon pinot noir. I see no reason for the party to falter because someone forgot the corkscrew.

Another way to have wine on the tailgate is by purchasing the notorious “bag-in-box.” It may not have the best reputation, although people swear by the convenience and the fact that no wine is wasted. As the liquid flows out, the bag inside recedes, and what remains is not exposed to the effects of air. Sizes of the boxes range from ½-liter up to 3 liters, which is the equivalent of four, regular-sized 750-ml bottles. There are larger boxes, but I don’t recommend these as they don’t have true varietal character and take liberties by naming nondescript West Coast wine after famous regions in Europe. California is well represented with mostly single grapes, red and white. South America is also here, as well as South Africa and Spain. There are some red wines from Italy, but the biggest surprise is that you can find blends from the Bordeaux region, as well as the Rhone Valley.

At your next tailgate party, try some of the most modern ways to enjoy wine and leave the corkscrew at home.

Keep sipping, Steve.

Mission: Gnocchi–It wasn’t impossible after all.

September 29, 2017 | by Rosemary Ruggieri Baer

It had been quite some time since I tackled homemade pasta. And, honestly, my earlier attempts had been less than stellar.

But, these days, there’s wonderful imported dried pasta out there. And my recent retirement from working full time left me little excuse but to give fresh pasta making another try.

Plus, I bought a new cookbook by Lidia Bastianich who, along with Marcella Hazan, is considered one of the queens of Italian cooking. She is a classic Italian chef. But her book, “Lidia’s Commonsense Italian Cooking,” includes many simple and seasonal recipes to make for family and friends.

Lidia’s recipe for cheese gnocchi intrigued me. Traditional gnocchi is usually made with cooked potatoes and, without care, can result in a very heavy dish (haven’t we all experienced those?). Lidia’s version calls for fresh ricotta cheese and a relatively small amount of flour. The result is a much lighter gnocchi and a recipe that is much easier to make.

I decided to give cheese gnocchi a try one lazy afternoon. As a matter of full disclosure, the whole process took about two hours, and there was flour absolutely everywhere. It was a “project” for sure but it turned out to be a lot of fun.

Ingredients for the Gnocchi

Kosher salt for the boiling water
1½ pounds fresh ricotta cheese (drained if “watery”)
2 cups FRESHLY grated Parmesan Reggiano cheese
¾ cup all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling the gnocchi
4 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Pinch of freshly ground pepper (white if you have it)
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (don’t omit this!)

Ingredients for Finishing the Gnocchi

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 whole fresh sage leaves (do not use dried sage)
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to boiling.
In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients to make a smooth dough. (Tip: Beat egg yolks slightly before adding to the mix. And it’s OK to use your hands to mix the dough!)
In a large, wide skillet (I used non-stick), melt the butter and add the sage leaves. Let the sage sizzle for a few minutes then turn off the heat and keep warm. The sage will delicately flavor the butter.
Flour a cutting board (I used my large butcher block cutting board) and flour your hands, too.
Roll the dough into “logs” that are ½ inch in diameter by 2 inches long. I did this in several steps and thought it was the hardest part of the whole process. Try to make the logs uniform in size along their length.
Then cut the logs into ½-inch nuggets and roll them along the tines of a fork to make traditional gnocchi ridges. (You really can omit this step. It won’t affect the texture or taste.)
Place each completed gnocchi on a floured dishtowel to rest.
When all the dough has been cut, place about 10 gnocchi at a time into the boiling water. When they rise to the surface, remove them with a mesh strainer and place them into the warm sage butter. When all the gnocchi are cooked, toss them very gently in the butter so that they are evenly coated.
I left the gnocchi in the skillet until dinnertime. Then I re-warmed them and showered them with lots of freshly grated Parmesan cheese before serving. The recipe made at least 3 to 4 healthy servings.

I drizzled a little red sauce over the gnocchi, but they are just as delicious with only the butter sauce. I wasn’t expecting much of my renewed pasta making efforts. But these gnocchi were light as a feather and absolutely wonderful. And there were raves from a husband who normally avoids heavy pasta of all kinds.

I think I’m hooked. I’m planning to drag out my dusty Atlas pasta maker that’s been put away for a long time. Maybe fettucine on a rainy October afternoon?

Gnocchi Note: Gnocchi boards are available from kitchen supply stores or online. They are small, wooden, handheld, ridged boards for shaping the gnocchi. I found a fork worked just as well, but you might consider one of these if gnocchi becomes your specialty.

Active, Healthy: PT strides into the spotlight during National Physical Therapy Month.

September 29, 2017 | by Andrew Zang

October is National Physical Therapy Month, a time when physical therapists look to educate the public on exactly what we do and whom we help.

In short, it is our job and mission to work with people recovering from sprains, strains, aches and pains. We help people recovering from surgery, broken bones and trauma. We treat people who have suffered strokes, brain injuries and spinal cord injuries, those with Parkinson’s Disease and many other conditions. We also seek to help prevent surgeries whenever possible.

As a profession, our goal is to help everyone who needs or wants assistance to move or feel better so that they can remain, regain or become more active and independent. Physical therapy is not just for athletes or old people. It can help people of all ages. In fact, there are eight different specialties one can become board certified in, including orthopedics, geriatrics, pediatrics and neurology. About 1 percent also complete fellowship-level training in a specialty area, just like doctors do.

You may encounter physical therapists working in hospitals, rehab facilities, outpatient clinics and in private homes. We routinely work with people suffering with back or neck pain, knee or shoulder pain or who have difficulty walking or are trying to prevent or recover from a fall. Basically, if it involves the human body, muscles, joints, movement or mobility, physical therapists work with it.

Given all the places you may encounter a physical therapist, the question may be asked, “How can I see one? Or do I need a referral?”

The good news is, in most instances, a referral from a doctor is not necessary in Pennsylvania (except Medicare—federal rules state you must have one). This means, should you sprain an ankle hiking over the weekend or wake up with a kink in your neck or back, have trouble climbing stairs or picking up a bag of groceries, you can call a physical therapist to be evaluated.

Therefore, you won’t need to wait two weeks for that doctor’s appointment or to have imaging done (there are exceptions, I grant you). There is no need to wait and see what happens, to delay and see if your pain gets worse.

Physical therapists can help people with almost any strength, flexibility, balance, movement, mobility or independence issue. We even help those problems where doctors tell you nothing can be done because of your age. Arthritis, for instance, is not an excuse or reason that you should be unable to do what you enjoy. Physical therapists can teach how to overcome those issues you feel are stopping you.

That’s our job as physical therapists. We help you stay active and healthy, to live with less pain and to enjoy life. And that’s the primary message that should be conveyed during National Physical Therapy Month.

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

Bottom’s Up: Small batches, big flavor at Big Bottom Brewery.

September 29, 2017 | by Robert Naeye

I have visited so many brewpubs over the years that I lost count long ago. I often find these small establishments uneven in quality, but I never doubt the owner’s passion for bold, flavorful beer.

So I figured I would once again put my theory to the test when I recently visited the Big Bottom Brewery in Dillsburg, which opened in June. It’s located in the rear of the building that houses Al’s Pizza & Subs, just off route 15 on the north end of town.

Moments after I walked in, owner Bob Szajnuk greeted me. After downing the first of his eight beers on tap, a very interesting saison with a pronounced cucumber taste, I assumed I was talking to a fellow beer lover. Then he stunned me by telling me that he doesn’t drink beer.

“I just never got a taste for it,” he explained later. “So, I never pursued it.”

Szajnuk has owned Al’s Pizza & Subs for about a decade, and, for years, he kept about 40 beers on tap. But he recently decided to take a bold step in a new direction by selling his own beer, taking advantage of the exploding market for locally brewed beverages.

The process of going from an idea to a reality took about a year.

Szajnuk first contacted Brad Moyer of Fermented Artistry, a firm that provides consulting services for breweries, wineries and coffee shops. Moyer explained how to set up a brewery and what kinds of costs Szajnuk could expect. But then Szajnuk was faced with the critical decision: how to find a skilled brewmaster.

“I never brewed beer in my life,” he said.

Moyer and Szajnuk ultimately interviewed five local home-brewers for the job.

“They would talk about beer, and I would talk about business,” Szajnuk said. “We wanted someone who understood that it was a business.”

Szajnuk realized it was vital for his success to find the best fit.

“Brewing is very creative, but we wanted them to understand that we’re not brewing for their buddies in the basement,” he said. “We needed to brew for large numbers of people.”

The best fit turned out to be Brad Stump, who had been brewing his own beer for about seven years. And Stump brought aboard his friend Brian Keeney, a fellow member of a local home-brewer’s club known as Sons of Alchemy.

Together, Szajnuk, Stump and Keeney decided to always keep eight of their own beers on tap, including their flagship IPA (the B3 IPA, for Bob, Brad and Brian), but to constantly rotate in new beers to keep things interesting. At the time of this writing, they had brewed 16 to 18 beers.

“We haven’t had a bad report on any of them,” Szajnuk said.

He said he never worked as hard as he did on opening night, when the brewery and restaurant were jam-packed with people eager to check out the product. Everyone got a free flight of four beers.

The plan is to brew mostly lighter beers for the summer and darker, roastier stouts and porters for the winter. Most of their beers will hover around 5 percent in alcohol content so people can sample more than one during a visit. Many will be one-offs, but as Keeney said, “If something goes over well, we’ll make it again.”

I tried 5-ounce samples of all eight beers available during my visit. These included two IPAs, two saisons, a pale ale, a cream ale and two gose beers. I enjoyed every one, and I felt all eight were solid representatives of their styles. This is in stark contrast to many newly opened brewpubs, which usually struggle to deliver consistent quality across their entire line.

Keeney and Stump often experiment at home, trying out a recipe to see if they think it will have broad appeal before brewing it for Big Bottom. But they continue brewing for themselves and friends because it allows them to express their creativity without having to concern themselves with commercial pressure. For his part, Keeney frequently brews sour beers for his own pleasure, knowing they probably will not go over well with most Big Bottom customers.

“We’re living in a golden age of beer. There are more choices than any time in history,” said Keeny. “What we’re doing is what you’re going to see in future restaurants with their own brewery, where they brew beers only for that location. You won’t see a lot of regional breweries like Troegs. It will be smaller operations opening up.”

For Szajnuk, the key to brewing success is patience. His wife, an accountant, worried that they had money sitting in their equipment, fermenting beer for months. She wondered when they would start covering their costs.

But, as Szajnuk explained, “You can’t rush it. You got to wait it out. Patience is the big word.”

And Szajnuk said opening a brewery is not just about attracting more customers to his restaurants. The experience has been professionally rewarding.

“I know more about beer than I ever thought I’d know, given that I don’t drink,” he said.

Big Bottom Brewery is located at 6 Tristan Dr., Dillsburg. To learn more, visit their Facebook page.

Discovering Boalsburg: A trove of Columbus artifacts can be found in perhaps the least likely place in the New World.

September 29, 2017 | by Stephanie Kalina-Metzger

Sometimes, the roundabout way we learn things is amazing.

It was quite by accident that I discovered Pennsylvania is home to an impressive collection of antiquities once owned by Christopher Columbus—yes, that Christopher Columbus—the one who sailed the ocean blue in fourteen hundred and ninety-two.

Last year, I embarked upon a trip to the Hemingway House in Key West, Fla. When I sat down to write an article about the place where the famous author derived his inspiration, I realized that I needed just a few more details. So, I picked up the phone to reach out to the contact listed on the website.

The lady who answered soon discovered that I lived in Pennsylvania. She then shared that she hailed from the Boalsburg area and asked me if I was aware of the astounding collection of Christopher Columbus artifacts tucked away in her small corner of the world. I was not.

The Mansion
Boalsburg is home to fewer than 4,000 residents, but has the distinction of being known as the birthplace of Memorial Day—a fact I also learned from my Hemingway House contact. It’s amazing how little I knew about the historical importance of Boalsburg, let alone the fact that a king’s ransom of priceless artifacts lies just beyond the tree line off Business Route 322.

Within two hours after leaving Harrisburg, I was making my way up a long, gravel driveway to the 200-year old Boal Estate and poking around the rustic grounds, which are home to the Columbus Chapel and the Boal Mansion.

A docent greeted me and led me through the mansion, offering up a great deal of information about the Boal family, beginning with David Boal, a Scottish-Irish pioneer. Boal, in his quest for inexpensive land and freedom, founded the village and established a popular tavern nearby. The mansion began as a simple log home and evolved over time into the grand structure it is today.

David’s son, George, became a farmer and advocated for those who worked the land after securing a seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and founding the Centre County Agricultural Society. Visitors who tour the mansion will view original furnishings belonging to the Boal family, along with portraits, tools, weapons, place settings and other artifacts.

The Boal family was well connected, and it shows. Among the varied collection are five different original presidential signatures, a lock of Napoleon’s hair and items signed by the astronauts from Apollo 11. Additional artifacts on display contain items from King Tut’s great-grandparents’ tomb, courtesy of George Jack Boal, who married a woman whose brother-in-law was the Egyptologist who made the discovery.

The elegant Boal Mansion ballroom was added in 1898 by Theodore Davis Boal and features a piano once owned by Dolly Madison.

The Chapel
Located just a short walk from the mansion, the Columbus Chapel is said to contain “the most significant collection of Christopher Columbus artifacts in North America.”

For this, you can thank Mathilde de Lagarde, the wife of fourth-generation son, Theodore Boal. De Lagarde inherited the collection from her aunt, Victoria Columbus, who died childless and willed the chapel to her niece. Boal initially wanted to transport the chapel itself to Boalsburg, but the Spanish government said no. So, he decided to build an exact replica on the Boalsburg mansion grounds and moved all of the chapel’s contents to the property.

The anticipation of what lies beyond hung heavily in the air as the docent fiddled with the lock on the metal security cage. Finally, it was time to reveal the original entrance to the chapel. An ornately carved, centuries-old heavy wood door opened the way to the collection within.

There’s a sense of reverence inside the cozy structure that touts an array of ancient artifacts, like a well-used admiral’s desk that Columbus pressed into service on his four journeys to the New World, 15th-century paintings and various statues ranging in date from the 14th to 17th centuries. The Columbus family tree and coat-of-arms are displayed above on the choir loft.

The docent opened drawers of an oversized bureau to reveal silk religious vestments crafted with gold embroidery that date back more than 500 years. A yellow robe, embellished with a skull-and-crossbones, caught my eye. I was told they were funeral vestments.

A silver reliquary was stored inside a leather case and is said to contain two pieces of the “true cross” of Jesus Christ brought back from the Crusades. On the wall hangs a manuscript attesting to its authenticity as certified by a Spanish bishop.

Hidden behind large confessional doors are 165,000 pages of Columbus family papers and archives dating back to 1451. One wonders if they shouldn’t be hermetically sealed in some manner, but I was assured they’ve been cataloged for posterity by Penn State.

Making the call to Key West that day opened up doors to a priceless collection of American history. I guess you never can tell where one call will lead.

The Boal Mansion Museum and Columbus Chapel are located at 163 Boal Estate Dr., Boalsburg. Tours are conducted daily through Oct. 30. For more information, visit www.boalmuseum.com.

Tap, Tap, Tap: The baton is raised on the new HSO season.

September 29, 2017 | by Barbara Trainin Blank

The 2017-18 Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra season is upon us, which got me to wondering—how exactly are the pieces chosen for a particular concert?

“It’s a multistep process with several criteria,” explained HSO Maestro Stuart Malina. “It’s what I want to play, what the orchestra wants to play. What does the audience want to hear, and what do I think they should hear?”

Though he’s the “final arbiter,” Malina meets with Jeff Woodruff, the symphony’s executive director, other staff members, and the board’s advisory committee to make decisions.

There are other criteria. If the piece is a “core part” of HSO’s repertoire, Malina may consider how long it’s been since the orchestra played it. Financial concerns come into play, too, such as how many players will be required for a piece.

Masterworks concerts may balance large and small pieces. Plus, each Masterworks concert is likely to include a familiar piece, one that is less so, and one that may be new or fairly new to many members of the audience.

Sometimes, a decision may lie between the fame of a certain piece and its quality.

“When push comes to shove, there are reasons not to play Dvorak’s ‘New World Symphony’ because of familiarity,” said Malina. “But it’s really great music. And the beauty of live music is that every time you play it, it’s different. It feels fresh and exciting.”

This month, the opening Masterworks concert of the new season combines the Mahler Symphony No. 1 with the Brahms Violin Concerto, played by soloist Rachel Barton Pine.

“The Mahler is a challenging and gripping piece,” said Malina. “There’s a large amount of sound.”

The next concert, in November, includes something very familiar and “delightful”—Bizet’s Symphony in C, which hasn’t been done since Malina joined the orchestra 20 years ago.

The less-familiar piece on the program is Prokofiev’s “Sinfonietta.” In between, perhaps, is Beethoven’s Triple Concerto, to be played by the orchestra, and the Mendelssohn Piano Trio with HSO concertmaster Peter Sirotin, principal cellist Fiona Thompson and pianist Ya-Ting Chang.

The publicly unknown piece in the January concert is a “brand-new” one: Jeremy Gill’s “Ainulindalë” (based on the work of author J. R. R. Tolkein).

“Gill is from the area,” Malina said. “He was an assistant conductor for us, and we’ve performed a great deal of his music.”

In contrast, the concert will also include “the high-classical music” of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 5, as well as Dvorak’s “very dance-like” symphony No. 7, which some consider his greatest symphony,” he added.

In April, HSO will celebrate the centennial of the birth of composer/conductor/music educator Leonard Bernstein, with selections from his musical, “On the Town” (perhaps less known but definitely cheerier than his masterpiece, “West Side Story”) and his choral work, “Chichester Psalms.”

The second half of the program will consist of Ernest Bloch’s “Sacred Service.” The Susquehanna Chorale, Messiah College Concert Choir and Choral Arts Society will participate.

“Based on Jewish liturgical music, this was a piece championed by Bernstein,” Malina said. “It’s the most compelling choral music. It will be sung in Hebrew, with supertitles.”

The orchestra seeks input from audiences in three categories.

“We ask them how they felt about the pieces,” Malina said candidly. “Either, they really loved it, or like it but don’t care if I don’t do it again, or hate it.”

The first of the Pops Series concerts, taking place in October, recalls the historic event 50 years ago when the Beatles released their “Sgt. Pepper Lonely Hearts Club Band” album. Accompanied by the full orchestra, Classical Mystery Tour will perform all the music from that album, as well as other Beatles favorites.

The January Pops concert will be a tribute to Jerry Herman, the Broadway composer/lyricist of such hits as “Milk and Honey,” “Mame” and “La Cage Aux Folles.”

“It’s a good time for a Jerry Herman tribute, with the wildly successful revival of ‘Hello Dolly’ (for which Bette Midler won a Tony) on Broadway now,” said Malina.

The final Pops concert of the season features Dee Daniels. She’ll be singing hits and timeless standards performed and recorded by such swing legends as Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong.

HSO also will present two pairs of Young Person’s Concerts, one in the fall and one in the spring. They’re designed for students in grades 3 to 8 who come to the Forum—home of the symphony—from all over the capital region and beyond.

Malina hosts these 45-minute concerts, which feature excerpts from the upcoming weekend’s Masterworks program. An estimated 7,000 students experience a Young Person’s Concert each season.

Classical, pops, youth—as the leaves begin to fall this month, the music only rises.

The Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra’s 2017-18 season begins Oct. 7 to 8 with works by Brahms and Mahler. For all the details on the season, visit www.harrisburgsymphony.org.

Hole Foods: Doughnuts–sprinkled, dipped and drizzled–arrive on Walnut Street.

September 29, 2017 | by Stephanie Kalina-Metzger

Abandon hope, all ye who diet!

That’s my advice before walking into Anna Rose Bakery and Coffee Shop, where there seems to be no end to the choices for your fresh-from-the-oven doughnut.

Should you get the cinnamon sugar coating? The maple, the lemon, the blueberry? How about adding a topping like bacon, rainbow sprinkles or Fruity Pebbles? Do you dare gild the lily with a drizzle of hot fudge, peanut butter or salted caramel?

And all this for a mere buck (actually 99 cents).

For the past few months, downtown denizens have had a new spot to visit for a sweet, affordable treat, which includes cupcakes, muffins, breads and cookies, in addition to the signature doughnuts. Heck, even the colorful, pastel-painted building looks almost good enough to eat.

You can thank Harrisburg’s nightlife king, Ron Kamionka, for all those extra calories. It was his idea to bring a bakery to what was once the back portion of Molly Brannigan’s Irish Pub at N. 2nd and Walnut streets. He then turned over the creative reins to expert baker Dana Snyder.

“I’ve known Ron for about 13 years now and have worked for him for about six,” said Snyder, who grew up on a farm. “We were all very involved in our food on the farm. We grew our own vegetables, butchered our own meat. It was all-hands on deck.”

She said that she started baking at a very young age.

“When I was able to push a chair up to the table to make pie dough is when I started,” she said.

Later on, Snyder secured a job working with John Reis at the Hilton.

“Chef Reis was amazing, and I had enough sense to pay attention and learn everything I could from both him and my supervisors,” she said.

An Artist
Crystal Mace is familiar with Snyder’s baking talent, having tasted some of her creations while working at Harrisburg Hospital.

“She brought samples to our workplace and went from floor to floor with them, and they were very well received,” she said. “The lemon cupcakes are to die for.”

Cindy Klinger, who also works in Harrisburg, said she likes the convenience of picking up treats for the office or purchasing items to take home after a long day’s work.

Another downtown worker, Bruce Hironimus, added that he enjoys sharing the treats, especially taking them home to his sweetheart.

“My wife love sweets, and I treat myself to the coffee there,” he said.

The businessman describes Snyder as “a bit of an artist” who will go the extra mile for you. He mentioned a recent trip to Montreal, where he and his wife fell in love with Canadian butter tarts. When they returned, Hironimus mentioned them to Snyder, who recreated the rich, gooey pastry, much to his delight.

To Snyder, weak flavors have no business hanging out in her bakery. She only presses into service those that command attention.

“I believe in strong flavors,” she said. “For my triple lemon cupcake, I use fresh juice and zest, core out the center and pipe in lemon curd filling, then top it with a lemon buttercream icing.”

Other popular flavors are the tried-and-true peanut butter cup cupcakes, the classic red velvet and a carrot cake flavor that never seems to go out of style.

Those in the know can take advantage of an additional type of sweetness that lurks just beyond the door of the front room.

Anna Rose has teamed up with Molly’s Place animal rescue to bring an array of adorable critters to the space behind the bakery. Puppies (and kittens) romp in a fenced-in “yard” complete with faux flowers and grass.

“People seem to love it, and it helps socialize the animals, which is great, too,” said Molly’s Place Director Lori Johnston.

According to Snyder, it’s not known how long the bakery will host the “puppy café,” but, for now, the hours are from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesdays.

“We ask those who are interested to check our Facebook page,” she said.

Another reason to check that page, according to Snyder, is to learn what tasty treats are available each day.

“I constantly mix it up,” she said, enumerating her inventory—cupcakes, bars, cream puffs, turtles, whoopee pies, eclairs, muffins, zucchini bread and pumpkin, which is a favorite this time of year.

Hmm, it’s “cake o’clock” somewhere, right?

Anna Rose Bakery & Coffee Shop is located at 205 Walnut St., Harrisburg. For more information, call 717-236-3149 or visit their Facebook page or website at www.annarosebakery.com.

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